Player Residency & Release Policy

The following is an excerpt from the PCFLL Operating Policy, Section T - Residency Rules:

T.01 Residency

A player living in an area/municipality or city which has an association registered with the Pacific Coast Field Lacrosse League and the BCLA must register and play for said team in the association league.
All players must sign and play with the association which administers lacrosse for the area in which that player permanently resides.
If not, the player must obtain a release.
If the player has played the two consecutive seasons with another association as an eligible player (living within that association’s home area or properly released) the player has the option of signing and playing with either his/her home association or the association he/she previously played for.
In cases where the player’s parents/guardians have joint custody and the child lives with both parents, residency shall be based on the residence in which the child spends the majority of time. If the custody arrangement is 50/50 and the parents live in different association boundaries, the child can choose which association he/she will play with in the first year. In subsequent years, in order to change associations, both parents must provide a Statutory Declaration which states which parent the child is living with, the address where the child currently resides, and which school the child is attending. If further confirmation is required to verify school attendance, the parent, upon request, will provide a letter of authorization to the school directing the school to provide the BCLA representative with information as to the address of the player.
The player must report their change of address to their league by December 31 of the season prior.
If there is question at any point where truth of residency is proven to be or have been falsified in any way (for both present and previous seasons), the youth will face suspension for one full calendar year from lacrosse play.
When the PCFLL is advised of potential address falsification, the PCFLL executive will appoint a three (3) person committee (must not be from the associations involved) to pursue further investigation to validate or disprove the declared address for registration. The PCFLL executive will review the information collected and will determine if proper residential registration procedures were followed.
If a player has been found to have violated or manipulated residency rules, they will forfeit all registration fees for the current season and will have to pay an additional one time reinstatement fine of $250.00 (payable to the PCFLL) prior to future registration.
The onus to prove residency rests with the player, who must provide documentation and information in support of the player’s claim.
The PCFLL Executive or appointed committee is entitled to, but is not restricted to, review the following documents and information to make their determination:
1. A copy of the player’s rental agreement or proof of home ownership;
2. A copy of the player’s utility bill;
3. A copy of the player’s school records;
4. Any other information or documentation that the PCFLL considers relevant.

T.02 Releases

Where no team is available within the player’s age group, the player must properly register with his/her home association and then obtain a release and with written release from his/her home association for the current playing season only. This release will not count as a grandfathering year. The player will be placed by the League Executive.
No player may play with two associations in any given year unless the player who is already signed with an association moves to another area during the playing season. He/she must then receive permission from the Division Commissioner of his/her new area before he/she is eligible to play with a team in the new area. If the move is within the PCFLL area, permission of the move must be by the PCFLL Executive.
If a player does not want to play for their home association, the player must obtain a release from their home association. With written permission of the player`s home association, the League Executive will place the player.
No release will be looked at except for teams that are full, i.e. a youth team has 23 players registered or a women’s team has 18 players.
If there is a dispute between associations concerning the release of a player, the PCFLL Executive will have the right to place the transferring player with the association that they feel is in the best interest of the League and the player.
Releases will not be reviewed unless the player wishing a release is properly registered with their home association.

T.03 Release Guidelines

All releases need to follow the guidelines. This includes Regulation T.01 c) and Regulation T.03 a) and d).
All players requiring a release must be properly registered with their home association.
Release forms must be filled out correctly.
The player’s release and destination request must be submitted to the PCFLL Chair - this can be done electronically or in person.
A release request must come from the home association.

T.04 Release Appeals

Denial by Home Association
1. Any player may appeal a denial by their home association to the PCFLL through their League Chair within 14 days of the written notification of denial.
Appeal of Placement by League Executive
1. Any player who wishes to appeal their placement by the League Executive must do so in writing within 7 days of notice of release.
2. Written notice of appeal must be sent via email to League Chair and must include relevant supporting documentation along with a $100.00 appeal fee (payable to PCFLL). Appeal fee must be received within 72 hours of notice of appeal.
3. League Executive will appoint a three (3) member Appeals Committee to review appeal and all relevant supporting documentation.
4. If Appeals Committee approves the appeal, the appeal fee will be returned to the player and League Executive must release the player based on the recommendation of the Appeals Committee.
5. If Appeals Committee denies the appeal, the appeal fee will not be returned and the player must report to the originally assigned team or file a further appeal with the BCLA (refer to BCLA Appeal Process Appendix A General Operating Policy).
6. All appeals must first be submitted to PCFLL prior to submission to BCLA.

All the above must be done before the player will be released and allowed to play with the association they are placed in.