rules of play

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Teams will be placed into divisions based upon age, gender and playing experience. Any team or player determined by the tournament director to have falsified age or skill level will be dismissed form the tournament. Teams that span more than one age group will be placed into the division of the oldest player on the team. Teams are responsible for signing up in the appropriate division.

For a printable version of the rules [ click here ]

 

Rosters: All rosters are final upon completion of the team's first game. Maximum of 6 players per roster.

 

Number of Players: Six is the Maximum number of players on a team; three field players at one time. Players may only play on one team per division. There are no goalkeepers in 3v3 soccer.

 

Field Dimensions: U9 and up play on a 40 yards x 30 yard field. U7- U8 play on a 30 yard x 20 yard field. The goals are four feet high and 8 feet wide.

 

The Goal Box: The goal box is ten feet wide by six foot long located directly in front of the goal. The goals are four feet high by eight feet wide. There is no ball contact
allowed within the goal box, however, all players may pass through the goal box as long as they do not touch the ball while in the box. If the ball comes to a rest on the
goal box, a goal kick is awarded regardless of who touched the ball last. Any part of the ball or player’s body on the line or inside the plane of the box is considered in the goal
box and an extension of such. If a defensive player touches the ball after it has entered the plane, a goal will be awarded to the offensive team. If an offensive player touches
the ball after it has entered the plane, a goal kick will be awarded to the defensive team. The plane of the goal box extends upward.

 

Game Duration: The game shall consist of two 12-minute halves separated by a two minute halftime period OR the first team to reach 12 goals, whichever comes first. A
coin toss will determine direction and possession before the start of the game. Games tied after regulation play shall end in a tie, except in the playoffs. There are no timeouts
and the Game Clock does not stop in 3v3 games. The referee has the official time on the field and holds the right to take necessary action if he/she feels that a team is
delaying the game. In the event that a field is behind schedule, the referee may shorten the halftime period to one minute, or limit warm-up time prior to game.

 

Goal Scoring: A goal may only be scored from a touch (offensive or defensive) within the teams offensive half on the field. The ball must be completely on the offensive half o of the field, and cannot be touching the mid-0line (Example: kick-off). If a player in their defensive half kicks the ball across the midline and the ball hits another player (offensive or defensive) and the ball goes in the goal, a goal will be awarded. If a ball is kicked from the defensive half and is not touched before the ball rests in the goal, a goal kick is awarded to the defensive team.

 

Substitutions: Substitutions may be made during dead-ball situations, regardless of possession. Teams must gain the referees attention and players must enter and exit at mid-filed.

 

Off-sides: No Off-sides in 3v3 Soccer!

 

No Slide Tackling: If a player is sliding, no contact is allowed with other players. If a player slides and contact is initiated, a free kick shall be awarded. This does not prevent players form sliding to stop or intercept a ball where contact is not initiated during the slide. Example: a player may slide to save a ball from going out-of-bounds.

 

Goal Kicks: May be taken from any point of the end line. This is an indirect kick.

 

Cautioned Players (Yellow Card): Players that receive two yellow cards in one game will result in a red card. (Please see red card rule). Any player accumulating three yellow cards during a tournament will automatically be suspended for their next game (no exceptions).

 

Player Ejection (Red Card): Referee’s have the right to eject a player or coach from the game for continual disobedience or as a result of an incident that warrants sending off. The team may then continue with their remaining two, three or four players, however, if the player receiving the red card was on the field of play, the team must complete the entire game a player short. The player receiving the red card will automatically be suspended for their next game (no exceptions). Players or coaches that are red carded must leave the immediate playing area, including the fan and team areas. If the player delays or refuses to leave, the game will be forfeited in favor of opposing team (regardless of the score at the time of the incident).
**If players are red carded for fighting, they will be ejected from the tournament and are subject to removal from the facility for the duration of the event.

 

Coach/Parent Ejection: Referees have the right to eject a coach or parent from any game for continual disobedience or as a result of an incident that warrants ejection. Coaches or parents whom are ejected by the referee or tournament official must leave the field and area around the field before play will continue. If a coach or parent refuses to leave, the game will be forfeited in favor of the opposing team.

 

Hand Ball Clarification: Deliberate handling of the ball that denies a team of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity will result in the following: (1) A penalty kick (at the
discretion of the referee) (2) A yellow or red card given to the player committing the hand ball (at the discretion of the referee).

 

Delay of Game: Any player may be cautioned with a yellow card if it is deemed by the referee that the player is intentionally wasting time .e.g.: if a player intentionally kicks the ball long distances away from the playing field in order to waste time.

 

Direct & Indirect Kicks: All dead-ball kicks (kick-ins kick-offs, free kicks) are indirect with the exception of corner or penalty kicks.

 

Penalty Kicks: Shall be awarded if , in the referee's opinion, a scoring opportunity was nullified by an infraction. Penalty kicks are direct kicks taken from the center of the mid-line with all players (on both teams) behind the mid-line. Penalty kicks are dead ball infractions. If a goal is not scored, the defense obtains possession with a goal kick.

 

Five yard Rule: In all dead-ball situations, defending players must stand at least five yards away from the ball. If the defensive player's goal is closer than five yards, the ball shall b e placed five yards form the goal box in line with the direction of play prior to the penalty.

 

Shoot outs: The three players from each team remaining on the field at the end of the regulation period will be the only players to kick for their team. The remaining three field players after regulation will rotate, alternating teams with each kick. The first round of shootouts will consist of each player kicking once (round of 3 players shooting per team). The team with the most goals after the first round will be considered the winner. If the score remains tied after the first round of penalty kicks, the same 3 players will alternate in the same order in a sudden death penalty kick format until one team scores unanswered. If one team has received a red card during the game and finishes with 2 players on the field, a remaining roster player (other than the red carded player) must be chosen to kick in the rotation of penalty kicks. If the red-carded player is the last remaining roster player, one of the two field players must kick twice.