Is soccer contract valid only after July 1?

We sign some paper to commit to a team this coming season, but now have a second thought. Can we still back out and sign with some other team? What need to be sign on July 1? Is that the real contract, and whatever we sign before July 1, is it a valid contract?

If you were offered a contract prior to July 1 that is a violation of NTX rules.

Official rule

Contracts may be signed beginning July 1, although signing July 1 is not mandatory. Players who
are not or have not been registered to a team for the current soccer year may sign a contract for
the current soccer year at any time on or after July 1.

A few hints regarding signing contracts:

1. Players are not required to sign on July 1, but may do so if they so desire.

2. Contracts MAY NOT be signed prior to July 1 and post-dated to July 1. Any coach,
manager, team or club representative who tries to convince, coerce, Dribble, or
otherwise try to obtain a signature prior to July 1 should be reported to North
Texas Soccer immediately!

3. Contracts should not be given out prior to July 1. It is okay for a coach to make a
player aware that he/she is interested in the player, and, likewise, a player can tell
a coach that he/she is interested in joining a particular team. However, oral
commitments made prior to July 1 are not binding.

4. No advertised tryouts may take place prior to July 1.

VIOLATION OF THIS RULE IS GROUNDS FOR SERIOUS SANCTIONS FROM NORTH TEXAS SOCCER,
WHICH COULD INCLUDE SUSPENSION OF THE COACH FOR A PERIOD OF TIME TO BE DETERMINED
BY THE COMPETITIVE COMMITTEE. SANCTIONS MAY ALSO BE TAKEN AGAINST THE CLUB, TEAM
AND/OR THE PLAYERS, IF THE COMPETITIVE COMMITTEE FINDS IT WARRANTED.

Anything you sign relating to the 2019-2020 playing year is not valid or binding until July 1.  Any coach/club having you sign and playing it off like a contract or post dating it is in violation of NTX bylaws and can be sanctioned.

According to the NTX State Soccer Association Bylaws and Rules:

Section 3.10.9
f. Signing for the upcoming soccer year prior to July 1. Any commitment prior to July 1 is not binding on either the player or coach.  

Section 4.2.1
3. (Second half of paragraph) No NTSSA membership form, club contract, or any agreement may be signed before July 1 for the coming seasonal year. Any player signing with a team before July 1 may be declared ineligible for the team. Contracts shall not be signed prior to July 1 and postdated. The coach, manager, and/or other persons affiliated with the team allowing early signing and/or post-dating of contracts are subject to serious sanctions, which could include suspension from all soccer activities for a period of time to be determined by the NTSSA Competitive Committee.

I've seen coaches have players that have been verbally offered and verbally accepted to play sign up for teamsnap or some other management software.  That is of course non-binding.

So you're sayin all the US Club contracts I had me players sign last mounth aren't worth the paper they're written on?

Let’s get real here! It is common practice for players to fill out contracts prior to July 1, by just writing the July 1 date in. This is common illegal practice happening throughout North Texas.

US Club is different than USYS (NTX). IF the players are playing ECN/RL or NPL only then they can sign contracts prior to July 1st. If a player will play DA/LH/PPL/ State Cup (any USYS sanctioned league/tournament) then they cannot sign a contract until July 1st.

Do clubs/coaches fudge on the rules? yes.. if they get caught they will be suspended that much I can guarantee.

Parents - if your DD will play in ANY USYS league or State Cup, don't sign your contract until July 1st.

Gotta love multiple sanctioning soccer bodies with different rules.. It's beyond stupid.

When was the last time NTX suspended anyone?j This youth soccer has grown completely out of their control. Hence all the corruption happening throughout NYX

You might want to ask Royal Peak FC that question

Zizou wrote:Let’s get real here! It is common practice for players to fill out contracts prior to July 1, by just writing the July 1 date in. This is common illegal practice happening throughout North Texas.

Common practice . . . so they made an example out of a club no one has ever heard of.  

Who, twin peaks fc? Never heard of them. Okay here might be a solution. Online registration, where a team creates an account then each player creates a username and password to create a profile to register with a team. Registration will not open until July one.

Zizou you should know your buddies old club 06 forgery attempt. We are not talking C cup but double Ds.

Royal Peak was DQ from LH because they played in the 05 age group with an 04

Triumph FC wrote:Royal Peak was DQ from LH because they played in the 05 age group with an 04

hmmm . . .

Leads one to wonder whether TxFutbol can't differentiate between signing contracts early and forging documents to allow a player to play down an age group

or if he's intentionally trying to mislead everyone as to why Royal Peaks was disqualified and whether NTX is willing to enforce action against teams signing contracts early

The question was whether NTX hands out sanctions and my point was yes they do. If a player gets caught signing a contract early NTX will drop the hammer I can promise you that.

lol,

TxFutbal wrote:The question was whether NTX hands out sanctions and my point was yes they do.  If a player gets caught signing a contract early NTX will drop the hammer I can promise you that.

so, since I've never heard of a club getting the hammer dropped on them for this and it appears to be a widespread practice year after year, are you saying NTX is simply unaware and no one has ever been reported? I guess I'm stuck on the...."I can promise you that" part. You can promise, but that don't make it true.

Does it happen... absolutely. Is it against the bylaws of NTX and carries the potential for serious consequences... absolutely. I imagine it goes unreported because it can be viewed as equally benefiting both the player and team. The question by the OP leads me to believe that that may have "signed early" but now have changed their minds. In this case I'd think that the first coach would be sure and not make waves if the OP wants to leave.

Signed early, but I bet the paper work has the July one date on it.

The only time I have seen it happen is when coach/player are not aligned and player wants to go somewhere else. Player turns coach into NTX. I have seen a variety of disciplinary actions taken against coach and/or player depending on the facts.