In the last 10 days more than a dozen players have added their info to our site looking for a soccer home. This is a great way to help finish out your team or start bulking up the roster for summer. There are even a few goalies new to the list! It can be accessed here:
http://socceralaska.com/listings/index.php
To help identify forfeits on the website, their will be entered with a score of "00" instead of just 0. Hopefully this helps.
The roster guidelines are being amended to allow a maximum of 3 players from any single team within the same division (it used to be three max, irregardless of team). So now, Team A may have 3 players from Team B and another 3 from Team C. This restriction was originally two-fold--to allow as many players to play given limited field time, and to prevent essentially the same team operating under two names. Because turf is now more widely available, we feel this adjustment is warranted.
If you have any issues with your roster, player registration, or photos, please let me know. I am making sure the photo queue is cleared daily.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
An inside look at the scheduling process
Four times a year my job gets a lot busier for a week or two when all the team registrations come in and subsequently I have to create a schedule for 70-120 teams (86 teams this season). Here's an inside look at the different parts of the process.
Receive allocation of field time. Weeks or even months before a given season begins, we must estimate the number of teams we will have and request appropriate allocations from the facilities (AT&T and the Dome for indoor, Anchorage Parks & Rec and ASD in the summer). A few years ago this allocation dictated the number of teams we could accept, but now that there is more available field time, it has more to do with if we can get "good" hours.
Finalize divisions. Once team registration has closed, we look at all of the team entries to make sure divisions will be competitive. Large divisions (20+ teams) are divided into separate conferences based on past standings history. If there are not enough teams to field a division (usually five), we may combine divisions or come up with some other creative scheduling techniques. Through this entire process, it is our goal to provide the most fair, competitive divisions for all teams.
Note schedule requests. I keep track of all schedule requests and attempt to accommodate them whenever possible. At the same time, I work to keep schedules fair. For example, a request such as "only 7 p.m. games" is not likely to be accommodated, as this is something that most teams would probably appreciate. A more realistic request would be no games on Wednesdays because a lot of the team has players with classes that night.
Creating the schedule. I have been using an automated scheduling program, LeagueUSA's Sports Scheduler 2003 for the past five years or so. Although it's interface is a bit antiquated, it is still one of the best and most powerful scheduling programs on the market. It allows me to specify the maximum number of games per week, minimum number of days between games, block off dates and times for specific teams, and link teams together to prevent them from playing on different fields at the same time. Once all the settings are entered, the program schedules all games and balances different times and venues. Usually it can't quite schedule all games within the given restrictions, which requires me to manually schedule the last few games, overriding some of the restrictions.
Proofing the schedule. Once the schedule is complete, I examine each team's schedule individually to make sure there are no huge issues (i.e. a three week gap or three games in one week). I know that every team's schedule will not be perfect, but my goal is to make sure all schedules are as fair as possible.
Posting the schedule. When the schedule is complete, it is sent to our webmaster who posts it online. I sent the spring schedule in last night, so it should be online in the next day or two!
Nick Stramp
League Administrator
Receive allocation of field time. Weeks or even months before a given season begins, we must estimate the number of teams we will have and request appropriate allocations from the facilities (AT&T and the Dome for indoor, Anchorage Parks & Rec and ASD in the summer). A few years ago this allocation dictated the number of teams we could accept, but now that there is more available field time, it has more to do with if we can get "good" hours.
Finalize divisions. Once team registration has closed, we look at all of the team entries to make sure divisions will be competitive. Large divisions (20+ teams) are divided into separate conferences based on past standings history. If there are not enough teams to field a division (usually five), we may combine divisions or come up with some other creative scheduling techniques. Through this entire process, it is our goal to provide the most fair, competitive divisions for all teams.
Note schedule requests. I keep track of all schedule requests and attempt to accommodate them whenever possible. At the same time, I work to keep schedules fair. For example, a request such as "only 7 p.m. games" is not likely to be accommodated, as this is something that most teams would probably appreciate. A more realistic request would be no games on Wednesdays because a lot of the team has players with classes that night.
Creating the schedule. I have been using an automated scheduling program, LeagueUSA's Sports Scheduler 2003 for the past five years or so. Although it's interface is a bit antiquated, it is still one of the best and most powerful scheduling programs on the market. It allows me to specify the maximum number of games per week, minimum number of days between games, block off dates and times for specific teams, and link teams together to prevent them from playing on different fields at the same time. Once all the settings are entered, the program schedules all games and balances different times and venues. Usually it can't quite schedule all games within the given restrictions, which requires me to manually schedule the last few games, overriding some of the restrictions.
Proofing the schedule. Once the schedule is complete, I examine each team's schedule individually to make sure there are no huge issues (i.e. a three week gap or three games in one week). I know that every team's schedule will not be perfect, but my goal is to make sure all schedules are as fair as possible.
Posting the schedule. When the schedule is complete, it is sent to our webmaster who posts it online. I sent the spring schedule in last night, so it should be online in the next day or two!
Nick Stramp
League Administrator
Friday, March 6, 2009
Playoffs - Yes or No?
The last few times I've had the opportunity for a frosty one and soccer conversations after a hard fought game, the subject of indoor playoffs has come up consistently. Its time we looked at the pros and cons of such an undertaking.
The pros are easily identified. Play-offs would extend the season by at least one game for some teams and oftentimes allow a re-match with an opponent that they would like to play one more time. As in college football, there is no doubt that a play-off system is preferable, especially in divisions that are large enough, where every team may not have had the opportunity to compete against each other. As a player currently participating in the league, I would love to see a division winner determined in such a manner.
However, from a league administration standpoint, play-offs are a nightmare for a number of reasons:
The pros are easily identified. Play-offs would extend the season by at least one game for some teams and oftentimes allow a re-match with an opponent that they would like to play one more time. As in college football, there is no doubt that a play-off system is preferable, especially in divisions that are large enough, where every team may not have had the opportunity to compete against each other. As a player currently participating in the league, I would love to see a division winner determined in such a manner.
However, from a league administration standpoint, play-offs are a nightmare for a number of reasons:
- At over $150 per hour for turf time the cost for even a few extra games is substantial. Even a 4-team play-off system would require an additional 3 games, increasing each team fees by $50-$100 depending on the size of the divisions.
- If only the top 4 teams qualify, are squads in places 5-10 willing to buck up for their extra games?
- Some divisions are small. Do you really want to play the same team a third time?
- Turn-around from the last league game to the first play-off game is sometimes only 3-5 days. That doesn't leave much time to submit referee reports, adjust the standings and then based on those standings get the right teams to the right fields at the right time. Step one is the most important. If a referee report isn't filed, scores aren't recorded and standings can't be adjusted. In turn some teams may not be sure where exactly they sit, resulting in....................
- The dreaded play-off forfeit. They suck during the regular season, but even more so in tournaments. It is costly and a waste of time for everyone involved.
- Ultimately the league is recreational in nature, with an emphasis on the game in a competitive, but relaxed environment, focusing on sportsmanship and camaraderie. The beer is equally as cold and tasty whether we win, or loose and the lies I tell about my quality of play, are the same!
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