LEAGUE HISTORY

The Pascack Valley Indoor Soccer League was founded late in 1985 and played its first season in the winter of 1986. The league started with four towns (Hillsdale, Montvale, River Vale and Woodcliff Lake) who entered three teams each for a total of 12 teams and approximately 120 players. The League completed its seventeenth season in 2003 with 27 towns involved, 152 teams
and some 1700 players participating in 918 games.

The league was founded on several fundamental principles which the League has strongly defended. First, the purpose of the activity is to provide children with a healthy, safe and exciting sport under the most favorable conditions. As a result, sportsmanship, proper deportment by players, coaches and spectators and a friendly atmosphere are keynotes of the program. (For example: A successful “protest” has not been filed against an opponent in the last sixteen seasons.)

Further, our policy is designed to maintain the competition on a relatively low pressure level. Therefore, players must be residents of the town they represent. Also, the league is divided into two skill “levels” to even out the competition. Towns move up and down between these skill levels depending on their performance. However, at the end of the season, ALL teams participate in playoffs...not just the top teams.

The league’s constitution calls for a bicameral system of administration with a Board of Directors and a Trustees Committee. The Trustees are elected by the Board and have executive power to operate the league. The Board, consisting of one representative from each town, is regularly informed of the Trustees actions and meets at least three times during the season. The meetings are brief and well organized and are, therefore, very well attended (averaging one or two absences) without the need for any fines or enforcement. The participation in the deliberations of the Board and the Trustees is enthusiastic and supportive of the program.

In the design of its constitution, its by-laws and its playing rules the League has studiously avoided the problems, frictions and potential conflicts which seem to be the nature in other similar youth sports activities. As part of this effort the League has instituted and maintained an extensive referee recruitment, training and testing program as well as a coaches training and test program. The League has developed a computer based results and ranking system which is up-dated each Wednesday during the season. This information is also supplied to nine local and regional newspapers.

The League is incorporated as a non-profit organization. It carries liability and accident insurance for each team, the players, coaches, officials and administrators. Most injuries consist of bumps and bruises and, to date, no claim has been filed against our insurance policy. The League has been without debt since its inception and currently has a reserve to cover possible accident claims. The books and checking accounts are reviewed each year by a certified public accountant.

The fee to enter the league is $100.00 per town per town with additional fees if a town
enters more than four teams.  Because of our fine record, our accident policy premiums are the lowest available. The League charged a fee of $45.00 per team for liability and accident insurance. Towns that already have an equivalent accident policy, can further reduce the cost of insurance.

Originally the League offered competition for coed teams only in the 10, 12 and 14 year old brackets. Later a 16-and-under bracket was added. Fifteen seasons ago, a girls-only program was started. It has gone from 5 to 67 teams in those seasons and is the fastest growing segment of our program. Recently we have added 8-under play for the little ones. The season consists of eight league games plus the playoffs. Every team, regardless of the standings, gets into the playoffs. Most games are played over the weekend and are played in the gymnasium provided by each town.

Most of the towns use the high school facilities for their home games. New towns often use a grammar school gymnasium for their initial season. Once the program is established, they have little difficulties arranging for the use of the high school facilities.

For more information, please call:
Alan Jones - 201-784-9511    ajones@pvisl.com