RULES and other GUIDELINES

Rule 1 - The Field Of Play
Field measures 80' wide x 180' long.  Markings on the field include:
·         Penalty Areas, with Penalty Mark at top center
·         Center Circle
·         Halfway Line, with Center Mark at center
·         “Red Lines” (which are not actually red), with Restart Mark at center.  Red Lines are located halfway between the Halfway Line and each Goal Line.
 
Rule 2 - The Ball
The ball is size 5.
 
Rule 3 - The Players
3.1 - Number of players
a)       Team roster is limited to 14 players.
b)       6 players per team, one of whom is a goalkeeper, with no less than 4 players per team on the field at all times.
c)       Coed teams must have a minimum of 2 female players on the field (female goalkeeper counts).  If a coed team has only 1 female player present at game start time, the game will begin but that team will play shorthanded (maximum of 5 players on the field) until a second female player is available.
d)       If a team does not have the minimum number of players (4 total and, for coed, including at least 1 female player) at game start time, the game clock will start and 1 goal will be awarded to the opposing team for each minute that passes until A) the team has enough players to play; or B) five goals are scored in this manner, at which point the game will be considered a forfeit.
e)       During an Overtime Period, neither team shall play with more than 4 players on the field (i.e., it's 4-v-4 instead of 6-v-6), one of whom is a goalkeeper. For coed, each team must have a minimum of 1 female player on the field (female goalkeeper counts).
 
3.2 - Substitutions
Substitute players are to remain in their team bench area.  Teams may substitute players freely during play (“on the fly”) provided that:
a)       Substituting players must enter/exit the field of play between the Halfway Line and the nearer end of their own team's bench by "tagging" in and out.
b)       The player substituted for does not, in the determination of the Referee, interfere with play at the time the replacing player enters the field of play.
 
3.3 - Goalkeeper substitution
Goalkeeper substitution is only permitted during a stoppage (i.e., NOT "on the fly”), and only provided that:
a)       The Referee is notified before the substitution is made.
b)       The new goalkeeper is properly and legally equipped.
 
Rule 4 - The Players' Equipment
a)       Each team’s players must wear same-color jerseys.  Jerseys do not need to be numbered.  The team listed as the "home" team on the schedule is responsible for having alternate color jerseys in the event that both teams show up wearing the same color. In playoff matches, the lower-seeded team will be responsible for changing into alternate color jerseys.
b)       The goalkeeper wears jersey colors distinguished from all other field players.
c)       All players must wear shin guards, which must be completely covered by socks.
d)       Turf shoes are very strongly recommended, but molded plastic or rubber cleats designed for use on synthetic turf ARE permitted.  Absolutely NO metal cleats or screw-in studs are allowed. Flat-soled shoes are, of course, legal as well.
e)       Players shall not be permitted to wear anything deemed dangerous by the Referee.
 
Rule 5 - The Referee
The decisions of the Referee regarding facts connected with play and interpretations of the Rules are FINAL.
 
Rule 6 - The Duration of the Game
a)       A regulation game consists of two 25-minute Halves, with a 2-minute (or shorter, at Referee’s discretion) halftime interval.
b)       Time will be extended for the taking of a Penalty Kick.
c)       Except in the case of an unusual delay, determined by the Referee, the Game Clock counts down continuously through each Half or Overtime Period.
d)       Regular-season games may end in a tie (i.e., no overtime/tiebreaker).
e)       If a game where a winner must be determined (e.g., playoff) is tied at the end of regulation, two 5-minute "Golden Goal" Overtime Periods are played.  If still tied, a Tiebreaker takes place, as described in Rule 12.
f)       In cases where a game is terminated by the referee or league management prior to halftime, the game shall be replayed.  If the game has reached halftime, the result will be considered final.
g)       In extreme heat conditions, the Referee may call a short break at a stoppage in play that occurs roughly halfway through each Half. The game clock will continue to run during this break and play will resume with the restart appropriate to the stoppage.
 
Rule 7 - The Start and Restart of Play
7.1  - Game Start Time
Games will start promptly at the scheduled game time.  When the previous game ends, teams will be allowed a reasonable amount of time to get all equipment into the bench area and take the field.  We ask that players whose game has just ended not linger in the bench area to make way for players playing in the next game. Forfeit time is five minutes past scheduled game start time.

7.2 - Kickoffs
A Kickoff from the Center Mark starts play at the beginning of each Half and after every goal.  Teams will change direction at half time and alternate kick off.

7.3 - Free Kicks
A team is awarded a Free Kick after an infraction of the rules by the opposing team.  ALL FREE KICKS ARE DIRECT.

Before a player takes any Free Kick, the ball must be stationary.  All opposing players must be a minimum of 5 yards from the spot of the Free Kick (or, if within 5 yards of the opponent's Goal, along the Goal Line).  The player taking a Free Kick cannot play it again until someone else first touches the ball.

The Free Kick is taken from the spot on the field where the infraction occurred, with the following exceptions:
a)       Within Own Penalty Area: from any spot therein
b)       Within Opponent's Penalty Area: from the Penalty Mark
c)       Five Second Rule Violation on a Corner Kick: Goal Kick awarded to the opposing team
d)       Five Second Rule Violation on a Goal Kick: from the Restart Mark nearest to offending team's Penalty Area
e)       Goalkeeper handles the ball from a deliberate pass (or throw-in) from a teammate: from the Restart Mark nearest to offending team's Penalty Area
f)        Delayed Penalty: A) as normally administered according to the ensuing stoppage; or B) in case the offending team obtains possession of the ball during play, at the spot of the original offense
g)       Three-Line Violation: from the offending team's Restart Mark
h)       Superstructure Violation: from the Center Mark or Restart Mark nearest to where the ball was last played
 
7.4 - Drop Ball
If neither team has clear possession of the ball at a stoppage, the Referee restarts play with an uncontested Drop Ball to a player from the team who last touched the ball prior to the stoppage.  A Drop Ball caused while the ball is inside a Penalty Area is dropped to the defending team's goalkeeper, regardless of who last touched the ball.
 
For restarts in unusual circumstances (e.g., after injury), play is restarted with a Drop Ball from the location of the ball when play was stopped.
 
7.5 - Five Second Rule
Failure by a player to put the ball into play within five (5) seconds, as signaled by the Referee, shall result in a possession turnover to the opponent. When playing as goalkeeper, failure to distribute the ball having held it in his or her hands for over five seconds, which, in the opinion of the Referee, is designed to delay the game shall be penalized by awarding a Free Kick to the opposing team from the Restart Mark nearest to offending goalkeeper's team's Penalty Area.
 
Rule 8 - The Ball In And Out Of Play
a)       A Throw-In, Corner Kick, or Goal Kick will be awarded when the entire ball crosses the Touch Line or Goal Line.  For a Goal Kick, the ball may be placed anywhere within the Penalty Area.  For a Corner Kick, the ball must be placed within one (1) yard of the corner of the field.  The Corner Flag may NOT be moved.
b)       Three-Line Violation occurs when a player (goalkeepers included) propels the ball in the air across the two “Red Lines” and the Halfway Line toward the opponent's Goal without touching another player or a Referee on the field of play.  The whole of the ball must have crossed both “Red Lines.”  (i.e., if the ball is placed on one Red Line and kicked from there and then crosses over the other Red Line, there is no violation.)
c)       A Superstructure Violation occurs when the ball contacts any part of the building above the field of play. (Note that on our indoor field, the third horizontal structural cross-member up from the ground represents the distinction between a superstructure violation and a ball across the touchline.)
 
Intentionally kicking the ball hard enough and with the intent to hit the superstructure, ceiling, signage or lighting will be cause for a red card issued by the referee. THIS WILL ALSO BE deemed as an intent to destroy property of One-Touch Soccer.  A five (5) minute penalty will be assessed to the offending team and a direct kick awarded to the opposing team.  Additional sanctions (such as the offending player facing a suspension or ban from One-Touch Soccer) may also be considered.
 
Rule 9 - The Method of Scoring
9.1 - Goals
A team scores a goal when the whole of the ball legally passes over the Goal Line between the goalposts and under the crossbar. A goal may be scored directly from a Kickoff, Free Kick, or any Restart except a Throw-In or Drop Ball.
a)       In coed leagues, a goal scored by a female player will count as 1 goal.  This includes all Free Kicks, Penalty Kicks, and Shootouts.
b)       An own-goal will count as 1 goal, regardless of whether it was scored by a male or female player.
 
9.2 - Forfeits
A forfeit is recorded as a 5-0 final score.  A double-forfeit is recorded as a 0-0 result with NO points being awarded in the standings to either team. A team will forfeit a game for the following reasons:
a)       Not having the minimum number of players required by the end of the 5-minute grace period after game start time.
b)       Dropping below the minimum number of players required at any point during the game.  This includes players lost due to injury as well as players serving Time Penalties or sent off with a Red Card, as explained in Rule 11.  In this type of forfeit, the official game result will still be scored 5-0, regardless of who is winning and what the actual score is at the point in the game when the forfeit is invoked.
 
Rule 10 - Fouls and Other Violations
10.1 - Standard Fouls
Standard Fouls that result in a Free Kick for the opposing team include:
a)       Holding, handling, playing in a dangerous manner, impeding (obstruction)
b)       Kicking, tripping, jumping, charging, striking, or pushing in a manner the Referee deems careless, serious, reckless, or involving excessive force
c)       Violations committed by a Goalkeeper:
             i.       Illegal Handling: A goalkeeper who carries the ball from inside the Penalty Area to outside of the Penalty Area by foot shall not handle the ball again inside the Penalty Area prior to the ball being touched by an opposing player.
             ii.       IFAB rules apply regarding when a goalkeeper may handle a ball played back from a teammate.
d)       Unsporting Behavior, including:
             i.       Leverage: Using the body of a teammate or any part of the field to gain an advantage
             ii.       Encroachment: Entering the 5-yard protected area of an opposing player taking a Free Kick
             iii.       Preventing the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his or her hands
             iv.       Dissent
 
10.2.1 - Slide Tackling
Slide tackling is NOT PERMITTED and will result in a Free Kick being awarded to the opposing team.  Any player who slides or similarly leaves his/her feet, lunges, or goes down on a knee, in the vicinity (considered to be one body-length in any direction) of any other player (even if a tackle is not the primary objective) shall be deemed to have committed a slide tackle. A slide tackle in the Penalty Area will result in a Penalty Kick being awarded to the opposing team.  Additional penalties (e.g., Blue, Yellow, or Red Card) may also be enforced at the Referee’s discretion.

10.2.2 - Goalkeepers and Slide Tackling
Referees will use discretion for normal goalkeeper play within the Penalty Area, as it relates to slide tackling. The two most common cases where a goalkeeper might be called for slide tackling are:
a)       If in the referee's opinion, the goalkeeper is attempting to take a player out of the play as opposed to making a saving/stopping play on the ball. (Most commonly if the goalkeeper makes a feet-first slide.)
b)       If the goalkeeper starts his/her slide inside the Penalty Area but momentum continues the slide outside the Penalty Area.
 
10.3 - Bicycle Kicks
Bicycle kicks are NOT PERMITTED and will result in a Free Kick being awarded to the opposing team.  Additional penalties (e.g., Blue, Yellow, or Red Card) may also be enforced at the Referee’s discretion.
 
10.4 - Flagrant Fouls
a)       A Penalty Kick is awarded for a Foul committed within the Penalty Area for which the offending player receives a Time Penalty (i.e., a Card is shown).
b)       A Shootout is awarded as the penalty for Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity (current IFAB interpretations apply for criteria to determine DOGSO) that occurs outside the Penalty Area.
 
10.5.1 - Cards
a)       Blue Card Offenses:
              i.         serious Fouls
              ii.        Unsporting Behavior
              iii.       Deliberate Handball
              iv.       Deliberate Handball by a Goalkeeper outside the Penalty Area
              v.        Goalkeeper Endangerment
              vi.       Any Foul by the Goalkeeper during a Shootout
b)       Yellow Card (Cautionable) Offenses:
              i.         second Blue Card
              ii.        reckless Fouls
              iii.       Unsporting Behavior
              iv.       Dissent
              v.        Denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, when a Penalty Kick is awarded and the offending player was making an attempt to play the ball
c)       Red Card (Ejectionable) Offenses:
              i.         *second Yellow Card (or third Blue Card)
              ii.        Fouls which the Referee considers violent or committed with excessive force
              iii.       Violent Conduct or Fighting
              iv.       Leaving team bench to engage in a fight or confrontation
              v.        Denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, when a Penalty Kick is not awarded, or when the offending player is not making an attempt to play the ball
              vi.       Extreme Unsporting Behavior, including:
                                1.       Spitting at an opponent, Referee, or any other person
                                2.       Use of abusive, insulting, or threatening language and/or behavior
                                3.       Bodily contact with a Referee in dissent
 
10.5.2 - Language
In Adult League play, there is an understanding that there may, at times, be some "adult language."  However, usage of profanity is strongly discouraged.
     - In cases of incidental profanity (e.g., a player's excited utterance of frustration after missing a shot, etc.), the Referee shall have discretion as to whether a warning should be issued or if a Card is warranted.
     - NOTE: In cases where children are present--either as spectators or when youth teams are also playing--the use of profanity shall not be tolerated and Cards shall be issued accordingly.  Generally this will mean that what would otherwise (or "normally") be a warning will result in a Yellow Card and what would "normally"  be a Yellow Card will result in a Red Card.
     - Use of abusive, insulting, or threatening language directed at or about another player or the Referee shall be subject to a Red Card, pursuant to Rule 10.5.1 (c).

Rule 11 - Time Penalties and Short-Handed Play
11.1 - Time Penalties
The following penalties apply to offenses for which a Card is issued:
a)       Blue Card                              =              2-minute Time Penalty
b)       Yellow Card                           =              2-minute Time Penalty
c)       *Administrative Red Card     =             2-minute Time Penalty AND ejection
d)       Straight Red Card                  =              5-minute Time Penalty AND ejection
 
The player who commits a carded offense serves the Time Penalty, seated in his or her team bench area, until its expiration and the Referee beckons the player back onto the field.  This includes goalkeepers.  If a substitute in the bench area or non-player personnel commits a carded offense, on-field players are designated by their teams to serve the Time Penalty in order to satisfy the requirement for playing short-handed.  When a player is ejected, another player on the offending team must be designated to serve the time penalty.
 
11.2 - Short-Handed Play
For each Time Penalty being served by a player, his or her team plays with one fewer field player until its expiration.  NOTE: A team may not have fewer than the minimum required number of players on the field, regardless of the number serving Time Penalties, so if a player receives a Time Penalty while two or more teammates are already on the bench serving other Time Penalties, his or her team continues to play with the minimum while he or she joins teammates on the bench (i.e., the offending player shall be replaced by a substitute to satisfy minimum player requirements).  If the team does not have sufficient player(s) on the bench to make the replacement and satisfy minimum player requirements, the game is immediately ruled a Forfeit.
 
11.3 - Exceptions
Under the following circumstances, Time Penalties either expire prior to their completed countdown, or have the beginning of their countdowns delayed:
a)       Powerplay Goal: If a team is scored upon having fewer players on the field of play, due to one or more players serving Time Penalties, one player from the team is released back into the field of play.  If the team has two players serving Time Penalties, only the player whose Time Penalty was recorded earlier is released back to the field of play.
b)       Simultaneous Ejections: When two simultaneous Red Cards carrying the same Time Penalties are assessed to opposing players, their Time Penalties are not served.
c)       End of Game: All Time Penalties carry over between periods but expire at the end of the game.
 
11.4 - Delayed Penalty
In instances where the Referee would issue a Blue Card, but applies the Advantage Rule, the Referee shall record and assess the offense when A) the team of the offending player gains control of the ball; or B) the Referee stops play for any other reason, whichever comes first.  In the event a goal is scored as a result of Advantage being applied, the offending player's penalty shall be recorded for accumulation purposes but the Time Penalty is not served.
 
Rule 12 - Shootouts and Penalty Kicks
Any eligible player may take a Shootout or Penalty Kick.  All substitutes and players serving Time Penalties must remain seated in their team bench area.  For Shootouts, all other players must remain behind the Halfway Line.  For Penalty Kicks, all other players must remain behind the nearest “Red Line” to the Penalty Kick.
 
12.1 - Shootout
a)       The ball is placed at the Restart Mark nearer the attacking Goal;
b)       The Goalkeeper must have at least one foot on the Goal Line and may not move off of it until the Referee whistles the Shootout to begin;
c)       Once the Referee whistles the Shootout to begin, the ball is in play;
d)       The player has 5 seconds to score after the Referee’s whistle;
e)       If the player does not score within 5 seconds, play is restarted with a Goal Kick.
f)       Any foul by the goalkeeper—inside OR outside the Penalty Area—results in a penalty kick without the goalkeeper in goal.
 
12.2 - Penalty Kick
a)       The ball is placed at the Penalty Mark;
b)       The Goalkeeper must have both feet on the Goal Line until the ball is in play; and
c)       The player who takes the Penalty Kick may not touch the ball again until after it touches another player.
 
12.3 - Tiebreaker
If a game that must have a winner (playoff, tournament, etc.) is still tied following the two Overtime Periods, a Tiebreaker takes place, via Shootouts, with the following additional/special provisions:
a)       The Referee designates the Goal at which both teams shoot.
b)       The higher-seeded team shall decide which team shoots first.
c)       All players, other than the player taking the shot and the defending Goalkeeper, must remain within their team bench areas
d)       Each team has three (3) shots, with players from each team kicking alternately.
e)       A different player must take each of the shots.  For coed leagues, at least one (1) of the shot-takers must be a female player. A goal scored by a female player during a shootout DOES count as two goals, just as in other parts of the game.
f)       If, after both teams have taken three (3) shots neither has an advantage, the Tiebreaker continues, alternating one player at a time (for coed, one out of every three shot-takers must be female), until both teams have taken an equal number of shots and one team has scored when the other has not. The (3) original three shot-takers for each team may not shoot again until three (3) other different players have taken a turn as shot-taker.
g)       Any foul by the goalkeeper—inside OR outside the Penalty Area—results in a penalty kick without the goalkeeper in goal.
 

YOUTH LEAGUE GAME RULE VARIATIONS

Rule 2 - The Ball
U9 to U12 games will use a size 4 ball.  U8 and below will use size 3.
In games involving two teams of different age groups who would ordinarily use different size balls (e.g., a U9 team vs. a U8 team), the coaches for each team will be responsible for coming to an agreement before the game as to which size ball to use, and shall inform the referee of their decision.  If the coaches cannot come to an agreement, the smaller of the two ball sizes shall be used (for the above example, a size 3 not size 4).
 
Rule 3 - The Players
3.1 - Number of players
a)       Team roster is limited to 12 players, although exceptions can be made with advance permission from League management.
 
3.2 - Substitutions
Substitutions shall only occur at stoppages in play and with the referee's approval (under the same guidelines as Georgia Soccer/USSF matches). **BLACK DIVISION games shall use the same substitution rule as the adult leagues, as laid out above.

Rule 7 - The Start and Restart of Play
7.5 - Five Second Rule
The Five-Second Rule shall not be enforced in U16 and below.  **BLACK DIVISION games shall use the same Five-Second Rule as the adult leagues, as laid out above.

Heading the Ball
Consistent with  US Soccer guidelines, deliberate heading is disallowed for all players age 10 and below. For any games played between a U11 team and an older-age team, neither team will be permitted to deliberately play the ball with the head.