Dear Presidents, DOC’s and Coaches –

On behalf of the Academy Soccer League (ASL), welcome to another exciting year of soccer! Many of you are aware of the ASL and that we are entering our second year as a League Scheduling Body. We are eager to get the year underway and have made some adjustments for the upcoming year.

Several of you have inquired as to when we will be expanding our age groups from U8 through U13 to include the U14’s and above. I am writing to you to announce that effective today, we will be a scheduling body for U8’s through U19's. We will also offer a College Premiere League which will allow your Senior Elite Teams a League to play where they will play Premiere and Elite Teams to prepare themselves for College Showcases, etc.

Why is the ASL doing this?
We are doing it based on demand. What the ASL has always been is a League Scheduling Body. We have no desire on mandating Rules on how to run your Club. We have no desire to have By-Laws that require Legal Counsel to decipher. We have no desire to modify Federation Rules and cause confusion. We are a League Scheduling Body. That’s it, nothing more.

What are ASL Membership requirements?
There are no Membership Requirements. There is no need to have Members and require another Monthly Meeting, another AGM and several Coaches meetings throughout the year. You are already busy enough; why add to your Calendar and take more time away from your family, club and team?

Are you requiring a Bond to participate?
Absolutely not. Since there are no Members, there are no Bonds being required. We schedule league games and you run your Club. With today’s economy, it doesn’t make sense to add another Fee to your Budget when it is not needed.

What are the per Team Registration Fees?
Academy Teams (U8 through U10) are $150.00 per team.
(Additional teams within the same Age Group and from the same Club will be registered at $75.00)
All other Teams (U11 and above) are $200.00 per team.

What are the ASL Rules of the Game?
The ASL will use Federation Guidelines.

Who will the ASL be sanctioned by or affiliated with?
The ASL has modified its original application to be an official Federation affiliated League. Additionally, we also modified our application to be US Club Soccer affiliated as well. This will allow us many avenues to explore and vast opportunities to improve our individual Clubs. The target date to have this completed with the Federation by the first week of August 2009. For US Club Soccer it will be completed within 30 days.

How do I register with the ASL?
Registration will be made available online during the Registration Window which is now open. It is imperative that you Register each team within the Registration Window so that you will be able to play your games with the Clubs that are located in your local geographic proximity. To Register your Team please [ click here ].

How are the Age Brackets and Level of Play determined?
For the Academy Age groups they will be as follows:

The Academy Format is used as a Developmental Bridge for players who want to cross over from Recreational Ball to Competitive Ball. By having the Academy Format, it allows us to concentrate on the technical aspects of the game without the pressure of the Competitive Format. Development by definition is an evolution of progression. If our intent is to develop our student athletes to the best of our ability so that by the time they reach the Sr. Age Group they are prepared for the level of skill and competition they are going to face, we should be thinking about our Academy structure now and to how best assisting each other in accomplishing those goals.

There will be two options of play in these age brackets. The first is ‘Group Travel’ and this is defined as a Club traveling as a Group to another Club. This will allow their U8-U11 to travel as a Club and realize the benefit of all of their players in one geographical location.

The second option is the more traditional format that we are all used to. This would have Home and Away games against Clubs that are in your geographical location.

What about Age groups U11 through U19?
The remaining age groups U11 through U19 will be played in the same format we are used to today. There will be Premier, Division 1, Division 2 and Division 3 Leagues available. We will also provide a College Premier League for those teams U16 and above who desire to have a higher level of play.

Why is U11 represented in both?
The U11 Age Group can be a touchy issue. Depending on your Clubs philosophy of play, we are making available a U11 Academy and a U11 Competitive category. There is interest from several Clubs that have the desire to play their U11 Age Group as either Academy or Competitive. The ASL is providing an option that allows each Club flexibility that best suits their needs.

What do I do next?
REGISTER YOUR TEAM. Please take a minute to fill out your Team Registration Form. You will receive an e-mail confirming your Registration and we will contact you about your Clubs Field Availability.

Who do I contact with questions?
You can contact Clayton Bowman directly by sending an e-mail to cjbowman@academysl.com, sending a fax to 727-683-9747 or by calling 727-224-4427.

ACADEMY SOCCER LEAGUE, INC.  |  2009