Schedule FAQs
Q. When does the ODGSL season start and end?
A. ODGSL Opening Day is Sunday, April 2, 2006, when most teams will start play. Play will continue through to the end of season tournaments which are scheduled for June 9, 10, and 11.
Q. How does ODGSL make the schedules?
A. There are 7 associations that make up ODGSL. Each association has a designated association representative that is in charge of delivering team information to the ODGSL League Commissioner. The League Commissioner leads a scheduling committee consisting of ODGSL Board Members which meet and decide how to do the schedules each season. The schedules are mostly done manually due to all the restrictions and special considerations we have to make. These special considerations include items such as field availability, early games for younger Divisions, Home/Away splits, within Association play, Middle/High School schedule conflicts, fair distances, Spring Breaks, Easter, Memorial Day Weekend, etc. Some computer software is used but is not relied on heavily. In 2006 we have 460 games scheduled so it’s no easy task.
Q. How long does it take to develop the schedule?
A. The process usually takes 2 to 3 weeks.
Q. When are the schedules made available to parents/coaches?
A. Team information from each association is normally due about 1 month prior to the start of games. For 2006 the team information was due Feb 28, 2006. During the course of the following two weeks, all the schedules were developed. Then the schedules are reviewed by our umpire associations as well as other ODGSL Board members. For 2006, we will make schedules available to team managers at the ODGSL Managers Meeting on March 21. The schedules will be made available to parents via the ODGSL web site (www.odgsl.com) sometime soon after that meeting.
Q. Does ODGSL schedule practice times?
A. No, please contact your Team Manager or association rep for that information.
Q. How many games will teams play in a given season?
A. It mostly depends on ODGSL policy and which age group is in question. In some respect, it depends on how many girls have registered to play for the given age group. For 2006, here is the ODGSL policy:
Age Group Number of Games
Instructional (6U) 12
Rookies (8U) 12
10U SP 14
10U FP 16
12U FP 16
16U FP 16
Q. How many games per week are there for each team?
A. In general we schedule 2 games maximum per week. There may be some weeks where we’ve scheduled 3 games but we try to avoid that.
Q. Are there any days used where the fields might not be available?
A. Yes. Every field has a representative that ODGSL works with to determine availability. Most, if not all, of the Field Reps are the same people listed as association reps on our ODGSL Board. Please remember, some of the fields are used for special tournaments and high school playoffs. See the Directors page of our web site (www.odgsl.com).
Q. When there are more games than teams do associations primarily play “overlap” games with other teams in their association? For example, if the Rookie division has 10 teams and they are supposed to play 12 games which teams will they play twice?
A. For the most part, we try to schedule “overlap” games within a given association. So if New Kent has 2 Rookie teams in the given example we’ll try to schedule the New Kent teams to play each other at least twice.
Q. Do the 16U and 12U schedules consider the local High Schools and Middle Schools?
A. Yes, but there’s no guarantee there will not be overlap.
Q. Is there room in the schedule for rain make-ups?
A. Yes, we build in a certain amount of space for rain make-ups but that space is mostly on Saturdays and Sundays.
Q. How are rain-outs scheduled?
A. Each division has an assigned ODGSL Division Commissioner. Team Managers will report rain-outs to their assigned Commissioner. It is the Commissioner’s responsibility to work with the League Commissioner to find the best make-up date and ensure umpire and field availability.
Q. Is umpire availability considered when making the schedules?
A. Yes, but there should be little if any noticeable affect. The primary concern is to schedule the games at an available and appropriate time.
Q. Are double-headers grouped efficiently so that teams don’t have a long wait between games?
A. Yes, if a team is scheduled to play two games on a given day, we try to schedule both games back to back wherever possible.
Q. Are there equal home games vs away for all teams?
A. Yes. On rare occasions we may make exceptions.
Q. Are all home games actually scheduled for the given teams home field(s)?
A. Generally yes, however we do have a very small number of exceptions due to field availability. More often you might see this for rain-out make-ups.
Q. Why do some weeknight games start at 6:15pm and some at 6:30pm?
A. All weeknight games are normally 6:30pm. If there is a need to have a second game scheduled following that game we might schedule the first game for 6:15pm. That way the 2nd game can usually start by 7:30pm. Normally, for weekdays, we only schedule 2 games for a given field on Fridays. So, Monday-Thursday there is typically one game per field, but there are rare exceptions.
Q. When are the earliest and latest times games are scheduled?
A. 6:15pm is the earliest for which a weeknight game is scheduled. Normally, 7:30pm is the latest weeknight games are scheduled to start, but this would only be the 16U Division. For all other Divisions, we try to have weeknight games finish by 9pm at the latest but most will finish by 8pm.
Q. Is the travel time needed factored in to the schedule? For example, if Rockville plays New Kent at New Kent on a weeknight, will the game start later than normal?
A. Whenever possible, yes.
Q. What happens when a game starts late?
A. Games can start late only when previous games run over, or if for some reason the umpire is late, or if teams do not have an adequate number of players. For rules concerning this issue and forfeits, please see the ODGSL Rules on the web site. (www.odgsl.com)
Q. Are school SOL schedules considered in to the ODGSL schedule?
A. Unfortunately, no. SOL schedules were not available when the ODGSL schedule was made.
Q. Will there be games during Spring Break?
A. In short, no, but it depends on which association and which County you’re in. There will be no games for Ashland, Beaverdam, Bethlehem, Glen Allen, Rockville and Sandston Associations while Hanover and Henrico county schools are on Spring Break which is Saturday, April 8 – Sunday, April 16. There will be no games for New Kent while New Kent county schools are on Spring Break which is Saturday, April 15 – Sunday, April 23.
Q. Who should I contact if I have additional questions or would like to provide feedback on the schedule?
A. Please coordinate with your association’s ODGSL representative.
See the ODGSL web site to find your rep. See www.odgsl.com.