DEVELOPMENTAL SOCCER PROGRAM (DSP)

TIDE MINI SOCCER PRESENTED BY YAHOO! CANADA

DEVELOPMENTAL SOCCER PROGRAM (DSP)

July Festival Laws of the Game

Laws of the Game (as modified for the DSP) 2007

The following modified version of the Laws of the Game is provided for the information of parents and DSP players. The complete version of the Laws of the Game may be obtained from the Canadian Soccer Association website.

Law I: The Field of Play

The field of play shall be rectangular with a marked half-line, touch-line and goal-line, plus goal-area and penalty-area if appropriate. All lines on the field must be clearly marked, and form part of the playing area which they mark.

	Length & width	Penalty-Area	Goal-Area	Goal width / height	Penalty spot	Centre circle
(U11)	60 x 40 metres	10 metres	4 metres	5 x 2 metres	7 metres	6 metres
(U09)	40 x 30 metres	n/a	n/a	12 x 6 feet	n/a	n/a
(U07)	30 x 20 metres	n/a	n/a	4½ x 3½ feet	n/a	n/a
U05	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

U-11 is 7 aside including a goalkeeper, U-9 is 6 aside including a goalkeeper and
U-7 is 4 aside with no goalkeeper. It should be noted that for U-7 that out players should not play in front of the net

While there is no penalty area at the U9 level, goalkeepers are
permitted handling the ball only within ten metres in the opinion of the referee from their closest goalpost.

Law II: The Ball

For U11 players, a size 4 ball is used. For U9, U7 and U5 players, a size 3 ball. The ball shall not be changed during the game unless authorized by the referee.

Law III: Number of Players

	Max.	Min.	Substitutions allowed with referee's concurrence on:
(U11)	7	4	goals, goal kicks, half-time, any throw-in, injury
(U9)	6	4	any stoppage in play
(U7)	4	3	any stoppage in play

If the two teams have an unequal number of players on the field, the team with the most players should loan players to the lesser team, and in any case can only play with an advantage of one player.

Law IV: Players' Equipment

The basic compulsory equipment of a player shall consist of a shirt, shorts, stockings, shin guards and footwear. A player shall not wear anything dangerous to another player. Shin guards must be covered entirely by the stockings. Shirts must be worn tucked in. The goalkeeper shall wear colours which distinguish him/her from the other players and from the referee.

Parents are responsible for assuring that their child has water at all practices and games.

Home teams wear red jersey while away team wears white jersey.

Law V: The Referee

A referee shall be appointed to officiate each game. His/her power of penalizing shall extend to offences committed when play has been temporarily suspended, or when the ball is out of play. His/her decision on points of fact connected with the play shall be final so far as the result of the game is concerned. The referee shall enforce the rules, refrain from penalizing in cases (for U11 games) where he/she is satisfied that by thus refraining he/she will be giving an advantage to the opposing team, keep a record of the game, act as a time-keeper and allow the full or agreed time, have discretionary power to stop the game for any infringement of the laws rules and by reason of bad weather or other sufficient cause. The referee has the right to caution any player guilty of misconduct or poor behaviour and, if he/she persists, to suspend him/her from further participation in the game. He/she can, without previous caution, send off the field any player who is guilty of violent conduct, serious foul play, or abusive language.

The referee can reverse his/her decision only so long as play has not been resumed. If the referee has played the advantage rule (U11 games) and allowed play to continue, he/she cannot revoke the decision because no such advantage was gained. He/she should nevertheless warn the offending player where necessary.

Most DSP referees are trainees and the club has a zero tolerance policy against any adult verbally abusing our referees.

Law VI: Assistant Referees

Assistant referees are not used in DSP. In U11 games, linespersons may be used at the discretion of the referee. These are provided by each team. The linesman's duty is to assist the referee by indicating when the ball has passed out of play over the touch-line. When asked by the referee, the linesman will give an opinion as to which team should take the ensuing throw-in. THE LINESMAN IS NOT PERMITTED TO COACH FROM THE SIDELINES. In the event of improper conduct by a linesman, the referee shall dispense with his services and arrange for a substitute to be appointed by the team.

Law VII: Duration of the Game

Age group	Week-night or "Friendly" Games	Festival Games
(U7)	n/a	two 25-minute halves
(U9)	n/a	two 25-minute halves
(U11)	two 30-minute halves	two 25-minute halves

The half-time interval shall not exceed five minutes, except with the consent of the referee.

Law VIII: The Start of Play

At the beginning of the game, the away team has the ball and the teams take the field on the same side as their bench. The game shall be started by a player kicking the ball while it is stationary on the ground in the centre of the field, into the opponents' half of the field of play. Every player shall be in his/her own half of the field, and every player on the opposing team shall remain outside the centre circle. The ball is in play when it has traveled the distance of its own circumference. For U7/U9, a goal cannot be scored directly from a kick-off. The kicker shall not play the ball a second time until it has been touched or played by another player.

Law IX: Ball In and Out of Play

The ball is out of play when it has wholly crossed the goal-line or touch-line, whether on the ground or in the air; and when the game has been stopped by the referee. The ball is in play at all other times.

Law X: Method of Scoring

A goal is scored when the whole of the ball has passed over the goal-line, between the goal posts and under the cross-bar, provided it has not been thrown, carried or intentionally handled by an attacking player except in the case of a goalkeeper within his/her own penalty area

Law XI: Off-side

The off-side rule DOES NOT apply to U7 and U9 games. For U11 games, a player is in an off-side position if she is nearer to the opponent's goal-line than the ball, unless: she is in her own half of the field; or, she is not nearer than at least two of the opposing players. However, it is not an offence in itself to be in an off-side position. Nor is it an offence to receive the ball, in an off-side position, direct from a goal-kick, a corner-kick or a throw-in.

A player is only penalized if she is in an offside position at the moment the ball touches or is played by another member of her team and, in the opinion of the referee, involved in active play by interfering with play, interfering with an opponent, or gaining an advantage by being in that offside position.

For any offside offence, the referee awards an indirect free kick to the opposing team, to be taken from the place where the infringement occurred.

Law XII: Fouls and Misconduct

For U7 and U9 games, all offences shall be penalised by a direct free kick, although the referee may instruct a player to sit out, and the team play short one, for two minutes for repeated offences. There are no indirect free kicks.

For U11 games, the following offences shall be penalised by a direct free-kick to be taken by the opposing team from the place where the offence occurred. A player (carelessly, recklessly or using disproportionate force) does one of the following to an opponent: kicks or attempts to kick, trips, jumps at, charges, strikes or attempts to strike, pushes, contacts before the ball, holds, spits at, or deliberately handles the ball. If the offence occurs within the penalty area, a penalty-kick shall be awarded.

For U11 games, the following shall be penalised by an indirect free-kick to be taken by the opposing team from the place where the offence occurred. A player who is: playing in a dangerous manner; charging fairly but not trying to play the ball; when not playing the ball, impeding the progress of an opponent; charging the goalkeeper. Also a goalkeeper has 6 seconds to put the ball back into play.

A player shall be cautioned and shown the yellow card for: (re)entering the field of play without the referees consent; persistently infringing the laws of the game (with the two-minute sit-out exception in a U7/U9 game as noted above); dissent from a decision by the referee; any unsportsperson like conduct. For these, an indirect free-kick is given to the opposing team.

Law XIII: Free-kick

The ball must be stationary when a free-kick is taken, and the kicker shall not play the ball a second time, until it has been touched by another player. If the kicker does play the ball a second time, an indirect free kick is awarded to the opposing team. Opposing U11 players must be at least 6 metres from the ball (3 metres for U7 and U9) until it is in play. There are two types of free-kicks. From a direct free-kick a goal may be scored directly. >From an indirect free-kick a goal cannot be scored unless the ball has been touched by a player other than the kicker before passing through the goal. The referee will indicate an indirect free-kick by keeping one arm raised above the head until the ball has been touched by a second player or goes out of play. Free-kicks taken from within one's own penalty-area must be kicked beyond the penalty-area to be in play, and all opposing players must remain outside the penalty-area. If not, the free-kick is retaken.

Law XIV: Penalty-kick

A penalty-kick (U11 only) shall be taken from the penalty-mark and, while it is being taken, all players with the exception of the player taking the kick and the opposing goalkeeper shall be within the field of play but outside the penalty-area, at least 6 metres from the penalty mark and must stand behind the penalty mark.

The opposing goalkeeper must stay on his/her own goal-line (but allowed to move from side to side) , between the goal posts, until the ball is kicked. The player taking the kick must kick the ball forward, and not play it a second time until it has been touched or played by another player. The ball shall be deemed in play directly it is kicked. The penalty-kick shall not be taken until the referee has given the signal.

If the attacking team does something to infringe on these rules, the referee shall allow the kick to proceed. If a goal is scored, it shall be disallowed, and the kick retaken. If the defending team infringes on these rules, the referee shall allow the kick to proceed. It shall be retaken if a goal is not scored. The player(s) concerned shall be cautioned.

NOTE: slide tackling at U7 & U9 is not allowed.

Law XV: Throw-in/ Kick-in

For U11 games, when the ball passes over the touch-line, it shall be thrown in from the point where it crossed the line by a player of the team opposite to that of the player who last touched it. The thrower must face the field of play, keep both feet in contact with the ground on or outside the touch-line, use both hands and deliver the ball from behind and over his/her head. The thrower shall not again play the ball until it has been touched by another player. A goal shall not be scored direct from a throw-in.

For U7/U9 games, when the ball passes over the touch-line, it shall be kicked in from the point where it crossed the line by a player of the team opposite to that of the player who last touched it. Opposing players must remain at least 3 metres away.

Law XVI: Goal-kick

For U11 games, when an attacking player plays the ball over the goal-line, excluding the scoring of a goal, it shall be kicked directly into play beyond the penalty-area from any point within the goal-area by a defending player. If the ball is not kicked beyond the penalty-area, the kick shall be retaken. The kicker shall not play the ball a second time until it has touched another player outside the penalty area. A goal shall not be scored directly from such a kick. Opposing players shall remain outside the penalty-area, until the ball has been kicked out.

For U7/U9 games, when an attacking player plays the ball over the goal-line, excluding the scoring of a goal, it shall be kicked in from the point where it crossed the line by a defending player. Opposing players must remain at least 3 metres from the ball.

Law XVII: Corner-kick

When a defending player plays the ball over his/her own goal-line, excluding a goal, an attacking player shall take a corner-kick from the corner closest to where the ball went out of the field of play. Opposing U11 players must be at least 6 metres from the ball (3 metres for U7/U9) until it is in play. The kicker may not play the ball a second time until it has been touched by another player.