D1 Rule Changes - Beware before committing to a team

This is only for D1.  This does not apply to D2 or D3.

Not sure how many people know of the changes because of the age of the kids now but there are 2 major changes that may affect your child's playing time and/or affect whether our not you are committing to a team that is the right fit

1)  You can only dress 18 per game.  If your son's team has more than 18 players then whoever is designated 19 and above that week will still have to arrive 45 minutes early but will not play.  They will not be allowed to wear a uniform and will be chasing balls that go out of bounds, but will not get to play.  The coach can change who is designated 19 and above each week, but be aware you will get no playing time for that week if you are not in the top 18 for that team

2). Once you are substituted for in a half you cannot come back in that half.  So if the coach decides to sub your son 5 minutes into a half then he is done for the half.  What I have seen happen on many teams is a coach will put a player in the last 5 minutes of the first half and start him the first 5 minutes of the second half and then he is done for the day.  If your kid gets hurt and has to come off for a sub he is also done for the half.

Be aware of this as these coaches are selling dreams to kids and parents and telling you what you want to hear right now.  As a parent you need to ask yourself if your son is in the top 11 of a team.  If not, or if on the fringe, you may want to consider other teams as playing time at this age is crucial to development.

For all age groups? Or just the older ones?

I believe it is 03 and older this year. Next year it will be 04 and later and so on.

these rules apply to Classic League D1 for U15 to U19.
yes, the 03's are moving into U15.

nearpost95 wrote:these rules apply to Classic League D1 for U15 to U19.
yes, the 03's are moving into U15.

Thanks nearpost.  I think you are going to see a lot of surprised parents who get to find out they spent $2000+ for their kid to not dress in some games or to play 10 minutes or so.  If my son was 14 or below in the pecking order I'd be finding a better fit where he could get actual playing time that is relevant and meaningful.

I did not address the assertion that only 18 can dress - this is not accurate.  There can be up to 11 possible substitutes for a game since the roster size maximum is 22.    (Dallas Cup limits game day rosters to 18 of the 22. )

Limit 7 subs per half with no reentry, with exceptions:
1) keeper can reenter once but counts as one of the 7  
2) player sent off for head injury evaluation doesn't count against the team


If your BB isn't projected as a starter on a 22 player roster or among the first 4 off the bench, run away because he won't play and you will feel like you were robbed.   I would not even sign a contract for a team with 18 players - coach isn't going to sub 7/11's of his starters for meaningful time. Beware the posts seeking 1-2 players to fill out the roster - these are bench spots for the $$$ - unless your BB strolls in and schools the core group.

You may want to check this.  I was told only 18 dress for classic league games.  Can you point to where it says 22 dress for classic league games.

Are you saying that while you can dress 22 of the 11 only 7 may enter in each half.  For example.  In half 1 coach subs players 12-18 and in the second half he can sub players 12, 13, 14, 19, 20 , 21, and 22 meaning 15, 16, 17, and 18 don't play.  If so that might be worse.  

I agree that if my kids were basically 15 and below I would find another team.

ETA: I guess why i thought they could only dress 18 was because the coaches I have seen that carry more than 18 only dress 18.

nearpost95 wrote:these rules apply to Classic League D1 for U15 to U19.
yes, the 03's are moving into U15.

Can you please tell us where to find this rule to confirm?

N.   SUBSTITUTIONS (Current Rule)
1.    Number of Substitutions and Re-entry
 (b)  U15-U19 Division I. The Classic League limits the number of substitutions in all Classic League Challenge and League games to seven (7) per half, with no re-entry for field players during the half in which they were substituted. Goalkeepers are allowed one (1) re-entry in each half of play, provided the substitution is within the limit of seven (7) total substitutions for that half; and, the goalkeeper re-enters in the goalkeeper position.
MODIFIED SUBSTITUTION RULE:
U15 - U19 Division I Teams Only
Any player suspected of suffering a head injury may be substituted for evaluation without the substitution counting against the team’s total number of allowed substitutions during the game.

webpage: http://www.ccsai.org/page/show/878679-rules

open the pdf document: "Classic League Rules Updated June_2017"

Section VI, Part N (page 20)

*** detailed in the previous post ***

Section III,B,3   (page 2) :

U15-U19. The maximum number of players on a roster in U15-U19 is twenty-two (22). No team with more than twenty-two (22) players may participate in the Classic League.

Nowhere in the document is a rule limiting game rosters to 18 for U15-19.

[quote="nearpost95"

Nowhere in the document is a rule limiting game rosters to 18 for U15-19.[/quote]

Thank you !!

Unless the Classic League changed it this year, you can dress 22, with only 7 subs per 1/2. The problem with this rule is that they keep lowering the age group that this is for. Kids need playing time to develop what they have practiced all week. If you want to pay $3K for your kid to practice with a coach and not see the field, go ahead, but I promise you will be angry and frustrated 1/2 way through the fall. Some of these clubs, won't mention names, have a 22 man limit to make budget and ensure the coach is paid. If your kid is 17-22 on the roster, changes are they won't see much time. 5 minutes a 1/2 is not enough time to get in the flow of the game and even show what you can do. Most of the coaches don't care about the bottom of the roster and are not up front with you during the signing period. They are promising the world to fill out that roster and get paid. Remember, if the coach doesn't think your kid can help him win, playing time will be at a minimum, since we all know that in the US, winning is placed above development!

Do remember this does not change the fact that if your son is #19-22 that he may get games where he gets no playing time or less than 5 minute and in certain games he will not dress as coaches have decided to just not dress above 7 subs at times.  Why someone would spend $3000+ for 0-5 minutes of playing time is beyond me.  Yes training matters but you train to play in the games.

you guys need to quit perpetuating the "not dress" narrative and stick to your entirely valid point that if you are in U15-19 D1 and ranked low on a 18-22 man roster you won't play meaningful minutes if at all.

Agreed on the Dress, I said you can dress 22 from a rule standpoint. This really boils down to soccer development in America or really its just Texas and the Classic League! I can see no valid reason for the substitution rule in D1 at all. In my experience you have kids that look great in practices because they become familiar with their teammates. Put them on a field against another team and they are not as confident sometimes. That is why practice needs game experience for development. US Soccer made a whole host of changes for youth development starting by doing away with 11v11 at the young ages. It's all about getting kids more touches on the ball to develop foot skills and playing the ball out of the back instead of the goal keeper punting the ball 60 yards to no one. Seems contradictory for the Classic League to hinder the development on the field by having a substitution rule that removes kids from the field and limits minutes and therefore touches.

From what I have learned over the past two weeks is that quite a few of the FC Dallas teams are filling their rosters to the full 22 players OR signing 20 players, keeping 2 spaces open for club player passes. I have a friend who used to coach for FC Dallas who said that the coaches are paid per player. So, of course that's why they sign so many players, AND coach multiple teams. I assume this is true for Solar as well. The team my son is leaving this year is a true non-profit and pays their coaches a flat fee with no extras. I just can't see it being morally correct to sign so many players knowing that the players at the end of the roster will not get playing time. How does that help their development? It doesn't.

Well said and I asked a few coaches why some only dress 18 and not all 22 when they can and the answer was the same. Parents are a lot more upset if their son dresses and plays none than knowing beforehand that their son will not dress at all. One other thing I find terrible are DA (or whatever you call the players who come down) players who come down for a game which takes time away from paying players. With schedules at an all time max I sure don't see clubs and coaches giving refunds for a) times their son does not get to play, b) times practice is cancelled, or c) times a coach misses a game.

If I were signing I would have a very long conversation of where my son stood in the so called pecking order. If 15 or below i am finding a different team. If it were a big club who planned to "bring players down" from time to time I would lower that number to 13 or below.