1. GENERAL: The USSF INDOOR SOCCER LAWS will apply to all games unless otherwise specified. The Tournament Committee reserves the right to adjust and/or amend any rule(s) is necessary to accommodate unforeseen problems or circumstances before and during the tournament

2. CREDENTIALS: All teams must have their roster approved at the coach's check-in area. Player cards and medical releases will be verified at check-in time. Player cards must be in possession of the coach and be available on request by a tournament official. If a player is not properly registered and participates in a game, that game will be forfeited to the opposing team. A player shall not be allowed to play on more than one team in the same age division. Team rosters are frozen after check-in.

All players (including guest players) must be currently registered with their local USSF / USYSA State Organization and have a valid USSF / USYSA player registration card or team roster that verifies his/her team affiliation and date of birth. Player age division classifications are determined by USSF rules using August I as a cut-off date.

3. NUMBER OF PLAYERS: Five players on field plus keeper (max. roster size 10).

4. BALL: The ball shall be a size 5 indoor soccer ball for all teams.

5. DURATION OF GAMES: Each game shall consist of one eighteen (18) minute period with -no a half time break. Official time is kept by a Tournament Official seated at the scorer's table. The clock stops only for injuries, penalty kicks and unusual circumstances as determined by the referee.

6. SUBSTITUTIONS: Substitutions may be made as many times as desired. Substitutions may be made at any time during the game whether the ball is in play or not. There will be no stoppage of play for substitutions. The player entering the game can not do so until the player coming off is within 5 feet of the touchline and out of the area where the ball is being played. If in the opinion of the referee, the player entering the game interferes with the action before the exiting player is off the court, the player entering the game shall receive a yellow card and one minute penalty. The game will be restarted with a direct kick for the opponent at the point where the substitute entered the game. The Keeper may only be substituted if the Keeper is injured or on the fly.

7. EQUIPMENT: The goalkeeper must wear colors that distinguish him/her from other players and referees. In case of uniform similarity the home team will change jerseys. All team members must wear the same colored shirts. Players will not be allowed to wear black soled shoes on the floor, Only indoor balls will be brought into the building and used only in the gym area.

A player shall not wear anything that could hurt himself or another player.

8. BALL IN PLAY: The ball is out of play when: It goes above the bleachers, strikes the ceiling or overhead object, or strikes the end walls above the end markings. The ball shall be put into play as follows:

A. The ball shall be put in play at the start of the game with a drop ball at the center of the floor. Each player must be in their own half of the floor at the start of the game.

B. After a goal is scored a goal kick by the team giving up the goal will restart the game.

C. If the ball goes out of play at the touch lines, the ball shall be given to the opposing team to be put back into play with a direct free kick at the point where it crossed the line and no more than three (3) feet from the wall.

D. lf the ball goes out of play at either goal line, it shall be put back in to play as follows: a goal kick if the attacking team was the last to touch the ball; a corner kick if the ball was last touched by the defending team.

E. If the ball strikes the ceiling or any overhead object, play shall resume with a direct free kick from the point under where the ball made contact with the ceiling or object.

9. FOULS AND MISCONDUCT: Fouls and misconduct shall be governed by F.I.F.A. and USSF rules except as follows:

A. There shall be no offsides.

B. Yellow Card = offending player will spend one (1) minute out of play in the penalty box. If a player receives a second yellow card the player will be issued a red card.

C. Blue Card = offending player will spend one (1) minute out of play in the penalty box Blue card penalties do not accumulate.

D. Red Card = player will be removed from remainder of the game and will not be allowed to play in the next scheduled tournament game. Player's I.D card must be delivered to the scorers table. Two Red Cards = player is eliminated from the tournament.

E. Penalty time is canceled by a score for the opposing team .

F. Deliberately boarding or checking another player against a wall or slide tackling another player is prohibited.

10. FREE KICKS: Defenders must remain at least ten (10) feet from the ball until it has been put into play. All Free Kicks must be released within five (5) seconds after the ball is spotted. Failure to do so will result in opposing team being awarded the free kick. The ball must be stationary when the ball is kicked. If the ball is not stationary, a direct kick shall be awarded to the opposing team. All kicks are direct kicks.

11. GOALKEEPING: The goalkeeper must release the ball into play within five (5) seconds after possession is gained. The keeper may not throw nor punt the ball over the half line, doing so will result in the opposing team being awarded a direct free kick at the half line. Any one (1) minute pena4timeassessedagainstthegoalkeepermaybeservedbyanotherteammemberwhoisinthegameatthetimeoftheinfraction. Passback to the goalkeeper per USSF rules except that the penalty shall be a direct kick awarded to the opposing team from the closest red 'X'.

12. HOMETEAM: The first team listed on the schedule will be the home team and will defend the north end of the floor.

13. READY STATUS: Teams playing the next scheduled game must be ready 20 minutes before game time. Any team not ready to play will forfeit that game.

14. PRACTICE AREA: Players may practice with a ball only in the designated area (warm up gym).

15. RESPONSIBILITY: Coaches are responsible for the action of the players at all times.

16. UNETHICAL CONDUCT: Any team that deliberately scores a goal against itself or deliberately allows a goal to be scored against itself will forfeit the game during which the offense occurs. Further, the team and/or coach will, at the discretion of the Tournament Director, be subject to expulsion from the remainder of the tournament.

17. PENALTY KICKS: Penalty kicks shall be taken from the closest red "X". All players except the goalie and kicking player must move behind the half line until the referee's signal. At the referee's signal the ball is a free ball and may be advanced and kicked. All other players on the field may advance at the referee’s signal.

18. DETERMINATION OF DIVISION STANDINGS: Standings will be determined as follows: (Preliminary Games-Pool play)

A Three (3) points for a win

B. One (1) point for a tie

C. Zero (0) points for a loss

D. If due to an odd number of teams in a division or pool, some teams are required to play one more game than other teams, one of the games will not be counted in those team's score. The game that does not count in a team's score will be selected by the tournament director before the start of the tournament on a random basis and announced after all games in that bracket have been played. Failure of a team to compete in their extra game will result in that team being declared ineligible to win their division and compete in the finals.

19. TIE BREAKERS: In the case of a tie at the end of bracket play, the following will apply in the order listed:

A. Result of head to head competition between the tied teams. (This rule is applied only when all tied teams have played each other).

B. Goals Scored: Each team will be awarded one (1) point for each goal scored to a maximum of three (3) points per game.

C. Goals scored against: The team with the fewest goals scored against them wins the tie breaker.

D. Most shutouts

E. Shootout competition using five players from each team.

F. Coin toss

20. SEMI-FINALS AND FINALS:

A. For age groups in which there are four (4) divisions, the division winners will play a regulation semi-final game with the winners advancing to the championship game.

Semi-finals:   Winner Division A vs Winner Division C

Winner Division B vs Winner Division D

B. For age groups in which there are three (3) divisions, a wild card team will be the team with the most scoring points, excluding the divisional winners. If the teams are tied in points, the tie-breaker rules will be used. The division winners and the wild card team will play a regulation semi-final game with the winners advancing to the championship game. In the semi-finals games, the wild card team will not be assigned to play the winner of its own division.

Semi-finals:   Winner Division A vs Wild Card

Winner Division B vs Winner Division C

NOTE: If Wild Card winner comes from Division A, then the semi-final games are as follows:

Winner Division A vs Winner Division C

Winner Division B vs Wild Card

C. For age groups in which there are two divisions, the winner of each division will be determined by scoring rules #18 and #19. The 1st place team in each division will play in a championship game for 1st and 2nd place awards.

D. For age groups in which there is only one division with four teams, a Round Robin will be played and the 1st and 2nd place teams, determined by scoring rules #18 and #19, will play a final championship game for 1st and 2nd place awards.

E. For age groups in which there is only one division with five teams, a Round Robin will be played and the winners will be determined by scoring rules #18 and #19above. Each team will play a minimum of three (3) games.

F. PLAYOFF TIES: If a tie exists at the end of a final or semi-final game, the following rules apply:

1. The two (2) teams shall play a 6 minute player reduction sudden death game, every minute, at the buzzer, one (1) player from each team shall leave the field. Each coach shall designate the players who leave and the order in which they leave before the start of the game.

2. If the game is still tied, the winner will be declared by shoot-out competition. If at the end of the first five shooters from each team, the score is still tied, a sudden death shoot-out will go into effect. All players on the roster must shoot before any of the first five are allowed to shoot again.

21. PROTESTS: No protest will be allowed. The decisions of the tournament committee are final in all cases.