New Soccer Format

8 v 8 Soccer rules

Outdoor Field Dimensions:

65L x 50W yard field | Full-Sized Goals with an 18 yard box 

League Format:

• Standard league (9 week season)
• Teams play one night a week
  • (rescheduled games may result in teams playing multiple games in a week)

• Teams must have a minimum of eight (8) rostered players 
• Division must have a minimum of four (4) teams registered in order to run. Teams may be offered to play in a different division or season if this minimum is not met. 
• Ranking:
  • Win = 3 points
  • Draw = 1 point
  • Loss = 0 points
  • Tiebreakers for play-offs: goal differential, Goals for

COED Division Rules:

• Two female players must be on the field at all times.
• Each team must field at least 2 females in order to play a full eight.
  • If a team only has 1 female, they must play with 7 players. The opponents with 2 females will still be allowed to field 8 players.
  • If a team cannot field 1 female on the field, they must forfeit the match.
• A team is allowed to have more females than males on the field at any time.

Guest Players:

• $20 fee for guest players per game.
• Guest players MAY NOT guest play in the same division they already play in. 
• Limit to only playing two times per team in one season, and no guest players will be allowed after Week #5 of the season – after (2) games guest playing they must pay the remaining balance on the season and join the team. (20+20+60= $100 dollar payment in total)
• Guest players can play for multiple teams in one season.

Rosters: 

• Teams must have a minimum of eight (8) rostered players
• Teams rosters will be final after the 5th game of the season. 
• Replacing an injured player can only happen without payment up until week 5
• Injured players can only be replaced once
• All injury replacements after the 5th week will be decided by league coordinator
• After week 5 replacing players must pay 10$ per game left in the season

Game Rules:

• Game Length: Two, twenty five-minute halves (May change depending on the time of the game starting); 3-minute half-time
• 8v8 (Minimum of 6 players to start must have an 7th by halftime or game will result in a forfeit)
• Players must have a colored wristband in order to play in the game.
  • Players must have the correct color wristband on to play in the games. Any player who does not have a wristband or the correct color on will be asked to check in again. 
  • Anyone found playing in a game that is not on the current roster will result in a 3-0 forfeit for that team no matter the score

• If a referee must stop the game for any reason, extra time will be added at the end of the game (Max 3 minutes)
• No Offsides Offense
• No Slide Tackling (Instant Yellow Card)
• No Punting or drop kicks by Goalkeeper
• No Throws Past Half by Goalkeeper
  • A player must touch the ball before it gets to half field
• Throw-Ins on out of bounds plays
• Opponents must give 7 yards of space for any free kick

FIFA Fouls and Misconduct/Free Kicks: Law 12 and 13

Handling the Ball:

• The Upper boundary of the arm is in line with the bottom of the Armpit (Sleeve).
• Not every touch of a player’s hand/arm with the ball is an offense.
• It is a foul if a player:
  • Touches the ball with their hand/arm when it has made their body unnaturally bigger. When the the position of their hand/arm is not a consequence of, or justifiable by, the player’s body movement for that specific situation.
  • Scores in the opponents goal directly from their hand/arm.

A direct free kick is awarded if a player commits any of the following offenses against an opponent in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless, or using excessive force:

• Charges
• Jumps at, kicks (or attempts to kick), pushes (fully extending the arm) 
• Strikes (or attempts to strike), tackles or challenges, trips (or attempts to trip)

Yellow/Red Cards:

A Yellow Card can be issued for but is not limited to:

• Careless or Reckless Action: When a player acts with disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, an opponent and must be cautioned.
• Stopping or interfering with a promising attack by holding, pulling, pushing or handball
• Dissent
• Delaying the Restart of the Game: An opponent who deliberately prevents a free kick being taken quickly after being warned must be cautioned. Players must give the allowed yards (within reason) without being asked.

A Red Card can be issued for but is not limited to:

• Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity
• Excessive Force: A player exceeds the necessary use of force and or endangers the safety of an opponent and must be sent off
• Using Offensive, insulting, or abusive language and or gesture
•  Violent Conduct 
• Serious Foul Play

Any player receiving a red card must leave the field and sideline

• Two Yellow Cards will result in a Red Card and the player will be sent off and must leave the facility immediately.
  • Players receiving a “soft red” are eligible to play in the team’s next game.
• Players receiving 4 yellow cards in a season will receive a one game suspension; these yellow cards will reset during the playoffs. 
• A player who gets a straight Red Card will be sent off and must leave the facility immediately.
  • Straight red cards result in a single game ban from their next match in the same league
• After any red card, the team must play the remainder of the game with one less player on the field
• The Red Card will be reviewed by the Edge team to determine if  further suspension or expulsion from the league in the current season is required
• A second Red Card in the same season results in expulsion from the league in the current season
• 4 yellow cards within the same season will result in a 1 game automatic suspension. These cards will be tracked through the whole season. 

Playoffs:

Once the regular season has concluded, teams will be seeded based on their place on the league table. A minimum of the (4) teams in each league, based on points, will make the Single Elimination play-off.

4-8 Team Leagues

• 4 Teams will make the playoffs with a Semi-Final and Final

Play-off Game Play Rules:

• If at the end of regulation, teams are tied, one 5-minute Golden Goal period will be played. If no one scores after the period, a penalty shootout will occur.
  • Both teams choose 5 players to shoot in the shootout
  • If the shootout must go longer than 5

Forfeits:

The team that does show up still has permission to use the field for the remainder of their scheduled game time.

Fighting Policy: 

If a team does not show for their game, the result will be a 0-3 loss on the losing team’s record and a 3-0 win on the winning team’s record.

If there are not at least six players on the field at the scheduled kick-off time, the team has up to 10 minutes after the scheduled game time to wait for the team to show.

If after those 10 minutes a team still cannot take the field, forfeit will be decided by the general manager or league coordinator. 

If a player enters the game without a wristband and is found to not be on the team’s current roster, the match will be stopped immediately, and it will result in a forfeit if the player continues to play after being asked to leave the match. 

Horizons Edge takes fighting and aggressive behavior from teams, players, and fans very seriously. 

Should a player be involved in a fight or serious incident they will be held a minimum to the following: 

• 1^st Violation- expulsion from all Horizons Edge leagues for the remainder of the current season and the entirety of the following season with NO REFUNDS. 
• 2^nd Violation- a one-year expulsion from all Horizons Edge leagues with NO REFUNDS. 
• 3^rd Violation- ban from all Horizons Edge leagues and NO REFUNDS. 

***Teams that are involved in two incidents in the same season will be suspended for the remainder of the season with no refunds. All games will be forfeited. Teams that are suspended for a second time will not be allowed to return under the same team’s name or same manager with the same roster. Fans causing problems will be escorted off the premises immediately. All other disputes, fights, incidents, etc. can be reviewed by Horizons Edge and are punishable at Horizons Edge’s discretion depending on the situation. All decisions are final and non-disputable. ***