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TOURNAMENT RULES AND AMENDMENTS TO F.I.F.A. LAW

1.     Eligibility - Players must be eligible for the age division in which they are competing according to U.S.Y.S.A. rules as indicated in the tournament invitation.  U.S.Y.S.A. player identification cards with pictures are required.  Cards will be checked prior to each match and must be in the possession of the referee during the game.  Girls will be permitted to play on boy’s teams.  Players are allowed to play on only one team at the tournament, if rostered on more than one team they must declare, at check-in, which team they will play for.  All teams must be in good standing and sanctioned by their respective state associations.

2.     Rules of Play - The tournament's rules of play shall be the "Laws of the Game" as published by F.I.F.A. with applicable U.S.S.F. youth modifications.  The referee's judgment with regard to the physical condition of the field and its acceptance for play, to the actual happenings and occurrences related to the conduct of the game, and those prerogatives granted to him by the "Laws of the Game" shall not be challenged.  In accordance with the 1993 decision of the International F.I.F.A. Board, coaching from the touchline shall be limited to tactical instructions and coaches must remain in the immediate bench area.  Violations shall be cause for the ejection of the offending coach or manager.

Special U9 and U10 Small Sided Rules

3.     Substitutions - Substitutions may be made, with the consent of the referee, at the following times:

4.       Match Length/Ball Size 

A half-time interval of five minutes will be used in all age groups.

5.   Minimum No. of Players/Forfeit - A team is allowed a 10-minute grace period from the scheduled kick-off time before the game is awarded to its opponents.  A minimum of seven (7) players (4 for U9 & U10 and 6 for U11 & U12) constitutes a team.  Only if less than the minimum players are present can a delay in kick-off be allowed.  Failure to complete a match, or a team leaving the field during play, will result in forfeiture.  The results of a forfeited game will be recorded as a 3-0 win for the no-forfeiting team.  A team that forfeits a game will not be able to advance out of their bracket.

6.    Standings - Each team will be awarded three (3) points for a win, one (1) point for a tie, and no points for a loss.   The team with the most points wins the group.  If two teams have the same number of points, the following procedure will determine the group winner:
a.  Winner of the game played between the two tied teams.
b.  Highest goal differential.  The maximum goal differential for a given game is 3. Thelosing team's goal differential is the negative of the winning team's.
c.  Fewest goals allowed
d.  Number of games won by shutout.
e.  Penalty kicks, according to the procedures accepted by the F.I.F.A. Board in June 1970 (see #8).
f.   There will be no standings for U-9 and U-10 age bracket.

7.     Tie in Championship Matches -  In the event of a tie after regulation time, in a final or semi-final match, two 5-minute overtime periods will be played. If the match is still tied at the end of the second overtime, the match will be resolved by penalty kick elimination, according to F.I.F.A. procedures (see #8).

8.      Penalty Kicks - In the event that penalty kicks are necessary, each coach will designate five (5) players from among those on the field at the end of the second overtime period.  The penalty kicks will be taken in alternating rounds through the first 5 players on each team unless one team gains an insurmountable advantage.  If the match is not decided at the end of the first five rounds, each coach will designate a player from the remaining players who were on the field at the end of the overtime.  Alternating kicks will continue one round at a time, until one team has an advantage at the end of a round.  No player will be permitted to kick twice before all other players on the field have kicked once.  Players not on the field at the end of the second overtime do not participate in the penalty kick elimination.

9.      Ejections - An ejected coach is required to leave the vicinity of the playing field, failure to do so will result in the match being ended, with the team of the offending coach being considered to have forfeited (see #5). Ejected coaches are not permitted to communicate with players by voice or hand signals.  Violations will result in disqualification of the team from the tournament.  A player ejected from a game may remain in the vicinity of the field unless ordered to leave by the referee.  Failure to comply with such an order will result in disqualification of the player for the remainder of the tournament.  Substitutions for ejected players are not permitted.

Any coach or player ejected from a match will be ineligible to participate in at least the next scheduled tournament match.  For extremely serious offenses, the Chief of Officials may impose a multi-match suspension, or even disqualification from the tournament.  Ejections for fighting will result in an automatic disqualification from the tournament.  Disposition of player passes for players so disqualified will be determined following consultation with the appropriate State Association administrators.  

Player passes of ejected players will be surrendered to the Chief of Officials, who will retain possession of the player pass until the player has regained eligibility.  For players ejected in their final St. Mary’s Classic match, the Chief of Officials will forward the referee’s red card report to the appropriate state administrator, and is empowered to retain the player pass for any player if directed to do so by the player’s home State Association.

10.    Equipment - Players wearing casts, soft or hard, are required to present a notarized doctors release at check in. All casts, knee braces with metal supports, or any equipment with hard material will be allowed ONLY if the referee agrees the items are safe. No jewelry will be permitted.  Glasses worn by players during play must meet with the approval of the referee. The assigned referee shall have the power to determine the safety of player equipment in accordance with the provisions of F.I.F.A. Law 4.  The Chief of Officials will provide tournament referees with guidance regarding equipment safety standards, and is empowered to render overriding decisions on player equipment in the interest of consistency across the tournament.

11.     Communicable Disease Procedures - When a player is bleeding, has an open wound, or an excessive amount of blood on the uniform, the referee will require the player to leave the game.  When the bleeding has stopped or the uniform cleaned or changed the player may return at the next legal substitution opportunity.

12.   Color Conflicts – The home team should wear a light color jersey, in the event of a conflict the team that is wrong shall change.  Conflicts during final and semi-final matches will be resolved with a coin flip.

13.    Inclement Weather - Referees have the discretion to suspend a match for lightning or other inclement weather conditions, which represent danger to the players.  Restart of suspended games, as well as any match length adjustments for such restarted matches, will be the decision of the Tournament Committee.  Matches that have reached half time at the time of suspension will be considered to be complete games, with the score being that which stands at the time the match is suspended.

14.    Canceled Matches - The Tournament Directors reserve the right to cancel matches  that cannot be played due to persistent inclement weather, unsatisfactory field conditions, or other uncontrollable situations, although every effort will be made to play the matches as scheduled. Refunds for any canceled games will be determined by the Tournament Committee, there will be no refunds for games that are shortened.

15.   Policy and Rule Interpretations - Questions concerning these rules shall be directed to the Tournament Directors, who reserve the right to render interpretation or implement modifications, which they judge to, be in the best interests of the tournament.  There are no protest procedures for the St. Mary’s Classic; all decisions and interpretations of the referees or Tournament Officials shall be final.

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