Age Groups: U10, U12, U14
Players participating in the Extra division are ineligible to compete.
Equipment and Field
- 6 Fields: 150 feet x 80 feet
- Field Markings: Penalty Arc- 16-20 ft. radius, corner arcs, halfway line.
- Goal: 10 ft. wide x 5 ft. high
- Ball: Size 4 (U10 and U12); Size 5 (U14)
Teams
- Maximum # players on the field at one time = five; minimum = 3
- Roster size – Same as regular Fall Season roster (everyone should play!)
- Players’ Equipment: FIFA/USSF/AYSO Rules apply
- One Team per coach
Duration and Time keeping: Two eight (8) minute halves with running clock; no break at halftime. Referee is the sole manager of the clock and starts and ends games accordingly (unless a tournament director directs the referee to end the game). Players are advised to play to the whistle, not the horn. Game clock should begin IMMEDIATELY following the blowing of horn and should end as soon as possible following the sounding of horn 16 minutes later (or 8 minutes later for half-time). Referees MUST end play (for half and final) as soon as possible after the horn unless there was some extraordinary reason (such as the referee was not present at the required start time) that the game did not start on time.
Rules
- No goalkeepers (except during kicks-from-the-penalty-mark shootouts as described below)
- No player shall stand inside the semicircular penalty arc. However, any player may enter the penalty arc once a player with the ball, or the ball, has entered this area. Players may also enter the penalty arc to stay within playing distance of the ball even if the ball itself is not inside the penalty arc. The referee will initially warn players to not stand inside the penalty arc. If the infraction persists, the referee may stop play and award an indirect free kick (IFK) to the opposing team.
- All restarts are Indirect; that is, no goal can be scored unless the ball has been played or touched by a second player from either team. No “toe-tapping” restarts!! The ball “must be kicked and clearly move” (ITOOTR). This includes kickoffs, free kicks, goal kicks, kick-ins from touchline, and corner kicks. FIFA RULE: although a dropped ball is live when it touches the ground, it may NOT be kicked directly into either goal without first touching another player on either team. If it goes directly into the opponent’s goal, the restart is a goal kick for the opponent. If it goes directly into their own goal, the restart is a corner kick for the opponent.
- Minimum Required Distance: On all restarts other than a dropped ball, opponents must stay a minimum of six yards from the ball until it is kicked and moves.
- No throw-ins; balls that cross the touchline are kicked in from a point ON the touchline. No “toe tapping” restarts (ITOOTR). The ball “must be kicked and clearly move” by the player taking the kick-in. They begin IN the field of play (since taken on the touch line), and are “live” from the moment the ball is kicked and clearly moves.
- Goal kicks are taken from a point ON the goal line itself, on either side of the goal. The goal kick is immediately “live” and playable by either team, so long as the opposing team is six yards away from the ball at the moment the kick takes place.
- No penalty kicks.
- If, in the opinion of the referee, a defender deliberately handles the ball in front of the goal, AND, in the opinion of the referee, the ball has a chance to go through the goal or may go to an attacking teammate that has a goal scoring opportunity, it counts as a goal for the attacking team.
- Exception – If the ball is traveling towards the goal DIRECTLY FROM A KICKING RESTART and the defender reacts by hitting the ball with his hand away from the goal (and no attacking teammate was there to make a play) a goal shall not be awarded because it was an indirect kick (i.e. if the player had not touched the ball and it went through the goal, it would not have counted). In this event, the restart shall be an indirect free kick for the team that did not deliberately handle the ball.
- If the defending team commits a non-handling foul inside the semi-circular penalty arc, the restart will be an indirect free kick (IFK) to the attacking team taken at a spot anywhere on the penalty arc. At the time the IFK is taken, ALL players must stay outside of the penalty arc, and defenders must stay at least six yards from the ball. At the moment the ball is kicked and moves, all players may move towards the ball and play it.
- No intentional heading of the ball in 10U and 12U. Restart is an IFK from the spot of the header. This rule does not apply to 14U where intentional heading of the ball is allowed.
- If the attacking team commits a foul inside the penalty arc, the defending team can take the IFK anywhere from within the penalty arc. Again, opponents must stay six yards away from this or any other restart.
- If the penalty occurs outside the penalty arc, defenders may form a wall six yards away but no players may be inside the penalty arc until the ball has crossed into the penalty arc. If a foul occurs outside the penalty arc, but within six yards of the penalty arc line, the ball is placed seven yards from the arc.
- No offside; no Assistant Referees, no club linespersons.
- If a team must play short (i.e., with three or four players), the opposing team is under no obligation to match the number of players. That is, the opposing team can still play with all five players.
- Referees are scheduled via the InLeague system. Referees may not have a child playing in any game he or she officiates.
- If, in the opinion of the referee, one team is stalling and delaying a restart, the referee may immediately switch possession and award the restart to the opposing team.
- A ball kicked toward the goal shall be followed by the referee to ensure that it has indeed travelled under the crossbar, completely over the goal line and through the goalpost for a goal.
- In the event that a goal falls apart due to the force of the ball (this happens every year!), the referee shall follow the ball closely to ensure that it has either travelled under the crossbar, through the goalposts and completely over the goal line for a goal, or not. It will be in the opinion of the Referee if a Goal would have been scored.
- Free Substitutions (when ball crosses end or touch lines). Teams may substitute on any restart. NOTE: the team putting the ball into play is under no obligation to wait for their opponents to complete the substitution.
- No player may play the entire game if the team has substitutes. All players should play at least 50% of each game, roster-size permitting.
- Send-offs (red cards) and cautions (yellow cards) may be issued in U14 and, in rare cases, U12. Players who receive a red card may not take part in any additional games during the tournament.
- This tournament started out as part of Soccer Fun Day. Please remember that. It’s about the FUN.
Scoring
- 6 points for a win
- 3 points for a tie
- 1 point for a shutout (including 0-0 tie)
- 1 point for each goal (3 goal maximum)
- 0 points for a loss
- In the rare event of a forfeit, the game shall be recorded as a 1-0 win for the team that was present and ready to play (8 points)
Tournament Format
Round 1. Two games minimum per team. In the event a team does not show, the Tournament Director shall reserve the right to shuffle the schedule (up until game time) so that each team plays two games.
Teams with most points advance to Round 2 (quarter/semifinals) – number of teams advancing depends on number of teams playing (2, 4, or 8 teams)
In the event of a tie after Round 1, the tie breaking procedure to determine which team(s) advance to Round 2 shall be as follows:
Head to head results (If more than 2 teams are tied, then skip head to head tiebreaker)
Number of wins
Least amount of losses
Least amount of goals allowed
Kicks from the penalty
Quarter finals (8 teams: 1 x 8, 2 x 7, 3 x 6; 4 x 5) – elimination process; winners advance to semi-finals
- Semi finals (4 teams: i x iv; ii x iii) – elimination process; winners advance to finals
- Finals (=2 teams), 15 minute halves. In a tie, 2 five minute golden goal overtime with less players, i.e., 4×4, then 3×3; followed by kicks from the penalty mark, if needed
- Medals awarded for 1st and 2nd place
Kicks from the Penalty Mark Procedures
Procedures for Overtime Kicks from the Penalty Mark
- Again, first round games may end in a tie.
- Any second round games, or higher, must provide a clear winner as an outcome. The winning team shall be determined by kicks from the penalty mark.
- All coaches have the choice to reduce and equate their teams, meaning that if Coach A has only 3 players and Coach B has 10 players, Coach B may reduce his kicking team to equal the # of players on the other team. Each team shall alternate through this “reduced/equated” team five times (that is, taking five kicks) even if they have less than 5 players, until the winner is determined.
- If a ”reduce and equate” situation presents itself, the team with more players may choose to play additional players. The rationale for reduce and equate is to ensure that a team with less than five players does not have an unfair advantage by playing a cycle of its best players more than once before the other team.
- Past the initial group of five kicks, kicks from the mark proceed only in single pairs
- At this point, kicks from the mark are stopped and one team is declared the winner if that team has scored in its pair but the other team has not
- If kicks from the mark proceed beyond all eligible players into a second or subsequent round, players are not required to kick in the same order as in any previous round
- All other rules for “Kicks from the Penalty Mark” shall apply: Players kick in a specified order, Kicker may not kick prior to the referee’s whistle, keepers may kick also, keepers must not come off the goal line until after the whistle has sounded AND the kicker has kicked the ball. (However, keepers may “crabwalk” along the line.)
- If the kicker violates Law 14 and a goal is scored or if the goalkeeper violates Law 14 and a goal is not scored, the kick must be retaken
- If, as a result of a violation, the kick must be repeated, it may be taken by a different eligible player
- The other eligible player must not have kicked already in the same round
- The original kicker whose kick is retaken by a different eligible player is not counted as having taken a kick
- A second referee shall be utilized at the goal line for purposes of verifying the ball has completely gone over the goal line and into the goal.
Coaches and Team Managers – VERY IMPORTANT
- Coaches or Managers must check-in at the Tournament Check-In Booth 30 minutes before the start of their game. They must pay their team’s $50 minimum donation/registration fee (checks only – payable to SM AYSO Region 20); otherwise they will be excluded from the tournament and the fee forfeited. Players do NOT need to be present for this check-in.
- After the first game, coaches must pick up game cards 30 minutes before their play from the Tournament Director
- Immediately after each game, COACHES or MANAGERS (not referees) must have the referee mark the score and sign the card; coaches then return the card to the Tournament Director so that the results can be posted
- Teams must report to the assigned field 10 minutes prior to game time;
- Teams playing in the finals take down the goal posts & tournament booths and clean the field prior to receiving medals. (this needs to happen this year!)