REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR OUR SUMMER CUP!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTERApplied TeamSCHEDULEField MapApplication To HostCOHANSEY TOURNAMENT RULES OF PLAY
General: Teams must be duly registered with and in good standing with an appropriate governing body. Players must be instructed to compete in the spirit of the game and according to the laws of the game. Tournament shall use only USSF referees. Field Marshals will be assigned to fields and will assist in the safe and orderly completion of events, and should expect cooperation from all tournament participants.
Injuries: In the event of an injury contact your field marshal or the tournament headquarters. An EMT will be dispatched to assist you.
Abusive Behavior: While at the fields, any coach, parent, team official, player or spectator threatening violence or engaging in verbal abuse will be subject to ejection from the tournament and the team may be ejected from the tournament as well if appropriate. This type of behavior is not acceptable at this event and will not be tolerated.
SMOKING AND ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ARE NOT PERMITTED ON OR NEAR ANY PLAYING FIELD, ANY FOOD SERVICES OR ANY AREA WHERE THE PUBLIC CONGREGATES. PETS ARE NOT ALLOWED ON OR NEAR ANY PLAYING FIELD OR EXTENDED AREAS DECREED BY TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS. SERVICE ANIMALS MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED AS SUCH. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH COACH / MANAGER TO INFORM THEIR PLAYERS AND PARENTS OF THESE GUIDELINES.
1. General Rules of the Game a. All games shall be played under the laws set forth by F.I.F.A., except as modified by these rules. b. US Soccer rules requiring the exclusive use of US Soccer registered referees shall be strictly enforced.
2. Registration and Eligibility
b. All teams must register at least one full hour before their first game at the Field Headquarters at the site of their first game. (Should a pre-Registration be scheduled, team managers will be notified by email communication.)
c. At initial registration each team shall provide a photocopy of the official team roster. The roster must include a uniform number for each rostered player and each guest / loan player, which must remain constant for the entire event and match the number on the Player Profiles submitted. If circumstances require a change in uniform number for any game, that change must be reported in advance to the officials on-site.
d. At Check-in, one hour prior to game time, a team representative must present and leave a copy of the properly certified roster for the team for the event (specifically indicating which players will be participating each day of the event). The team representative must also present player passes with photo IDs for each participating player and an Authorization for Medical Treatment form (commonly referred to as a Medical Release) executed for each player. The Authorization must have been executed within the last twelve months and preferably should be notarized. Information will be presented to the site HQ registration desk designated as such at each venue at the event.
e. All players must be registered youth soccer players in good standing with an appropriate governing body. Players must either be on a team’s official roster or be an approved loan player or a guest player duly registered with a separate team. All players must have a medical release on an appropriate form
f. Rosters submitted at registration for full-sided teams may contain up to twenty-two (22) players who will be deemed eligible to play for the team during the event, including any combination of both rostered players and up to five (5) guest / loan players from outside teams. For 9v9 teams, eighteen (18) players can be made eligible, including up to five (5) guest / loan players. For 7v7 teams, sixteen (16) players can be made eligible, including up to three (3) guest / loan players. Secondary passes are allowed, but count toward the guest player limit.
g. Up to eighteen (18) players may be in uniform and present on the team’s sideline technical area for any single full-sided game at the event. Sixteen (16) players may be in uniform and present on the team’s sideline technical area for any single small-sided 9v9 games. Fourteen (14) players may be in uniform and present on the team’s sideline technical area for any single small-sided 7v7 games. The players eligible to participate in any given game can vary from game to game at the event, provided all the players used are listed on the roster submitted at registration. Any player ineligible for a given game may not be in the vicinity of the team’s technical area if wearing a game jersey or team warmup.
h. Club passed players may play with two teams during this event. If competing for two teams, the following must apply: 1. Teams are not in the same bracket or age group. 2. Players are not playing more than 3 matches in any given day.
j. USA teams must present picture identification cards issued by the team’s Federation Organization member (USYS, AYSO, US Club, etc.), Teams from outside the State Association where the tournament is located must provide proof of permission to travel, if their governing body so requires.
k. Foreign team players must present a passport at registration or, if from a nation from which the United States does not require a passport, proof of entry into the United States in a form that is accepted by the United States. Teams must present player picture identification cards. Teams must have a completed form from its Provincial or National Federation approving the team’s participation in the tournament.
3. Player’s Equipment and Field Regulations
a. All soccer equipment must adhere to F.I.F.A. laws. A player must not use equipment or wear anything that is dangerous to himself or another player (including any kind of jewelry).
b. Shin guards are mandatory.
c. Game Referee shall inspect all casts, braces and their protective coverings, and determine whether a player's participation presents an unreasonable risk to the player and/or the player's opponents. Such determination is specific to the game for which the inspection is being conducted and is independent of inspection and participation in other games at the tournament.
d. Players’ numbers must coincide with numbers listed on the roster.
e. All teams must have two sets of jerseys in contrasting colors. All players must wear matching color team shorts and team socks; one set of each will be acceptable for the team.
f. In the event that team colors are similar, the home team will change colors. The home team is the team listed first on the schedule, if not clearly designated as “home”.
g. Each team’s players and coaches shall take one side of the field, and all spectators shall take the opposite sideline. On the team’s sideline, the home team has the choice of side with respect to the centerline, and coaches and players must stay within the technical area on their side.
h. On the spectators’ sideline, spectators are to remain behind the designated line. No one will be allowed behind either end line.
i. Player picture identification cards are required to be checked by the referee prior to each match.
4. Substitutions
a. Unlimited substitutions are allowed, with the referee’s permission, at every stoppage in play (for example, throw-ins, goal kicks, corner kicks, after goals, upon stoppages for fouls, etc.). Free substitution is allowed for all age groups unless teams are advised in advance otherwise.
b. Players must be clearly standing and waiting AT THE MID-FIELD LINE to be substituted (and not merely waiting “in the vicinity of mid-field”), and the referee’s assistant should be alerted, to the extent possible, of the request to substitute at the next stoppage of play.
c. Players standing at midfield should be substituted into the game at the next stoppage of play, unless they remove themselves from the mid-field position prior to the stoppage of play.
5. Game Duration, Ball Size & Age-Specific Rules
a. Games are two (2) halves of thirty (30) minutes each for full-sided competition ages U13 and older. All small-sided competition ages U8 through U12 games are 2 25 min halves.
b. FIFA Inspected/Approved size 5 balls shall be used at ages U-13 through U-19, and FIFA Inspected/Approved size 4 balls shall be used at ages U-8 through U-12, to be supplied by the home team.
c. Heading Rules for U11 and Younger: Whenever the ball strikes a player in the head, play is stopped. The proper restart depends upon whether the player deliberately played the ball with their head. If deliberate, the proper restart is an indirect free kick to the opposing team. If this occurs within the goal area, the indirect free kick should be taken on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred. If the play by the head is deemed inadvertent, then the proper restart is a dropped ball.
6. Forfeit
a. A five minute grace period will be allowed from scheduled kickoff time. Teams must be present and ready to play at the scheduled time or potentially forfeit the game. Nonetheless, Tournament officials are mindful that unforeseen circumstances may occur, and will have the option to shorten, reschedule or otherwise create such circumstances as will allow a game to be played on the field rather than be won by forfeit.
b. A minimum of seven players constitutes a team.
c. A forfeit will be recorded as a two to zero result.
d. The Tournament Committee will review abandoned games on a case-by-case basis.
e. No team that forfeits a game will be eligible to win any championship awards at the event.
f. The determination of the Tournament Committee is final.
g. In the event that a forfeit is anticipated, teams will NOT release their players until the team manager has conferred with the Tournament Director / Committee. Teams must recognize that the cancellation of a competitive game may create a lost opportunity for an expected showcase evaluation for one or more players, and is disrespectful to teams that travel significant distances to attend the Tournament. (The Tournament Committee will consider numerous possibilities to permitting game action, including the possible availability of guest players, mutual agreements to play 10v10, 9v9 or 8v8, or declaring a forfeit but then scrimmaging with guest players supplied by the opponent or otherwise.)
7. Inclement Weather
a. All teams and coaches must show up at the scheduled field and time regardless of weather conditions, unless otherwise notified by a League Official. Failure to appear may result in a forfeit, which is scored as a two to zero loss, and may result in the rescheduling or loss of a team’s future games at the Tournament.
b. In the event of stoppage of play due to severe weather conditions, teams should retreat to a safe location; teams should ensure in advance that there is a means to communicate with team members in the event of stoppage. One team representative is required to report to the venue HQ fifteen minutes after stoppage has occurred, at which time notice will be provided whether the remaining schedule will be resumed, cancelled, modified or further postponed for another defined length of time, pending receipt of information allowing formulation of a definitive resolution. Do NOT assume comments by anyone other than Tournament personnel at HQ are authoritative on issues regarding the resumption or cancellation of the schedule in the event of stoppage.
c. In the case of inclement weather, the Tournament Committee has the authority to change, cancel or reschedule any game and / or its format.
d. The determination of the Committee is final.
8. Discipline
a. Coaches, players and spectators are required to conduct themselves within the Laws of the Game.
b. All disciplinary measures imposed by the Tournament Committee shall be limited to participation in the Tournament.
c. Notwithstanding section 8.b. above, cautions and ejections beyond the normal course of play (such as violent behavior, referee assault, outrageous conduct, racial, ethnic or sexual abuse) may be referred to, and in some cases are required to be referred to the appropriate league or governing body, which may pursue their own sanctions. This includes referral to the host league sponsoring the event.
d. A player or coach receiving a red card in a game will normally be suspended for one game. A player or coach accumulating 2 yellow cards in one game will be suspended for one game. Violent behavior may subject a player or coach to multiple game suspensions or ejection from the tournament. A player or coach receiving a single yellow card in multiple games will not be subject to a yellow card accumulation penalty. Suspended players and coaches will not be with the team during the next match(es). They can be on the opposite side of the field and watch the game as spectators, unless notified otherwise.
e. Spectators ejected from the field must leave promptly, and failure to do so may result in forfeiture of the game in which their team is participating and / or resort to civil authorities.
f. Additional penalties may be imposed, as deemed fit and necessary by the Tournament Committee. g. Appeals and protests may be filed with the Tournament Committee immediately after the incident in question, and in all events before the next game involving the team in question is played. Such notices shall be lodged at the HQ station designated at each venue. The determination of the Tournament Committee, should a review be granted, is final.
9. Standings and Championships
a. All game scores are recorded and will be posted on the Tournament web site, as well as scoreboards at HQ. Any concerns about posted scores should be brought to the attention of the scorekeepers at HQ as soon as possible, and certainly before the start of any subsequent game.
b. Game cards will be used by the referee to record game results and disciplinary actions. A team coach or team manager should approach the game referee following the game, verify the score and initial the gamecard. (Referees are not expected to seek out team officials following games, as often recovery time between games is limited.) Field marshals will collect the game cards and them to the HQ scorekeeper desk.
c. Where brackets are created for championship play, the following rules apply to Playoff and Consolation Rounds:
1. Teams will be scheduled for one playoff or consolation game during the tournament.
2. In an eight-team bracket, Group A first will play Group B first in a bracket Final. Consolation games will be a match up of teams that finished in corresponding places during group play. Group A second will play Group B second, Group A third will play Group B third and Group A fourth will play Group B fourth. 3. In a six-team bracket, Group A first will play Group B first in a Final. Consolation games will be a matchup of teams that finished in corresponding places during group play. Group A second will play Group B second, Group A third will play Group B third. 1. For consolation matches only, teams may be re-seeded to avoid a rematch of a game played during group play. The Championship game will be played regardless of a potential rematch 4. In a four-team bracket, Group A first will play Group A second in a Final and Group A third will play Group A fourth in the consolation game. 5. In the event of a tie playoff game, only a Semi-Final or a Final requires a winner; in those instances, the teams proceed directly to PKs to determine a winner (See Section 9.d.8. for procedure). 6. In a five-team bracket, teams play a four-game round robin schedule without playoff rounds. First and Second places are determined solely by standings after Group Play. See Section 9.d. below.
d. Where brackets are created for championship play, the following rules apply to Group Play: 1. In Group Play, team standings are based on won-lost record. 2. Wins count for three points, ties for one point. 3. Forfeits are recorded as a 2-0 score. 4. In the event of tie between two teams, head-to-head results determine placement. 5. In the further event of a tie, goal differential determines placement, with up to plus-4 or minus-4 units awarded per game. 6. In the further event of a tie, accumulated goals scored with a limit of 4 per game determines placement. 7. In the further event of a tie, accumulated goals against determines placement, favoring the teams that allowed the fewest goals. 8. Finally, teams will conduct a Penalty Spot Shootout. Should a team fail to show up for the scheduled shootout, the tiebreaker will be awarded to the team prepared to participate. a. Each team will designate eleven players to take shots including one goalkeeper. b. 5 initial shots per team, in an ABABABABAB pattern, until a decisive result is reached. c. If still tied, single alternating penalty kicks, in an AB/AB pattern, until a decisive result is achieved. d. Shootouts may be assigned to a designated goal, separate from the field the game was played on, if necessary for tournament schedule purposes.