At the field, the decision to stop, suspend or terminate a game lies exclusively with the referee regarding any severe weather conditions.
*Note - 6U-8U teams do not have a referee officiating their games, see the next section for age specific information.
Once a referee suspends the game because of thunder/lightning, all participants are to move away from the fields and into a storm shelter or vehicle.
Referees are reminded to keep participants away from the field and not to restart the game until at least 30 minutes following the last detectable thunder or lightning. Coaches should support and assist referees with this.
RAIN OUT LINE: The Madison Parks DPT hotline is no longer active. IF parks are closed due to weather, Parks will email Regent. Regent will update the website to show park closures and whenever possible, send emails to coaches if Madison parks are closed due to weather by 2:30pm.
You may need to re-schedule a game if it has been canceled due to a field closure prior to the game OR because the referee called it at the field for unsafe weather conditions.
In the event of inclement weather and where Madison Parks have not been closed, the decision to reschedule a game due to weather should be mutually agreed upon by the coaches of both teams. Do not decide not to go to a game without informing your opponent!
Field space is limited so teams need to communicate with Regent when rescheduling games and practices to make sure that there is a field available.
If there is a conflict over a field between a rescheduled game and a practice, the game takes precedence.
Please do not cancel games based on a weather forecast (i.e., wait until the weather is clearly going to preclude playing).
If conditions warrant canceling a game, make sure to contact your team AND your opponent as early as possible.
Games are only canceled by the League or by Referees. Teams cannot choose not to play.
In the event of inclement weather and Madison Parks have not been closed, your team is expected to play their game. You do not have the authority to cancel your game for this age group.
If Madison Parks have closed their fields (i.e., fields are deemed "unplayable") coaches will receive an email from the Club or the League informing you that your game has been canceled and will need to be rescheduled.
Sometimes the League will reschedule the whole days' worth of games to an alternate day. Other times you will be directed to re-schedule it using the Alliance Re-scheduling procedure (detailed on the next tab).
"Day of the Game" determinations as to whether a game gets canceled is the responsibility of the Referee for the particular game. If you are at the field and conditions worsen, please make sure you are familiar with the rules related to Thunder and Lightning.
Games are only canceled by the League or by Referees. Teams cannot choose not to play.
If the weather has made the fields unplayable, the owner of the fields will close them. You will receive a message from the League and/or the Club informing you of all field closures that affect you. If you have an away game that is in the outlying area, it is a good practice to contact the coaches or managers of that team (ahead of time) to check in with them.
MAYSA covers a fairly large geographical area, so MAYSA does not monitor the conditions of all the fields. It is up to the individual clubs to monitor their fields and make the decision to close them when conditions warrant closure.
Madison Parks - will make the decision to close Madison Parks (if they close, they will notify all permit holders (ie Regent) who will then notify the teams).
MAYSA will make the decision to close Reddan. If MAYSA closes Reddan, MAYSA will notify coaches and managers by e-mail; the coaches/managers then notify their teams.
The field coordinators for the various clubs make the decision for their parks and then notify their teams. If you have an away game, you should contact your opponent to see what they know about their fields.
► For MAYSA leagues, after 7am on the day of the game, the decision to cancel a match rests with the referee.
Most fields are closed very early in the morning if they are going to be closed for the whole day. If the field is playable in the morning when the club checks them, then the decision switches to a field decision which is made by the referee at the time of the game.
Once the game has started, the decision to stop play rests solely with the referee. If the game is called prior to half time, the game is to be re-played in its entirety. If the game is called at halftime or any point thereafter, the game is considered a complete game and the final score stands.
► MAYSA strongly discourages any game be cancelled due to anticipated weather conditions.
Please see the Scheduling Policies page at maysa.org for details on rescheduling a MAYSA league game. **you will need to click on the GAME DAY RULES tab halfway down the page.