NYC Footy’s Weather Protocol

 
 

TLDR: GAMES ARE ALWAYS ON UNLESS YOU HEAR OTHERWISE DIRECTLY FROM NYC FOOTY VIA THE CAPTAINS’ CHATS AND EMAIL TO YOUR LEAGUE/DIVISION

Our team knows that amongst the many things that could disrupt a game, weather is at the top of the list.

However, by participating in NYC Footy, you acknowledge that you may play in inclement weather, which includes rain, snow, unseasonably cold, unseasonably hot weather, etc.

Our approach to weather is not too dissimilar to the approach when we played as kids, in high school or as is currently played at the amateur and professional level. That is to say, we play year round in nearly any kind of weather.

We will do our best to take added precautions (e.g. water breaks on really hot days), and will prioritize safety if weather turns dangerous (e.g. thunder or lightening).

Perhaps the most important takeaway is that our decision around weather is not as simple as reacting to a forecast. This is because a forecast so often plays out differently than the way it was predicted.

In addition, facilities require that permitted field time is used or you risk losing it. Responsible permit holders schedule games on every available week of our permit, which means we have little to no room to schedule makeup games. This is a reason we make weather related decisions on a field-by-field basis, depending on the conditions in the area at the time.

To best deliver on our promise to players, we take a a more fluid approach.

What weather does NYC Footy play in?

  1. We always play in mild conditions.

  2. We play rain or shine. Even heavy rain.*

  3. We play in snow and, often, on snow-covered fields.*

  4. We play on fields covered in a snow/ice mixture.**

  5. We play when it’s unseasonably cold (bundle up).

  6. We play when it’s unseasonably hot (bring extra fluids).

*Exceptions may be made for games scheduled to take place on natural turf (i.e. grass) fields.

**Exceptions are made if the ice is deemed unsafe (e.g. a sheet of ice).

What happens when the forecast calls for thunderstorms?

As a note, we cannot stress enough how often, over the years, the forecast has called for thunderstorms but the weather turned out to be benign. Games should have been played, but were canceled and players and staff were left longing.

Since rescheduling games is not guaranteed, being quick to cancel games due to weather forecasts could mean less games in a season for our players. We know that we wont always make the best decision (which is why we have an on-field weather protocol), but by taking a more patient and intentional approach to weather cancelations, we have been able to successfully and safely keep soccer on for our community.

Here’s our approach:

  1. We regularly monitor multiple weather forecast apps to help us prepare for possible weather cancelations.

  2. If the weather calls for thunderstorms, but a neighborhood or field is not experiencing thunderstorms, then games are on.

  3. If a field is experiencing thunderstorms before kickoff, NYC Footy staff will cancel games only if it is believed that thunderstorms are highly likely to continue during game play. Otherwise, games will remain on..

  4. If thunderstorms occur during gameplay, the decision to delay or cancel is decided by the referee or on-field official.

  5. If the decision is to “delay-then-play”, the referee will suspend gameplay and seek cover for all players. The league official will retake the field if there is 20 consecutive minutes of non-threatening weather.

  6. If there is no safe cover, the referee or league-official will cancel games outright.

  7. If there is active lightening by a field or neighborhood, all games scheduled to kickoff within two hours of the lightening will be canceled. For instance, if there is lightening at 5:30pm in Battery Park, all games kicking off at Battery Park between 5:30pm and 7:30pm will be canceled.

What happens when air quality worsens?

There seems to be no end of “firsts” when it comes to possible game cancelations due to “acts of God,” and air quality has recently become a very significant factor in whether or not games are scheduled.

For this, we have a very specific approach:

  1. We regularly monitor air quality apps (AirNow, IQAir, Google, etc.) to help monitor air quality changes in real time.

  2. On a league-by-league (and/or neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis) we make the following decisions: If air quality is Good, Moderate or Unhealthy for Sensitive People, games are on.

  3. If air quality is Unhealthy or worse, games will be canceled.

Similar to our weather protocol, since rescheduling games is not guaranteed, we are not quick to cancel games due to air quality forecasts, but wait as late as we can to make a call, which is usually 2 hours before kickoff.

What happens if games are canceled?

  1. If games are canceled, NYC Footy will do our best to reschedule games, but due to permit limitations, rescheduling is not guaranteed.

  2. If we are able to successfully reschedule canceled games, they may take place at a different location, day of a week and/or a different time of day.

  3. Teams are expected to attend rescheduled games, even if those games take place at a different location, day of the week and/or time of day.*

  4. Unless circumstances are exceptional (e.g. COVID, multiple weather cancelations in a season) NYC Footy does not provide refunds or credits as a result of weather cancelations or other “acts of God”..

*If a team forfeits a rescheduled game that takes place at a different location, day of the week and/or time of day, the game will be scored a 3-0 victory to the opponent, per usual, but the forfeiting team will NOT suffer an additional point deduction.