Cal
North Founders
Cup
Cal North Founders Cup Schedules and Results
U16-U19 FOUNDERS CUP 2013 SITES
Preliminary Games - Morgan Hill Outdoor Spots Center, Morgan Hill
Qtr/Semi Finals & Championship Games - Bartholomew Sports Park, Elk Grove
Check the Venues page for information on these sites
Founders' Cup Apparel
If you missed the opportunity to buy t-shirts/hoodies on-site, don't fret, you can order them on-line!
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Who Plays In
Cal North Founders' Cup?
Founders' Cup Age Groups
U9 Founders Cup
U10 Founders Cup
U12 Founders Cup
U14 Founders Cup
U16-U19 Founders Cup
Founders' Cup Venue(s)
Designations
(which site is to be used is designated yearly):
Founders Cup Ripon
Founders Cup Mistlin Sports Park
NOTE: Ripon & Mistlin Sports Park are the same venueFounders Cup Cherry Island
Founders Cup Sacramento
NOTE: Sacramento & Cherry Island are the same venueFounders Cup Elk Grove
NOTE: Games are played at Bartholomew Sports ParkFounders Cup Morgan Hill
NOTE: Games are played at Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports CenterFounders Cup Redding Soccer Park
Venues & Weather
It unfortunately happens at times that venue
locations have to change. This primarily happens
due to rain causing fields to be non-playable. This is determined solely
by the operator at the
particular site and Cal North has no control over that determination, or when
they announce
it. In the past, Cal North has been notified within the week, before the
playing weekend. This
can happen when a sudden storm over-whelms fields. For this weather
related happening,
neither the site operator or Cal North has any control over. At the moment
that Cal North is
informed, the search to find another playing location is made. Due to the
number of games
played, this has to be a large venue, which are in short supply, and may be
booked with
previous game reservations from other organizations.
When signing up to play, please be aware
that weather can cause the playing site to be changed.
This has to figure into your personal cost to attend, and the time needed to be
able to play (i.e. if
you have to drive further than you initially anticipated, which may require you
to spend the night,
rather than just doing a local drive daily).
Sometimes venues shut down fields, after
they have let the fields be used during questionable
ground conditions. Fields end up damaged and the site operator then shuts
the fields down, to
allow time for healing. This process can easily take months to
happen. Even on a normal basis,
it is good to allow a field to have a 'rest' period, for grass to grow and
fill-in spots. This may
cause a site to be unavailable for a period of time, due to fields being rested.
With this being
done, if you notice a site near you that 'seems' available to play, from a
casual glance, it may not
be available, as the venue operator may be resting the fields. This can
easily occur also during wet
weather. Just 'looking' at a field cannot necessarily tell you the
condition of a field that has retained
a large amount of moisture. This would be seen by walking on the field,
and noticing how much
moisture is in the ground. The following picture shows a heavy amount of
moisture in the ground
and is an example of field conditions when play should not happen, due to the
ground being too
wet:
Note the large amount of water being kicked up by running players
Frost On Ground
Some sites are paying closer attention to their fields, and rightfully so.
Good fields will not
exist where they are used
in weather conditions that cause fields to be damaged. Frost on
fields is one of the
items that is getting more attention. If there is frost on the grass,
stepping
on the upper part of the
grass, which is covered with frost, will kill the top layer of grass. A
university statement,
which studied effects of walking on frost covered grass made a simple
statement " Injury
to frost covered Grass will not be seen right away but will be noticeable 12
to 48 hours after the
damage is done. Often the injured grass will get a purple or black hue.
The Grass will then turn
brown as it dies. Dead Grass will leave areas for Weeds to germinate.
Damaged Grass that does
not die will be more susceptible to disease." It comes down to a
simple policy, people
should not be walking/playing on frost covered grass, as it will damage
the playing field.
While some may thing it is 'fun' to see their feet print on the frost covered
grass, each foot print is
damaging the area where they walked. A prudent site operator will
want people to stay
entirely off their grass until the frost is gone. This is a practical
matter,
and is happening more
often. In turn, this causes delays in scheduled playing times. This
is another weather
related happening, which cannot be predicted.
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What Is Founders' Cup?
Founders' Cup Experience
The Cal North Founders’ Cup tournament is a tournament
solely for recreational players. This tournament is a
yearly tournament,
bringing together teams from all over northern California to play. There are
three divisions
of the tournament. One division hosts age groups
U9-10 & U12-U14 players.
This division starts play in
mid-December, with the tournament concluding near the
middle of December, for the U9-10 age
groups. The
U12-U14 age group plays 'Founders' Cup Sectional
Qualifiers' in December. Those teams that advance out
of the
sectional qualifiers will play
in the state level Founders Cup tournament in January. The sectional
qualifiers
will be new for 2013 Founders' Cup.
(Please see the section later on this page, regarding
the change for U12-U14 play, in 2013)
The second division of the tournament hosts
U16-U19
players. This
group starts play in late February, and
concludes around the beginning of
March. U12-14
Applications for Founders’ Cup are typically due in to
the
Cal North
office at the very beginning of November.
Applications for U16-U19 teams are
due into the Cal
North office by the very beginning of January. These
dates are
listed on the Cal North site.
The U9-U10 players play in what is named the
'Junior Cup
Festival', which also can be called the
Cal
North Junior Cup. This festival is composed of
the younger age group
of several different playing
divisions, from recreational to competitive.
The games
are played at the same site, with each division competing
against teams in its'
own playing division (i.e. recreational
vs. recreational, competitive vs.
competitive).
Recreational teams may elect to enter the Association
Cup
segment of the festival, instead of the recreational
level of play. This would be for a
recreational team that may have been at the top of play in their recreational
season of play. A caveat here though. They would potentially be playing against other teams that had been
playing competitive play all season,
at a playing level different then that of recreational play. For a
recreational
team that may be thinking of going competitive in their next
playing season, this might be something for them to
try, to preview what they
would be up against for the future. There may be a higher tournament fee
to play in
the competitive part of the Junior Cup Festival (Association Cup &
State Cup).
In October, 2012, Cal North announced that the Junior Cup
Festival would become an 'Open Cup'
festival. For
State Cup & Association Cup, the age group would run
U9-U11, as compared to Founders' Cup being
U9-U10. In
addition, being now
classified as an 'Open Cup', other
organizations registered with US Soccer
are now eligible to
enter the festival. The non-Cal North teams in the
'open'
tournament play against each other for the tournament. The
format
of the championship games was changed for the U10
age group. The winning
championship team from the U10 age
group now plays the championship team from
the 'open' tournament,
for the overall champion. The final championship
game scheduling
will be attempted for December, but may happen in January.
Over the past years, the Founders’ Cup games have been
held
at the Morgan Hill Sports Complex, in Morgan Hill, Mistlin Sports
Complex
in Ripon, Cherry Island in Rio Linda (also called
'Sacramento' ), and at Bartholomew Sports Park in Elk
Grove. The
fields at Bartholomew Sports Park are all turf fields.
There are two
turf fields at Morgan Hill, which are in a stadium and ten (10)
grass
fields. New sites will be used, as available.
The format for Founders' Cup is purely recreational and is
designed to be a place for recreational teams to experience
tournament play.
There are no ‘qualifications’ for a team to play at Founders’ Cup. It is as
simple as a team deciding
that they want to go, and they apply. Regional qualifiers to attend Founders’ Cup
exist in the older age group. U12-U14
teams
will play in Founders' Cup Sectional Qualifiers to become eligible to
attend the final rounds.
For teams desiring to enter Founders’ Cup, it is a simple
process. You pay
the entry fee for that year, and file your team paperwork with
Cal North. A
team is eligible for playing in Founders’ Cup for having just
participated in the
Fall playing season. Teams go to the tournament as a team,
with all members
of the team being eligible to go to Founders’ Cup. All teams
that apply are
accepted, no team is turned away. Please note, you must
communicate your
attentions to attend Founders’ Cup with your league registrar.
You paperwork
will be processed by your registrar and the District registrar.
There are a number of things that a coach will find out if
they attend Founders'
Cup: (1) They and their team will have fun. It is an
experience for the
recreational players to travel with their teammates; (2) The
team will be excited.
It will most likely be the first time that they have
played teams from other areas
that they know nothing about. New
friendships could be made; (3) The coach
will see their team play at a different
level than they did during the recreational
season play; (4) The parents feel
the excitement of the Cup competitions also;
(5) For some teams, it may be a
test for them to consider if they wish to
move to competitive play.
Cal North Founders' Cup 2012-2013
Printable Founders' Cup
Calendar
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There
will be changes in the manner that Founders' Cup will be played in the
U12-U14 age groups, beginning in 2013. Cal North has implemented
'Founders' Cup Sectional Qualifiers'. 
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No guest players. |
On-Line Application Process:
The
Cal North automated process for doing applications, on-line. Just click the
'Register online'
logo!
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If you apply and pay online, you still need all the paper documentation into the office by the deadline. |
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NINE (9) players from the current recreational season team must listed. You may ADD up any number of players to your team, who had not played/registered for the current recreational season. You may now transfer players from other leagues to your roster. There is a difference in the number of transfers that you may have, when using players from your league, versus players from outside of your league. Ask your league registrar about this. |
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Your first step in preparing to go to Founders' Cup is to speak with your league registrar to get their deadlines for having your roster processed for Founders' Cup. They can also answer your questions as to adding players to your team, or getting unregistered players on to your roster. |
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For team officials, Cal North allows a maximum of FOUR team officials, with passes, to be on the sideline with your team. It is NOT sufficient just to have the person listed on the golden rod. They MUST have a pass. Your spouse and children must be on the spectator side of the field. |
Spectator Behavior
This is an issue for coaches and Cal North. Cal North holds a coach
responsible for the behavior of their spectators. In matches, a coach
and their spectators may be separated. This means that a coach will
have to watch the game, and the conduct of their spectators, from across the
field. This means that the coach and assistant coach will have to work
with each other on watching aspects of both the game, and spectators.
It would be beneficial to task the 'team parent' with helping to monitor the
parents, as they must be on the sideline with the parents (they are not a
team 'coach', with credentials, so they would be with the spectators).
However, remember the coach has the final responsibility, if something
happens. If it is apparent that the team parent cannot get a parent to
settle down, they need to notify the coach immediately. If the
team parent seeks a Cal North field officer nearby, they can also explain the
situation to them, to seek assistance.
Lodging
Think long, pay long here folks. You need to
pay attention as to when the venue is announced. Needless to say,
the cheaper rooms go first! Everything is first come, first served.
You also need to
have a parents meeting and talk about how the chaperoning will work,
especially for any player that may attend the games without parents (i.e.
traveling with another family and staying in their room, or adjoining
rooms). Coaches may want to review the following item, from the league
insurance carrier
(click here).
Car Pools
Cal North has a form that seeks to protect you from that well worn adage (Murphy's Law), if you wish to use it. This is the Car Pool Driver Form, which can also be found in the back of your Team Manual.
Team area during a game
Coaches are responsible to ensure that only credentialed team
personnel are in the team area during a game. No parents/sponsors are
allowed. Cal North personnel will be checking team areas for authorized
personnel, as per team check-in, with credentials having been previously
presented. You may have a total of four (4) licensed team personnel in
the team area. Please take note, the spouses/significant others,
and children of licensed personnel are spectators and must be in the
spectator area.
Turf Field Warning
Please take note. An increasing number of sites have turf fields. To this date, all of the past sites have restrictions regarding usage of turf fields. Most sites have the same set of rules, as others, for preservation of the turf. Please ensure that your team is prepared for this, by checking your schedule and letting your team know about it in advance. This means that you must pay careful and immediate attention to your playing schedule when you receive it. If players need to buy new shoes, they need to know about it in advance. For the team area, the coach will be held responsible for ensuring that all players abide by the rules of the field. The coach should ensure that their team is informed of the turf field rules, before they go to the fields (ideally a coach should issue a statement to the team, prior to leaving home, informing them of any specific rules that they will face).
| No metal cleats are allowed on the field. There is no exception to this, so if a player brought ONLY metal cleats, they would not be allowed to play. Metal cleats destroy artificial turf. |
| Only water, NO GATORADE may be brought onto the field (Gatorade stains the artificial turf AND makes it sticky) |
| There are often restrictions on food. Some might say no food at all, while others might say no form of shelled nuts (i.e. sunflower seeds, peanuts, etc.) are allowed. To this point, it has been consistent on the 'no shelled nuts' restrictions. They don't want them near their fields, and you can't hide the fact that you are eating them, from the residue that you spew. It is all for protecting the field environment and the fact that most places do not have clean-up crews, to clean-up after every game. They want the area to stay clean, all day. Ensure that you are aware of any food restrictions for the turf field that you may play on. If fruit is allowed, consider how you present the fruit, to save yourself some trouble, even if it is on a grass field. For oranges, you might consider peeling them before you leave home. Players often sometimes peel them, and let the peelings just fall on the ground. Needless to say, this all has to be picked up before the team leaves their team area. This can be a pain for a coach. The coach is responsible for ensuring that their team area is clean, when they leave the field. There is no janitorial cleaning team to do this. |
| Do not bother to take a pop-up, as you will not be able to use it. In general, where there are turf fields, there is no dirt area to anchor a pop-up down. The same applies to umbrellas. For turf fields that have spectator stands, some are covered, and some possibly are not. |
Note: The above viewing stand is the typical viewing stand at Bartholomew Sports Park
Player Transfers
Your team may have a maximum of five (5) transfers from another league
to your team. You may select from more than one league, but you have a
maximum of five outside your league players that you can transfer on. You have unlimited transfers from teams within your
league. Remember that this can only be recreational players.
Chaperone Form
For those parents who cannot attend the games and are having other
parents watch over their child, this
form can be used to outline the
responsibilities of the chaperone, and ensure that they understand their
responsibilities.
Venue Parking Fees
Be prepared to pay an average of $5-$6 to park at several venues. Check on entering about 'In/Out' policy for parking. This is where it might be smart to carpool players from the hotel, loading up the cars and saving on parking fees.
A Word About Team Credentials
As a recreational team, playing solely within your league, your team
credentials do not meet state standards for tournament play. You may
play in a league where pictures on player passes were not needed, or not
strictly enforced. This is not acceptable for state level playing
passes, as all passes must have a proper picture. The other item is
that to play in Founders Cup, you are then considered a 'traveling team' and
must meet requirements for such. This means that all passes, players
and coaches, must be laminated. Any pass that does not have a picture,
or is not laminated will not be accepted at team check-in--no exceptions.
This is why you need to insure that you would with your league registrar and
District Registrar on getting your team credentials to them, for the needed
work to be done on them. Your '1401' form, the medical release form,
must be the original forms that were signed, no copies will be accepted.
It must be in 'original' ink signature.
Who has to switch jerseys in a color conflict?
In most playing leagues it is the home team that has to change their jersey in a color conflict with a visiting team. The same exists in Founders' Cup. If you know a coach that might let you borrow some practice vests/pennies, it might be wise to do so, as a just-in-case. A game could not be played with both teams having the same color jersey, and the responsibility falls on the home team for this.
Player Change Of Clothing
For the fall playing season, the weather is sometimes an issue. Fields may be wet/slightly muddy. There is typically a big gap between the first game played and the next game. If a player has wet/muddy socks/clothing, it is most likely prudent for them to be able to change. The team will need to consider as to how/where this will occur. The question also involves as to what they will change into. A recreational team typically does not have a 2nd uniform to change into. The next alternative may be sweats, or street clothing. This does not resolve a wet sock issue though, for the next game. A wise player/team will have a 2nd pair of socks for their players, as a just-in-case measure. The wet/muddy uniform is another matter, which could provide a challenge. A parent could take all the uniforms to a laundromat and wash & dry them. This means a volunteer, to be away from the team. The location of the nearest laundromat would have needed to be pin-pointed, prior to playing, so that the party could get there and back quickly (hoping that all the machines were not in usage). An alternative could be renting one room at a place that has a washer/dryer room on site. Players could change clothes in the room and the clothes could be washed on site.
Founders' Cup Information (on Cal North Web):
Cal North Founders Cup Apply on-line
Cal North Founders Cup Rules
Cal North Founders Cup Suspension Report
Cal North Founders Cup Schedules and Results
Cal North Founders Cup Venue Information
Cal North Founders Cup Hotline for help
Cal North Applications Received
