Awards & Conduct
EXCALIBUR TEAM AWARDS:
Only one team makes it through Excalibur unbeaten. As such, it is easy to recognize the achievement of being Champion of Excalibur. The Champion of Excalibur is accorded the honor of pulling the championship sword from the stone and keeping forever one of the most unique championship awards in any tournament at any level.
Many other teams are recognized in Excalibur for high level of play and achievement. Some awards are self-explanatory such as the Finalist (2nd), unbeaten until the championship game, which is an incredible feat. The Final Four awards recognize those teams that advance to the semi-finals. These teams have to win their first three games in a row over two days just to reach the semi-finals.
Other awards are for the teams that win remaining games. These are the winner of the Consolation bracket (Merlin bracket), the 5th place team (Sir Lancelot bracket winner), and the 9th place team (Guinevere bracket winner). In most tournaments, these teams would normally not receive the recognition they deserve. However, each of these teams also plays through the competition of Excalibur with only one loss, an outstanding accomplishment. The winner of the 9th Place bracket is the team that loses only its first game of the tournament. And the 5th place finish goes to the team that loses only their third round game. Given the level of competition at Excalibur, finishing with only one loss is an outstanding accomplishment.
GAME CONDUCT:
Excalibur strives to be the best Girls High School Tournament in the West, indeed in the entire country. As such, we seek to attract the best referees in the area. Even with high quality referees, calls will be made that coaches, players or parents will not like. Realizing that an initial outcry from the crowd will occur, we ask that everyone remember that even World Cup referees (a) make judgment calls that may be controversial, and (b) occasionally make calls that are incorrect. Unfortunately, this is part of soccer. Neither the Referee Association nor Excalibur will tolerate verbal abuse. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.