To our returning players, welcome back! To our new players, welcome aboard! Here are all the details about the Turf Soccer League you will need to get your season started.

LOCATION

Games are played at Withrow Park located on Carlaw Avenue, just south of the Danforth. Carlaw Avenue is a one way street going south and is located between the Chester and Pape subway stations.

GAME TIMES

The 2011 season starts on May 14th and ends in late September.  All games are on Saturdays with games being played between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm. Games will take place every weekend except for Pride Weekend (July 2nd, 2011).

The first game must start at 9:00 am sharp to ensure all following games begin promptly at their scheduled times. It is recommended that players arrive 20 minutes before their scheduled game time.

Games consist of two 40-minute halves and are officiated by accredited referees.

A minimum of seven players per team are required to play. Should a team have insufficient players at the scheduled start time, the team will be allowed an additional 15 minutes for players to take the field. If during the 15-minute period sufficient players are dressed and on the field, the match will begin and the delay time deducted equally between the halves. After 15 minutes, the team(s) that did not have sufficient attendance will default the game and a forfeit will be recorded.

PRACTICES

Practices will be held every Monday from 7:00pm - 8:30pm at Withrow Park. In the event of a cancellation due to weather you will be notified by email.

WEATHER

Soccer is a game that is played in the rain. It is the referee's decision to cancel
a game. This decision is made at the field at the game start time.

PLAYER SAFETY

To reduce the likelihood of injuries, it is recommended that you stretch before and after exercising. Players are required to wear shin guards. For footwear, it is recommended that you wear soccer cleats (no metal studs will be permitted) or turf shoes. If you wear a brace, please ensure that the metal pieces are covered so as to prevent injury to others.  We also require that your remove all jewelry to prevent injury to yourself and others.

Eye safety: for players with vision corrections - in accordance with FIFA Laws of the Game, a player is forbidden to wear equipment that is dangerous to herself or another player.

Any player wearing glasses must either:
l. Have them secured by means of a sports band or adjustable strap.
2. Have properly and firmly fitting curled ends of the arms of the glasses.
3. Wear protective sports glasses that are constructed of plastic with rubber cushioning and no metallic parts.
4. Wear contact lenses.

EQUIPMENT

The teams playing the first game are responsible for putting up the nets and equipment. The teams playing the last game are responsible for taking down the nets and equipment. Of the teams that played the last game, the team playing the earliest game the following week will be responsible for storing the nets and other equipment and bringing them to the next week’s game prior to 8:30 am to ensure a 9:00 am start.

WASHROOMS

There are washroom facilities located on the south side of the field. There is also an additional washroom facility north of the field and ice rink, closer to Logan and Danforth. These facilities are maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department.

DOG OWNERS

Please be aware that the off leash area at Withrow park is at the south west end of the park, directly west of the soccer pitch (down the hill). Dog owners at Withrow park who have off-leash dogs outside of this area risk receiving a ticket. According to City officials there will be an increased presence of by-law officers at the park this summer.

WATER BOTTLES

As of December 2011 a water bottle ban will be in place, in anticipation of this we encourage players to begin using re-fillable water bottles and to make use of the water fountains at the park.

ON THE FIELD

Try your best to have FUN. Pink Turf Soccer is about PARTICIPATION.

YELLOW CARDS

To promote positive and recreational spirit, any player who receives a yellow card from the referee will be directed to stay off the field for 5 minutes as a "cooling off" period. A player from the team will be able to sub on for the player who has received the yellow card. Both teams will remain at full strength with 11 players on the field.

FIELD REPAIRS

The City of Toronto is currently considering making repairs to the soccer field at Withrow Park at the suggestion of a number of the leagues that use the field. The estimated cost of these repairs is approximately $30,000.00.

The leagues that use the field have been asked to make donations towards the cost of the repairs. The Pink Turf Soccer League plans to donate $5,000.00.

In order to ensure that we do not need to raise the league registration fees, we are asking players to consider contributing to the field improvement fund. If you would like to contribute please indicate on your registration form the amount you would like to contribute and include this amount in your cheque for registration. If you decide at a later time that you would like to contribute you can do so throughout the season.

The field repairs are tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2011, we will continue to give updates on the repairs as we hear them.