AYSO Region 183 Weather and Game Cancellation Policy
- When lightening is seen or thunder is heard, games or practices must immediately be suspended. This means that lightening is within striking distance.–seek shelter immediately.
- Do not wait for the rain to start before seeking shelter, and do not leave shelter just because the rain has ended. Enact the safety plan now!
- Restart games after no thunder has been heard and no lightening has been seen for 30 minutes Yes, this seems long, but see below...
Most people struck by lightning are struck not at the height of a thunderstorm, but before and after the storms have peaked. This is because lightning can strike as far as 10 miles from the area where it is raining.
Areas considered safe
- Inside a fully enclosed metal vehicle with windows up
- Inside a substantial building (roof and four walls)
Unsafe Areas
- Small buildings including picnic shelters and the open area of a concession stand
- Anywhere near metallic objects like flagpoles, antennas, towers, underground watering systems, soccer goals, metal bleachers, electric equipment
- Open fields, trees and water
Games
Event administrators, Regional Commissioners, Coach Administrator, Referee Administrator or referees will have the authority, to delay the start of play, call a halt in play or suspend/terminate a game due to severe weather conditions.
- During games, the coaches are responsible for making sure their teams leave the field. The referee (both teams’ coaches if there is no referee) will decide if and when a game will resume after the 30 minute period.
- However, since all games must end no later than 5 minutes before the starting time of the next game, if there is less than 35 minutes until the starting time of the next game, the game will not resume.
- If there is enough time to resume play, coaches must adjust playing time so that every player still plays at least ½ of the total playing time. Referees and coaches must work together regarding a substitution stoppage to allow this to happen. The game must still end 5 minutes before the starting time of the next game.
Practices
During practices, a team’s coach is responsible for clearing the field and then deciding if and when to resume practice after the 30 minute period.
Cancellation Communications
While every attempt is made to move forward and get the games/practices in, sometimes it just is not possible. Not sure if you've tried it, but weather prediction is not an easy thing to do, we hope to make the right call most of the time, but will exercise an abundance of caution always in regards to player safety and protecting our fields.
Games
Games cannot be cancelled by coaches, but might be cancelled by the Region in advance if it is determined that weather and/or field conditions are unsafe.
- AYSO Region 183 will communicate any advance game cancellations as quickly as possible. Please check email, this Region's website, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AYSORegion183PetersonPark , Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ayso183/, and X @AYSORegion183. Coaches will be quickly informed about these cancellations and are responsible for communicating that to their teams’ families.
- Games can be played when it is raining without any lightning or thunder and under other weather conditions, but a referee who determines that the field condition is unsafe or that the field is unplayable has the discretion to cancel or end the game early. The Region might also determine this even though play has started.
- Make up of cancelled games is not possible for our core program at lower levels. Some inter-regional games are re-scheduled at the discretion of the coaches.