DA travel and game cancellation due to rain

Something has to give here.  We travel 4 hours and sit for hours before game cancels.  I think there has to be a better method.  Games should be scheduled on Saturdays and if there is rain, the fields needs to be flexible to reschedule a few hours later or next day.  Or have a backup field elsewhere in surrounding cities.  I feel a game still needs to be played.  I rather get a hotel room so that we can play the next day than drive back home and have to do another trip at a later date.

Early today, games were cancelled in Dallas due to rain the night before.  All day there were no rain.  The sun even came out.  What baffles me is the 8/9/10 year olds played today and the older kids in DA can't?  What gives?  This is such a hassle when we have to travel long distances to play one game.  The cost can become high when you travel and end up not playing.

It's already becoming annoying and the season just started!!

that does suck but surely this has happened to you over the years at other levels of play before. tournaments? etc.. did you travel to austin? lonestars fields are/were horrible

Yes, this happened on tournaments. But that's one weekend. But with DA, travel is like every other weekend. I figured since we know we have to travel, then free your whole weekend so that there can be a contingency plan. The drive to say...Houston can be exhausting. I rather do that drive once for the team we're up against instead of driving back down for the rescheduled game at a later date.

ballMovement wrote:Yes, this happened on tournaments.  But that's one weekend.  But with DA, travel is like every other weekend.  I figured since we know we have to travel, then free your whole weekend so that there can be a contingency plan.  The drive to say...Houston can be exhausting.  I rather do that drive once for the team we're up against instead of driving back down for the rescheduled game at a later date.

You may find they won't make up the game unless it determines the standings in a significant way. Or in the event of Houston you may make it up on a weekend that you are traveling to play one of the other two teams

ballMovement wrote:Something has to give here.  We travel 4 hours and sit for hours before game cancels.  I think there has to be a better method.  Games should be scheduled on Saturdays and if there is rain, the fields needs to be flexible to reschedule a few hours later or next day.  Or have a backup field elsewhere in surrounding cities.  I feel a game still needs to be played.  I rather get a hotel room so that we can play the next day than drive back home and have to do another trip at a later date.

Early today, games were cancelled in Dallas due to rain the night before.  All day there were no rain.  The sun even came out.  What baffles me is the 8/9/10 year olds played today and the older kids in DA can't?  What gives?  This is such a hassle when we have to travel long distances to play one game.  The cost can become high when you travel and end up not playing.

It's already becoming annoying and the season just started!!

Other DA Games were played this Saturday what teams didn't play?

soccerdadrandy wrote:

ballMovement wrote:Yes, this happened on tournaments.  But that's one weekend.  But with DA, travel is like every other weekend.  I figured since we know we have to travel, then free your whole weekend so that there can be a contingency plan.  The drive to say...Houston can be exhausting.  I rather do that drive once for the team we're up against instead of driving back down for the rescheduled game at a later date.

You may find they won't make up the game unless it determines the standings in a significant way. Or in the event of Houston you may make it up on a weekend that you are traveling to play one of the other two teams

Don't you know that DA is about development not about winning? you are provided with world class coaching, so if you miss a game or two, you're still getting that great training that will make your BB a future soccer star! (BTW: I was sarcastic)

What area DA teams didn't play this weekend? FCD played Solar this weekend and DT had weekend off.

earbucket wrote:What area DA teams didn't play this weekend?  FCD played Solar this weekend and DT had weekend off.

I believe the Texans U12 DA team was supposed to play Houston Rush last weekend. Every other age group (U13's - U18's) played except for them apparently because of the rain.

Only the Dynamo practice fields by 288 outside 610 loop are turf . There is a big risk of games raining out with the tropical storms during hurricane season. One year , my dds academy season was a washout due to hurricane.

The Rush fields for the games two weekends back were turf as are another set of fields they use for DA games. The u13's played right before the u12s, and were in the second half when the game was delayed and then ended due to lightening. The u12s were waiting out the rain delay when the Rush decided that some additional bad weather was coming in and got on the horn with US Soccer and got the game canceled (required by the rules).

The Da rules say that clubs should all have an all weather alternate field available and if you look at the facilities link in the DA page for each team it lists alternate fields including turf fields for all the teams that I looked at. I think the problem is that lots of those all weather fields aren't marked for 9v9 or have appropriate goals for the u12 ages per US Soccer.

Futsallove wrote:Only the Dynamo practice fields by 288 outside 610 loop are turf . There is a big risk of games raining out with the tropical storms during hurricane season.  One year , my dds academy season was a washout due to hurricane.

as panzerbug said rush has turf fields. your dd's academy? only this year has USSF academy involved girls. no disrespect but this is not just any academy

I forgot about rush fields. Rush has access to two indoor / no wall turf fields similar or bigger than pit 9v9 size fields ) built a few years back.

panzerbug wrote:The Rush fields for the games two weekends back were turf as are another set of fields they use for DA games.  The u13's played right before the u12s, and were in the second half when the game was delayed and then ended due to lightening.  The u12s were waiting out the rain delay when the Rush decided that some additional bad weather was coming in and got on the horn with US Soccer and got the game canceled (required by the rules).

The Da rules say that clubs should all have an all weather alternate field available and if you look at the facilities link in the DA page for each team it lists alternate fields including turf fields for all the teams that I looked at.  I think the problem is that lots of those all weather fields aren't marked for 9v9 or have appropriate goals for the u12 ages per US Soccer.

panzerbug wrote:The Rush fields for the games two weekends back were turf as are another set of fields they use for DA games.  The u13's played right before the u12s, and were in the second half when the game was delayed and then ended due to lightening.  The u12s were waiting out the rain delay when the Rush decided that some additional bad weather was coming in and got on the horn with US Soccer and got the game canceled (required by the rules).

The Da rules say that clubs should all have an all weather alternate field available and if you look at the facilities link in the DA page for each team it lists alternate fields including turf fields for all the teams that I looked at.  I think the problem is that lots of those all weather fields aren't marked for 9v9 or have appropriate goals for the u12 ages per US Soccer.

That's interesting.  How come they didn't use the alternate field?  This is what would help traveling teams.  Instead of driving out of town to find out game is cancelled when you are already in town.  I understand DA will cost us parents some money for traveling but when it rains every time we go out of town, we are at least paying for it at least twice if they schedule a makeup game.  We're talking about fall/spring, we will always have a threat of rain.  US soccer needs to have rules where alternate plans are in place for all age groups.

OballMovement wrote:

panzerbug wrote:The Rush fields for the games two weekends back were turf as are another set of fields they use for DA games.  The u13's played right before the u12s, and were in the second half when the game was delayed and then ended due to lightening.  The u12s were waiting out the rain delay when the Rush decided that some additional bad weather was coming in and got on the horn with US Soccer and got the game canceled (required by the rules).

The Da rules say that clubs should all have an all weather alternate field available and if you look at the facilities link in the DA page for each team it lists alternate fields including turf fields for all the teams that I looked at.  I think the problem is that lots of those all weather fields aren't marked for 9v9 or have appropriate goals for the u12 ages per US Soccer.

That's interesting.  How come they didn't use the alternate field?  This is what would help traveling teams.  Instead of driving out of town to find out game is cancelled when you are already in town.  I understand DA will cost us parents some money for traveling but when it rains every time we go out of town, we are at least paying for it at least twice if they schedule a makeup game.  We're talking about fall/spring, we will always have a threat of rain.  US soccer needs to have rules where alternate plans are in place for all age groups.

In their opinion weather was dangerous and likely had lightning? If they cancel for wrong reasons they won't remain in USSF DA much longer

If I understand the timeline correctly there was a rainout in Houston with no alternate fields available and the next weekend  there was another rainout in Dallas with no alternate fields.

We don't have alternate fields around here?

soccerdadrandy wrote:

OballMovement wrote:

panzerbug wrote:The Rush fields for the games two weekends back were turf as are another set of fields they use for DA games.  The u13's played right before the u12s, and were in the second half when the game was delayed and then ended due to lightening.  The u12s were waiting out the rain delay when the Rush decided that some additional bad weather was coming in and got on the horn with US Soccer and got the game canceled (required by the rules).

The Da rules say that clubs should all have an all weather alternate field available and if you look at the facilities link in the DA page for each team it lists alternate fields including turf fields for all the teams that I looked at.  I think the problem is that lots of those all weather fields aren't marked for 9v9 or have appropriate goals for the u12 ages per US Soccer.

That's interesting.  How come they didn't use the alternate field?  This is what would help traveling teams.  Instead of driving out of town to find out game is cancelled when you are already in town.  I understand DA will cost us parents some money for traveling but when it rains every time we go out of town, we are at least paying for it at least twice if they schedule a makeup game.  We're talking about fall/spring, we will always have a threat of rain.  US soccer needs to have rules where alternate plans are in place for all age groups.

In their opinion weather was dangerous and likely had lightning? If they cancel for wrong reasons they won't remain in USSF DA much longer

I understand if there is lightning and it being dangerous. I just hoped there is an alternate maybe in surrounding cities. I would rather drive out 30 mins to another field instead of it being cancelled completely. That's I'm trying to point out.

finish1 wrote:If I understand the timeline correctly there was a rainout in Houston with no alternate fields available and the next weekend  there was another rainout in Dallas with no alternate fields.

We don't have alternate fields around here?

That's what I'm saying!! Something's gotta give, right?

The Colorado and KC teams traveled to Houston and Austin last weekend and all games were played for U16 and U18.

All DA games scheduled in Dallas last weekend were played.

Texans, Solar and FCD all have turf fields so cancellation only makes sense if Lightning. Houston is always a mixed bag when raining because sometimes there is lightning and other times there is not. Plan on at least one wasted Houston trip per season. If you are in the 9v9 crowd you could play indoors if USSF defines a pitch size that can be accommodated by the indoor facilities.