2023 Winter Invitational Rules - January 27-29, 2023

1. FIFA LAWS

All tournament matches will be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game as issued by FIFA. The following USYSA/FYSA/Florida Elite rules supplement the Laws of the Game. In the event of any rules dispute during the event, the USYSA/FYSA/Florida Elite rules of the game will be the rules of record during the tournament.

2. Team Acceptance

a. The tournament committee reserves the right to accept or reject any team application.

b. No team shall be deemed accepted unless written notification has been sent from the

Tournament Director.

c. Once accepted by the Tournament Committee, the application fee is non‐refundable.

d. Accepted teams are required to have laminated player passes and 2022 medical release forms.

e. Accepted teams will be required to use the event official housing agent.

f. Participation fee checks which are returned from any bank will NOT be re‐deposited. The

amount of the check plus a $40.00 fee must be received within seven (7) days in the form of a cashier’s check or money order or credit card payment. This is only if checks are being accepted.

3. Roster and Player Documentation

a. The player's playing age is determined by the USYS Birth year chart guideline for 2022/2023.

b. You must participate with your 2022-23 USYSA or US Club roster

c. Maximum roster sizes: 9U and 10U (playing 7 v 7): 12 11U and 12U (playing 9 v 9): 16;

 13U and up (playing 11 v 11): 22. There can be a maximum of three (3)

guest players in all age groups.

d. Match roster must be provided to the referees prior to each match.

e. US CLUB TEAMS: Fall 2022-23 Match/event roster, laminated player passes, laminated coach passes and US Club 2021/2022 medical release forms.

f. USYSA Teams: Fall 2022-23 match roster, laminated player passes, laminated coach passes, permission to travel from State Association for teams outside of Florida and 2021/2022 medical release forms (if there is a place for the forms to be notarized, IT MUST BE NOTARIZED, otherwise no notarization is necessary).

4. Guest Players

No team will be allowed more than three (3) guest players. Players must play on their own team (USYSA and/or US Club) if their team is playing in the 2023 tournament and are NOT eligible to play as a guest player with another team. Guest players must meet all requirements for individual team players. An official guest player form, medical release form, laminated player pass, and interstate form if required (Guest player passes must be the same type as the team the guest is playing for: USYSA or US Club).

5. Eligibility

All players are born in the year of their age group classification, or in a later group (no playing down). Teams must be properly registered and in good standing with their state, regional and national associations. Each player shall possess a laminated, current pass or proper pass from their national association and a current notarized (if applicable) medical release form.

AGE DETERMINATION:

6. Player Equipment

a. Where the color of the jersey is similar or identical, the designated home team (listed first on schedule) will change jerseys.

b. All players must have uniforms with individual numbers on the jersey (including goalkeepers).

c. No jewelry may be worn by any player (earrings, watches, necklaces, etc.), The only exception that may be allowed is a   medical alert bracelet or necklace when taped to the body. The referee shall decide as to the safety of the player, and the referee’s decision is final.

d. Players wearing a permanent orthopedic cast, or soft brace can be worn at the discretion of the referee and/or Tournament Director.

e. Shin guards must be worn at all times by all players.

f. Medical id bracelets and Religious items must be taped down.

g. All referees decisions are final regarding player equipment

402.2 Player equipment shall be in accordance with the requirements of the Affiliate, FYSA and FIFA rules.  Additionally:

a.) Screw in cleats are permitted; however, judgment as to their safety is at the discretion of the referee.

b.) Orthopedic casts can be worn at any sanctioned FYSA tournament with written approval from a doctor and written permission from a tournament official, final judgement as to its safety is at the discretion of the referee.

c.)  Soft braces can be worn with written approval from a doctor, and judgement as to safety is at the discretion of the referee.

d.) Shin guards must comply with FIFA Law 4:

1) Shin guards are covered entirely by the stockings.

2) Shin guards are made of a suitable material (rubber, plastic, or similar substances).

3) Shin guards must PROVIDE A REASONABLE DEGREE OF PROTECTION.

4) Shin guards are required for any FYSA event for the Safety of the players.

7.  Concussions:  Pursuant to Florida Statutes (FS943.0438) Florida 2012 enacted a very stringent Head injury and Concussion Law.  If the referee (or assistant referee) believes that, in his/her opinion, a player has suffered a head injury or possible concussion, the match must be stopped Immediately.  The injured player if able to leave the field on their own must be escorted to their coach and the coach must be told that the player cannot return for the duration of the match. If a trainer is brought onto the field because the player is incapacitated, the referee must still notify the coach that the player cannot return to the game.  It is the responsibility of the coach and the player’s parent(s) or legal guardians to seek medical attention.  The player may not resume participation until he/she has been cleared by a medical doctor.  The Referee Has No Further responsibility beyond removing the player from the match in which the player was injured.  The referee crew must ensure, that Under  No Circumstance or due to the appeal from any coaching staff that the player is allowed to return to the game

8. Substitutions

Substitutions shall be unlimited, in accordance with FIFA and FYSA:

a. Goal kick, after a goal, half time, at the beginning of an overtime period, or throw –in by either team, or at any stoppage in play at the discretion of the referee

b. An injured player may be substituted for if deemed necessary. If a substitution is made for

the injured player, the opposing team may also make one substitution with the referee’s

acknowledgement.

9. Player, Coach, Spectator Ejection

The tournament committee shall have a discipline committee of not less than three (3)

members. The discipline committee will review and rule on all reports of unacceptable conduct

by players, manager, coaches, referees, spectators, etc. using the FYSA standards as set by FYSA Rule 502 and Rule 504.1 –Red Card suspension or send off suspensions can only be served with the team with which the suspension was earned in games played by their team.  Players may not serve suspensions as “guest players.”

a. All players and managers/coaches shall be subject to FYSA Section 502 – Discipline and

Sanctions.

b. A player or manager/coach ejected from a match will have an automatic minimum one (1)

game suspension regardless of the cause of the ejection.  

c. Depending on the severity of the unacceptable conduct, the discipline committee may recommend the suspension of up to the duration of the tournament with further disciplinary action by the appropriate state or national association. The discipline committee

recommendations must be available to the affected parties no later than prior to their next

scheduled game.

d. At the conclusion of the tournament. A complete report will be sent to FYSA within seventy two (72) hours of the conclusion of the tournament for possible further discipline.

10. Referees: Referees are required to submit a completed official USSF or tournament‐specific

game report to the site director containing game scores and any information relating to any game incidents involving players/coaches, spectator misconduct, or injuries. In the event the assigned referees fail to appear and the assignor and/or site director fails to provide a replacement, the senior assigned assistant referee shall assume the duties and shall find an alternate assistant. The game will be played as scheduled and will be deemed official. In the event that two official assistant referees are not provided by the tournament, each team shall provide a line person for their side of the field. If only two officials appear at a match, the match shall proceed with an appointed linesman.

11.  Water breaks:   a break will be given at the midpoint of each half of regulation time for player hydration.  This break will be given at a normal stoppage of play and it is mandatory for any FYSA sanctioned match during which the air temperature is expected to reach eighty-five (85) degrees.  (FYSA Rule 402.4).

12. Offside: 11U – 19U: No change per FIFA “Laws of the Game.

9U‐10U: Offside will be called by the single referee to the best of their ability.

13. Heading:         Deliberate heading is not allowed in age groups U12 and younger

If a U12 or younger player deliberately heads the ball in a game, an indirect free kick should be awarded to the opposing team from the spot of the offense.

 If the deliberate header of a U12 or younger player occurs within the goal area, the indirect free kick should be taken on the goal line parallel to the goal line at the nearest point to where the infraction occurred.

14. Duration of Play

The duration of each match is indicated below. Two equal halves will be played with a five minute half‐time interval. Matches may be shortened or canceled at the discretion of the

Tournament Director in the event of inclement weather. All regular tournament, consolation,

semi‐final and final games will have the same times:

• 8U /10U: 2 – 25 minute halves
• 11U‐12U: 2 ‐ 25 minute halves
• 13U‐14U: 2 – 30 minute halves

Mercy Rule - If the score reaches a six (6) goal differential at any point after the start of the second half of play the match shall be terminated.

15. Brackets of Play

• Bracket of Four: Played as a single group of four teams in a round robin format, with the two teams accumulating the most points advancing to the final.
• Bracket of Five: Played as a single group of five teams with all teams playing each other once. The team accumulating the most points will be announced as the Champion. The team accumulating the second most amounts of points will be the Finalist. We will attempt to avoid brackets of 5
• Bracket of Six: Played as two groups of three teams. Each team will crossover and play the three teams in the other group. The two teams accumulating the most points (Wildcard 1 and Wildcard 2) from all six teams will advance to the finals to determine which team is the champion. It is possible that the finalists could have played each other already.
• Bracket of Eight: Played as two groups of four. The winner of each round robin group will play a final game to determine the Champion and Finalist.
• Bracket of Ten: Played as three groups. Group A with 4 teams. Group B and C with 3 teams. Group A will play 3 games within the group. Group B and Group C will play 3 crossover games between Group B and Group C. The winner of each group (A-B-C) and a wildcard (4th best team based on points) will advance to the semi-finals. Winner of Group A vs Group B and Group C vs Wildcard. In the event the wildcard team advances from Group “B” they would have already played the winners of the Group C and therefore the semi-final opponents will be as follows: Winner Group C vs. Winner Group A and Winner Group B vs. Wildcard.
• Bracket of Twelve: Played as three groups of four. The winner of each round robin group and a wildcard (4th best team on points) will advance to the semi-finals. Winner of Group A vs Wildcard and Group B vs Group C. In the event the wildcard team advances from Group “A” they would have already played the winners of the group and therefore the semi-final opponents will be as follows: Winner Group C vs. Winner Group A and Winner Group B vs. Wildcard.
• Bracket of Sixteen: Played as four groups of four. The winner of each round robin group advances to the semi-finals with the winner of the semi-finals advancing to the championship game.
• Showcase Bracket: In the older age groups (U15 and above) there may be Brackets setup for 3 total games with no finals. This will be determined by the Directors of Coaching of the Clubs involved in those Brackets.

16. Determination of Division Winners

Three points will be earned for a win, one point for a tie, and no points for a loss. Where it is

required to break a tie for standings or moving into semi‐finals or finals, the following will be used to determine a winner, beginning with tie breaker number 1 and proceeding down until the tie is broken:

1. Head to head result

2. Net goal differential, maximum of four (4) goals per game

3. Most goals scored, maximum of four (4) goals per game

4. Least goals allowed, no maximum

5. Most shutouts

6. Penalty kicks in accordance with FIFA (Taking kicks from the Penalty Mark)

17. Championship Matches

If the score is tied at the end of regulation, teams shall go straight to kicks from the

penalty mark to determine winner following FIFA rules. Penalty kicks in accordance with

FIFA (Taking kicks from the Penalty Mark)

18. Forfeits

A forfeit shall be awarded if a team is not present and prepared to play within five minutes of the scheduled commencement time. A ten‐minute allowance will be made for semi‐final and championship matches. Any team forfeiting a match will not be allowed to play in a semi‐final or championship game. It is requested that teams be present 30 minutes prior to the scheduled game start to aid in the timely commencement of play. Five players constitute a team when playing 6 v 6, and seven players constitute a team when playing 8 v 8 or 11 v 11. A forfeit will be scored 4‐0.

If a team withdraws from the event after the schedule has been released this will result in a forfeit and all teams scheduled to play said team shall receive the forfeiture points.

19. Inclement Weather

Regardless of weather conditions, players and coaches must be on the field at the scheduled

time, ready to play. In case of inclement weather or field conditions, games may:

• Be shortened – the Tournament Director may reduce the length of matches due to weather conditions; all such matches will be considered official.
• Be rescheduled (time and location determined by Tournament Director)
• Be canceled (there are no refunds for any games missed due to weather cancellations)

Only referees or Tournament Director can suspend a match already started due to weather conditions. Any one single suspension of a match may last no longer than 60 minutes or to the next scheduled game start whichever is later.

Pool Play Games

Games that have been started and subsequently suspended due to inclement weather or other external conditions, will be deemed complete if one half of play has been completed or the first half cannot be completed prior to the start time of the next scheduled game on that field. For any such game that is not completed, the score at the time of the suspension will be the final score. Any game that is not started and is canceled (as opposed to postponed) due to weather or other external conditions, will be recorded as a 0-0 tie. Canceled games will not be rescheduled.

Play‐off Matches: In the event a referee terminates a match the score will be recorded as it was when the game was stopped. In the event a match, other than the final, ends in a tie, the team that earned the most points during the round robin play will be declared the winner. If the teams have the same number of points, the criteria in the Tie-Breaker section of these rules shall apply.

Championship Games

If a referee terminates a match the score will be recorded as it was when the game was stopped. In the event a referee terminates a final match that has been started while the teams are tied, co‐champions will be declared and both teams will receive championship honors and trophies.

20. Disclaimer

Neither the Tournament Committee, Florida Elite Soccer Academy nor the Tournament Sponsors are responsible for any expenses incurred by any team in the event the tournament is canceled in whole or part or in the event games are discontinued or canceled due to inclement weather or adverse field conditions.

21. Registration Fee Refund Policy

a. Within five (5) business days after notification that the team is not accepted to the tournament.

b. Within five (5) business days after cancellation of the tournament, should cancellation occur prior to the tournament commencement.

c. Within ten (10) business days of a withdrawal request of the application by a team prior to acceptance of that application by the tournament.

The Tournament Committee reserves the right to decide all matters pertaining to the tournament. The judgment of the Tournament Committee is final. The Tournament Director has authority to make all decisions and these decisions will be

final. There are NO REFUNDS for game cancellations due to weather once the first game of the Tournament has begun. All referee decisions are final and binding.

22. Hotel Requirements

All teams participating in the tournament are required to make housing reservations through

our official housing agent, Avanti Travel Group Inc. Any team who refuses to follow this rule will be disqualified.

23. NO PROTESTS SHALL BE ENTERTAINED

All teams must comply with the 2022 Tournament Rules and the Tournament Director’s decisions are final.