Revised: July 6, 2007 

SECTION 3—COMPETITION

All divisional structure and team entry procedures shall fall under the jurisdiction of the Competition Committee.  The Competition Committee is composed of the following members:

·         Director of Scheduling and Referees

·         Director of Fields

·         Director of Premier Division

·         Director of First Division

·         Director of Second Division

·         Director of Third Division

·         Ad Hoc Members – Approved Members at Large

The committee shall meet as necessary to formulate recommendations to the EBOD concerning:

·         Structure of divisions.

·         Modification of the Laws of the Game.

·         Recommendations concerning changes or adjustments to the League's Policies and Procedures to promote the level of competitive play within CSL.

A)  TEAM ENTRY PROCEDURES

1)     All teams, returning and new, must apply for entry into the League each season.  Only teams that are Active Member teams shall be considered for play in CSL.  All new teams and teams returning to CSL after one (1) or more seasons of absence shall be placed on a waiting list by the Competition Committee.  The Competition Committee shall evaluate the waiting list and consider teams for inclusion in the coming season of play based on:

a)     Seniority.

b)     League or applicable division size.

c)     Team's strength.

d)     Number of teams of similar strength in CSL.

e)     Field availability.

f)       Team behavior.

g)     Team’s home location.

2)     Teams seeking to join CSL for the upcoming season shall complete a team registration form and submit along with the appropriate entry fee on or before the Season Registration date. 

3)     The Competition Committee shall discuss and formulate recommendations concerning teams accepted as well as the division structure to the EBOD no later than 7 days after the registration deadline has expired.

4)     In cases where a team withdraws from League play after the registration deadline, the Competition Committee may act to fill the vacancy if a suitable new entry is found, or make adjustments as necessary to the division structures of competition. 

B)  DIVISIONAL ALIGNMENT

1)     Teams competing in CSL are assigned to divisions based on their level of skill. 

2)     By the act of applying to play in CSL, a team agrees to play in any division to which it is assigned under the procedures described in this manual.

3)     Decisions as to the placement of teams in divisions are at the discretion on the Competition Committee.  At the Board of Directors meeting where divisional alignment for the coming season is approved, the Chairman of the Competition Committee shall answer questions concerning the placement of teams.  The goal of the Competition Committee is to assign teams to divisions so that play in all divisions will be as competitive as possible.

4)     When assigning teams to the Men’s Open Divisions, the Competition Committee shall use the following guidelines:

a)     Based on the final regular season standing of the previous season:

i)        The bottom team of the Premier Division will be relegated to the First Division.

ii)      The top team of the First Division will be promoted to the Premier Division.

iii)     The bottom team in the First Division will be relegated to the Second Division.

iv)    The top team in the Second Division will be promoted to the First Division.

v)     The top team in the Third Division will be invited to the Second Division, but may decline and remain in the Third Division.

vi)    If the top Third Division team is promoted to the Second Division, then the bottom team from the Second Division will be regulated to the Third Division.

b)     Returning teams:

i)        Returning teams will be placed in divisions based on their finish in the previous season (see promotion/relegation system in previous paragraph).

ii)      A “returning team” is defined as a team that played in the CSL the previous season.  (For example:  Team A played in the Fall 2002 season and is returning for the Spring 2003 season.)

iii)     The “returning team” must have at least seven (7) players who were on the previous season’s roster to be considered a “returning team.”

iv)    To be considered a returning team, the team must be managed by the same manager or have that person sign over control of the team to the new manager.

c)     New teams:

i)        A “new team” is defined as a team that did not play in the CSL’s previous season (see Returning Teams above).

ii)      New teams will be placed in the Second or Third Division to begin play in the league.

iii)     If space becomes available in other divisions, the new team can apply to the Competition Committee to be placed in a higher division.  Such consideration does not guarantee placement in a higher division.

iv)    The Competition Committee shall take into account substantial changes in the membership of a team in assigning teams to competitive divisions.  A team which has competed successfully in a division may be moved to a lower division if substantial changes in the team’s personnel indicate that the team will not be as successful if it remains in the same division.

5)     The Competition Committee shall seek to place all returning teams and as many new teams as possible in an appropriate level of competition.  The above guidelines may be waived if, in the opinion of the Competition Committee, the results will provide a more competitive divisional alignment.

C)  TYPES OF COMPETITIONS

1)     The regular season shall be defined as a competition where teams within a division play each other for a predetermined amount of games for the purposes of winning first place in the regular season and qualifying for the playoffs.  In the event that playoffs are not held, the winner of the regular season shall be recognized as the division champion.

2)     Playoffs shall be defined as a competition that immediately follows the regular season where teams in a given division play in a single-elimination format for the purpose of recognizing a division champion.  Playoffs are dependent upon the regular season standings.  The top predetermined amount of teams in the final regular season standings qualify for the playoffs and are seeded according to their regular season finishes. 

3)     A cup competition shall be defined as a competition that is independent of the regular season and playoffs where any teams compete against each other for the purpose of determining a cup champion. 

D)  STANDINGS

1)     The first-place teams are to be determined by the official standing maintained by the League statistician.

a)     The score of each scheduled game shall be recorded.

b)     The score of a forfeited game shall be three to zero (3-0) in favor of the non-forfeiting team to conform to international rules and to reflect the gravity of the conduct of the forfeiting team.

c)     The score of all other games shall be recorded as certified by the referee on the Official Game Report.

2)     Standings are based on overall points accumulated during the playing season with:

a)     Three (3) points for a win.

b)     One (1) point for a tie.

c)     Zero (0) points for a loss.

d)     Negative one (-1) point for a forfeiture.

3)     In case of ties for trophy positions, the following criteria shall be used progressively to decide the final standings:

a)     Head-to-head between the two tied teams (includes aggregate score)

b)     Goals scored

c)     Goals allowed

d)     Most wins

e)     Bonus points, up to positive three (+3) points per game for the winning team.  The losing team does not receive negative points.

f)       Discipline points (as stated in the current version of this manual)

g)     Most shutouts

h)     Coin flip

E)  AWARDS:  CSL will issue the following awards, with the criteria listed below each award.

1)     Golden Boot Award

a)     The Golden Boot Award is given to the regular season leading goal scorer in each division.

b)     In case of a tie, the award will be given to all players tied for the award.

2)     Fair-Play Award

a)     The Fair-Play Award is given to the team in each division that has accumulated the fewest discipline points during the regular season.

b)     Discipline points are calculated as follows:

i)        One (1) point for each yellow card

ii)      Three (3) points for each red card (straight red or double-yellow)

iii)     Five (5) points for each forfeit

c)     In case of a tie,  the following tiebreakers will be used :

i)        Discipline points

ii)      Least forfeits

iii)     Least red cards

iv)    Vote by non-tied teams within the given division

3)     Stonewall Award

a)     The Stonewall Award is given to the team in each division with the least goals allowed during the regular season.

b)     In case of a tie, the award will be given to all teams tied for the award.

4)     Regular Season Champion Award

a)     The Regular Season Champion Award is given to the team in each division that finishes in first place during the regular season.

5)     Division Champion

a)     The Division Champion is an award given to the team in each division that wins the playoffs.

6)     50^th Win Plaque

a)     Plaque given when a team wins its 50^th game in CSL play to commemorate their continued play within the league over the years.  This includes all regular season, Marino Cup, and playoff wins since the team has been in the league.

7)     100^th Win Plaque

a)     Plaque given when a team wins its 100^th game in CSL play to commemorate their continued play within the league over the years.  This includes all regular season, Marino Cup, and playoff wins since the team has been in the league.