Mat-Valley Soccer Club
2007 Outdoor Soccer Rules

Standard FIFA laws apply to anything not specifically addressed .

 

Administrative Responsibilities

(players, coaches, and team officials)

Keep the area clean and safe

  1. Players, teams, and coaches are responsible for removing anything that clutters up the technical areas, bench areas, locker rooms, bathrooms, and other common areas, including used tape, water bottles, sports wrap, etc.
  2. Players, teams, and coaches are responsible to make sure anything that may fall on or into the playing surface, which may be dangerous, or that could cause injury to himself or another player, including any kind of jewelry, must be removed before using the pitch.

Jewelry

Jewelry may not be worn during a game. This includes the rubber slip on bracelets like the “Live Strong” bracelets. The only exceptions are

Wedding bands are OK as is. Wedding rings with a setting must be turned in towards the palm. New piercings,  religious pieces, and medical bracelets must be secured to the body with tape.

 

If a player is on the pitch with unacceptable jewelry, they will be asked to leave the field until it is removed. A yellow card for dissent may be given if necessary.

 

Player Equipment

Uniforms

All players will wear shorts, shin guards, socks, shoes, and have matching colored tops with a number. When teams have the same color, the first team listed on the schedule will change tops or wear pinnies.

Shin Guards

Commercially manufactured shin guards are mandatory for all players. Shin guards must be completely covered by the socks. Players will NOT be allowed to play without shin guards. Cardboard, Styrofoam, napkins, paper towels, and similar materials stuffed into socks does NOT replace shin guards.

Casts/Braces

No plaster casts or metal braces shall be allowed unless wrapped safely in 1/2" soft padding. It is up to the discretion of the referee whether or not the padding is sufficient.

Shoes

Indoor, turf, and molded cleats are all acceptable equipment. There will be absolutely no soft ground baseball, football or metal cleats allowed.

Bleeding / Blood on the Uniform

A player with a bleeding injury must be substituted for immediately. That player may not reenter until the bleeding has stopped and the injury is bandaged. A player may not play with blood on the uniform.

Referees

When two or more referees work together they will wear uniforms that are the same color and style if possible. If any referee's uniform is the same color as any team, the referee will change.

 

Referees will enter game reports at www.matvalleysoccer.com/referees/game_report.htm

Teams/Players/Coaches

Unauthorized players

Only players who have registered with the Mat-Valley Soccer Club may play. Teams may pick-up extra players who are not on their roster as long as they are registered with the club. In this case, the opposing team will have the right to protest the standings. The opposing team must notify the referee either before the game, during half time, or immediately after the game, and the referee will record the game as a forfeit for the offending team.

 

Team Rosters

         

          The captain or team manager will provide a roster to the referee before the game begins. Rosters may be printed from the website (www.matvalleysoccer.com).

Number of Players on the Field

  1. May have eleven players on the field - ten field players & one designated goalkeeper.
  2. Must have a minimum of seven players at the start of the game; one must be the designated goalkeeper.
  3. If a team, through injuries and/or red cards falls to six players, the match is terminated.
  4. Coed Only: No more than 6 men on the field (not including the keeper). You may play down if there are not enough women. For example, if you only have three women, you could play with a male keeper, 6 male field players and 3 female field players.

Game Duration

  1. Two forty-five minute halves with a five-minute halftime.
  2. Time will be extended for the taking of a Penalty Kick at halftime or the end of a game or for administering a red card.
  3. Games will start 5 minutes after the hour; however, a ten minute grace period will be given to a team without the minimum number of players to start the game. This grace period will count as part of the game time. The clock is running. The team that is short players will have these 10 minutes to field the minimum number of players. If, after 10 minutes, the team is still short, that team will forfeit the match. If both teams are without the minimum number of players after the 10-minute grace period, the match is terminated.
  4. If a team has the minimum number of players but is not on the field ready to play when the start whistle is blown, an IFK will be awarded to the other team.

Substitutions

You may have an unlimited number of substitutions. You may make substitutions as follows:

¨       Prior to a throw-in by the team in possession

¨       Prior to a goal-kick, by either team

¨       After a goal, by either team

¨       After an injury, by either team, when the referee stops play

¨       At half-time

Substitutes must stand on the half way line and wait for the referee to acknowledge them. They must not enter the field until the player they are replacing leaves the field of play or the referee gives the OK.

 

Sliding

  1. Legal slide tackles will be allowed in the Men’s and Women’s division
  2. No sliding will be allowed in the coed division

Misconduct

Improper Touching

Soccer is a contact sport. Some accidental touching in inappropriate places is inevitable. However, intentional improper touching will be handled with a red card.

Caution (Yellow Card)

All FIFA rules apply.

Following a caution:

1)    The player will be allowed to continue to play unless it is his/her second caution of the game.

2)    The player's name and number will be recorded on the game sheet by the referee, and the referee will submit a misconduct report to the league administrator.

Send-off (Red Card)

All FIFA rules apply.

Following a send-off:

1)    The offending team must play with one less player on the field for the duration of the game, even if the send-off was due to two cautions to a single player.

2)    Any ejected player must leave the match area if they continue to be disruptive.

3)    The player must sit out the next game as well. The penalized game will be the next game for the team that they were playing on at the time of the red card. Players may not sit out a game for another team and have that count as the penalized game. If they are a guest player that is not normally on that team, they must sit out their next scheduled game.

4)    The player's name and number will be recorded on the game sheet by the referee, and the referee will submit a misconduct report to the league administrator.

Goalkeepers

1)    The goalkeeper will wear a jersey of a distinctive color different from any other player on the field.

2)    If a goalkeeper touches a ball with their hands on a pass-back, throw-in, or kick-in from a teammate, an IFK at the top of the penalty arc will be awarded to the opposing team.

3)    The goalkeeper may handle the ball within his/her penalty area for up to five seconds after controlling the ball. The goalkeeper may take unlimited steps inside his/her own penalty area before releasing the ball. Releasing means throwing or rolling the ball to anyone including him/herself or dribbling the ball with the feet.