Turf Soccer "How To" Skills, Drills & Play (Rec/Int) *NEW*

Objective

• Soccer is a team sport in which the objective is to score more goals than your opponent on their goaltender.

Game Length

• Games are 55 minutes in length with a 5 minute stop for halftime.
• Games start and end according to your online SSC schedule. 
• If games start late, games must finish at the scheduled time (e.g. 6:15pm-6:55pm).

Equipment (Mandatory)

• Teams are required to bring one size 5 Soccer ball to every game.  A $75 refundable deposit is required, payable through online registration, cash or cheque.
• Captains are responsible for ensuring that nets are placed appropriately in the goal area.
• Teams should bring both light & dark coloured t-shirts to help distinguish opponents.

Players on court and gender ratio.

• Teams are comprised of 7 players on the field (6 players and 1 keeper).  Teams must play with a minimum of 2 males and 2 females on the field at all times. A team can play with a minimum of 6 people, as long as the gender requirements are met. 
• Captains may agree to waive the rules regarding minimum players and gender ratio before the game starts.

Game & Court Setup

• Nets will be set up by facility staff upon the arrival to your game.
• Team captains should meet before the start of the game to go over the field lines as well as defining the goal crease.  In most instances, these lines will already be obvious on the field.
• Teams are responsible for keeping score & time.
• To start the game, teams should decide who gets ‘first ball’ by playing a game of rock, paper, scissors.  The game begins with one team initiating play by making a pass from the centre of the court, back to a teammate.

General Game Rules

In general, standard soccer rules apply to all SSC games. Notable exceptions are listed below:

• To score a goal, the entire ball must pass over the goal line and into the net. If a discrepancy arises as to whether the ball was in or not, the person deemed to have the "best perspective" will ultimately make the call. Please remember that you are playing in a self-officiated, co-ed, social league, so any arguments or disputes should be kept to a minimum.
• There are NO off-sides. However, a strategy of consistently "cherry-picking" is considered to be unsportsmanlike.
• Player substitutions can be made at any time (i.e. changing on the fly is allowed). However, please ensure that the player coming off has completely entered the team area before the new player joins the action and the change does not disrupt the flow of the game. Keepers cannot change on the fly - please wait for a stoppage in play before substituting goalies.
• A handball infraction occurs when the ball hits a player’s arm from the ELBOW down (as opposed to the shoulder). In addition players may use their arms to block the ball from hitting their groin area, and women can also use their arms to block the ball from hitting their chest. This rule will reduce the number of stoppages in play. Please don’t abuse this rule.
• All free kicks and side kick-ins are indirect. To score off an indirect kick, the ball must be touched by another player (offense or defense, but not the keeper). This is a modification of the original rule to deter players from blasting the ball at the goal in an attempt to hit the ball off the goalie and into the net.
• If a ball is kicked out of bounds along the sidelines, an indirect kick-in is awarded to the opposite team. There will be no throw-ins at any time. The ball should be placed on the sideline where it left the field. The player must have both feet on or outside the sideline. If a kick-in attempt results with the ball never entering the field, the play is retaken.
• If a ball is kicked out of bounds along the goal line by the offence, an indirect goal kick is awarded to the defending team.
• If a ball is kicked out of bounds along the goal line by the defense, a corner kick is awarded to the attacking team. A corner kick is not a ‘free kick’, therefore a goal can be scored directly from a corner-kick.
• Defensive players cannot be within 8 feet of the ball when any indirect kick, corner-kick, or goal kick is being taken.
• If a ball hits the top or sides of the dome, an indirect kick is awarded to the opposite team. The ball should be placed at the spot on the field that is closest to where the ball made contact with the dome. i.e. directly underneath the point at which the ball hit the ceiling and on the sidelines for balls that hit the side of the dome.
• Slide tackling is not allowed under any circumstances. As well, no players (with the exception of the goalie) can slide to block a shot or pass at any time.
• Teams may call a one (1) minute time-out if needed, except in the final 10 minutes of play.
• A game can end in a tie during the regular season (ties are not allowed in playoffs, see below).
• No metal cleats allowed.

Goal Crease & Goalkeeper

• Keepers can use their hands only when they are inside the lined goalie crease.  If the keeper uses their hands outside of the crease, a penalty kick is awarded to the opposing team.
• A keeper can "roam" as far from their goal as they want.
• When inside the goal crease, a keeper CANNOT pick up a ball with his/her hands if the ball has been played back on purpose to the keeper by a player on his/her team. This includes all forms of passing and kick-ins. The only exception is if the player directs the ball back to the keeper with their head - in this case the keeper CAN pick the ball up with his/her hands. A violation of this rule results in an indirect free kick for the other team at the spot where the keeper inappropriately used their hands.

Violations & Making Calls

• The offending player should call their own infractions, however any players involved with the infraction can also make a call.  When a foul is called, play must stop as there is no "advantage" in SSC soccer.
• Players not on the field at the time of any incident CANNOT make a call at any time.

Playoffs

• A game can end in a tie during the regular season. In the playoffs, a game that is tied at the end of regulation time is decided by a three-minute sudden death overtime period. If still tied, penalty kicks will commence; five players from each team will take one shot each at the distance of ten paces.  Only the players on the field at the end of the game can participate and the keeper that finished the game remains for the shoot-out. After five shots, if still tied, teams continue taking single shots until one team has scored (and the other team does not). The order of shooters must be maintained.
• Playoff games should only be 50 minutes in length in anticipation of needing the extra time to settle a tie.
• Team Playoff Position:  Ties in the standings will be broken first on head-to-head play. If there are more than 2 teams that are tied, all the teams must have played each other in order for the results to go to head-to-head. Otherwise, least points against, then +/-, then most points for will determine the placement in that order. *Note* - SSC will update team playoff positioning once all scores have been submitted, do not assume the time/location of your playoff game until team names have been posted on the schedule.