Fall 9 v. 9 Soccer Rules

Information & Rules

Team Size

  • Nine players constitute a full team; teams may start and finish with 7 players for a legal game. Less than 7 constitutes a forfeit.
  • In the Co-Rec division there must be at least 4 women on the field at all times (3 if a team of 7).

Equipment

  • Players must wear close-toed, athletic type shoes (shin guards and cleats are not required). Rubber cleats ok; no metal cleats allowed.

Game Time

  • Games shall consist of 15 minute halves (running time) with a 3-minute halftime. If both captains agree to start the game up to 10 minutes late, the halves will be shortened appropriately. Both captains & referee must agree.
  • If a team does not have at least 7 players READY TO PLAY and it is 10 minutes after the scheduled start time, it will be recorded a forfeit. No exceptions.
  • The winner of the pre-game toss shall have the choice of ends of the field or the kickoff.
  • Substitution is on the fly.

Intramural Rules

  • The rules of college soccer will govern the game with the following modifications:
    • IM soccer is no-contact soccer.  Any personal contact not made solely with the ball will be deemed a foul by the referee.
    • No slide tackling. Repeat violators will be asked to sit down for two minutes.
      • Keepers are permitted to slide while coming out to challenge the ball, so long as the slide is standard legal slide. Illegal slide tackles by the keeper will constitute a direct foul, and if in the box, will result in a penalty kick.
    • For any serious tackles, misconduct, or poor sportsmanship, the referee has the right to ask the player to sit down for 2 minutes during which time his/her team must play a man down.  If a stiffer penalty is warranted, the referee may ask the player to sit out for the remainder of the game and meet with the IM commissioner prior to playing in the next game.
    • Offsides violations will not be enforced, except during the kick-off. However, teams are encouraged to honor the spirit of the game. Referees will enforce deliberate off-sides.
    • Keepers are permitted to punt or throw the ball as far as they wish (i.e. punts may go beyond mid-field). Likewise, there are no such restrictions on goal kicks.
  • After each game, officials will assign a sportsmanship rating to each team. Ratings are 0-3 with three (3) being given for exemplary conduct. The ratings will be averaged over the course of the regular season games and playoffs. Teams must have an average score of 2.0 to be playoff eligible and remain eligible during playoffs. Teams dropping below 2.0 in the playoffs will be eliminated from the tournament.

Reminders

  • The ball shall be considered in play unless the referee sounds the whistle or the ball has completely crossed a goal line or touchline whether on the ground or in the air.
  • The keeper has 5 seconds to get rid of the ball after making a save.
  • The keeper may not pick up a pass back from a player of his/her team unless the ball was headed back. Doing so will constitute and indirect kick at the spot of the foul.
  • The keeper may not receive a throw-in with his/her hands from his/her own teammate.
  • Penalty shots are unobstructed direct free kicks taken from the penalty spot, 10 yards from the goal for fouls or hand balls within the penalty box. All players other than the designated kicker must be outside of the box during the kick. Before the kick, the goalkeeper is allowed to move side to side ONLY. The kick will be taken after the whistle of the referee.
  • On all free kicks the kicker's opponent must remain at least 7 yards from the ball until it is put into play. Any motion towards the ball by a defender before the offense puts the ball into play is considered encroachment.
  • Throw In:
    • Both feet must be on the ground.
    • The ball must be thrown straight over the head.
    • The ball must touch another player before entering the goal.

Overtime (regular season; playoff/tournament OT goes straight to PK protocol)

  • Regular Season:
    • If a game ends in a tie, one 5-minute running clock "golden goal" period shall be played. A coin toss will determine possession for the overtime kick-off.  If the score is still tied at the end of the 5-minute overtime period, the game will end as a tie.
  • Playoffs/Tournament:
    • If the game is still tied after the 5 minute period a penalty shoot-out will occur:
      • Each team will select 5 players to take the kicks.
      • The Goalkeeper must have played keeper during the game and be in the game when time runs out.
      • Co-rec: must alternate male/female with the first kicker being a female.
      • The team scoring on the greatest number of these kicks shall be declared the winner.
      • If the game is still tied after the first five shots, the shoot-out will continue in a sudden-victory manner. 
      • A player may not kick twice until all eligible players have kicked once.
  • Only the captain or designated captain can approach officials or activity supervisors during or after the game.