A player registers to a Club, and is committed to that Club for the registration year (August 1 - July 31) once a player or a parent/guardian signs the player registration form following a verbal or written acceptance of an offer from a club. The player is committed to a team in that Club once the roster is set and ‘approved’ by the Club’s registrar.

A player may not be rostered to more than one team at a time. A movement to a different team roster, either within the same Club or to a different Club, is termed a ‘Transfer’.

The age exemption policy is intended to permit clubs to find teams for all players within league parameters, if there is no feasible option to play on a club team at the player’s actual age group. Each exception must be reviewed and approved by MAYSA. 

Age exemptions starting 2016-17 will be primarily limited to the following cases:

I.            U15 age players who are in 8th grade may be age exempted to play on a U14 team.  (MAYSA may call the league which includes these teams ‘ U14/15’) 

II.            U19 age players who are in 12th grade may be age exempted to play on a U18 team.  (MAYSA may call the league which includes these teams ‘ U18/19’) 

III.            Should any team with these exceptions wish to participate in a WYSA/US Youth Soccer sanctioned tournament other than those sponsored by MAYSA, the approval would be at the discretion of the event.

IV.            MAYSA is NOT authorized to make age exemptions for any competitive players participating in the WYSA State League, WDA or Midwest Regional League, or for players participating in the US Youth Soccer Assn Championship series events, including WYSA State Championships and President Cup events.

V.            If a club is limited by player numbers to small numbers of teams, an extreme ‘hardship case’ appeal may be directed to Chris Lay, clay@maysa.org.

The following criteria must be met for an Age Exemption to be considered:

1.  The request in writing to MAYSA for exemption must by initiated by club President or designee.
2. The player and club should be prepared to provide any requested documentation to verify the validity of the request.
3. The player should not be more than six months older than the normal Jan 1 deadline.
4. Sufficient time allowed for all requests for exceptions on behalf of player(s) for review. Each request may be reviewed by designated MAYSA staff and/or board who reserve the right to approve or deny exceptions.  

Club Passing is an agreement between teams in the same club to allow players at appropriate age levels to join other teams for league or tournament game play. The following is based on WYSA Club Pass policy, which may be viewed here.

Club Passing for ALL Teams

A club pass is defined as use of a registered player from one team’s roster for competition with a different team in the same club. The club pass is designated as an intraclub player arrangement and is not intended to be used as an interclub arrangement between two different clubs.

Effective August 1, 2013 players are eligible to be club passed to any team in their club provided they are age appropriate. There is no limit to the number of club pass players per competition however the maximum number of players shall not exceed the allowable number of players as designated by State policy.

Teams that make use of club passes must designate on the official game report (or game day roster) the names and player registration numbers. Additionally, teams using club passes will need a copy of the official WYSA “club/district authorized official roster” for each team the club pass players are coming from.

The club president or director of coaching will oversee the implementation and be responsible for compliance to WYSA policies relating to club passes. A player’s first obligation shall be to the team they were rostered to for the seasonal year. No male players will be allowed to participate in a female league unless designated as a co-ed league which permits male and female players on the same team and within the same league.

All tournaments sanctioned by WYSA have been encouraged to recognize player club passes. In the event that a tournament allows the use of club passes, those players shall not count as guest players for the event. Guest players are generally from another other club and are countable against the maximum number of guest players allowed in a tournament.

All players registered and rostered on competitive league teams in MWC (US Youth Soccer National League) will automatically be issued US Youth Soccer ‘Player Passes’, stamped by WYSA and produced by MAYSA, once player birth dates have been verified. Other teams may request player cards if required for a tournament or other event.

With the new state-wide registration system, birth dates for each player need only be verified one time at the MAYSA office; the record is then kept with the state for as long as the player is registered with WYSA.

Any one of the following are appropriate verification of age:

1. a birth certificate
2. a birth registration issued by an appropriate government agency or board of health records
3. a passport
4. an alien registration card issued by the United States Government
5. a certificate issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service attesting to age
6. a current driver’s license
7. an un-expired federal, state or local government identification card (if documentation of date of birth is required)
8. or a certification of a United States citizen born abroad issued by the appropriate government agency
9. Not accepted: Hospital, baptismal or religious certificates

Player Pass cards are valid for the registration year in which they are issued. They are distributed before the start of season, or when a new competitive player is registered.

Player Pass cards are required for all  MWC league competitive players at each game; the ‘No Pass, No Play’ rule is enforced by the referee.

Player Pass cards may be required at some WYSA sanctioned tournaments or out of state tournaments. Check with tournament organizers for their requirements.  Reddan soccer tournaments require only a WYSA approved photo roster and MAYSA Cup requires only a WYSA approved roster.

MAYSA Recreational teams should present birth certificates to the MAYSA office if they need birthdate verification for competitive tournaments or for any players club passing to competitive teams.

A fee of $2 per card will be assessed to the Club for any player registered as Recreational in the registration system.

All players registered and rostered on competitive league teams in State League and MAYSA league and all teams playing in Tier 1 and 2 of MAYSA League need to have a copy of their approved WYSA photo roster at every match. All players on these rosters should be  birthdate verified and have a photo of player's face uploaded to be printed on the roster.

With the new state-wide registration system, birth dates for each player need only be verified one time at the MAYSA office; the record is then kept with the state for as long as the player is registered with WYSA.

Any one of the following are appropriate verification of age:

1. a birth certificate
2. a birth registration issued by an appropriate government agency or board of health records
3. a passport
4. an alien registration card issued by the United States Government
5. a certificate issued by the Immigration and Naturalization Service attesting to age
6. a current driver’s license
7. an un-expired federal, state or local government identification card (if documentation of date of birth is required)
8. or a certification of a United States citizen born abroad issued by the appropriate government agency
9. Not accepted: Hospital, baptismal or religious certificates

A Player Transfer is the movement of a registered player, currently rostered to (or dropped from) a team, onto another team roster in the same registration year (Aug 1 – July 31). A transfer can be within the same Club or to a different Club.

Some Clubs may have a policy to not reimburse, or to prorate fees, for players who transfer. Check with the releasing Club for their policy on reimbursement.

Policies applicable to ALL TRANSFERS

• Once registered to a Club, players may only transfer once per year (August 1 - July 31).
• Each accepting team is limited to accepting a total of three (3) transferred players per year (August 1 - July 31). This includes transfers occurring within the club.
• Transfers over the limit must be approved by MAYSA, and completed by the state.
• New Players, upon registration, may be added to a team at any time and do not count toward transfers.
• Clubs using 1/2 season registration in League One should consult MAYSA re:player movement between Fall and Spring.

Transfer Window

After a player is registered, that player may transfer to a different team within a window of time:

1. MAYSA Transfer Period 1: Date of original registration until 14 calendar days before the start of the Fall season.
2. MAYSA Transfer Period 2: End of Fall season to 14 calendar days before the start of Spring season.

Transfers requested within the MAYSA Transfer Periods must be processed by all parties within fifteen (15) days of receiving the request. Transfers outside those two windows will be considered on Appeal. (See below.)

Recreational Player Transfers

• Recreational Player Transfer to a different Club:
• If a transfer involves a player moving from a recreational team to a team (competitive or recreational) in a different Club, the transfer request must be made with the MAYSA Player Transfer Request Form, found on the MAYSA website. (www.maysa.org under ‘Forms’) Once the form has been filled out in its entirety and signed by all parties indicated (including those of the Accepting and Releasing Clubs and teams), it should be submitted to the MAYSA office by mail, email, or fax.
• MAYSA completes the transfer, subject to the rules pertaining to ALL transfers (see above.)
• Recreational Player Transfer within the Club:
• The movement to a different team within the same Club is tracked as a ‘Transfer’, however, no form is required. The Club’s registrar should inform MAYSA in writing of the transfer, which is subject to the rules pertaining to ALL transfers, (see above). MAYSA completes the transfer.

Competitive Player Transfers

• Competitive Player Transfer to a different Club:
• If a transfer involves a player moving from a competitive team to a team (competitive or recreational) in a different Club, the transfer request must be made through the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association. WYSA policy states:
• If at any time during the registration year, a competitive player desires to transfer to another club’s team, that player must submit a completed Player Request Transfer Form to the WYSA executive director, explaining the request for transfer. The form may be found on the WYSA web site (www.wiyouthsoccer.com, under ‘Administration’ then ‘Forms’). The player must also submit a $100 transfer request fee (cashier’s check only).
• Transfer requests must be mailed to the State Office. Faxes or emails are not accepted.
• Requests for transfers will be reviewed within 10 days of receipt of the request and request fee.
• Upon receipt of the Player Transfer Request Form and transfer request fee, the executive director will send a letter to the club president of the team the player is requesting to be released from; to ascertain the (releasing) Club’s allowance or objection to the transfer request. If there are no objections to the transfer, the player will be notified in writing by the State Association that the release has been granted and $75 of the transfer fee will be refunded. If the Club objects, the transfer request must be reviewed by the Transfer Review Panel.
• If a review panel must be convened to decide on the release of the player, the State Association will make a conscientious effort to facilitate the review panel process in a timely manner.
• Once reviewed, the player and respective club presidents will be notified in writing of the Transfer Review Panel’s decision. If the request is approved, the $75 will be refunded. (The state completes the transfer in League One.) If the request is denied or withdrawn, the State Association retains the entire $100 fee.
• This policy only applies to competitive players and restricts movements from one Club team to another Club’s team. The restriction does not apply to a player changing teams within the same soccer club. Players wishing to change teams within the same club do not have to follow this transfer approval process.
• Competitive Player Transfer within the Club:
• The movement to a different team within the same Club is tracked as a ‘Transfer’, however, no form is required. The Club’s registrar should inform MAYSA in writing of the transfer, which is still subject to the rules pertaining to ALL transfers, see above. WYSA must complete the transfer in League One.

Transfer Appeal Process

Players wishing to transfer outside of the Transfer Windows (See above) are required to provide evidence of extenuating circumstances; examples include family re-location, player safety, etc.

Appeals Procedure:

1. Completion of Transfer request as detailed above.
2. In addition, a written request in which the Player or Parent identifies the extenuating circumstances that are cause for the transfer request must accompany the MAYSA or WYSA Transfer Request form.
3. If the player is from a Recreational league team, the request will be considered by the MAYSA Executive Director and brought to Board attention if necessary. Parents and Clubs will be notified of the outcome.
4. If the player is from a Competitive league team, the request will be forwarded to the WYSA for their consideration along with the state Transfer Request form.

Under no circumstances may contact be initiated with any player age 14 years old and younger without a parent or guardian present.

No personal contact with players or family members for the purpose of recruiting players may occur before the annual ‘Tryout and Club Promotion Timetable’ dates indicate. Coaches may be suspended from coaching and/or the team may be prevented from playing in sanctioned activities if violations of the recruiting restriction are confirmed. Recruiting and tryouts end 30 days before the start of the season or once a player has signed with a club/team for the registration year.

The following activities are also prohibited:

• Contact with player or parent is not permitted under any circumstances at trainings or games until coach has dismissed team.
• Discussions cannot contain discussions regarding reducing fee structure by any amount of club being promoted unless consistent with club policy. (ie. a club may explain to candidate that scholarships are available, but they must qualify and apply per club policy. A club cannot, for example, guarantee a player half off the uniform cost/free uniform/half off registration fee, etc. if the player joins the club.)
• Discussions cannot contain promotion for the player to consider a specific team.
• Under no circumstances can a club guarantee a roster spot until a legitimate offer is made during the tryout process.

The Guest Player Roster form is for use by all teams using players from other club teams (not within the same club) for tournaments other than the WI State Championships (Guest Players are not permitted in League Play.). The form allows a team to list guest players, subject to the rules of the tournament event. Guest Player Roster forms can be obtained through the WYSA web site here.
**Regarding tournament play, see the tournament application for Guest Player(s) rules. Also note that not all tournaments permit Guest Players.