WIN OR LOSE -- INELIGIBLE PLAYER

What is the league policy for teams that break the rules? If you do't have one, you certainly need to get one in place! It has obviously caused alot of problems for families who, I assume, live in the same community and will probably carry some hard feelings into next season. This should have never happened! I said before that the wins should be forfeited or the games replayed. The player should have also been disqualified for the remainder of the season.

My kids are in alot of sports, and the age rule is pretty consistent and followed to a tee. Copies of birth certificates are submitted at registration every year, and the head coach of each team is given a copy for each player on his team. Any opposing coach has the right to inspect them before a game if there is any doubt. (That ususally only happens on travel leagues though). If any team is found to have an ineligible player, the game is forfeited,the other team gets the win and the player is disqualified from the league for the season with no refund of registration fees. It is consistent, it's fair, it's clear,it works and I have only seen it come up 1 time. It ended up being a true misunderstanding, but there was not an exception to the rule made, nor did the coach of that team expect them to excuse him! He did the right thing and graciously forfeited the game. If the rules are broken during a tournament, the team forfeits all games.

I agree with "concerned parent" who also answered this post. Allowing this sort of thing to happen is NOT the kind of moral or ethical values that parents want their kids to get through sports. They should be learning sportsmanship, discipline, team comaraderie, responsibility, how to follow rules, respect, how to celebrate victories and learn from losses. There is way too much positive for them to gain to allow them to see that cheating in any form is acceptable. They all need to see that there are consequences for cheating.

I am sorry for such a long comment, but please don't ruin the reputation of youth sports by ignoring what has happened. Not only does give those kids the wrong message, it also has put a lot of the parents' emotions into turmoil! Words have been slung at each other that I'm sure wouldn't have been, if only this issue had been addressed properly. I am sorry to see a league being torn apart by allowing rules to be broken. Rules are part of the game and when followed, sports can be enjoyed by all! Friendships should be made on the field, not broken!