Shorewood Soccer League: U-8 Division Rules

Law 1:  The Soccer Field

The field of play must be 40 yards by 70 yards.  

Law 2:  The Soccer Ball

The soccer ball size will be Size 3 (23-24 inches and weighs 11-12oz.) 

Law 3:  Number of Soccer Players

Number of players varies depending upon registration. Games must be played with a least 6 players on a side.                        

Substitutions U8 is “On-the-Fly”

            1. Substitutions may be made without the referee’s permission.
            2. Substitutions shall be limited to maximum of 3 players per substitutions.
            3. Players who have been substituted may reenter the game.
            4. The coach calls the player’s name and number and tells him/her to come off of the field. The player must have left the field before he/she can be replaced.
            5. The departing player(s) must leave the field in front of their team’s bench.
            6. The replacement player must touch hands with the departing player (high five, etc) to indicate whom he/she is replacing.
            7. Failure to follow the above procedure could result in the referee awarding a five minute penalty                against the offending team (play short). 

Law 4:  Players Equipment

             Shirt:               All field players must wear their designated team shirt.Goalkeeper shirts of different color than that of all field players.
            Shorts:             Players may choose the shorts they wear.
            Shin Guards:   Hard molded shin guards or shin guards with hard molded inserts are required.
            Socks:              Knee Length socks are required and must completely cover the player’s shin guards.
            Shoes:             Gym shoes or soccer shoes with round molded cleats are required, baseball, football, track, golf shoes are not allowed.
            Jewelry:           No jewelry of any type is allowed. Earrings on newly pierced ears may NOT be worn. Hair accessories containing metal are not allowed. Medical information tags must be taped against the body.
            Glasses:           Players may NOT wear unprotected glasses. Players who need to wear glasses must wear sports goggles over their glasses or wear prescription sport glasses. Straps must be used with sports goggles or sport glasses.
            Casts:               Casts of any type, regardless of padding are illegal and will not be allowed.
            Limb Braces:   Are considered illegal and will not be allowed. 

Recommended Equipment: For male players: an athletic supporter with cup. The referee shall be the sole judge of what constitutes ILLEGAL equipment In instances that are not covered by the preceding statements.      

Law 5:  The Referee 

The referee is the official in charge of the game. In regulation games the referee monitors play, keeps official time, stops play, allows substitutions, and interprets and enforces all rules. The referee is in complete control of the game and all decisions made by the referee are final. 

Law 6: Linesmen 

Linesmen help the referee officiate soccer play. One linesman is assigned to each side of the field to determine when the ball is out of play and which team is awarded throw-ins, goal kicks, and corner kicks. 

Linesmen are NOT permitted to comment on play or coach players while participating. NO other calls shall be made by the linesmen. 

Linesmen are extensions of the referee and should be respected just as is the referee. 

Law 7: Duration of Soccer Games 

Regulation soccer games will be four 10 minute quarters, 2 minute between quarters, 5 minute half-time. 

Any regular season game ending in a tied score remains as a tied score. There is no overtime or tie-breakers. 

Law 8:  Start of Play 

For the pre-game coin toss, the visitors shall call heads or tails. The team that wins the toss decides which goal it will attack in the first half of the match. The other team takes the kick-off to start the match. Teams alternate field sides at half time. At kickoff, the ball is in play after it has traveled in a forward motion. The player who kicks off may not touch the ball again until it has been touched by another player. Re-kick will be allowed. 

Law 9:  Ball in and Out of Play 

The ball is always in play as long as it is within the touchlines and goal lines or is touching the lines. The ball is out of play only when it COMPLETELY crosses playing field boundaries. Because the position of the BALL determines in and out of play. Before the thrower can play the ball (on a throw-in), another player from either team must touch it. A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in. 

Law 10: Scoring Goals 

The ball must completely cross the goal line, between the posts or flags and below the crossbar for a goal to be scored. Once the goalkeeper has possession of the ball, there will be no “SELF GOAL” , That is, the goalkeeper cannot score himself by kicking, throwing or carrying the ball into his/her own goal. If a self goal occurs, the goal will not count and the ball will be given to the goalkeeper to rekick. A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in or indirect free kick.   

Law 11: Offsides 

At least two defensive players must be between an offensive player and the goal at the time the ball is played toward the goal. One of the defensive players can be the goalkeeper.  The offside rule will only be enforced at the level of the penalty area. Players cannot be declared offsides if they are dribbling the ball or receiving a goal kick, corner kick, throw-in, or dropped ball.  It shall be considered unsportsmanlike to station an offensive player near the goal area. 

Law 12: Fouls and Misconduct  

Players who intentionally:

A.    Kick or attempt to kick at an opponent
B.    Trip an opponent
C.    Jump at an opponent
D.    Charge at an opponent in a dangerous manner
E.    Strike, spit at, or attempt to strike or spit at an opponent
F.    Hold an opponent
G.    Push an opponent
H.    Touch the ball with the hands (girls may use their arms for protection while doing chest traps. Hands should be on shoulders, and elbows must be kept against the body)

These are penalized by awarding the opposing team a direct free kick from the spot of the foul. 

Players who intentionally:

A.    Play dangerously.
B.    Charge a player when the ball is not within playing distance.
C.    Charge the goalkeeper who does not have the ball.
D.    Goalkeeper takes more than six seconds inside the penalty area while controlling the ball with his hands before releasing it from his/her possession.
E.    Goalkeeper carries the ball across the penalty box line.
F.    Play the ball back to their own goalkeeper and keeper picks up the ball.

These are penalized by awarding the opposing team an indirect free kick from the spot of the foul. In the case of a penalty due to a play back to the goalkeeper, the ball shall be placed on the goal box line or the penalty box line, depending on where the foul occurred.

Slide Tackling IS NOT ALLOWED and will be penalized as dangerous play. 

Disciplinary Sanctions 

Cautionable Offenses

A player is cautioned and shown a YELLOW card if he/she commits any of the following seven offenses:

A.    Is guilty of unsportsmanlike behavior
B.    Shows dissent by word or action
C.    Persistently infringes the laws of the game
D.    Delays the restart of play
E.    Fails to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick or free kick
F.    Enters or reenters the field of play without referee’s permission
G.    Deliberately leaves the field of play without referee’s permission 

Sending off Offenses

A Player is sent off and shown the RED card if he/she commits any of the following seven offenses:

A.    Is guilty of a serious foul play
B.    Is guilty of violent conduct
C.    Spits at an opponent or any other person
D.    Denies an opponent a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball
E.    Denies an obvious goal scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offense punishable by a free kick or penalty kick
F.    Uses offensive, insulting or abusive language
G.    Receives a second caution in the same match 

Law 13: Free Kicks 

Free kicks take place when players are allowed to kick the ball with defenders at least 10 yards away from the ball. Indirect free kicks must be touched by another player before crossing the goal line into the goal.

The kicker must wait for the referee’s signal to kick. Failure to do so will result in an indirect free kick being awarded to the opposing team. 

Direct free kicks, awarded for major fouls, can be kicked into the goal without touching another player   

Indirect free kicks, awarded for minor fouls, cannot be kicked into the goal unless the ball has been touched by another player. See Law 12 .

Law 14: Penalty Kicks 

Elimination of penalty kicks. For any player infractions inside the penalty area that results in a free kick (direct or indirect) being awarded to the offensive team, the kick will be indirect and taken at a point nearest the foul which is outside the penalty area. 

Law 15: The Throw-in 

A team that last touched a ball that goes out of play along the side of the field loses possession to the opposing team. The opposing team must restart play from the spot the ball went out-of-bounds by throwing in the ball.

Players must hold the ball with both hands and throw the ball over the head while keeping some part of each foot on the ground.

Incorrect throw-ins result in the ball being awarded to the opposing team. An extra attempt at a proper throw-in will be given, for the first two weeks of a season.  

A goal cannot be scored directly from a throw-in. 

Defensive players must be at least 3 yards away from thrower. 

Law 16: Goal Kicks 

Balls that go out-of-bounds beyond the goal line and are last touched by the offensive or attacking team are restarted by the defensive team. The ball is put into play by the defending team, taken from a point anywhere within the goal area.

A goal can be scored from a goal kick, but only against the opposing team. 

Players may take goal kicks from the penalty kick mark or anywhere on a line even with the penalty kick line. 

Law 17: Corner Kicks 

Balls that go out-of-bounds beyond the goal line and are last touched by the defensive team are restarted by the offensive team. The offensive team restarts play with a corner kick from with-in the corner arc on the side from which the ball went out of play. The corner kick is similar to a direct free kick, so defensive players must remain at least 10 yards from the ball until it is touched and travels in a forward motion. The player taking the corner kick cannot touch the ball a second time unless it has touched by another player.  

A goal may be scored from a corner kick, but only against the opposing team.  

Lrev12/08fp