Team Bye vs Club Bye

I have a question. What is the difference between a team bye and a club bye? How does a team that didn’t even exist last year get a bye into LH? I’ve heard of different teams that have rebuilt from the ground up, but they have a bye into LH. How is that even possible when it is unknown if that combo of girls is good enough to be in a league they are given a bye to. Any clarification would be appreciated!

Typically the club will retain any bye's unless the team leaves said club and retains I believe 75% of the roster. If not, the club retains the bye and can assign it to any team they decide.

That is correct, but last year LHGCL finally started reviewing rosters on new or lower division teams the clubs wanted to place in the league.

The club will still retain the bye, however, league placement is not guaranteed. For instance, if a D1 bye opens up and the club proposes one of their D3 team takes it, it may not happen. The proposed team could be placed in a lower division based on roster.

Happened a few times last year.

That would make more sense than just putting in a team for the sake of retaining the bye.

The proposed team could be placed in a lower division based on roster.

Wow! LH is so detail oriented they can judge a team based on individual players. Impressive.

Not an exact science obviously but if a D3 or PPL roster is only marginally changed, they won't grant the D1 spot.

This should prevent the club sticking a team in that goes 0 for the year, as has happened in the past.

Maybe they can go play in the new U90C league that was just posted online

You mean the "Texas No Rules League"? Like we needed another option

jogobonito06 wrote:That is correct, but last year LHGCL finally started reviewing rosters on new or lower division teams the clubs wanted to place in the league.

The club will still retain the bye, however, league placement is not guaranteed.  For instance, if a D1 bye opens up and the club proposes one of their D3 team takes it, it may not happen.  The proposed team could be placed in a lower division based on roster.  

Happened a few times last year.

How is that even possible?

Usually the Clubs which retain the Byes will submit their Bye fees well in advance of submitting their team rosters.  Obviously when they submit their Bye fees they know it is for D1, D2 or D3 slot.  LHGCL can not come, after the fact, and switch that Club Bye to a lower level division while promoting another Club team to an upper level.  Cause if they drop one, they have to promote one.


That will be bait-and-switch and I am sure it is illegal somewhere.


And how does LHGCL know that the D3-level girls haven't developed and improved tremendously to D1-level over the summer, just by looking at their names on a piece of paper?

So basically, if a team disbands, the club keeps the bye. Then they can give it to whoever they want. So, in essence, a team that was just thrown together last minute can go and collect players with the lure of “LH” without having to even earn it? Does anyone else see the flaw in this system?!?

Soccer_Mom_03 wrote:So basically, if a team disbands, the club keeps the bye. Then they can give it to whoever they want. So, in essence, a team that was just thrown together last minute can go and collect players with the lure of “LH” without having to even earn it? Does anyone else see the flaw in this system?!?

Did someone's DD team get overlooked???

From one soccer mom to another foxy soccer mom....yes, it's crazy. The best part about it is the big clubs are too incompetent to take advantage of it and consistently place horrible teams that drag down a division and lose the bye pretty quickly. This is why they need a league they run so nobody is the wiser.

Half the teams are illegally playing in LH it's a joke. No accountability no rules these days. It's all business wake up peeps. LH for some teams dont even qualify for recreational.

Foxysoccermom wrote:From one soccer mom to another foxy soccer mom....yes, it's crazy.  The best part about it is the big clubs are too incompetent to take advantage of it and consistently place horrible teams that drag down a division and lose the bye pretty quickly.  This is why they need a league they run so nobody is the wiser.

Seems to me the clubs have it figured out just fine...using the example above D3 could possibly move up to D1...even if that team gets their doors blown off for 1 year, they still would be in D2 the following year and possibly attract "better" players

Theres only one rule of thumb in LH is the bye exchange rule between clubs. That's all that matters. Who gets paid.

soccerfan09 wrote:

Foxysoccermom wrote:From one soccer mom to another foxy soccer mom....yes, it's crazy.  The best part about it is the big clubs are too incompetent to take advantage of it and consistently place horrible teams that drag down a division and lose the bye pretty quickly.  This is why they need a league they run so nobody is the wiser.

Seems to me the clubs have it figured out just fine...using the example above D3 could possibly move up to D1...even if that team gets their doors blown off for 1 year, they still would be in D2 the following year and possibly attract "better" players

I like your thinking big boy soccer fan. If they give a d1 bye to a team it will take at least 3 years for that team to be thrown out of lh and by that time the kids are probably seniors in hs and don't care. The money's been made and no ones the wiser.

Soccer_Mom_03 wrote:So basically, if a team disbands, the club keeps the bye. Then they can give it to whoever they want. So, in essence, a team that was just thrown together last minute can go and collect players with the lure of “LH” without having to even earn it? Does anyone else see the flaw in this system?!?

Yes, plenty of people see the flaw. It’s intentional. All brought to you by the leadership of North Texas Soccer. The more you know, the harder you laugh.

OLJW wrote:

Soccer_Mom_03 wrote:So basically, if a team disbands, the club keeps the bye. Then they can give it to whoever they want. So, in essence, a team that was just thrown together last minute can go and collect players with the lure of “LH” without having to even earn it? Does anyone else see the flaw in this system?!?

Yes, plenty of people see the flaw. It’s intentional. All brought to you by the leadership of North Texas Soccer. The more you know, the harder you laugh.

League byes are key assets for the clubs.

They basically represent an annuity to them.

If they have one it is worth 18+ players revenue for the year regardless of what level, as there will be players lined up to join the team.

So, if everyone knows about it, how does it continue to happen? The other frustrating part is watching coaches care more about their pocketbook than growing their players’ skills and love the of the game. It seems the new philosophy is “let’s throw together a team (so I can get another paycheck) and who gives a flip how they end up doing as long as I have your contract and your money.”

MurderWasTheCase wrote:Typically the club will retain any bye's unless the team leaves said club and retains I believe 75% of the roster.  If not, the club retains the bye and can assign it to any team they decide.  

not so long ago, the byes were attached to teams, not clubs. there was something called the "n+1" rule, whereby a team had to retain 1/2 of its players + 1 to keep the bye.

the parents had leverage over the coach and club, but with the peril of stepping off a cliff
and the neglected, signed-for-the-money bench-sitting players sometimes found themselves holding the trump card.

ah the good-old-days

Development + byes = cash simple arithmetic.

Problem, parents with enough money to keep little Susie happy. Parents that could careless about LHGCL being a premier league. Parents that will replace the parents if they are no longer willing to play the select game paying the select prices to pay for the players the clubs see as their future.

Soccer_Mom_03 wrote:So, if everyone knows about it, how does it continue to happen? The other frustrating part is watching coaches care more about their pocketbook than growing their players’ skills and love the of the game. It seems the new philosophy is “let’s throw together a team (so I can get another paycheck) and who gives a flip how they end up doing as long as I have your contract and your money.”

If you sleep with the coach you can usually get a break on the cost.

SoccerSuckers wrote:Development + byes = cash simple arithmetic.

You are starting to sound like the reincarnation of Medecine Man under a different name.

Zizou wrote:

SoccerSuckers wrote:Development + byes = cash simple arithmetic.

You are starting to sound like the reincarnation of Medecine Man under a different name.

Hey...where did Meth Man go?