2025 Outdoor Soccer League Rules
Mission Statement: Our mission is to utilize our experience to provide affordable, unique, and valuable sports opportunities to children and adults of the Adirondack Coast Region in Northern New York.
While you are reading these rules, please keep in mind that this league is set up for the enjoyment of everyone. Our goal is to implement youth sports professionally, not to create professional youth sports. Kids deserve quality experiences. Any decisions or rule adjustments made are to work toward those goals with the entire group of kids in mind.
Age Division Rules:
U-8: 7v7 includes goalie, on 1/3 field play using a size 4 ball
U-10: 7v7 includes goalie, on 1/3 of the field using a size 4 ball
U-12: 9v9 includes goalie, on half field play while using a size 5 ball
U-14: 9v9 includes goalie, on half field play while using a size 5 ball (**U14 Rec will be 7v7 for Spring 2025)
Soccer Moms: 3v3 play while using a size 4 ball
The Mortgage League: 8v8 includes goalie, on half field play while using a size 5 ball
Roster Rules:
U8, U10, U12, U14 and The Mortgage League are co-ed.* These co-ed leagues must have multiple rostered players of each gender on each team. It is mandatory that teams have at least 1 male(s) & 1 female(s) on the field at all times. If there is an injury (s) preventing this, the team may play with less than 1 player of the opposite gender for that game. If a team is all one gender, they must play one player down.
*In the U12 and U14 Club divisions, we are now permitting the all girls teams to play at full-strength. This is a change (as of 5/7/2025) to support our all-girls club teams that have joined the league.
All players must be on the roster of the team they are playing on. If a team has an un-rostered player, the game can be deemed a forfeit. As you can imagine, this is highly damaging to the kids on the field and the league in general. DO NOT DO THIS.
Equipment Rules:
● Players must have age-appropriate shin guards to participate.
● All U6/U8/U10/U12/U14 players must wear their MLSGO jerseys for all games.
● All jewelry must be off prior to the start of games or taped if unable to be removed.
● Goalkeepers must wear gloves and a pinnie/jersey that differentiates themselves from the rest of the team. MLSGO jerseys are reversible, so usually just reversing the jersey will be acceptable (Mouth guards are highly encouraged and headgear is optional).
Game Rules:
● Games are (2) 25 minute halves with a (2) minute halftime. Soccer Moms is (1) 45 min game. If venue and time-constraints require it, staff can reduce the time of a half to satisfy these conditions (we will only do this if absolutely necessary).
● If weather or other issues cancel a game, it will be deemed complete if at least one half has been played.
● All leagues will have 7 games with the top 4 teams making the playoffs.
● Games need to start on time. There is a five-minute wait period if one or more of the teams are not on time. The clock will start at the scheduled time. After five minutes, if there are not enough players to play the game will be a forfeit.
● If a team is down 5 goals or more during a game, they may add an extra player until the differential is below 5 goals.
Playoff/Tie Rules:
● Season standings for playoff purposes are calculated as 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss. In the event of a tie, the tie is first broken by reviewing head-to-head wins/losses, then by season “goals for”. The automatic system (Sports Connect) doesn’t apply the head-to-head review. This must be done manually.
● The 8th Game: We play 7 games in the regular season. In divisions where there are an odd number of teams, one team must play an 8th game so that another team can have 7. Standings at the end of the regular season will be recalculated by removing the 8th game from that team’s record.
● In a regular season game, a tie stands.
● If a playoff game is tied at the end of regulation, the following rules occur:
Each team will start the overtime with NO GOALIE in a sudden death environment. There must be at least 1 player of each gender on the field at all times. Whoever kicked off to start the game will kick off to start this sudden death. Once a goal is scored, the game will be over. If there is no goal within 2 minutes, then;
- Each team will remove another player in a 2-minute sudden death overtime. Teams must remove 1 player for each 2-minute sudden death overtime until there is just 3 on 3 overtime, at which point it will be an untimed overtime until someone scores.
- No substitutions are permitted once the overtime 2-minute period has begun.
- There is NOT to be anyone acting as a keeper during this time. If a player purposefully commits a handball, that player will be removed from the game and they will play a player down.
Soccer Playing Rules:
● Goalies have six seconds to release the ball from their hands, once defensive pressure has stopped.
● Substitutions: You will not be allowed to sub “on the fly” unless it is for injury purposes. All substitutions must be made at half field with the official calling them into the game. No substitutions will be allowed during indirect or direct kicks.
● Out of bounds: Balls that cross the sideline will be throw-ins. Balls that cross the endline will be goal kicks.
● Goalie Back Passes: A goalie may not use their hands if a player deliberately passes back to them…if so, it will result in a penalty kick.
● Heading the ball is NOT allowed for U8, U10, and U12 groups. Anyone committing this violation will give the opponent a free indirect kick at the spot of the foul.
● Kick offs are always an indirect kick and will switch direction at each half.
● There is no sliding (no knee or butt touching ground). Goalie is OK in their box.
● Offsides will be called for all age groups.
● Soccer Moms: Any ball that is kicked from a team’s own half and goes in will not count. (All goals need to be scored in the opponent's half).
Fouls:
● All contact fouls result in direct kicks.
● All non-contact fouls (hand balls, obstruction, dangerous play) result in an indirect kick.
● On both kicks, opposing players must be 5 yards away.
● Once a team accumulates 6 or more fouls in a half, each foul thereafter will result in that team playing shorthanded by one player for two minutes.
● All fouls committed in the goalie box will result in a penalty kick.
Yellow/Red Cards:
Yellow and red cards are given out for play/actions that warrant them. When a player receives a yellow card, their team plays shorthanded for two minutes. If the opposing team scores, the sit-down time is over.
● Yellow cards are given out for, but not limited to spitting on turf, swearing, taunting, unruly physical play, persistent fouling, and disrespect at referee, teammate or opponent.
● If a player receives two yellow cards in the same game, that player misses the remainder of that game and the following game. On the third yellow card of the season, that player is done for the remainder of that game and misses the next. Every card there after results in missing the remainder of the game and the next. Cards DO carry over from session to session.
● Red cards are given out for serious foul play, extreme disrespect, any action in which the referee feels warranted. Red card carries a penalty of 5 minutes playing shorthanded OR UNTIL THE OPPOSING TEAM SCORES. Any player receiving a red card will be banned from the current game and the next two games. Any player receiving 2 red cards in a season will be banned from playing for the remainder of the season and must request via letter to be reinstated the following year.