BAYS has instituted a Guest Player Policy which allows for limited use of players from other teams to augment a team’s roster for an individual game. Highlights of the BAYS policy, and how it is implemented by Milton Soccer, are captured here.
Purpose
From the BAYS Guest Player Policy:
“The purpose of this policy is to help reduce the number of regular season games not played due to teams not having enough players available to play the official game as scheduled. This policy can be used for both scheduled and rescheduled regular season games.”
Adding guest players can help a team meet the minimum number of players required to start a game. Additionally, guest players can be brought in to bolster roster size to restore competitive balance up to the limits listed below. The Guest Player Policy is not intended to be used to give a team a competitive advantage.
Who can be a guest player
Guest players must be rostered on a current-season Milton Soccer team. A player may guest for a team in their own grade group level that is in a higher Division or in a higher Section within the same Division; or for a team one grade group level higher that is in the same or higher Division (regardless of Section).
Limits on using Guest Players
No more than four (4) guest players may be used in a given game. If guest players are used, the player count limits for that game (assigned roster players
plus guest players) are:
- Grades 3 and 4 and Grade 912 (7 v 7): 11 players
- Grades 5 and 6 (9 v 9): 13 players
- Grades 8 through 12/PG (11 v 11): 15 players
A player may play no more than two (2) games in a day for Milton Soccer. That player should prioritize playing for their assigned team over being a guest player. Each player may be a guest player no more than three (3) times in a season.
Process for using Guest Players
Coaches intending to borrow a player shall first reach out to that player’s coach. If that coach agrees that the player is available to guest for that game the coaches shall work out communication with the player or their responsible adult. Guest player availability is to be determined separately for each game. The borrowing coach is to notify the appropriate Milton Grade Level Director(s) of all guest player arrangements. The guest player’s coach will supply the borrowing coach with a copy of their team roster. The borrowing coach will bring two copies of that roster, in addition to two copies of their assigned team roster, to the game. All players except the guest player(s) are to be crossed off the roster. For any game using guest players, all submitted rosters shall have the Game ID Number written on them.
Exceptions and Director Intervention
Exceptions to the guidelines above are as follow. A coach may appeal to the appropriate Milton Grade Level Director(s) in these situations.
- If they want to borrow a player who has already been a guest player three times that season. Note that good-faith efforts to recruit other players first have been exhausted.
- If they feel a coach is unfairly blocking access to their players ability to play as a guest.
Milton Soccer’s implementation of BAYS recommendations may not align with that of other clubs. Clarification of opposing teams’ usage may be asked of the relevant Milton Grade Level Director; disputes may be filed with the appropriate BAYS Division Director.