In the summer of 2000, after the decision was made to have all U11 – U19 teams participate in the Classic program, LYSA took steps to facilitate team uniform acquisition to meet the following objectives:

·        Reduce the burden on coaches for outfitting their teams

·        Minimize the uniform costs for players/parents

·        Create a standard uniform that all LYSA teams would use

In the July 2000 LYSA Board meeting a policy was adopted but never fully documented that established a standard maroon uniform for all Classic teams.  The intent was that all pre-Fall 2000 SFL teams could continue to use their existing uniforms for a while, but these uniforms would eventually be phased out in favor of the LYSA uniforms.  However, this policy was never communicated to the team coaches, so there are still some teams with non-standard uniforms, and a few teams have even bought new (non-LYSA) uniforms in the past year.  We have also had several cases where new players have been added to these established teams, and the parents of those players have had to pay significantly higher costs for uniform acquisition than they would have for teams that use the LYSA uniform.  This places an unfair burden on these players/parents because they usually have no input toward determining their team assignments.

As of the Fall 2001 season, there were 15 out of 82 LYSA SFL teams that had customized uniforms that differed from the standard LYSA Maroon/Silver uniforms.  Most of these teams were U14 and U16 teams that were formed prior to the Fall 2000 season when there was also a House U12/U14 program and the SFL program was an elective choice.  The intent of this policy is to establish a standard low-cost uniform for all LYSA SFL teams while trying to accommodate teams who have already made a significant investment in non-standard uniforms.

LYSA SFL Team Uniform Policy

All new LYSA SFL teams will be required to use the maroon jerseys and socks that comprise the standard LYSA uniform.  When a game involves two teams whose uniforms are the same (or similar) color, the Home team is required to use an alternate jersey.  Teams may also purchase silver jerseys to use as alternate uniforms when playing other LYSA teams (or teams from other clubs that also have maroon uniforms).  Other options for alternate jerseys include the following:

·        Scrimmage vests (be sure to have enough for all players on the team)

·        Blue jerseys retained from prior House League play

·        Inexpensive T-Shirts (less than $10)

Alternate jerseys are not required to be numbered, but numbers may be applied if desired.  Alternate jerseys are not be used when playing non-LYSA teams (either at Home or Away) unless a visiting non-LYSA team also has maroon uniforms.  One purpose in having a standard uniform is so that LYSA teams can exhibit a single style when playing against other clubs.

Number Conflicts

The SFL requires all players on a team to have unique jersey numbers.  When a player switches teams and his/her jersey number conflicts with another player on a team, the number conflict can be resolved in the following ways:

1)      The player can replace the jersey with a new one (costing about $10), or obtain a used jersey from a former player at lesser (or no) cost.

2)      The player can alter the jersey number by adding a digit that makes the number unique.  These alterations can be made by ironing on a number or by using white athletic tape.  It may also be possible to remove an old number and put on a new one (some local sports stores may be able to alter jersey numbers this way).

Because SFL teams tend to stay together, the need for players to get new jerseys or alter jersey numbers is minimized.  However, it is recognized that as players get older, there are fewer and fewer teams per age group, so some movement between teams will be unavoidable.  Players may also join new teams when they move from one town to another between seasons.  In these cases, having a standard LYSA uniform will help minimize uniform acquisition costs for players who have to change teams.

Grandfather Clause

Recognizing that some of the older (U14 & U16) SFL teams have made a significant investment in their (non-LYSA) uniforms, these teams will be allowed to retain those uniforms for as long as the majority of players remain together as a team each season, or until they decide to change uniforms.  When new players are added to these teams, coaches will be responsible for acquiring matching uniforms.  The player/parent contribution toward the uniform cost shall not exceed $15 (the LYSA uniform cost), and the coach will be responsible for making up any difference in cost.  Alternatively, the coach may retrieve a uniform from a former player that the new player can use.  If a majority of the players were not on the same team the previous season, then the team must use the standard LYSA uniform.  For example, if a U16 team is formed from 12 players from multiple U14 teams and the coach and only six players are from a team that used non-standard LYSA jerseys, then the entire team must use the standard LYSA uniforms.

Note: Recreational League coaches do not have the right to refuse to accept new players who registered on time and are assigned to their teams by LYSA coordinators.

For the Fall 2002 season all teams who had non-standard uniforms in the Spring 2002 season may continue to use those uniforms so long as the majority of the players return to the team.  Uniform acquisition costs for any new players must follow the guidelines specified above (i.e. uniform costs must be kept within $15 for new players assigned to the team).

For the Fall 2002 season all U11, U12, U13 and U19 teams must use the LYSA Maroon uniforms.  Any U14, U15 or U16 teams in the Fall 2002 season that had non-LYSA uniforms in the Fall 2001 season are not required to switch to the LYSA uniforms unless there is a large player turnover that requires uniform purchases for 50% or more of the players on the team.

Questions regarding this policy should be directed to Classic@LYSA.Net.