Wael Athimni 26
Jay Crier 17
Darrel Birch 15
Marc-Andre Daoust 15
Carsten Sachse 13

The Annual General Meeting for BA Soccer will be held Thursday February 2nd, 2012 at the pub after the Thursday evening games in the dome. We will aim for a start time of 9.20 pm.

Items that players have brought forward for discussion include:
-for the indoor season the number of players per team should be reduced to ten from the current eleven players per team, and the cost per player would need to be increased by ten percent.
-the “guest” player clause should apply only to the outdoor season, since there are already too many players present each game during the indoor season (effective the indoor season of winter 2012-2013 and beyond)
-if a keeper is shown the red card and dismissed from a game, then the team should not be eligible to use a spare keeper from the spares list during playoffs
- the age restriction to join BA Soccer is currently at 25; this should be increased to 35, or 30
- annual review of the father-son clause
-if a key player on a team is going to be absent for an extended period of time then at the discretion of the executive and the spares manager a spare can be assigned to the team during that player’s absence without regard to the normal spares limitations on numbers.

In addition we’ll have an update on recent projected changes to the constitution of the OGSC – Ottawa Gloucester Soccer Club (formerly OSA) and clarification on the status of the BA Soccer-OGSC link, and consider any updates to our constitution to account for modifications.

The meeting will review the financial statements for indoor season 2010-2011 and for summer 2011 and will set the fees payable for summer 2012.
2010-11_indoor_FinancialStatements.pdf
Motion to consider retroactive reductions for LMB members in their registration fees paid for summer 2011, plus a related constitution update.

Election of executives
Some of the current board are retiring.
So, if you are nominated, please consider agreeing to make yourself available for election.
So far the members who have accepted nominations to stand for election are:
director of discipline – Phil Russell
summer 2012 treasurer – Paul Stanisci
winter 2012-13 treasurer –
summer 2012 vice president – Steve Cock
summer 2012 vice-president – Ray Martel, Dany Paraschivoiu
winter 2012-13 vice president – Ray Martel, Dany Paraschivoiu
winter 2012-13 vice president –
summer 2012 v.p spares – Jean-Charles Bernard
president – Carsten Sachse

Between last Thursday and this Monday a change was made to the schedule of what time games are played. Please check again before showing up at the dome to ensure you know what time your game is this week.
Games
Your match may have shifted from either 8pm to 7 pm or from 7pm to 8 pm. Most teams stayed as before, but it was necessary to switch some matches around.
Make it a habit to check every week for this possibility of changed times please.

Season starts Thursday November 3rd at either 7pm or 8pm; check the Games section of the site.
We are in the final stages of posting players on the Teams page.
Your manager will contact you soon.

Make sure you let your manager know in advance if you will be absent so that he can arrange to request a player from the spares list to bolster numbers if required. If you repeatedly miss without informing your manager in advance that you can’t make it to play we reserve the right to give you a partial refund and take you off the team.

PLEASE ALSO REMEMBER THAT THE TEAMS ARE NOT YET SET IN STONE. WE WANT THE TEAMS TO BE BALANCED IN STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES AND IF MANAGEMENT PERCEIVES THAT ONE TEAM IS CLEARLY TOO STRONG OR CLEARLY TOO WEAK, WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REASSIGN PLAYERS FROM ONE TEAM TO ANOTHER. It’s tough to ensure the teams are properly balanced ahead of the season start date when we do not yet know how capable, fast or fit the players who are new to the league will prove to be. Thanks for your understanding in this regard.

These games are followed by the final at 11.10 am on Potvin SE between the team which finishes at the top of pool A playing the team at the top of pool B. Five of six teams are in contention going into the Saturday morning matches.
All players from all teams are then invited to the Blackburn Arms pub for the presentation of the end of season Founders’ Cup trophy and winners’ sweatshirts. Lunch will be provided by the pub.
Congratulations Rob Ward and his players.

UPDATE: Monday 3-Oct 9am, The roster is FULL: 88 (of 88) positions filled.
Please contact us if you would like to be assigned to the spares / call-up list for when a team has too many players expected to be absent. We have space and need for a few more spares.

winter_2011-12_registration_form.pdf

All team pictures now on the Teams page.

After a tight year of competion, it came down to the last game of the regular season between England and Spain. After a hard fought contest England was able to sneek out a 1-0 win. Congratulations to the regular season champions England managed by Mark Meng.

England cup picture

As we have come to the end of the season, the race for the boot is complete.
Congratulations to the 2011 Golden boot winner Mike Lorenz

The regular season resumes at Potvin Saturday September 10.

Fall-winter season registration forms are available from your manager for those who will be signing up for the upcoming indoor season which will run Thursday evenings in the Hornets Nest dome from November till the end April 2012. Please let the executive know if you are willing to volunteer for processing indoor season registrations.

Note: The Blackburn Arms Soccer League is for men 25+ years of age (18+ in the case of goalkeepers)
The average age of our existing players is 41.
Outdoor games are played Saturdays 10 a.m. until noon late May till late fall. We never schedule games to be played on long weekends. Most games are played at the Potvin fields. All players are ranked on their skill level and distributed as equally as possible between all six outdoor season teams.

Well done Mike Murphy and team USA on winning the playoff season final two-nil over Brazil.

The indoor season final will be played at 8 pm April 28th between Brazil who finished the round robin stage of the playoffs at the top of pool A and USA at the top of pool B.
The three consolation game friendlies will precede the final at 7 pm the same evening.

Congratulations to Carsten Sachse’s Italy on winning the regular season league title.

In accordance with the new rules agreed at the most recent AGM the golden boot award stats calculations now end at the finish of the regular season and goals scored in the playoff round no longer count.. congratulations Darrell Birch on winning the title for the second indoor season in a row.

Players: please remember that attendance is more critical during playoffs than during the regular season, as spares are not permitted to participate in playoff games. The only exception would be a spare keeper being allowed to replace an absent keeper, but even this is only if a spare keeper from the existing spares list is available. Teams are not allowed to borrow a keeper from an opposing team during the playoffs.

BA Soccer will hold its Annual General Meeting after the Thursday February 17 indoor season games.
Please plan to attend. We’ll meet at the pub and the meeting will commence about 9.20 pm.

Several players have brought forward items they would like the membership to consider

- the league standings first tie-breaker should be head-to-head win tie loss record rather than goal differential. This would remove the incentive to a team to run up scores.
- the league golden boot award should be shelved, in order to remove the incentive to run up scores
- the goalkeeping award should be converted into a team award to recognise the joint efforts of keeper and defence, and awarded to the team with the lowest goals against record. Or alternatively no award in this area at all. Or maybe a team award to the team with the lowest number of yellow cards through the season.
- Rebalancing of team strengths should be accomplished by adding players from the spares list to a team if necessary, not by moving a player from one team to another mid-season.
- The position of summer treasurer and winter treasurer has already been split into two separate and distinct positions in the league in order to accomodate efforts to “spread the load”. The league needs to consider what other administrative and executive functions could be split over the seasons.

winter_2009-10_financial_statements.pdf
summer_2010_financial_statements.pdf

The meeting will take up the treasurers’ reports (linked above)and set fees for the upcoming summer season.

Next year’s board will be elected.
Please consider making yourself available for an administrative role in the league and for election to the executive.

The BA Soccer indoor season will run on Thursday evenings in the Gloucester Superdome at Hornets Nest. Games will run either 7 pm till 7.55 pm or 8 pm till 8.55 pm and apart from a break between Christmas and New Year we will play every Thursday evening from November 11 through to the last Thursday in April 2011.
If you cannot make it to a game, you MUST let your manager know in advance.
If the manager knows numerous regular players will be unable to play he can request a spare player to bolster the team’s numbers. If you are repeatedly remiss in this requirement to keep your manager informed we reserve the right to place you on the spares list and let someone from the spares list join the team full time in your place. Policy is three strikes you’re out.

The schedules of future games may change in the weeks ahead (click on games tab to the left to access the schedules). The only way you will know what time to show up is to keep a close watch on the schedule consulting it in advance each week. It may occasionally be necessary to alter your planned kick-off time (especially in the case of games requiring a spare keeper to play for the team), so on an ongoing basis please keep a look-out for possible scheduling modifications.

Note: The Blackburn Arms Soccer League is for men 25+ years of age (18+ in the case of goalkeepers)
All players are ranked on their skill level and distributed as equally as possible between all eight teams. Average age is 41.

Outdoor season games are played Saturdays at 10 a.m. until noon. Most games are played at the Potvin fields.

Spares pay $20 to register plus $10 each game played to contribute towards dome rental and referee fees.

Winter_2010-11_Registration_form.pdf

Game sheet:
game_sheet_2010-2011_indoor.pdf

In a tightly contested game that ended full time at nil-nil and extra time still tied nil-nil, the champions’ cup final went to FIFA rules penalty shoot out.
Nerves on the part of the shooters and nimble reflexes on the part of the keepers kept the shootout going and going and going till finally red’s count went ahead of silver’s, winning Red Rotten Tomatoes the tournament trophy. Well done to Carsten Sachse and his players.

With their win over the red team on Saturday 18 September, the yellow team, Gold Dust, has secured their position at the top of the league standings table for the regular season. Congratulations manager Mark Meng and players.

Rob Beanlands, who purchased the defibrilator we all hope will never need to be used, will be giving instruction on its use at the Potvin fields at 9 am May 29th. Managers are requested to attend, and all others interested and or concerned are welcome too.

Congratulations to Andrew Proctor and his light-green shirted Montserrat team for ending at the top of the regular season standings of the 2009-2010 indoor season. Notwithstanding the lower accumulation of points from the start in November 2009 your perseverence won through with your string of wins in 2010 pushing you through to the top.
Congratulations to Greg Leger and his yellow shirted Brazil on their victory in the playoffs cup final. Darryl, congratulations on winning the golden boot, and speedy recovery from your injury !

To be admitted to this league, you’re expected to be recognized as someone who does everything he can to respect the safety and enjoyment of other players. That means if, in the opinion of the league executive and its prior season managers, you have or gain a reputation as a player who regularly a) makes careless or reckless tackles because you’re overly competitive, b) makes careless or reckless tackles because you can’t recognize that your lack of experience should prevent you from trying any such sort of contact in the first place, c) berates and badgers teammates, opponents and referees and c) plays selfishly or with no consideration for lesser skilled teammates, your application to play will be turned down, or your playing privileges withdrawn, as circumstances warrant.

The BA Soccer League does not suffer brutes, butchers and boors. To be accepted into and kept in this league, you have to be seen as someone that everyone likes to play with and referee for, because you compete fairly, respect everyone, do everything in your power to avoid hurting or insulting others, and show remorse if ever you slip up on that front. If your profile doesn’t fit these criteria, the league executive, in consultation with its prior season managers, will turn down your application or eject you from the league, as applicable. Bad behaviour turns us off as much as good beer turns us on: keep this in mind as you complete your registration.

The league is now full. However we can still accept a few more spares players. If a team is very short of players they can request players from the spares list to help out for that particular game. Also in the event one of the full-time players is hurt or moves to a new job outside Ottawa, and decides to withdraw, that would open up an opportunity for a player on the spares list to move full time onto a team. In prior years there have always been plenty of opportunities for spares players to become full time players part way through the season. By the end of the season almost all players who initially signed on as spares wanting to join a team full time had done so.

Note: The Blackburn Arms Soccer League is for men 25+ years of age (18+ in the case of goalkeepers)
The average age of our existing players is 41.
Outdoor games are played Saturdays 10 a.m. until noon late May till late fall. We never play on long weekends. Most games are played at the Potvin fields. All players are ranked on their skill level and distributed as equally as possible between all six teams.

U25 men and women, interested in playing in the summer please visit http://www.promotionscanada.biz/pythonSoccer.htm
(message posted at the request of the Gloucester Pythons)

This year’s AGM will be held, as usual, at the Blackburn Arms Pub, once indoor season players have arrived from the dome after their Thursday evening games.

Please plan to attend, ready to guide your executive on the direction you want your league to take going forward. Please also consider offering your services in some volunteer capacity. We need to spread the load of reponsibility for the running of the league more widely. PHIL RUSSELL WAS ELECTED AS AN ADDITIONAL VICE PRESIDENT, PLUS OTHER VOLUNTEERS WILL TAKE ON RESPONSIBILITIES
SEE POSTED LIST BELOW: PLEASE VOLUNTEER – SEE STEVE / E-MAIL STEVE

1) TROPHIES COORDINATOR: THIS INCLUDES TAKING EXISTING TROPHIES TO THE ENGRAVER TO GET TEAM NAMES AND PLAYER NAMES ADDED, AND PICK-UP AFTER THE JOB IS COMPLETED AND DELIVERY BACK TO THE PUB. THIS SUMMER IT WILL ALSO INCLUDE PURCHASING A NEW KEEPER OF THE SUMMER TROPHY
2) TEAM SHIRTS ORDERS FOR SUMMER, PLUS ARRANGING FOR SHIRTS TO BE NUMBERED. TEAM SHIRTS ORDERS FOR WINTER PLUS NUMBERING, PLUS ORDERING AND PICKING UP PRIZE TEE-SHIRTS / SWEATSHIRTS FOR THE WINNING TEAMS.
3) FIELD BOOKING COORDINATOR. THIS INVOLVES POTENTIALLY FREQUENT COMMUNICATION WITH THE GSA FIELDS COORDINATOR WHO WILL IN TURN COORDINATE WITH THE CITY ASSIGNOR. WE NEED TO BE CERTAIN WE HAVE OUR FIELDS BOOKED AND THAT WE HAVE CITY OF OTTAWA PROOF TO THAT EFFECT, AND THAT FIELDS ARE NOT BOOKED AND ASSIGNED TO US IF WE DO NOT NEED THEM BECAUSE WE WILL BE EXPECTED TO PAY FOR THEM IF THEY ARE BOOKED IN OUR NAME WHETHER OR NOT WE ASKED FOR THEM. THIS JOB REQUIRES CONSIDERABLE PATIENCE AS WELL AS DOGGED DETERMINATION WITH A NEVER GIVE UP BEING A NUISANCE TILL THE JOB IS DONE RIGHT DISPOSITION WITH AN OFFSETTING DOSE OF THE HUMILITY NEEDED TO GET COOPERATION FROM OTHERS. PERHAPS THIS JOB SHOULD REALLY BE TITLED FIELDS BOOKING DIPLOMAT. ESTIMATED TIME ON PHONE AND ON E-MAILS IN SUMMER 2009, EIGHT HOURS CUMULATIVE.
4) WINTER DOME BOOKING COORDINATON (ESTIMATED CUMULATIVE TIME IN 2008-09 MAYBE TWO HOURS OR LESS, ESTIMATED CUMULATIVE TIME IN 2009-10 SEVEN OR MORE HOURS DUE TO THE TIME NEEDED TO ENGAGE IN REPEATED LOBBYING)

Items that have been brought to our attention for discussion at the 2010 AGM
- should the league create two separate divisions, one for younger players and one for older players INSUFFICIENT SUPPORT FOR THIS AT THIS TIME
- should the league keep all players in just one division but change the minimum age from the current 25 up to 35 (at least for new players joining)CURRENT AGE STRUCTURE WILL BE MAINTAINED
- should the league season avoid scheduling games the last Saturday of September (since every year many players have to be absent due to conflicts with the Kanata tournament that date) and play the Sunday following instead KEEP TO SATURDAYS
- should the outdoor season be shortened NO
- should the league only accept players with demonstrated skill, and if so how would that be determined; likewise should the league exclude players whose skill level is too great
- some players newer to the game attempt irresponsible tackles that risk injury to other players, not through malicious intent but through inability and inexperience. A procedure for “identifying” such players needs to be adopted, along with a requirement on such a player to amend his ways or be suspended permanently from playing in the league, regardless of whether the “problem” has been identified by referees or not.
.. and what about players with other anti-social behaviours ? A COMMITTEE WILL BE FORMED RE GUIDELINES AND DECISIONS ON THESE ABOVE ISSUES
- update format for end of season tournament to account for seasons having eight teams rather than six POOL B EVEN, POOL A ODD
- the league needs a keeper of the summer award AGREED .. based on what parameters ?
- for the indoor season, we should permit a team to use a player from another team as its goalkeeper if the other player has no scheduled game at the required time, and no keeper on the spares/call-up list is available. AGREED, SUBJECT TO CONTROL BY SPARES COORDINATOR
IT WAS FURTHER DECIDED THAT THIS DOES NOT APPLY DURING THE PLAYOFFS. DURING PLAYOFFS A TEAM WHOSE KEEPER IS ABSENT MUST USE A KEEPER FROM THE CALL-UP SPARES LIST, OR IF NONE AVAILABLE THEN A PLAYER ALREADY ON THE TEAM WHO USUALLY PLAYS OUT.
- the indoor season team size should be reduced from eleven players per team to ten players per team with the cost per player proportionately increased. REMAINS AT ELEVEN
- change indoor rules to include a modified off-side HONOUR BASIS THAT FORBIDS HOCKEY STYLE SCREENING OF THE KEEPER AS PRIMARY OBJECTIVE PLUS REFS TO ENFORCE EXISTING RULES MORE STRINGENTLY IN THIS RESPECT
- consider loosened spares rules to permit the spares manager more discretionary leeway AGREED, WHEN TEAM LOSES A PLAYER PERMANENTLY OR THE EXECUTIVE NEEDS TO TEST TEAM DYNAMICS AND BALANCE
- buy a defibrillator to have on hand at the Potvin fields.AGREED, WITH VOLUNTEERS TO TAKE TRAINING
- all summer teams should be supplied with the same colour (white) socks rather than each team its own colour socks AGREED TO BUY ONLY BLACK FOR EVERYBODY

He can’t play the ball on the ground…
There is nothing in the Laws of the game that prohibits playing the ball on the ground but, Law 12 prohibits “ playing in a dangerous manner “. Therefore, if in the opinion of the referee a player plays in manner that is dangerous to him or, to an opponent , play is topped and an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team.
Hand Ball
The Laws of the Game allow for the awarding of a direct free kick to the opposing team if a player “ handles the ball deliberately ( except for the keeper within his own penalty area)” . If, in the opinion of the referee , there was no deliberate movement of the hand to the ball , then there is no infraction of the Laws of the Game.
The FIFA interpretation of the Laws allow for a player to be in a normal stance. So, if a player’s arms are above his head and the ball strikes his hands it is a hand ball because he deliberately moved his arms and hands to that position. If a player covers his privates when standing in a wall and the ball is kicked into his arms and hands, this would not be a hand ball.
When we come to the pitch to play we can’t leave our arms and hands at home!
I got the ball ref!!
The interpretation of Law #12 has been refined .. tackling an opponent can now be a foul or misconduct if, in the opinion of the referee, the tackle was careless, reckless or, excessive force was used .
Even if the tackler got the ball , a careless tackle could result in the award of a direct free kick; a reckless tackle , the issuing of a caution ( yellow card) and, a tackle using excessive force, the issuing of a dismissal ( red card).

Because no league can thrive without its gentlemen

It’s odd, but the trophy we hand out for sports-mindedness and exemplary conduct has two footballer figurines entangled in a not-so-loving tackle, with one seeming to be getting the better of the other. If there were a third figurine, a ref, he’d likely have his hand up, brandishing a yellow card. But the lads who know the BA, know that the trophy is dedicated to the player being fouled (or at least that’s how they proudly explain it).

Truth be told, they’re right. Virtually all of the fouls “committed” in Ottawa’s arguably most gentlemanly league are accidental—and when they aren’t, they’re mostly done in jest…or during what the league’s officials have come to call “an unfortunate stress-induced brain cramp.”

Yet, someone is always on the receiving end of that jest or brain cramp, and the Spirit of the League Award salutes all those fearless, fair-spirited footballers who not only know how to let the odd foolish foul roll off their tibia like a bad first touch, but also show up to play week after week after week in a contagious good mood and in a spritely spirit that has teammates and opponents alike eager to share the pitch with them.

The Blackburn Arms Men’s Soccer League is honoured to have these gentlemen in its midst. They keep things sane and safe. They help mates crack smiles instead of each others’ skulls. They make BA Saturdays therapeutic. Ever supportive of their teammates and respectful of their opponents and referees, they represent everything the BA Soccer League aspires to be.

Please join us in saluting both the nominees and the winner of the 2009 Blackburn Arms Soccer SOTLA, as proposed by and voted on by each team’s manager:

Deserving Nominees, who would probably nominate others in their place:
Wayde Gilmour
Kerry Skipper
Dale Mackenzie
Ron Palaczka
Kerry Skipper
Howard Weingarden
Mark White

The 2009 Winner, who’d likely want the other nominees’ names along his own on the plaque:
Dave “Brownie” Brown

Boys, may your influence become an indelible mark on our own approach to “the beautiful game.”

The 2009 outdoor season ended with Green Shift at the top of the regular season standings’ table. Green Shift also won a spot in the playoff final by coming in at the top of their pool A, but the blue shirted Rangers, winners of pool B, maintained enough pressure in the final to gain a one-nil victory, and take the Cup Champions’ title.

2010-11_indoor_FinancialStatements.pdf
summer_2010_financial_statements.pdf
winter_2009-10_financial_statements.pdf
summer_2009_financial_statements.pdf
AGM_19Feb2009_minutes.pdf
Winter_2007_08_and_Summer_2008_Season.pdf
AGM_21Feb2008_minutes.pdf

This is the new website for the Blackburn Arms Soccer League. The older version is located at http://devel.rossenglass.com