If you've been in the NMSSA State Cup before, welcome back. This package includes your handy dandy NMSSA State Cup entry form and will be deposited on your doorstep. Or at least in your mailbox. If you're new to this and haven't participated in NMSSA State Cup before, we have the biggest and best coming up this year.

NMSSA State Cup happens near Albuquerque at the New Mexico Soccer Tournament Complex at Santa Ana pueblo near Bernalillo. We have twenty-two large soccer fields, complete with lots of amenities. There's a spot for everyone that wants a fun tournament experience and at $ 250 irs a deal to good to pass up.

Please note that the tournament entry fee is now $250. There is no longier a bond. Red cards get billed at the field and fines for forfeit games will be levied at the conclusion of the tournament.

Read this, too: There will be a gate fee of $3 per car each day of the tournament. You only have to pay once a day. That's how we pay for the complex and its $400 thousand budget.

The entry deadline is April 18, so get hopping. When we run out of space, that's it, and even with the new fields, there are only so many entries we can accommodate. Please enclose your tournament entry fee. Your team is not entered until we get your whole entry fee. If you have questions, call NMSSA at 505-346-0831.

Roster rules are on page 2. Please read them. We try to make this reasonably some and fair to the teams competing.

Do not call us and tell us to save you a spot. Do not assume that you're in the tournament cause we know that you always enter. Send your form and your money and then you're in the tournament.

NMSSA State Cup, in its 18th year, is the state championship tournament of the New Mexico State Soccer Association. It's different from the National Cup tournament and it's different from the youth state cup tournament staged by NMYSA, as well as being different from most state association championship tournaments.

What's so different? In our State Cup, we compete by division Therefore, instead of worrying about playing the best team in premier division of Albuquerque Soccer League while yoy cruise in fourth division in league play, we bracket the competition to let everyone have a chance of winning at their own competitive level.

This year, we will feature divisions of men's play and divisions of women's play. This pretty healthy step up from our year, in 1984, when we had two men's and two women's divisions.

Many state associations, most notably southern and northern California, play their state cup tournaments in one division, winner take all. In addition, their setup is in knockout format, meaning you lose, you leave. That's not the kind of tournament that a lot of people can afford to invest in, as the loser of the first game had an expensive adventure.

In National Cup play, you enter in New Mexico, win the state tournament (one division for amateurs, one division for Over-30) and you play in interstate and regional competition to determine national champions. With NMSSA State Cup, you simply play to see who's the best in New Mexico that weekend and there are no further travel plans to be made. It's competitive, but it's intended to be fun and everyone goes home when we're done.

In order to help the competitive nature of the older brackets of girls youth soccer, we have worked a deal with New Mexico Youth Soccer Association to include their U-16 through U19 girls teams and we will have the U-I 8 Classic Band itos who won the U-I 7 regionals last year Those teams don't have a lot of competition available in New Mexico or their leagues due to low numbers of teams. We include them in our competition to let know we're here, when they're finished with youth soccer, and to provide them some competitive games to help them prepare for the Region IV USYSA Tournament in late June.

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Your entry fee is $250. If you get a red card, the player is fined $25. If you get a fighting red card, your player is fined $50. If you forfeit a game, including consolation games, without informing anyone and having it cleared with the other team, your team is fined $50.

No passcard, no play. Just like League games.

You have to present a roster of your players prior to your first game. We will provide the roster form in your tournament package.

This year we are allowing three guest players. They must come from teams in your competitive division in League play. That means no premier players in fourth division. All guest players must have a passcard. Guest players do not have to come from your own league, but they must be registered with NMSSA on a current passcard and not under suspension. You only get three for the whole tournament. You don't get to rotate in a new three each game or day. If you are a woman playing A division in Albuquerque, you don't get to play in D division by dual registering on a Las Cruces team. You play at the highest level at which you're registered. After we receive your entry, you get a roster form to use at the tournament. You notify us by 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 1, 2003, who you intend to use as qualifying guest players. We will advise you as to whether those players are eligible. You can then use a maximum of 21 players for the weekend. You can use 21 players from your own team, or any combination of your own players and three guest players adding up to 21. You do not have to list your own players until they actually show up at the tournament. You cannot change guest players after 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 1, 2003.

All games are 30 minute halves. Qualifying round games stand if tied. Knockout games play two 5 minute overtimes (with a golden goal), then kicks from the mark.

You get 9 points for a win, 3 for a tie, 0 for a loss. If you hold your opponent scoreless, whether a win or a tie, you get an extra bonus point. Ties in standings are broken by head to head competition, then goal differential, then goals allowed.

You get the same referees you normally see for league games. We don't save the really good referees in a trunk in the attic to bring out once a year for State Cup. So you should have no surprises at the tournament.

First and second place receive individual awards team trophy. Third place receive a team trophy. The winning team in each bracket will also receive an MVP award to be presented to a player on their team.

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Team Name___________  Division Men A B C D Women A B C D

Team Representative_____________________________________

Mailing Address_________________________________________

City________________________ State* _____ Zip___________

Phone___________ Fax____________ e-mail_________________

Uniform Colors Shirt____________________________________

*note that we included a "state" blank for those who gave
 us "NM" as your Zip