Rules of the Game

Rules of Play

All coaches and assistant coaches MUST be Age-Appropriate certified and complete all AYSO and California volunteer training and certification requirements. Up to two certified coaches are permitted in Technical Area during a game. Home teams occupy the North or West side of the field. Spectators must sit on their respective sideline between the two penalty areas and are not allowed to coach (i.e., providing technical instruction to any player).

Zero Tolerance Policy: absolutely no inappropriate behavior towards any player or volunteer.

Number of Players:

14U - 11 versus 11, with minimum of 7 players/team on the field; Players are required to play at least 3 quarters of the game (late arrival must play minimum 3 quarters or the remaining of the game); No restriction on Goalkeeper playing time.
12U - 9 versus 9, with minimum of 6 players/team on the field; Players are required to play at least 3 quarters of the game (late arrival must play minimum 3 quarters or the remaining of the game); No restriction on Goalkeeper playing time.
10U - 7 versus 7, with minimum of 5 players/team on the field; Players are required to play at least 3 quarters of the game (late arrival must play minimum 3 quarters or the remaining of the game); Maximum of 2 quarters of Goalkeeper playing time.
8U - 4 versus 4. One sub. No Minimum amount of players, 2 teams of split in half (maximum 5 on each side) playing on 2 side by side fields. No Goalkeeper.
7U - 4 versus 4. One sub. No Minimum amount of players, 2 teams of split in half playing on 2 side by side fields. No Goalkeeper.
6U - 4 versus 4. One sub. No Minimum amount of players, 2 teams of split in half playing on 2 side by side fields. No Goalkeeper.

Ball Size:

14U - Size 5.
10U and 12U - Size 4.
6U, 7U, and 8U - Size 3.

Duration of the Game:

14U - 35 minutes half with 5-10 minutes half-time break; running clock; game can end of draw in pool play; 5 minutes grace period from the scheduled starting time.
12U - 30 minutes half with 5-10 minutes half-time break; running clock; game can end of draw in pool play; 5 minutes grace period from the scheduled starting time.
10U - 25 minutes half with 5-10 minutes half-time break; running clock; game can end of draw in pool play; 5 minutes grace period from the scheduled starting time.
7U and 8U - 10 minutes quarter with 1-2 minutes quarter break and 5-10 minutes half-time break; game can end of draw.
6U - 5 minutes quarter with 1-2 minutes quarter break and 5-10 minutes half-time break; game can end of draw.
Games starting late still need to end 5 minutes before the next game's scheduled starting time; 2 halves shall be shorten equally via referee's instruction.

Laws of the Game:

10U, 12U, and 14U - Matches are played to the IFAB Laws Of The Game and AYSO National Rules and Regulations
Deliberately heading the ball in 12U and below is not allowed. Play shall be immediately stopped (no advantage applied). Restart is an Indirect Free Kick (IFK) for the opposing team. If the restart is in the GOAL AREA for the attacking team, the ball is placed at the Goal Area Line parallel to the Goal Line (as with a normal IFK restart).
10U - No punting. Build-out line rules apply.
8U - No offside; No goalkeeper; all free kicks are Indirect Free Kicks (IFK).
7U - No offside; No goalkeeper; all free kicks are Indirect Free Kicks (IFK).
6U - No offside; No goalkeeper; no Free Kicks.

Points & Playoffs: (for 10U, 12U, and 14U only)

3 Points for Win.
1 Point each team for Draw.
0 Point for Loss.
Forfeit is recorded as 1-0.
10U, 12U and 14U - The number of teams qualifying for any playoff tournament varies per division from season to season
6U, 7U, and 8U - No game scores are kept; no point system is used; no playoffs.

Goal Differential / Blow Out Wins:

We will impose the following point penalty for games that end in excess of a 5-goal margin. Acceptable scores include 5-0, 6-1 or 8-3. Not acceptable scores include 6-0, 7-1 or 8-2.

1st offense - 2-point deduction UNLESS you submit a written appeal for consideration. Then it can potentially be waived. No appeal, no waiver. Submitting an appeal does not guarantee a waiver. We will also solicit a report from the ref team as we consider your appeal.

2nd Offense (and forward) - 2-point deduction. NO appeal.

Appeals Process - A written appeal must be sent to your DC for review. It must be received by the Monday immediately following the game for consideration and must include:

1. What happened? What were the circumstances of the game.

2. What steps did you take to try and control it?

3. Why were you unsuccessful in controlling it?

4. What will you do differently next time, or do you require assistance / intervention?

Referee Duty:

14U - Region 2 will supply qualified Referee and each team provides 1 Assistant Referee for the game after their own game; teams play the last game of the day on the same field provides referees for the first game of the day (may be a game in another division).
12U and 10U - Home Team provides 2 referees (one shall be the Referee of the game) and Visitor Team provides 1 referee for the game after their own game; teams play the last game of the day on the same field provides referees for the first game of the day (may be a game in another division).
12U-G - Games before and after the EPIC game are separated into 2 groups. Morning games will ref in the morning group, and afternoon games will ref in the afternoon only.
8U - Home Team provides 1 referee and Visitor Team provides 1 referee for their own game; Coaches shall not be the referees.
7U - Home Team provides 1 referee and Visitor Team provides 1 referee for their own game; Coaches shall not be the referees.
6U - No referee is used; coaches shall help players to follow the Laws of the Game.
Referees must wear full uniform (jersey, black shorts, and 3-strip socks) and AYSO badge.

Point Deduction (included in Sportsmanship Points): (for 10U, 12U, and 14U only)

One Point deduction for each missing certified referee for all scheduled games (including friendly games).
Point deduction may be applied to referees without proper uniform and/or required AYSO badge.
Sportsmanship Policy

Tie Breaker: (for Playoffs)

1. Total Points
2. Fewest Goals Allowed (GA).
3. Head to Head match up
4. Coin Toss

Red Card Ejection: (for 12U & 14U players only and coaches in all competitive divisions)

Player must sit out the remaining of the game and cannot participate the post-game hand-shaking.
Player must also appear and sit out the following game; Player did not show up for the full length of the following game will continue to sit out.
U-10 - Yellow/Red Cards shall not be given to U-10 players; Coaches shall remove the player if he/she is out of control.
Coaches receiving two yellow cards during one game must leave the field. ONLY an Assistant Coach ALREADY on the team roster who is fully cleared and trained to coach in that division may step in to continue the game. In the event there is no Assistant Coach the game will be considered terminated and result in a forfeit regardless of whether the Referee allows the game to continue.

Lineup Cards & Reporting Game Results:

Team information on Lineup Cards must be completed prior to the game (use the ones printed from Team Management Site; 10U+ teams must print BOTH sides of the Lineup Card).
Lineup Cards must be completed by referees with names/teams PRINTED.
Lineup Cards must record the final scores and any Yellow/Red Cards, and/or Coaches/Spectators ejection.
Lineup Cards must be returned to Division Coordinator on the same day.
Incident Report must be filed by coaches for any injury, threat, and/or property damage.
Referee Match Report must be filed if there is any ejection and/or serious incident.
10U, 12U, and 14U - Coaches must report game results through communicated method.