General Rules:
· Home Team: 1st team listed in the official tournament schedule/bracket
· Visiting Team: 2nd team listed in the official tournament schedule/bracket
· Bench Locations: The Home Team’s Bench for the first half will be the Bench closest to the main entrance to the gym. The visiting team will occupy the other bench. Teams shall swap benches during halftime.
· Defensive Ends of the Pitch: Teams shall defend goals directly in front of their respective benches.
Team Scoring System And tiebreakers used throughout the tournament:
10 pt Scoring System for Standings:
6 points for a win
3 points for a tie
1 point for every goal scored, up to a 3 goal maximum
1 point for a shutout
-1 point for each red or yellow card ( See "Additional Penalties...")
Tie breakers are as follows:
1 - Most points
2 - Head to head result
3 - Most goals scored (up to 3 per game)
4 - Least goals against
5 - Red cards
6 - Coin toss
No Shows or Late Teams:
In the event of a team not showing up at the scheduled time for their match (a 5 minute grace period will be allowed for late teams) a forfeit to that team will be issued. A total of eight (8) points will be awarded to the team present (i.e., the on-time team will be awarded a 1-0 win). To keep the end of tournament rankings fair when determining first and second place teams, 8 points (indicated as a 1-0 win) will be applied to all games played by the forfeiting team in their team bracket. Thus the forfeiting team will not be considered as a factor in the overall scoring within that team bracket.
Additional Penalties Associated with Cautions and Send-Offs:
A deduction of 1 point will be made from a team’s accumulative total points for each Caution (issuance of a Yellow Card to a player) and each Send-off (issuance of a Red Card to a player or a coach) occurrence.
Additional Penalties Associated with Abandoned Matches Due to Spectator Interference:
In the event that the Referee has to abandon a match due to spectator interference or any problems in the spectator areas, Tournament Co-Directors most likely will decide that the team in question will be awarded a forfeiture of the match in question (regardless of the score at the time of abandonment). In addition, Tournament Directors may apply further penalties that may preclude the associated team(s) from further participation in this tournament to include forfeiture of any registration fees and possibly the relegation of this team to the lowest ranking within their bracket regardless of their accumulated points. If this situation occurs, it will be the responsibility of the coach of the team in question to provide a written mitigation plan to the Tournament Directors within one hour from the time the match was abandoned that will address how his/her team will resolve the spectator problem that resulted in the match being abandoned prior to their next match.
Law One – The Pitch
· Games will be played within the lines of the basketball court – no using the walls. The basketball 3-point arc bounds/defines the Penalty Area.
· In the Grissom Main Gym: Team Benches will be located on the same side as the Official Timekeeper and opposite the spectator side of the gym, a minimum of 1.5 meters from the touchline (between the second and fourth row of the bleachers), be 5 meters wide and located 5 meters from the halfway line.
· In the Grissom Auxiliary Gym: Team Benches will be located opposite the spectator side of the gym, a minimum of 1.5 meters from the touchline, be 5 meters wide, and located 5 meters from the halfway line. If no team benches/bleachers are available, Team Benches will be specifically marked off.
· The Substitution Zone for each team is located in front of their respective Team Bench.
· In the Main Gym, no players or coaches will be allowed to stand on the floor in front of their Team Bench. Persistent infraction of this rule could result in a Caution being issued to a player or a send-off being issued to the coaches for irresponsible behavior.
· In the Auxiliary Gym, no players or coaches will be allowed to stand closer than 1.5 meters from the touchline in front of their Team Bench. Persistent infraction of this rule could result in a Caution being issued to a player or a send-off being issued to the coaches for irresponsible behavior.
· The Penalty Area is defined by the 3-Point arc on the basketball court
Law two – the ball
· The balls used throughout the tournament will be officially approved Futsal Balls.
law three – the number of players
· A match is played by two teams, each consisting of no more than five players, one of whom is the goalkeeper.
· A match may not start if either team consists of fewer than three players. The match is abandoned if one of the teams has fewer than three players on the pitch.
· The team with fewer than 3 players will be credited with a forfeit for that match.
Law Four - Player Equipment & Player Substitution:
Player Equipment
· Footwear – smooth bottom shoes with soles of rubber or a similar material (i.e., no cleats and/or turf shoes).
· Shin Guards, completely covered by socks, are required
· Matching/Numbered jerseys required for all players except the Goalkeeper. If a conflict in jersey colors occurs with opposing team, the home team will be responsible for changing. Pinnies will be acceptable if worn over numbered jersey.
Player Substitution
· Unlimited number of substitutions.
· Substitutions are made on the fly from the substitution zone in front of Team Area (defined in Law One).
· Players substituting out must exit the pitch in front of their Team Area before the player substitute enters the pitch.
· NOTE: It is a Yellow Card Offence to enter the pitch before the substituted player exits.
· Goalkeeper swapping with a field player can only occur during stoppage of play. It is a Yellow Card Offence if this rule is infringed upon.
· Players sent off (issued a Red Card) may be substituted after two minutes. (Refer to the Send-Off Procedure for additional details.)
Law five – The Referees (Referee and second referee)
· Each match will be officiated by a Referee and a Second Referee.
· The Referees will have full control of the match. Their decisions regarding the facts connected with play, including whether or not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are final and are not subject for protest or discussion.
·
The Referee may stop a match due
to spectator interference or any problems in spectator areas. In the event of
this occurrence, the match might be abandoned and referred to the Tournament
Co-Directors to determine the ultimate outcome of the match in question and to take
further actions to mitigate the risk of future problems.
Law six – the Assistant referees (Timekeeper and third referee)
Timekeeper:
· The official time will be kept by the official Timekeeper and displayed on a visible countdown clock.
· The clock will run continuously unless a unique circumstance, determined by the Referee, occurs. Then and only then will the clock stop.
· In the event the official clock malfunctions, the official time will be kept by the Referee.
· The referee may add or subtract time to the official clock as necessary if time was improperly maintained by the timekeeper.
· There will be no Third Referees used in this tournament.
Law Seven - Duration of Play:
· The game is comprised of two (2) equal 18 minute halves.
· There will be no Time-Out Periods for either team during the match.
· There will be a 5 minute half time period between halves.
Law Eight - Start and Restart of Play
Start of Game and Second Half:
· Kick off from center of court.
· The Home Team will kick-off at the start of the 1st half.
· The Visiting Team will Kick-off at the start of the 2nd half.
Kick-offs:
· A Kick-off is a way of starting or re-starting play:
1) At the start of the match
2) After a goal has been scored
3) At the start of the second half of the match
4) At the start of each period of extra time, where applicable.
· A goal may NOT be scored directly from a kick-off
· Kick-off Procedure:
1) All players must be in their own half.
2) Defenders must be a minimum of 3 yards away or outside center circle, whichever is greater.
3) The ball must be stationary in the center.
4) The referee gives a signal (whistle or verbal “play”).
5) The ball must go FORWARD
Drop Balls:
· A Drop Ball will/can occur at the discretion of the Referees.
law nine – The Ball In and out of play
· The ball is out of play when:
1) It has wholly crossed the goal line or touch line whether on the floor or in the air
2) Play has been stopped by the Referees
3) It hit the basketball backboards (and associated support structure), ceiling, or equipment attached to ceiling
· If the ball hits the basketball backboards (and associated support structure), ceiling, or equipment attached to ceiling while in play, the game is restarted with a kick-in taken by the opponents of the team that last touched the ball. The Kick-in is taken from a point on the touch line nearest the place where the ball hit the ceiling or backboard.
law ten – the method of scoring
· A goal is scored when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line between the goalposts and under the crossbar, unless a member of the attacking team, including the goalkeeper, has deliberately carried, thrown or struck the ball with his/her hands or arms, and provided that the scoring team has not previously infringed the Laws of the Game.
· In Futsal, if a shot had been taken before the horn sounded to end a period, the referees must wait to officially end the playing period until they are certain a goal won’t result directly from the shot that was taken before the horn started. If this flighted ball “touches” any other player, other than the defending goalkeeper, before going into the net, the period ends at the point it touches that player.
· A goal is disallowed if the goalkeeper of the attacking team throws or hits the ball intentionally with his/her hand or arm from inside his/her own Penalty Area and is the last player to touch or play the ball. The match is restarted with a Goal Clearance to the opposing team.
law eleven - offside
· There is no offside in Futsal.
Law twelve – Fouls and Misconduct
Fouls Penalized With a Direct Free Kick (DFK):
All outdoor soccer direct free kick fouls apply in futsal. Additional futsal fouls are noted below.
· Charging of any kind is to be considered a direct free kick foul with one exception. Unavoidable shoulder to shoulder contact is allowed provided, in the opinion of the referees:
¨ Both are simply playing for the ball and the contact is because of that fact, not because of one intending to initiate the contact with the other.
¨ The contact is not reckless, careless or uses excessive force.
· The direct free kick shall be taken from the place where the offense occurred.
· Fouls penalized with a penalty kick:
1) A penalty kick is awarded if any of the above 10 offenses is committed by a player inside his/her own Penalty Area, irrespective of the position of the ball, provided that it is in play.
· Accumulated Fouls will not be recorded nor administered throughout any of the tournament matches.
· NOTE: Due to the increased dangers of the Futsal playing surface over an outdoor playing surface, the Referees will typically call a tighter game (when considering Direct Kick fouls) than what is normally called during an outdoor soccer match.
Fouls Penalized With an Indirect Free Kick (IFK):
All outdoor soccer indirect free kick fouls apply in futsal, except one. The goalkeeper, following a “save”, may place the ball on the pitch and pick it back up with his/her hands. This is allowed but becomes moot because of the additional four-second restriction on the goalkeeper listed below.
Futsal fouls in addition to outdoor soccer indirect free kick fouls are noted below.
· An indirect free kick shall be awarded to the opposing team if a goalkeeper commits any of the following two offenses:
1) Controls the ball with his/her hands or feet in his/her own half of the pitch for more than four seconds,
2) After playing the ball, he/she touches it again with any part of his/her body in his/her own half of the pitch after it has been deliberately kicked to him/her by a team-mate without an opponent playing or touching it
· The indirect free kick is taken from the place where the infringement occurred unless in the Penalty Area, in which case the restart is on the Penalty Area line directly away from the goal line.
Slide Tackles:
· If a player slide tackles the ball and contacts the opponent, DFK for the opponent and possibly misconduct. If a player slide tackles the ball and does NOT contact the opponent but an opponent was within playing distance of the ball, IFK for the opponent and possibly misconduct. If a player slide tackles the ball without an opponent within playing distance of the ball, no foul nor misconduct.
Cautionable and Send-off Offences:
All outdoor soccer misconduct applies in futsal.
Send-Off Procedure:
· In the event that a send-off occurs, the player involved will not be able to re-enter the game nor will he/she be eligible to participate in the next subsequent game of this tournament. High School-aged or Adult Divisions, a player, substitute or substituted player who has been sent off must leave the vicinity of the field of play and the technical area. For the younger-aged, youth divisions, the sent-off player will stay with his/her team in the Team’s Technical Area.
· The team of the player being sent off will be required to play short for a period of two minutes or until the opposing team scores (whichever occurs first). Once the 2 minutes are up or the opposing team scores, the team playing short can replace the player that was sent off with another player.
· If this send off occurs during the last two minutes of either half, then the only means for the team of the sent off player to replace him/her will be after the opposing team scores during that particular half.
· The Time Keeper will record the time remaining on the game clock (at the time the ball is put back into play by the referee immediately following this incidence) to determine the 2 minute penalty period and will indicate to the appropriate team and the Referee on his side of the pitch when they can replace their sent off player.
· If for any reason the player count for either team falls below 3, the game will be terminated by the referee and the team with less than 3 players will forfeit that particular match.
Law Thirteen – Free kicks
· For both direct and indirect free kicks, the ball must be stationary when the kick is taken.
· Direct and Indirect Free Kicks may be opposed with a WALL. All defenders/opponents must be at least 5 yards from the ball (in all directions) at the time of the kick.
· Direct and Indirect Free Kicks are taken from the place where the infringement occurred or from the position of the ball when the infringement occurred (according to the infringement).
· Free Kicks must be taken within 4 seconds of player readiness to play the ball and/or referee signal. If not, an Indirect Gree Kick is awarded to the other team.
Direct Free Kick (DFK):
· Teams cannot score on themselves:
1) If a DFK goes directly into the opponents’ goal, a goal is awarded
2) If a DFK goes directly into the team’s own goal, a corner kick is awarded to the opposing team.
Indirect Free Kicks (IFK):
· IFK fouls committed by a Defending Team in his/her Penalty Area (defined By the Basketball 3-Point Arc) will be taken on the Penalty Area Boundary “arc” that is closest to the point nearest to where the offence was committed yet moved in a perpendicular direction from the goal line. All opponents must be at least 5 meters from the ball until it is kicked.
· IFK fouls committed by an Attacking Team in the Defending Team’s Penalty Area (defined By the Basketball 3-Point Arc) will result in the defending team taking an IFK from anywhere within the Penalty Area. The ball (being kicked by the defending team) must travel outside the defending team’s Penalty Area before it can be touched by any player. All opponents must be outside the Penalty Area and be at least 5 meters from the ball until it is kicked.
· Teams may not score directly on an Indirect Free Kick:
1) A goal can be scored only if the ball subsequently touches another player before it enters the goal:
2) If an IFK goes directly into the opponents’ goal, a Goal Clearance is awarded
3) If an IFK goes directly into the team’s own goal, a corner kick is awarded to the opposing team.
Law Fourteen – Penalty kick (PK)
· A Penalty Kick is awarded if any of the Direct Free Kick offenses (see Law 12 – Fouls & Misconduct) is committed by a player inside his/her own Penalty Area, irrespective of the position of the ball, provided that it is in play.
· Additional time is allowed for a PK to be taken at the end of each half or at the end of each period of extra time.
· Penalty Kick (PK) Procedure:
1) Ball placement on the penalty mark (approximately 6 meters from the goal line and centered in front of the goal).
2) The player taking the PK must be properly identified.
3) The player taking the PK must kick the ball forward.
4) The defending goalkeeper must remain on his/her goal line, facing the kicker, between the goal post until the ball has been kicked.
5) The players other than the kicker must be located on the pitch, outside the Penalty Area, behind the penalty mark, and at least 5 meters from the penalty mark until after the ball has been kicked.
Law fifteen – The kick-in
Restart for Balls Out of Bounds along the Touch Line (Kick-ins):
· Kick-ins must be taken on the Touchline at the point where the ball crossed the line.
· Opponents must be 5 yards away from the ball during Kick-ins.
· The kicker must have both feet on or behind the touchline when striking the ball.
· The ball may be played to the goalkeeper, but he/she may not play it with the hands.
· Kick-ins are like Indirect free kicks i.e., cannot score directly from a Kick-in.
· Kick-ins must be taken within 4 seconds of player readiness to play the ball and/or referee signal. If not, the kick-in is given to the other team.
Law sixteen – the Goal Clearance
· A Goal Clearance is awarded when the whole of the ball passes over the goal line, either on the ground or in the air, having last touched a player of the attacking team. (NOTE: In Futsal, Goal Clearances replace Goal Kicks)
· A goal cannot be scored directly from a Goal Clearance (i.e., Must touch a player/goalkeeper prior to entering the goal).
· The ball is thrown from any point inside the Penalty Area by the goalkeeper of the defending team.
· The opponents must be on the pitch and outside the Penalty Area of the team taking the Goal Clearance until the ball is in play.
· The goalkeeper of the defending team takes the Goal Clearance within 4 seconds of being ready to do so.
· The ball is in play when it is thrown directly out of the Penalty Area by the goalkeeper of the defending team
· Goal Clearance Infringements and sanctions:
1) If the ball is not thrown directly out of the Penalty Area from a Goal Clearance the clearance is retaken, but the four-second count is not reset and continues once the goalkeeper is ready to retake it.
2) If the Goal Clearance is not taken within 4 seconds an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team, to be taken from the Penalty Area line nearest to where the infringement occurred (see Law 13 – Position of free kick)
3) If the Goal Clearance is taken with attacking players inside the Penalty Area the clearance is retaken if any of the attacking players touch the ball or prevent the clearance from being taken properly.
4) In the event of any other infringement of this Law the Goal Clearance is retaken. If the infringement has been committed by the team taking the clearance, the four-second count is not reset and continues once the goalkeeper is ready to retake the clearance.
Law seventeen – the corner kick
Corner Kicks (Restart for Balls over Goal Line last touched by the Defensive Team):
· A Corner Kick will be taken by attacking team.
· Ball is to be placed within 1 foot of corner along the boundary lines or inside the playing area.
· Goal can be scored directly from a corner kick.
· Opponent must be 5 yards away from ball when Corner Kick is taken.
· Corner Kicks must be taken within 4 seconds of player readiness to play the ball and/or referee signal. If not, a Goal Clearance is awarded to the other team.