CFSL Match Rules

Updated: July 18, 2016

CFSL

499 N. SR 434 - Suite 2021

Altamonte Springs, FL 32714

Ph. 407-869-1070

www.CentralFloridaSoccer.com

 

Administrative Rules

 

Team Registration

 

League Fee Schedule

• 1^st Deposit Due by July 15^th for the Fall Season and Jan 7^th for the Spring Season.
• 2^nd Deposit Due by Aug 1st for the Fall Season and Jan 21^st for the Spring Season.
• $50 Late Fee will be added after the 4th game.
• Refunds: For a Player - needs to be received from the team captain. For a Team - Not registered, full balance. After registration; registration fees and league administrative fees will be deducted and for any positive balance a check will be issued but only in the name of the team captain.
• Returned Check Fees: $0.01 - $49.99 = $35; $50 - $300 = $40; $300.01 and over = $50.

 

Rosters and Player Passes

• A team may have no more than 22 players on its game day roster. (3 reserve - 25 Total Players)
• All players on a roster must obtain a current and league printed player pass or digital player pass from our online registration system, valid only for that team.
• Player passes must have a recent and clear color photo. (No hats, sunglasses or funny faces)

 

Team Player Eligibility

• A player must be released from current team before being added to a new team. (except dual players)
• A player may only play on one team per division.
• A player may only play on at most two teams in the league.
  • A separate player pass is required for each team (Dual Registered $20).
  • Player Pass must be marked stating DUAL PLAYER. (Laminated Passes will be issued for duals)

 

Add/Drop Procedure and Fees

• Player online registration is available through the league website, and must be submitted to the league office by the specified deadlines, each late submission is $5.
• The deadline for adding a new or transferred player is Wednesday by 4pm in order for that player to be eligible for the next upcoming match.
• Drop Fee $5; No drops are allowed after the eighth (8^th) match of the season.
• Add Fee $10; No adds are allowed after the eighth (8^th) match of the season.

 

Over 30/40/50 Eligibility

• Players must reach the age of 30/40/50 (25 to be a goalkeeper) during the season to be eligible for that specific division.
• Any player who is eligible for "Goalkeeper Only" must have his player pass marked as such. (Laminated Passes will be issued for underage (minimum age 25) goalkeepers)
• A "Goalkeeper Only" who plays as a field player will be treated as an illegal player.
• A "GoalKeeper Only" must not leave the goal area to play a ball, leaving the goal area will result in an indirect kick to the opposing team at the spot where he/she stepped out of the goal area.

 

State Cup Representation

• An active and with a zero balance spring registered CFSL team that wins the Florida State Cup will receive a credit of $1000 in league fees for the Fall portion of the upcoming season. This will not be applied to state player registration fees. The league will pay the entry fee into the Florida State Cup for a team that has played in the Fall season with a zero balance and is registered with a zero balance for the Spring Season. Maximum 1 team per level of play (Open, O30, O40, O50)

 

Conduct, Fines and Protest Procedure

 

Card Accumulation

• Any player who accumulates four (4) or more yellow cards in one season will receive a 1 game suspension and the team fined $25. 
• The league will monitor yellow cards, and the team captain shall be informed when a player is in danger of being suspended and the team fined for yellow card accumulation.

 

Coaches

• If a manager/coach causes disruption in a match and the official issues him/her a yellow card the team will be fined $50, if he/she receives a red card, the team will be fined $100, he/she is to leave immediately and is subject to a suspension from the league for future matches.

 

Red Cards

• Any player who receives a red card shall surrender his/her player pass to the referee, (if they are a DUAL PLAYER the red card nullifies their player status on the 2^ndteam) and based on the referee report and the league's Red Card Administrator findings, the player is subject to:
  • Fines and/or suspension are only ordered by the League President, Red Card Administrator or the discipline committee.
  • Additional penalties ordered by the League President, Red Card Administrator or discipline committee.
  • For Verbal/Physical Assaults on a referee, the sanctioning state body and the CFSL will impose separate punishments to run concurrent.

 

Using Illegal Players/Underage Players

• Any club or team using a suspended or non-registered player shall:
  • Forfeit the game in which the player played or attempted to play.
  • Be fined by the league $100.
  • Is subject to having the current captain of the team suspended.
  • Is subject to additional penalties ordered by the league president or discipline committee.
• A suspended player who plays or attempts to play in a game will be suspended for a complete season and this will be added to the end of any current suspension.
• If a players' age comes in question during a match in an age restricted division, the questioning captain must inform the referee immediately he is questioning a player's age said player must show a government issued ID to the Referee prior to continuing in the match. If he is found to not be of age he cannot continue in the match and the issue will be reported to the league, the match will continue to be played. If he does not have ID, the player may not continue in the match and the match will continue.
• If reported after a match, any players age questioned to be under the required age of a restricted division, the player himself must verify age at the league office with a government issued ID prior to the team's next match or the team will be fined $100 and said match will result in a forfeit.
• If it is found that a captain/player falsified league documentation in order to circumvent league rules this will result in the team being fined $250 per illegal player, the team will be placed on probation, the captain suspended for the remainder of the season and said player(s) will be dropped from the team.

 

Protests/Complaints

• Team protests/complaints shall be submitted by the team representative in writing to the League Administrator within two (2) days of the incident-giving rise to the protest, a fifty dollar ($50.00) non-refundable fee for an Arbitrator or one hundred dollars ($100) for a Board of Appeals must be included with the protest. 
• The protest shall be acted upon within (3) office business days (after receipt of the protest/appeal) and an Arbitrator or Board of Appeals appointed by the League Administrator after consulting with the League President.
• An appeal of any ruling made by this League or its representatives shall be submitted in writing to the League office within two (2) days after notification of the League decisions. The appeal shall include the notification of the League decision and a non-refundable fee of fifty ($50.00) dollars.
• Decisions based upon the opinion of the referee are not protestable, games are not protestable.
• A game cannot be protested if a player's age comes into question, the league has a fine and sanction in place for such occurrences.

 

Fines

• Fines on any team (other than team dues) or player shall be paid within two days (2) days of being assessed, and must be before the next game.
• Failure to comply shall result in a forfeit of next match by team and/or the suspension of player.

 

Standings

 

Points

• Teams receive 3 points for a win.
• Teams receive 1 point for a tie.
• Teams receive 0 points for a loss.

Forfeits

• A league issued forfeit due to unpaid fees, bylaws violation or team folding after the season has started shall be recorded as a 1-0 score for any un-played game(s).

• If a team voluntarily forfeits prior to a scheduled match, or during a match, the score shall be recorded as 5-0.

• If two teams are forced by the league to each forfeit in the same match, the result will be a 0-0 draw. Teams may not choose to not play to obtain that result.

• In the event that a team voluntarily forfeits two (2) matches in a season, the forfeiting team will be fined $50.

• The President or the Executive Board will have the right to suspend a team that has forfeited two (2) or more games in a season from further league play for that current season.

Tie Breakers

Teams in each division will be ranked by the following criteria, in order:

• Points
• Wins
• Goal Differential
• Goals For
• Goals Against

If two or more teams are tied based on the above criteria, their ranking will be determined by:

• Points between the teams concerned
• Goal Differential between the teams concerned
• Goals For between the teams concerned
• Goals Against between the teams concerned

Goal Difference Cap, Walk Off Forfeit, No Game Agreement between Captains

• When recording Goals Against/For, the most that can be accumulated in one game is five more than the other team scored unless a team walks off the field to terminate a match.
• Example: Final score is 9-0
  • The winning team will have 5 Goals For and 0 Goals Against.
  • The losing team will have 0 Goals For and 5 Goals Against.
  • Example: Final score is 12-5
    • The winning team will have 10 Goals For and 5 Goals Against.
    • The losing team will have 5 Goals For and 10 Goals Against.
• If a team walks off the field to terminate a match, without prior discussion with the opposing captain, the actual score if greater than 5 -0 will be reported as final and be reflected in the standings.
• If opposing captains agree that a match cannot be played or rescheduled due to unforeseen circumstances by 4pm Wednesday prior to the match, the game will result in a 0-0 tie and the officials fees will be credited to said teams.

Promotion, Relegation, Postseason

• Promotion to a higher division and relegation to a lower division shall be automatic and based on the standings after the regular season. Division Champion and runner up move up automatically, the lowest 2 teams will be demoted to the next lowest division; this will be at the discretion of the CFSL Board.
• Eligibility for CFSL Champions Cup and/or CFSL Presidents Cup (when the latter is in effect) shall be determined at the end of the season by the CFSL Executive Board.

Competition Rules

 

All Central Florida Soccer League games shall be played under the current "Laws of the Game" published by FIFA, subject to specific League Rules created by the CFSL membership, the Rules and Regulations Committee and/or CFSL President or the CFSL Board of Directors.

 All Inter-League, State and National sponsored games shall be played under the rules of the officiating organization.  It is the responsibility of the participating club/team to be aware of these rules.

Games, Rosters, Player Passes, Uniforms

• CFSL requests assigned officials use (when available) electronic equipment (flags, communication system) and vanishing spray in all matches.
• Both teams must present complete CFSL rosters with jersey numbers to the referee at least 10 minutes before game time.
• All players must present a CFSL current, valid, league printed player pass card with recent color photo to the referee.
  • Players without a valid player pass may not participate in the game or remain on the bench side of the field.
  • Players should be prepared to present a secondary form of ID if the validity of the identity or age of the player is questioned by the referee.
    • Referees may only use this ID to verify identity or age, not any other eligibility requirements.
    • If a player presents a non-valid pass in an attempt to deceive the referee, the referee shall:
      • Not allow the player to play in the game.
      • Keep the presented pass.
      • Send the pass and a supplemental report to the league office within 24 hours of match completion.
• Team Managers/Coaches must present a current season laminated CFSL Coaches pass ($20) with a color photo in order to be allowed in the bench area during a match, if the pass is not present the manager/coach must go to the spectator side of the field before kickoff.
• All team jerseys must be numbered and be of the same color. Any player having a jersey that is unnumbered or is not of the same color with his or her team markings shall not be eligible to play in any League match. (The Goalkeeper is the exception if no # he will be listed as 0 "zero" on the roster)
• All team shorts and socks must match color and style of said team.
• The first team listed in any scheduled match shall be designated the home team. They shall be responsible for changing to jerseys of a different color in matches where the opposing team jerseys are similar in color and providing a game ball.
  • The referee shall have final authority to determine whether the jerseys of the two opposing teams are of similar color.
• If a player receives a red card before, during, or after the match, the referee will:
  • Keep that player's pass (if available) and report it to the league in the referee system.
  • Send the pass (if available) and submit report in the referee system within 24 hours of match completion.
• If a player receives a yellow card before, during, or after the match, the referee will:
  • Mark on the team's roster/game report the person who received the yellow card with the appropriate cautionable offense code (UB, DT, PI, DR, FRD, E, L)

 

Playing Time

• Teams shall be prepared to Kick Off at the scheduled match time.
• If at least 7 players on a team are not checked in at the scheduled match time:
  • The referee will note on the match report that the team was late.
  • As soon as 7 players are checked in, the match must begin.
• If a team is not able to field seven (7) rostered players with valid passes within 10 minutes of the scheduled match time, that team will have forfeited the match.
  • In the event of a forfeit, the teams may request that the referees remain for a friendly match; they are not required to do so.
    • All players must be registered with current valid player cards.
    • All FIFA and CFSL rules will apply and be enforced, as they would be for a regular season match.
• If the match begins after the scheduled time, the length of the match will be reduced by the difference of the scheduled time and the actual kickoff time. Matches that begin after the scheduled time will be adjusted accordingly to play the same amount of time for both halves (80/40 min halves, 75/37.5 min halves, etc.).
• Half time may be less than but shall not exceed 10 minutes.
• If a match is terminated/abandoned by an agreement of the team captains during the halftime interval or during the 2^nd half the match is considered completed and the score will stand.
• Matches that are rained out prior to halftime will be replayed in its entirety.
• Games ended for referee abuse/team conduct/encroachment/abandonment will not be replayed.
• If a game ends for referee abuse/assault the team at fault will lose the match by a score of 5-0, incur a fine of a $100 and be subject to additional sanctions from the League President or BOD.
• If a game ends due to team abandonment, it will result in a 5-0 win or current score whichever is greater in favor of the remaining team and the abandoning team will incur a fine of $100.
• If a game ends due to team encroachment, it will result in a 5-0 win or current score whichever is greater in favor of the non-encroaching team and the encroaching team will incur a fine of $100 and forfeit their next match. If both teams encroach and it is reported by the Park Staff or the referees assigned, score will be recorded as zero goals for both teams, no points will be issued, the game will be terminated, both teams will be fined $150 and both shall forfeit their next match (Issued Red Cards will be sanctioned separately).
• WATER BREAKS: Player health is priority. If the officials believe heat is a factor or any player requests a water break the referees must abide, this will be a 1-minute water break clock will run.

 

Player & Team Conduct

• Teams are responsible for the conduct of all players, bench personnel, and fans.
• Only players and coaches with valid passes are allowed on the team bench side of the field.
• There is NO ALCOHOL, SMOKING or PETS permitted at any parks, fields, this is including the team bench areas or fan areas.
• Obscene or abusive language is not permitted by players, bench personnel, or fans.
• If a manager/coach causes disruption in a match and the official issues them a red card, they are to leave immediately and the team will be fined $100 and they are also subject to a suspension from the league.

 

Substitutions (Are Subject to the referee's discretion)

• There are unlimited substitutions. (Players may re-enter the game once substituted off)
• A player must be ready at midfield before requesting a substitution.
• Either team can request a substitution at any stoppage.

 

Referee Reports

• Referees must submit, within 24 hours of the game for regular pay, late reports receive lower pay:
  • Game scores.
  • Game reports and any supplemental reports.
  • Any collected player passes. (Mail or drop off to the league office)
  • Marked rosters from each team (if requested).

 

Women's Division

Women are allowed to tape down their earrings, no hoops, only studs are to be taped.

 

Coed Division

There can be at most seven (7) men on the field at a time.

Examples of legal formations:

• 7 men, 4 women (Typical)
• 6 men, 5 women
• 4 men, 4 women
• 7 men, 2 women, or 1 woman or none

 

Playoffs

Playoff Rounds (Not including Finals): If no winner at the end regulation:

All Divisions: Directly to kicks from the mark.          

• If a Coed game goes to kicks from the mark:If both teams have 4 women at the end of the match:
  • Both teams must use 2 women in the first 5 kicks.
  • No requirement after this initial group.
• If one or both teams have 1-3 women at the end of the match:
  • Both teams must use 1 woman in the first five kicks. 
  •  No requirement after this initial group.
• If one or both teams have no women at the end of the match:
•  Neither team required to use a woman in kicks

Finals All Divisions: If no winner at the end regulation:

• 2 Full 10-minute overtime halves.
• If no winner after both overtimes, kicks from the mark.