What is the difference between District Select and the PDL?

District Select groups divisions within their boundary by whichever process the District selects. The PDL (as an Inter District League) groups outside of the District boundary by level of play and utilizes a combination of Coaching Director input, RPI and league performance for placement.

Who has input into what bracket teams are assigned?

All PDL Coaching Directors. See the above question for the information used for placement.

Do Spring League Games determine Fall Brackets?

Only the observations, not the results. For instance, games that are competitive through the first 50 minutes of a 60 minute match may indicative fatigue, instead of skill, as the difference in the match. All variables are incorporated with observation, not just the bottom line.

What is the Player Pass, What is the Club Pass?

The Player Pass is a card issued by WSYSA identifying a player to a team and club. The Club Pass is a development tool that allows player movement between teams of any one club without undue restriction for the explicit purposes of player development.

How does the Club Pass execute?

Teams should note on the side of their roster "CP" if a player has been ’Club passed’ for the game in question.

Reasonable thinking governs the Club pass: bench players from A teams may move down for playing time and development on B squads. B starters that have improved their play will get opportunities to play with A team players. Players that are playing ’up’ a year on a PDL team can move down to their own age group, but only to the appropriate level. Other considerations for player movement include injury, education event, and club defined absences.

Some consideration is being given by the State to a ’goalie’ provision of the Club pass that is yet undetermined.

Are there minimum amounts of returning players required for the PDL?

Yes, however its measured in two ways – players returning to the club (player churn) and player turnover (on the team). We currently use the State definition for returning players to a team. Teams exhibiting high player turnover on a yearly basis, and clubs exhibiting high player churn, are marked for review and possible sanction. Clubs that successfully move players within their structure to the right level of play are not penalized.

What are crossover games, and how are they going to alter the standings?

Crossover matches at the end of the league season validate the progress and relative level of play between brackets. Typically these start at the end of the ’season’ and are scheduled at least until Thanksgiving. These are not a part of the league standings but do go towards evaluating team performance within the PDL structure. For instance, a team finishing in the top third of the PDL1-B U13 bracket may be paired with a bottom third of the PDL1-A U13 bracket. The collective results of the crossovers between divisions will ’recalibrate’ the estimates for the current and upcoming PDL season (and RPI at U13 and above).

Will you see “A” teams playing “B” teams in the PDL? What does like vs like mean?

You will see A teams playing B teams. Like vs Like covers two sets of goals – like ability and like design. Like ability will prompt A vs B designated play; like design prompts A vs A and B vs B designated play. These two perspectives balance the goals of competition and development within a league and club structure.

What is considered a season for U11 and U12+ PDL?

Any balanced set of matches that are either round robin or H/A pairs. The traditional end of the fall season has been moved up for PDL guidelines to Thanksgiving, but crossovers may be scheduled after that date.

Can clubs have more than 2 teams/age-gender in the PDL?

In any single age/gender the level of play determines if a club has more than 1 team. Third teams are evaluated on a case by case basis and compared to the weakest of the second teams in each age bracket. These allowances must be verified by a vote of the Coaching Director group and reviewed by the PDL Committee.

Why do I need to be registered to see the Schedules?

District IV has a standing policy regarding privacy and security that initiates this request. Please see the pre-existing D4 FAQ on this topic

Where do I find the needed and necessary PDL forms on the website?

Simply go to Information: Documents and select "Forms" in the 1st Drop Down and "PDL" in the 2nd Drop Down and then click on Show