Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
1
Purpose

Review important VHSL policies and
information

Explain this year’s rule changes

Answer any questions you might
have
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
2
Clinic Attendance

Each school must be represented by one
girls soccer coach & one boys soccer
coach

Officials must attend each year to be
eligible for varsity and post-season
consideration
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Penalties for Non-Attendance


Coach

Letter to principal

$50 fine

Head coach must take NFHS soccer
rules exam
Official

1 year – cannot work varsity soccer
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Clinic Make-up

Coaches or officials who are unable, due to extreme
or unusual circumstances, to attend one of the VHSL
Rules Clinics, MAY be given an opportunity to meet
the clinic requirement by viewing the PowerPoint
presentation online.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Clinic Make-up Request Procedure

The request for an official must come from a VHSL
Principal or his/her designee.

The request for a coach must come from his/her
Principal/AD.

Requests must be in writing (email is OK).

Past clinic attendance and present circumstances
along with any additional pertinent information will
be considered in the decision to grant or deny the
request.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Rules Clinic Make-up Requirements

If the request is granted

The coach/official must pay a $25 administrative
fee to VHSL in order to receive credit for
attendance.

The requesting school/association must verify
that the official/coach did in fact view the
presentation.

The coach must take the online exam.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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On the Web

10-11 NFHS soccer rule changes &
interpretations
AR/CR signal charts

Soccer rules comparison

Soccer field diagram

Soccer headgear and ASTM performance

Rule change proposal form

10-11 VHSL Rules Clinic PowerPoint

Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Important Dates

First Practice Date
Feb. 21*

First Contest Date
Mar. 14*

District Deadline
May 28

Regional Deadline
June 4

June 7
State QF
* Local restrictions may apply
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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VHSL Championships
Groups A & AA
June 10-11, 2011 – VHSL Spring Jubilee
Hosted by Radford University
VHSL Championships
Group AAA
June 10-11, 2011 – VHSL Spring Jubilee
Hosted by Westfield High School
and the Northern Region
Contest Limitations

Regular season contests . . . . 16*

No player may exceed 16

No team may exceed 16

*Local restrictions may apply
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Pre-Season Conditioning

Must be open to entire student body

May include weight training and/or running

Cannot be sport-specific – no soccer equip.

Cannot be required

There can be no instruction
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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EXAM REQUIREMENT

All soccer officials must take and pass the
exam to be eligible to work VHSL matches.



Minimum score of 70 for regular season
eligibility
Minimum score of 80 for post season eligibility
Soccer coaches who miss the rules clinic
must take the exam
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Building Better Citizens
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ONLINE EXAM

Exam will be taken online -- exams.nfhs.org


VHSL will provide a link to the NFHS site from
the Soccer landing page of the VHSL web site.
NO PAPER COPIES OF THE EXAM WILL BE
ISSUED.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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TESTING DATES

Exam opens on Monday, Feb. 7, 2011

Exams completed by Mar. 6, 2011 – no fee
Officials have 4 weeks to complete the exam
requirement
This provides our staff with time to process
results from the NFHS and send information to
commissioners in time to make any necessary
adjustments to assignments
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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LATE FEES



March 7-13 … $50.00 fee will be applied to
exams taken during this time period. $50.00
check must be received by VHSL before
credit will be given.
March 14-20 … $75.00 fee will be applied to
exams taken during this time period. $75.00
check must be received by VHSL before
credit will be given.
March 21-April 30 … $100.00 – Must be
received before credit will be given.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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EXAM CLOSES

All exams will close on April 30, 2011

Officials may NOT be assigned to VHSL
contests until they have completed the
exam requirement.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Testing Deadlines

Do not mistake “Days remaining” on the
NFHS testing website with VHSL
deadlines.

The number of “days remaining” refers
only to how long the exam will remain
available, and has NOTHING to do with
VHSL testing deadlines.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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VHSL Testing Deadlines (Review)

Feb. 7 – Mar. 6 … No fee

Mar.7 – Mar. 13 … $50.00

Mar. 14 – Mar. 20 … $75.00

Mar. 21 – Apr. 30 … $100.00

YOU MAY NOT OFFICIATE UNTIL YOU
HAVE COMPLETED THE EXAM
REQUIREMENT
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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ABOUT LATE FEES


Prior to online testing, there was a SINGLE
test date

ALL officials had to go to a testing location at
a specified time on that date.

Officials had 90 minutes to complete a closedbook exam.
With online testing, opportunities for
completing the exam are significantly greater.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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ABOUT LATE FEES

The exam is an annual requirement – officials know
this.

Officials have a responsibility to meet requirements
within specified deadlines.


This is no different than paying your mortgage or any other
bill on time – late payment results in penalties.
Every official who fails to complete the exam within
the first 4 weeks creates additional work for
commissioners and VHSL staff.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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VHSL ID REQUIRED

Officials must have a VHSL ID to take the
exam

Officials should have only ONE VHSL ID,
regardless of the number of sports you
officiate.

If you do not have a VHSL ID, contact your
association commissioner.

Registration fees must be paid prior to
receiving a VHSL ID.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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EXAM WEBSITE

If you took ANY NFHS/VHSL exam online
last year, you already have an exam
website username and password.

Bring up exams.nfhs.org and sign in.

Soccer landing page on VHSL website will
have a link to the exam site.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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NEW USERS

If you have never taken an NFHS/VHSL
exam online, you will need to create a
username and password.

There is an online PowerPoint presentation
that describes how to do this.

PowerPoints and other similar information
are listed as “Resources” in the lower righthand part of each web page.
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Building Better Citizens
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EXAM INSTRUCTIONS

If you need help with the mechanics of
registration or taking the exam, view the
power point presentation “Instructions for
Taking Online Exams” in the resource
section on the soccer landing page of the
VHSL website.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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EXAM LAYOUT

100 True/False questions

Order of the questions is random

NO TWO TESTS ARE ALIKE!!!

If you need to re-take the exam (because you
failed on your first attempt), the questions will
appear in a different order.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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RE-TESTING


Officials who score less than 80 may take the
exam a second time

No additional attempts will be permitted

Do NOT attempt the exam until you are
prepared to take it.
Officials who score 80 or higher on their first
attempt are not permitted a second try.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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VHSL PROGRAMS ARE
EDUCATION-BASED
SPORTSMANSHIP IS
THE #1 PRIORITY
OF EDUCATION-BASED
ATHLETICS
Sportsmanship

The sole purpose of VHSL and
other “education-based” athletics
and activities programs is to
provide students with opportunities
to learn skills through sport that will
make them better people.
Sportsmanship

More and more VHSL schools are realizing that
sportsmanship is an issue that needs to be
addressed

VHSL has established sportsmanship guidelines
for championship events, and has encouraged
schools to adopt the same or similar guidelines
for regular season play.

VHSL Handbook 27-13-1 thru 27-13-14

We are about “Building better citizens!”

Good sportsmanship is simply having RESPECT
for oneself, for others, and for the sport.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Player Ejections
All Player Ejections - 2009-10
B. Basketball
1
29
G. Basketball
1
32
14
Total – 447
Baseball
Softball
43
(363 last yr.)
B. Soccer
100
185 Boys
players
(increase of
34)
26 girls
players
(decrease of
1)
3
G. Soccer
B. Lax
G. Lax
3
Football
10
26
F. Hockey
185
Wrestling
Track
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Causes for Ejections
Fighting
Foul language directed at
official
35
Causes for Ejections
Intent to Injure
Taunting
36
Causes for Ejections

Penalties for fighting, foul/abusive
language directed toward officials, intent
to injure and taunting are cause for
ejections in ALL sports. These are not
unique to soccer.

140 of the 211 ejections in soccer (66%)
were for one of those reasons.
Causes for Ejections

Those 140 ejections represent 31%
of all players ejected across sports.

PLAYER BEHAVIOR MUST
CHANGE!

Assistance from coaches is needed.
Soccer Player Ejections

Kids want to play. If coaches were to
bench a player who exhibited
inappropriate behavior, most
inappropriate behavior would end.
39
Coach Ejections
All 2009-10 Coach Ejections
Total # of
coaches
ejected =
61
5
B. Basketball
2 1 1
G. Basketball
11
Baseball
(38 last yr)
10 Boys
Coaches
ejected
(increase
of 5)
5 girls
coaches
ejected
(increase
of 4)
Softball
B. Soccer
10
3
G. Soccer
Football
Volleyball
4
B. Lacrosse
19
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Our Goal

Our goal is ZERO

We MUST do better

There is NEVER a good reason for a player
or coach to be ejected

Excessive celebration is not “enthusiasm”

Coaches who “support their athletes” by being
unsportsmanlike and/or ejected have done
just the opposite
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Coaches are Teachers

Coaches, if you are more concerned with
wins and losses than with teaching your
athlete skills that will make him/her a better
person – GET OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL
COACHING!
NOW!
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Behavior of Officials

Officials – you are the “protectors of the sport.”

NEVER engage a spectator – not before, not
during, not after a meet

NEVER “bait” a coach or participant

ALWAYS behave in a professional manner

You are always an official, whether you are in the
grocery store or a spectator at your child’s wrestling
meet – behave like one.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Behavior of Officials


ALWAYS show respect for players, coaches and
administrators.
If you have “an attitude” about a coach or team,
don’t do their matches.

If a question is asked in a respectful manner, it
deserves an answer.

What you permit, you promote.

The match is about the student athletes, not you.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Questions about Sportsmanship

All questions regarding VHSL
regulations should be directed to VHSL
office – not to contest officials

Soccer officials do not determine the
number of matches a player or coach
will miss if he/she is ejected.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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Reporting Sportsmanship Problems

ALL ejections must be reported to
VHSL office

Sportsmanship “incidents” (things that
happen external to the game itself)
must be reported to the VHSL office
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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It’s All About RESPECT

Good sportsmanship is nothing more
than having and showing respect for
competitors, coaches, officials, each
other, and the sport itself!

Play with honor!

Player behavior mirrors that of his/her
coach.
Virginia High School League
Building Better Citizens
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