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Palos AYSO 733

Condensed Rules of Soccer

  DURATION OF THE GAME
Division Time (running clock).
U-8
U-10
4 quarters @ 10 minutes
4 quarters @ 12 ½ minutes
U-12 4 quarters @ 15 minutes
U14 4 quarters @ 17 ½ minutes
  • Start of play: a flip of the coin determines which team will kick off. The designated home team will call the toss. The winner of the toss must select the goal they will attack for the 1st and 3rd quarters. The loser of the toss must kick off. After half time, the teams change ends of the field and the kick off will be taken by the opposite team to start the 2nd and 4th quarters.After a goal is scored, the team scored upon will kick off. A goal may be scored direct from the kickoff.
  • Ball in or out of play: a ball is out of play when (a) it has wholly crossed the goal line or touch line, whether on the ground or in the air, or (b) when the game has been stopped by the referee.
  • Method of scoring: a goal is scored when the whole of the ball has passed over the goal line, between the goal posts and under the cross bar.
  • Each team may be coached by two coaches, both of who must be on the same side of the field, within ten yards of either side of the halfway line.
  • Referee: one referee is appointed for each match. The referee is responsible for the control of the game. His or her decisions are final.
  • Linespersons: assist the referee by indicating when the ball is out of bounds and which team is entitled to the corner kick or throw in. The linespersons job is not to coach from the sideline.
  • Offside: a player is in the offside position if he or she is nearer to the opponent's goal line than the ball at the moment the ball is played unless: he or she is in their own half of the field; there are at least two of the opponents nearer to their goal line than he or she is; the ball last touched an opponent or was last played by him or her; or if he or she receives a ball direct form a goal kick, a corner kick, a throw in or when it was dropped by a referee. Being in the offside position is, by itself, not a violation. A player that participates or interferes in the play from the offside position will be declared offside. The referee may or may not declare a violation depending on his or her judgment of the circumstances.
  • Fouls and misconduct: a player who intentionally attempts to, or actually, (1) kicks, (2) trips, (3) jumps at, (4) charges violently, (5) charges from behind, (6) strikes, (7) holds, (8) pushes, (9) spits on or at an opponent, (10) intentionally handles the ball, or (11) tackles an opponent to gain possession of the ball, and makes contact with the opponent before touching the ball, shall be penalized by a direct free kick. Any of these eleven offenses committed in the penalty area by a defender will result in a penalty kick for the offensive team. A player committing less flagrant violations such as offside, playing in a dangerous manner, impeding the progress of an opponent or ungentlemanly conduct will be penalized by an indirect free kick. Goalkeeper fouls, including taking more than four steps with the ball in his or her hands, touching the ball with the hands after releasing it, touching the ball with the hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him by a teammate or thrown-in by a teammate and wasting time result in an indirect kick.
  • Cautions and sendoffs: the referee can caution players and coaches by using a yellow card. There are seven yellow card offenses: guilty of unsporting behavior; showing dissent by word or action; persistently infringing the Laws of the Game; delaying the restart of play; failing to respect the required distance for Corner Kicks and Free Kicks; entering or reentering the field of play without the referee's permission; and deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee's permission. The referee can send a player or coach off the field with a red card. There are seven red card offenses: serious foul play; violent conduct; spitting at an opponent or any other person; denying an opponent a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity by a deliberate hand ball; denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity to an opponent who is moving towards the player's goal, by an offense punishable by a free kick or penalty kick; using offensive, insulting or abusive language and receiving a second caution in the same match.
  • Free kick: a direct free kick can result in a score direct from the kick; an indirect free kick cannot result in a goal direct from the kick, unless the ball has been touched by a player other than the kicker before entering the goal. For all free kicks, the offending team must be a least ten yards from the ball.
  • Penalty kicks: a free direct kick taken at the penalty mark. All players except the player taking the kick and the goalkeeper must stay outside the penalty area, at least 10 yards from the ball and behind the penalty mark.
  • Throw-in: when the ball has wholly crossed the touchline, it is put back into play by a throw-in from the spot where it went out and by a player from the team opposite the team that last touched it. A goal cannot be scored from a throw-in. A goalkeeper cannot touch the ball with his or her hands after receiving it directly from a throw-in from a teammate.
  • Goal kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line after last being touched by a player from the attacking team, it is put into play by a kick from the goal area by the defending team. A goal may be scored direct from a goal kick.
  • Corner kick: when the ball has wholly crossed the goal line after being last touched by a player from the defending team, it is put back into play by the attacking team from a kick from the corner on the side the ball went out.
  • Hand ball: handling the ball deliberately is a violation. The hand includes the entire arm up to the shoulder. Instinctive, self-protective reactions are not penalized in younger players. Accidental contact is not an offense and is not penalized, even if a benefit is realized.

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Palos AYSO Region 733

7425 W Choctaw Road 
Palos Heights, Illinois 60463

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