WEST SIDE ALLIANCE
SOCCER CLUB
PLAYER RELEASE/TRANSFER PROCESS
Posted Jan 1, 2023. Revisions are made periodically at WSA General Membership or Executive Council Sessions. Please be sure you are aware of any revisions, or request latest policies from your team leader (team leaders, at coach and manager positions are members of the WSA Voting Board).
PLAYER TRANSFER & RELEASE POLICY
WSA COMPETITIVE & YOUTH ACADEMY PLAYER RELEASE POLICY
WSA Player releases are ultimately governed at the club level by the WSA Board of Directors (i.e. Executive Council).
Player releases are highly discouraged, and only in rare and extenuating circumstances whereby the Executive Council views the release request as unquestionably in the best interest of the player will further consideration be given.
All player releases will require the following stipulations to be met by the player (also outlined in the player's agreement):
a) Player is in good standing with the team and club (includes attendance, player financial account, disciplinary measures)
b) Player has not begun training, practicing, playing matches with another team without permission being granted by said WSA coach.
c) Player presents a reason for the release request, in writing, to the WSA Executive Council (can be done via the coach).
d) Coach Approval (if coach approval is not granted the Executive Council can override if enough substantial information is presented for rationale for the release request).
e) Director of Coaching approval.
(rev August, 2015)
f) Completion of an Exit Survey by parent and player (only completed by player if player is 15 or older)
(rev Jan, 2022)
PROCESS FOR PLAYER RELEASE and/or TRANSFER
Contingencies & Preface:
WSA considers requests for release serious in nature. Per the organization's values and mission, the responsibility to others is of paramount importance. A player release request will be synced to a player quitting a commitment to himself or herself and most important to his or her team. The club shall be responsible to ensure the teammates committed to the team are safeguarded, and that the experience of all players is considered, when one player requests a release from the responsibility to his or her team. Likewise it is important that the process includes efforts at solutions and remediations for the purpose of abiding by our commitment to relationship to each other and the need to invest in relationships with each other first by efforts to remedy differences, solve misunderstandings, and provide opportunity for each other to grow together, prior to, ahead of, and in lieu of abandoning or quitting the relationship.
Players age 15 and older must communicate with the coach and all communication must be disclosed to the parents as requested. Players 14 and younger are required to have a parent or guardian advocate throughout the process. Injuries or illnesses that are long term may be considered for financial release after review and disclosure of enough information to warrant consideration (proposed 1/1/23). Releases are viewed by WSA to occur at two levels: Financial and Roster. They are mutually exclusive of each other, meaning a player may be released from a roster without release from financial responsibilities, or released from financial responsibilities without release from the roster. National sanctioning rules will also co-participate in governing roster and financial release processes.
1. Player and/or parent communicate with team coach of desire to be released providing reason and context.
2. The communication of player release moves to the club’s Director of Coaching level by either coach or parent or player (email, phone, or in person is sufficient).
3. The Directors of Coaching will invite a meeting, preferably in person, to discuss the reason for the release with the objective to gain feedback on club improvement, learn if there is a possible remedy, and also to help provide outgoing advice to parent and player regarding their soccer career and vertical pathway.
a) For players age 6-10 this meeting will occur only with the parent agent or custodian.
b) For players age 11-14 this meeting may occur with both parent and player (parent’s discretion). c) For players age 15-19 this meeting may occur with just the player or the parent and player, however the player is required to be a present in the discussion.
i) Exceptions can be sought by parents to have the player removed from the discussion.
d) The pathway for these meetings is normally:
i) Initial Meeting #1: Providing Context & Feedback: Director with parent and/or player
ii) Ongoing Meeting #2: Remediation Effort: Director with parent and/or player
iii) Follow Up Meeting #3: Feedback Checkpoint: Director with parent and/or player
4. Coaching Directors can approve the release at a financial level as follows:
a) If prior to the end of the fall season, then all future club fees must be paid thru Jan 1st of the following year.
b) The team must supply written confirmation that the player is in “good standing” with the team. If the player is not in good standing, the team must supply details of the player account.
c) If a release request comes following Jan 1st, then future fees may be waived by the Directors of Coaching, if enough evidence substantiates the reason for the release.
d) Future fees will be waived beginning after the month subsequent to the release (i.e. if the release comes in January, then the February 1 fees will be collected, and the March fees onward will be waived).
e) Parents and player have a right to appeal to the WSA Executive Council.
f) Directors of Coaching do not have jurisdiction to waive financial fees outside of this process, with an objective of the organization to retain fiduciary responsibility to the members, since all player fees are critical to the sustainability of a responsible budget.
5. Coaching Directors may approve a release at a roster level only under the following stipulations:
a) The team coach agrees.
b) The Director of Coaching agrees.
c) The player and/or parent has requested to transfer to another club.
WSA RECREATIONAL PLAYER RELEASE POLICY
All player releases are ultimately governed at the club level by the WSA Board of Directors (i.e. Executive Council).
Coach permission and a written rationale for the release of the player will be sought.
The release of the player must maintain the integrity of the releasing player's team roster (including minimum players required).
(rev August, 2015)
WSA YOUTH ACADEMY PLAYER RELEASE & TRANSFER POLICY
The Youth Academy Director shall oversee player release and transfer requests.
Youth Academy players are requested to make a year-long commitment. This commitment is considered to be a soft commitment with respect to the guidelines that govern 11U-19U competitive players.
WSA recognizes that at the Youth Academy level, that ages 6U thru 8U should be viewed via a seasonal concept (i.e. Summer/Fall and Winter/Spring) rather than an annual-year-round concept.
Discretionary review of requests for 9U and 10U release or transfer, is expected to prevail. Circumstances and context should be considered at the Director level in managing the requests.
The overall objective of governance of these decisions is long-term interest of the player’s and parent’s participation in the sport (not the club). WSA’s Youth Academy will be committed to helping manage and create long-term participants in the game.
(rev August, 2017)
PLAYER TRANSFER & RELEASE PROCESS COMMUNICATION TEMPLATE
WSA COMPETITIVE & YOUTH ACADEMY PLAYER RELEASE POLICY
WSA PLAYER RELEASE PROCESS
Parents and/or player should be invited to meet in an effort to resolve or remediate, and also to receive feedback to help WSA Soccer improve processes.
Players aged 7-10 fall under the Youth Academy processes, and all communication is with parents, unless parents elect to add the child to the process.
Players aged 11U thru 15U must be represented by a parent. All players 15 and older are required to also communicate with the players team coach.
Meetings to establish and produce understanding after communication with team coach:
·Step 1: Meet between Parent & Director
·Step 2: Meet between Parent, Coach & Director
·Step 3: Meet between Parent & Player, Coach & Director
·Step 4: Follow Up Feedback Meeting: Parent/Player & Coach
·Step 5: Follow Up Feedback Call/Meet: Parent/Player & Director
Meetings 1&2 can be combined. Meetings 2&3 can be combined.
Once remediation and solution efforts have been exhausted and if Coach and Director of Coaching approves, then player should complete the "WSA Feedback Survey" below.