more MIAA...

[OB1]

Parents, you need to get ready for college. Soccer in HS and college is considered a non-revenue sport. Men's Football, Hockey, and Basketball are revenue sports and support the non-revenue sports like golf, baseball, track, swimming, soccer, etc.

Back in the dark ages when I was on a D1 team, it was made clear that the football and hockey programs got funded before any of the non-revenue sports and that we had funding through the revenue generated by those sports.

Fair doesn't enter into the picture. The AD's do their best to apportion the money.

Back in the day, we were happy to have uniforms, practice uniforms, equipment, lockers, showers, unlimited access to the training room, weight room and good practice facilities along with qualified coaches. They even washed our uniforms and practice uniforms, replacing worn items. That visiting football and basketball teams used our locker room was never a concern.

[Unregistered]

Ummm ... Thanks OB1. So, can you bring us back to why football is allowed to start a week earlier? Is it bc football is king and soccer should be happy to have their uniforms washed - like the good 'ol days?

[Unregistered]

Ummm ... Thanks OB1. So, can you bring us back to why football is allowed to start a week earlier? Is it bc football is king and soccer should be happy to have their uniforms washed - like the good 'ol days?

Once again, Football needs longer to prepare. Second, it is a collision sport where bad technique is very dangerous. Third, you can only play Fooball in season. There is no "club" football so all,of the prep and technique must be taught in season. Get over it. High school soccer pales in comparison to club. In actuality the vast majority of HS soccer is a huge step down in coaching and in competition.

[Unregistered]

Does anyone know when the prep schools are allowed to start their fall practices?

[Unregistered]

Revised divisions are published

MIAA soccer has their draft of what schools will be in what divisions for the 4-year cycle starting in 2017.
It looks like they are sticking with the D2-only-in-1/2-of-the-state arrangement. It would be better to go statewide for a few reasons, one of which is that the D2 winner is only an E.Mass. champion, though MIAA and whoever wins will always say they're a state champion.
Teams that move up to d1 (followed by their boys enrollment) include Lynn Classical(858), Chelsea(781), Latin School(765), Plymouth North(640), Hingham(602) and Sharon(592).
Teams that move down (but really should not because their enrollment exceeds many D2s) include Medford(711) and Somerville(653). North Andover(683), Woburn(668), Central Catholic(651), Reading(647), Masconomet(642), Winchester(629), Concord-Carlisle(608), Beverly(601), and Arlington (596) are others that should be in D1 since their enrollment exceeds D1s like Sharon(592) and Marlborough(514).
The number of teams per tournament is unbalanced as follows: D1 - 84 teams statewide, D2 - 55 teams only in E.Mass., D3 - 91 teams statewide, D4 - 102 teams statewide

[Unregistered]

Once again, Football needs longer to prepare. Second, it is a collision sport where bad technique is very dangerous. Third, you can only play Fooball in season. There is no "club" football so all,of the prep and technique must be taught in season. Get over it. High school soccer pales in comparison to club. In actuality the vast majority of HS soccer is a huge step down in coaching and in competition.

We might be getting off on a tangent. Lots of sports have outside clubs in which kids can participate. That doesn't affect how educators should look at the school-based activities they sponsor, such as athletics, and whether it's fair for one sport to have a season of different length than other sports. Educators can address the need for longer preparation for any sport while still have an equal length of season to be fair to all students.

[Unregistered]

Does anyone know when the prep schools are allowed to start their fall practices?

Nepsac doesn't over regulate petty stuff like that.

[Unregistered]

MIAA soccer has their draft of what schools will be in what divisions for the 4-year cycle starting in 2017.
It looks like they are sticking with the D2-only-in-1/2-of-the-state arrangement. It would be better to go statewide for a few reasons, one of which is that the D2 winner is only an E.Mass. champion, though MIAA and whoever wins will always say they're a state champion.
Teams that move up to d1 (followed by their boys enrollment) include Lynn Classical(858), Chelsea(781), Latin School(765), Plymouth North(640), Hingham(602) and Sharon(592).
Teams that move down (but really should not because their enrollment exceeds many D2s) include Medford(711) and Somerville(653). North Andover(683), Woburn(668), Central Catholic(651), Reading(647), Masconomet(642), Winchester(629), Concord-Carlisle(608), Beverly(601), and Arlington (596) are others that should be in D1 since their enrollment exceeds D1s like Sharon(592) and Marlborough(514).
The number of teams per tournament is unbalanced as follows: D1 - 84 teams statewide, D2 - 55 teams only in E.Mass., D3 - 91 teams statewide, D4 - 102 teams statewide

It would be great to see Miaa address those enrollment oddities, so that you could not have a d2 winner with a greater enrollment than the d1 winner. It can be done with a fresh perspective.

[Unregistered]

Here's what d1 should be:
West/Central (22 teams): Springfield Central, Chicopee Comp, Springfield Science, Springfield Commerce, Holyoke, Agawam, West Springfield, Minnechaug, Wachusett, Leominster, St Johns Shrewsbury, Doherty, Shrewsbury, Worcester North, Worcester South, Algonquin, Tantasqua, Fitchburg, Milford(566 boys), Framingham, Acton-Boxborough, Westford

North (22 teams): Lowell, Lawrence, St Johns Danvers, Lexington, Methuen, Haverhill, Lynn English, Peabody, Andover, Lynn Classical, Lincoln-Sudbury, Chelmsford, Medford, North Andover, Woburn, Central Catholic, Reading, Masconomet, Winchester, Concord-Carlisle, Beverly, Billerica(574)

South (22 teams): Brockton, New Bedford, Durfee, Weymouth, Taunton, Attleborough, Franklin, Braintree, Barnstable, Bridgewater-Raynham, King Philip, Marshfield, Mansfield, Plymouth North, Silver Lake, Hingham, Sharon, North Attleborough, Whitman-Hanson, Duxbury, Walpole, Oliver Ames(564)

Metro (22 teams): BC, Newton South, Needham, Quincy, Natick, Xaverian, Wellesley, North Quincy, Everett, Newton North, Cambridge, Brookline, Malden, Revere, East Boston, Chelsea, Boston Latin, Waltham, Somerville, Arlington, Belmont, Charlestown(558)

[Unregistered]

Here's what d1 should be:
West/Central (22 teams): Springfield Central, Chicopee Comp, Springfield Science, Springfield Commerce, Holyoke, Agawam, West Springfield, Minnechaug, Wachusett, Leominster, St Johns Shrewsbury, Doherty, Shrewsbury, Worcester North, Worcester South, Algonquin, Tantasqua, Fitchburg, Milford(566 boys), Framingham, Acton-Boxborough, Westford

North (22 teams): Lowell, Lawrence, St Johns Danvers, Lexington, Methuen, Haverhill, Lynn English, Peabody, Andover, Lynn Classical, Lincoln-Sudbury, Chelmsford, Medford, North Andover, Woburn, Central Catholic, Reading, Masconomet, Winchester, Concord-Carlisle, Beverly, Billerica(574)

South (22 teams): Brockton, New Bedford, Durfee, Weymouth, Taunton, Attleborough, Franklin, Braintree, Barnstable, Bridgewater-Raynham, King Philip, Marshfield, Mansfield, Plymouth North, Silver Lake, Hingham, Sharon, North Attleborough, Whitman-Hanson, Duxbury, Walpole, Oliver Ames(564)

Metro (22 teams): BC, Newton South, Needham, Quincy, Natick, Xaverian, Wellesley, North Quincy, Everett, Newton North, Cambridge, Brookline, Malden, Revere, East Boston, Chelsea, Boston Latin, Waltham, Somerville, Arlington, Belmont, Charlestown(558)

Looks good...roll with it.

[Unregistered]

Here's what d1 should be:
West/Central (22 teams): Springfield Central, Chicopee Comp, Springfield Science, Springfield Commerce, Holyoke, Agawam, West Springfield, Minnechaug, Wachusett, Leominster, St Johns Shrewsbury, Doherty, Shrewsbury, Worcester North, Worcester South, Algonquin, Tantasqua, Fitchburg, Milford(566 boys), Framingham, Acton-Boxborough, Westford

North (22 teams): Lowell, Lawrence, St Johns Danvers, Lexington, Methuen, Haverhill, Lynn English, Peabody, Andover, Lynn Classical, Lincoln-Sudbury, Chelmsford, Medford, North Andover, Woburn, Central Catholic, Reading, Masconomet, Winchester, Concord-Carlisle, Beverly, Billerica(574)

South (22 teams): Brockton, New Bedford, Durfee, Weymouth, Taunton, Attleborough, Franklin, Braintree, Barnstable, Bridgewater-Raynham, King Philip, Marshfield, Mansfield, Plymouth North, Silver Lake, Hingham, Sharon, North Attleborough, Whitman-Hanson, Duxbury, Walpole, Oliver Ames(564)

Metro (22 teams): BC, Newton South, Needham, Quincy, Natick, Xaverian, Wellesley, North Quincy, Everett, Newton North, Cambridge, Brookline, Malden, Revere, East Boston, Chelsea, Boston Latin, Waltham, Somerville, Arlington, Belmont, Charlestown(558)

Some might struggle with it, but mostly because it would be a change, and change can be hard. But the logic is impeccable:
- It puts the largest non-vo/tec schools in the state in d1. This is what most people think "d1" represents.
- With an equal number of teams in each region, approximately the same number from each region will qualify for tourney, so it increases fairness of each qualifier likely facing the same number of rounds.
- The number of teams, 22, suggests that each region will have about 16 qualifiers, which makes for full brackets. It lives with the imperfection that one year a region may have 14 and another 17, for example, but we've always had that, and to a much worse extent.
- It does not affect whether MIAA Soccer wants to continue with d2 for E.Mass. only, or got to 3 or 4 divisions statewide. All those can still be done.
- There will be a desire to assess travel. It would appear that the longest prospective matchup would be if Westfield had to go to Westford. That's 1-1/2 hours. There are a number of counter considerations to that: 1) MIAA soccer already accepts longer trips than that, for example Milford to Nauset is 1-3/4 hours; 2) many more tourney games are played under lights than when the current setup of regions was adopted, giving teams and spectators more flexibility in scheduling and attending games; 3) there might be many teams whose average expected travel would be less than currently, and that should be weighed as well. The concern about reducing overall use of non-renewable resources is a greater concern now than when the current pattern was adopted, and MIAA would be applauded by doing their part to address it.
- It fixes the dissatisfying potential result of having a Medford, Somerville, Masconomet or Concord-Carlisle (all high schools with 600+ boys and significant success in recent years) potentially winning E.Mass. D2, while a Nashoba, Sharon, Westborough or Northampton (all high schools with <600 boys) would be trying to advance in the D1 tourney, as is the case in the current proposal.
- It does not affect schools from appealing to play in D1 even if their enrollment is relatively low, such as Ludlow.

[Unregistered]

Originally Posted by Unregistered View Post
Here's what d1 should be:
West/Central (22 teams): Springfield Central, Chicopee Comp, Springfield Science, Springfield Commerce, Holyoke, Agawam, West Springfield, Minnechaug, Wachusett, Leominster, St Johns Shrewsbury, Doherty, Shrewsbury, Worcester North, Worcester South, Algonquin, Tantasqua, Fitchburg, Milford(566 boys), Framingham, Acton-Boxborough, Westford

North (22 teams): Lowell, Lawrence, St Johns Danvers, Lexington, Methuen, Haverhill, Lynn English, Peabody, Andover, Lynn Classical, Lincoln-Sudbury, Chelmsford, Medford, North Andover, Woburn, Central Catholic, Reading, Masconomet, Winchester, Concord-Carlisle, Beverly, Billerica(574)

South (22 teams): Brockton, New Bedford, Durfee, Weymouth, Taunton, Attleborough, Franklin, Braintree, Barnstable, Bridgewater-Raynham, King Philip, Marshfield, Mansfield, Plymouth North, Silver Lake, Hingham, Sharon, North Attleborough, Whitman-Hanson, Duxbury, Walpole, Oliver Ames(564)

Metro (22 teams): BC, Newton South, Needham, Quincy, Natick, Xaverian, Wellesley, North Quincy, Everett, Newton North, Cambridge, Brookline, Malden, Revere, East Boston, Chelsea, Boston Latin, Waltham, Somerville, Arlington, Belmont, Charlestown(558)
Some might struggle with it, but mostly because it would be a change, and change can be hard. But the logic is impeccable:
- It puts the largest non-vo/tec schools in the state in d1. This is what most people think "d1" represents.
- With an equal number of teams in each region, approximately the same number from each region will qualify for tourney, so it increases fairness of each qualifier likely facing the same number of rounds.
- The number of teams, 22, suggests that each region will have about 16 qualifiers, which makes for full brackets. It lives with the imperfection that one year a region may have 14 and another 17, for example, but we've always had that, and to a much worse extent.
- It does not affect whether MIAA Soccer wants to continue with d2 for E.Mass. only, or got to 3 or 4 divisions statewide. All those can still be done.
- There will be a desire to assess travel. It would appear that the longest prospective matchup would be if Westfield had to go to Westford. That's 1-1/2 hours. There are a number of counter considerations to that: 1) MIAA soccer already accepts longer trips than that, for example Milford to Nauset is 1-3/4 hours; 2) many more tourney games are played under lights than when the current setup of regions was adopted, giving teams and spectators more flexibility in scheduling and attending games; 3) there might be many teams whose average expected travel would be less than currently, and that should be weighed as well. The concern about reducing overall use of non-renewable resources is a greater concern now than when the current pattern was adopted, and MIAA would be applauded by doing their part to address it.
- It fixes the dissatisfying potential result of having a Medford, Somerville, Masconomet or Concord-Carlisle (all high schools with 600+ boys and significant success in recent years) potentially winning E.Mass. D2, while a Nashoba, Sharon, Westborough or Northampton (all high schools with <600 boys) would be trying to advance in the D1 tourney, as is the case in the current proposal.
- It does not affect schools from appealing to play in D1 even if their enrollment is relatively low, such as Ludlow.

The above has a lot of merit. Other than a selected tournament, which soccer had in its early days and went away from, could someone propose this to MIAA soccer committee?

[Unregistered]

Seems strange to read an informed and rational exchange of comments about soccer here.

[Unregistered]

Seems strange to read an informed and rational exchange of comments about soccer here.

All comments pertaining to the MIAA are rational since the MIAA is consistently so far off the reservation.