SC Soccer Forums SCSoccer.com Forums SCHSSCA SCHSSCA Proposals for Jersey Rule & USC's Stone Stadium for Finals Info

SCHSSCA Executive Board Member Wayne Quinlan (Hilton Head Island High School) has authored a couple of rule changes to be presented to the Principals/Athletic Directors meetings March 8-9, 2012. Please review the following proposals and verse your respective Principal/AD on these issues. These have been approved by the S.C. High School Soccer Coaches Association via popular vote at the SCHSSCA Winter Clinic January 27, 2012 at the Clarion Hotel Downtown in Columbia, SC.

I. A PROPOSAL FOR REQUEST OF RULE CHANGE TO BE FORWARDED TO NFHS AND/OR BE CONSIDERED FOR STATE ADOPTION:

The Rule - Soccer Rule 4: Section 1; Article 1. b. page 21 of 2010-11 Rules Book �Beginning with the 2012 fall season, the home team shall wear solid white jerseys and solid white socks, and the visiting team shall wear dark jerseys and socks.�

To Be Changed To - �The home team shall wear white or light jerseys and socks and the visiting team shall wear dark jerseys and socks.�

Explanation - The effect of the new rule will be to eliminate stripes piping, chevrons, school crests, logos, etc. from home jerseys and to eliminate the ability of the home team to wear a light color other than white. In effect, home jerseys will resemble plain white T-shirts with numbers. School names and players� names would be allowed. This will require all schools to purchase new home jerseys and socks by the spring of 2013 for soccer and to begin to purchase them for all sports soon thereafter. This rule will eventually be in effect for all sports. SCHSSCA members who attended the Winter Clinic were unanimous in opposition to this. A national poll revealed that 85% of all coaches who responded opposed the new rule. The reasons for the opposition are the financial cost and the removal of local as well as national and international traditions allowing for such things as stripes and for a team to wear a light color other than white. For example, Summerville HS should be able to choose to wear white or yellow at home and should be able to trim it in a complimentary color. NFHS rule changes, according to Mark Koski (NFHS Director of Sports and Events) are for the following reasons; safety or to uphold the traditions of the sport. We believe neither of these is achieved in the new rule, and in fact the time-honored traditions of the game�s uniforms being striped, light, etc. would be violated by this rule.

[email protected], National Federation of State High School Associations

Remedy - SCHSL Commissioner Jerome Singleton should be directed to pass the rule change request form submitted to him last year by SCHSSCA Board Member Wayne Quinlan to NFHS for their consideration or, by state adoption, S.C. should be exempted from the change.

II. A PROPOSAL FOR ALL SOCCER STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS TO BE HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA�S EUGENE E. STONE, III STADIUM:

The current venue for these events is Memorial Stadium in the Rosewood section of Columbia. SCHSSCA membership, at its 16th Annual SCHSSCA Winter Clinic, was unanimous in its support of hosting the finals at the University of South Carolina. We believe a central site is extremely important to continue the outstanding attendance and promotion of our sport, in addition to creating a memorable experience for the participants. We believe, as a NCAA Division I university with nationally renowned collegiate soccer powers, USC has the most prestigious facility in the Midlands area for the SCHSL State Finals. We believe the facilities provided by USC offer far superior concessions, restrooms, parking, electronic scoreboard, turf quality and safety. The SCHSSCA has administrated the finals since 1996, several of them at USC. The current SCHSL Commissioner, Jerome Singleton, believes Stone Stadium to be unsuitable because there is seating only on one side. There has NEVER been a problem between opposing fans in the many years USC hosted. Additionally there are no similar requirements for the basketball championships - also hosted by USC at the Colonial Life Arena. Nonetheless, the SCHSSCA will take any steps necessary to ensure safety. We will locate the team benches on the far side, away from the stands; partition, with police tape, the bleachers into two sections; position security in the middle; locate the student sections at either end of the bleachers. If a problem occurs as a direct result of the seating, the SCHSSCA will fully support moving back to Memorial Stadium or another suitable venue as deemed by the SCHSSCA. We are NOT in favor of playing outside Columbia or on a field with artificial turf at this time.

[email protected], S.C. High School League

Remedy - Direct SCHSL to stage all soccer state finals at USC. The University of South Carolina athletics department, along with the men's and women's soccer programs, are in full support of this proposal.

We encourage all soccer coaches to meet with their AD's to enlighten them on these issues. They must be prepared for discussion and voting. Stress that the uniform rule will NOT BE FOR SOCCER ONLY. It is in the works for all sports.
Our association has run out of options dealing directly through SCHSL. Our only recourse is through SCACA, AD's, principals, and Executive Committee members (if you know one, call one).

Excellent work Wayne. I'll make my AD and Principal aware of these two issues. I only wish you would have added one more......

The proposal to let draws stand in regular season matches. Only tournament games (where a team needs to advance) and state playoff matches should require kicks from the mark.

Thanks. I think we should talk about a mercy rule next.

You could add to that having a tie-breaker system for playoffs that are the same around the state. Could not use GD with a mercy rule.

Would also suggest seeded for playoffs at all levels.

But, one thing at a time.

A standardized system would be nice. GD is still an option but within limits; only allow a maximum number of GD points per game. SCYSA, for example, uses GD3 as a tiebreaking step--maximum of 3 differential points per contest.

Good point Chass, but I would prefer a Goals Against inside your region. It makes a shutout vital. Then if you are still tied look at GD. Not very fond of the GD3 rule. It is possible for you to score the most goals and give up the fewest and still lose on GD.
If every region had the following:
3 points for win, 1 point for ties, 0 points for loss.
If tied:
Head to head.
GA in region
GD in region.

Shouldn't be any ties after that. Plus, if you then went to seeding instead of region finish (which would be much more fair especially if you are Mauldin, Dorman, Mann, Riverside, Byrnes, etc...), you would still be seeded according to your ability. of coarse, I am also for letting everyone in, give top seeds a bye, and having 2 games a week for 3 weeks for our "contact" sport (because basketball a "non-contact" sport is only allowed to play 2 a week). State makes more money on gate. Deserving teams that finish 5th get in. And yes, I can point out situations where that has happened the past couple of years.

I have two issues with using GA as a tiebreaker before GD(x). First, using a limited GD score such as GD3 helps to eliminate the effects of "outlying" games. For example, if a team's keeper is injured or absent for one game and it happens to be against a strong opponent, you could rack up one heck of a GA score in one game, but it wouldn't be representative of the team's overall ability through the course of the season. GD3 or a similar limitation reduces the effects of any atypical, outlying games. Sure, you can possibly be the team who scores the most and gives up the fewest and still not finish first under GD3, but if you gain that record by racking up goals on an atypically disadvantaged team, does that really make you deserving of the playoff berth over someone who called off the dogs, or someone who gave a second or third-string defender or keeper a chance after victory was assured, and as a result gave up a goal or two after scoring a safe lead?

Which brings me to my second issue...do we really want to make a shutout "vital"? Do we want to make the game in all of its intricacies and facets boil down to simply defense? What does that accomplish for the game? Is it more exciting for the fans, developmental for the entire field of players, and representative of a team's total strength to get a small lead and then bunker down on defense to preserve the shutout, or to take some risks, play the whole field, and play a balanced game, even at the risk of possibly giving up a goal? If GA is a first tiebreaker after head to head, does a 1-0 victory really indicate a stronger team than an 8-1 win?

Don't get me wrong; I respect and value a good defense. A good defense can buy the offense the time and opportunity to win games. I just don't think the shutout is the be-all, end-all of a good soccer game, and remember, whatever we set up as the criteria for playoff placement, eventually, that's what the priority of the games will become. Goal differential, within prescribed limits, will reward teams for wins, reward them more for decisive wins, reward the losing team for keeping it close, and with the limits, will reduce the incentive of stronger teams to run up a score to pad the gap.

I would just throw in that Spain (one of the best attacking teams in the world), won the last world cup with scores of 1 - 0 in the quarters, semis, and final. So yes, to a point, I think that a shutout can be "vital". Does that mean you don't play a 3rd string defender in a blow-out, no.
In the end, I just wish we had consistant tie-breakers across the board OR even better, let everyone in and seed everyone. Then the only thing that matters in a region is the championship, and not the order of finish.

Well, yes, in a situation where you've only managed one goal (been there, done that, many times), the shutout is vital. Sacrificing offense in the name of defense when you can score goals, though, just because GA counts more than GF, isn't "vital" to winning the game; therefore, it shouldn't be made vital to winning a playoff spot. 1-0 shouldn't count for more than 5-2, IMHO.