Summer Soccer Rules

General Rules
• All players must be registered and have paid their full registration to participate
• All games are 18-minute halves with 2-minute half time breaks
• No extra time or stoppage time will occur
• A minimum of 3 players per team for U6/7s and 4 for all other ages are required for a game to start
• Under 6 / Under 7s have 4 players on the field at a time with no goalkeeper
• Under 6 / under 7s will play under the U6/7s mini roos rules as per the SSFA 2020 winter competition
• Under 8s through to 18+ have a maximum of 5 players on the field at any 1 time including a goalkeeper
• Interchanges (including keeper substitutes) can be made at any break in play. Interchanges must be requested from the referee before occurring
• No watches, jewellery or piercings allowed
• Shin pads and boots are to be worn for all ages
• Players can fill in for teams within the same competition if required
• No more than 2 fill in players per team permitted each match
• If a competition has less than 4 teams, the draw may be amended so that all teams play each other in 18-minute games each (i.e. Team 1 v Team 2, Team 1 v Team 3, Team 2 v Team 3)

In Play
• No throw ins. An out of bounds ball is returned to the field of play via a kick in from the team who did not kick the ball out
• A goal cannot be scored directly from a kick in. A kick in must touch another player from either team before going into the goals for the goal to be eligible
• Corners will be awarded if a defending team puts the ball out over their own base line
• Goal kicks can be taken as either a kick or a roll in by the keeper from anywhere inside the goal box
• Goal kicks or roll ins, must bounce or touch another player before crossing the halfway line.
• A goal keeper may kick the ball over half way during general play, but a general play roll in from a goal keeper (i.e. not from a goal kick restart) must bounce or touch another player before crossing half way
• If a goal kick, or roll in crosses halfway before bouncing or touching another player, the opposing team will be awarded a kick in on the halfway line
• Defending players must be 2 metres away from the ball for all kick ins, corners, free kicks, kick offs and goal kicks
• All free kicks are direct free kicks (i.e. does not need to touch a second player before a goal is scored) with the exception of free kicks as the result of a player breaching the goal area
• No offsides
• No slide tackles. All other infringements from the SSFA 2020 winter competition for your relevant age (with the exception of offside) remain the same
• Goalkeeper is the only player allowed in the goal circle and can use their hands while in the goal circle. If the goalkeeper or ball is outside of the goal circle the keeper acts like any other player and handball rules apply.
• Any player (either attacking or defending) who crosses into the goal circle will incur a free kick at the edge of the goal circle.
• A free kick for an defending player (including the goal keeper) breaching the goal circle will be an indirect (must touch another player to score) taken 1.5m from the goal box
• A free kick for an attacking player breaching the goal circle will be taken from inside the goal area by the goal keeper
• A goal keeper in possession of the ball (either in their hands or at their feet) must clear the ball out of the goal circle within 5 seconds of taking possession of the ball
• If a ball is put in play from a roll out, the ball must touch 2 players before being returned to the keeper in a pass back situation
• Referees have the discretion to issue a warning for infringements, and the ability to send a player from the fields. If a player is sent from the field, they are not to return for the remainder of the game, and their team will continue with 1 less player
• Players sent from the field will be subject to review from the committee to determine if a suspension is warranted

Competition format
• A win will be worth 2 points
• A draw will be worth 1 point
• A loss will be 0 points
• A bye will earn 0 points
• If a team cannot field a starting side within 2 minutes of scheduled kick off, the match will be awarded to the opposition as a 3 – 0 win
• In the last round, teams who are 1st and 2nd on the table will play a grand final to decide competition winner, with all other teams playing against their nearest team on the table (i.e. 3rd v 4th, 5th v 6th)
• In the event of a draw in the competition decider, 10 minutes of ‘Golden Goal) will be allocated. If at the completion of the ‘Golden Goal’ period, there is still no winner, the higher placed team will the competition winner