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Rain Out/Reschedule Procedures
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1. Calling Off Games For Weather
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Field Owners - District Reps - Referees - Thunder & Lightning
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Field Owners
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Certain authorities that own or control fields (such as Green Township for Blue Rock Park or Taylor Creek Youth Organization Field Managers for Farwick) may call off a game at any time if they decide to shut down the fields for any reason they deem necessary (safety, possible damage to field, etc).
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District Reps
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Prior to arriving at the field, a game may also be called off (postponed) only by the District Representative of the Home team or individuals they designate as having authority (such as Field Managers). Coaches may not call off games ahead of time, but can of course give their opinion to their District Representative should they so choose.
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Referees
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Once everyone arrives at the field for a game, then the control of the match rests in the referee's hands. The referee ultimately makes the decision if a game should be suspended or abandoned. The coaches do not get to decide to suspend or abandon games, but can of course discuss that possibility with the referees as is appropriate.
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Thunder & Lightning
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If there is thunder or lightning while at a field (not only for a game but also for practices) it is established policy that play MUST be suspended and all individuals MUST leave the field to shelter or cars. During games, the referee should make this call, but if he/she fails to do so, coaches should make the referee aware of the requirements. Do not mess around with thunder and lightning. Get everyone off the field quickly. A game may be resumed only after there has been no lightning or thunder for 30 consecutive minutes. In the vast majority of cases, it will not be worth waiting around to see if the thunder and lightning stops, but if you think it might, you are willing to try.
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2. Notification of Rain Outs
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If a game is called off at the field, it will be obvious and the coaches will relay the referee's decision to their families.
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For games that are called off ahead of time by the District Rep of the HOME team, that District Rep will notify their coach and the away coach via email, text or call. If you receive such notification, please confirm that you have received it and then pass the word on to your player's families.
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Some facilities in our league have rain out numbers that anyone can call as well. They are:
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Olympian Club 513-825-2501
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TCYO/Farwick Fields http://tcyosports.org/
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Kolping 513-588-6720
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Unfortunately, many of the fields we use do not have rain out numbers and you simply need to wait to hear from the appropriate person. Please do not contact other people repeatedly asking for information - especially those who are not empowered to make the call. That only makes a frustrating situation more so. During raining days, district reps are juggling a lot of details and need to be able to evaluate the situation and communicate with their coaches. Too many phone calls or texts make this more difficult and impede the speed of communication.
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Please be patient with rain outs. Every field is different and some games may be called off while others may not. We do play soccer in the rain sometimes, so please be prepared to do so. We have a LOT of games and limited field availability on the calendar so if the weather is looking iffy, but we might be able to play, then the District Rep may decide to leave the decision for the referee at game time in hopes of getting the game in.
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3. Rescheduling Games
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If a game is postponed for any reason, the rescheduling is ultimately up to the District Representatives for both the HOME and AWAY team to complete and approve. It is OK for coaches to talk things out and make recommendations to their District Reps. They may be at the field together and it may be convenient to discuss possible dates, BUT no reschedule is official until both District Reps confirm it. This is absolutely critical so that we avoid conflicts and can ensure that referees are assigned to all games.
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