Applications welcome for the MAPS / MSSL SHOWCASE SERIES!

   

MSSL 2008 Winter College Showcase for Boys

 

All governing body passes accepted: USYSA  -  USCS  -  AYSO  -  Others

         

When:            

U15  - U16 - U17 - U18 - U19 BOYS SHOWCASE:  Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday, Nov. 28, 29 & 30, 2008

U15 - U16 - U17 - U18/19 BOYS ELITE INVITATIONAL:  Friday, Saturday & Sunday, Nov. 28, 29 & 30, 2008

                       

Where:           

The WINTER COLLEGE SHOWCASE (and its ELITE INVITATIONAL component) will be conducted at Doughboy Fields at Fort Dix NJ, just fifteen minutes from the New Jersey Turnpike in central New Jersey, and at Mercer County Park in West Windsor NJ, just five minutes from the Intersection of Interstate 95 and US Highway 1.

 

Format:

           

WINTER COLLEGE SHOWCASE

·        Two games per day / Scheduled minimum of 60 minutes (or longer if schedule and daylight permits).

·        Boys teams play on two days of the three day showcase (Fri-Sat / Sat-Sun / Fri-Sun).

·        U15, U16, U17, U18 and U19 teams will be eligible for Showcase acceptance.

·        Teams, at the sole discretion of the Showcase Committee, may be placed into five-team, six-team or eight-team brackets. (The formats allows for certainty in scheduling, facilitating the provision of pre-showcase information to college evaluators. Six-team flights will play comparable but not balanced four-game schedules.) Flight selection is based upon team quality, achievement, attractiveness to college evaluators, days of availability and geographic diversity. Flight standings are published, and results for the top flights are submitted to various ranking services.

·        Teams may request to participate only one day of the three. Also, teams may be allocated only one day depending on the number of quality applicants to the showcase, in recognition that the Showcase strives to be inclusive of quality teams and players who deserve an opportunity to be showcased. Single day participants cannot be considered for bracket participation.

·        College Showcase participants register their Roster and Player Profile information online, and have the information published in a Coaches Binder distributed to all registering college evaluators.

 

ELITE INVITATIONAL at the WINTER COLLEGE SHOWCASE

·        The Elite Invitational is a fully-integrated part of the Winter College Showcase, seamlessly contested on the same fields and incorporated into the same schedule as the rest of the Showcase.

·        Flights will be created for U18/19, for U17, for U16 and for U15 age groups.

·        Elite Invitational teams play a five-game schedule, with games on all three days of the Showcase (spread over Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Scheduled minimum of 60 minutes (or longer if schedule and daylight permits).

·        Elite Invitational flight standings are published, and results for the flights are submitted to various ranking services.

·        Teams applying to the Winter College Showcase can indicate their interest in participating in the three-day Elite Invitational on the online application form they fill out. The Showcase Committee extends invitations to interested teams, based primarily upon team quality, achievement and attractiveness to college evaluators, but with some secondary concern about creating flights with geographic diversity where appropriate.

·        Elite Challenge participants are not differentiated from College Showcase participants in registering their Roster and Player Profile information online, and having the information published in a Coaches Binder distributed to all registering college evaluators.

 

 

Who:  

Applications are invited from Boys teams ages U15 to U19 duly registered with their State Youth Soccer Association, with US Club Soccer, with AYSO or with any other valid governing body.

Foreign teams accepted.

The Showcase Acceptance Committee will give the highest priority to High School Senior-dominated teams during the Winter Showcase event. 

 

Guest Players:

The Committee has authorized a maximum of five guest players for teams playing with Youth Soccer rosters and passes; US Club rosters may include an unlimited amount of loan players; other rostered teams should check with Showcase Acceptance Committee.

Teams may not “mix” passes: the submitted roster and all player passes on a single team must be from the same governing body.

Only rostered and approved players with a player pass shall be allowed to play.

Rosters may not exceed 18 players on any day of the tournament, or 22 players for the weekend.

Teams are responsible for knowing the regulations of the governing bodies from which they are submitting rosters.

 

To Enter:       

Complete the online application entry form accessed from the Showcase Homepage. You can pay online by credit card, call our office at 732-940-5599 with a credit card number, or send a check or money order. If paying by check, mail a printed copy of either your online entry form or your email application confirmation, then mail a check or money order payable to:

MSSL 2008 Winter College Showcase. 

Make sure you identify your team (age / gender / team name; for example “U17B Ukrainian Sitch”) on the memo line of the check or money order.

 

Entry Fee:     

$895 for U15 – U19 Showcase teams participating two days

$475 for U16 – U19 Showcase teams participating one day

$985 for U15 – U19 teams participating in the three-day, five-game Elite Invitational

 

Mailing Address:      

MSSL 2008 Winter Showcase

One Beekman Road

Suite A

Kendall Park, NJ  08824

 

Questions:                

Phone:             973-998-9731             

Fax:                 732-940-5597

E-Mail:             bohdan@mssl.org

 

Deadline:                  

Entry Application with payment should be received no later than October 1, 2008. Late applications may be placed on the waiting list , and refunds will be issued after the completion of the Showcase if a waiting list team is not accepted.

Timely-applying MAPS and MSSL teams are guaranteed at least one day at the showcase.

Note that clearly qualified teams will be accepted on a rolling basis, so early application is recommended.

 

Player Profiles:        

Upon acceptance, Showcase teams must complete online Player Profiles by no later than November 10, 2008. 

 

Permission To Travel:        

Permission To Travel forms must be presented upon registration from all teams whose governing bodies require their use. Teams are responsible for knowing the regulations of the governing bodies from which they are submitting rosters.

 

Lodging:        

Teams participating in the Showcase must book lodging through the Showcase.

Please contact MSSL-approved Titan Lodging Travel Coordinator Kristi at kristi@titanlodging.com.

Titan Lodging has reserved a block of rooms to meet our showcase needs throughout the year, even at times that rooms are scarce in the area. However, in order to maintain relationships with cooperating hotels, Titan Lodging does need to ensure that reserved room blocks are utilized. We appreciate your cooperation with our booking policies.

 

Acceptance:  

Timely applying U17, U18 and U19 teams participating in MAPS Flights are assured of acceptance to the Showcase, although the day(s) requested are not assured.

Competitive teams, both regional and national, that would benefit from showcase exposure will be selectively accepted to complete the field.

Entry fees will be returned promptly to teams not accepted. 

NO REFUNDS WILL BE MADE TO TEAMS WITHDRAWING AFTER ACCEPTANCE.

 

Competitive Brackets:        

Competitive brackets are created with attention to the competitive level and geographic diversity of the teams involved. Not all teams will (or can) be invited to participate in Flight competition, and such flights are not essential for the purposes of the Showcase (which is to provide an opportunity to participate for as many quality college-player-laden teams as reasonably possible). The decisions of the Competition and Scheduling Committee in creating such brackets is final.

 

Weather and other uncontrollable conditions:   

In the event of modifications or cancellations, the Committee’s determination on format change and the amount of refund, if any, is final.

 

 

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IMPORTANT POINTS TO REMEMBER ABOUT THE SELECTION PROCESS

 

Provide as much meaningful information about your team as possible, including recent records, participation in State Cup and Regional competition, records in recent major tournaments, etc.

 

Please advise us of highly competitive leagues in which the team participates.  For example, many teams play in MAPS Flights of CJYSA that have selective entry criteria and strong competition.

 

The tournament reserves the right to contact State Associations, league officials and club officials to obtain additional information about applicants. 

 

The Player Profile information must be submitted.  Tentative team acceptances are contingent upon player profile information being supplied online.  Space will be provided at the tournament for teams to display more detailed player profile information that teams print and bring with them. Nonetheless, experience shows that coaches reference the tournament-supplied Player Profile books first and foremost during games as they incorporate primary information in an organized manner that coaches have come to rely upon.