LEAGUE AND TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
- The Puget Sound Premier League believes fundamentally in open competition and promotion/relegation.
- The PSPL places teams with similar abilities into the same divisions. But once placed in a division, competition rules. Any team can advance to the Super League as long as it continues to win and meet the league’s standards and criteria.
- SUPER LEAGUE: This is the premier-level division. Teams must meet certain league standards in addition to advancing to the top echelon through competition. Two teams go down and two go up. Automatic Relegation to the Championship League will be for the lowest placed team; the second lowest-placed team will face off against the 2nd place finisher in the Championship League. Winner plays in the Super League.
- CLASSIC: This is for B-level select teams and strong C-level teams. League winner is automatically promoted to Super League. The 2nd-place team will compete against the 2nd-lowest team in the Super League in a one-match playoff. Relegation from the Championship League will include the two lowest placed teams and the 3rd lowest placed team will play off against the 3rd placed team in the Copa League.
- COPA: District select and Rec-Select teams will find a comfortable home here in Copa land. This is our entry-level league and can be structured in multiple ways. Automatic promotion to the Championship will be awarded to the 1st and 2nd placed teams the 3rd place team will playoff against the 3rd lowest placed team in the Championship. Promotion also will depend on teams and clubs fulfilling other criteria.
- INLAND NW COPA STANDARDS: This division is created for select teams from Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho that want to play on the east side of the mountains. Due to the rural nature of the region and due to the smaller population centers, the PSPL encourages teams registering for this league should be part of a club, or work towards becoming a club. The club can be as small as three teams as per minimum requirements of US Club. The PSPL believes that a club structure is most effective in developing young soccer players in sparesly populated regions like Eastern Washington or Northern Idaho. In these unique circumstances, rural-area clubs have a clear history of commitment to player development and to organizing competitive soccer teams.
- INDEPENDENT TEAMS:The PSPL primarily creates competitive soccer leagues to promote club-based soccer teams. The PSPL believes clubs are more committed and more capable of developing young soccer players over the long term. However, the PSPL welcomes independent teams on a case-by-case basis.
- REFUNDS: The league reserves the right to determine whether a team will receive a full refund if it cancels after the registration deadline has passed. In most cases, teams that cancel after the registration deadline for a league or tournament will be charged a $75 for administrative fee. If a team withdraws after the scheduling process has begun no refunds will be issued.
IMPORTANT SUPER LEAGUE RULES
- PlAYING UP: Teams wishing to play-up must be champions of the Super League on-age and will only be allowed to enter the age above at the Classic level. This will be subject to approval from the PSPL Technical director and space in the league.
- NUMBER OF TEAMS: There will be maximum of 9 teams in the Super League division -- but the preference will be to limit Super League to 7 teams unless the number of quality teams is abundant and competition committee determines to boost division. A 12-game Fall Season will kick off following Labor Day weekend in September. An 8-game Spring Season begins late February. Results from fall league will dictate promotion and relegation. Number of teams dictate the number of divisions within the league.
- PROMOTION/RELEGATION: We believe competition determines the pecking order. We believe that if you are good enough, you should be allowed to compete. That is the foundations of this league but we recognize extraordinary circumstances. The competition committee has the power to consider extraordinary issues. Fall-league results determine promotion/relegation.
- SUPER LEAGUE STANDARDS: Entrance into the PSPL’s top league is contingent upon clubs committing to meet certain standards over time. These standards do not apply to Classic and Copa leagues. They include:
- Affiliation with a recognized club, or a competitive track record as independent that receives competition committee endorsement.
- Clubs must have a Coaching Director with a minimum "C" License, or equivalent, or be committed to earning a "C" license over 24-month after joining the league.
- Club must be composed of a minimum of three teams, or receive approval from Competition Committee.
- Club must produce a recognized player development plan and/or demonstrate a track record of quality player development and/or a history of competitive excellence.
- Clubs must meet minimum field expectations. Super League matches must be played on quality turf or grass fields. Home team must provide a full crew of officials including a qualified Referee and 2 Assistant Referees.
- All of these factors will be considered when evaluating teams that want to play in the Super League.
- COMPETITION COMMITTEE: This committee determines league placement, league standards and the laws of the game for the various leagues. The committee consists of 8 representatives, including the league technical director, who heads the committee. Four representatives of PSPL clubs that have a minimum one-year history with the club are eligible to seek appointment to the committee. The president, or executive director, shall appoint committee members.
