Game Scheduling Orientation

Timeline Why wait until December 13 to begin? Need to schedule conference games first, conferences might change up through Dec. 13. Providing neutral format, so every club arrives on the 13 th with the same advantage to build good schedules. Dec 7th 6PM Registration Closes Dec 7th thru Dec 12th Conferences Set Dec 13 Game Scheduling Begins Jan 21st – Boys Scheduling Ends Boys Schedules into NCJLA Website Jan 25th – Girls Scheduling Ends Girls Schedules into NCJLA Website 2

Meeting Location Head-Royce School 4315 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland Free parking is available! We’ll send out a map. 3

Meeting Logistics Boys – 10AM to 12:30PM In Conference Scheduling 10AM to 11:30AM East Bay – Gym West – Cafeteria Central Valley - Library Out of Conference Scheduling 11:30AM to 12:30PM All together in the GYM Girls – 1:30PM to 4PM In Conference Scheduling 1:30PM to 3PM East – Cafeteria West – Library Out of Conference Scheduling 3PM to 4PM All together in the CAFETERIA 4

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. 5

Meeting Format Arrive 15 minutes early to check in and get settled. Conferences will be listed on the wall. WiFi is available, but have a backup plan if it's not working. First hour and a half 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. Conference scheduling: 3 rooms available for boys (Central Valley, East Bay, and West) 2 rooms for girls (East & West). 6

Things to bring - Summary Dates & Times you have to have: 1.Home field availability and times (turf and grass) 2.Blackout dates for your team 3.Spring Break for your school district 4.Holidays Supporting Information: 1.NCJLA Game Scheduling Appendix & Info Sheets 2.Conference opponents for each team in your club 3.For girls whether your teams are “Rookie” or “Veteran” for certain divisions 4.Non-conference teams in your division 5.List of clubs that you should travel to this season. 6.Scheduling goals for your organization 7.Any materials you need specific to your scheduling needs Wear clothing sporting club colors & logos to make yourself visible! 7

Things to Bring - NCJLA Scheduling Appendix Scheduling Appendix Contains the Following: Opening weekend per division League blackout dates Last weekend regular season play per division Playoff dates per division Scheduling requirements per division, # games etc… 8

Game Scheduling Appendix Download from NCJLA website, review in advance of the meeting, and bring with you. 9

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. 10

Time Blocks for Game Scheduling Boys HS – 1hr 30 min U15 – 1 hr 30 min U13 – 1 hr 30 min U11 – 1 hr 15 min U9 – 1 hr Girls HS – 1hr 30min U15 – 1 hr 15min U13 – 1 hr 15min U11 – 1 hr U9 – 1 hr 11

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. 12

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! 13

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! 14

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? 15

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 16

As simple as calendar pages With blackout dates entered. 17

Or more complex spreadsheet This example is a google doc that multiple schedulers can access. 18

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. 19