CORAL SPRINGS YOUTH SOCCER, INC.
RULES
2007-2008 SEASON
SECTION I ‑ GENERAL RULES OF ORDER
SECTION VII - “6 AND UNDER” and “8 AND UNDER” PROGRAMS
SECTION VIII - FOULS, MISCONDUCTS AND DISCIPLINARY
ACTIONS
SECTION IX - ASSAULT AND/OR BATTERY AGAINST A REFEREE
SECTION XI - INSURANCE AND LIABILITY
SECTION XII - CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY
SECTION XIII - TEAM MAKEUP POLICY
A. The seasonal year is defined as the period of time between August 1st of each year and July 31st of the following year.
B. The rules and regulations contained herein shall govern members of Coral Springs Youth Soccer, Inc. (C.S.Y.S.) in all cases in which the rules are applicable and consistent with the Articles of Incorporation and By-laws of C.S.Y.S. The Board of Directors of C.S.Y.S. reserves the right to amend, change or modify the applicability of these rules and regulations at any time. All competition shall be governed by the rules stated herein, unless the rules of a specific competition dictate otherwise.
A. All children participating in the C.S.Y.S. program will be registered by age according to the guidelines set by the Registrar and Board of Directors.
B. A player will be assigned to an age group for the entire
seasonal year based on his/her age on the day before the seasonal year
begins. Thus, a player will be assigned
to an age group for the seasonal year beginning August 1st based on his/her age
as of the preceding July 31st. Players
attaining the limiting age for any age group on or after August 1st will
continue to play in the age group to which they were originally assigned for
the remainder of that seasonal year.
C. All divisions unless otherwise sanctioned by the Board of Directors shall divide play among teams of equal age groupings as follows:
"19 and under" - has not reached 19 years
of age before August 1st of the seasonal year.
"16 and under " - has not reached 16 years
of age before August 1st of the seasonal year
"15 and under " - has not reached 15 years
of age before August 1st of the seasonal year
"14 and under " – has not reached 14 years
of age before August 1st of the seasonal year.
"12 and under" - has not reached 12 years
of age before August 1st of the seasonal year.
"10 and under" - has not reached 10 years
of age before August 1st of the seasonal year.
"8 and under" - has not reached 8 years
of age before August 1st of the seasonal year.
"6 and under" - has not reached 6 years
of age before August 1st of the seasonal year, but
will reach his/her 5th birthday by December
31st of the seasonal year.
D. Under special circumstances and with the advance approval of
the Board of Directors, children will be permitted to play up one age group. In
rare situations, children with special needs may be permitted to play down one age group, with
appropriate medical documentation and the advance approval of the Board of
Directors.
E. Roster size for “10 and
under” teams shall be 12 players with 9 players on the field at one time. Roster size for “12 and under to 19 and
under” teams shall be approximately 15 players per team, at the discretion of
the registrar, with 11 players on the field at one time.
F. Any player may be called upon to prove his/her age by
C.S.Y.S. Only a United States birth
certificate, United States Passport, United States Certificate of
Naturalization, or Alien Registration card issued by the United States
Government shall be acceptable for proof of age.
G. All players should attend all scheduled practices and
games. Persistent failure to attend
practices or games without a valid excuse shall be cause for total or partial
suspension from the next regularly scheduled game but only with advance
notification to the Age-Group Director and the approval of the Vice President. (See SECTION
H. The Board of Directors takes extraordinary efforts to balance the teams to foster a more even level of competition and to make soccer more fun for the players. With over 3,000 players in the program, this is a massive and time consuming undertaking. Because of the complexity and difficulty involved with making changes after team assignments have been made, as a general rule the Board discourages changes in team assignments initiated by the player or parent.
We will only change a player's team assignment, at the request
of the parent, for the following reason:
Both
nights of the practice time for the team to which the player was originally
assigned conflict with religious training.
These participants who have a conflict will be placed at the end of the
wait-list for their age-group and assigned to a new team as an opening occurs.
The Board of Directors may also change a player's team assignment for other extraordinary reasons. Conflicts with other athletic commitments, personality conflicts (with a coach, other player, or other parent) and similar reasons will generally not be considered by the Board as sufficient reason to make a team assignment change.
I. Players shall abide by the Rules and Regulations at all times. Failure to comply with the Rules and Regulations may result in disciplinary action determined by the Director of Arbitration.
A. The Coach is responsible for maintaining his/her own coaching
skills.
1.
All Coaches in C.S.Y.S. will be required to attend an introductory
coaching course (required for all coaches) and an advanced coaching course
(required for coaches with two or more years of experience in CSYS), in order
to be certified as a C.S.Y.S. Coach.
C.S.Y.S. will honor current, valid coaching certificates and licenses obtained from other soccer organizations within or outside
the State of
B. The Coach is responsible for developing the individual and
team skills of the players on his/her team, and for ensuring that the players,
parents and spectators of his/her team conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike
manner while participating in any C.S.Y.S. related activity. The following rules of conduct shall be
observed:
1. Coaches shall support the Referee's decisions
and delay all questions until half time or after the game. The Referee shall have discretionary power to
discuss or not to discuss his/her decision.
2. Coaching is limited to providing directions
to the coach's own team for encouragement and instructional purposes.
3. Coaches and/or Assistant Coaches shall not,
by either their remarks or gestures, in any manner, incite or be guilty of disruptive behavior, which includes verbal
criticism of the referees. They may be
ejected from the field at the Referee's discretion. Such ejection shall result in a minimum of a
one game suspension along with further disciplinary action as specified in
Section VIII or as determined by the Director of Arbitration.
4. At the conclusion of the game, all the
coaches and their teams will line up on the halfway line to congratulate the
other team; win, lose or draw. Coaches
are responsible for instructing their players in sportsmanship in this
ceremony. Hitting, kicking, punching,
spitting on the hands or filling ones' hand with dirt all constitute
unsportsmanlike conduct and the Referee may issue a caution or ejection depending upon the severity of the
offense.
5. Coaches will coach from opposite sides of the
field, even if the field setup does not permit spectators of said team to be on
the same side as the coach. If
facilities permit, the spectators should be on the same side as their
team. In this case the coach may occupy
a location adjacent to the spectators of his/her team. The home team has first choice as to which
side of the field his/her team will occupy.
6. The Head Coach will be responsible for the
actions and language of his spectators and Assistant Coach. All spectators must remain in the bleachers
or a reasonable distance back from the touch line (as determined by the
referee) during the game, and shall maintain proper decorum at all times. Failure to keep control will result in a caution or ejection and possible
further disciplinary action by the Director of Arbitration.
7.
Coaches are not allowed to smoke during all CSYS games and
practices. It is strongly recommended
that spectators follow the same policy. City of
C. Coaches must, at all
times during play, remain within the "technical area", whether or not
this area is marked on the field. The
"technical area" is defined as being one (1) yard back from the
touchline and within ten (10) yards either side of the halfway line. Coaching from outside the "technical
area" will be considered an encroachment by the referee and is a cautionable offense.
Head Coaches and/or Assistant Coaches will not come onto the field,
unless motioned to do so by the Referee.
No one will be permitted to remain behind the goal or near the goal line
during play.
D. The
Head Coach is responsible for ensuring that each player participates in at
least the required amount of playing time for each game (see section VI.B.4).
E. The Head Coach is responsible for attending practices and
games during the scheduled time. If the
Coach cannot be present, the coach must make arrangements for the approved
Assistant Coach to oversee the practice or game.
F. Only the Head Coach may protest a game.
G. Discipline:
1. Persistent unexcused absences from practices
and/or games and conduct unbecoming a member of the team are valid reasons for
disciplinary action against a player.
2. Before
a player is restricted from playing the minimum required time, the disciplinary
action requested must be from the
Age-Group Director and approved in advance by the Vice President. Coaches must make their request to the
Age-Group Director at least 3 days prior to the scheduled game time.
3. Failure to comply with paragraph G.2. shall result in forfeiture of the game and appearance of the
Coach before the Board or its appointed Committee.
H. During league scheduled
games coaches may only field players who have been properly registered to their
team by the C.S.Y.S. Registrar.
Violation of this rule may result in forfeiture of the game results and
in addition will result in suspension of the coach for a period of time as
determined by the Director of Coaches and the Director of Arbitrarion.
I. The Head Coach is
responsible for classifying each player on his/her team according to skill
level, and to submit this classification to his/her Age-Group Representative no
later than the last regular seasonal game.
Coaches who do not submit this classification may be restricted from
future coaching assignments and/or be subject to other disciplinary action as
determined by the Board of Directors.
Classification is
designed as a measure of each player's skill level in relationship to the level
of the entire Age-Group.
Classification is used
to by the Board of Directors to help balance team skill levels for the next
season.
Classification should
take into account each player's individual technical skills but should be
heavily weighted by the player's team play and match performance. When submitting the players’ classifications,
the coach must indicate all Goal-keepers.
The following are the
classifications to be used:
1. exceptional- has thorough understanding of game and
consistently performs at standout level. Has ability to singlehandedly
influence outcome of games. Very few
player should be rated as (1)’s.
2. above average- understands game, can
perform most skills well and contributes such that they have an impact of the
game outcome.
3. average- your everyday dependable player who for the
most part has the basic skills and is improving as season progresses. Most
players fall into this category.
4. below average- this player has limited
skills and needs more coaching and guidance.
Weaknesses outnumber strengths.
5. developmental- this player has limited
physical capabilities and skills along
with minimal effort applied on their part.
Very few players should likewise be rated as (5)’s.
J.
Coaches who have
completed the required training and who have met all other CSYS criteria for
coaches shall be issued Passcards for the current
season. Each coach must openly display
his/her Passcard.
Coaches shall not be permitted to coach during a game unless they
display their Passcard, unless a special exemption
has been granted by a C.S.Y.S. Director prior to the start of the game.
K.
All coaches shall
submit to a criminal background check to be provided by C.S.Y.S prior to the
start of each seasonal year. Such
background check may be used to determine eligibility to coach during that
season.
A. All referees shall be properly trained, currently active and in good standing to be eligible to referee matches of the Club. The referee may be a U.S.S.F. licensed referee or be certified by C.S.Y.S. The referee shall act in accordance with the "Laws of the Game" as published by U.S.S.F., and/or modified by C.S.Y.S.
B.
The Referee is responsible for notifying the Assignor of Referees as
soon as possible but at least 24 hours prior to game time if he/she cannot
referee a game as scheduled, in order that a replacement may be found. Any referee failing to do so shall be subject
to disciplinary action as determined by the Director of Referees.
C.
Upon completion of the Game, the referee will complete and submit a
game card. All unusual incidents must be
reported to the Director of Coaches, Director of Referees and the Director of
Arbitration via a separate game report within 24 hours of the game. All ejections issued by the Referee must be
reported in writing on The Ejection Report Form within 24 hours.
D.
In the event that a Referee also serves as a Coach, or participates as
a player, that individual shall not be assigned to officiate
a game in his/her division. Further, no
Referee shall referee a game in which any relative is involved.
E. Referees who are also coaches may not coach their team while dressed in their Referee uniform. If referees are spectators at a game they must be in the stands and either cover their uniform or change out of it.
F. Specific referee procedures, not covered in the Rules and Regulations, are outlined in the Coral Springs Youth Soccer Referee Manual.
G.
All referees who have reached 18 years of each shall submit to a
criminal background check to be provided by C.S.Y.S prior to the start of each
seasonal year. Such background check may
be used to determine eligibility to referee during that season.
A.
Practice
schedules, times and fields for teams, as set by the Director of Fields and
Scheduling shall be strictly adhered to.
Coaches found to be holding non-scheduled practices will be suspended
for a minimum of two games or as determined by the Director of Coaches and the
Director of Arbitration.
B.
Practice
facilities (including goals) shall be shared equally by teams engaging in
simultaneous practice.
C.
There shall be no
more than two (2) practices per team
per week (however, special rules will apply for practices for the under 6
program). Length of practices will be
determined by the Director of Fields and Scheduling.
A. Except where modified herein, rules of play shall be the
currently effective F.I.F.A. "Laws
of the Game". Competition sanctioned by C.S.Y.S. shall abide by the rules
of play unless further modified by C.S.Y.S.
B. Modifications:
1. Players wearing a hard cast (e.g.
plaster, hard plastic or soft cast with metal inserts) shall not be eligible to
participate in any game. Shoes that have
metal cleats or hard toe plates are not permitted. Players shall not be permitted to wear hats
or headgear of any kind during a game, unless it is protective in nature and is
approved by C.S.Y.S. Board of Directors.
The Referee’s decision is this
matter is final.
2. No player will be allowed to wear any
jewelry. This includes, but is not
limited to, necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, hair barrettes, watches or
anything that is, in the opinion of the Referee, dangerous. A medical alert or religious bracelet maybe
worn if, in the Referee’s opinion, it is taped sufficiently to preclude causing
injury. The Referee's decision in this matter is final.
3. Each player is required to wear appropriate sized and approved shin guards inside
his/her socks during all practices, scrimmages, and all sanctioned games while
under the jurisdiction of C.S.Y.S. Each
player shall commence the game with his/her shirt tucked into shorts. The Referee will check each player's uniform
and equipment before play begins and will assure that each player on the
playing field is fitted with the proper uniform, shin guards and playing shoes.
Soccer
cleats are recommended for age groups U10 and above. The
Referee's decision in this matter is final.
4. Each coach in the C.S.Y.S. program shall
ensure that every player on his/her team plays for the minimum required time in each game unless the referee and opposing
coach are notified prior to the game that the player is sick, injured, or is
being disciplined (disciplinary action must be approved in advance by the
Age-Group Director or Vice President ‑ See also Section
5. Prior to each game, opposing coaches shall
exchange team rosters. Rosters shall include all player's names and uniform
numbers, whether the player is participating in the match or not. If a rostered
player is not participating in the match, the coach must indicate the reason on
the roster card (e.g., absent, illness, etc.).
If a player indicated as absent arrives after the start of the match,
the coach can insert the player into the lineup when the referee calls for
substitutes. In this instance, the coach
must notify the referee and the opposing coach of the situation. The opposing coach and referee shall be
notified prior to each game if a player will not play the minimum required time
in the game. The referee shall record
such information and make it a part of the official report.
6. Coaching from the technical area (giving direction to one's own team on points of strategy and position) is permitted provided no mechanical devices are used and the tone of voice is informative and not harassing. Coaches are responsible for the conduct of the team spectators and may receive a caution or ejection at the referee’s discretion.
7. Any player, coach or assistant coach who is
ejected during the course of the game may remain in the immediate vicinity of
the field of play, in the capacity of a spectator, at the discretion of the referee, provided that further misconduct
is not displayed. Any further misconduct
on the part of the player, coach or assistant coach, shall be considered a
second offense and the offending individual will be directed to leave the park
by the referee. Any spectator who
displays misconduct will be requested by the referee to leave the park. Failure to comply with the referee's
direction or request will result in abandonment of the game by the referee and
shall be ruled as a break-off of the game by the Director of Arbitration.
8. Any player, coach or assistant coach serving a game suspension(s) shall not be permitted at any time to offer any form of aid, direction or encouragement while the team is on the playing field. Failure to comply with the above may result in further disciplinary action to be taken by the Director of Arbitration.
9.
Noisemakers are not allowed at games. This shall include, but is
not limited to, air horns, drums or other musical instruments or loudly played
musical devices, shakers (including containers filled with rocks or similar
material), fireworks, etc. Coaches are
responsible for their spectators in this regard as discussed in Section
10. Substitution
guidelines:
a. Players in age groups "6 and under" through and including "14 and under" may be substituted only during a stoppage of the game at the quarter, half-time and three-quarter mark. An injured player may be substituted for at any time the referee deems necessary.
b. Substitutions for “15 and under”, ”16 and under” and “19 and under” shall be unlimited except where specified otherwise in the Rules and Regulations for a special competition. Substitutions may be made, only with the permission of the Referee, at the following times:
i. Prior to a throw-in, in your favor
ii. Prior
to a goal kick by either team
iii. After a goal by either team
iv. After
an injury, by either team, when the referee stops play.
v. After the issue of a caution, in age groups 15U, 16U and
19U, for the cautioned player(s) only. The opposing team may also substitute a
like number of players.
c. In all age groups, if a team is playing ‘short’, i.e. with less than the designated number of field players, when an additional player arrives that player may be substituted into the game at the next stoppage of play with the permission of the referee.
d. Any player on the field may change places with the Goalkeeper, provided the referee has been informed of and has acknowledged the proposed Goalkeeper substitution before it is made, and only after the referee has signaled a stoppage of the play.
11. The winning team is
responsible for notifying the Board of Directors of the game score before
12. In the event that one team
does not show up for a scheduled game after 15 minutes from the scheduled start
time of the game has elapsed, and the referee rules the field playable, then
that team shall be assessed with a loss.
In the event both teams do not show up, then both teams shall be
assessed with a loss. In order to be
considered present, a team must have the required minimum number of players on
the field - ready to play - at the required time.
The minimum number of
players is as follows:
U6/U8 - no
minimum - teams share players to play the game.
U10 - 6 players.
U12 and higher - 7 players.
13. The referee's judgment with regard the actual
happenings and occurrences related to the conduct of the game, and to those
prerogatives granted to him by the "Official Rules" as published by
C.S.Y.S., shall not be challenged and are not subject to protest.
14. Duration of play by age group is as follows:
a. "6 and under" and "8 and
under" Divisions: Four ten minute
quarters with a ten minute half time (See paragraph below "e")
b. "10 and under" and "12 and
under" Divisions:
c. "14 and under" Divisions:
d. “15
and under” Girls Divisions:
d. “16 and under" and "19 and
under" and Under” Divisions:
e. No time out is permitted for substitutions, except for 6&U and 8&U age groups. 6&U and 8&U age groups shall have a stoppage of time at the "quarter" in order to substitute players. Any delay by a coach shall be considered a cautionable offense by the referee. Play will resume when all substitutions are confirmed by the referee. The match will be restarted by the appropriate action (throw-in, goal kick, drop ball) depending on when the match was halted.
15. Game ball size
for each division is as follows:-
Size #5 ball ‑
"14 and under" age group and older
Size
#4 ball ‑ "10 and under" and "12 and under" age
groups
Size #3
ball ‑ "6 and under" and "8 and under" age groups.
16. For purposes of determining team standings within a division, the winning team shall be awarded five (5) points and the losing team zero (0). In the event of a tie, each team will be awarded two (2) points.
17. At season's end, should two or more teams from the same division be tied for first place in point standings, then first place shall be determined from prior head-to-head games. If still tied, then both teams shall be co-champions.
18. Each team within each division shall play an
equal number of games subject to Section VI, C below.