Organization and Authority

1. The team’s coach, manager, or parents decide who in the tournament travel group will have the ultimate decision-making authority. This may be the manager, a chaperone, or the coach, but only one person can have the “last word.”

2. The team is cared for by the chaperones, following The Formula.

3. Parents (non-chaperones) who attend and observe the tournament have no responsibility and no authority over team matters.

4. Parents may stay at the same hotel at the players, but players do not room with their parents.

5. Parents do not divert players from team activities.

Costs

1. All costs and expenses (room, food, and transportation) are shared equally among all players.

2. Cost of chaperones’ rooms and food is shared equally among all players.

3. Coach’s expenses are per contract.

Team Practices before the Tournament

1. Coach conducts heavy practices, competitive games, or scrimmages no closer than 4 days before the tournament.

2. Coach conduct only light practices within two days of the tournament.

3. Coach allows sufficient recovery time for injured players.

Responsibilities of the Coach

1. The coach may serve as a chaperone for U8-U15 teams. For older teams (U16-U19), the coach should not be a chaperone.

2. The coach trains the captains in the captains’ responsibilities.

3. The coach oversees the activities of the captains.

4. The coach is responsible for the players’ game performance and enforces elements of The Formula that affect game performance.

Responsibilities of the Captains

1. Decide on uniforms/colors for each game.

2. Run the pre-game warm-up routine.

3. Carry and collect team equipment.

4. Moderate disagreements between players.

5. Enforce safety, curfew, lights-out, and other rules.

6. Report any problems to the chaperones.

7. Assign players to perform necessary tasks.

8. Meet with coach and chaperones at the start and end of each day.

Responsibilities of the Chaperones

1. Chaperones are responsible the well-being and safety of the players.

2. Prepare the budget and collect money from each family.

3. Prepare and distribute the daily schedules in advance of the tournament.

4. Prior to the tournament, reserve and obtain team vans. After the tournament, return vans.

5. Drive the team vans from the team pick-up point to the tournament.

6. Prepare “menus” for provided meals.

7. Buy/bring food for the provided meals, snacks, and on-field lunches.

8. Bring ice and unlimited water to the games.

9. Scout and select dinner restaurants and evening activities, if any.

10. Monitor (and, assist, depending on the age of the players) the captains.

11. Deal with homesickness.

12. Discourage gossip and derogatory comments about other players.

13. Discourage inappropriate conversations.

14. Set examples. Do not smoke or drink alcohol in the presence of players.

17. At least one chaperone should stay in the hotel whenever players are present.

18. Distribute money or medication as requested by players’ families.

19. Report all illnesses, injuries, fights, and major behavioral problems to the coach.

At-Home Pre-Tournament Procedures

1. Be in bed early enough to get 8-hours of sleep and still be up at 5:00 a.m.

2. Players may not sleep over with anyone else, including teammates, the night prior to the tournament.

3. Eat pasta for dinner.

4. Pack everything Thursday night.

5. Bring every uniform the team has. Bring all of the socks you have.

6. Bring gloves. (Cold weather play)

Transportation from Home to the Tournament

1. The team travels together.

2. All players are transported in the team vans driven by the chaperones.

3. Players arrive Friday night before the tournament. Players may not arrive Saturday morning.

4. Players do not drive with their parents.

5. Players do not drive their own cars.

Transportation to and from the Games, Meals, and other Events

1. The team travels together in the vans.

2. Players do not drive their own cars.

Transportation from the Tournament to Home

1. The team does not need to travel together.

2. Players may return home with their parents.

Housing at the Tournament

1. All players stay in team rooms, 3 or 4 to a room. Bring sleeping bags if beds cannot be shared.

2. No adults (including chaperones) stay in the players’ rooms.

3. Players do not stay with siblings, parents, or friends.

4. Rooming assignments are chosen at random, except for the captains, who get their own room together, close to the coach and/or chaperones.

Meals at the Tournament

(Also, see “Tournament Food Guidelines”)

1. Take your last bite at least two hours before kick-off.

2. Within an hour of the game, any of the following may be eaten in moderate quantities: crackers, bread, no-fat pretzels, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, juices, granola bar, power bar, fruit roll-up, 1 cup of Gatorade or equivalent.

3. Avoid carbonated drinks. Alternatively, drink equal volumes of carbonated drinks and plain water.

4. Eat sensibly Friday night. Eat high-carbohydrate meals (pasta, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, etc.)

5. Don’t eat breakfast in a restaurant. Preferably, bring fruit, juice, milk, and cereal in copious quantities (all you can eat) for a mass-team breakfast in one of the hotel rooms.

6. No eggs, bacon, or sausage for breakfast.

7. Do not eat food kept warm from steam warming tables.

8. Do not eat creamed foods, fish dishes, or chowders.

9. Avoid junk foods such as potato chips.

10. Avoid energy and nutrition bars, most of which are really candy bars.

11. Avoid fast food restaurants. Avoid bacon cheeseburgers, French fries, and carbonated beverages.

12. Breakfasts and snacks (provided by chaperones) can be bagels, toast, bananas, banana chips, granola bars, dry cereal, other fruit.

13. Water is as good as so-called “energy drinks.”

Game Policies

1. Be at the field 60 minutes before kick-off.

2. Begin the pre-game routine 45 minutes before kick-off.

3. Observe all of the team’s regular safety rules.

Between-Game Policies

1. Don’t leave the tournament site between games. (Chaperones should bring meal items.)

2. Travel in groups of 3 or more.

3. Tell the chaperones where each group is going.

4. Conserve leg energy between games. Don’t walk around in the sun.

5. Take naps in the shade.

6. Drink water.

7. Don’t swim.

End-of-Day Policies

1. A short swim feels good AFTER a day of games, but not much more than 15 minutes.

2. Limit hot-tub/sauna residence time to 10 minutes.

3. Be in bed in time to get 8-hours of sleep, and never later than 11:00.

4. No television after 10:00; lights out by 10:30 p.m.; no talking after 11:00.

5. No adult movies.

6. Early team movies, yes. Mall-ratting, no.

7. Stay out of the fitness center/room unless directed by the coach.

Team Personnel Policies

1. Stay in groups of 3 or more.

2. Don’t leave anyone out, no matter how much they don’t fit in.

3. No gossip and derogatory comments about other players on the team.

Hotel Policies

1. Keep your hotel room door closed and locked.

2. Keep your hotel room key in your soccer bag, not around your neck.

3. No running or ball playing in the hall or parking lot.

4. Keep TV volume down low enough so that no neighbors complain.

5. No yelling or screaming.

6. No jumping on beds.

7. No sneaking out.

8. No elevator tag.

9. No phone shenanigans.

10. No practical jokes.

11. No pizza or other deliveries to hotel rooms.

12. Don’t leave your room without advising the chaperones or captains.

13. Do not make outside phone calls from the room phone unless you use your own phone card.

Behavior

Consequences will result if any of the following occurs. All players in the same room receive identical consequences. “Knowing about it” is the same as “doing it.”

Doing anything for which the hotel management has to wake up the coach or chaperones

Wandering off

Sneaking out

Breaking curfew

Having boys in girls’ rooms; girls in boys’ rooms

Watching adult films

Fighting

Being in possession of alcohol, tobacco products, or nonprescription drugs

Having weapons, including knives, teargas, and stun guns

Having fireworks, matches, lighters, open flames, flammable liquids

Having other contraband

Eating off the menu

Stealing hotel or players’ property

Destroying hotel property

Having a bad attitude or being disrespectful

Violating team safety rules

Consequences/Discipline

The only consequences used at away tournaments are the following:

(a) Not being permitted to play in a certain number of games.

(b) Not being permitted to play at all.

(c) Coach making a call to parents.

(d) Being sent home

(e) Being dropped from the team.