Please use the links below to access Massachusetts Youth Soccer governing documents.

The appeals process available to those involved with affiliated soccer has several stages. Each stage must be exhausted before turning to the next. The Appeal Stages are in order:

  1. Local/League appeal;
  2. Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association Appeals Committee;
  3. United States Soccer Federation (US Soccer) Appeals Committee.

The organization hearing appeals at each one of these stages may have their own procedures. This document describes the process and the contact people in each organization. If you have any questions, please contact us at the state office.

Please note that if you are appealing a CORI decision, you should go to the Adult Registration Page -> CORI appeals.

To appeal a decision to the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association, contact:

Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association
ATTN: David Dalrymple Chairman of Appeals Committee
512 Old Union Turnpike
Lancaster, MA   01523

To appeal, you must follow all of the following procedures:

  1. Complete and submit the Notice of Appeal Form.
  2. Follow the applicable procedures, and comply with the time filing requirements outlined in Section 270 of the Massachusetts Youth Soccer By-Laws (see below).
  3. Submit all relevant documentation, using the Appeal Document Directory Form.
  4. Submit the appeal fee of $200.00 made payable to “Massachusetts Youth Soccer”. The fee is non-refundable unless your appeal is not heard.

Links to forms pertinent to the Appeal Process:

Notice of Appeal Form
Appeal Document Directory Form
US Soccer National Appeals Committee (below)
How To Properly Run a Disciplinary Hearing (below)

USSF Appeals FAQS

Section 9 of the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Association Policies and Procedures provides information regarding the appeals process. A portion of section 9 is below…

An appeal to Mass Youth Soccer must be made in writing within ten (10) days of the incident or ruling by a lower appeals, protest, or hearing board. The written appeal must be accompanied by a check for the Appeal Submittal fee (the Appeal Submittal fee is $200) made out  to the Mass Youth Soccer. The appeal fee is non-refundable regardless of the outcome of the appeal. The appeal  must include seven (7) copies of all documents pertinent to the appeal.

The Massachusetts Youth Soccer Appeals Committee must hold a formal hearing to which all parties have been notified and invited within twenty (20) days of the receipt of the written appeal.

All dates and time periods shall be calculated based on business days and do not include weekends and holidays

Any decision rendered by the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Appeals Committee may be appealed directly to the US Soccer National Appeals Committee.  The appeal to US Soccer must be made by completing the Notice of Appeal Form, and submitting that Form and the required appeal fee to US Soccer. The US Soccer National Appeals Committee has the authority to approve, modify or reverse a decision made by the Massachusetts Youth Soccer Appeals Committee.

No party to an appeal or protest may invoke the aid of the Courts of any State or of the United States without first exhausting all available remedies within US Soccer.

Invitational Tournaments may have rules limiting protests or appeals provided that such limitations are clearly listed in the permission to host and in the tournament invitation.  Such limitation can apply only to game results.  A Tournament Committee cannot limit the right of a player, coach, or team to protest to US Soccer failure of the Tournament Host to deliver on promises given in the Tournament Invitation.  US Youth Soccer Cups may have special channels of appeal and protest that apply to that competition only.

APPELLATE REVIEW STANDARDS

I. Some Credible Evidence
A) Don’t re-try the case or re-weigh
B) Not relevant how the appeals committee
C) Review must show “some credible evidence would have voted on the evidence; evidence” which if accepted despite contrary evidence could lead a reasonable person to the same conclusion
D) Evidence must be part of the record
II. Rules and Procedures
A) Must follow all applicable rules and procedures of State, and USSF
B) Should follow customary disciplinary or appeals procedures ( but procedures can be changed)
C) Adjust to special situations, give the defendant every reasonable procedural break
III. Fair (Due) Process Follows USSF Bylaw 701.
*Notice of the specific charges or alleged violations in writing and possible consequences if the charges are found to be true
*Reasonable time between receipt of the notice of charges and the hearing within which to prepare a defense
*The right to have the hearing conducted at a In all hearings conducted under these bylaws, the parties shall be accorded: time and place so as to make it practicable for the person charged to attend
(4) A hearing before a disinterested and impartial body of fact-finders
(5) The right to be assisted in the presentation of one’s case at the hearing
(6) The right to call witnesses, and present oral and written evidence and argument
(7) The right to confront witnesses, including the right to be provided the identity of witnesses in advance of the hearing
(8) The right to have record made of the hearing if desired
(9) A written decision, with reasons for the decision based solely on the evidence of record, issued in a timely fashion
(10) Notice of any substantive and material action ex parte communication is permitted between a party and any person involved in making its decision or procedural determination except to provide explanations involving procedures to be followed. of the hearing panel in the course of the proceedings
IV. Not Arbitrary or Capricious
*Decision compared to record
*Punishment compared to violations
*Punishment compared to other punishments for similar violations
*Amateur Sports Act
*USSF rules and procedures
*USYSA rules and procedures
*USASA rules and procedures
*Tournament rules and procedures
V. Not Contradicted By Higher Authority

Under USSF Bylaw 701 (link), any hearing held by the USSF or any of its Organization Members involving the right to participate or compete must provide certain minimum rights to the parties for whom the hearing is held.

(1) Notice of the specific charges or alleged violations in writing and possible consequences if the charges are found to be true Prior to any disciplinary hearing, the organization holding the hearing must send out a written notice of that hearing to the parties. That notice must provide answers to the following questions:

Who is being charged/accused?

What are the charges being brought? What incident/behavior forms the basis for these charges? What rule(s), bylaw(s), or policies are alleged to have been violated?

If the charges are found to be true, what are the possible consequences? What penalties are available? What is the maximum penalty possible?

When and where will the hearing take place?

What procedural rules will apply to the hearing?

When will a decision be rendered (in accordance with State or local rules)?

(2) Reasonable time between receipt of the notice of charges and the hearings within which to prepare a defense There is no specific amount of time that must be provided between notice and the actual hearing – it must simply be “reasonable.” This will depend on the method of notice, the nature of the charges, etc., but generally one week will be considered “reasonable.” If a party asks for an extension of time, it is probably most appropriate to grant it – at least if it is the first such request – in order to ensure that there is sufficient time to prepare a defense. The time of notice is generally deemed to be whenever it is deposited in the mail, or otherwise sent out (by FedEx, facsimile, etc.). It is recommended that the written notice be sent in a way that provides a written receipt to the sender, to avoid having the issue of notice become an issue on appeal.

(3) The right to have the hearing conducted at a time and place so as to make it practicable for the person charged to attend Whether the time and place for a hearing is “practicable” will depend on the specific circumstances: the distance from the party’s home to the place of hearing, the party’s work schedule, etc. Generally, if a party asks for a hearing to be rescheduled due to a scheduling conflict or difficulty in appearing at the hearing, it is probably most appropriate to grant the request – at least if it is the first such request – to ensure that it is practicable for the person to attend the hearing.

(4) A hearing before a disinterested and impartial body of fact-finders It is advisable to select hearing panels in a way that excludes not only those who are clearly interested in the outcome, but also anyone that would appear to be interested, partial, or biased. In other words, if a panel member would appear to be biased to an objective outsider, they should not be on the panel, even if in reality they are unbiased and impartial. There is no specific set of people who must be excluded, but the following are some examples of people who are less likely to qualify as “disinterested” and “impartial”:

  • Family members or close friends of any of the parties
  • The individual who actually filed the complaint or report that led to the charges
  • In an appeal, an individual who had any role in making the decision that is on appeal
  • Anyone who is a witness at the hearing

(5) The right to be assisted in the presentation of one’s case at the hearing A person giving assistance may be, but does not have to be, an attorney. The person assisting must be allowed to attend the hearing. Leagues, clubs, States, etc. should be careful to set its rules and regulations so that they do not keep the person assisting out of the hearing room. There is no requirement that the person assisting be allowed to speak at the hearing on behalf of the party – this will depend on the rules governing the hearing. However, the person assisting must be permitted to participate to the same extent as the opposing party’s assistant. For instance, if the State representative is allowed to question witnesses directly, the accused’s assistant should also be given this opportunity. Bylaw 701 does not require that the person assisting be allowed to take control over the hearing, or attempt to conduct the hearing as if it were a trial in Federal or state court – the hearing should be conducted in accordance with applicable rules.

(6) The right to call witnesses and present oral and written evidence and argument While a party should be allowed to present their case and a full defense to any charges, there are limits to that right. For instance, while a party has a right to “call witnesses,” these hearings do not take place in a court of law, and there is no way to mandate that a certain witness appears at the hearing. If a witness refuses to appear, and a party thus has no opportunity to question him or her, this does not mean that the party was denied due process. A league, club, or state association may reasonably limit the introduction of evidence or the questioning of witnesses. For instance, if a party brings twelve character witnesses to a hearing, the hearing panel may limit their testimony by number of witnesses or time. However, where a party brings three eyewitnesses who can testify as to what actually occurred during an incident, it may be appropriate to allow all three to testify. It is in the discretion of the State, league, etc. to determine what should be allowed – but the party must be provided a reasonable opportunity to present his/her case.

(7) The right to confront witnesses, including the right to be provided with the identity of witnesses in advance of the hearing While a party to a hearing has the right to confront witnesses that appear at the hearing, this does not apply to witnesses who do not appear at the hearing. For instance, if a witness sends in a letter, but refuses (or is unable) to appear at the hearing, the panel may consider the letter even though the witness was not “confronted.” (However, when a written statement is provided to the panel, the accused party should be given a copy of that statement and a chance to answer the allegations in it). Generally, of course, a reasonable effort should be made to have witnesses appear at the hearing, especially if their testimony is critical to the issues before the panel. If a party specifically requests that a certain witness be present, that witness should be encouraged to attend. If an important witness has limited availability, the panel should consider scheduling the hearing so as to fit that witness’s schedule. If a witness does testify for one party, the other party should, in most cases, be afforded the opportunity to cross-examine the witness, or at least to ask questions through the panel. The organization running the hearing should notify the parties that they have the opportunity to learn the identity of witnesses in advance of the hearing, and should encourage the parties to exchange witness lists. If a party has no notice of a witness, the panel should consider allowing that party additional time to prepare for the witness. This consideration should take into account the importance of the testimony, the degree of surprise to the party not having notice, any efforts the party made to learn of potential witnesses before the hearing, and the possible harm to the party not having notice.

(8) The right to have a record made of the hearing if desired While it is advisable for organizations to record all hearings, for many organizations this may not be practicable. At a minimum, therefore, they must provide the opportunity for a recording if requested, at the requesting party’s expense. If a party asks a written transcript of a hearing, they may be required to pay for the cost of the transcription without violating their due process rights.

(9) A written decision, with reasons for the decision, based solely on the evidence of record, issued in a timely fashion A decision should be issued in writing to the accused. That decision should include the specific finding of the hearing panel – a description of the charges for which the accused was found guilty, the facts that led to that decision, and the discipline imposed. This should be something more than “The committee finds you are in violation of the rules and thus suspends you for ten years.” Instead, it should provide more detail. For instance, “The committee finds that you punched a referee in the nose, causing him physical injury. This constitutes “referee assault” under U.S. Soccer Policy 531-9, and the committee hereby imposes a one year suspension in accordance with Section 4(a) of that Policy.” The panel should decide the case based purely on the evidence before them – not their outside dealings with either party or rumors they heard outside of the hearing. The decision should, ideally, inform the accused as to the next procedural option. Specifically, it is advisable to tell the party if there is a right to an appeal, where any appeal should be filed, how long they have to file the appeal, and the amount of any appeal fee.

(10) Notice of any substantive and material action of the hearing panel in the course of the proceedings If the panel decides during the course of the hearing or deliberations that it needs to proceed in some way that was not originally planned, such as considering a new witness, or asking for additional arguments, the panel should notify the parties.

(11) Quality concerning communications, and no ex parte communication is permitted between a party and any person involved in making its decision or procedural determination except to provide explanations involving procedures to be followed Every effort should be made to determine the current address of the accused, and to keep the accused well-informed of the proceedings. There should be no “ex parte” communications – these are communications about the substance or merits of the hearing that are held outside the presence of everyone concerned. For instance, if a League president accuses a coach of violating a rule, the League president should not discuss the case with a member of the hearing panel in private before the actual hearing. The accused also should not discuss any issues with any panel member. Copies of any written communications with the panel should be sent to each of the parties involved in the hearing.

(revised and adopted by the Board of Directors March 2016)

Mass Youth Soccer is organized to develop, promote, and administer the game of soccer, among youth (boys and girls under nineteen years of age) within Massachusetts for the benefit and development of all youth as young men and women as the higher and greater purpose of youth soccer and not just as players.

Each Mass Youth Soccer member Organization and League shall offer a soccer program, without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or national origin.

For the purposes of registration on gender-based amateur teams, a player may register with the gender team with which the player identifies, and confirmation sufficient for guaranteeing access shall be satisfied by documentation or evidence that shows the stated gender is sincerely held and part of a person’s core identity.  Documentation satisfying the herein stated standard includes, but is not limited to, government-issued documentation or documentation prepared by a health care provider, counselor, or other qualified professional not related to the player.

Credit Card Adjustments 

When you pay by credit card and there is an adjustment made to the charges paid, we are required to credit the credit card account used to make the payment. After review, all requests will be processed as soon as possible. For any programs or events not discussed below, payments are to be considered non-refundable.

Instructional Courses

US Soccer D and E license Courses – Refund in full upon receipt of funds from US Soccer – (US Soccer payment expected at the end of the month the course is held)

NSCAA- Refund in full

Registrations

Refundable only if there is an overpayment.

Olympic Development Program

Refunds will be considered only when due to a medical situation or injury and must be accompanied by a letter from a doctor explaining the injury.

Camps & Clinics

Please see the specific program registration page for details

Tournament Hosting Fees

Refunds will not be considered within 30 days of the start of the tournament.

*All exceptions to above policies must be approved Massachusetts Youth Soccer’s Executive Director.

(revised and adopted by the Board of Directors June 6, 2012)

Travel and tournament play at the Under 8 level has been the subject of discussion at Massachusetts Youth Soccer Board of Directors’ meetings and at League Presidents’ meetings for the past year. The Massachusetts Youth Soccer Technical Department and the Board of Directors oppose traditional “travel” soccer programs and leagues, as well as tournament play, for U8 players. Massachusetts Youth Soccer does not sanction tournament play at the Under 8 level and, at this time, discourages our member organizations from including U8 divisions in any tournament format. We do not believe that this level of competitive play is developmentally appropriate for children at the U8 age level.
Massachusetts Youth Soccer does recognize that there are instances where limited inter-town/club play can be important in creating viable soccer opportunities for children at the U8 level. In situations where contingent towns/clubs need to play each other to provide ample game opportunities for U8 players, we completely understand and support towns/clubs working together to achieve this end. Therefore the Board of Directors has adopted the following exception policy:
Inter-Town/Club Play
a.     Town/Club organizations with less than 50 registered U8 players (e.g. 5 teams with10-player rosters) may combine with (travel to) adjacent towns/clubs to enjoy inter-town/club play.
b.    U8 players/teams shall not be required to travel more than 20 miles.
Any town/club organization that is aggrieved by this policy and that determines it needs an exception to these limitations to effectively provide appropriate opportunities for its U8 players may file an appeal with the Massachusetts Youth Board of Directors.
Tournament Play
U8 teams may participate in a jamboree-type division in a tournament that has been sanctioned by Massachusetts Youth Soccer with the following requirements:
a.   Scores or standings shall not be kept or posted in the U8 division of the tournament;
b.    U8 players/teams shall not be required to travel more than 20 miles.
c.     U8 teams may only be charged participation fees that cover just the direct costs of their division.
Playing Up
U8 players shall be permitted to “play up” only under all of the following conditions:
a.     No more than two U9/U10 teams of each gender per town/club organization may have U8 players on any of their rosters; and
b.    Small town/club soccer programs need additional players to have a viable U9/U10 team so it places strong U8 players on a U9/U10 team roster; and
c.     No U9/U10 player is denied a roster spot in favor of a U8 player; and
d.    U8 players comprise less than 40% of any single team’s roster
A U8 player with a birthday after July 31st, but who will be in the third grade in the current school year, may play on a U9 or U10 team with classmates.
Playing numbers – Format of Competitions
The format for U8 game competitions should be 4v4 with no goalkeepers in accordance with US Youth Soccer National Recommendations. A ratio of 8 players to 1 ball is developmentally appropriate for these young players who are attempting to improve their technical skills and basic decision-making abilities. In addition the USSF technical leadership is overwhelmingly opposed to having goalkeepers at this age level. We believe that it is more  important for the development of all players in this age group (and younger) to focus on their skills as a field player.

Mass Youth Soccer recognizes that player development is best advanced by allowing players to compete at the highest possible levels, even if it means playing up in age. At the same time, we recognize that playing up in age is often more appropriate for the older players. The membership of Mass Youth Soccer have attempted to address this issue with respect to players age 10 and younger in the context of those players “playing up” in age.

In brief, a player age ten or younger is not permitted to play on an Under 11 or older team that participates in a results-oriented format unless one of three criteria are met:

1. The older team would not have sufficient players without the participation of younger players; or
2. The player is being placed on a team with his or her classmates; or
3. The player’s skills justify the placement on an older team. These guidelines require organizations to fulfill certain reporting so that statistical results can be obtained for future analysis.

It is important to note that this applies only to situations where the younger player is being placed on an Under 11 or older team. This is not applicable to other situations. However, a number of Mass Youth Soccer’s organizations use this guideline as a basis to establish their own rules with respect to players playing up in age.