Fall practices

Last year some of you posted the guidelines for fall practices. I remember the number 21, but don't recall if that is the # of practices that are allowed before the 1st game, or the # of days before the 1st game that practices can begin. Probably neither.

Since as of tomorrow we will be in August, and the 1st game is scheduled for 8/22, I expect the formal practices either have already begun or will begin next week, probably 8/3. From other posts informal practices have been going on for a while. When does the "real" stuff begin? Those of you with inside information can probably supply the details.

Like many others of you I eagerly await the start of the season.

17.20.2 Preseason Practice. A member institution shall not commence practice sessions in soccer prior
to the date that permits a maximum of 21 units (see Bylaw 17.02.11) prior to the first scheduled intercollegiate
contest. (Revised: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/91, 1/14/97 effective 8/1/97, 4/14/03)


17.02.11 Practice units. In determining the first permissible preseason practice date, an institution shall
count back from its first scheduled contest, one unit for each day beginning with the opening of classes, one unit
for each day classes are not in session in the week of the first scheduled intercollegiate contest and two units for
each other day in the preseason practice period, except that the institution shall not count any units during the
preseason when all institutional dormitories are closed, the institution’s team must leave campus, and practice is
not conducted. (Adopted: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/91; Revised: 1/10/92, 4/14/03)
17.02.11.1 Sunday. Sundays are excluded from the counting. (Adopted: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/91)
17.02.11.2 Week. The “week” of the first scheduled intercollegiate contest is defined as the six days, exclud-
ing Sunday, preceding the date of competition (even if one or more of the days fall into different traditional
calendar weeks). (Adopted: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/91)

The first allowed game this year is Friday the 21st, but we start the 22nd.


Since Sundays aren't counted and there three of those, it looks like they could start practices now or might even have started already.
A clue might come from looking at the summer league games tonight. They played 8v8 and 7v7, so lots of kids went away, probably to start practices at their own schools.


For the men, the first allowed game this year is September 1st, except that they can play an alumni game the Friday before. So the women will be practicing by themselves for the first 10 days or so.


Anybody know what time the men and women practice? in past years, they alternated times. I presume they will again once the men start.

It would be interesting to see the definition of "Practice Session." I'm pretty sure that players can go out and practice as a group, without school coaching, without limit (although maybe I could be wrong?). I'm guessing this is something the team captains could organize? And I don't know about conditioning work and how that relates.

Reading all those rules is kind of like reading the Byzantine legal code. but I'll quote enough of it to give you a taste.

There appears to be two seasons during which a player can officially practice 20 hours per week (the playing season and spring ball), and is restricted to 8 hours per week the rest of the year when you are talking about countable practice (basically required and with coaches). During the 8 hour segments, the coaches only get 2 hrs per week for skill building. the rest is conditioning.

The exception is the preseason if it is before classes, when there is no limit.

17.02.1 Countable Athletically related Activities. Countable athletically related activities include
any required activity with an athletics purpose involving student-athletes and at the direction of, or supervised by
one or more of an institution’s coaching staff (including strength and conditioning coaches) and must be counted
within the weekly and daily limitations under Bylaw 17.1.6.1 and 17.1.6.2. Administrative activities (e.g., aca-
demic meetings, compliance meetings) shall not be considered as counta (Adopted: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/91; Revised: 10/31/02 effective 8/1/03)

17.1.6.1 Daily and Weekly Hour Limitations—Playing Season. A student-athlete’s participation in
countable athletically related activities (see Bylaw 17.02.1) shall be limited to a maximum of four hours per day
and 20 hours per week. (Adopted: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/91)

17.1.6.2 Weekly Hour Limitations—Outside the Playing Season. (Adopted: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/91;
Revised: 1/10/95 effective 8/1/95, 1/14/97, 11/1/00, 10/31/02 effective 8/1/03, 3/10/04)
(a) Sports other than Football. Outside of the playing season, from the institution’s first day of classes
of the academic year or September 15, whichever occurs earlier, to one week prior to the beginning of
the institution’s final examination period at the conclusion of the academic year, only a student-athlete’s
participation in required weight-training, conditioning and skill-related instruction shall be permitted. A
student-athlete’s participation in such activities per Bylaw 17.02.1 shall be limited to a maximum of eight
hours per week with not more than two hours per week spent on skill-related workouts. All athletically
related activities outside the playing season are prohibited one week prior to the beginning of the final
examination period for the applicable academic term through the conclusion of each student-athlete’s
final exams. (Revised: 4/27/06 effective 8/1/06; 9/22/06)

17.19.6 out-of-season Athletically related Activities. Student-athletes and members of the coach-
ing staff at the student-athlete’s institution shall not engage in countable athletically related activities (see Bylaw
17.02.1) outside the institution’s declared playing season per Bylaw 17.19.1 except as permitted in Bylaws 17.1.6.2
and 17.1.6.2.2. (Revised: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/91)

17.19.6.1 Summer Practice. Practice that is organized or financially supported by a member institution
shall be prohibited during the summer unless specifically authorized in the bylaws (e.g., foreign tour) or through
official interpretations. An institution may pay fees associated with the use of institutional practice and com-
petition facilities by student-athletes engaged in voluntary athletically related activities in their sport. (Revised:
1/10/91 effective 8/1/91, 1/10/92, 4/28/05, 11/1/07 effective 8/1/08)

17.19.6.1.1 Summer-Workout Sessions. A coach may participate in individual-workout sessions
with student-athletes from the coach’s team during the summer, provided the request for such assistance is
initiated by the student-athlete. (Adopted: 1/10/92, Revised: 1/11/94, 4/28/05)

17.1.6.3.5 Preseason Practice. Daily and weekly hour limitations do not apply to countable athleti-
cally related activities occurring during preseason practice prior to the first day of classes or the first sched-
uled contest, whichever is earlier. (Adopted: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/91)

There is a category that relates to voluntary activities. I don't think there are limits, but they can't be required or monitored.

17.02.13 voluntary Athletically related Activities. In order for any athletically related activity to be
considered “voluntary,” all of the following conditions must be met: (Adopted: 4/18/01)
(a) The student-athlete must not be required to report back to a coach or other athletics department staff mem-
ber (e.g., strength coach, trainer, manager) any information related to the activity. In addition, no athletics
department staff member who observes the activity (e.g., strength coach, trainer, manager) may report back
to the student-athlete’s coach any information related to the activity;
(b) The activity must be initiated and requested solely by the student-athlete. Neither the institution nor any
athletics department staff member may require the student-athlete to participate in the activity at any time.
However, it is permissible for an athletics department staff member to provide information to student-athletes
related to available opportunities for participating in voluntary activities (e.g., times when the strength and
conditioning coach will be on duty in the weight room or on the track). In addition, for students who have
initiated a request to engage in voluntary activities, the institution or an athletics department staff member
may assign specific times for student-athletes to use institutional facilities for such purposes and inform the
student-athletes of the time in advance;
(c) The student-athlete’s attendance and participation in the activity (or lack thereof) may not be recorded for the
purposes of reporting such information to coaching staff members or other student-athletes; and
(d) The student-athlete may not be subjected to penalty if he or she elects not to participate in the activity.
In addition, neither the institution nor any athletics department staff member may provide recognition or
incentives (e.g., awards) to a student-athlete based on his or her attendance or performance in the activity.
[Note: Coaching staff members may be present during permissible skill-related instruction pursuant to Bylaw
17.1.6.2.2] (Revised: 4/29/04 effective 8/1/04)

So I guess it's don't ask don't tell. I like the part about the coaches being able to tell players about available opportunities. It doesn't look like coaches can participate at all in these, though the strength and conditioning people and trainers can. If they do, they can't report back to the coach.

My guess that peer pressure and team captains are charged with keeping everyone focussed in the unsupervised times. I'm also guessing that these kids are pretty focussed to start with.

I also think that any National team duty is exempted from any of these limitations. It would seem to be a big advantage to get on a team.

Thanks, Geez. It's pretty much what I expected -- lots of room to do things, if everyone's well educated on how to fit within the rules.

Anyone find out about practice times since they are starting about now?

Apparently they won't officially be starting for a week or so. It looks like the Men and Women will start up at about the same time. Stay tuned.