EL PASO YOUTH SOCCER ASSOCIATION

RULES OF COMPETITION

I. GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS

The El Paso Youth Soccer Association will be responsible for organizing, scheduling and supervising all competition within El Paso Youth Soccer Association and/for South Texas Youth Soccer Association (STYSA).

A. Age categories will conform to STYSA age group categories.

B. The Association will be responsible for all qualifying games leading to Fall Championship. The Association will assume responsibility for organizing, scheduling and supervising the National State Cup Championship (“State Cup”), the STYSA President’s Cup competition, the STYSA Director’s Cup and The South Texas Cup. Additionally, the Association may organize and administer secondary competitions in the Fall and/or Spring and/or Summer of each year.

C. The seasonal year shall comply with STYSA rules. The Association will annually determine the beginning and the end dates of the Qualifying Games.

D. All competition sponsored by the Association shall be planned and administered in accordance with STYSA, USYS and/or USSF rules and regulations, whichever is applicable.

E. All teams planning to participate in any competition under the jurisdiction of the Association shall be registered with the Association.

F. The maximum number of individual “play-ups” allowed on any team at the U11 age level is three (3), allowing a maximum roster of 14 players per team.

G. Any group, organization or individual participating in the Association must be in good standing with their Home League/Club, the Association, STYSA, USYS and USSF.

H. Team formation shall be the responsibility of each League/Club within the Association. Each League/Club shall form its teams in compliance with the rules and regulations of the Association and STYSA.

I. A team in the U12 and above, will be permitted to have a maximum of eighteen (18) registered players on its roster at anyone time, for Association play.

J. Each League/Club and Team shall be responsible for maintaining a record of age certification and residency for its players. Proof of age shall consist of either a birth certificate, board of health records, passport or alien registration card issued by the US Government. A copy of such proof of age must be provided to the Association Registrar, upon request. Proof of residency shall consist of a parent current driver’s license showing the actual player’s address, a recent utility bill in the parents’ name showing the actual address of the player, or a power of attorney showing guardianship. Such document showing proof of residence must be provided to the Association Registrar upon request.

K. A player’s age for registration purposes shall be defined by the USYS and shall conform to STYSA/EPYSA rules and regulations.

L. A player desiring to be free of obligations to an Association registered team before the end of the seasonal year must submit a written release/transfer in accordance with EPYSA, STYSA and United States Youth Soccer National Championship Rules. If a coach of the releasing team feels there has been unethical recruiting of a player, that coach should notify the Association Vice-President, in writing, thereby commencing an Appeals Committee review.

M. A player may be released from an Association team by the COACH only if the player is unable to play for one of the following reasons:

1. The player has violated USYS, STYSA or EPYSA disciplinary rules.

2. The player has moved beyond a reasonable travel distance.

3. The player is injured in such manner that the player will not be able to participate for the remainder of the playing season.

4. The player is deceased.

N. To put in effect the releases noted in Sections “L” and “M” of this article, a STYSA player release form must be completed and submitted to the League/Club Registrar, copy to the Association Registrar.

II. ASSOCIATIONS COMPETITIONS

A. Fall Season:

1. The Association will organize and supervise a competition that will lead to the determination of the Fall Champions, in all age groups and division.

2. The format of the Competition will be determined by the Game Commissioner Committee and approved by the Board of Directors

3. The Fall Champion will earn the right to represent EPYSA at the District and/or State Fall Championship Tournaments. If the Champion declines, then the second (2^nd) place team will have that right and so on.

4. The Association will determine the beginning and ending dates of the Fall Competition, as well as any deadline to be met.

5. The name of the teams and an official STYSA initial roster (minimum of 9 players) must be submitted to the Association Game Commissioner by a date to be announced by the Board of Directors. All the fields on the STYSA roster must be filled.

6. All teams will be subject to the rules of Competition. A team not willing to play in the Fall Competition will not be allowed to represent EPYSA at the District/State level.

B. Spring Cups Competitions:

Any EPYSA team that did not participate on the regular EPYSA fall schedule and is not willing to enter in the regular EPYSA spring schedule will not be allowed to enter any STYSA sponsored Spring Cup, unless a special exception is submitted in writing to the EPYSA Board of Officers, and approved by a majority vote of the executive board of EPYSA. Such request must be received by the EPYSA President no later than January 15. Such request must describe the specific reasons for asking for an exception. A team coach/representative must be willing to come in person, if asked, to attest to the validity of the request. (Amendment to be in effect for the 2009-2010 seasonal year)

1. USYNC:

a. The Association will organize and supervise a competition leading to the determination of the EPYSA representative to the USYNC at the state level.

b. The Board of Directors will determine the rules and regulations of this competition, subject to the USSF, USYS, STYSA and Western District rules and regulations.

2. President’s Cup:

a. The Association will organize and supervise a competition leading to the determination of the EPYSA representative to the President’s Cup at the state level.

b. The Board of Directors will determine the rules and regulations of this competition, subject to the USSF, USYS, STYSA and Western District rules and regulations.

3. Director’s Cup:

a. The Association will organize and supervise a competition leading to the determination of the EPYSA representative to the Director’s Cup at the state level.

b. The Board of Directors will determine the rules and regulations of this competition, subject to the USSF, USYS, STYSA and Western District rules and regulations.

4. South Texas Cup:

a. The Association will organize and supervise a competition leading to the determination of the EPYSA representative to South Texas Cup at the state level.

b. The Board of Directors will determine the rules and regulations of this competition, subject to the USSF, USYS, STYSA and Western District rules and regulations.

5. Other Association Competitions:

a. From time to time the association may sponsor other competitions or “Cups”. The Association Board of Directors subject to the rules and regulations of the USSF, USYS and STYSA will determine the rules and regulations for such competitions.

b. The Association Board of Directors will determine those teams and/or players who are eligible to participate in the aforementioned competitions.

III. RULES OF PLAY - U11 and Older

A. General Requirements:

1. FIFA Laws of the Game as approved by the USSF and modified for youth play.

2. All games played by association Member teams shall be under the jurisdiction of this association.

3. Each team is responsible for the actions of its actions of its players, officials and spectators on or off the playing field during a game. Any team refusing or failing to play a game in compliance with Association rules may be required to forfeit the game.

4. With respect to administrative matters, STYSA and USYS Administrative Rules shall apply unless otherwise noted herein.

B. Player Eligibility:

1. At every game, each team coach or manager must have proof of his or her players’ registration available for inspection by the game’s Referee(s). Proof of registration is a properly prepared (laminated) USYS identification card for each player with the player’s current (no more than 1 year old) picture (permanently attached) and the player’s signature appearing in the back. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in forfeiture of the match. Players’ ID card will be mandatory one week after the date of the first scheduled game.

2. The manager, coach or captain of each team shall furnish the referee with a properly and completely filled game card at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time of the game. Players not participating in the game due to suspension, injury or for another reason MUST be listed on the game card and the reason for not playing must be so indicated on the game card. A player not properly listed on the team game card shall not play in the game.

C. Referees Responsibilities:

1. All Association games shall be officiated by USSF qualified referees.

2. Referees shall be assigned to officiate at Association games by a certified referee assignor.

3. The three-man system of refereeing will be used to officiate at all Association games whenever possible. A game may be postponed if none of the assigned referees appear at the game site within 15 minutes of the scheduled starting time. In all other cases, games should be played using a substitute system agreed upon by the assigned referee(s) and the coaches of the teams scheduled to compete. If all parties do not agree on a substitute system, the match will be rescheduled at a time and place determined by the Association Game Commissioner.

4. At the end of each game the referee shall record on the game card the results of the game, all goals scored, the name of the scorer, injury, serious incident and all disciplinary actions taken before, during and after the game. He shall verify that the game card has been filled in its entirety and that both coaches sign the card. The original game report will be turned in to the referee coordinator for the field assigned.

5. By separate report if necessary, the referee shall notify the Association Scorekeeper and the Referees’ Association Youth Vice-President, of all serious actions during a game. This report MUST be mailed within 48 hours of the competition to the Association Scorekeeper and the Referees’ Association Youth Vice-President.

6. In case of a no show, the referee MUST mail his report to the Association Scorekeeper and the Referees’ Association Youth Vice-President within 48 hours. The name of the no-show team(s) must be clearly indicated. Referees cannot declare a forfeit.

D. Playing Rules:

1. Game Ball

a. U-11 and U-12 size 4

b. U-13 and above size 5

Both teams are required to provide a playable game ball.

2. Game Duration

a. U-11 & U-12 2/30 minutes halves

b. U-13 & U-14 2/35minutes halves

c. U-15 &U-16 2/40 minutes halves

d. U-17 & U-18 & U-19 2/45 minutes halves

3. Equipment and Uniforms:

a. All players will be required to wear size and age appropriate commercially manufactured shin guards during each game.

b. No cast will be allowed.

c. All players are required to have proper uniforms in accordance with FIFA regulations. Players without uniforms, including numbers, may, in the judgment of the match referee, not be allowed to compete. Duplicate numbers are prohibited and jerseys may not be switched with another player with the exception of the goalkeeper.

d. Each team must have alternate jerseys available at each game for use if necessary. The alternate jerseys must have numbers on the back and should correspond to the numbers on the team’s regular jersey. The home team must change jersey colors if the referee decides that a color conflict exists. If the home team is unable to resolve the color conflict and the game is not played as scheduled, the game may be forfeited in favor of the visiting team.

e. No lifting or removing of shirts at any time.

4. Game time:

A 10 minute grace period will be given. For teams that are running late, time may be subtracted from that game. (Depending on circumstances, a game may be allowed to encroach on the start of the next scheduled game at the discretion of the field marshall if present or a league official).

5. Number of players:

Teams need a minimum of seven players on the field during the time of play.

6. Players and Spectators:

The 1^st team on the schedule will be designated as the home team, and will occupy the North or East side of the field; this includes coaches, players and team supporters, unless there are two (2) sets of bleachers on one side line.

7. Touchlines:

All persons are required to stay an appropriate distance behind the touchlines.

8. Required Playing Time:

Division III, II, SII coaches must make every effort to play all eligible players ½ of the game.

9. Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Trainers, Managers Eligibility:

a. Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Trainers and Managers are required to have a signed, stamped and laminated USYS Pass card. Any Coach, Assistant Coach, Trainer or Manager participating in a game without a Pass card will be deemed ineligible and is subject to disciplinary actions.

b. All coaches, Assistants Coaches and Trainers Team Managers or Team Parents are required to comply with all STYSA Kid SAFE obligations. The KID SAFE badge must be displayed at all times during any STYSA activities (practices, games, etc.)

10. Official Game Report:

a. Only the EPYSA Game Report will be used as the Official report of all EPYSA scheduled games.

b. The game report should be printed out from the Affinity system prior to the start of the game and be ready to give to the referee(s) at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time of the game.

c. At the end of the game, the coach will verify all information, to include score, cautions, ejections and the number of officials who officiated the game. Only then will the coach sign the game report.

d. The coach shall keep a copy of the game card for his/her records if he desires to have one and will share it with his/her home League/Club if necessary or requested. The Referee shall keep the original for his/her records and then forward to the Referee Coordinator at the field which he is assigned.

e. If any individual or any organization requests a copy of a game report a $2.50 fee per copy will be assessed and payable at the time of the request. Only cash or Money Order will be accepted by the Association Registrar.

11. Rosters:

Team rosters will be frozen on October 25 for the EPYSA Fall season and on April 25 for the EPYSA spring competition. No transfer, no drops, no add will be allowed. Any other stricter deadlines imposed by STYSA, for STYSA sponsored competitions will have precedence.

12. Game Scheduling:

a. The Association Game Commissioner shall schedule all games. He/she shall decide, with the approval of the EPYSA Board of Directors, on all the deadlines to be met. He/she shall publish the only official schedule. Each League/Club shall provide the name of their game Commissioner(s) to EPYSA no later than August 1st. These Game Commissioners shall provide, in a timely manner, the EPYSA Game Commissioner all necessary and requested information regarding their League/Club Teams. They shall be the point of contact for their League/Club teams in matters related to the schedule.

b. The League/Club, through their Game Commissioner(s), shall submit to the Game Commissioner a list of teams complete with all the information necessary to schedule i.e. age, sex, division, special scheduling requests to be considered (not automatically granted). A specific form may be requested by the Association Game Commissioner who shall decide, with the approval of the Board of Directors, on the date this information is to be received. An official STYSA roster, for each team, with a minimum of 9 players, must be attached to the teams list. All the fields on the STYSA roster must be filled.

c. Schedule changes and Rescheduling of Games:

1) Each schedule change needs to be made in writing, e-mail preferably, to the EPYSA Scheduler. A $20.00 rescheduling fee will be the responsibility of the coach/team payable to your league in cash or money order.

2) The last day to request a change of a scheduled game is 10 days prior to the originally scheduled game. For example - Thursday, September the 15^th is the last day to request a change for Saturday the 25^th.

3) There will be no rescheduling of EPYSA games 10 or fewer days prior to the scheduled date. The game will stand and will be considered a forfeit if the team does not show for the game.

4) Before a request is made to the EPYSA Game Scheduler, the team requesting the change needs to suggest a new date and time, plus contact the other team and make sure that the new date/time does not create another conflict for the opponent.

5) All teams are responsible to contact their Leagues/Clubs’ Game Commissioner for any information regarding the schedule.

d. Cancellations:

1) In case that a team cannot make a game and fails to reschedule it 10 days or prior to the game, the team still must notify the EPYSA Scheduler no later than 5 days prior to the day of the game for the game to be considered a cancellation.

2) In such a case a cancellation fee of $25.00 will be charged to the affiliated league. It will be the responsibility of the coach/team to pay to your league the $25.00 cancellation fee, in cash or money order.

3) The game will be forfeited and will not be rescheduled.

e. No Shows/Forfeits:

1) In the event of a no show the Referees’/League will notify the EPYSA Game Scheduler. All no shows will be fined $50.00 plus its share of the referees’ fees. It will be the responsibility of the coach/team to pay to your affiliated league the $50.00 no-show fee, in cash or money order.

f. Financial Obligations/Disciplinary Actions

1) It will be the responsibility of the League, team, and/or club to collect all fees and fines described in this paragraph and to remit it to the EPYSA Treasurer within 10 calendar days of receipt of fine invoice. Cash, money order or a league check will be accepted (no personal checks).

2) Any team with 2 or more forfeits may be subject to disciplinary action and/or be removed from the schedule.

3) To be placed back on the schedule, the team will need to go before the EPYSA Appeals Committee and petition in writing for reinstatement

13. Penalty Points, Cautions and Ejections:

a. Ejected Players and Coaches, shown a red card or not, will be ineligible for their team next game within EPYSA schedule.

b. It will be the Coach’s responsibility to keep track of all penalty points accumulated during the season. Violations will be addressed by the Appeals Committee.

c. Any coach who is found playing an ineligible player will be automatically suspended from participation in any STYSA sanctioned program for 2 games. A coach may appeal in writing his suspension to the EPYSA Appeals Committee. Additional sanctions may be imposed by the Appeals Committee if deemed necessary.

d. The EPYSA Scorekeeper will keep the official log of accumulated penalty points. In case of discrepancy, the official report will be the referees’ report.

e. Game suspensions and Penalty points accumulated during the season will follow the players and coaches through the Fall and Spring, City and District and State Playoffs.

f. Players or Coaches accumulating nine (9) penalty points will receive an automatic suspension for the next game actually played by the team to which the person is currently rostered. Suspension shall not be served in forfeited games or invitational games or specially scheduled games.

g. Players or Coaches accumulating eighteen (18) penalty points will receive an automatic suspension for the next two (2) games actually played by the team to which the person is currently rostered. Suspension shall not be served in forfeited games or invitational games or specially scheduled games.

h. Players or Coaches accumulating twenty four (24) penalty points will receive an automatic suspension for the next three (3) additional games actually played by the team to which the person is currently rostered. Suspension shall not be served in forfeited games or invitational games or specially scheduled games.

i. Players or Coaches accumulating thirty (30) penalty points will receive an automatic suspension for the next four (4) additional games actually played by the team to which the person is currently rostered: suspension shall not be served in forfeited games or invitational games or specially scheduled games.

j. If a player receives 2 Yellow Cards or reaches 24 or 30 points, the coach will have the responsibility of removing that player from the field at the next break in play. If a coach fails to remove the player, the coach is then playing an ineligible player and is/ subject to disciplinary action will be automatically suspended for 2 games.

k. Coaches will acquire penalty points cumulatively as a single entity, person or individual regardless of the number of teams he/she coaches or trains. Example: a coach with three (3) teams who accumulates three (3) points a game with each team has a total of nine (9) points.

Please refer to STYSA Administrative handbook rule 4.9 Progressive Discipline system for more in details information.

14. Physical or Verbal Abuse:

Physical or Verbal Abuse by Coaches, Players or Team Supporters towards Referees, League, Club or Association Officials will not be tolerated and individuals who are abusive will be subject to disciplinary action by EPYSA and STYSA.

15. Score Reporting:

a. The game score shall be reported to the EPYSA Scorekeeper either by e-mail, regular mail or by any means the EPYSA Scorekeeper shall put in place prior to the beginning of the season. Instructions will be posted on the EPYSA web site www.elpasoyouthsoccer.com.

b. The winning team shall report the score, the home team in case of a tie, within 48 hours of completion of the game. The other team may choose to report the score. In case of discrepancy, the official score will be the score on the referee’s report. Failure to report the score within 48 hours will result in the game being posted as a tie.

16. Scoring:

a. All Association sponsored competitions will be scored using the following system:

1) Three (3) points for a win;

2) One (1) point for a tie;

3) Zero (0) point for a loss.

17. Forfeits:

a. Any team that willfully forfeits a game is subject to suspension from the Association and therefore may be barred from any state competition and not allowed to register in any invitational tournament. The score of a forfeited game shall be 5-0. At the discretion of the Appeal Committee, all games played by the team that willfully or purposefully forfeits a game may be scored as 5-0 losses.

b. Any of the following may result in the forfeiture of a match:

1) Fielding an ineligible suspended or unregistered player. “Fielding” is defined as a player dressed and ready to play. A player whose name appears on the game card, with no indication that this player will not play, is considered to have participated in that game.

2) A suspended coach appearing at a game and that coach engages in any interaction with the team prior to, during or after the game.

3) Falsification of a game card.

4) Failure of a team to field the minimum number of players to begin a game within 10 minutes of the scheduled start time of the game.

5) A coach or other responsible adult not present with the team during competition or failure of such adult to be present fifteen (15) minutes prior the scheduled game start time.

6) Failure for a team to reschedule or cancel a game following Rule of Play #11.

c. Final judgment of forfeits rests with the Association Appeals Committee. The Appeal Committee will determine if a team willfully or purposefully forfeited a game. Forfeiture of said game may occur at any time prior to the end of the regular season for the team’s playing age group. Any interested party may bring the reason for such forfeiture to the attention of the Appeals Committee.

18. Tie breaking Procedures:

a. In the event ties exist in the standings at the end of a competition or stage of a competition (Fall, National State Cup, President’s Cup, Director’s Cup, South Texas Cup, other Competition, regular season) and the ties must be broken to determine the order of finish for District/State play-off sendings and/or distribution of awards, the following procedures will be used and applied progressively in any case of two or more teams involved in a tie:

1) Result of head to head competition during the competition or stage of the competition;

2) Goal difference (goals for minus goals against with a maximum difference of five (5) goals for or against considered in the tie breaking determination) in matches between/among the tied teams;

3) Most goals scored in matches between/among the tied teams (maximum of five (5) goals scored per game to be considered in the tie breaking determination);

4) Goal difference (goals for minus goals against with a maximum of five (5) goals scored per game to be considered in the tie breaking determination) in all games;

5) Most goals scored in all games (maximum of five (5) goals scored per game to be considered in the tie breaking determination;

6) Play-off game, time and site to be determined by the Association Game Commissioner. Play-off game will consist of a regulation time game followed by two (2) standard overtime periods (U15 and older- 15 minutes and U-14 and younger -10 minutes) followed by FIFA kicks from the penalty spot, if necessary.

19. Determination of Fall District/State Play-offs Berths:

a. In age groups where teams are placed in a single age group competition, Participation will be determined by the order of finish at the end of the regular season.

b. In age groups where teams are placed in a mixed age group competition, advancement will be based on a point system based on the whole schedule.

E. Discipline, Protest, Grievance and Appeals:

The Association’s “Discipline, Protest, Grievance and Appeals Procedures” promote and ensure uniformity and consistency in the application of the rules and procedures of the Association, STYSA, USYS, USSF and FIFA. Additionally, these procedures attempt to regulate and control unacceptable, unsportsmanlike, and/or unfair behavior on the part of the players, coaches, managers, administrators, fans and supporters, in order to promote the sport of youth soccer. All questions relating to the qualifications of competitors, interpretations of the rules, disputes, protests or grievances shall be refereed to the Association Appeals Committee. All decisions of the Association Appeals Committee shall be binding on all parties unless appealed to and overturned by a higher authority.

The Association Vice-President, as directed by the Board of Directors, shall be responsible for distribution of a copy of the Association’s “Discipline, Protest Grievances and Appeals Procedures”. These procedures enumerate the procedures that MUST be followed to properly file a protest, grievance, or appeal. These procedures shall remain in effect until changed by the Board of Directors.

1. Jurisdiction:

In no event shall any person(s) or organization(s) under the jurisdiction of the Association resort to the courts or other external authorities until all protests, grievance, and appeal within the Association have been exhausted. For violation of this rule, the offending party shall be immediately prohibited from participating in any capacity in the Association except as parent/spectator and shall be subject to fines and/or other sanctions, if any, set forth by the Association, STYSA and USYS. Additionally, such person(s) or organization(s) shall be liable for all expenses incurred by the Association and its officers and members in defending each court action, including, but not limited, to court costs, attorney fees, reasonable compensation for time spent by Association officers and members in responding to and defending against in the action, including travel expenses, and expense for holding special meetings necessitated by the court action. In addition to the above references, the Association adopts the policy that it is allowed to take full advantage of the rights permitted to it by the laws of the State of Texas for non-profit organizations.