Severe Weather Policy

LYSA Severe Weather Policy

From the LYSA General Rules

8-3.2 Severe Weather

It is the policy of LYSA that any LYSA activity shall be stopped and possibly terminated due to the presence of severe weather. Severe weather shall include but is not limited to:

1. The sighting of lightning.

2. The hearing of thunder.

3. The sighting of a funnel cloud.

If any of these conditions are present during a game, then the referee in charge shall stop the game and instruct everyone to clear the field and seek shelter. After a wait of at least 30 minutes with the absence of any severe weather, the game may be resumed. If after 30 minutes the severe weather continues, the referee may terminate the game.

If any of these conditions are present during a practice or a scrimmage where no referee is present then the coach or coaches are responsible for stopping the practice or scrimmage and instructing everyone to clear the field and seek shelter. After a wait of at least 30 minutes with the absence of any severe weather, the practice or scrimmage may be resumed. If after 30 minutes the severe weather continues, the practice or scrimmage shall be terminated.

In the case of multiple games, practices or scrimmages occurring at a single location, if there is a person or persons on site who have been vested the LYSA Board with the authority for the whole site, such as is the case of a tournament director, then the individual referees and coaches will be subordinate to that site authority?s determination of the presence of severe weather and whether the activities should be stopped or terminated.

Any modification of the 30 minute wait time may only be made by the LYSA Board.

If there are no severe weather conditions present but in the opinion of the referee or the site authority the threat of severe weather is sufficiently real then the referee or the site authority may suspend or terminate a game at their discretion.  

If at any time during any LYSA game, practice or scrimmage a parent or guardian feels that conditions are dangerous or constitute a possibility of a threat of severe weather that poses a risk to their or their child?s safety, then that parent or guardian has the responsibility to remove their child from the game, practice or scrimmage even if the game, practice or scrimmage continues. In that event there shall be no penalty to the parent or child for such an action but consequences such as forfeiture of a game may result.

If the Fayette County area is under a severe weather warning then no LYSA activities shall be permitted to start or continue while that warning is in effect.

This policy was created after reviewing information found at the following sources:

National Severe Storms Laboratory website at www.nssl.noaa.gov

National Lightning Safety Institute website at www.lightningsafety.com

National Collegiate Athletics Association website at www.ncaa.org (search for ?weather guidelines?) as well as reviewing policies of individual organizations such as:

The current Lexington FC and LYSA weather policies at www.lysa.org

The severe weather policy of the Georgetown ( Texas ) Soccer Association at www.georgetownsoccer.org

The severe weather policy of the city of Louisville , Colorado at www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_pls/lsvl_plans.html

Adopted by the LYSA Board of Directors on May 21, 2003