Indoor Soccer Rules

Equipment

1. Ball Size: #4 Futsal Ball
2. Player’s Equipment
   1. Same colored shirt required
   2. Shin-guards are highly suggested.

Number of Players

1. Style: 5v5/7v7 (one of whom shall be the goalkeeper)
   1. CO-ED ONLY: Minimum 2 females required on the court at all times.
2. Minimum to start a match: 4 (5v5 style) / 6 (7v7 style)
   1. CO-ED ONLY: A team may start a game with 1 female, but must play one man down. The exception to this is in playoffs: minimum two females required in all playoff games.
3. Substitution Limit: None
4. Substitution Method: “On The Fly” (all players but the goalkeeper enter and leave as they please as long as this is done at midfield and the player entering does not come on the court before the player leaving exits; goalkeeper substitutions can only be made when the ball is out of play and with a referee’s consent)

Duration of the Game

1. Time: Two, 25-minute halves
2. Clock Stoppage: Does not stop.
3. Mercy Rule (NEW): The game will end if a team is up by 5 goals or more with 2 minutes remaining in the second half.

Start of Play

Coin Toss followed by kickoff; opposing team will wait outside the circle until the ball is touched.

Ball In & Out of Play

The ball is considered out of play when it has wholly crossed the goal line or touchline or hits the ceiling. If the ball hits the ceiling there will be a kick-in at the place closest to where the ball touched the ceiling.

Indirect Kicks

All kicks will be “Indirect” unless there is a foul in the penalty box which, resulting in a penalty kick.

Fouls & Misconduct

1. Kicking or attempting to kick an opponent
   1. If a goal keeper leaves the goal box to foul a player on a break-away to stop a goal scoring opportunity. The goal keeper may be sent off. In addition, the referee may award a penalty kick according to his/her discretion.
   2. Tripping an opponent
   3. Jumping at an opponent
   4. Charging an opponent in a violent or dangerous manner
   5. Charging an opponent from behind
2. Striking, attempting to strike, or spitting at an opponent
3. Holding an opponent
   1. Pushing an opponent
   2. Charging an opponent with shoulder (i.e., shoulder charge)
   3. Sliding at an opponent (i.e., sliding tackle) Slide Tackle = Automatic Yellow Card
      1. Sliding to keep a ball from going out of bounds, or to stop a ball that does not endanger another player is not a foul.  It will be up to the referee’s discretion as to whether or not a player’s participation from the ground is dangerous.
4. Violations
   1. Handling the ball (except goalkeeper)
   2. Dangerous play (e.g. attempting to kick ball held by goalkeeper)
5. Obstruction
   1. Charging the goalkeeper in the penalty area (i.e., goalkeeper charge)
   2. Goalkeeper picks up or touches with his hands a back pass
   3. Goalkeeper picks up or touches with his hands a kick-in from a teammate
   4. Goalkeeper controls the ball with his/her hands for more than 4 seconds
6. Players shall be cautioned (i.e., shown yellow card) for the following violations. These 4 yellow-card offenses are punishable by an indirect free kick taken from the point of infringement (or from the 6-meter line when the infringement takes place in penalty area).
   1. A substituting player enters the pitch from an incorrect position or before the player he is substituting has entirely left the pitch
   2. He persistently infringes the Laws of the Game
   3. He shows dissent with any decision of the referee
   4. He is guilty of ungentlemanly conduct
7. Players shall be sent off (i.e., shown the red card) for:
   1. Serious foul play
   2. Violent conduct
   3. Foul or abusive language
   4. Second instance of cautionable offense (i.e., second yellow card)
   5. Intentionally impeding a clear goal opportunity (e.g. through a “professional foul”)
   6. Intentionally impeding a clear goal opportunity in the penalty area by handling the ball

Yellow & Red Cards

1. If a player receives a yellow card, they will be removed from the playing field for 5 minutes, but may be replaced by another teammate so that the team can continue at full strength.
2. The player sent off (shown a red card) is out for the rest of the game and is not even permitted to sit on the reserves’ bench.
3. The team of the player sent off can substitute for that player after 5 minutes of playing time or after the opposing team scores —which ever comes first.
   1. The 5-minute punishment shall be checked by the referee/assistant referee.
   2. The substitute cannot come on until the ball is out of play and he has a referee’s consent.

Free Kick

1. Wall: At least 4 yards away until the ball is in play
2. Ball in Play: After it has traveled the distance of its own circumference
3. Time Limit: Kick must be taken within 5 seconds
4. Restriction: Kicker cannot touch the ball again until it has been touched by another player
5. Indirect Kicks: The ball must touch an OFFENSIVE player before a goal can be scored. You cannot deflect the ball off of a defensive player to score on an indirect free kick.

Penalty Kick

1. To be taken from the penalty mark on the mid-point of the 6-m-line. The Kicker can only take one step, and then must shoot. The kicker is not allowed to take a running start.
2. The kicker is to aim at goal, with the intention of scoring.
3. All players must be out of the penalty area.
4. The kicker shall not play the ball a second time until it has been touched by another player.
5. The goalkeeper shall remain in his penalty area at least 5 m away from the ball.
6. No other player may touch the ball until it has been touched by the pitch, rebounded from the goal post or crossbar, or has left the pitch.
7. If the infringement took place in penalty area (and does not merit a penalty kick), the indirect free kick is to be taken from the 6-m-line on the spot nearest to where the infringement occurred.

Kick-In

1. To be taken in place of the throw-in.
2. The ball is placed on the touch line before kicking.
3. The kicker’s foot not kicking the ball must be outside or at least on the touchline; if it crosses the touchline all of the way, into the pitch, the kick-in is given to the opposing team.
4. The kick-in must be taken within 5 seconds; if it is not, the kick-in is given to the opposing team.
5. The kicker cannot play the ball a second time until it has been played by another player; infringement of this rule entail an indirect free kick to the opposing from the point of infringement.
6. Players on opposing team must be at least 4 yards away from point of kick-in.
7. Cannot score directly from a kick-in.

Goal Clearance

1. To be taken in place of goal kick.
2. From inside the penalty area, the goalkeeper throws the ball into play (goalkeeper cannot throw the ball directly into the opposing goal, the ball must touch someone first).
3. The ball is not in play until it has passed outside of the penalty area. If the goal clearance is received inside of the penalty area, the goal clearance shall be taken over. Furthermore, if the keeper does the goal clearance incorrectly, the opposing team will be awarded the ball after a second infraction.

Corner Kick

1. Ball placed on the corner (no corner-kick arc). If ball is misplaced, the corner kick is taken over.
2. Must be taken within 5 seconds; failure to do so entails an indirect free kick to the opposing team from the corner mark.
3. The kicker cannot play the ball a second time until it has been played by another player; infringement of this rule entail an indirect free kick to the opposing from the point of infringement.
4. Players on opposing team must be at least 4 yards away from point of the corner kick.
5. A player can score a goal directly from a corner kick.

Extra Time (for playoffs only)

1. Extra time will consist of 2-three minute halves of Golden goal format.  If no one scores we move on to penalty kicks.

Penalty Kick Shoot-Out

1. Coin tossed to decide order.
2. Three kicks to be taken by 3 different players. Captain of each team announces these 3 to the main referee before the kicks are taken.
3. If two teams are still tied after 3 kicks, the additional kicks will be taken on a sudden-death basis by the rest of the players who have not kicked yet starting with the players who were on the field (including the goalkeeper), then moving on to those who were not on the field when time expired.
4. Players sent off during the match are not eligible to take these kicks.
5. Any eligible player may change places with his goalkeeper.
6. While the penalty shoot-out is in progress, players will remain on the opposite half of the pitch.
7. CO-ED ONLY: Co-Ed games ending in PK’s will have 5 shooters with a minimum of 2 female shooters.