7v7 Co-Ed Soccer Rules
Player’s Equipment:
- OSSO Jersey required (except when OSSO Jersey hasn’t been recieved i.e. Preseason)
- Shin-guards are REQUIRED!
- NO METAL CLEATS!
Number of Players:
- Style: 7v7 (one of whom shall be the goalkeeper)
- Minimum to start a match: 6
- Substitution Limit: None
- Substitution Method: “On The Fly” (all players but the goalkeeper enter and leave as they please as long as this is done at midfield and the player entering does not come on the court before the player leaving exits;
- Goalkeeper substitutions can only be made when the ball is out of play and with a referee’s consent).
Co-Ed Rules:
- Minimum 2 females required. A team may start a game with 1 female, but must play one person down.
- Female scores are worth 2 goals.
Duration of the Game:
- Time: Two, 25-minute halves
- Clock Stoppage: Clock does not stop.
- Start of Play– Rock, Paper, Scissors followed by kickoff; opposing team must give 4 yards of space when the possessing team is kicking off.
- Ball in & out of Play– When it has wholly crossed the goal line or touchline.
Fouls & Misconduct:
- Indirect Kicks: All kicks will be “Indirect” unless it’s a foul in the penalty box which will result in a penalty kick
- Types of Fouls Awarded when a player intentionally commits any of the following 11 offenses (penalty kick awarded when infringement takes place in penalty area.
- Kicking or attempting to kick an opponent
- Tripping an opponent
- Jumping at an opponent
- Charging an opponent in a violent or dangerous manner
- Charging an opponent from behind
- Striking, attempting to strike, or spitting at an opponent
- Holding an opponent
- Pushing an opponent
- Charging an opponent with shoulder (i.e., shoulder charge)
- Sliding at an opponent (i.e., sliding tackle) Slide Tackle = Automatic Yellow Card
- Sliding to keep a ball from going out of bounds, or to stop a ball that does not endanger another player is not a foul. It will be up to the referee’s discretion as to whether or not a player’s participation from the ground is dangerous.
Violations:
- andling the ball (except goalkeeper)
- Dangerous play (e.g. attempting to kick ball held by goalkeeper)
Obstruction
- Charging the goalkeeper in the penalty area (i.e., goalkeeper charge)
- Goalkeeper picks up or touches with his hands a back pass
- Goalkeeper picks up or touches with his hands a kick-in from a teammate
Goalkeeper controls the ball with his/her hands for more than 4 seconds
- Players shall be cautioned (i.e., shown yellow card) when:
- A substituting player enters the pitch from an incorrect position or before the player he is substituting has entirely left the pitch
- He persistently infringes the Laws of the Game
He/She shows dissent with any decision of the referee
- He/She is guilty of ungentlemanly conduct
- These 4 yellow-card offenses are punishable by an indirect free kick taken from the point of infringement (or from the 6-meter line when the infringement takes place in penalty area).
- Players shall be sent off (i.e., shown the red card) for:
- Serious foul play
- Violent conduct
- Foul or abusive language
- Second instance of cautionable offense (i.e., second yellow card)
- Intentionally impeding a clear goal opportunity (e.g. through a “professional foul”)
- Intentionally impeding a clear goal opportunity in the penalty area by handling the ball
Rules of Expulsion:
- The player sent off (shown a red card) is out for the rest of the game and is not even permitted to sit on the reserves’ bench.
- Free Kick
- Ball in Play: After it has traveled the distance of its own circumference
- Time Limit: Kick must be taken within 5 seconds
- Restriction: Kicker cannot touch the ball again until it has been touched by another player
Penalty Kick
- To be taken from the penalty mark.
- The kicker is to aim at goal, with the intention of scoring.
- All players must be out of the penalty area.
- The kicker shall not play the ball a second time until it has been touched by another player.
- No other player may touch the ball until it has been touched by the pitch, rebounded from the goal post or crossbar, or has left the pitch.
- If the infringement took place in penalty area (and does not merit a penalty kick), the indirect free kick is to be taken from the penalty box on the spot nearest to where the infringement occurred.
Kick-in:
- To be taken in place of the throw-in.
- The ball is placed on the touch line before kicking.
- The kicker’s foot not kicking the ball must be outside or at least on the touchline; if it crosses the touchline all of the way, into the pitch, the kick-in is given to the opposing team.
- The kick-in must be taken within 8 seconds; if it is not, the kick-in is given to the opposing team.
- The kicker cannot play the ball a second time until it has been played by another player; infringement of this rule results in an indirect free kick to the opposing team from the point of infringement.
- Players on the opposing team must be at least 4 yards away from the point of kick-in.
- A player cannot score directly from a kick-in.
Corner Kick:
- Ball placed on the corner (no corner-kick arc). If ball is misplaced, the corner kick is taken over.
- Must be taken within 5 seconds; failure to do so entails an indirect free kick to the opposing team from the corner mark.
- The kicker cannot play the ball a second time until it has been played by another player; infringement of this rule entail an indirect free kick to the opposing from the point of infringement.
- Players on the opposing team must be at least 4 yards away from point of the corner kick.
- A player can score a goal directly from a corner kick.Extra Time (for playoffs only)
- Extra time will consist of 2-three minute halves of Golden goal format.
- If no one scores we move on to penalty kicks.
Penalty Kick Shoot-Out:
- Coin tossed to decide order.
- Three kicks to be taken by 3 different players. Captain of each team announces these 3 to the main referee before the kicks are taken. (1 must be a girl)
- If two teams are still tied after 3 kicks, the additional kicks will be taken on a sudden-death basis by the rest of the players who have not kicked yet starting with the players who were on the field (including the goalkeeper), then moving on to those who were not on the field when time expired.
- Players sent off during the match are not eligible to take these kicks.
- Any eligible player may change places with his goalkeeper.
- While the penalty shoot-out is in progress, players will remain on the opposite half of the pitch.
Any other league specific rules that were not addressed in these rules will be subject to League Manager’s “Spirit of the League” ruling and will be determined with fairness, player safety & fun in mind.