As you can imagine, some questions arise repeatedly in calls or e-mails to the Registrar and the Tournament Director. Following are some of these questions:

What criteria does the tournament use for acceptance of teams?
What about housing at UC Santa Barbara dorms?
Are CYSA player loan forms needed?
Can we borrow AYSO players?  U.S. Club players?
We are not a CYSA-South team. Do we need to do anything special to sign up?
How does the tournament seed teams in brackets?
What other teams are coming in our bracket?
Do you consider special requests like late game starts and coaching conflicts?
Are there special rules for U-10 teams?
Some team parents or siblings are USSF referees. Need any help?

In case of rain call the mudline: 805-882-2066

What criteria does the tournament use for acceptance of teams?
The problems of hotel reservations and travel plans are worrisome for teams, and this makes the question of acceptance to the tournament a nagging concern. First, DO NOT wait for acceptance before getting reservations or applying for travel papers. Why? Almost all applying teams get into the tournament---only those very late in applying are in any question. While we do not guarantee acceptance until the formal web site posting of accepted teams, normal acceptance is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Additionally, we automatically accept teams coming from Northern California and out-of-state, as they have to make travel plans and get travel papers months ahead of time. So, while there is no guarantee until web site posting, if a team applies early and has all its paperwork in order---and pays the appropriate entry fee---then it should assume it will play. Prior to web site posting, teams are welcome to e-mail or phone just to banish doubt. Teams applying at the last moment should always seek a direct answer on acceptance; though in no case should they avoid making accommodation arrangements till acceptance is guaranteed.

What about housing at UC Santa Barbara dorms? ONLY RESIDENCE HALL SUITE accommodations are available for this tournament. For information on UCSB on-campus accommodations please click here .

Are CYSA player loan forms needed?
In 1998 the CYSA-South Board of Directors passed a motion that abolished the need for Loan Forms for any CYSA-South player. If you have players from other CYSA-South teams, you need only their player cards and medical release forms to present at Check-in. For all other non-CYSA-South players, loan forms may be required to allow them to play on your team. The player's registering organization (e.g. CYSA-N) should be contacted to determine if Loan Forms are required. If they are, please submit them or bring them to Check-in on Friday night and we will keep them with your application should any questions from your state association come up.

Can we borrow AYSO players?  U.S. Club players?
As of 2001, AYSO players are treated just like CYSA players. They do not need loan papers, but laminated signed-and-stamped picture cards are required, as are original-signature medical releases; same with U.S. Club players. CYSA-S allows its tournaments to permit participating teams to borrow players from any USSF-affiliated organizations, and we choose to allow teams to borrow any number of such players. However, the team's sponsoring organization (e.g. CYSA-N) may limit such borrowing, which you must clarify for yourself; we cannot tell you what your sponsoring organization allows or does not allow when you come from outside CYSA-S.

We are not a CYSA-South team. Do we need to do anything special to sign up?
Any team not registered through CYSA-South is considered an "Out-of-State" team for our tournament. We accept all out-of-state teams. However, USYSA state associations such as CYSA-N often have specific requirements for their teams that want to participate in out-of-state tournaments. Typically there are forms to be filled out and submitted to the respective District Commissioner or other state association administrator for travel approval. Invariably this must be done 30 days or more prior to the tournament date, although some associations may require up to 60 days notice, and teams contemplating out-of-state travel would be wise to start the process at least 3 months early. Many teams from Northern California that want to attend Southern California tournaments dual-register with CYSA-N and U.S. Club so they do not have to fill out CYSA-N travel papers.

How does the tournament seed teams in brackets?
In seeding the tournament our goal is to have balance competition and close games. If we have enough teams for multiple brackets and flights, then seeding will be based on the competition level of the teams. That is why it is important to fill out the Competition Section of the on-line tournament application. Please include your win loss record and level of play. If you feel there are any special circumstances you would like us to know about please feel free to include them with the application. In Coast Soccer League (CSL), the top 25% of an age division plays in the Premier, Gold or Silver Elite Divisions while the vast majority of teams play in the Silver or Bronze Divisions. If you are visiting our tournament from outside the CSL area, please consider the above guideline when entering your competition history. If there is more than one bracket we will try to put what we consider to be the two best teams applying into different brackets.. The theory is that the top two teams should meet in the finals rather than before. If there is more than one flight we will try to seed teams to achieve balanced competition. A different pattern may be followed when scheduling needs dictate otherwise.

What other teams are coming in our bracket?
We periodically update our tournament web page to indicate which teams have been accepted to our tournament. On occasion, we will also provide a list of clubs that have been accepted and the State (or organization) they represent.

Do you consider special requests like late game starts and coaching conflicts?
Our first priority in addressing special schedule request are those that create conflicts for coaches. In most case, if a coach has two teams in the tournament we can avoid coaching conflict (two games at the same time). If a coach has three teams in the tournament, more than likely a coaching conflict will occur. In this case, a coach should make sure that they have a licensed representative to cover the conflict. After coaching conflicts, we consider all other special requests and do our best to accommodate them. We make no guarantees and will process the request on first-come first-serve bases. Please notify us of special requests as soon as you can by including the information on the on-line application form or by e-mail to the Tournament Director. While we cannot guarantee meeting everyone's request, we take pride in satisfying your request.

Are there special rules for U-9 and U-10 teams?
Yes. U-9 and 10 teams will play 8v8 and have a maximum roster of 14 players, with a minimum of 6 on the field. . Fields and goals will also be of the appropriate size.