For the past two summer seasons the Procaps soccer team has played in the 4^th Division of the Men’s West Island Industrial League.  The team was formed in the summer of 2001 from employees of the  Procaps Softgel Encapsulation Company and a few friends.  In that first summer we received partial sponsorship from the company and formed a core of  a few dedicated players.  The following summer we had managed to recruit some new faces and proved to be a much tougher team that year.  Procaps went to the semi-finals in 2002 following an impressive regular season. 

    The team is made up of players from all types of backgrounds.  There are Europeans, Asians,  North Africans, Caribbean and even a few Canadian-born players.  The upcoming summer will undoubtedly prove to be a new challenge for the team as we are moving from the 4th to the 3rd Division.  With many players coming back for a third season we hope to have a great summer in 2003!           

     We play soccer because we enjoy the game and we want to have fun (and, in some cases, to work up an appetite for beer).  Ideally we can play a fun game with little or no interference from the burden of rules.  The problem occurs when things get a little too lax and then we get situations such as 7 players showing up for a game in mid-July while there are a list of subs that are waiting in line for a chance to play.  This type of situation actually punishes the ones who made the effort to come to the game.  Here are some simple team rules that we will try out this season to hopefully be viewed as more of a guideline than a criminal code.  They are not designed to point any fingers at anyone as we have all been guilty at some time or another.    

 The “rules” for the team:

1. If you cannot make the game notify Eugene or Mike 48 hours before kick-off.  It is expected that players will take vacations or even decide they don’t feel like playing one week.  This is completely acceptable as long as Eugene or Mike has been told in enough time to make sure a full team will be showing up.  Of course emergency situations will occur and a warning will be issued the first time.  The second time a game is missed a fine of $15.00 will be charged and put in the team “soccer ball account”.  Something that I really appreciate is that many players will mention that they may or may not be able to come a few days in advance.  If we had 15 players expected to come for that game then I know that we may have 14 or 15 guys for this game.  In this case a “maybe” was completely sufficient and that player can show up if he feels up to it or is able to.  If we were only expecting 12 guys then a few maybes would not be tolerable and I will need a definite answer.  
2. Be at the field 20 minutes before kick-off.
3. During a game substitutions have to be requested and approved by the referee so Eugene will call the subs out.  If a player is tired or injured just shout out for a sub but wait for clearance.  Subbing without clearance can be a yellow card.
4. Do not talk back to the referee.  We may have room to dispute decisions but arguing in the heat of the moment is not the way it should be done and in our league it is basically asking for a card.  Calm discussions can be useful to get a point across but there is a limit.
5. Fight, play hard but we want to win the fair play award again.
6. If you cannot make the game do not expect to simply replace yourself.  There is a lengthy list of spares and I (Eugene) reserve the right to make a final decision as to which players can join as a replacement.
7. There will not be refunds for individual missed games; the fee is for the whole season. The refund is applicable only in specific cases such as a serious injury, relocation, etc.  There have been a few cases of players leaving the team and receiving a refund for games remaining and this is generally not a problem.
8. If you need a lift to the game there is always somebody who is driving from downtown (Eugene, Mike, Kais, Jason, Nizar).  Give us some notice.