(originally emailed on March 20, 2022) (optimized for the web, here)
Thank you to all the managers who participated in the divisional meetings and or submitted suggestions. As said before, we took into consideration the comments and looked at last year’s team standings, on top of your team’s talent. It is to the best of the Board’s ability that we have divided the teams into the divisions for fair and competitive play. We have created 4 divisions: Open, Over 30 1st, Over 30 2nd, and Over 30 3rd. The Premier division has collapsed and will now be part of 1st division. We understand the concerns for this and believe me it was a tough decision. With the help from a majority of team managers, this is the best solution. After this year and the hope we have more teams join us, we will revisit this. As we are forever changing, for now, the divisions are as follows:
(1) Open (4 teams) – AA United, FSC Mavericks, TASA Open, {name t.b.d.} Open
(2) Over 30 1st Division (7 teams) – Metro Rangers, Michigan Raiders, Orange Crush, UK Royals, Goal Diggers, Motor City Mighty, Carpathia Kickers
(3) Over 30 2nd Division (9 teams) – Tarantulas, Shooting Stars, Flames, Women’s AC, Strikers, Michigan Storm, Sole Sisters, Michigan Legacy, Michigan Magic
(4) Over 30 3rd Division (6 teams) – Juicebox Heroes, FSC Fusion, Lady Cougars, Centurions, Farmington Magic, Wunderteam
This is a reminder, to not only practice good sportsmanship, but also to live up to the spirit of the sport. You are to play to the best of your ability, however, be aware of the team that you are playing. We strive to make this fun and safe for all, so please be thoughtful of your opponent.
Moving forward changes will be made to encourage all to be more than a division champion, but a champion in our community. At the end of this season, we will move away from championship gifts. Instead, we will make a donation in the name of the winning team’s charity of their choice. Other changes include allowing teams that place in the bottom half of your division to be gifted up to three players that are 29 years of age the following year. If you are moving down, you will not be able to be gifted those players. No player that has formerly played in college will be allowed to play in the 3rd or lowest division. Only novice or intermediate players. Teams bringing in new players below the age of 30 must be honest and use their best judgement if that player belongs in that division. Teams placing 1st will be moved up a division, while teams placing last will move down a division. All these changes implemented will help to give variety every year and encourage growth by recruiting and promote friendly competition.
As we are slowly move out of the Covid phase and into normality, and as people slowly return to the pitch, these are the things we would like to try. With everyone working together and a positive attitude, we can make this year a success.
Kind Regards,
Elma Riley
President – Great Lakes Women’s Soccer League