Any individual confronting, yelling at, finger-pointing, or threatening verbally or physically a referee, tournament staff member, coach, player, or another individual at the tournament may be asked to leave the park immediately and may be banned from attendance for the rest of the tournament.
Any individual who acts belligerently will be disqualified from the tournament, be required to leave the facility and return to the car, and be banned from the rest of the event and future events hosted by the Club. This includes coaches, parents, referees, tournament officials, players, and spectators.

GENERAL NOTES

PARENTS & COACHES

Parents are to sit in designated areas
Chairs will be a minimum of 12 feet from the sidelines.

PARENT & COACH BEHAVIOR POLICY - ZERO TOLERANCE

All parents and coaches are to act respectfully to all others in the tournament, including all players, all parents, coaches, referees, tournament officials, staff, and volunteers.

At the discretion of the tournament officials and directors, any parent or coach observed being belligerent, threatening, screaming, yelling, finger-pointing, or engaging in any other misbehavior will be asked to leave the complex.
Police will be called to intervene as needed, and the individuals involved will be banned from attending the tournament for the weekend.

Zero tolerance

There is a ‘Zero Tolerance’ policy for aggressive behavior by any individuals at the tournament, including the behavior outlined in the above section.
Any person acting out of line will be asked to leave the facilities and face possible bans from the tournament - this is at the sole discretion of the tournament officials and is not protestable.

Noisemakers are strictly prohibited at the tournament.

STAFF MEMBERS ON BENCHES DURING GAMES

Official Team staff members are only allowed during matches in the designated technical area.

ROSTERING & PLAYER PASSES

Player cards/passes are required during the online check-in of all teams.

11v11 teams can roster up to 22 players.
No double rostering players OR ‘player passing’ or ‘club passing’ in the tournament.

Players cannot play on two teams during the tournament
There is no ‘Club Passing’ or ‘Player Passing’ during the tournament
‘Handwritten’ names are not permitted on tournament rosters

AGE AND ELIGIBILITY

Participation in the Tournament is open to accepted teams meeting the roster and age limit of the specified division. Each team must be registered with a National State Association affiliated with USSF, USYSA, US CLUB, SAY, MLS NEXT, National League, DPL, ECNL, ECRL, or other recognized associations. Biobanding and Late Developers can play in this event with their Biobanded or Late Developer team.

ONLINE TEAM CHECK-IN

All teams are required to perform online check-in via the tournament website.
There is no on-site check-in. See website for details.

TEAM REQUIRED CREDENTIALS

OFFICIAL TEAM ROSTERS:

Each team must submit an approved affiliated league roster during online check-in.

SOCCER IN COLLEGE MULTI-GAME GAME CARD/ROSTER

The tournament will supply the game cards for the referees and use the multi-game game card issued by Soccer In College on the tournament website.
Teams must update the information in SINC (this information auto-populates on your game card).
Please note Online Check-In deadlines on the tournament website.

GUEST PLAYERS

Teams may have as many guest players as they like.
All players must be listed on your roster and approved through the Online Check-In.

TRAVEL PERMITS

Teams outside the jurisdiction of the Alabama Soccer Association are required to obtain travel permits, but U.S. Club Soccer teams are exempt from this requirement.

MEDICAL RELEASE FORMS

One Medical Release form for each player on the form provided by your state association or league must be completed and signed by the parent/guardian and, if applicable, notarized.

TEAM/PLAYER FIELD USAGE LIABILITY WAIVER

Each team/player/family must sign the field usage liability waiver and turn it in with all check-in materials. The document is on the website.
All the above-listed documents are required for team registration and Online Check-In.

LAWS OF THE GAME

The Tournament will follow USYS/FIFA Laws of the Game, except as expressly modified in these Rules.

HEADING

No heading allowed for 9v9 games.

DURATION AND FORMAT OF GAMES

The duration of tournament games shall be shown in the following table. There will be no overtime periods played at any time. Kicks from the Penalty Mark, per FIFA Rules, will determine winners in tie breaks, semi-final matches, wildcard games, and finals.

Ages	Format	Roster	Dress for games	Guests	Ball Size	Referees	Game Length
U11-U12	9v9	22	22	NA	4	3	60
U13-U14	11v11	22	22	NA	5	3	60
U15-U19	11v11	22	22	NA	5	3	60

GAME DAY: PREGAME CHECK-IN PROCEDURES & GAME CARDS

Teams will conduct equipment checks with designated officials prior to the match.

The tournament will provide game cards for all matches.

EQUIPMENT & UNIFORMS

According to FIFA, teams will wear uniforms, and each player will have a unique number on their jersey.

The home team is listed as home on the tournament website for the match and must provide acceptable game balls.
No jewelry allowed.
If long-sleeved shirts are worn, they should match those of other players on the same team.
The referee and tournament officials will be the final judges on allowable equipment, including casts and medical wraps.

UNIFORM COLORS

HOME TEAM - white or light-colored jerseys and uniforms
VISITOR TEAM - dark or dark-colored jerseys and uniforms
If there is a question of what is 'light-colored', the AWAY team must change. For example, if a team wears light yellow and the other team gray, and there is an issue, the AWAY team must change.

SUBSTITUTIONS

Substitutions shall be unlimited and may be made with the referee’s consent at any stoppage in play or at Half-Time.

SCORING SYSTEM -

6 points for a win
3 points for a tie
0 points for a loss
1 point for a shutout
1 point per goal, up to a maximum of 3

Division winners will be determined by the point system indicated. At the end of Group Play, the division winner shall be the team with the most points in their division.

Games decided by penalty kicks (e.g., for inclement weather) will be scored as 1-0 for points determination.

TIE-BREAKING PROCEDURES

In the event of a tie within a division, the following criteria shall be used to determine the winner:

Winner of head-to-head games
Highest goal difference (goals for minus goals against) max. 3 per game
Fewest goals allowed
Most goals scored, max 3 per game
Most shutouts
Kicks from the penalty mark
Coin toss if penalty kicks cannot determine a tiebreak.

Three-Way Ties

If a three-way tie occurs, use Procedures 1-5 until one team emerges as the winner or one team is eliminated, whichever occurs first. In the latter instance, start again with Procedure 1 for the remaining two teams. If all three teams remain tied after Procedure 4, go to Procedure 5.

Use a coin toss to determine the winner.

The tournament official will designate the team officials/representatives and must flip the coin, allowing it to hit the ground/grass/floor and settle on its own. The tournament official is only to flip the coin and not ‘catch’ it after flipping it, allowing the coin to hit the ground and settle without human interference.
If the coin is caught or hits another person, the coin flip will be reflipped.

FAILURE TO SHOW & FORFEITS

Match time is forfeit time. A team of at least 8 players constitutes an 11v11 team, and a team of at least 6 players constitutes a 9v9 team.

EJECTIONS

A player or coach ejected from a match will be barred from further participation in the next succeeding match for that team. For coaches with multiple teams, ejections are only for the team playing at the ejection time.

An ejected coach must leave the facility/complex immediately.
An ejected player must leave the field or field area and may not remain on the players’ bench. Players ejected for violent conduct must leave the facility or complex immediately.
If either coach or player fails to leave designated areas, the match will be forfeited, and the player will be banned from the tournament.

REFEREES

3-person USSF referee teams will officiate matches for all matches.

PROTESTS

For games, all decisions of the referees are final.
No protests are allowed.
For the tournament, all decisions of the Tournament Committee are final.

INCLEMENT WEATHER

In inclement weather, the Tournament Director will have the authority to change or cancel games. The following may occur at the sole discretion of the Tournament Director:

Relocation or rescheduling of any game(s).
Changing the duration of the match(es).
Canceling any game(s).
Games terminated at or after halftime will be considered a completed match, and the score will stand as it is at the time of termination.

For example, if a game is played with a score of 2-1 at halftime and is terminated at halftime or after, the score will be entered as 2-1 and considered a completed match.

The Tournament Committee reserves the right to cancel any match or tournament if playing conditions dictate.
The decisions of the Tournament Director are final and cannot be appealed or protested.

TOURNAMENT RULES INTERPRETATION AND REFUND OF ENTRY FEES

The Tournament Committee's interpretation of these rules is final.
The Tournament Committee reserves the right to decide and rule on all matters about the Tournament.
There will be no refunds of tournament entry fees for any reason.

STEEL CITY CUP •