The Virginia Club Soccer League is a sanctioned VYSA Travel Soccer League. Members must be in good standing with the Virginia Youth Soccer Association.

All club participants in the Fall 2024/Spring 2025 season of VPSL National Premier League – West are granted acceptance into the VCSL beginning with the Fall 2025 season.

To inquire on membership contact Matt Wilson – [email protected] for a membership application. VCSL utilizes a demographic basis for membership, analyzing market size and saturation to promote the growth of the game in underserved areas and healthy, well supported clubs throughout the league.

The Virginia Club Soccer League is administered by the Virginia Soccer Alliance who provide scheduling, membership recruitment, and day to day operations.

A Leadership Council of professional Directors of Coaching from member clubs convene seasonally in person, and monthly online during the playing seasons, to provide guidance, address issues and discuss league initiatives.

The Leadership Council is comprised of clubs who have professional (full-time) Technical Directors and who participate in the Premier Club competition. They are joined on a rotating basis by a Classic Club representative from the league.

Clubs who meet the standard of full-time Technical Directors and Premier Club membership should contact Matt Wilson – [email protected] to join the Leadership Council. Classic Clubs interested in joining the Leadership Council on a rotational basis should inquire as well.

To ensure that the season unfolds smoothly it is important that weekly contact is made between opponents to confirm game times and locations, review directions, agree upon uniform choice, establish a weather contingency and communication plan and clarify any unresolved questions.  This happens in one of two ways depending on the division the team is in.

For teams in Premier Divisions that are part of clubs involved in block scheduling, the club Directors of Coaching will make weekly contact with one another prior to each set of games.  They will review and confirm the full slate of games for the weekend and pick a uniform kit for all of their teams to wear.  Each DOC will communicate these confirmations and any potential changes directly to the teams in their club.  If weather issues arise, the home club DOC will contact the visiting club DOC as soon as possible to notify them of cancellations.  The visiting club DOC is in charge of communicating this with their teams.

Teams participating in Classic Divisions that are not part of block scheduling will make contact with their opponents each week.  In Classic Divisions the weekly contacts are made on the team level rather than the club level.  All team contacts for Classic Divisions are uploaded on the Got Sport schedule page per team and team managers and coaches should use this information to make contact with their opponent prior to games.  They should confirm game times and locations, review directions, agree upon uniform choice, establish a weather contingency and communication plan and clarify any unresolved questions.

By following these procedures we can ensure that games come off smoothly without unnecessary trips and lost and confused participants.

The VCSL creates league schedules prior to each season. The Fall season includes age groups from U11-U19 for boys and girls. The spring has age groups U11-U14/15 boys and girls. There are “Premier” and “Classic” Divisions where possible. Classic divisions are often divided into North and South brackets to minimize travel distances.

Premier Divisions are scheduled with club vs club matchups prioritized and guiding the overall schedule. Classic divisions are scheduled on a team by team basis. Clubs seeking a club vs club schedule must have a minimum of 12 teams in the 16 possible age groups (U11-U18/19 boys and girls) to be eligible for block scheduling. Clubs/teams may declare two no play dates prior to the season, either one weekend or two Saturdays or Sundays. Teams are expected to be available to play on all other weekend dates during the season. Games can be scheduled either on Saturdays or Sundays but are weighted to Saturdays unless requested otherwise.

The league will publish a Master Schedule of block dates and divisions to the clubs two months prior to the season. A draft of schedules will be presented for review 5 weeks prior to the season. After clubs have a chance for review, comment and adjustments, the schedule will be considered final. The online schedule hosted via the Gotsport website is considered the official league schedule and should be referred to by all teams. Please notify the league of any discrepancies, errors or omissions so the online schedule can be kept current and accurate.  

Once the schedule has been published the VCSL will reschedule games for two reasons:

1. Game conflicts with a State Cup/President’s Cup match
2. Game is canceled due to weather

These reschedules will be considered “official league reschedules” and will be scheduled and communicated by the VCSL league office directly.  Both teams must make themselves available for the rescheduled match which will be fit into an available date during the season.

In the case of rainouts, teams may quickly arrange a reschedule on their own that both teams agree to. They must immediately communicate that new schedule directly to the league office. VCSL will publish the new schedule per the agreement of the teams on the Gotsport website. If no communication has been made to the league office by noon on Tuesday after the rainout, the VCSL will proactively reschedule the match to an available date and both teams will be expected to be available for the newly scheduled game.

Teams wishing to make changes to the schedule for reasons outside of the above list may do so on their own provided

1. Their opponent agrees to the reschedule
2. They notify the league office promptly of the change
3. Referee availability and field availability are adequate

A team wishing to reschedule a match for a reason outside the sanctioned list of two “official league reschedules” should contact their opponent directly and negotiate a new play date.  The opposing team however, is under no obligation to agree to a reschedule request for any reason outside of the two noted “official league reschedules”.  If the game can not be rescheduled and is not played during the time indicated on the “final schedule”, the team not able to make the match as originally scheduled will be deemed to have forfeited.  If both parties agree to a reschedule, the league office should be notified immediately of the schedule change.

Player passes are the means by which the league ensures that all players participating in league matches are officially registered players.  Teams may only field players that are rostered to their team and have a player pass issued by VYSA.  (The only exception is the use of guest players.  See the Guest Player policy on this page for a complete description of this.)

A pre-game check of players is to be conducted by referees prior to league matches. The check-in can be conducted with the Gotsport issued rosters which include pictures of players on the team. Player passes can also be used to verify players. Guest players are to be written onto the roster provided to the referee accompanied by guest player passes. Alternatively, guest players can be provided on an additional Gotsport issued roster that includes their pictures.

Teams which cannot produce their player GotSport roster/player passes by the end of the match may be subject to forfeiture of the match. The Gotsport roster/player passes may be kept by the referee or assistant referees during the game. After the game, the passes will be returned to the coach or a team representative. If a referee fails to check the Gotsport roster/player passes, it is the responsibility of both coaches to remind him of this VCSL requirement. If a referee refuses to check player passes/GotSport roster, the teams should report this to the league. A coach has the right to check an opposing team’s GotSport roster/player passes before or after the match.

A referee does not have the authority to forfeit matches for player pass issues.  Only the match’s sanctioning body (the league) has the authority to declare a forfeit.  In situations where the GotSport roster/player passes are not present at the start of a match, referees are advised to play the match as normal.  In their Official Match Report they are to note any and all circumstances including the absence of the Gotsport roster/passes or the lodging of a protest by either team.  The information is to be turned over to the league at the match’s conclusion so that it can make a determination on the status of the match.  No coach, team manager, registrar, parent, player, spectator or club official is invested with the power to unilaterally declare a forfeit.  That authority rests with the league.

Substitutions may be made at the following stoppages:

goal kicks
after a goal has been scored
at a stoppage for an injury
at a stoppage for issuance of a caution
on throw-ins by the team taking the throw.
On throw-ins, if the team in possession makes a sub, the opposing team may also make a sub.
On stoppages for injuries and cautions, opposing teams may also sub if the first team decides to do so.

The number of players to be substituted during a substitution is unlimited.  Substituted player re-entry is allowed.

All red cards issued in VCSL play incur the following penalty:

1)  The offending player or coach must leave the match in which the card is issued.  Players can not be substituted in that match and the team of the offending player must play down a man for the remainder of the match.

2) The offending player or coach can not participate in the next league game.  Their team however, may play with a full roster in that game.  Offending players can not guest play with any team until the day after they have served their suspension with their regular team.

Additional notes – Players who receive a red card may attend the following league match and sit on the team bench in street clothes.

Coaches who receive a red card must stay away from their team’s following league game.

Two yellow cards equal a red card.  There is no “soft” red.  Two yellows issued in the same match to the same player are treated the same as a straight red card and incur the same penalty.

Red cards are to be reported to the league office each week via email.  It is the responsibility of both participating teams/clubs to report any red cards issued in their match to the League.  The player’s name, jersey # and the offense committed should be reported.  The league office will then notify the offending team’s next opponent of the pending suspension so they can ensure it is properly served.

Red cards are only relevant within the competition they are issued in.  Red cards issued in tournaments do not carry over into league play.  Red card suspensions issued in league play can not be served in tournaments.  If a player receives a red card in their last league match prior to a tournament they may play in the tournament unencumbered by the suspension but must then serve the suspension in their next league match after the tournament.  If a team wishes to suspend a player on their own from their tournament match it does not exonerate the player from also serving the suspension in their next league match.   If a red card is issued to a player in the final game of a season, the suspension must be served in the first game of the following season.

The VCSL does not track yellow cards.  There is no point accumulation for yellow cards issued over the course of the season.  Clubs do not need to report yellow cards, only reds.  Clubs are expected to control the behavior of their teams and players through internal measures.  The League may impose sanctions in cases where clubs fail to demonstrate proper internal controls.

If a red card is deemed serious enough, particularly for violent conduct or fighting, additional sanctions may be levied by the league.  Clubs will be encouraged and given the chance to take action first themselves.

Limited guest playing is allowed in the VCSL.  The use of guest players enhances the role of the club in player development by allowing clubs the chance to provide additional opportunities for member players.  Guest playing can be used to help a team in need of additional players or to provide a player with a needed match opportunity vs. different competition than they would normally encounter.

All guest players must be registered to a team in the same club/organization they are guest playing for.  No one may guest play who is not registered to a VYSA team and no one who is registered to a VYSA team may guest play for a team in another organization.  All teams fielding guest players must use guest players from within their own club/organization. Recreational players may guest as long as they are registered to a VYSA rec program affiliated with the travel club.

5 maximum guest players are allowed for 11v11 teams and 3 maximum guests are allowed in 9v9 matches. The maximum gameday roster sizes of 18 for 11v11 and 16 for 9v9 may not be exceeded with or without guest players.

Guests may not be older than the oldest age of either the team fielding the guest or their opponent. Example 1: A U16 team is playing a U17 team. U17 guest players can be used in that match by either team. Example 2: A U16 team is playing another U16 team. No U17 guests can be used in this match.

A maximum of 2 age-appropriate guests may be used who are rostered to a higher level team than the team they are guesting for. Example: A U13 team playing in a Classic Division may field 1 or 2 U13 guest players from their club’s Premier VCSL team.

Younger age group players do not count against the 2 player limit of higher level players and only count against the standard guest maximum limits (3 for 9v9, 5 for 11v11) Example: A U13 Classic team may utilize as many as 5 U12 guest players regardless of their level.

Higher level players are considered to be players who are rostered to either a higher level of play such as VCSL Premier vs Classic or a higher age group team. Example: A U13 player who is carded on the club’s U14 VCSL team is considered to be “playing up” and is considered a higher level player than the U13 team players. This player would be part of the 2 player restriction if guesting at U13.

Players who are rostered to ECNL or other higher level leagues are not USYS players and are not eligible to guest play in the VCSL. These players are covered in the Double Pass section.

Guest players may play in a maximum of two matches each day.  A player may guest play with a team and still play for their own team during a club match day.

Guest players are to be announced prior to the match in which they are being used.  Directors of Coaching (or another designated representative in cases where the club does not have a DOC) must contact their opposing club prior to the match to notify the opposing club of the guest players.  Out of courtesy this contact should be made the week prior to the game, however it can be made on the field at the time of the game if necessary.

On game day the guest players must have their official current year player pass or Gotsport roster copy and this is to be presented to the referee prior to the game at the time of the standard player pass/roster check.  All guest players are to be displayed on the game day roster.

Double Pass players are players who have been carded to another team within an organization that is not USYS affiliated. Several higher level leagues are sanctioned by different governing bodies than USYS. Players may not guest play in the VCSL with a player pass from a different governing body. Examples would be the ECNL, ECNL RL, and Girls Academy who sanction through different governing bodies such as US Club Soccer. In order to facilitate some limited participation by players from other leagues in VCSL matches, a double pass system is utilized. This means players are rostered to two different rosters and are not guest players when playing for those teams they are rostered on.

No player playing in VCSL may be double passed between two different organizations. Players may only be double passed on two teams within the same organization. Example: A player who is rostered to an ECNL RL team may also be rostered to a VCSL team within the same host organization. Examples would be VA United or Virginia Soccer Alliance clubs such as SOCA, Augusta United, etc.

Players may only be rostered to one VCSL team. The double pass allowance is for rostering to one non VCSL team in US Club or other sanctioning body and one VCSL team in VYSA that is part of the same host organization.

A maximum of 2 age-appropriate double passed players may play down in a VCSL Premier match for a team. Example: 2 U13 ECNL RL players may be double passed with the club’s U13 VCSL Premier team and play in a single game. These players are not considered guest players and do not count against the guest player limits described above.

No double passed players from higher levels may play in VCSL Classic matches.

The rules governing double pass players are intended to limit higher level players playing down. Players who are primarily rostered to a VCSL team and are invited to play with a higher team do not count towards Double Pass limits. The intent is not to limit opportunities for VCSL players to gain exposure at higher levels.

In cases where double passed players are playing in older VCSL Premier matches utilizing their USYS player pass from a younger team, these players are considered guest players rather than double pass players and count against the guest player limits rather than the double pass player limits. Example: A U15 VCSL Premier team utilizes 3 U14 double passed players from the age group below. This is allowed, and these 3 players are considered guests. In this case the team could still use an additional 2 U15 guest players as well as 2 U15 double passed players to stay within allowable limits.

The following methods are used to break ties in the standings:

Points are used to determine division standings and champions in most divisions. In cases where an unequal number of games have been played by the teams and there is no possibility of getting all matches played (ie. rainouts) point percentage may be used to determine standings. Ties are only broken to determine postseason berths. For determining division champions and allocating club points, ties will remain and co-champions will be declared.

In some divisions, (typically 4 team divisions) a post season playoff may be utilized to determine the division champion rather than the final points table. This will be declared prior to the season. In divisions with a post-season playoff where seedings must be established to organize the tournament or when determining the VCSL representative to postseason play, the following tie breakers will be used in order:

#1 – The aggregate score between the two teams in the game(s) played between them.

#2 – Total goal differential accumulated in all games over the course of the season.

#3 – The fewest goals allowed in all games over the course of the season.

#4 – The highest total away goals scored in all games over the course of the season.

#5 – Coin flip

All players competing in VCSL games are to have a number present on the back of their jersey.  The number should be a unique number not duplicated by any teammate. The number should be reflected on the roster. Annotating the roster to reflect the actual numbers worn in the game is acceptable.  This will allow for clear and proper identification of players by match officials.  If two players on the same team are seen wearing the same number, the referee should ask that one of the players step off the field and not play until they have procured a unique number that does not conflict with a teammate.  Using tape or ink on the jersey to create a unique number (ie. changing a “7” to a “71”) is acceptable.

Fields
Each club must provide adequate quantity and quality of soccer fields for league matches.  One full day of field availability for one field must be provided for every four teams entered in the league.  Fields should be 1 1/2 times longer than they are wide.  Therefore the ratio of width to length should be approximately 2/3.

Fields should meet the following guidelines:

U12/U11 fields for 9v9 play should be 75-80 yards long with a width of 55-50 yards.  The small goal box should be 5 yards off of the goal posts and the big box 14 yards off of the goal posts.  The penalty spot is 10 yards from the center of the goal line and the semicircle at the top of the box is to be 8 yards from the penalty spot.  The center circle is 8 yards in radius.

U13-U19 fields for 11v11 play should be no less than 100 yards long by 66 yards wide.  Maximum allowable length and width is 120 by 80. Standard box sizes are 6 and 18 yards with a 12 yard penalty spot and 10 yard radius center circle. Clubs should account for the difference in U13 and U19 age groups and appropriate field sizes.

Fields must be well maintained.  Grass should be kept trim and evenly cut.  Lines should be well marked. 

Clubs playing matches on fields that do not meet these standards may be sanctioned or removed from the league if they are not able to find an appropriate solution.

Goals
Goals in U12/U11 9v9 divisions should be 7×21.  If a 7×21 is not available, a full size set of goals should be used.  Do not use 6×18 size goals for U12/U11 play.

Goals in U13 and older 11v11 divisions should be full size (8×24)

Goals must be anchored.  Nets need to be in good condition, without holes and securely fastened to the goal.

Length of halves for matches are as follows.

U19, U18, U17 – 45 minutes

U16, U15, U14 – 40 minutes

U13, U12, U11 – 35 minutes

Half length is determined by the age group of the division rather than the individual team.  If a U16 team is playing in a U17 division, the half length is 45 minutes.  The age group of each division is determined by the majority of teams in the division.

League Fees are assessed on a per team basis.  Clubs/Teams register through the online GotSport system and may pay via a credit card.  The Registration deadline is published prior to the season and all Registration Fees must be paid by the registration deadline for teams to be included in the upcoming season.

Once the Registration Deadline has passed, League Fees are non-refundable.  The Fee is representative of the team’s and club’s promise to play in the upcoming season.  Schedules and season plans are prepared based upon teams who have paid.  If a team withdraws from the league after the the Registration Deadline the fee will not be refundable.

The League Fee does not include VYSA Registration dues for each individual player on the team including insurance.  Those fees are billed separately and paid to VYSA.  The VCSL League Fee includes money for awards, promotional items, entry into postseason championships, website and league admin fees.  The League Fee is assessed each season a team plays (fall and spring).

Currently the fee is $300 per team.

Qualified, certified USSF referees will officiate all League matches.  The responsibility for assigning and paying the referees rests upon the home club.  Visiting teams have no responsibility toward payment or procurement of referees.  All games are to be refereed with a three man referee crew.  This includes 9v9 divisions as well as 11v11.

In cases where part of a referee crew is not present, club linesman should be appointed to run the lines.  USSF does not allow a “two man” system with no linesman to be used.

If no referees are present, an effort should still be made to play the match with the coaches agreeing upon a stand-in referee.

Please report referee absences to the league office. Clubs who are not able to provide referees for matches may be sanctioned or removed.

The VCSL allows 8th Graders who are technically U15 age appropriate to guest play in the spring with their club’s U14 team provided the player does not have the option of playing for their high school team.  This would apply in instances where the player is ineligible to tryout for their high school JV team because the school prohibits 8th graders from playing junior varsity soccer or if the player tries out and does not make the JV team.

Communication is essential to preventing unnecessary trips to closed fields and cancelled games.  When in doubt, over communicate with your opponent so there is no question of whether fields are open and games are being played.  The VCSL encompasses a large geographical area in the state of Virginia.  Weather in one part of the league is not the same as in other places so you must check with your opponent to see if fields are dry and games are playable.

In Premier Divisions, communication should be made from the club director of the home club to the director of the visiting club with weather updates as necessary.  Once the visiting club has received notice of a cancellation, they can communicate that information with their teams.

In Classic Divisions, when a rainout occurs and a club closes down its fields, it is the responsibility of the home team to contact their opponent and relay this information so the visiting team knows the field is closed and does not travel to the game.  Typically, if it is questionable one way or the other, it is a good idea to confirm whether the game is still being played the morning of the game.  Visiting teams are also authorized to reach out to their counterpart to confirm if they have a question.  Each teams’ contacts are uploaded on the GotSport schedule page per team. Team managers and coaches should utilize this and communicate throughout the week and the day of the game with weather updates.

Sometimes weather will occur in the middle of a game day and games will need to be cancelled on short notice.  Field closing determinations should be made and communicated as soon as possible but weather is unpredictable and uncontrollable so it is possible teams will travel to fields and have games cancelled on site.  Given the travel distances involved in games, home clubs should make every effort to make a sensible decision on game playability prior to the visiting club leaving for the game.  However, visiting clubs must understand that prohibitive weather and field conditions may develop at or during game time.

Games that reach half time are considered complete if they are abandoned due to weather after the midway point.  Games that do not reach halftime before they are cancelled will be replayed in their entirety, starting at 0-0.

Weather cancellations in Classic Divisions are to be reported to the VCSL league office via the club rep.  The league will then reschedule rained out matches in Classic Divisions.

Premier Division reschedules are handled by the club directors and confirmed reschedules are to be sent to the league office promptly for updating in GotSport.

Special U11 Division Rules and Procedures:

No heading is allowed in U11 Division matches.

Goalkeepers may not punt, drop kick, or throw the ball over midfield in U11 Division matches. The ball must touch either the ground or a player before midfield when distributed by the goalkeeper directly from their hands.

Should a goalkeeper distribute the ball from their hands directly over midfield without touching either a player or the ground in their defensive half of the field, the restart is an indirect free kick for the opposing team on the midfield line where the ball crossed.

Goal kicks are to be taken as normal. Goal kicks may cross midfield without touching either the ground or a player without incurring a penalty.

Goalkeepers may set the ball on the ground and play it normally as a player. Once the ball is set on the ground it is considered live, and the ball may be played directly forward over the midfield line if so chosen. *This does not include drop kicks that are taken as a punt.

Whenever the ball strikes a player in the head, play is stopped.  The proper restart depends upon whether the player deliberately played the ball with his or her head.  If deliberate, the proper restart is an indirect free kick to the opposing team.  If this occurs within the goal area, the indirect free kick should be taken on the goal area line parallel to the end line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred.  If the play by the head is deemed inadvertent, then the proper restart is a dropped ball.

All VCSL divisions are assigned an official age group. Some divisions may feature teams from both the U11 and U12 age group. The official age group of the division determines the rules that matches are played under in that division. The VCSL will evaluate division compositions on an individual basis to determine if an exception to the standard age group default rules should be made.  The average age of the teams in the division will be considered and in cases where the predominance of players and teams in a division are of the younger (U11) age group, the no heading rules may be applied for that division.

All divisions will play by the same rules within their division.  If a division is playing with no heading rules, those rules apply to all games including any potential U12 v U12 games that may occur within a division.  The same is true for divisions that allow for heading but feature some younger teams playing up.  Rules are made by division and special rules will not be applied for individual teams that are in a division or for individual players that may be playing up on an older team.  Referees are to apply the rules of each division consistently across all participants.