General:

The NASL league is a recreational adult soccer league for men and women. The purpose of the league is to promote and support adult soccer play in a friendly and family-like environment in the Riverside County area. FIFA and USSF rules govern OUR LEAGUES play, except as amended by these rules.

It is the intent of OUR LEAGUES to

• Promote the game of soccer in a spirit of teamwork, fair play and sportsmanship.
• Provide coherent competition among area players and soccer teams.
• Develop and foster interest in soccer in the Southern California area.

These rules are broken into four major areas

• Participation in OUR LEAGUES
• League Operations
• Scoring and points calculations
• Deviations from FIFA and USSF rules

Participation in OUR LEAGUES:

Players and coaches joining OUR LEAGUES must follow any additional guidelines found within these LEAGUE rules.

ROSTER – All teams are required to provide a list of players at the beginning of the season no later than game three (3).  After week 3 and before week 8, teams can make roster changes by sending an email to the league 24 hours previous to the game taking place at the cost of $10 per roster change, , this applies ones your full team fee has been paid in full.  Unregistered players on a team will also be the cause of a forfeit which equals to the loss of the game plus a penalty of minus 2 pts from their standings.  After the 8th game of the season there shall be NO more changes to any team rosters.  

LEAGUE FEES – Half the team fee is due 1 months before the season starts.  Full payment is due no later than start of the season. If this is not the case, there is $50 late fee.  Player are fees are due by the first game.  If a player fee is not paid in full by the 3rd game, then a $10 late fee will be assessed.  A $25.00 will be charged on return checks. Returned checks will not be re-deposited.

SUB Players:  Once the entire team fee is paid in full, a team can carry sub players, up to 22 players.  The Sub player is to pay $10 to register and $10 for every game played (ie: the first game a sub player plays, $20 is due.  For every additional game played $10 must be paid before the game).  A SUB player must play in at least THREE regular season matches in order to participate in Playoff Matches.)

CROSSOVERS – A player will be allowed to switch teams only 1 time during a season with previous approval from the League Director.  Players are allowed to play in different divisions during the same season as long as they fulfill the age requirements and have paid their fees.   

PLAYER RESPONSIBILITIES - Any player who receives a yellow card is required to step off the field for 2 minutes.  If goalie gets yellow carded, the goalie himself/herself has to step out of the field for the 2 minutes. A red card issued is expected to carry an automatic 1-game suspension minimum;  A suspended player will sit out only for the division that he was suspended for unless he is considered a threat to the safety of another individual.  Suspensions do NOT carry over other divisions and/or other nights.  Accumulation of 3 red cards in the same season will result in suspension from the league for six months, dated from the date of the last card that causes the suspension. The suspended individual must also take and pass a referee training class and provide a letter of completion from the instructor before allowed to re-enter OUR LEAGUES league play.   

MANAGERS MEETING – The league will conduct one mandatory managers’ meeting every season.  Each team is required to be present at this meeting for the entire meeting.  A team can be represented by somebody other than its manager.  One manager can represent 2 teams as long as he/she is part of that team.  Teams that are not represented at this meeting will be penalized with a minus 2 points from the current standings.  Teams that show up late or leave early (10 minutes for more) will also be penalized with minus 1 pt from their current standings.  No exceptions.  This rule was created because it is well known that managers meetings will not be attended by the big majority otherwise.

League Operations:

OUR LEAGUE WEB SITE - OUR LEAGUES operate a web site at www.norcoadultsoccer.com.  Each web site provides the latest information on league operations and should be consulted weekly for all questions concerning OUR LEAGUES.

SEASONS – OUR LEAGUE runs 4 seasons per year in Norco.  The Winter season runs Jan-Mar, Spring runs April-May, Summer runs Jun-Aug and Fall runs Sept-Dec. There is generally NO break in between seasons.  The All-Star game will take place in late Dec or in early January.

TEAM DIVISION PLACEMENT - Teams will be placed in divisions based on level of experience and participation in the league and availability.  In the given case that there are 2 divisions in the same age group (same day) the winner of the lower division will be moved up to the upper division and the team that ends in last place of the upper division will be moved down to the lower division.

FINALS - At the end of the regular season, the top four teams will advance to the play-offs. If there are 4 teams in a division, all four teams will advance to the play-offs.  In brackets with 8 teams, all teams move on to the play-offs.  Game #10 will become a quarter-final, the lower ranked team MUST beat the higher ranked team in order to move on.  For semi-finals teams will go directly to penalty kicks in case of a tie (with restricted time on weeknights, teams may have to do penalty kicks previous to their game.)  The final games will be 30 min halves and if there is no winner, there will be two 5-minute ‘golden-goal’ halves. If there is no winner, there will be a best of 3 penalty kicks (in coed 1 of the 3 has to be a female player), 10 steps back from the goal line.  If no winner still, teams will continue until somebody wins.  In case that the lights go off and there is no winner still, the game will be decided on a coin-toss.

SCHEDULE CHANGES - Once a schedule is published to the web site, no changes will be made unless there is an unexpected logistical problem that arises. The only other exception is weather related changes.  If this is the case, all managers will be notified of the change(s) electronically.

MAKEUP GAMES AND CANCELLATIONS – A match is considered official once the 1st half has been completed.  If play must be halted after the start of play, but before the half is complete, the scheduler will make every attempt to reschedule the shortened game. However, if field, weather or other situations preclude timely rescheduling, the game may not be replayed. If this occurs, the score standing will be used as the final score of the game.  If a play-off game is approved to be rescheduled, the requesting team will be required to pay for the referee fee, plus the field rental fee and the lights cost if game is played under the lights. This costs runs about $75 per game. 

FORFEIT - Failure to have a minimum amount of players to show-up (5 on 8v8) will result in a forfeit for that team. Referees will allow a 10 minute grace period from posted start time to field a team. A two-point deduction from the offending team’s division standing will be reduced for the forfeit. The team that wins by default will add maximum points to their division standings 3 points and 3 goals.

PLAYER CONDUCT - Players are responsible for fair, sportsmanlike and polite behavior at all times.  NO fighting will be tolerated. Foul, vile or vulgar language MUST not be used on the field either toward other players or to yourself in general.  Referees are instructed to card offenders.   Any fight will result in immediate one-year suspension without a refund to whoever throws the first punch.  All other individuals who get involved in a fight will be also suspended for at least six months according to managers and other witnesses’ reports. Referee or racial abuse will not be tolerated. Assault includes the following acts committed upon a referee: hitting, kicking, punching, choking, spitting at, or on, grabbing, stepping on, or running into a referee; the act of kicking or throwing any object at a referee that could inflict injury, damaging the referee’s uniform or personal property. Referee abuse is also defined as a verbal attack or physical approach that implies or threatens physical harm to a referee or the referee’s property or equipment.  Verbal threats are remarks that carry the implied or direct threat of physical harm. Threats such as: "I’ll get you after the game" or "You won't get out of here in one piece" shall be deemed referee abuse. Commission of any of the preceding acts will carry a 6 month to one-year suspension from OUR LEAGUES.

A player who has been punished for fighting or other violent conduct, however long the suspension, provided it is the first time this happens and there is no history of red cards, his/her manager will be able to appeal the suspension in order to cut it in half.  Player will need to pay the fine of $150 and the player will be able to play after half the suspension is over.  Players may also be required to referee 1 to 3 friendly matches in our league to be fully eligible. Should the player come back after his/her full suspension is over, the player will still be required to pay a fee of $100 (in addition to their player fee) in order to be allowed to play again in the league.

REFEREES - All decisions made by the referees assigned to matches are final. USSF and referees in training are contracted to referee league games, if you have a problem with the referees that officiate the games, we suggest that you look into leagues on the north side.  No appeals will be accepted pertaining to decisions by the referee. No player or individual shall enter the field of play without the referee's express permission except during substitutions.

Referee Veto* – each team is entitled to veto one referee per season.  This can only be done by the manager of the team; a referee evaluation form must be completed and submitted with a $20 processing fee to the league director.  This veto will be applicable for following seasons as well; however, if a team wants to change the referee they have vetoed in a future season, a new form and additional $20 processing fee must be submitted to the league director.      *a referee veto is not guaranteed during a Final matchup where we utilize a team of 2 referees.

REFUNDS - Once entered on the schedule, no team or player shall receive a refund for any reason. Refunds to players during the season are the responsibility of the team managers.  

UNIFORMS - All teams are required to wear uniforms in order to play.  Matching jerseys (no t-shirts allowed please) are required and must be numbered.  Shorts and socks do not necessarily need to be of the same brand name or style but have to be of the same color (or very similar such as navy blue & black.  Clashing colors will not be allowed such as wearing green instead of red or orange instead of royal blue).  Teams are expected to fulfill this requirement no later than game 3.  A referee shall disallow a player from the field of play until he or she is wearing his or her team matching colors. If player refuses to change then he shall not be allowed to play.  In case both teams are wearing the same color, the HOME team must have an alternative option to change colors (bibs are fine).  If home team does not have a back up plan, the home team will be doomed to FORFEIT the game.

OLDER DIVISIONS – In the older divisions, teams are allowed to have some younger players as follow: a total of 4 years under age can be used but a maximum of 2 players in any combination possible thereof i.e. one 26 year old, or two 28 year olds, etc.  Furthermore, teams are allowed to have a goalie that is 25 years old or older but this player is required to play in goal 100% of the time.

GRIEVANCE POLICY/PROTEST - A grievance/protest is a complaint with a suggested resolution. The only matters that are grievable/protestable are treatment of players by coaches, actions of spectators, or any clear violation of the rules that has escaped the attention of the League Director. Any grievance/protest shall be filed in writing, Upon receipt, the League Referee Director will review the relevant facts, appoint a managers panel (from other unrelated divisions) and render a determination, in writing, to the protestor within seven days. The following items, while not exclusive, are not grievable/protestable:

• OUR LEAGUES rules
• Referee decisions
• Decisions regarding suspensions

SCORING AND POINT CALCULATIONS:

Teams will lose standing points for red cards issued to team members during matches.

Red card – (loss of 1 point for each card received)

Deviations from FIFA and USSF Laws of the Game for 8 vs. 8

Unless otherwise indicated here, all Laws of the Game as prescribed in FIFA’s sanctioning bodies’ rulebooks will apply to all OUR LEAGUES matches.

Law 1: The Field of Play.  Local conditions may mandate use of non-standard or sub-optimal fields. The field size used will be 80 X 50 or 70 X 55.

Law 3: The Number of Players.  Teams will play with a maximum of 8 players at one time depending on the division.  Free-substitutions are permitted for both teams at any time avoiding having extra players on the field at one time.  A 5 player minimum is required to start the game to avoid a forfeit. In the coed divisions, 1 girl minimum needs to be present to start the game to avoid a forfeit.

Law 7: Duration of the Match.  If weather or field conditions mandate, and with the concurrence of both involved coaches, matches may be shortened from the normal 25 minute halves. On Sundays, as long as time allows it, the halves shall be 30 minutes long.

Law 8: Start and Restart of Play.  From a goal kick and/or a goalie punt (this includes bouncing the ball), ball needs to be touched by any player or ball has to bounce on own half to be playable, this includes ‘drop-kicks’.  Goalie throws ARE allowed to cross the half line. If the ball is rolled into play, where it becomes challengable by your opponents, there is no restriction on the distance in which it can be kicked.

Law 11: Offside.  There will not be any offside position.  However, on direct or indirect kicks it is not allowed to ‘screen’ the goal keeper (mainly to avoid injury).  The goal keeper shall be allowed at least 3 yards from any opponent.  Corner kicks are the exception.

Law 12: The Wall.  The distance of the wall shall be 8 yards for 8v8.  Every dead ball situation will be considered as a ‘direct-kick’.  The defending team are required to give the attacking team their “automatic” 8 yards without being asked to do it.  Referees are encouraged to card players who do not allow teams to do quick starts.  It is not required to wait for a whistle to restart after a foul is called, unless a card is issued.  If a player asks for yards they must wait for the whistle before kicking the ball.

Law 20: Throw-ins.  There will be no throw-ins.  Instead, teams will do a DIRECT kick from point where ball went out.

COED ONLY: Each team WILL NEED at least TWO female players on the field at all times during each one of the games.  If only one or two females are present, then the team will play short, if all three female players are missing, team will have to forfeit the game.  Female goals count as 2 pts.

Mercy Rule:  Match scores will only reflect a maximum of 5 goal differential (i.e. 5-0, 6-1, 7-2, 8-3)

Slide Tackling and Sliding:  Slide “tackling” is the action used by a player when he/she reaches down on the ground in order to win the ball from an opponent and this is NOT allowed in the coed or older divisions.  “Sliding” without trying to win the ball from another opponent (i.e. saving the ball from going out of bounce or a scoring situation) is permissible as long as there are no other players around.  In other words, sliding to score a goal while the goalie is in close proximity is NOT allowed.  Sliding to save the ball from going out of bounce with nobody near IS ALLOWED.  However, the ruling on this is always to the referee discretion but always according to the above rule.

SEASON POINT TIE-BRACKERS:

In case of point ties, the tie will be broken in this order:

1. Goal difference
2. Goals against
3. Goals for
4. Head-to-head competition
5. Least amount of red-cards received
6. Coin toss.

During play-offs, ties will be broken as follows:

During the quarter-finals, the lower ranked team MUST win the game to move on.  In case of a tie, the higher ranked team will qualify to the next round. There is NO overtime.

During semi-finals (if time & field availability allows it) and finals, teams will go to a 3-3 shots from the mark until somebody wins or until the lights go off.  In Coed division at least one girl needs to take a PK and the first 3.  

If this is the case a simple coin toss will determine who gets recorded as season champion and who will be the runner-up.

* If there is any disagreement with regards to the above rules, it will be the League Director’s responsibility to interpret such rules to the parties affected.  The League Director shall have the final word on any rule interpretation issue.

* Each suspension is in addition to the game in which the player is ejected from. If there is any disagreement with regards to the above rules, it will be the League Director’s responsibility to interpret such rules to the parties affected.  The League Director shall have the final word on any rule interpretation issue.

*The suspensions listed above are the minimum; players with a history of red cards may receive longer suspensions.

Suspension details can be found in the 'Notes' section of the matchup in which the Red Card was issued.