Game Scheduling Orientation

1. Game Scheduling Orientation

2. Timeline • December 8 team registration closes • December 8-13 conferences set • December 14 game scheduling begins • Final schedules input into NCJLA site • Boys by Jan. 22 • Girls by Jan. 26

3. Timeline • Why wait until December 14 to begin? • Need to schedule conference games first, conferences might change up through Dec. 13. • Providing neutral format, so every club arrives on the 14th with the same advantage to build good schedules.

4. Meeting Locations WEST Meeting location: Town School - Cafeteria 2750 Jackson Street San Francisco EAST Meeting location: Head-Royce School - Cafeteria 4315 Lincoln Avenue Oakland Conference game scheduling only for the first 1.5 hours. Out-of-conference scheduling cannot start before11:30am or 3pm. Boys (10:00 AM - 12:30 PM) In conference                10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Out of Conference        11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Girls(1:30 PM - 4:00 PM) In conference                1:30 PM - 3:00 PM Out of Conference        3:00 PM – 4:00 PM

6. West Meeting Clubs Central Marin Coyotes Lacrosse Club Firehawks Fremont Lacrosse Mendocino Menlo Atherton Monterey Tribe Napa Novato Petaluma Rancho Cotati Ross Valley San Francisco Riptide San Jose Extreme Girls San Jose Vipers Santa Cruz Santa Rosa South Valley Chiefs Southern Marin Stuart Hall Tomahawks Town School West Valley Red Hawks Wildcats

7. East Meeting Clubs Lamorinda Livermore Oakland Pleasant Grove Pleasanton Pleasanton Pride Girls Red Bluff Youth Lacrosse Redding Lacrosse Sacramento San Ramon Raptors Sierra Foothills Skyline Lacrosse Club Stockton Walnut Creek Woodcreek Yuba City Alameda Attack Berkeley Lacrosse Club Chico Rebels Davis Lacrosse Association Diablo Scorpion El Dorado Hills Elk Grove Fair Oaks Lacrosse Folsom Gold Country Granite Bay Head-Royce School

8. What to Expect • Large lively social gathering • Move around a lot and talk to many people • Have a great time Schedulers collaboratively working to accomplish the same goals Complete your conference schedule, at best. Good result would be ~60-70% of teams’ schedules complete.

9. Meeting Format • Arrive 15 minutes early to check in and get settled. • Conferences will be listed on the wall. • WiFi is available at both locations. • First hour and a half is reserved for conference scheduling only. • Schedulers for both girls & boys programs must only work on their schedules during the designated times. • Boys game schedulers should vacate the room by 1PM at the latest, to allow girls game schedulers to arrive.

10. Things to bring - Summary • NCJLA Game Scheduling Appendix & Info Sheets • Home field availability dates & times • “Blackout” dates by team • Conference opponents for each team in your club • Non-conference teams in your division • List of clubs that you should travel to this season.* • Scheduling goals for your organization • Wear clothing sporting team logos to make yourself visible • Any materials you need specific to your scheduling needs.

11. Things to Bring - NCJLA Scheduling Appendix Contains the following information: • Opening weekend per division • League blackout dates • Last weekend regular season play per division • Playoff dates per division • Scheduling requirements per division, # games etc…

12. Game Scheduling Appendix Download from NCJLA website, review in advance of the meeting, and bring with you.

13. Game Scheduling Info Sheets • Summarizes this presentation in short handout form. • Available on NCJLA website. • Provides detailed instructions and important web links. • Includes minimum & maximum time blocks for games.

14. Time Blocks for Game Scheduling Boys HS –1 hr40 min U15 – 1 hr 30 min U13 – 1 hr 30 min U11 – 1 hr 15 min U9 – 1 hr Girls HS – 1 hr 30 min U15 – 1 hr 15min U13 – 1 hr 15min U11 – 1 hr U9 – 1 hr

15. Officials Considerations • Boys and Girls Officials Considerations: • Games must be stacked back to back, without any additional time in between games. • Keep boys blocks separate from girls blocks, not intermingled. • Schedule in blocks of youth vs. high school, best to schedule in blocks of teams close in age level. • For example, schedule BU11A, then BU13B, then your GU15A round robin. • Don’t schedule U9 games (no officials) in between older teams’ games. • Girls Umpire Considerations: • Girls games must be scheduled in a blocked fashion, not necessarily round robins BUT multiple games at each site.

16. Things to Bring - Home field info • Dates and times fields are available • Designate time blocks for girls and boys programs (e.g., Boys from 8AM-12PM, Girls from 12:30PM-5PM) • Consider the weather and the type of field you have when locking in host dates. • Do not schedule a game if you do not have a field reserved!

17. Things to Bring - Team Blackout Date • Spring Break (try to not blackout both weekends of spring break, just one) • School trips/Events (Plays/musicals, grade specific field trips, proms/dances, etc…) • Group events • Coaches’ availability • Discuss in advance with coaches and team managers!

18. Things to Bring - Scheduling Goals Questions to consider: • Do U9 Boys only want to play Saturdays? • Does your girls U13A team want to save tough matchups before or after Spring Break? • Do you owe any other clubs a travel trip? • How many games do your coaches want for their teams? • What is the furthest this team is willing to travel?

19. Prepare a Plan that works for you • Some schedulers use Excel worksheets • Some schedulers print calendars • Some use a separate sheet of paper for each home game • Some use a separate sheet for each team, with available dates as blanks to be filled in.

20. As simple as calendar pages With blackout dates entered.

21. Or more complex spreadsheets This example is a google doc that multiple schedulers can access.

22. You must have a plan! • There is no one “right” way to do this. • All of the previous plans are great. • Use a system most familiar to you as a scheduler. • Talk with a experienced schedulers for ideas and tips.