The Bethesda Soccer Club invites you to apply for participation in one of the finest two-day tournaments in the country, located in Montgomery County, Maryland, just outside of Washington, DC. The Bethesda Soccer Club is comprised of over 40 teams that participate in Region I leagues, the Washington Area Girls Soccer League (WAGS), the National Capital Soccer League (NCSL) and the Olney/Bethesda Soccer League (OBSL)
Twenty-fourth Annual Thanksgiving Tournament
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2007 Tournament Dates Girls - November 10 & 11 - Schedule Boys - November 17 & 18 - Schedule
Age Groups & Eligibility U9-U10 (7v7) - $575 entry fee - 3 games minimum U11 (8v8) - $675 entry fee - 3 games minimum U12 (8v8) & (11v11) - $675/$775 entry fee - 3 games minimum U13-U16 (11v11) - $775 entry fee* - 3 games minimum U17 & U19 (11v11) - $925 entry fee* - 4 games minimum Boys and girls divisions at each age Premier and Challenge at most ages, depending on quality of entries Application Deadline: September 23, 2007 *Performance bond of $300 due from U15 through U19 Boys and Girls teams. Performance bonds will be returned to teams after the completion of the tournament. $300 performance bond must be written as a separate check.
The Bethesda Thanksgiving Tournament is open to highly competitive club teams. This is a USYSA sanctioned tournament through the Maryland State Youth Soccer Association. All teams must be affiliated and their players registered with USYSA through their respective state associations.  Teams must be in good standing with their state association to play in our tournament. Only USYSA rosters and cards will be accepted. No US Club Soccer team rosters will be accepted.  Foreign clubs are not eligible for the tournament.  Permission to Travel Forms (not necessary for Region I teams), validated State player passes with photos, official team rosters and notarized medical release forms will be required of all teams accepted into the tournament. If you have previously registered for another tournament whose applications are processed by SoccerScheduler, you will already have a team page in their system. If this is your first application to a tournament processed by SoccerScheduler, you will create your team page at the start of the application process. Please read all of the notes and directions on the application. ESPECIALLY NOTE that you must send your tournament fee payment check by postal mail to Bethesda Soccer Club immediately after you apply online and receive your application confirmation number. You must enclose a copy of your confirmation e-mail with your check to assure your check is credited to the proper team. Mail requiring a signature (certified, registered, etc.) will not be accepted. DEADLINE: Deadline for on-line registration and OUR RECEIPT OF ENTRY FEE AND ENCLOSURES is September 23, 2007. Applications received after September 23 will be placed on a waiting list. ENCLOSURES: You must submit by the deadline in one envelope: 1. Your confirmation of Registration from SoccerScheduler.com. 2. A check or money order for the full tournament fee payable to BETHESDA SOCCER CLUB (U.S. DOLLARS ONLY), application will not be considered complete without payment. If your team is accepted, the fee is non-refundable. If your team is accepted and later withdraws, the fee is non-refundable and sanctions may be placed against your team for participation in future tournaments. Should your team not be accepted, the fee will be returned by November 5, 2007. 3. Performance bond of $300 (separate check) for U15, U16, U17 & U19 boys and girls teams. 4. MAIL COMPLETED APPLICATION AND ENCLOSURES TO: Bethesda Soccer Club c/o Linda Norton 14525 Barkwood Drive Rockville, MD 20853
Acceptance Acceptance notification will be posted on this web site by October 1, 2007. Upon acceptance, teams will need to complete a number of tasks, including: Booking hotel reservations with the Conference and Visitors Bureau of Montgomery County, Inc (CVB).  A link to CVB will be available on this website after the acceptance notification is posted.  All teams accepted to this tournament needing to stay overnight must use the CVB reservation system. Any team that does not use CVB will be disqualified from the tournament.  No refund will be issued. Teams need to enter the names and uniform numbers of their players for use in the tournament program on their specific SoccerScheduler team page U-17 and U-19 teams, enter player profile forms on team page for on-line access by coaches Click Here for list of Age Group Coordinators
Location The primary site will be the Maryland SoccerPlex in Boyds, Maryland Other sites throughout Montgomery County, Maryland
Headquarters - Gaithersburg Hilton 620 Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg, MD  MAP Team registration will be from 3:00 to 9:00 p.m. Girls - Friday, November 9 Boys - Friday, November 16 Only a team representative needs to be present for registration. There is a $100 fine, payable in cash, for any team that registers after 9:00 p.m. NO REGISTRATION ON SATURDAY MORNING (Teams that do not register on Friday will be dropped from the Tournament). Player passes, certified rosters and Permission to Travel forms will be checked at that time.
Registration (what to bring) Teams are required to present at registration: State Association approved roster plus submit two copies of that roster Player cards for each player, including guest players State Association approved permission to travel form (not necessary for Region I teams except for New Jersey) Teams from Maryland and those who are registered with either the National Capital Soccer League or Washington Area Girls Soccer League do not need a permission to travel form
Games, Rules, Awards For U16 and younger, the usual format is three preliminary games plus a championship final.  Two matches on Saturday, one on Sunday morning and the final on Sunday afternoon.  Depending upon the number of participants in an age group, some divisions will play two preliminary games on Saturday, either a semifinal or consolation game on Sunday morning and the the final on Sunday afternoon. For U-17 and U-19, the format is group play.  Each team will play four games of 80 minutes in length. All games are played in accordance with FIFA rules, except as specifically modified by Tournament rules. A full set of Tournament rules will be sent with the acceptance package. Awards are presented to first-place teams in each division. Second-place awards are presented in divisions with more than six teams.
Older Players Get Great Exposure to College Coaches On and Off Field The Tournament will be host to many college coaches. This opportunity for exposure has enabled us to strengthen the competitive level of play in the U-17 and U-19 age groups in recent years, which in turn draws more coaches. Teams in these age groups play four 80-minute games in a round-robin format. In order to provide your players high visibility, we will ask you to complete player profile forms entered on-line by the individual teams, utilizing their ID number and password provided during their on-line registration process. Teams will have an opportunity to make their team booklets available to coaches at a distribution table during registration. Player Data & Profiles for College Recruiters The BSC Tournament has signed on with SoccerScheduler.com to utilize its scheduling and player data services.  U16 and older teams should also fill out the player data as soon as possible.  College coaches who register with the tournament will have access to these profiles.  If you have any questions, please contact your age group coordinator. Player Profile Instructions
8th Annual College Coaches Seminar Girls - Saturday, November 10 Boys - Saturday, November 17 This is an opportunity for college-bound players and parents to hear first-hand about the complex rules, coaches’ preferences, and player/parent do’s and dont’s related to the recruiting process. More.....
Rosters & Guest Players The following are the maximum roster size per age groups: U17 & U19: 22 players (only 18 may be in uniform and eligible to play in each match) U12 (11v11) to U16: 18 players U9/U10 (7v7) & U11/U12 (8v8): 14 players This tournament is not intended as a tryout event.  A team may use no more than three (3) guest players, which must be approved by the Tournament Director. Rosters with guest players are limited as follows: U12 (11v11) to U19 teams may not have more than sixteen (16) players on their roster, which number includes up to three (3) guest players U9 to U12 (8v8) teams may not have more than thirteen (13) players on their roster, which number includes up to three (3) guest players. Example: A U15 team has 14 of its rostered players available for the tournament. The team may add up two (2) guest players to reach 16 on its roster.   Application to Use Loan Player Form (Word Format)
Sponsorship & Advertising Opportunities Interested in becoming a sponsor of our tournament?  Looking to place an ad in our program book?  Go to our Tournament Sponsors page for more information.
Referees Referees from out of the area are welcome.  Any USSF licensed referee interested in participating in our tournament should click here.
Accommodations All teams accepted to the tournament with the need to stay overnight must use the TTG reservation system.  A link to the system will be posted on this web site after the list of accepted teams is posted.  This is to insure that accepted teams are able to reserve rooms for the tournament and not have to wait for teams that were not accepted to cancel their reservations.  Any team not using the approved service will not be permitted to participate in the tournament and a refund will not be issued.
Club/Team Patches It is a tradition at this tournament for teams to exchange patches after each match.  Please bring an appropriate number of patches to exchange.
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the official retailer of Bethesda Soccer Club