What is the Early Bird Special in Recreation Registration?

This year, as we unveil recreation registration for next fall's season, CASL will implement an Early Bird component. The Early Bird replaces regular registration. Anybody applying and paying during the Early Bird time frame will be guaranteed placement on their team from the spring, if you elect to stay on that team. Anyone else applying during the Early Bird time frame will be guaranteed placement on a team.
If you do not apply during the Early Bird time frame, there will be an increase in the cost (generally $10) and veteran players will not be guaranteed that they will return to their spring team. Also, new registrants will not be guaranteed placement on any team (this all depends on spaces available on teams in each age bracket and whether the fall schedule has been completed (therefore, it is time sensitive-the later you apply the less likely it will be that there will be a spot available)).
Someone might ask, "Why does CASL start registration so early and why the perceived early deadline for guaranteed placement?" CASL starts Recreation registration about midway through the previous season to allow for soccer to be fresh on the minds of CASL members. It also allows the coach to encourage his/her team to register to be on the same team the next season. The guaranteed placement deadline may seem early but there is a lot of work to do to get ready for the next season. The recreation administrators must form teams, find coaches for those teams and, during the summer of each year, move teams up an age bracket. This all has to be done before the scheduler can schedule all the games for the season. We, therefore, work backwards-we determine when we need to give practice and game schedules out to the teams and then work back to as long as it takes the scheduler to schedule the 2,500+ games per season and then how long it takes the recreation administrators to form the teams. After doing that, we determine when the Early Bird ends and placement can't be guaranteed.
Some may complain that the having to pay more after the Early Bird time period is unfair. There is a component of this that is trying to encourage people to register and pay before the guaranteed placement deadline, for sure. However, the CASL staff spends many extra hours dealing with people that miss the deadline and want to get back on their previous team. We hope that the Early Bird price structure decreases the 20% of the applicants that apply after the guaranteed placement deadline.THEREFORE, my advice is to "APPLY DURING THE EARLY BIRD & ALL WILL BE GREAT!" You'll save $ and get back on your spring team, if that is your desire, for returning players and you will get on a team, guaranteed, if you are new to CASL or didn't play during the previous season!
                                                                                    Charlie Slagle