How is the schedule done?
The schedule is done by first establishing which teams will be playing each other. Every attempt is made to have brackets of 8 or 12 in the olders. Teams are assigned to a particular field for their home games. Each Club provides us with the details of field availability. If that field is full they will be assigned to the Clubs' alternate field. If that is not open then they will be switched to the opponent's field. Brackets of 7 will play 12 games. Brackets of 6 will play 14 games, not 15. When single games exist on a field they will be moved to accommodate the referees. Once the data is collected the schedule is run to create games between the correct teams on the available fileds. Games for which a field is not available are moved as well as single games. Given the numerous parameters the schedule changes each time it is run, therefore it is frozen before going to print. Subsequent changes are made manually with e-mails sent to the affected parties. Every change made increases the chance of error, which is why requests are not honored except for the reasons listed in Question 8 below. Since CSL has well over 26,000 players and over 3,400 coaches & managers, all calls or e-mails for changes will be ignored unless they come from the Club President or the Club's designated field representative.

My coach has conflicts with his other team, can we change it?
Since Premier games are all at a single site, only coaches of Premier teams are given the opportunity to request changes to their schedules. Coaches with two or more non-premier teams might well have conflicts. The number of conflicts is usually decreased if one of the teams is a younger and one an older team.

Why do I have more away games than home games?
Once the schedule is run it is checked for home/away balance. Eight team brackets will be 7 home and 7 away. Twelve team brackets will have either 5 or 6 games at home. If your team has less than this it will be because your club has not provided enough time on your home field i.e. too many teams for the field(s) available; or because your field would have only 1 or two games that day. Referees request groups of 3 games as optimum for coverage.

How many teams should be assigned to a field?
Based on a full day of play, 8 AM to 5 PM, 9 or 10 teams is the best number. More than 10 teams means that some teams may have to play more away games. Less than 6 teams will mean that games will have to be moved when single games exist.

Why do I have so many 8 AM games?
Most fields are available from 8 AM on. We schedule starting at the earliest time available on a field to fit in all the games. However, on those days with only 3 or 4 games, games will still start at 8 AM. On average a team will have about 25% of its games at 8 AM.

Why am I not playing on my home field when it is available?
Usually it's because there would only be one or two games at that site. We do not have enough referees to send to all the fields to cover only 1 or 2 games per day. We must combine games on fields, especially on days that have heavy schedules.

Can we change my game so it doesn't conflict with SAT/PSAT?
We try not schedule those ages affected on SAT & PSAT days. However, these days may have to be used if rain forces schedule changes.

Why was my game changed?
If your game is rescheduled your Team Administrator and Coach will receive an e-mail. The reason for the change is included in the message. Reasons are: 1. Weather/ unplayable field 2. Field not available. 3. Referee request 4. Competitions Committee decision. 5. Scheduling error. 6. Forfeit by a team.

I have a U10 team, do I need a field?
Very few clubs have more than 1 or 2 U9/U10 teams. Since these fields are a special size (40/50 by 70/80 yards) and require smaller goals (6-7 by 18-21) it is not practical to have everyone provide a small-sided field. CSL will assign up to 9 teams per field to those who offer a small-sided field. No small-sided field can be exclusive, clubs providing such a field must expect to be hosting other U9/U10 teams from the area.

I do not have a field, can I play in CSL?
Teams/Clubs which cannot provide a home field may have their application rejected. It is suggested that those teams/clubs work with surrounding Clubs to share and help cover costs of fields. If space permits CSL may schedule on other Clubs' fields with their permission, but those teams will be expected to reimburse the home Club for some of their costs which typically are about $25 a game. (This does not apply to Premier.)

How many games did not get played last season?
Of the 19,311 League & League Cup games, 253 did not get played. Forfeits/no shows accounted for most of these. Fifty-one games were cancelled due to inclement weather.