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MASL Rules and Discipline Policies
League Regulations: Teams are welcome to participate in the Metrolina Adult Soccer League, so long as they abide by the following rules and deadlines [team captains are responsible for compliance with these rules and deadlines]:
Player Eligibility
- Men's Age: The policy age for men is 25 years and older. Each team can have 2 exceptions for players under 25 but all players must be over 21 years old. Player age is determined by birth date as of the first regular season game.
- Women's Age: The policy age for women is 18 years and older. Player age is determined by birth date as of the first regular season game. "2 Women Rule": Both teams should keep 2 women on the field, at any position, at all times. Should a team have less than 2 women available they will have the following options: a) play down a player for each female player not available b) arrange a mutually acceptable player configuration with the opposing team captain that is known by the referees and agreed upon prior to kickoff. Under no circumstances can a player play for more than one team during the regular season or the playoffs.
- Professionals: Any player who has played any level of professional soccer in the past year (beginning from the 1st game) is not eligible to play in the Metrolina Adult Soccer League.
League fees
League fees are $1100 per team. Each team is responsible for paying a $500.00 non-refundable sign up fee at the pre-season captain's meeting. The final payment is due (received by MASL) the Friday before the 4th scheduled game. Teams that do not have the required fee at the pre-season captain's meeting may lose their team spot to another team that is awaiting access to the league. Teams that do not pay the final payment in time will be awarded forfeits until final payment is received.
Make Check out to MASL and send to:
MASL Finance Committee
6423 Stargaze Lane
Charlotte, NC 28269
Team Rosters
Preliminary rosters are to be on file with the league prior to the first scheduled game. This roster must have a minimum of 11 players with valid DOB (signatures not required). Rosters will only be accepted on the approved league waiver form. Waiver forms are available for download on the league website: http://www.eteamz.com/maslsoccer/handouts/ All information (DOB, Signatures) must be legible or a team can be judged to have an ineligible roster, therefore resulting in a forfeit. Rosters will be finalized prior to the fourth week of play and on file with the league. These updated official MASL rosters will be the only source of players for the Spring 2002 season and tournament. After the fourth week, teams will not be allowed to add any players to their roster. Captains must make sure that no player is on the field that didnt sign the official roster. The maximum number of players on the team roster will be restricted to 25 people.
Send a copy of the roster to:
Don Strange
2100 Sossoman Springs Road
Midland, NC 28107
** Any team who does not have league fees or roster turned in by the above dates will forfeit any games played after that date and until they are cleared.
** The league reserves the right to revoke playoff eligibility for teams that wait until late in the season to turn in their roster or money.
Substitutions
Teams may substitute for a player, only with the referee's acknowledgement, and only in the following situations:
- Possession Throw-In: Only the team controlling the throw-in can call for a substitution. The opposing team cannot call for a substitute when the other team has a throw-in situation.
- Possession Corner-Kick: Only the team controlling the corner-kick can call for a substitution. The opposing team cannot call for a substitute when the other team has a corner-kick.
- Goal-Kick: Both teams may substitute on a goal-kick.
- After a Goal is Scored: Both teams may substitute after a goal has been scored.
- After Halftime: Both teams may substitute during the halftime break.
- Injury: In the event of injury that requires a player leaving the game, both teams will have the right to bring on the number of substitutes per the number of players leaving the game due to injury.
Red/Yellow Cards
Yellow Card Recipients: A player receiving a Yellow Card will be forced to exit the field and have their team play down a person until the next applicable substitution situation comes available for their team. When the appropriate substitution arises, the player receiving the Yellow Card, or another player, may return to the field.
Yellow Cards: Yellow Cards will be issued according to the Referee's interpretation of the Laws of the Game. Any 2 Yellow Cards during the course of a match will result in a Red Card, meaning that player must leave the match and cannot be substituted for. This Red Card will be counted the same as a direct Red Card, thus resulting in a 1 game suspension for the offending player. Any player receiving a yellow card during the course of 4 games during the season or playoffs will be suspended for 1 game following the 4th game with a yellow card. Should this happen twice during the season (8 games with a yellow card) it will be brought to the attention of the discipline committee for consideration regarding suspension. All yellow cards and suspensions will carry over to the playoffs. Incidents occurring during a teams final game may carry over into the next season.
Red Card Recipients: A player receiving a Red Card by virtue of a single infraction, or as a result of accumulating 2 Yellow Cards in the same match will be ejected from that match. Their team will be forced to play down a player, for the remainder of the match. The two women rule still applies except if the ejected player is a woman.
Red Cards: Red Cards will be issued according to the Referee's interpretation of the Laws of the Game. A Red Card during the course of the match, either direct or from an accumulation of any 2 Yellow Cards, will result in immediate game ejection, a 1 game suspension for the next game played and accumulate towards the 2 Red Card player limit for a season. If a player receives 2 Red Cards during the season, he/she will be suspended for the remainder of both the Regular Season and the Tournament. It is imperative that Captains make their team members aware of this policy. Red cards during a teams final game will be carried over into the next season.
Timing, Scoring, Forfeits, Ties
- Ties: Games ending in draws during the regular season will be counted as a tie, with each team gaining a point in the standings.
- Scoring: A winning team receives 3 points for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. Teams will be ranked in the standings by their Win/Loss/Draw points as the first criteria, then by head to head competition, if applicable, and finally by season goal differential. This system will be used to determine the Regular Season Champion for each division, and the pairings for the tournament.
- Forfeits: Forfeits with enough available players (7) will count as a 5-0 loss. If a team does not even have 7 players available, a forfeit will count as a 3-0 loss. Any team with 3 forfeits in a season is ineligible for the playoffs. If a team has 2 consecutive seasons with 3 or more forfeits, the league reserves the right to not allow the team to play the following season.
If a team is playing short-handed and subsequently decides to forfeit during the game (i.e. at halftime), the score will be recorded as either the score at the time of forfeit or the score for forfeits listed above, whichever is greater.
- Playoff Tournament: A tournament will be held at the end of each season. All teams will be eligible for the playoffs, provided no disciplinary action has been taken. The winner of the Uptown Division shall be seeded 1st. The winner of the Center City division shall be seeded 2nd. All other teams will then be seeded as a group, as stated in Scoring section. Any team that does not have an opponent for round one, shall receive a bye into the next round. All playoff games must result in a victory for one team. For all playoff games, there shall be 2 5-minute halves played to completion, followed by 2 5-minute golden goal halves, followed by MLS shootout [5 players from 35 yards with 5 seconds to shoot, followed by alternating players, if necessary]. The first 5 players only must have been on the field at the end of play.
Uniforms
All teams are required to have unique jerseys and players are required to have a number on their jersey. A player must be assigned a number for the season; any changes to a players number during the season must be communicated to those responsible for league rosters and the discipline committee. Teams getting new uniforms or new teams entering the league must check with the League President to verify that the uniform and color are acceptable.
Discipline and Game Conduct
FIFA Laws of the Game for acceptable game/field conduct apply to the Metrolina Adult Soccer League. Sportsmanship and Fair Play are to be emphasized at all times. Poor sportsmanship, abusive language and violent behavior are not acceptable in the MetroLina Adult Soccer League. Our referees have the full support of the League to use their discretion and good judgment while interpreting the Laws of the Game, and will have the full support of the League board in making the League a great place to play the game. It is expected that Captains act on behalf of the League in insuring their team's compliance to the spirit of good sportsmanship.
Pre-Game Conference
Captains from both teams will meet with officials at mid-field to discuss expectations on behavior and discipline. If either team has any issues regarding number of players, field conditions or anything that may result in a team challenging the outcome of a game they should bring it to the official's attention. The coin-toss will also take place at this time.
Post-Game Conference
If necessary, at the conclusion of each game, officials will meet with the Captains at mid-field to agree on the final score and make sure that there are no unresolved issues, and receive a match report. The official score of all games will be reported by the Head Official to the MASL webmaster. The only way to dispute a recorded score will be to produce a match report. Officials will also make sure they have the names and numbers of any players receiving yellow/red cards. Any captain that does not comply with providing the refs the names of players that received cards during the game will be suspended.
Foul Language
While inappropriate language may be the by-product of competitive matches and situations, its use should be minimized by everyone, and never directed towards an individual. Per the Laws of the Game, match referees have the authority to issue disciplinary cards for abuses of language. Note: family members and friends often attend Metrolina matches and all players in regard to their use of foul language should keep this in mind.
Tackles From Behind
Per the new FIFA rule, violent tackles from behind will result in an immediate Red Card. The spirit of this rule is to protect players and prevent injury on a play that does not truly involve legitimate pursuit of the ball. Our referees will enforce this rule per their discretion and observations. Captains should make sure that all players understand this rule as completely as possible to prevent injuries and ejections.
Fighting/Intent to Injure
Though matches do get competitive, fighting is an unacceptable action in the MetroLina League. At the Referee's discretion, per the Laws of the Game, fighting, punching, elbowing, charging, tripping etc. judged to be an attempt to injure the opposing player, will be dealt with severely. If a player physically strikes a referee or makes physical threats to a referee, this player will be immediately banned from MASL for a full year (2 seasons). This behavior is unacceptable and Captains must make sure their players are clear on this issue. Any player who receives a yellow/red card for fighting will serve a minimum 4 game suspension, and the incident will be reviewed by the discipline committee. Depending upon the severity of the incident the discipline committee can suspend the player for more games and even suspend them for the next season.
Disciplinary Committee
The committee consists of 4 league members or captains. One committee leader, 2 full time committee members and 1 alternate has been chosen to decide any items and issues not clearly handled by the above. The committee leader has the authority to rule on forfeits regarding late league fees, late rosters and ineligible players. The leader will consult with the other members of the committee when discipline involves a game issue. Appeals by players/teams will be decided on prior to the next week's games. This committee will not over rule a referee's call unless it has been determined by the committee to be clearly outside the FIFA Laws of the Game and Metrolina policy. Captains on the committee will excuse themselves from any issues regarding their team and an alternate will be chosen to rule on the issue to prevent conflict of interest
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