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Dear Team Managers and Coaches: Congratulations on qualifying
for the 2007 US Futsal Northeast / Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship. MAPS Futsal is proud to host this
prestigious event. This is the largest
regional championship to date. Six
courts will be used to provide for a thrilling competition. The top two teams in each age
group will automatically qualify for the 2007 US Futsal National
Championships in July; additional teams may also be eligible for acceptance
as At Large teams. Registration and Check-In A team manager is required to
check in on Friday, February 16 between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM at the Teams not commencing play until
Sunday may register Saturday night or Sunday, as long as they do so at least
three hours before their first game. Please contact Bohdan at MSSLsoccer@aol.com or at 973-998-9731 if
other arrangements are necessary. Please bring your All items must be presented at
check-in to the US Futsal Registration Administrator at the Regionals. Please ensure that you have all the
required paperwork from your state association. The players do NOT need to be present -
only the team manager, coach or representative. Teams will be requested to
identify the Hotel at which their team will be lodged. Also, teams will be requested to provide or
confirm contact information during
their stay, and identify the primary emergency
contact number (mobile phone) that should be used in the event the team
needs to be contacted. Remember, all teams, players and
coaches participating at Regionals must be registered with the US Futsal Federation. The Futsal.com
registration page at http://futsal.com/usffregistration.htm
will cover the process for you. For teams that did NOT
submit their US Futsal Team ID # with their application, please email Bohdan
Porytko at NJFutsal@aol.com
with the number as soon as you obtain it upon registering with USFF. Teams should have sent payment
of $425 as instructed in the Online Application to: MAPS Futsal, Regionals Commemorative Clothing and Gear There is a wide selection of Most of the items will also be
available onsite at the Championships, and do inquire about our custom
printing. We have the capability to provide many options to suit your needs
or moods. Lodging MAPS Futsal has attractive
lodging reserved locally for reasonable prices, to accommodate the needs of
teams participating in the Regional tournament, especially given the short
turnaround for many teams from State tournaments to Regional championship.
However, for the Organizing Committee to meet its obligations, teams MUST
book their rooms through MAPS Futsal in order to participate. Contact Travel Coordinator
Linda or her staff by emailing MSSLlodging@gmail.com. More info can
be found at: http://www.socceragency.net/mapsfutsal/regional_champ/07_Regionals_Lodging.htm
If you need additional
assistance, you can also contact Bob Mykulak at bobmykulak@yahoo.com or at 732-207-4576. Make sure you know your hotel’s
cancellation and checkout policies. You may want to call your hotel to verify
this information. Discuss the hotel’s checkout policies and procedures, in
the event your team advances into playoff rounds; be sure to timely cancel
your room if your team does not advanvce. At this point in time, entire
team cancellations will probably only be honored in the event of tournament
cancellation due to extreme weather conditions. Otherwise an entire team
cancellation may nonetheless create liability for room charges. Most hotels have extensive
information about activities in the area. Take advantage of your trip! Directions Travel directions to the To get online travel directions
you can also try www.google.com and
click on their MAPS option, then the “Get Directions” option. Type in your
origin address, then insert “ Schedules
The tournament schedules are
posted on the tournament page of the MAPS Futsal web site, accessed through www.socceragency.net/mapsfutsal.
Specifically, the button can be found on the right side of the webpage at http://www.socceragency.net/mapsfutsal/regional_champ/index.htm There are two formats for the
schedule: separate age brackets for each competition (which are printable and
let you keep track how your age group is progressing), and a Court/Timeslot
Grid that shows how all the days’ games are scheduled. It is recommended that
you check both formats. Advise us of any discrepancies. Tournament game results and
standings will be posted online regularly during the course of the event, so
our Futsal Regionals fans can see them at home or at their place of
lodging. Please note that last minute
adjustments in the schedule may be required, so always check your team’s
schedule each of the last few days prior to the tournament for any last
minute schedule changes. We will try to advise teams by email about changes
after the schedule is set on Tuesday Feb. 13, but you should double check to
make sure. VERY IMPORTANT: Always click REFRESH on your Web Browser when
accessing the schedule. Also make sure that you have
provided an easily reachable mobile phone number for a team contact who will
be attending the Regionals, as requested on the online team application. Tournament Rules for Advancement from Group Play All teams are organized into
Group Play Brackets. Group winners and seedings are determined using the
following rules: · Most Game Points. Teams are awarded three points for a
win, one point for a tie and no points for a loss. · In the event of a tie, the following criteria shall
apply: o
Head to Head Competition. (Does not apply in
a three-or-more-way tie) o
Largest Goal Differential (i.e., Goals
Scored minus Goals Allowed) up to a
maximum differential of plus-eight goals or minus-eight goals per
game. o
Goals scored with a maximum of eight (8) per
game. o
Fewest goals allowed. o
Penalty kicks using current F.I.F.A. rules.
Initial round of five alternating
penalty kicks per team, followed by single alternating kicks if still
tied. Coaches Information The
Regional Championships will adhere to the FIFA Laws of the game, as accepted
and published on the USFF website at http://futsal.com/usfflawsi.htm,
except as modified or expanded for this Championship and published on the
website at: http://www.socceragency.net/mapsfutsal/regional_champ/07_Futsal_RegionalRules.pdf Coaches
and managers must ensure that they are familiar with this two page set of
Regulations, and their teams adhere to the cited standards of behavior. Teams must be at their Court at
least fifteen minutes before their match, and present their USFF Player Passes to the fourth
official at the Court, as well as a copy of their Player Roster (which clearly identifies each player’s Jersey Number). The Scorekeeper will review the passes and
rosters. Upon completion of the match
each coach must retrieve the passes from the Scorekeeper, sign the Gamecard
(verifying the score) and select a player from the opposing team as an MVP
(and so advise the Scorekeeper). These
selections will be a significant part of the overall process of selecting a
US Futsal Northeast / Mid-Atlantic All Regional Team. Please especially note the
following Rules, some of which are new to this competition: The first two criteria for advancement
out of group play, after team record, are head-to-head results (only in the
event of a two-way tie between teams), then Goal Differential up to
plus-eight or minus-eight per game. Forfeits are recorded as 5-0
scores. If a team drops out after playing some but not all group play games,
the Tournament Committee reserves the right to declare all of that team’s
games as forfeits if the interests of fairness would be served. All disputes must be resolved on
a timely basis. In particular, any scorekeeping errors must be addressed to
the Scorekeeper within two minutes after posting or omission of posting,
halftime scores cannot be challenged after play commences in the second half,
and coaches must sign Gamecards immediately after matches to verify the scores. If a player or coach is ejected
an automatic one game suspension at a minimum will be enforced. A US Futsal representative will maintain
possession of the player / coach pass until the suspension is served. The US Futsal tournament Disciplinary
Committee will review the incident(s) involving each ejection. Upon review of
the incident, the player or coach may be suspended for more than one match. At halftime each team will
change benches. This ensures that all
your substitutions take place in your defensive half of the court. This is a FIFA rule. The team listed second on the
schedule will kick off. Please make sure that your team
is on the court immediately following the previous match and ready to begin
play. There will be NO grace period for a team to take the court from the
appointed time for its game (three players minimum constitute a team). Each team will be permitted one
30 second time-out per half. Please remember that the
goalkeepers in the U16 and below age groups CANNOT distribute the ball
directly across midfield with a throw or drop kick without it first having
touched another player or having bounced on their team’s defensive half of
the court. This infraction results in an indirect kick for the opposing team
at midfield. Also note that in the U16 and
below age groups, a team CANNOT score directly from a kick
off. Such kicks are considered indirect and if taken will result
in a goal clearance. Coaches are NOT
permitted to stand on the touchline during the match. They (and all other players and personnel
on the sideline) must be seated and
instruct their team from the seated position.
If they do not comply, it may result in a yellow card infraction
against the coach. Player substitutions must take
place in front of your player’s bench.
Please remember that a player must completely exit the court before
another player can enter the court.
This infraction may result in a yellow card violation. A player must distribute the ball
within 4 seconds of any restart and the goalkeeper must distribute the ball
within 4 seconds whenever the keeper is in possession of the ball. Advise your players that the
ball must be stationary and placed on the touchline when placing the ball back
into play with a kick in. The player’s
foot must also be on the touchline or off the court when striking the ball
during a kick in. A violation of this
will result in a possession turnover. Following each game, coaches are required to report to the timekeeper and sign the official Gamecard to ensure the score is correctly reported. Coaches may also be requested to select game All-Stars upon completion of each game. Remember to retrieve Player passes as well. On the spectators’ sideline,
spectators are to remain behind the designated line. No one will be allowed behind either end
line. All teams should shake hands at
the end of each game as a gesture of friendship and sportsmanship. Regionals Tournament rosters may
include up to 12 participating players. The Rules & Disciplinary
Committee reserves the right to decide on any/all matters and its
interpretation of these rules shall be final. No protests will be entertained
upon Committee decision / ruling. Note: Under no circumstances
will the Tournament Committee or staff be responsible for any part of any
expenses, including tournament fee, incurred by any team due to, but not
limited to, part or total cancellation of this tournament. Referee Committee: Bob Mykulak Jim Oman TBA Rules & Disciplinary
Committee: Bohdan Porytko Jim Oman Bob Mykulak TBA Organizing Committee: Steve Shilling - Chairman Bohdan Porytko – Co-Chairman Jim Oman – President MD / 2006
Chairman Alex Para – Ex-officio member Tim Summiel – MAPS Futsal We hope to make this event a
very enjoyable experience for you and your family. On behalf of US Futsal, I wish your team
the best of luck and sportsmanship. Sincerely, Steve Shilling Chairman 2007 Bohdan Porytko Director MAPS Futsal
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