Union County Elite FC Guidelines and Rules

U3, U4 & U5 Recreational Rules
1. Games will be divided into four 5-minute periods, with 2 minutes rest between periods, including halftime.
2. The number of players on the field from each team shall be 3-4. Players should get equal amounts of playing time. There will be no goalkeepers.
3. Coaches will share refereeing responsibilities.
4. The offside rule shall not be enforced. However, teams should not “cherry pick”, and players should be taught to “get back on defense” rather than to wait for the ball to be played forward to them.
5. Only serious breaches of other rules should be whistled as fouls – remember, the kids at this age are still learning to be coordinated in their running, never mind dribbling a soccer ball. Only flagrant tripping, uncontrolled charging into another player, intentional handling of the ball, unsporting conduct, and dangerous plays should be penalized. Slide tackling and headers are not permitted. Coaches should stop play to instruct all the players, not just the offender, about the infraction.
6. All free kicks will be indirect. No penalty kicks shall be awarded. On free kicks, five yards must be yielded by the defense, unless they are not that far from the goal, in which case they may stand on the goal line.
7. Sportsmanship is of the utmost importance. Teams should play fairly in all instances, and Coaches should see to it that players shake hands and congratulate each other after the game. Cheering by spectators should always be positive and encouraging, not discouraging.

U6 Recreational Rules
1. Games will be divided into four 6-minute periods, with 2 minutes rest between periods, including halftime.
2. The number of players on the field from each team shall be 5. Players should get equal amounts of playing time. There will be no goalkeepers.
3. Coaches will share refereeing responsibilities.
4. The offside rule shall not be enforced. However, teams should not “cherry pick”, and players should be taught to “get back on defense” rather than to wait for the ball to be played forward to them.
5. On throw-ins, a player should be given the opportunity to try until they get it right. Feet need to be on or behind the line and the ball is thrown in over their head.
6. Only serious breaches of other rules should be whistled as fouls – remember, the kids at this age are still learning to be coordinated in their running, never mind dribbling a soccer ball. Only flagrant tripping, uncontrolled charging into another player, intentional handling of the ball, unsporting conduct, and dangerous plays should be penalized. Slide tackling and headers are not permitted. Coaches should stop play to instruct all the players, not just the offender, about the infraction.
7. All free kicks will be indirect. No penalty kicks shall be awarded. On free kicks, five yards must be yielded by the defense, unless they are not that far from the goal, in which case they may stand on the goal line.
8. Sportsmanship is of the utmost importance. Teams should play fairly in all instances, and Coaches should see to it that players shake hands and congratulate each other after the game. Cheering by spectators should always be positive and encouraging, not discouraging.

U7 & U8 Recreational Rules
1. Games will be divided into four 8-minute periods, with 2 minutes rest between quarters and 5 minutes rest at the half.
2. The number of players on the field from each team shall be 6 including the goalie. All players on the team should get equal amounts of playing time. The goalkeeper should be rotated after every period. All kids should be given the opportunity to play goalie at least once. Some kids may never want to play goalie and that is fine.
3. Goalie (or 'goal tender' or 'keeper') plays in the goal and her/his job is to stop the ball from going into the goal. They can use their hands to help stop the ball. There is a larger goal box within which they can use their hands. If they go outside of the goal box, they cannot use their hands. If they do use their hands outside of the goal box, the ref will award the ball to the opponents (a hand ball penalty). If the goalie picks up the ball, they have to put it back into play by either kicking it or throwing it. The Goalie cannot use their hands on a pass back from a teammate. Opponents are not to run into or kick the goalie as they are going for the ball.
4. If no referee is available, Coaches will share refereeing responsibilities. If a referee is available coaches shall not be on the field of play.
5. The offside rule shall not be enforced. Teams should not “cherry pick” and players should be taught to “get back on defense” and to “press the attack” by advancing to whatever part of the field is necessary to control the ball.
6. On throw-ins, a player should be given a second opportunity if they make an error. If they fail the second time the ball should be turned over to the opposing team.
7. Only serious breaches of the rules shall be whistled; flagrant tripping, uncontrolled charging of a player, intentional ball handling, unsporting conduct, and dangerous plays should be penalized. However, Referees and Coaches should stop play to instruct all the players, not just the offender, about the infraction. Slide tackling and headers are not permitted.
8. All free kicks will be indirect. No penalty kicks shall be awarded. Fouls that would ordinarily result in a penalty kick should be whistled, and the indirect kick rule applied. Five yards should be yielded by the defense.
9. Sportsmanship is of the utmost importance. Teams should play fairly. Players should shake hands and congratulate each other after the game. Cheering by spectators should be positive and encouraging. Coaches need to ensure that a game doesn’t get too lopsided, by putting players into unfamiliar positions or requiring them to pass the ball before shooting. A five-plus margin of victory demonstrates deficient leadership skills and poor sportsmanship.

U9 & U10 Recreational Rules
1. Games will be divided into four 10-minute periods, with 2 minutes rest between quarters and 5 minutes rest at the half.
2. The number of players on the field from each team shall be 6 including the goalie. We will allow this to be flexible if teams are smaller or larger than normal. All players on the team should get equal amounts of playing time. The goalkeeper should be rotated after every period. All kids should be given the opportunity to play goalie at least once. Some kids may never want to play goalie and that is fine.
3. Goalie (or 'goal tender' or 'keeper') plays in the goal and her/his job is to stop the ball from going into the goal. They can use their hands to help stop the ball. There is a larger goal box within which they can use their hands. If they go outside of the goal box, they cannot use their hands. If they do use their hands outside of the goal box, the ref will award the ball to the opponents (a hand ball penalty). If the goalie picks up the ball, they have to put it back into play by either kicking it or throwing it. The Goalie cannot use their hands on a pass back from a teammate. Opponents are not to run into or kick the goalie when they are going for the ball.
4. If no referee is available, Coaches will share refereeing responsibilities. If a referee is available coaches shall not be on the field of play.
5. The offside rule shall not be enforced. Teams should not “cherry pick” and players should be taught to “get back on defense” and to “press the attack” by advancing to whatever part of the field is necessary to control the ball.
6. On throw-ins, a player should be given a second opportunity if they make an error. If they fail the second time the ball should be turned over to the opposing team.
7. Only serious breaches of the rules shall be whistled; flagrant tripping, uncontrolled charging of a player, intentional ball handling, unsporting conduct, and dangerous plays should be penalized. However, referees and coaches should stop play to instruct all the players, not just the offender, about the infraction. Slide tackling and headers are not permitted.
8. All free kicks will be indirect. No penalty kicks shall be awarded. Fouls that would ordinarily result in a penalty kick should be whistled, and the indirect kick rule applied. Five yards should be yielded by the defense.
9. Sportsmanship is of the utmost importance. Teams should play fairly. Players should shake hands and congratulate each other after the game. Cheering by spectators should be positive and encouraging. Coaches need to ensure that a game doesn’t get too lopsided, by putting players into unfamiliar positions or requiring them to pass the ball before shooting. A five-plus margin of victory demonstrates deficient leadership skills and poor sportsmanship

U11 & U12 Recreational Rules
1. Games will be divided into two 25-minute halves, with 5 minutes rest at the half.
2. The standard number of players on the field from each team shall be 8 including a goalkeeper. All players much receive equal playing time. The goalkeeper should be rotated after every period. All kids should be given the opportunity to play goalie at least once. Some kids may never want to play goalie and that is fine. Substituting may be done during any stoppage of play which results in your team’s possession, except for free kicks resulting from fouls.
3. Goalie (or 'goal tender' or 'keeper') plays in the goal and her/his job is to stop the ball from going into the goal. They can use their hands to help stop the ball. There is a larger goal box within which they can use their hands. If they go outside of the goal box, they cannot use their hands. If they do use their hands outside of the goal box, the ref will award the ball to the opponents (a hand ball penalty). If the goalie picks up the ball, they have to put it back into play by either kicking it or throwing it. The Goalie cannot use their hands on a pass back from a teammate. Opponents are not to run into or kick the goalie when they are going for the ball.
4. Referees may be assigned by UCISL, and may either be youths or adults. Sideline officials shall be supplied by each team, and must be at least 12 years old. All rules will be enforced. If no Referee is assigned, the home team Coach will referee the game. Except for the Coach who is refereeing, no other Coaches or adults shall be on the field of play. Sideline referees are permitted to cheer for their child’s team. Coaches who are refereeing and Sideline Refs are specifically prohibited from instructing or coaching. ALL coaching must be done from within the team bench area.
5. Slide tackling is permitted, but headers are not according new bylaws by OSYSA. Coaches should, prior to teaching this skill or permitting it to be used, consult with the League Director or Coaching Administrator.
6. On free kicks, a minimum of 8 yards must be yielded by the defense, unless they are not that far from the goal, in which case they may stand on the goal line.
7. So-called “major” fouls should be penalized with a “direct” free kick. If the “major” foul occurs within the penalty area, it should be penalized with a “penalty kick”, from the line or spot marked in the penalty area.
8. The team that wins the toss can now choose to take the kick-off or which goal to attack (previously they only had the choice of which goal to attack).
9. Ball can be kicked in any direction at kick-off (previously had to go forward). 10. Sportsmanship is of the utmost importance. Teams should play fairly. Players should shake hands and congratulate each other after the game. Cheering by spectators should be positive and encouraging. Coaches need to ensure that a game doesn’t get too lopsided, by putting players into unfamiliar positions, requiring them to pass the ball before shooting, or take a shot with their non-dominant foot. A five-plus margin of victory demonstrates deficient leadership skills and poor sportsmanship.