One of the reasons that DYSL has great fields to play on in Cupertino and Saratoga, as compared to other leagues, is that we do not allow play on fields if rain has made them wet enough to be vulnerable to damage. Therefore, the city will close the fields quite often after a rain storm. DYSL is even MORE strict than the city as we really value the nice fields and we will close the fields sometimes even when the city says it's OK to use them.

To determine whether it is OK to use the fields after bad weather, CALL THE APPLICABLE DYSL HOTLINE. This applies to ANY use of the fields including training, scrimmages and matches.

On weekends, the hotlines are updated early in the morning (usually by 8:30 am) so you can plan your early games. Make sure to call later in the day if you have a late match as the field status might change (i.e. if it rains during the day).

On week days, the hotlines are updated in the early afternoon. This is done so we give the fields a few hours to dry. Call after 2 PM to insure you get the correct status.

• IF the hotline does not have an updated status keep calling until it does.
• IF the hotline says it's OK to go on the fields but there are FIELD CLOSED signs on the field DO NOT practice. The signs take precedence.
• IN ANY CASE, if your field has standing water or is muddy, DON'T play on it. If the field is mostly dry and the hotline says the fields are open AVOID the wet spots. Cone them off and play on some other part of the field.
• Use your best judgment. As I coach I know how frustrating it is to have a big match coming up on the weekend but no fields to train on because of the weather. Try an alternate solution (train on the blacktop somewhere, do conditioning at a track, etc.) but DO NOT give in and jump on the fields.

Remember, this policy goes for ALL DYSL FIELDS. Do not think that just because a field may not be in Cupertino it is immune to this policy. If the DYSL hotline says don't play on any field, DON'T PLAY!!!

The PENALTY for violating this policy is the following:

• First time offense gets you moved from your practice field to a less desirable field for the remainder of the season! NO WARNINGS.
• Second time offense means that you LOSE ALL PRACTICE FIELD privileges for the remainder of the season. You will not have a field to train on in DYSL. You will still be able to play matches on DYSL fields, but you will not be allowed to train on them. Furthermore, you will be assigned a 'secondary' less desirable field the following season.
• Third time offenses will likely buy you a ticket out of the league.

Please observe the following guidlines:

1. Do NOT train in areas where mud is visible. This includes "spattering" of mud on the grass blades and not just mud patches. If you walk or run across an area of grass and mud seeps up, MOVE your training area somewhere else.
2. Set up your various drills in different parts of your field (this should be done year round)
3. Try to run drills that require lots of repetitive motions (ladders, foot work drills, GK drills, etc.) OFF the game field portion of your practice area. If you can't do this, move the drill area over every 5-10 minutes to avoid damage.
4. Do NOT train down the middle of the field (length wise), set goals up using the WIDTH of the field.