Great Lakes Conference IMPORTANT UPDATE (8-25-20)

Spring 2021 Conference Application Deadline
Please note that the spring 2021 season application deadline for the 15U through 19U age groups has been extended until Friday September 18. This extension is meant to allow teams, clubs and State Associations additional time to gain some more clarity on their statuses for the upcoming season. Please note that only paid teams will be considered for acceptance, this payment deadline has been extended for all teams to fall in line with the new application deadline.

 The application link can be found here. The majority of divisions will be rolled forward from the spring 2020 season that was not played. The Pre-Qualification document, showing Club vs Club, Premier I and Premier II divisions can be seen on the conference homepage. Look in the Team Information dropdown, then in the Preseason Information (Spring 2021) section you will see the Pre-Qualified Teams link. All TBD slots will be filled by the selection committee once they meet in mid-October. Please note that only paid teams will be considered for acceptance. Teams that select to pay by credit card on their application will not have their cards charged until officially accepted. Teams that elected to pay by check must have that check in the mail by September 2 and those checks will be cashed upon receipt. Any teams not accepted will receive a full refund. The mail in form can also be found in the Preseason Information (Spring 2021) section. For any questions on GotSport please contact Jimmy Sparkman directly at jsparkman@usyouthsoccer.org
 
National League Showcase Series Requirement
As you will have all seen from recent reminder from the national office, the showcase application deadline is also this Friday August 29. All 14U through 19U Premier I and Club vs Club teams are required to attend one showcase (or playoff if qualified). The Showcase Requirements were in all of the information posted that all Club vs Club and Premier I teams are mandated to attend one showcase. The full Team Information document has been listed online since July 16. It is also listed in our Conference Operating Procedures (COP's) since July 16th. Also, every GotSport conference application has a specific disclaimer that whoever filled out the conference application must read and sign on this requirement too, before the conference application can be submitted. If you are not sure what division you will be placed in for the spring season, this requirement will only be put on the teams listed in the Pre-Qualified teams document listed online (mentioned earlier in this email). If you are later elevated to a Premier I division, this requirement will not be placed upon those teams.
 
Those programs are handled by the national office, not the conference managers. The showcase series homepage can be found here. This gives you all of the details of the events, application links, rules, FAQ's etc. Each team should apply for only its top choice of event. While filling out the application form, there will be options to select preferred backup events and to note if the team wishes to attend multiple showcases. As a conference managers we do not run these National Showcase events, so please contact nationalleague@usyouthsoccer.org with any specific questions and they will be happy to help you out.
 
One important note to clarify is that attending the Midwest Conference St Louis Showcase does NOT satisfy this requirement. The St Louis Showcase is a conference-hosted event and is not part of the National Showcase Series.
 
Conference Game Day Covid-19 Procedures
For COVID-19 Game Day Procedures, please click this link. Throughout the season, we will evaluate processes and make adjustments where necessary. It's important that all players, coaches, spectators, and referees DO THEIR PART to maintain a safe play environment.  Please make sure your team is informed with applicable procedures listed on the document. These procedures listed below apply to all club hosted or one off team hosted matches. Please note that local and/or state restrictions supersede ANY of the procedures you see listed on the document. Procedures for conference hosted events will be clearly explained at a later date to all teams attending those specific conference hosted events.
 
Fall 2020 Season Schedules and Schedule Updates
We have received the majority of schedules now from the DSC’s in each group. We are still chasing up a few of these and they must be completed this week, with the exception of the IL only divisions that we are not requiring at this time. Once an initial schedule has been approved, you will see this schedule listed in online. To view these go to the Scores, Standings & Schedules drop down and click the link for Fall 2020.
 
If we are missing any information from these schedules, they must now be updated directly be the teams. Once a schedule has been accepted, it is not the responsibility of the DSC to supply any more information to the conference. To submit ANY schedule update/s after initial schedules have been posted online, you will need to go to the Scores, Standings & Schedules drop down. Then you will need to click on FALL 2020 SCHEDULE UPDATE LINK. This will take you to the schedule update page. Please note, that both teams must have agreed to any schedule update, before an update can be submitted.
 
Building Fields in GotSport
In order to schedule games in GotSport so the public schedule and game cards are accurate, the venues and fields that are being used for Conference games must be built in GotSport by the club. Please work with your club to have the venues built and shared properly in GotSport. On the Conference website under the Team Information drop-down, clubs can use the walkthrough titled “Walkthrough - Clubs Building and Sharing Fields in GotSport” to get this completed. For any questions on GotSport please contact Jimmy Sparkman directly at jsparkman@usyouthsoccer.org
 
Roster Submission & Getting State Approval
There have been recent updates to the team and club roster building walk. The steps added involve contacting your state association to make them aware of your roster in GotSport so they can go into GotSport and approve it. For the walkthrough containing steps at the team/club level, please locate the walkthrough titled “Walkthrough - Roster Building for Clubs and Teams,” which is on the Conference website under the Team Information drop-down. Failure to follow the steps in the walkthrough will result in your roster not appearing on the GotSport Game Card, which is required for on-field check in prior to a game. If any modifications need to be made to a roster following the initial approval process, the same steps are followed and are listed in the walkthrough.
 
Rosters need to be completed and approved as soon as possible and as far out ahead of the game as possible so time is allowed for the state association and Conference to do what is required of them for approving rosters. For any questions on GotSport please contact Jimmy Sparkman directly at jsparkman@usyouthsoccer.org
 
Referee Assigning
Please remember, for ALL one-off and club hosted games, it is the HOST clubs (as listed on the schedule) responsibility to contact the local referee assignor. The Referee Assignors Contact List is located in the Referee Information drop down on the homepage. Please do not wait on this, as soon as your matches are confirmed you should be contacting an assignor to confirm referees. The only matches the conference are responsible for assigning are the Conference Hosted weekends listed online.
 
Best XI Teams
Best XI teams will be selected in all tier I divisions, this includes all Club vs Club and Premier I divisions. All coaches in these divisions will be receiving communication from the conference this week with the specific guideline on what we require to complete this task throughout the fall season. For any questions regarding the Best XI process please contact Nic Ellingboe directly at nellingboe@usyouthsoccer.org
 
National League Patches
The state associations are receiving the patches for the fall season this week, so your club should start to receive the patches soon and it will be the clubs responsibility to distribute them out to their teams. We are waiting for the new official branding guidelines that we expect by the end of the week and will be published on the conference website, but the application from last year that will not change. Any team competing in a conference competition in a given seasonal year is required to place a patch featuring the National League logo on the team’s primary uniform. Each team will receive one patch per player, to be placed on the home (primary) uniform. Patches should be placed in one of two areas, on the shoulder of the shirt, along the outer arm or on the front of the uniform’s shorts.
 
Conference Rules & Conference Operating Procedures
All of the rules and COP’s have been updated for the Fall 2020/Spring 2021 seasonal year. Please take the time to read through these documents as they do contain the answers to almost any question you can throw at us. We understand that are long documents, but they need to be that way to cover as many eventualities as possible. Both documents can be found in the Rules & Policies drop down.
 
FAQ’s
Please remember to always check the FAQ’s section on the conference homepage. We try to update this regularly and many times your answers can be found by checking the FAQ’s if you cannot find the information in the rules or COP’s.