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TABLE OF CONTENTS WHAT’S INSIDE
About TCSL............................................................................. 5 Be Ready to Play.................................................................. 6 Player Health & Safety...................................................... 8 The Club Pass....................................................................... 9 Scores & Standings...........................................................10 Sideline Culture................................................................... 12 Respect the Ref...................................................................15 The Postseason...................................................................16 Information & Resources................................................18
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ABOUT TCSL RAISE THE LEVEL
OUR MISSION
Serving clubs with deep expertise.
Twin Cities Soccer Leagues (TCSL) serves member clubs with the competition structures, operational support, and programming they need to focus on what they do best — developing players and building community — while raising the level of the game for every club, player, coach, and referee we serve.
OUR VISION
The standard for youth soccer.
To be the standard for youth soccer — trusted across the Twin Cities and beyond, built on innovation and excellence.
OUR VALUES
What we stand for. Collaboration
Listening first, we make shared decisions based on trust and transparency. We are as strong as the relationships among our staff, member clubs and partners.
Sportsmanship
We encourage and celebrate respect among clubs, players, parents, coaches, and referees.
Competition
We believe that appropriate competition is a cornerstone of player development and a sound soccer environment.
Excellence
We evolve and grow, on and off the field, to raise the level of the game for all. 5
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BE READY TO PLAY WHAT TO WEAR
HOME KITS
For each of your HOME matches, your team must wear the following kit colors. The AWAY team should plan to wear a contrasting color.
**Small modifications may be made to this graphic after this Guide’s publication
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BE READY TO PLAY DIGITAL GAME DAY
New for Fall 2026, TCSL and N1 teams will migrate to an all-new digital game day experience. Game day to-do list: • Add CP players in GotSport online • Set roster of attending players online or in GotSport Live App • Home team provides QR code to match officials at the field • Match officials check in teams digitally • Match officials submit score and match report digitally following match
Watch the Game Day Team Webinar Learn more about Game Day processes
WATCH YOUR LEAGUE WEBINAR
TCSL EDUCATION CENTER
• First-of-its-kind resource for team coaches, managers, club staff and referees • Prioritize watching your respective webinar before your season kicks off
Access the TCSL Education Center
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PLAYER HEALTH & SAFETY
OUR #1 PRIORITY ON AND OFF THE FIELD All coaches and managers must complete the US Club Soccer adult registration. There are NO EXCEPTIONS. Requirements include: • Background screening • Disqualification review • SafeSport training All coaches and managers must have a printed US Club Soccer pass, issued by your Club.
Registration information
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THE CLUB PASS
SUPPORTING PLAYER DEVELOPMENT TCSL, with club director support, made changes to the “Club Pass” (CP) rule in the Fall of 2023. These rules align with the desire to ensure that the TCSL experience is a sound one for the players. Applicable to U11-U19 age groups only: • Within their age group, players are permitted to “play down” one competitive level below their primary roster competitive level, where they are listed as a Primary (“P”) player. • Players are permitted to play up an age group without restriction. This rule allows for appropriate player movement and supports clubs being able to be flexible in their approach to building match day rosters. At the same time, the CP rule also protects the integrity of scheduled games being played between teams of a like level. Teams are responsible for ensuring that match day rosters are compliant with this rule. For more information, view the TCSL Rules Handbook on our website.
TCSL Rules Handbook
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SCORES & STANDINGS TRACKING RESULTS FROM THE PITCH Scores and current league standings are publicly available for U11-U14 teams.
2026 Fall League standings Learn more about understanding the league standings table
NEW FOR FALL 2026
Digital game day through the GotSport Live app puts scoring and match reporting at match officials’ fingertips with the QR code provided pre-game by the home team.
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SIDELINE CULTURE
SET AN EXAMPLE FOR OUR PLAYERS
We believe that a positive gameday experience is critical to the health of youth soccer. • A positive sideline culture will keep more players playing. • A positive sideline culture will keep more referees refereeing. • A positive sideline culture will keep more coaches coaching. Most importantly, it creates an enviroment most beneficial to the players.
Code of conduct
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Match feedback
SHARING FEEDBACK FROM THE PITCH
Players/Parents/Spectators Bring feedback about game day experiences to their coach(es)
> > Coaches Responsible for collecting/reporting issues to their Club leadership
> > Club Responsible for evaluating issues and bringing concerns to TCSL
> > League Responsible for listening and collaborating with Club to address feedback
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RESPECT THE REF
HELP US BUILD A POSITIVE CULTURE Coaches should GREET the referee at EVERY match. Thank them for coming. Set the tone for the culture of the match. • There is a referee shortage. We need to encourage our referees to stay part of the game, instead of giving them reasons to leave. • Referees will make mistakes. They are learning, just like our players. • Decisions are made in the moment and are final. Please understand that angles are critical to decision making, and your angle might have differed from the angle of the referee. • Be empathetic. The referee is a son, daughter, mother, father or grandparent. What if they were yours? • Perspective is important. Ten years from now, your child will remember the friendships they made and their love for the game. They won’t remember a call in a specific match. Please help us be a part of the solution by creating a match day experience that is supporting of EVERYONE.
Respect the Ref initiative
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THE POSTSEASON
FINISH YOUR SEASON IN STYLE
FALL FESTIVAL
Location: National Sports Center (grass fields)
U9/U10
• BOYS - October 10 • GIRLS - October 11 All teams play 3 MATCHES
U8-TCSL Fives
• ALL GAMES - October 10 All teams play 2 MATCHES
Information and registration
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FALL FINAL 4 OCTOBER 9-11 U11-U14 TSCL Fall League Teams Location: National Sports Center Turf Fields All teams play 2 matches
Semi-finals, Finals, Third place
HOW IT WORKS Top 4 teams in each age/gender/ division automatically qualify Division A Team 1 4-0 Team 2 4-0 Team 3 0-3
Division B Division C Team 1 4-0 Team 1 3-1 Team 2 2-2 Team 2 2-2 Team 3 0-4 Team 3 1-3
QUALIFY Team 1 Team 1 Team 1 Team 2
Final 4 information
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INFORMATION & RESOURCES • Fall TCSL schedules & results • TCSL Help Center (remodel in progress) • Respect the Ref initiative
• Team of the Week nomination • Events
Stay in the game. Follow TCSL on social media. @tcslsoccer
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@tcslsoccer
Twin Cities Soccer Leagues