Guidelines for Guest Playing at Cincy SC

There are three types of guest playing opportunities, and each has its own guidelines and requirements:

  • A Cincy SC player guest playing for another Cincy SC team
  • A Cincy SC player guest playing for a non-Cincy SC team
  • A non-Cincy SC player guest playing for a Cincy SC team

 

Cincy SC Guest Player Preference

When a Cincy SC team needs a guest player, our options in order of preference are:

  1. A Cincy SC player rostered on another team in the same age group
  2. A Cincy SC player rostered on a younger team
  3. A non-Cincy SC player (this is typically not an option for league games due to league rules)

It’s the primary responsibility of the coach of the “receiving” team to choose guest players, but that coach is likely to seek input from the coach of the “sending” team and may seek input from other coaches, parents, and players as well. We try to share these opportunities with multiple players rather than one or two players always getting invited. We normally try to ensure that the guest playing opportunity doesn’t cause that player to miss any games with his/her regular team. Further, that coach may choose to ask an entire team for volunteers or may target specific players based on the coach’s own criteria (positional need, players that have performed well in training or games for their primary team, players that aren’t getting much playing time on their primary team, players that have guest played in the past and fit in well, players that haven’t had an opportunity in the past, or some other reason).

 

Guidelines for Guest Playing for a Non-Cincy SC Team

Cincy SC generally permits players to guest play for teams outside the club as long as it isn’t likely to negatively impact the player or the team. A player that is asked to guest play outside the club should request the support of their coach. Some of the reasons that could lead a coach to push back on a request would be because it will cause the player to miss a game or training, or because there’s a reason to think the guest playing opportunity could harm the player (e.g., a player is just coming off injury or is being asked to play at an inappropriate level). If there is a disagreement about whether

 

Requirements for Guest Players

  • For Buckeye games, you only need a valid player card and be of appropriate age for the team that’s playing.
  • For Cardinal Premier League games, you need a valid player card and need to share the list of guests with the opposing coach prior to the game.

Tournament Guest Player Form & Tournament Player Pass

  • If you plan to have guest players for a tournament, you will usually need to create a guest player roster to submit to the tourney along with your regular roster. You will also  need a valid player card for the guest player.
  • The OSA website has a process to create a Guest Player Roster Tournament Form. Follow the instructions on the OSA website.
  • If your guest player is not carded on a Cincy SC or other club team (i.e., a rec player), they will need to acquire a Tournament Guest Player Card using this link (section: Non-OSA Carded Tournament Guest Player Registration).

League Rules on Guest Players

Buckeye

6.4.1 (paraphrased) A team may have up to 4 guest players participate in a Buckeye match provided that the players are rostered to the same club and with OSYSA.

CPL

CPL rules have been changing each year with respect to guest players. It’s best to check the league website for the most up-to-date rules. We believe that the rules are becoming more like Buckeye: A team may have up to 4 guest players participate in a CPL match provided that the players are rostered to the same club and with OSYSA.