Rostering Policies

Core Philosophy

Next Level builds rosters using a "Kids First" approach combined with community-focused principles. The organization prioritizes placing players with teammate requests, then classmates rather than competitive balance through tryouts and drafts.

Team Formation Process

The league rosters teams by teammate requests first, followed by classmate groupings. It is highly likely you will be on a team with most of your classmates/buddies, but this is not guaranteed, particularly for late registrants.

Registration Priority

Registration date directly influences team placement. When competition exists for limited spots, the family who registered first receives priority placement.

Grade-Based Structure

Teams organize by grade level, not age. Younger players may occasionally play up with administrative approval (siblings, carpools), but older players cannot move to younger divisions. Violations result in removal without refunds.

Team Size Limits

Teams cap at 10-12 players depending on site capacity. Schools exceeding these limits fill rosters by registration date, with additional players forming new teams to maintain competitive integrity.

Competitive Balance

The league acknowledges that community-based rosters may create imbalanced divisions if particularly dominant peer groups congregate. The organization addresses this through individual conversations about potentially spreading such groups across classmate divisions.