JLYSL AQI POLICY (FALL 2023)
In light of the recent fires, and the start of Fall Season, the JLYSL Board would like to communicate our Air Quality Policy, what tools we use to evaluate it, and how we determine when games will proceed or be cancelled.
The JLYSL Administrator, with the help of the JLYSL Board, will make all final decisions related to air quality and the safety of playing soccer outdoors for JLYSL RecPlay using the guidance and resources provided by our governing organizations. Competitive programming will follow the Norcal Premier Soccer Air Quality Guidelines with Club Boards/Admin making the cancellation calls for their home games.
Both JLYSL and NorCal Premier will use the following AQI guidelines:
For the current real-time AQI forecast provided by Purple Air,
click on the adjacent link or image.
Please remember to apply the "US EPA" conversion
when referring to the AQI value we use to monitor game cancellations..
JLYSL RecPlay Games
If the average AQI for Oakland, Alameda, or Piedmont and adjacent JLYSL field locations reaches 101 or higher, then games shall be cancelled for the safety and welfare of our players and coaches.
No teams will participate in games when this threshold level is reached. JLYSL will be using currently uses the PurpleAir.com air quality monitoring website as the official tool to assess the forecast for the given game day. JLYSL uses the US EPA 2.5 PM AQI data source together with 10 min averaged value and the US EPA correction applied. We will do our best to assess the trends and forecast for the smoke, fire, and winds in order to make the best judgement call for our community.
In order to communicate the cancellation, the League Administrator will update the SportLynx Announcement Homepage at 6:45am, the morning of each game day. This will be the JLYSL Official Field Closure Protocol. Please log onto the website the morning of your game to see if it has been cancelled.
We will not send any announcements when we have deemed that the AQI forecast for the given game day is good to play!
Referees, also, reserve the right to cancel a game if conditions change for the worse.
We will not be monitoring the AQI throughout the day, as conditions do fluctuate. There may be a chance that conditions do get better. HOWEVER, we will not reverse the field closure announcement.
NorCal Competitive Teams
As per NorCal Premier, "Air quality conditions can change quickly, so we ask that clubs wait until the day of the game, if possible, to make a decision on cancellations of their home matches. However, decisions must be made with the opponents in mind. Please make any final decisions and communicate any cancellations at least one hour prior to your opponent’s necessary departure time to arrive at the match on time. Additionally, please reach out to opponents prior to the weekend to open lines of communication about the possibility of cancellations and to inform traveling opponents when a decision will be made and how it will be communicated. We want to work to avoid cases where teams travel to a game only to have it canceled.
If games do have to be rescheduled, please work with your opponent to find a date/ time that works for both teams as soon as possible."
If it is decided by your Club Boards that your home game has been cancelled, these steps need to be completed ASAP:
1. Club Officials will need to contact the following individuals immediately so they can make the proper cancellations in the system to avoid cancellation fees:
Referee Assignors: [email protected]
Referee Coordinators: [email protected]
NorCal (Competitive) Match Secretaries: [email protected]
League Admin: [email protected]
Club Admins and Referee Assignors must work together to make sure that assigned referees have been notified of AQI Cancellations so they do not accidentally show up to the field.
2. NorCal Competitive Teams must contact their opponents ASAP. This is the one time that it is okay to contact your opponents outside of the GS Chat Function.
If you are having trouble reaching opponents through the chat in GotSport, please check the NorCal Premier competition page.
- You’ll click on the Schedule/Standings that is posted in the left menu of your league.
- You’ll find your age group and division bracket.
- You’ll click on the name of your opponent, and this will take you to their league schedule.
- There is a hyperlink to “View Team Contact Information” which will provide you with the team officials’ phone numbers.
Upon cancellation, you can begin the reschedule process with your opponents, if possible. After confirming a reschedule date and time with your opponent, you will then resubmit your Home Field Request Form. Due to field and team availability, there is a possibility that a request may be declined, and a reschedule may not happen.
The JLYSL Administrator, with the help of the JLYSL Board, will make all final decisions related to air quality and the safety of playing soccer outdoors for JLYSL RecPlay using the guidance and resources provided by our governing organizations. Competitive programming will follow the Norcal Premier Soccer Air Quality Guidelines with Club Boards/Admin making the cancellation calls for their home games.
Both JLYSL and NorCal Premier will use the following AQI guidelines:
- 0-100: Games should be played!
- 101-150: Games can be rescheduled - decision to be made by home club
- 151+: Games should be canceled and rescheduled
For the current real-time AQI forecast provided by Purple Air,
click on the adjacent link or image.
Please remember to apply the "US EPA" conversion
when referring to the AQI value we use to monitor game cancellations..
JLYSL RecPlay Games
If the average AQI for Oakland, Alameda, or Piedmont and adjacent JLYSL field locations reaches 101 or higher, then games shall be cancelled for the safety and welfare of our players and coaches.
No teams will participate in games when this threshold level is reached. JLYSL will be using currently uses the PurpleAir.com air quality monitoring website as the official tool to assess the forecast for the given game day. JLYSL uses the US EPA 2.5 PM AQI data source together with 10 min averaged value and the US EPA correction applied. We will do our best to assess the trends and forecast for the smoke, fire, and winds in order to make the best judgement call for our community.
In order to communicate the cancellation, the League Administrator will update the SportLynx Announcement Homepage at 6:45am, the morning of each game day. This will be the JLYSL Official Field Closure Protocol. Please log onto the website the morning of your game to see if it has been cancelled.
We will not send any announcements when we have deemed that the AQI forecast for the given game day is good to play!
Referees, also, reserve the right to cancel a game if conditions change for the worse.
We will not be monitoring the AQI throughout the day, as conditions do fluctuate. There may be a chance that conditions do get better. HOWEVER, we will not reverse the field closure announcement.
NorCal Competitive Teams
As per NorCal Premier, "Air quality conditions can change quickly, so we ask that clubs wait until the day of the game, if possible, to make a decision on cancellations of their home matches. However, decisions must be made with the opponents in mind. Please make any final decisions and communicate any cancellations at least one hour prior to your opponent’s necessary departure time to arrive at the match on time. Additionally, please reach out to opponents prior to the weekend to open lines of communication about the possibility of cancellations and to inform traveling opponents when a decision will be made and how it will be communicated. We want to work to avoid cases where teams travel to a game only to have it canceled.
If games do have to be rescheduled, please work with your opponent to find a date/ time that works for both teams as soon as possible."
If it is decided by your Club Boards that your home game has been cancelled, these steps need to be completed ASAP:
1. Club Officials will need to contact the following individuals immediately so they can make the proper cancellations in the system to avoid cancellation fees:
Referee Assignors: [email protected]
Referee Coordinators: [email protected]
NorCal (Competitive) Match Secretaries: [email protected]
League Admin: [email protected]
Club Admins and Referee Assignors must work together to make sure that assigned referees have been notified of AQI Cancellations so they do not accidentally show up to the field.
2. NorCal Competitive Teams must contact their opponents ASAP. This is the one time that it is okay to contact your opponents outside of the GS Chat Function.
If you are having trouble reaching opponents through the chat in GotSport, please check the NorCal Premier competition page.
- You’ll click on the Schedule/Standings that is posted in the left menu of your league.
- You’ll find your age group and division bracket.
- You’ll click on the name of your opponent, and this will take you to their league schedule.
- There is a hyperlink to “View Team Contact Information” which will provide you with the team officials’ phone numbers.
Upon cancellation, you can begin the reschedule process with your opponents, if possible. After confirming a reschedule date and time with your opponent, you will then resubmit your Home Field Request Form. Due to field and team availability, there is a possibility that a request may be declined, and a reschedule may not happen.
Rain Out Cancellation Policy
The OFFICIAL rain out notification will be posted on the JLYSL and SportLynx Landing Pages no later than 6:30am on game days. Depending on the grass field conditions, the rain out announcement can be for the entire weekend or on a day by day basis.
*Turf Fields usually will remain open and scheduled games will play on rain or shine. In the event of severe weather conditions or changes to the turf field conditions that may pose a safety concern, referees will make the final call for cancellation prior or during the game*.
To also help with getting the information out more quickly, JLYSL will be emailing CLUB OFFICIALS to assist in getting the word out to their club teams and referees.
Depending on the weather forecast and duration of a “storm”, we may be able to shift grass games onto turf ahead of time. If that does happen, an email will be sent out to teams along with the system notification regarding the game update. Club Officials will also be copied in these emails. Please remind teams to double check their schedule so they have the correct game information.
As Club Officials, please DO NOT jump the gun and notify teams of cancellations until the official rain out notification has been posted and JL has contacted you! You may give your teams a head up reminder of what the rain out policy and procedures are so they have it on their radar as to what the next steps are.
As Team Officials, please DO NOT jump the gun and arrange a reschedule/cancellation with your opponent. The possibility of rain is not an acceptable reason to submit a cancellation request prior to the Official Rain Out Notification. If your opponent is refusing to play due to rain, they automatically will FORFEIT the game, a reschedule will not be made, and a Fine will occur.
So, what if JLYSL calls a Rain Out Cancellation of your game, what do you do?
Regarding NorCal Competitive Teams:
NorCal Competitive Teams must contact their opponents ASAP. If you are having trouble reaching opponents through the chat in GotSport, please check the NorCal Premier competition page for their phone numbers.
You’ll click on the Schedule/Standings that is posted in the left menu of your league.
You’ll find your age group and division bracket.
You’ll click on the name of your opponent, and this will take you to their league schedule. There is a hyperlink to “View Team Contact Information” which will provide you with the team officials’ phone numbers.
Upon cancellation, you can begin the reschedule process with your opponents via chat. After confirming a reschedule date and time with your opponent, you will then resubmit your Home Field Request Form.
Due to field and team availability, there is a possibility that a request may be declined, and a reschedule may not happen.
Regarding Recreational Teams:
Recreational teams will not need to connect with their opponents as they will all receive the same announcement from their club officials. Unfortunately, a reschedule may not be available. But, the REC Match Schedulers will try their best to see what we can accommodate.
*Turf Fields usually will remain open and scheduled games will play on rain or shine. In the event of severe weather conditions or changes to the turf field conditions that may pose a safety concern, referees will make the final call for cancellation prior or during the game*.
To also help with getting the information out more quickly, JLYSL will be emailing CLUB OFFICIALS to assist in getting the word out to their club teams and referees.
Depending on the weather forecast and duration of a “storm”, we may be able to shift grass games onto turf ahead of time. If that does happen, an email will be sent out to teams along with the system notification regarding the game update. Club Officials will also be copied in these emails. Please remind teams to double check their schedule so they have the correct game information.
As Club Officials, please DO NOT jump the gun and notify teams of cancellations until the official rain out notification has been posted and JL has contacted you! You may give your teams a head up reminder of what the rain out policy and procedures are so they have it on their radar as to what the next steps are.
As Team Officials, please DO NOT jump the gun and arrange a reschedule/cancellation with your opponent. The possibility of rain is not an acceptable reason to submit a cancellation request prior to the Official Rain Out Notification. If your opponent is refusing to play due to rain, they automatically will FORFEIT the game, a reschedule will not be made, and a Fine will occur.
So, what if JLYSL calls a Rain Out Cancellation of your game, what do you do?
Regarding NorCal Competitive Teams:
NorCal Competitive Teams must contact their opponents ASAP. If you are having trouble reaching opponents through the chat in GotSport, please check the NorCal Premier competition page for their phone numbers.
You’ll click on the Schedule/Standings that is posted in the left menu of your league.
You’ll find your age group and division bracket.
You’ll click on the name of your opponent, and this will take you to their league schedule. There is a hyperlink to “View Team Contact Information” which will provide you with the team officials’ phone numbers.
Upon cancellation, you can begin the reschedule process with your opponents via chat. After confirming a reschedule date and time with your opponent, you will then resubmit your Home Field Request Form.
Due to field and team availability, there is a possibility that a request may be declined, and a reschedule may not happen.
Regarding Recreational Teams:
Recreational teams will not need to connect with their opponents as they will all receive the same announcement from their club officials. Unfortunately, a reschedule may not be available. But, the REC Match Schedulers will try their best to see what we can accommodate.
Field Closures
The fields are inspected to ensure that the conditions are safe. The collective decision of JLYSSL Field Coordinators to close fields is binding on all members of the league, coaches, referees, visiting coaches, parents, and players.
Any field closure notifications will be posted on the landing page of the JLYSSL website and SportLynx by 6:30am the morning of each game day. Updated announcements will be made as more information is provided.
Club Admins will also be notified so they can assist in getting this information out to their club teams quickly.
If a closure notification was not made, teams will PLAY ON! Teams must show up to their games. If AQI or rain changes the field conditions or it becomes a safety concern, referees will make the final call this the game proceeds or not. If the worsening conditions affect the larger community, the league will decide to cancel the remainder of games on the given day.
Field Closures are not taken lightly. Once the League has sent out an Official Closure Notification, it cannot be reversed, even if the conditions start to improve later in the day. We ask that you be patient and attentive during the possibility of rain and AQI closures.
Any field closure notifications will be posted on the landing page of the JLYSSL website and SportLynx by 6:30am the morning of each game day. Updated announcements will be made as more information is provided.
Club Admins will also be notified so they can assist in getting this information out to their club teams quickly.
If a closure notification was not made, teams will PLAY ON! Teams must show up to their games. If AQI or rain changes the field conditions or it becomes a safety concern, referees will make the final call this the game proceeds or not. If the worsening conditions affect the larger community, the league will decide to cancel the remainder of games on the given day.
Field Closures are not taken lightly. Once the League has sent out an Official Closure Notification, it cannot be reversed, even if the conditions start to improve later in the day. We ask that you be patient and attentive during the possibility of rain and AQI closures.
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