TOURNAMENT COMPETITION RULES 1. ELIGIBILITY AND APPLICATION DEADLINE. a. The 2018 Florida Cup team entry fee will be : i. U12 teams: $275 ii. U13 through U19 teams: $295 b. The US Club Soccer State Cup is a restricted tournament open only to US Club Soccer Member Teams. c. The application deadline is January 7, 2018. Thereafter, applications will only be accepted on a space available basis. 2. TOURNAMENT AUTHORITY. a. The Tournament Director shall have ultimate authority over all tournament competitions. Decisions relating to the interpretation of the tournament rules shall only be made by the Tournament Director or a Regional Competition Director, in consultation with the Tournament Rules Committee. b. If a Tournament Rules Committee member is associated with a team entered in that Regional competition at that age group, the Tournament Director or his designee shall be consulted on any rule or competition decision that is required. 3. COMPETITION FORMAT. a. U12 age group plays 9v9 b. U13 U18/19 age groups play 11v11 c. Teams seeded by Florida Cup Seeding Committee. d. Opening rounds hosted by higher seeds. e. First round must be completed by March 30th f. Round of 16 must be completed by April 15th g. Round of 8 must be completed by April 30th h. Semifinal and Final at central location (May 9-10, 2018) i. The hosting team is responsible for assigning and paying the referee assignors fee. Referee fees are also paid by the higher seed for all rounds except semifinal and final round. 4. ROSTER RULES. Any player registered with and issued a player card for a US Club Soccer Member Club, Academy, or a sanctioned League Team, who is a member of the designated age group or younger, is eligible to be placed on the Tournament Roster. No players may be added to a Tournament Roster other than pursuant
to these rules unless an emergency situation arises and permission is obtained in writing from the Tournament Director. a. Maximum Tournament Roster Size: up to 26 players b. Game Roster Size: i. U12 age group: up to 16 players, selected from the tournament roster. ii. U13-U18/19 age groups: up to 18 players, selected from the tournament roster. c. Substitutions: i. U12 age group: Unlimited ii. U13-U18/19 age groups: There will be no reentry per half (maximum of 7 substitutions per half). d. Cup tied: A player may only play for one team during the annual Florida Cup competition. 5. REQUIRED DOCUMENTS. a. A valid US Club Soccer player card. b. The US Club Soccer official roster. c. Medical authorizations also will be required for all players at check-in. d. Valid US Club Soccer staff cards will be required for all coaches and the team manager. e. See Team Check-In Procedures for more information. 6. COMPETITION RULES. The following rules shall govern all Tournament competitions: a. All games shall be played pursuant to FIFA Laws of the Game, unless stated otherwise in these Rules. b. Length of Games: U12: 35 minute halves U13/14/15/16: 40 minute halves U17/18/19: 45 minute halves All halftimes: 10 minutes Overtime (if needed): If an overtime period is required, it shall consist of two 10 minute halves (five minutes between halves) and then, if necessary, kicks from the penalty mark. NO GOLDEN GOAL. Substitution rules for overtime halves shall be the same as for the game. Players eligible for kicks from the penalty mark must be playing on the field immediately prior to the start of the kicks from the mark. Five designated players from each team will attempt penalty kicks, with a winner determined after five players from each team have completed their shots. If the game remains tied, the penalty kick phase will continue with a sixth kicker from each team, sudden death, although each team gets an even number of attempts. c. Ball: size 4 for U12 size 5 for U13/U14/U15/U16/U17/U18/19. d. All players must wear shin guards. All other equipment rules shall be pursuant to FIFA Laws of the Game. e. The home team shall be listed first. Home Team wears light uniform top/socks. Away team wears dark uniform top/socks. All players, other than the keeper, shall have unique numbers. f. The players and coaches of both teams will take a position on the sideline opposite that of the spectators. Only US Club Soccer-carded/rostered
players and coaches will be allowed with teams on the sidelines. A maximum of three coaches per team are permitted on the sideline with the team. 7. STANDINGS AND TIEBREAKERS. 2018 Florida Cup will be a single elimination competition. 8. GAME AUTHORITY AND DISCIPLINE. a. The referee s decision in all matters related to the field and the game itself shall be final. There shall be no protests of any referee s decision or game result. b. Red cards awarded to players or substitutes during a Tournament game or dismissals of team officials shall result in that player or team official being suspended for the next tournament game involving the same team playing when the coach was dismissed. The Discipline Committee shall have the authority to take further disciplinary action should they deem it necessary. c. There shall be no yellow card accumulations. Note that FIFA Circulars #866 and #821 require that a sendoff for a red card or a sendoff after two yellow cards in a game be treated the same. Thus, in both cases the player must sit out the remainder of that game and the next tournament game. d. All coaches shall have at all times complete responsibility and control for the conduct of their players, bench, parents, and friends. e. If, in the opinion of the referee, it is necessary to terminate a game due to the misconduct of a team or others associated with that team, the game shall be forfeited to the opposing team and the matter shall be referred to the Tournament Discipline Committee, which may, among other penalties, suspend the team for the remainder of the Tournament. If, in the opinion of the referee, the termination is the result of substantially equivalent misconduct by both teams or by persons associated with both teams, the matter will be resolved by the Tournament Discipline Committee. f. At the end of each game, the referee s game report shall be submitted to the Competition Director. 9. GAME START TIMES AND RESCHEDULING. a. All games shall start at the designated time. A forfeit shall be declared if a team cannot field a minimum of six (6) players for U12 and seven (7) players for all other age groups at the start time of the game. b. Every reasonable effort will be made to complete a game as long as the safety of the participants and spectators is not jeopardized. Should a game not be able to be started or should a suspension of play be required due to safety concerns or unplayable conditions, the referee, coaches and Tournament Director or Competition Director shall consult, but the referee shall have the ultimate authority to either suspend or terminate the game. c. If it is not possible to complete a game for the reasons set forth in this section, if the first half is completed, the results shall stand. If the first half is not completed, or if the game is tied, the Tournament Director or Competition Director, shall determine whether it shall be re-scheduled or another resolution of the matter shall be implemented. The schedule of remaining games shall be a factor in any determination. The teams involved shall be consulted, but the ultimate decision on such resolution shall rest with the Tournament Director or Competition Director. d. Semifinal and Final games may not be forfeited and will result in a $500 fine. 10. DISCIPLINE. Discipline for the Tournament shall be under the jurisdiction of US Club Soccer.
11. TOURNAMENT DISCIPLINE COMMITTEE. The Tournament Discipline Committee shall be the Tournament Rules Committee members at the event and the Competition Director, or other individuals appointed by the Executive Director. In all matters of discipline, with the exception of an alleged incident of misconduct towards a game official, the Tournament Discipline Committee shall render a determination, and send a report to the US Club Soccer Discipline Committee pursuant to this section. a. Suspensions for normal red cards and staff ejections shall not extend beyond the that Regional tournament or National Finals. b. For serious discipline matters with the potential to incur penalties beyond the issuance of a red card or staff ejection, a Competition Incident Report and a referee s report shall be completed and sent to US Club Soccer. TEAM CHECK-IN PROCEDURES 1. Tournament Check-In Procedures: The check-in times and locations shall be determined by the Tournament Director. a. At check-in, teams shall present the following: b. Official team roster, downloaded and printed from the US Club s website information (up to 26 players). Players that are age appropriate or younger may be handwritten on the roster (with all the information shown for the other players) provided they have a valid US Club pass from the same club. These players, once added to the roster, are then cup tied to that team. c. US Club Soccer player cards for all players on the roster. d. Player medical treatment authorization forms for all players. e. Coaches and managers passcards. Player cards shall be checked against the official roster. A player may only be rostered to one team for the Florida Cup Tournament. 2. Pre-Game Check-In Procedures: a. Twenty (20) minutes prior to the start of each game, the coach shall present his team (up to 18 players) to the referee for check-in. The referee shall check player cards against the individual players and the team rosters. b. Referees shall then return the cards to the coach. c. Prior to kick-off of each half, the coach shall give the referee or his designee, the starting eleven players. d. Substitutions may be made at the head referee s discretion. Each substitute shall hand their pass to the referee prior to entry. e. Cards shall be held by the referee or his designee and returned to the coach at the end of the half and the end of the game, except for any red cards, which shall be held until the referee completes the appropriate game report and submits it and the card to the tournament director. f. In the case of other disciplinary matters, the player s card shall be held by the Competition Director until the matter is adjudicated by the Tournament Discipline Committee. g. All cards shall be returned to the coach at the end of the tournament, unless a questionable card has been confiscated by the Competition Director or designee, or an allegation of misconduct against a game official has be filed.
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