Number of players:
Each game consists of two teams of 6 players, with each team permitted to use up to three substitutes per game.
Substitutions can be rolling throughout the game, but can only be made when there is a stoppage in play, either when a goal is scored, the ball has gone out of play or after a foul.
The match may not start if either team consists of fewer than 4 players. The minimum number of players in a team required for a match to CONTINUE is also 4. So if for disciplinary reasons a team is PERMANENTLY reduced to less than 4 players, the game will be abandoned and the 5-0 forfeit win awarded to the opposition, unless the score at the time of the abandonment provides a greater goal difference than the 5-0 would produce.
Playing equipment:
The wearing of shin pads is recommended. Players must wear clothing that is appropriate for the sport and the weather conditions.
Correct footwear must be worn for artificial playing surfaces. No metal or metal tipped studs are permitted.
Referees:
Each match is controlled by a referee who has full authority to enforce these Laws in connection with the match to which they have been appointed.
Duration of the game:
The game will be played as two halves of 25 minutes. In certain circumstances this match length may be reduced slightly with advanced notice being provided to the team organiser. Each team is expected to arrive a minimum of 15 minutes before their designated kick off to allow time for payments to be made and the team to arrive at the pitch. In certain circumstances game length may need to be reduced if one of the sides is more than 10 minutes late to the playing area.
The half time interval must not exceed 5 minutes.
Start and restart of play:
A kick-off is taken at the centre of the playing area to start the game and after a goal has been scored. Opponents must be 6 feet away from the ball and in their own half of the field. The ball can be played in any direction, and a goal can be scored directly from the start or restart of play.
A dropped ball will restart the match in the event of play having to be stopped due to injury.
Ball In and Out of Play:
Normal rules apply, as per Laws of Association Football.
Method of Scoring:
Normal rules apply, as per Laws of Association Football.
Offside:
There is no offside.
Fouls and Misconduct:
Normal rules apply, as per Laws of Association Football with the following exception:
In circumstances where a referee would normally award a yellow card, a sin bin of a minimum of two minutes will take place. At the referees discretion, dependant on the nature of the incident, this sin bin may be increased by anything up to 5 minutes. Two sin bins on one game equals a red card.
Players are not permitted to slide at any point during the game. This includes sliding to intercept a pass or a shot. What constitutes a slide is at the discretion of the referee as there is a difference between a slide and a lunge or a stretch for the ball. These rules do not apply to the goalkeeper.
A free kick is awarded to the opposing team if the goalkeeper:
- Takes more than 6 seconds to release the ball from his/her hands
- Touches the ball again with his/her hands after it has been released from his/her possession and has not touched any other player
- Touches the ball with his/her hands after it has been deliberately kicked to him/her by a team mate
- Touches the ball with his/her hands after he/she has received it directly from a throw in taken by a team mate For all these offences, the free kick should be taken from the penalty area line, parallel with the goal line, at the nearest point to the offence.
Penalty Kicks:
Position of the Ball and the Players
All players except the defending goalkeeper and kicker must be outside the penalty area and at least 6 feet from the penalty mark. The ball must be kicked forward. The taker must take no more than two steps and kick the ball in one fluid motion.
The ball will be placed for the penalty by the referee, 3 feet inside the penalty area, central to the goal.
Kick-In:
A kick-in will be taken when the ball goes out of place on either side of the pitch, instead of a throw-in. The kicker my pull the ball back up to 6 feet from the touchline while all other players must remain on the playing area. Players are not permitted to ‘hang’ their leg over the touchline to try and stop a kick-in getting past them, and the whole of their body must remain within the playing area.
The ball should be still at the kick-in, but play may continue if the ball is rolling as long as the team are not gaining a significant advantage.
All other rules of throw-ins count. Goals cannot be scored directly from a kick-in at either end, with a goal kick or a corner being awarded depending on which goal the ball goes into.
Goal kick:
A player of the defending team kicks the ball from any point within the penalty area, or the goalkeeper may throw or roll the ball from his/her hands. The goalkeeper cannot kick the ball from his/her hands.
The ball is in play when it is kicked, thrown or rolled directly out the penalty area.
Corner Kicks:
The opposing players must retreat to the edge of the penalty area until the ball it is in play. The kicker may not touch the ball again until it has touched another player. If he/she does, a free kick is awarded against them.
Cancellation terms and conditions
While we try our very best to be as flexible as possible, and will move fixtures around in order to get as many league games on on any particular night, there has to be a timeframe where we cut off any possibility of a game being postponed to ensure minimal unnecessary disruption to your opposition.
The cut off point at which a team can let us know they are unable to play without being punished with a forfeit defeat is TWO HOURS BEFORE THE GAME, as this gives us the chance to sort something else out for your opposition, and is early enough so that your opposition have not started making their way to us. Once we are within two hours of a kick off time, that game is now ‘locked in,’ and any team cancelling within those two hours will automatically take a 5-0 defeat without exception.
Teams are also limited to no more than two postponements per season. Depending on circumstance we may declare certain night’s as exempt from this rule. One example would have been if England had got to the World Cup Final