Rainout Policy

1. Purpose. The purpose of this policy is to strike a balance between the need to maintain fields in good condition over the long-term, and the desirability to play matches when scheduled.

2. Decision-Maker. Decisions about field playability at the Onion Creek Soccer Complex (OCSC) shall be made, after consultation with the field facilitator, by the Field Commissioner or the AMSA President, if the Field Commissioner is unavailable, or another person designated by the AMSA President. The decision-maker shall be someone who is familiar with soccer field usage and maintenance.

3. Timing.  The initial decision shall be made no later than 6:45 AM on the day in question, except that the decision may be made as of 5:00 PM on the day before match-day, if the fields are so wet that it is certain that they will be unplayable on match-day. (It is important to make the decision based on conditions as they actually exist on the match day itself, rather than based on a weather forecast or a guesstimate. It is important to make the decision as early as possible on match-day, so as to give as much notice as possible to players and referees.)

4. Method. It will be the responsibility of the OCSC Field Facilitator to actually walk each field to determine if the field is playable according to the guidelines in the next section. (It is important to base the decision on personal observation, rather than assumptions, guesstimates or second-hand information.) Based on the guidelines, if the Facilitator determines any of the OCSC fields are unplayable, he/she will contact the decision-maker to inform him about the status of the fields.

5. Guidelines. Matches shall be postponed on a given field if, on a significant portion of the field, there is standing water on the field or the turf is “squishy” when walked upon.

6. Re-Evaluation. If a field is not playable under the guidelines, but there appears to be a reasonable possibility that the field may be playable later in the day, only the morning matches shall be cancelled initially, and the field shall be re-evaluated by the OCSC Field Facilitator at 10:30 AM for afternoon play.

7. Notification of Players and Referees. The decision-maker or the AMSA Administrator shall record an appropriate message on the appropriate rain-out number IMMEDIATELY after the fields have been examined by the Field Facilitator. The message should begin with the date and time of the message. If fields are playable, the message should so state, especially if there has been rain in the area recently. The message should conclude by stating the time of the next announcement, if re-evaluation is contemplated. Notice shall also be posted at the entrance to the field complex.

8. Declaring Rainout After Play Commences. If after play has commenced, field conditions deteriorate to the point where the Guidelines set forth above are met, teams are expected to halt play. In addition, any member of the Executive Committee, Referee or Referee Coordinator who is present at the fields has the authority to halt play. The person(s) making the decision shall put in place a “Fields Closed” sign at the entrance to the complex, and he shall notify the Field Commissioner or the President so that the rainout phone message may be updated.

9. Penalty for Playing After Rain-out Declared. If a field at Onion Creek or any other field used by AMSA has been declared “rained out” or closed, no AMSA teams or players may play on that field. Any team or individual player who plays in violation of this policy shall be subject to the penalties set forth in AMSA Rule 5.4.C.

Revised 5/10/2007