Outdoor League Rules and Regulations

Printable Outdoor Rules and Regulations

WSC Rules of Play-General Rules and Regulations for Outdoor Seasons

The Outdoor Rules of Play for the Women’s Soccer Club (“WSC”) shall be the “Laws of the Game” as published by the FIFA, including revisions through August 2009, with those modifications stated herein.

1. Coaching from the Sidelines – Each team may have one person coaching from the sidelines provided he or she:
   1. stays within ten yards of the center line while coaching
   2. uses no mechanical devices
   3. uses an informative tone of voice and NOT a harangue
   4. accepts responsibility for the actions of spectators
   5. does NOT use profanity nor engage in disruptive behavior of any kind
   6. does not engage in disparaging remarks to the opposing team’s players

The penalty for violating any of the above rules shall be ejection of the coach from the game by the Referee.

1. Alcoholic Beverages and Illegal Drugs – Players and coaches may NOT consume alcoholic beverages nor use illegal drugs at the field before or during any Club game. Players may NOT play while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. Responsibility for enforcing this rule rests with the team involved, and the whole team may be penalized unless it actively attempts to enforce it.

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Rule 1:  Home Team Responsibility

The WSC Schedulers & Field Coordinator will assign a home team to each scheduled Club game. The home team shall:

1. Provide a game ball.
2. Change jerseys if the visiting team’s colors are not distinctly different from the home team’s jerseys.

Rule 2:  Game Day

1. The captains of both teams are required to submit a rostered referee game report and See that the game card is filled out correctly and signed.
2. The captain is to submit the team’s player cards to the referee upon request. Captains at their discretion may challenge a player’s eligibility from the opposing team. If an authorized card is not produced, the player will be ejected from the game.
3. Referees will officiate the game and note any incidents: injuries or cards awarded on the game card.

Rule 3:  Player Substitution Procedure –revised August 1, 2023

To replace a player by a substitution for 7v7, the following conditions must be observed:

• a substitute can enter on the fly after the referee is informed before any proposed substitution is made
• a substitute only enters the field of play after the player is being replaced has left and after receiving a signal from the referee
• a substitution is completed when a substitute enters the field of play
• from that moment, the substitute becomes a player and the player he has replaced ceases to be a player
• a player who has been replaced can take further part in the match
• all substitutes are subject to the authority and jurisdiction of the referee, whether called upon to play or not

Rule 4:  Glasses and Jewelry
Players may wear prescription glasses on the playing field but are highly encouraged to wear sports prescription goggles. Players may not wear earrings, necklaces, watches or bracelets unless they are covered or taped.

 Rule 5:  Dangerous Equipment

Casts and/or metal splints shall always be considered dangerous equipment.  Knee braces made of hard, unyielding material are illegal, unless the hinges and other hard surfaces are covered with at least ¼ inch of closed-cell, slow-recovery rubber, or other material of the same minimum thickness and having similar physical properties.  Any player who uses a knee brace and fails to cover such equipment according to the above specifications prior to taking part in a WSC game will be cautioned by the Referee and be asked to leave the game until it is properly covered.  The Referee will note the player’s name and specify the nature of the violation on the referee game report.  The Grievance and Discipline (GAD) Committee will review the cautioned player’s and her team’s actions following the procedures described in rule.

Rule 6:  Uniforms
All teams must wear uniforms when playing in WSC games. The uniform must consist of a numbered, full-length jersey/approved WSC T-shirt, shorts and matching knee-length socks; uniform colors must be the same for all team members, except the Goalkeeper. The jersey number should be distinctly visible to the Referee and on the back of the shirt. (In inclement weather, sweatshirts or long-sleeved shirts may be worn under the jersey and should be of a neutral color that will not create confusion; sweat pants may be worn over the shorts.)

 Rule 7:  Team Roster

Fifteen minutes before the start of each WSC game, both participating teams must provide the Referee the roster of players who will take part in that day’s game upon the referee request.

 Rule 8:  Charging the Goalkeeper

1. Charging the goalkeeper shall not be permitted at any time when she is within her own penalty area, regardless of whether she has possession of the ball. Violation of this rule is a dangerous play.

1. The ball may not be played by another player while it is in the goalkeeper’s possession. One finger on the ball is possession. 50/50 ball goes to the goalkeeper. Violation of this rule is a dangerous play.

Rule 9:  Sliding Tackles

Slide tackles are only permitted in the Open League. In the Over 30, O40 and O50 League, no field player may use a sliding tackle. Violation of this rule is a dangerous play.

Rule 10:  Game Length

1. Unless both teams agree to play without a midpoint stoppage, games will consist of two 25-minute halves. Stoppages at the midpoint of each half (if any for weather) will be 1 minute long, and the game will resume as with any normal stoppage of the game.
2. If, at the coin toss, each team’s captain agrees to play without the above rule in force, the referee will conduct the game accordingly.
3. If either or both teams fail to present at least seven players when called for inspection by the Referee, the Referee may reduce the length of the game accordingly. The Referee will apply any reduced time to each half if the teams don’t take the field at game time. Before beginning the game, the Referee will inform both teams’ captains of the amount of time each half will be reduced. The Referee should note, on the game report, which team or teams have failed to present their players for inspection by the appropriate time. 

Rule 11:  Referee Decisions

1. Referee judgment calls may NOT be discussed with the Referee nor protested except by the captain.
2. If a participant in the game believes that a Club rule is not being applied or applied incorrectly, or questions how one of the Laws of the Game is being applied, that rule may be discussed with the Referee during half time or after the game by the captain, if the discussion is conducted in a courteous manner and the Referee is willing to participate in the discussion. Protests concerning Referee decisions will be accepted by the Referee Coordinator pursuant to Rule 21 only if they are related to:
   1. Demonstrated lack of knowledge about the rules of play, as used by FIFA & WSC, and a demonstrated unwillingness to learn and/or enforce these rules.
   2. Refusal to referee in a professional manner.
   3. Refusal to follow WSC Rules and Procedures.
3. Referee evaluation cards are provided to all team representatives and should be used to provide WSC with feedback (positive and negative) – to be sent to the Referee Coordinator for review.

Rule 12:  Forfeiture of Games

1. Forfeiture of Game occurs if a team does any of the following:
   1. Fails to start the game with a minimum of 7 players within 15 minutes after the scheduled time for the game
   2. Plays an ineligible player
   3. Causes the game to stop before full-time is completed, unless agreed upon by both teams
   4. Does anything that is deemed by the Grievance and Disciplinary Committee not to be in the best interest of the game
2. Except as otherwise specified in Rule 12, if any of the items listed above occur, the team who has caused the forfeit will be responsible for paying the following: a $30 forfeit fine if a game was not played and to be paid prior to the forfeiting team’s next scheduled game.
3. All forfeits will result in a 3-0 win for the non-forfeiting team.

Rule 13:  No-Shows, Cancellations and Forfeits

1. If a team cannot field a team for a scheduled game, the team MUST provide cancellation notice to their opponent and to the WSC Referee Coordinator and Scheduling & Fields Coordinator no later than the Sunday before the scheduled game.  Failure to give timely cancellation notice will be considered a “forfeit” as described in Rule 12, and the forfeiting team will incur the fines described in Rule 12-2.
2. If a team shows up at the field with less than 5 players but at least 4 players, the game will be considered as a forfeit for purposes of the game score, and both teams are obligated to scrimmage.  If the teams scrimmage, the teams are encouraged to share players and the forfeiting team will not incur the $30 forfeit fine.  If the forfeiting team refuses to scrimmage or has less than 4 players, then the forfeiting team will incur the fines described in Rule 12-2.
3. Any team that fails to show, cancels or forfeits more than 2 games within a season MAY be suspended for the remainder of the season.

Rule 14:  Game Cancellations

Games may be cancelled:

1. By the WSC President
2. At the discretion of the Referee, due to inclement weather (game will not normally be cancelled due to rain).
3. If a game is cancelled during game play, the club will work with the teams to reschedule the game once.  The teams will not incur any additional costs.
4. If half the game is played before it is cancelled, the game is considered played in full and is not to be rescheduled.

1. In other circumstances as approved by the WSC President for reasons which are in the best interest of the WSC as whole (i.e., competition in tournaments).

Rule 15:  Team Management
When conditions exist within a team that reflect poor management which is not in accordance with these Rules of Play and/or not in the best interest of soccer or the WSC, the Grievance and Disciplinary Committee shall have the power to suspend the team members involved and to revoke their membership in the Club.

Rule 16:  Responsibility for Enforcing Club Rules and Procedures

Each member of the Club is responsible for her actions at all times. In addition, a team may be held responsible for the action of a team member, coach, or spectator if the team fails to take action to ensure that the rules are followed.

Rule 17:  Team Name
Each team must have an official name. All names must be approved by the WSC President.

Rule 18:  Disciplinary and Judicial Process

The Grievance and Disciplinary Committee consists of:

• GAD Chairperson – will follow up on decisions made by GAD Committee. 
• Lead Liaison – initial contact with parties involved and communicates decision back to all parties involved.
• Lead Investigator – receives and distributes Incident reports; gathers information from all parties, including referee report

The Grievance and Disciplinary (GAD) Committee will hear all protests or appeals of any kind relating to the interpretation of the WSC Rules and Procedures, complaints against a referee, member team, coach or individual according to the following procedure:

A Protests, Complaints and Grievances

1. 1. Captains ONLY may file an incident report which includes:

• injury notification
• an action by a referee  – cards awarded
• a complaint to the attention of the GAD
• Type of Incident
• Document if a grievance is being filed
• Game date and opposing team
• Referee name if known
• The cause of the complaint and other parties involved.
• The steps taken to resolve the complaint.

1. 1. Protests, Complaints and Grievances shall be filed on-line as an Incident Report found on the website which is received by the WSC President and GAD Committee for review and action, if necessary. The Notification, Complaint/or Grievance should contain at a minimum the following information:

1. 1. The action requested of the GAD Committee.
      1.  The WSC Lead Investigator will refer all appropriate matters to the GAD Committee Chair for review and action, if necessary. The GAD Committee Chair may, at her discretion, convene a GAD committee meeting.
      2. If the GAD Committee Chair decides to convene a meeting, the Chair will preside over the meeting and have voting rights in case of a tie. No member of the GAD Committee hearing an issue shall be a member of a team involved or any team that might be affected by any action taken, nor will they be directly or indirectly related to the parties involved.
      3. Any decision made by the GAD committee and issued by the GAD Lead Liaison is final and may not be appealed.
      4. Any protest regarding field conditions, uniform colors, or player equipment must be made before the start of the match to the referee and the opposing team. The referee will note that the match was played under protest. An official protest still needs to be filed as stated in Rule 18, Section A(1).

Rule 19:  Procedure for Handling Ejections from a Game

Any player ejected from a game will automatically be suspended from play for her team’s next scheduled game. Any coach ejected from a game will automatically be excluded from participating in the team’s next scheduled game. If a player or coach is ejected from a game:

1. The Referee Coordinator will notify the Chairperson of the GAD Committee and the WSC President.
2. The GAD Chairperson will review the reason for the ejection and the background of the team and the player or coach. If further action is deemed necessary, the Chairperson will inform all affected parties of the Committee’s or Chairperson’s action either in e-mail, writing or orally before the affected team’s next scheduled game.
3. No appeals will be heard for suspensions or ejections from games.

Rule 20:  Standings

1. 1. Standings will be maintained for each playing league and division on the website
   2. Standings will be computed as follows: Win = 2 points; Tie = 1 point; Loss or Forfeit = 0 points. Shut-out = 1 point. In the case of a tie in final points, total goal difference (total goals for minus total goals against) will be used to break the tie.
   3. Results of the game as shown on the game card will be final.
   4. If it is a head to head tie, then the team with the lowest Op score gets the higher seeding.

Rule 21:  Retention, Relegation and Promotion

1. Teams finishing at the top of their given division or group, may be promoted to the next highest division.
2. Teams finishing at the bottom of their given division or group may be relegated to the next lowest division.
3. All such retentions, relegations and promotions are at the discretion of the Scheduling Committee.

Rule 22:  Minors Playing in WSC Open League

1. Players under 16 years of age may be registered in the Open League

1. Minors (16 and 17 year old) must complete a WYSA waiver with parent signatures before participating. Players may participate in a youth league and an adult league simultaneously since they are separate leagues. If there is a conflict with a youth game and an adult game, the youth game is to be played.
2. The only exception to this is the WIAA spring soccer season for girls.
3. WSC honors letter of intent for players already playing in youth clubs but playing in the off season with WSC.
4. By accepting players that are 16 and 17 into WSC, who are also playing in a youth club affiliated with USSF/WYSA, WSC is in no way attempting to entice, steal, or poach any players or teams away from any youth clubs that they are currently playing in and are welcomed to play in the WSC on their off season following WIAA rules.

Rule 23:  Medical Insurance

1. The Women’s Soccer Club does not provide secondary medical or dental insurance.

Rule 24:  Liabilities and Debts

1. The WSC will not provide compensatory damages for any personal injuries sustained while participating in any WSC function. Neither the WSC nor anyone associated with the WSC is liable for any expenses incurred for supplies, medical treatment, or transportation while participating in any function dealing directly or indirectly with the WSC.
2. The WSC shall not assume nor be liable for the debts nor the financial responsibilities, either implied or incurred, of any of its member.

Rule 25:  Governance

The WSC shall be governed by the WSC Rules and Regulations, except when these are superseded by the United States Soccer Federation and its affiliates.

Rule 26:  Player/Team Suspension Due to Lack of Fees Paid

The WSC player regardless of which team the player is currently registered on, may be suspended until the fees owed to the club/team are paid in full.

Team fees must be paid by the deadline or the team will not be placed on the schedule.

Best of luck and we hope this will add to your enjoyment!