Soccer Rules

GENERAL OVERVIEW:

 

  • 7 players on the field at all times (5 males, 2 females).
  • Two 20-minute halves.
  • Running clock maintained by a referee who will advise both teams when there is 1 minute remaining in each half.
  • Clock will only stop during injury time-outs. Any delay tactics, (kicking the ball far out of bounds) will allow the referee (at his/her discretion) to stop the clock.
  • Female goals are worth 2 points, male goals are worth 1 point.
  • Ties during the regular season stay as tie.
  • Playoff Ties: 5 players (min. 1 female) on each team will play in a 5-minute overtime.
    • If neither team scores after one overtime period, teams will go into a shootout (specifics below).
  • Absolutely NO slide tackles.
  • There are no offsides penalties.
  • Teams may play more than one game per day.

 

GAME START & KICKOFF:

  • The team that wins the coin toss or rock-paper-scissors at the start of the game will have first choice to kick-off or choose a goal to defend.
  • Kickoff will start with the ball being placed at midfield.
  • The ball must complete 1 forward rotation before being touched by another player.

 

TEAM SIZE:

  • Each team shall field no more than 7 players (5 males, 2 females) at any one time.
  • Teams that play with less than 2 females will play short. No more than 5 guys on the field at any time.
  • There is no limit for females: you may have up to 6 females and no guys if you want.
  • A team is allowed to play with a minimum of 5 people (1 has to be female).
  • Teams may pick up subs during the regular season to prevent forfeits. However, teams CANNOT pick up more than 50% of their team UNLESS, approved by the opposing captain. If so, the game counts as is. Anything different/less is up to the opposing captain and/or staff member or referee as to what will be allowable.

 

OVERTIME:

  • Each team selects 5 players (players don’t have to have been playing at the end of regulation).
  • A coin toss will decide which team shoots first and the referee decides which goal to shoot at.
  • Teams will alternate taking direct penalty shots from 15 paces off the goal line
  • If tied after the 1st round, the 2nd round will be SUDDEN DEATH (i.e. 1st player from Team A scores & 1st player from Team B misses – Team A wins.)
  • Players who shot in the 1st shootout are not eligible to shoot again until all remaining players present have shot.
  • If and when 1 team begins to utilize players for the second time, the other team may “recycle” players as well. Thus, some players on the team with more people present, may or may not shoot.
  • Any questions regarding rules, policies, or eligibility must be addressed before the start of the game.

 

SUBSTITUTIONS:

  • All substitute players must notify the referee before entering the game.
  • Substitutions may occur during any stoppage of play. Stoppages include:
    • Throw-ins
    • Scoring of goals
    • Goal kicks
  • There is no substituting “on the fly."

 

GOALKEEPERS & THE GOAL BOX:

  • Teams WILL be allowed to have a goalkeeper
  • A goal box will be marked off in front of each goal.  It will extend 4 paces/yards out and 2 paces/yard to each side of the goal posts.  The goal box is open to play.

 

DIRECT KICKS & PENALTIES:

  • The ball is to be placed at the point of the infraction and to be put in play by any player on the affected team.
  • No opposing player is allowed to be within 5 steps of ball prior to kick.
  • Goals may be scored on direct kicks.
  • A direct kick is to follow these infractions:
    • Charging
    • Roughness
    • Handball
    • Dangerous play/kick
    • Slide-tackles
  • Penalties incurred inside the goal box by the defense will result in a penalty kick on the goal 15 paces out.
  • Penalties incurred outside the goal-box but within a 5 yard/pace radius of the goal-box will be kicked from the point of infraction.
  • The defense may not be in the goal box and the defense can only position themselves in the following area(s) under the following circumstances:
    • If the penalty is marked off in front of the goal – the defense may stand on either side of goal box.
    • If the penalty is marked to the side of the goal – the defense must be on the opposite side of the goal box.
    • In both situations, once the ball has been kicked it becomes a live ball and players may enter the goal-box once the ball has entered the goal-box.

 

OUT OF BOUNDS RULES:

  • Anytime the ball goes over either sideline, out of bounds, a throw-in will ensue.
    • The person throwing in the ball must throw the ball overhead with both hands and keep both feet remaining on the ground out-of-bounds until the ball is released.
  • Anytime the ball crosses an end-line, a corner kick or goal kick will occur.
  • If the ball is Last touched by a defender, a corner kick will occur.
    • Ball is placed on nearest corner and kicked in by offensive team.
    • Goals may be scored on corner kicks.
    • All players must be outside the goal box until the ball enters the goal box and the defense must be at least 4 paces from the corner.
  • If the ball is last touched by attacker, a defensive goal kick will occur.

 

REFEREES & STAFF:

Sportsmonkey will provide a paid referee for each soccer match. The referee will have final say in any judgment call or issue regarding rules. Refs have the power to remove any player(s) from a game and/or the league, if deemed necessary.  Any rules clarification must be brought to the attention of Sportsmonkey staff member prior to the continuance of the game. To coordinate and run the league, our  staff will be available at all times to help the league run as smoothly as possible. If you have questions regarding schedules, policies, rule  interpretations, directions to the bar, etc. please ask.

 

FORFEITS:

  • If your team forfeits a game during the season, the following rules apply:
    • First Offense: Loss of game in standings and warning issued.
    • Second Offense: Loss of game and staff reserves the right to remove team from playoffs.
    • Third Offense: Removal from the league.
  • If you know in advance that your team is going to forfeit a game, we encourage you to email us at info@sportsmonkey.com to help us schedule your opponent a game.
  • Teams have until 10-minutes past the designated start time to field a full squad (minimum number of players required according to the rules). The Sportsmonkey staff member and the opposing team’s captain must approve anything other than that.

 

STANDINGS:

The updated standings will be posted weekly, displaying each teams rank within its skill level.  Rank is based on winning percentage.

 

PLAYOFFS:

  • All eligible teams make the playoffs (teams that have not abused any policies are eligible).
  • In certain situations teams at or near the bottom of the standings may not advance to the playoffs. Check with the Sportsmonkey League Supervisor to see if this applies to your league.
  • Playoffs are single elimination.
  • Sportsmonkey reserves the right to schedule playoff games on days other than your regularly scheduled league night.

PLAYOFF SEEDING:

  • Teams are seeded according to winning percentage and strength of a schedule.
  • Teams may be dropped from their regular season level based on the above criteria.
  • Teams may be moved to a higher division during the playoffs if permission is granted.
  • Skill levels may be divided into separate divisions based upon size of level.

 

WAIVERS:

In order to participate in the league, each participant must sign the team waiver. Waivers are provided and must be completed and handed in no later than the first night of play. Players not present the first week of play will still be required to sign a waiver with our staff before participating.

 

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY:

A formal protest may be filed before a game if an opposing player’s eligibility is in question. The player in question will be required to provide his/her player information (name, address, phone #, signature) in writing to the Sportsmonkey staff member prior to the start of the game. This qualifies as an official protest. The game will then be played in its entirety as scheduled. Teams will be notified of all rulings on the identified eligibility discrepancy by the following business day but decisions will not be made on site. If the protest is proven to be legitimate, it will result in the forfeiture of the game in question. Games subsequent to the protested game may be rescheduled.

*The above procedure will also apply for any other “logged” protests.  All rulings by Sportsmonkey staff are considered final.*

 

SPORTSMANSHIP:

The idea of Sportsmonkey is to have fun. We hope that all participants keep that in mind when becoming involved. Although the games may become intense, you still can be competitive while maintaining  good sportsmanship. With this said, any behavior deemed unacceptable by staff may result in suspension and/or ejection from a game or the league.

 

LEAGUE CANCELLATION/RAINOUT:

Leagues may be cancelled due to existing weather conditions, dangerous or unplayable field conditions, facility constraints, etc. Sportsmonkey staff makes every effort to play all scheduled games, thus we will not cancel games until absolutely necessary. Therefore, if you are calling concerning a decision on a cancellation, remember we will not have an answer until close to the start of the league.  If the league is cancelled, Sportsmonkey staff will change the rain-out voicemail immediately. If a league is cancelled on site, Sportsmonkey staff will attempt to contact those teams still scheduled to play the remainder of the league day/night. Depending on the time of cancellation, some teams will have to be notified on site. If we do cancel, follow next week’s schedule (ex. If April 13 is cancelled teams should follow the April 20 schedule for their next game). The games that are cancelled will be made up at the end of the season if time allows. In extreme circumstances, Sportsmonkey reserves the right to run a shortened season without a refund of schedule matches on days other than our regularly scheduled league day/night.

*These policies are designed to make the league run as smoothly and safely as possible, and provide continuity for its participants.  Each player in the league is responsible for this information: please advise your team of these rules and thanks for playing with Sportsmonkey*

If you have any further questions please email us at info@sportsmonkey.com