FAQ   OMSA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Question: I am concerned with providing my child's birth certificate to your organization with all of the identity theft that is occurring. What becomes of the birth certificates once the OMSA Tournament is over? Answer: The OMSA Board is also very concerned with this topic and takes extreme care with safe guarding the waivers and birth certificates in their possession. We therefore recommend that only copies of the birth certificates be submitted. We will maintain the birth certificates for a period no longer than 30 days after the tournament and will then shred them. If any parents wants to blacken out the mother's maiden name since this name is routinely asked for when applying for credit cards or loans we will have no problems with this practice. Birth certificates for Peotone teams will be maintained for one year.   Question: Are there any restrictions on where I can get my players from? Answer: Our OMSA Tournament has always included players from the surrounding communities. The intention is to build a competitive and lively rivalry between local towns. We therefore ask that teams be comprised of players from the respective school district that your town is located in. We do not allow teams to pull players from other communities that are not a part of that school district.   Question: What is the definition of a club / traveling player? Answer: A club / traveling player is defined as being on a club or traveling team and is active the fall season of this year. If a player was on a club / traveling team last spring but not this fall season they would not be considered a club / traveling player.   Question: How do you monitor if teams have more than the allowable club / traveling players? Answer: We use the honor system to monitor this and really have no way to validate with full confidence. What seems to happen is people know players on traveling teams such as USSA and Magic. If it is brought to the attention of the OMSA Board that a team might be in violation of our rules we will approach the team to confirm. If a team is in violation they will have to forfeit any of their games played and will need to adjust their team players prior to their next game.   Question: Why aren't more club / traveling players allowed on each team? Answer: The spirit and tradition of OMSA has been to bring teams together from the local communities to compete. We are looking to provide that opportunity to many players in anticipation that these players will continue to play soccer through grade school and into their high school years. Each team has the option of utilizing a limited number of club / traveling players not to exceed 5 for U8 and U10 or 6 for U12 and U14.   Question: Do the players that I select for my OMSA Team have to be registered and playing for MYSA (Manteno Youth Soccer Association)? Answer: No. OMSA and MYSA are two separate organizations that have separate rules.   Question: Can a player play on more than one team in the same OMSA Tournament? Answer: A player can only appear on one roster. We are promoting and encouraging as many players as possible to be able to participate in the OMSA Tournament.   Question: Is there a minimum age that a player must be in order to participate on the U8 Answer: There is no minimum age requirement. Obviously, for the safety of the children, their size and skill level should warrant such a consideration. We also encourage as many children as possible to play within their own age group.   Question: Can a younger player (e.g., U8) play up a level (e.g., U10)? Answer: Technically, we do not have any restrictions about a player playing up a level. We do however encourage teams to follow the guideline of having children play within their respective age group. This provides other players the opportunities to make the team and not get replaced by a younger player. Also, we are concerned about the safety of the younger player playing with older and possibly stronger players.   Question: I am confused as to the cut off date regarding the birth date of August 1. Can you provide me examples? Answer: See the grid below for examples for 2008 OMSA tournament. Division Birthday Range U8 8/2/2000 through 8/1/2002 U10 8/2/1997 through 8/1/2000 U12 8/2/1996 through 8/1/1998 U14 8/2/1994 through 8/1/1996   Question: What size soccer balls are used and does it vary by the age group? Answer: Size 4 ball is required for U8, U10 and U12. Size 5 ball is used for U14.   Question: Who provides the game ball? Answer: The designated home team is requested to provide the game ball for each game.   Question: Is slide tackling allowed in any of the age groups? Answer: We will be following IHSA rules (high school) for all age groups so legal slide tackling is permitted.   Question: Will a player be allowed to play if they have a cast on an arm or hand? Answer: We will allow players to play if the arm or hand is wrapped (e.g., foam, bubble wrap, padded with cloth, etc.) so no exposed hard cast is available. We will also need a doctor's release which should be with the coach at all times and shown to the referee before each game and shown at time of registration check-in. The player needs to be instructed to not extend the arm to avoid dangerous situations. If the referee sees this occurring, the player maybe removed from that game. We ask that the players and parents keep in mind that an injury to this player is possible and that OMSA is not held liable for any injuries.   Question: Can our team bring a travel trailer to the park in case of cold or rainy weather? Answer: Yes you can bring the trailer and leave it over night. There is no formal security for the Will County parking lot other than general police. They normally don't go through the parking lot much so the trailer owner will be responsible. Please insure the area is kept clean. We will have a concession stand that we would encourage all to support. It helps raise funds for our non-profit group. In prior years we have had some fairly large cookouts organized around the travel trailers. When that is done on a small scale it doesn't impact us very much. If it is done on a larger scale it has a noticeable impact. We have had problems with the trailers connecting up with the electricity provided in the shelters and causing an overflow and shortage. We ask that you do not run extension cords to the shelters for electricity.   Question: What does OMSA do with their profits? Answer: We develop and foster youth soccer in the greater Peotone area by providing nets and other supplies. We established an ongoing scholarship program for a graduating Peotone High School male and female.   Question: If we have registered our team on the Old Mill Website and want to make changes to the players or coaches how can this be accomplished? Answer: Once a team is registered on the website, you will not be able to make changes directly on the website. You will need to have the coach email our President and V.P. with any changes and we will go into the system and make those changes. Keep in mind that we do have cut off dates for getting our programs printed and these changes might not make it into the final program.   Question: Once we have registered our team on the website, mailed in a check for the registration fee and provided our birth certificates and waivers is there anything else we need to do? Answer: Yes you will need to stop by the OMSA Registration Tent approximately one hour prior to your first scheduled game to pickup a tournament bag with programs for every player, to check in your team and obtain any other instructions or notices.   Question: Is there a medical team available the day of the tournament? Answer: No we do not have an ambulance or trainer on site for the tournament. We do have a first aid kit and limited number of ice packs available at the OMSA Registration Tent. Peotone does have a fire department and ambulance available and if you think they are needed, please dial 911 first and then send someone up to the OMSA Registration Tent to report the problem.