Laws of the Game – Condensed Version
2011/2012 DC Futsal Rules
Registration
1. Fees: See registration form. 2. The league is open to U9/10 boys and girls teams and Men’s Open.
Facilities
All games are conducted at Jefferson Middle School, 801 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024
Field of Play
1. The size of the playing field is the size of a basketball court. 2. There are no boards. 3. Out of bounds rules are enforced, however, kick-ins are utilized instead of
throw-ins. 4. The Penalty Area is a semi circle and normal rules apply to this area.
Duration of Game
The Duration of the game is 50 minutes (two 25 minute halves). With one 3 minute half time.
The Ball
A Futsal ball is a heavier low bounce soccer ball. A regulation youth Futsal ball will be used.
Number of Players
Each team on the court consists of 4 field players and a goalkeeper.
Team Rosters / Player Registration Forms
1. Team Rosters are limited to 12 players. 2. All coaches and players must register on line with US Futsal at www.futsal.org. 3. The US Futsal on line registration, rosters and fees MUST be completed prior to your
teams first match. This must be completed or your team will not be permitted to play and your first match will be tallied as a forfeit.
Substitutions
1. Substitution Method: "Flying substitution" (all players but the goalkeeper enter and leave as they please; goalkeeper substitutions can only be made when the ball is out of play and with the referee's consent).
2. All substitutions must take place in front of your player bench. 3. Unlimited substitutions.
Halftime
Teams will switch benches at halftime. This enables both teams to substitute on their half of the court.
Time Outs
Each team has one 30 second time out per game. No time outs are permitted within the remaining 2 minutes of a half.
Players Equipment
1. A player’s footwear must conform to the following: Flat soled shoes or other footwear designed for gymnasium floor use. No black soled shoes will be permitted.
Referees
1. A one man system will be utilized. 2. The referee will enforce the rules of the game as stated by FIFA.
Duties: Enforce the laws, apply the advantage rule, keep a record of all incidents before, during and after game, stop game when deemed necessary, caution or expel players guilty of misconduct, violent conduct or other ungentlemanly behavior, allow no others to enter the pitch, stop game to have injured players removed, signal for game to be restarted after every stoppage, decide that the ball meets with the stipulated requirements.
3. The referee may stop the game clock at his discretion. 4. The game clock at midfield will be the official match time.
Issuance of Red / Yellow Cards Red Card:
If a player receives a red card he/she will have to sit out his/her teams following match and the team will receive a 2 Minute penalty. The team being assessed the 2 minute penalty will play a man short until the 2 minutes expire or a goal is scored by the opposing team.
Players shall be sent off (i.e., shown the red card) for:
(a) serious foul play (b) violent conduct (c) foul or abusive language (d) second instance of cautionable offense (i.e., second yellow card) (e) intentionally impeding a clear goal opportunity (e.g. through a "professional foul") (f) intentionally impeding a clear goal opportunity in the penalty area by handling the
ball
Direct free kicks (or penalty kicks) accompany the expulsion for (a), (b), (e) and (f); indirect free kicks, for (c) and (d) (from the top of the restraining arc when the infringement takes place in the penalty area).
Yellow Cards:
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/she is substituting has entirely left the pitch.
- he/she 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 top of the restraining arc when the infringement takes place in the penalty area).
Yellow Card Accumulation
If a player receives an accumulated three yellow cards during the first round of competition, he/she will NOT be permitted to play in their teams next match. If a player receives the third accumulated yellow card during the final first round match, the player will NOT be permitted to play in their team’s first match in the single elimination round. All other yellow cards will NOT carry over into the next round. The accumulation of yellow cards will NOT continue during the single elimination rounds.
Fouls and Misconduct
1. Slide tackles will NOT be permitted. However, sliding the ball to prevent it from
going out of bounds is permitted as long as it does not interfere with an opposing player. This will be judged at the referees discretion.
2. A Direct Free Kick shall be 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)
- handling the ball (except goalkeeper within his/her own penalty area)
3. A Indirect Free Kick shall be awarded when any of the following 8 offenses is committed (when an infringement takes place in the penalty area, the kick shall be taken from penalty area line at the place nearest to where the infringement occurred):
- 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/her hands a backpass - goalkeeper picks up or touches with his/her hands a kick-in from a teammate - goalkeeper touches or controls the ball with his/her hands or feet, on any part of the
playing court, for more than 4 seconds, except when he/she touches or controls the
ball on the opponent’s half of the playing court. - goalkeeper with any part of his/her body receives a back pass that has been
previously played by him/her, during their teams possession, back to him/her before the ball has (1) crossed the halfway-line or (2) been touched by an opponent
4. The opposing players must give 5 feet between them and the ball on all restarts.
Accumulated Fouls / 5 Foul Limit
1.Once a team has accumulated 5 Team Fouls (accumulated fouls refer to any direct free kick foul), a Direct Free Kick will be given from the sixth foul on.
- The team with the accumulated fouls will NOT be allowed a defensive wall.
- Infringements committed within 30 feet of the goal line shall be punished with a direct free kick from the point of the infringement or the offended player may place the ball at the Second Penalty Spot..
- Infringements committed from 30 feet or further from the goal line shall be punished with a direct free kick from the Second Penalty Spot.
- All players must be behind the ball before the free shot is taken. Free Kick Procedure:
Until the ball is kicked into play, all players other than the goalkeeper and kicker shall remain behind an imaginary line that is in line with the ball and parallel to the goal line. The goalkeeper must remain in his/her penalty area and at least 5 meters from the ball.
The kicker must aim at the goal, with the intention of scoring. 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 a game goes into overtime, the accumulated fouls carry over onto the overtime period. In overtime, you DO NOT begin at 0. All the fouls that occurred during the game continue to accumulate into overtime.
Kick Offs
1. A kick off is a Indirect Free Kick. 2. The ball must be played forward. 3. The winner of a coin toss will select either a side to defend or the kick off.
Kick-Ins/Restarts
1. Kick-Ins will take place when the ball crosses entirely over the touchlines. 2. A goal may NOT be scored directly from a kick-in. It is an Indirect Kick. 3. A kick-in must be taken within 4 seconds; if it is not, the kick-in will be given to the
opposing team. 4. The opposing players must give 5 feet between them and the ball on all restarts.
Goal Clearance
1. To be taken in place of goal kick. 2. From inside the penalty area, the goalkeeper throws or rolls the ball into play. The
goalkeeper may not punt the ball into play. 3. The ball is not in play until it has passed outside of the penalty area. If the goal
clearance is received inside of the penalty area, the goal clearance shall be taken
over. 4. The goalkeeper may NOT throw the ball directly across midfield.
Corner Kick
1. Ball placed inside the corner arc at the nearest corner. If ball is misplaced, the corner kick is taken over.
2. Must be taken within 4 seconds; failure to do so results in a indirect free kick to the opposing team from the corner mark.
3. The kicker cannot play the ball a second time until it has been played by another player; infringement of this rule results in a indirect free kick to the opposing team from the point of infringement.
4. Players on opposing team must be at least 5 feet from point of the corner kick. 5. You may score a goal directly from a corner kick.
Goalkeeping Restrictions
An indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team if the goalkeeper commits one of the following offenses:
- after releasing the ball from his/her possession, he/she receives it back from a teammate, without it having been played or touched by an opponent.
- touches or controls the ball with his/her hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him/her by a teammate.
- touches or controls the ball with his/her hands or feet, on any part of the playing court, for more than four seconds, except when he/she controls the ball on the opponent’s half of the playing court.
Stoppage of Play 1. Failure by a team to put the ball into play within four seconds, as signaled by the
referee, shall result in a possession turnover to the opponent.
Penalty Kick
1. A penalty kick shall be awarded when a player commits a flagrant foul within his/her own penalty area.
2. The penalty kick will be taken at the top of the restraining arc. 3. The goalkeeper must remain on his/her goal line but may move from side to side. 4. Players other than the kicker must be at least 5 feet away from the ball and all
players must be outside the penalty arc. 5. The kicker shall not play the ball a second time until it has been touched by another
player.
Point System
1. Teams will receive 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie and 0 points for a loss 2. No more than a +10 goal differential will be imposed for each match. 3. Each division will be structured different due to the number of participating teams. 3. If teams are tied with points; order placement in the standings are as follows:
1) 2) 3)
winner of the head to head, if remained tied: Goal Difference, if remained tied:
Least amount of goals against.
Playoff and Championship Rounds
After week 7 teams are seeded so that week 8 is League Playoffs. The final game will be 1v2, 3v4 and so on. Only the final game will require an overtime, should there be a tie at the end of regulation. That overtime period shall sudden death 5 minute period.
If the game remains tied after the 5 minute sudden death, a Penalty Kick Shoot-out (as described under Penalty kick Shoot-out) will decide the winner. Each team will select five players to take the kicks. The team with the most goals after all five kicks are taken will be the winner. If the score remains tied: each team will select 1 player (who has not previously taken a shoot-out, unless that team has used all of its players including the goalkeeper) to take a kick until a winner is declared.
DC Futsal reserves the right to modify rules at its discretion for the good of the game.