Rules of Play

 Modified FIFA Laws of the Game, Specific to The Futsal Premier League

(alphabetical)

Accumulated Fouls | Each team is allowed to give away 5 direct free kicks (DFK) in each half. On the 6th DFK foul and all DFK in that half is awarded to the opposing team and the offending team is not allowed to position any players (other than the goalkeeper) between the ball and the goal.

• 6th DFK foul and on, if behind the 10 meter (32.5 foot) mark, the DFK w/o a wall is taken from the 10 meter (32.5 foot) mark. All age goalkeepers may be 5m from the ball. The kick must be a shot on goal. Ball is not live until it hits the goalkeeper, goal, or goes over the goal line (between the posts or outside of it)
• 6th DFK foul and on, if in front of the 10 meter (32.5 foot) mark, the DFK w/o a wall is taken from either the 10 meter (32.5 foot) mark or from the location of the foul if outside the penalty area. The opposing Goalkeeper may be 5m from the ball. Kick must be a shot on goal.
• 6th DFK foul committed in the penalty area will result in a penalty kick from the 6m mark.

• All players (on both teams) must be 5M from the ball, except the kicker and GK.
• The player taking the kick may pass the ball forward to a teammate
• Goalkeepers MUST start with one foot on or above the goal line.
• Ball is live once it is kicked and moves forward.

Age Groups and Divisions | The league committee reserves the right to combine age groups based on the number of registrations received in each age group.

Ball | A futsal ball is weighted and has approximately  30% less bounce than a standard soccer ball

• U8 – U12 teams will use a size 3 futsal ball
• U13 and older teams will use a size 4 futsal ball

Ball in and out of Play | Ball out of play: When it has wholly crossed the goal line or touchline; when the game has been stopped by a referee; when the ball hits the ceiling (restart: kick-in at the place closest to where the ball touched the ceiling).

• Lines: Touchlines and goal lines are considered inside the playing area.
• Ball hitting the ceiling: kick-in is from the nearest touchline spot

Conduct | Any actions, verbal or physical, that are detrimental to the health and safety of coaches, players, referees, spectators or any individual are strictly prohibited and can lead to ejection of an individual or team. These actions include but are not limited to verbal or physical threatening behaviors, entering the court of play without consent and other inappropriate actions.

• Failure to leave the court or facility in a timely manner is subject to review and additional game suspensions and game forfeits.

Court | Games will be played, primarily, on marked hard courts with proper boundaries.

• For the 2025 Futsal League, secondary surfaces may include turf fields if the weather conditions are unsafe for hard court outdoor surfaces.

Divisions, Flights and Playoff Format

Tie Breakers (for playoff seeding)

Two Team Tie

• Head-to-head
• Most Wins
• Goal Differential (the most points a team can earn from a single win toward goal differential is 5)
• Goals against
• Goals For
• Most shutouts
• Coin flip

Three or More Teams

• Head-to-head
• Most Wins
• Goal Differential (the most points a team can earn from a single win toward goal differential is 5)
• Goals against
• Goals For
• Most shutouts
• Coin flip (winning team has the coin that differentiates itself from the other two. Example: tail, tail, heads = heads win)

Ejections and Cards | Player and Coach

• Minimum penalty is the player/coach missing the immediate next match
• Maximum penalty is expulsion from the entire League. (at the discretion of League staff).
• Dual rostered players who receive a red card are suspended for all games they are rostered for the remainder of the weekend in which they receive the red card OR until they serve their mandatory suspension, with the team where they received the red card.

Example A:

• Player A, Team A - receives a red card (sits out the remainder of the current game)
• Player A, Team B - has a game, player A must sit
• Player A, Team A - has a game, player A must sit
• Player A, Team B - has a game, player A can play
• Player A, Team A - has a game, player A can play

Example B:

• Player A, Team A - receives a red card (sits out the remainder of the current game) - Last game of weekend
• Player A, Team B - has a game the next weekend, player A may play
• Player A, Team A - has another game, player A must sit

• Coaches who receive a red card are suspended for all games they are rostered for the remainder of the weekend in which they receive the red card OR until they serve their mandatory suspension, with the team where they received the red card.

Equipment | Players are required to wear shin guards in accordance with the Laws of the Game. Players must wear non-marking indoor soccer, futsal, or athletic shoes.

• For the 2025 Futsal League, when secondary surfaces use turf fields, turf shoes are strongly encouraged. Cleats are allowed but discouraged.

Failure to Show and Forfeits

• A game may not start with fewer than three (3) properly uniformed players on each team for a match.        
• Once a game has started, it may not continue with fewer than three (3) players        
• If a match cannot start or continue because of a team having fewer than the minimum, that team shall forfeit the game
• A team shall have a ten (10) minute grace period from the scheduled kick off time before the match is awarded to their opponent as a 5-0 win.

• For regular season games, if a team is short players to start the game, a team may add a player from the opposing team or any other player age eligible who is present within the 10 minute grace period IF both teams agree. The score will stand and once agreed, can not be reversed.
• IF the opposing coach does not agree, they can share players and scrimmage for the remainder of the allotted 45 minutes.    
• Referees can not officiate scrimmages played after a forfeit has been given, due to liability insurance  

• In the case of a late start, game length may be adjusted by the referee in order to maintain the league schedule.
• If a team is the cause for a termination of a game, the match will be awarded to their opponents as a 5-0 forfeit win.

Game Time

• All FPL games will be 48 minutes in length.. Two 24 minute halves running clock with a 3 minute halftime.
• Teams may call one time out per game in the regular season or one per half in the playoffs (see Timeouts below)

• The clock DOES stop For a 60 Second team time out or referee request.

Goalkeepers and Goal Clearance | A goal clearance must be thrown (and not kicked) and the goalkeeper cannot touch the ball again unless they are across midcourt (cannot touch the ball in their defensive half even if they or the ball has crossed midcourt) or touched by another player or a member of the opposing team has touched the ball.

• All ages: GK May throw  accross midcourt without bouncing or touching a player
• Goal clearances do not have to leave the penalty arc, the GK has 4 seconds to release the ball from their hands and it is live as soon as GK releases it. The defensive team must remain outside of the arc until the ball is released from GK.

Goalkeeper Punt or Drop Kick  (after a save) | Not allowed.

It IS considered LEGAL if the ball bounces TWICE before being kicked or the GK shoots/passes the ball on their SECOND touch once the ball is dropped

Heading | No intentional or unintentional heading of the ball in U8 through U12 age groups. At U13 players can head. This is for safety concerns with a heavier ball.

U8-U12 Modifications

• ALL headers by a defending team will result in an indirect free kick.
• If the header occurs by the defensive team between the 10m mark and endline, the IFK will take place at the 10m mark. (NOT 6m top of arc)
• If the attacking team heads it in their offensive penalty arc, the restart is a goal clearance.
• Otherwise all other headers will result in an indirect free kick awarded to the non-heading team.  Common Sense: If defender heads it into their own defensive goal, it will stand!

Kick-Ins | Restarts after the ball has gone out of play, the ball is kicked into play from the touchline. The ball must be placed stationary ON the touchline.  Non Kicking Foot may NOT be fully on the court, must be touching part of the line. Opposing teams must stand 3m away and the kick is indirect. You can NOT score directly off a kick in, without touching another player.

If a goalkeeper takes a kick in on their half, it COUNTS as their one touch per possession

Kick-Off | A kick-off is a way of starting or restarting play

• The opponents of the team taking the kick-off are at least 3m from the ball until it is touched and moves
• The ball must be stationary on the center mark
• The kick off can go in any direction
• The kickoff is an indirect kick. You can not score directly off a kick-off without touching another player

Offside Rule | There is no offside rule in Futsal.

Passbacks | 1 passback to the goalkeeper’s feet per possession in the team's defensive half. A goalkeeper throw counts as the 1 passback per possession.

Penalty Kick |  To be taken from the penalty mark on the mid-point of the 6m-line.

• All players must be out of the penalty area, behind the ball and players must also be at least 5 m from the penalty spot, except the keeper must start on the Goal line 6m away.  One foot of  GK must be on or above the line until ball is kicked.
• The kicker shall not play the ball a second time until it has been touched by another player.

Playoff Games & Penalties | Playoff games must have a winner and will be decided by Penalties if tied after regulation. The winner of a coin toss will have the option of choosing to kick first or second. The side of penalties will be chosen by the referee

• 5 Players Per Team
• Choose any 5 players from the gameday roster, kick from mark on court (6 meters, approximately 20 feet)
• If additional kicks are required, teams go 1 by 1 with remaining players that have yet to take a kick
• No player may take a second kick until every player on roster has taken a kick, including goalkeepers

• May reduce to equate prior to the first KFTPM to determine a winner

Referees | Each game will be scheduled to have at least one referee

Rosters | Roster size is recommended at 10 players. Minimum roster is 7. Maximum roster is 12 players. (For a roster of less than 7 or more than 12 players, league approval is required)

• Players may roster on more than one team

• Dual rostering within an age group IS allowed
• A roster may have no-more than three (3) dual-roster players
• No player may be rostered on more than two teams

• Minimum number of players to start a match is 3.
• Minimum to continue the game is 3.
• League must approve use of guest players
• For playoff games only players listed on official rosters may play

Score Table | Home team is required to have 1 person at the score table for youth games. Away team may also offer up a volunteer to fill this role.

• Operate the game clock and scoreboard

Shoulder Charge | Not allowed

Sliding Tackling | Slide tackles are NOT allowed  in this Futsal League.

• Players are allowed to slide on the court (e.g., to stop a ball from going out of play, to direct a pass towards the net, to block a shot, etc.)  
• Contact does NOT have to be made to be considered a slide tackle.  

Substitutions | Players must enter and leave the court from the designated area by their team bench. “Flying substitutions” allow substitutes and players to enter and exit as they please, however the player must exit before the substituting player can enter.

• This includes goalkeeper substitutions.
• There is no limit to the number of substitutions you can make in a game.

Team Benches | Teams start the game positioned in their teams defensive half. Teams will not switch sides so team benches will remain on the same side. One Coach may stand in front of their bench, MINIMUM of 2m from touchline.  Other coach  MUST: 1) Sit on their bench, 2) Stand Beside the bench, or 3) Stand behind the bench.  No more than 2 Coaches (Team staff) may be in the technical area at any one time.

The 4 Second Rule | Applied for direct free kick, direct free kick without a wall, kick-in, penalty kick, corner kick, goal clearance, kick off, penalty kick, and goalkeeper in possession in their own half. The player in possession of the ball has 4 seconds to restart play, the referee will count off four seconds using fingers in the air. If play is not restarted within four seconds an indirect kick will be awarded to the opposing team. The goalkeeper is not allowed to control the ball for more than four seconds in his/her own half.

• If play is not restarted within 4 seconds for a direct free kick, direct free kick without a wall, indirect free kick or penalty kick restart an IFK will be awarded to the opposing team. A 4 second violation on a corner kick results in a goal clearance.
• If play is not restarted within 4 seconds for a Kick-In, The Kick-In is awarded to the opposing team
• If the ball is not put into play properly by the goalkeeper:

• During a goal clearance becomes an IDFK for the opposing team at the highest straight point on the penalty arc.
• Possession for more than 4 seconds in their half, the opposing team is awarded an IFK from the location of the 4 second violation
• Put the ball into play (leaving the penalty area) on a goal clearance, than opposing team is awarded an IFK top of penalty area from spot of 4 second violation

Time Outs | Each team is allowed one, 60 second timeout per GAME for the regular season.  For playoffs, teams will be allowed per half. A team may be awarded a time out if the following criteria are met:

• Play is either stopped by a referees whistle or ball has left the court
• The team in possession of the ball, requests the timeout
• The referee hears and grants the request, BEFORE they start their 4 second count
• All timeouts are at the referee’s discretion

The 5M Rule | Direct free kick, indirect free kick, and corner kicks.

Kick-ins and Kick Offs only require the opposing team to be 3M away.

• Players are required to keep 5 yards from the player in possession of the ball. Players must immediately give 5 yards (and not wait for the referee’s direction).  For Kick-ins and kick-offs players need only give 3M (10ft).

League Standings will be based on the following:

        - Win = 3 points

        - Tie = 1 point

        - Loss = 0 points

Uniform 

• The Home Team should wear their DARKER color uniform for games while the Away Team should wear their LIGHTER color uniform.
• When the uniform colors are similar, the designated home team will change colors. The home team is listed first on the schedule