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Player Eligibility and Verification

Participant Eligibility, Registration and Agreements (In the Handbook)

  1. Age Requirement: Athletes must be at least 13 and under 35 years of age at the beginning of Sports Fest.

    Exceptions have been made for participants in Scripture Memorization, Tug-O-War, and 35+ Pickleball.

  2. Church Membership and Participation

    2.1 Standard Church Member Participation

    The athlete must be confirmed as a church member by their pastor. Church membership is defined as follows:

    1. For Vietnamese Alliance Church (VAC): A church member is someone who has been attending regularly for at least three (3) months at the participating church, based on the District Bylaw, prior to signing up.

    2. For Vietnamese churches in other denominations: Church membership is defined by the Senior Pastor of the participating church.

    2.2 Small Church Provision

    For Vietnamese churches that cannot form their own team events, such as Basketball, Men’s Volleyball, Women’s Volleyball, or Bible Challenge:

    1. Youth from these churches may join another participating Vietnamese church’s team.
    2. All youth from a single small church must join the same larger church’s team.
    3. These youth will be registered as members of the larger church for the purpose of Sports Fest.
    4. The pastors of both the small church and the receiving church must approve this arrangement.

    2.3 Non-Church-Member Participation

    If the athlete is not confirmed as a church member by the participating church’s pastor, such as pre-Christians or members of another church, they may still be endorsed by the pastor to participate under the following conditions:

    a. Limited Participation
    • A maximum of two (2) non-members per Basketball, Men’s Volleyball, Women’s Volleyball, and Bible Challenge team. There must be no more than two (2) slots of non-members per team.
    • A limit of one (1) non-member maximum in each individual event with a partner, such as Doubles Badminton, Doubles Pickleball, Doubles Table Tennis, or Doubles Tennis.
    b. Outreach Requirement for Pre-Christian Non-Members

    If the non-member is a pre-Christian, the church needs to conduct outreach by meeting the following requirements:

    • The church must have a concrete Outreach Plan of activities designed to introduce the pre-Christian to God and to the church community.
    • The Senior Pastor of each church must approve and sign off on the Outreach Plan for the participating pre-Christian.
    • Church Representatives will report the progress made on the Outreach Plan to their pastor and the VAY-SM staff at each monthly meeting. They will discuss and pray for these pre-Christians by name at each meeting thereafter.
    c. Registration Requirements
    • All non-member participants need to submit their registration by the specified deadline.
    • The church must ensure compliance with all registration requirements for non-member participants.

  3. Pastoral Signoff and Verification

    All athletes, whether church members, small church participants, or non-members, must be signed off by the church Senior Pastor, a pastoral designee with written authorization, or the Board Secretary for churches with no pastor.

    a. Two-Step Verification Process

    • Participants will answer the question: “If we asked your church pastor whether or not you are his church member, what would he say?” during registration.
    • Pastors will provide a follow-up confirmation of “Yes” or “No” for each participant from their church, and vouch for whether they may represent the church on the team.

    b. Additional Verification

    If additional verification is needed for members, VAY-SM will notify the pastors and selected participants. The following additional documentation may be requested for an Independent Review Board appointed by the VAY-SM Senior Staff:

    • Proof of church attendance, such as a membership record, dated photos, church attendance log, or similar documentation.
    • A statement from a church board leader, other than the pastor, confirming involvement.
    • A brief description from the participant about their roles or activities in the church.

    c. Written Verification Requests

    All requests for verification must be made in writing with proper representation and/or authorization, such as by VAY-SM Senior Staff or Church Representatives, with consultation of all pastors involved and strict confidentiality.

    d. Verification Request Window

    The standard time window to initiate a verification request closes one week prior to Sports Fest and is open for one week following the event.

    Due to operational constraints during Sports Fest, an expedited on-site process will be used. This may include handwritten formal requests and direct phone calls to pastors. The Senior Staff on-site are authorized to make provisional rulings, including allowing a participant to “Play Under Protest” to maintain the tournament schedule.

    All provisional rulings will be subject to a full formal review, with the final decision potentially resulting in game forfeiture. Please refer to Appendix A for the Official Procedure for Player Eligibility Verification Request.

Procedure for Player Eligibility Verification Request (Appendix A of the Handbook)

Guiding Principles

  • Formality: The process must be initiated in writing.
  • Authorization: The process must be initiated by an authorized representative.
  • Consultation: All involved pastors will be consulted.
  • Confidentiality: Strict confidentiality will be maintained at all stages.

Phase 1: Initiation of a Formal Inquiry

Step 1: Receive a Formal Written Request

What: The process begins only when VAY-SM receives a formal, written request for verification, such as via email. Verbal complaints or gossip will not trigger the process.

Who: The request must come from an authorized individual, defined as a designated Church Representative or a VAY-SM Senior Staff member.

Content: The request must specify the church, the team or sport, the player or players in question, and a brief explanation for the concern. This ensures the inquiry is specific and not a broad fishing expedition.

To Whom: The request must be sent directly to the VAY-SM Director, who will serve as the single, confidential point of contact.

Step 2: Senior Staff Internal Review

What: The VAY-SM Director will confidentially share the written request with the Senior Staff.

Purpose: The Senior Staff will conduct a brief internal review to confirm that the request meets the criteria from Step 1: it must be written, come from an authorized person, and be specific. This step filters out improper or frivolous requests.

Decision: The Senior Staff must formally decide whether to proceed with the verification process.

Step 3: Pastoral Consultation with the Initiating Church

What: Before any further action is taken, the VAY-SM Director will confidentially contact the Senior Pastor of the church making the complaint.

Purpose:

  • To Inform: The Director will inform the pastor that their Church Representative has submitted a formal request for player verification concerning another church.
  • To Seek Consent: The Director will ask for the pastor’s explicit consent to proceed. The pastor may affirm the request or withdraw it if he feels it is unfounded or can be resolved pastor-to-pastor.
  • To Apply Scripture: This step gives the pastor the opportunity to handle the matter personally with the other pastor involved, which is always preferred first according to Matthew 18.

Outcome: The VAY-SM process only moves forward with the written consent of the initiating pastor. If the pastor withdraws the request, the process stops here and is documented as resolved through pastoral consultation.

Phase 2: Formal Verification Process Activation

Step 4: Appoint the Independent Review Board (IRB)

What: The VAY-SM Senior Staff will officially appoint an Independent Review Board to adjudicate the specific case.

Purpose: To uphold the integrity of the community and the competition.

Composition: The board will consist of a minimum of three VAY-SM Staff members who have no conflict of interest, meaning they are not members of the churches involved in the inquiry.

Role: The IRB is the sole body responsible for reviewing the documentation and making the final ruling on eligibility for that case.

Step 5: Consult and Notify Pastors

What: The VAY-SM Director, on behalf of the IRB, will initiate confidential contact with the pastors of the involved churches.

Action A: The Director will send a confidential email to the Senior Pastor of the church whose player is being reviewed. This communication will:

  • Inform him that a formal, confidential verification process has been requested regarding a player’s eligibility, in accordance with the handbook.
  • Reassure him of VAY-SM’s commitment to confidentiality and fairness.
  • Formally request consent in order to carry out the review.
  • Provide the review procedure and a reasonable timeline for each step.
  • Formally request the additional documentation outlined in the handbook.

Action B: The Director will also notify the Senior Pastor of the church that made the request, informing them that the formal process has begun and reaffirming the commitment to confidentiality.

Phase 3: Documentation Review by the IRB

Step 6: Gather and Review Documentation from the Cooperating Church

What: With consent, the pastor or his designee from the church under review submits the requested documentation directly to the VAY-SM Director.

The documentation packet should include, as requested by the IRB:

  • Proof of church attendance for the selected participant, such as a membership record, dated photos, attendance log, or similar documentation.
  • A statement from a church board leader, other than the pastor, confirming the participant’s church involvement.
  • A brief description from the participant about their roles or activities in the church.

Action: The Director will forward the complete, unaltered packet to the IRB members only.

Step 7: IRB Deliberation

What: The IRB will meet privately to review the submitted evidence against the eligibility rules outlined in the handbook.

Process: The review will be objective and evidence-based. If the documentation is unclear, the IRB may, through the Director, request clarification from the pastor. The IRB does not engage in direct investigation beyond reviewing the provided materials, so strict confidentiality can be maintained.

Phase 4: Ruling and Resolution

Step 8: The Final Ruling

What: The IRB will make a final, binding decision on whether the player or players in question meet the eligibility criteria.

Documentation: The decision will be documented internally by the IRB with a brief rationale citing the applicable rules.

Step 9: Confidential Communication of the Outcome

What: The VAY-SM Director will communicate the IRB’s final decision.

Process: The Director will contact the Senior Pastors of both involved churches separately and confidentially. The communication will state the final ruling, such as “the IRB has determined the player is eligible,” without sharing the specific evidence or deliberations of the IRB.

Closure: Once the ruling is communicated, the matter is considered officially closed. No public statement will be made regarding the case. All documentation related to the inquiry will be held in a confidential file by the Director for one year and then securely destroyed.