Youth League Rules

The Cowtown Soccer League follows all FIFA and/or IFAB Laws of the Game except for the rules listed here. All players must have a wristband upon receipt of payment.

The youth league plays two formats: 11v11 for the older age groups and 7v7 for the rest. Rules marked Coed only apply in the coed divisions.

11v11

League rules

• Teams consist of 11 players, 1 of which is the goalkeeper.
• Coed only: teams are made up of no more than 7 male and no less than 4 female players.
• Teams may start and finish a game with a minimum of 8 players, 1 of which is the goalkeeper.
• Coed only: teams must have no less than 2 female players to start and finish a game. A female goalkeeper can count as 1 of the 4 required female players.
• Teams must wear the same shade of color jersey, with a number on the back.
• Teams must provide their own ball. Each team must provide a game ball.
• Goalkeepers must wear a different colored shirt than either team.
• Two 25-minute halves. Half time 5 minutes. Added/stoppage time at the officials' discretion.
• Regular season games that end in a tie remain a tie.
• Playoff and championship games that end in a tie go to a best of 3 or 5 shootout (league determines).
• Officials' game fee: $40 per team (dual officials).
• Dual officials' fees during playoff and championship games: $40 per team.
• All registration fees are final: no refunds, no transfer of fees (including injuries) to other players.
• Cancellation of a game with 24 hours' notice: ref fees are not required. Cancellation with less than 24 hours' notice: a cancellation fee will be implemented.

Game rules

• All dead balls and restarts are direct kicks — kick off, goal kick, corner kick, free kick — except for a back pass.
• All opposition players must be at least 10 yards from a dead ball or restart before it is kicked.
• A goal may not be scored directly from a throw-in unless the ball is touched a second time by either team. A throw-in is not a kick, so it is an indirect restart.
• To score a goal, the entire ball must completely cross the goal line.
• Coed only: female goals count as 2 (including a penalty kick), no cap. Male players can score a combined 7 team goals.
• A goalkeeper may not hold the ball for more than 8 seconds after taking possession or control in their hands (referee discretion). A corner kick is awarded if the ball is held longer than 8 seconds.
• If a goalkeeper commits a foul by back pass, the ball is placed at the spot of the foul for an indirect free kick, because it is inside the box — no closer than 6 yards from the goal line.
• A penalty kick is 12 yards and must be taken by a player on the field at the time of the foul.
• No offsides.
• Yellow card: a 2-minute power play (or until the first goal). The referee may make the player sit out for 5 minutes.
• Red card: an automatic 5-minute power play. The player is ejected from the game. After 5 minutes another player may take their place.
• ZERO TOLERANCE — sliding. Slide tackles are illegal for all players, including goalkeepers (see referee guidance for goalkeeper flexibility). Any defender sliding in the box, contact or not, with no fair scoring advantage, results in a penalty kick.

7v7

League rules

• All players must be paid in full before the first game.
• All players must have a wristband for each game.
• Teams consist of 7 players: 6 field players plus 1 goalkeeper.
• Teams may start with a minimum of 5 players.
• Coed only: at least 1 must be female, and 1 of the 5 starting players is the goalkeeper.
• Coed only: teams can use more than 2 female field players, however male players can not exceed 4 field players — giving a 4 male, 2 female, plus goalkeeper lineup.
• Teams must wear the same shade of color shirts, with numbers.
• Goalkeepers must wear a different colored shirt than either team.
• Teams must provide their own ball. Each team must provide one game ball.
• Games are either two 24-minute halves or four 12-minute quarters. 5–6 year olds play 4 × 10 minutes.
• Half time not to exceed 5 minutes. Added/stoppage time at the officials' discretion.
• All games ending in a tie remain a tie.
• Officials' game fee: $20 per team.
• Cancellation of a game with 24 hours' notice: ref fees are not required. Cancellation with less than 24 hours' notice: a cancellation fee will be implemented.

Game rules

• To start a game the ball must go backwards — the first pass is played in the team's own half.
• All dead balls and restarts are indirect kicks ("two touch"), except for penalty kicks. For an indirect kick to count towards a goal, the ball must be touched a second time by any other player on the field before crossing the goal line. This covers kick off, goal kick, corner kick and free kick.
• For all dead balls and restarts, opposition players must be 5 yards from the ball until it is legally kicked.
• An indirect free kick awarded inside the penalty box is placed at the top of the box (outside) — for example, a back pass to the goalkeeper.
• A penalty kick is 9 yards from the goal line, and the penalty taker is allowed 2 steps back from the ball prior to the kick.
• A penalty kick must be taken by a player on the field at the time of the foul.
• To score a goal, the entire ball must completely cross the goal line.
• A goalkeeper may not hold the ball for more than 5 seconds after taking possession or control with their hands (referee discretion).
• ZERO TOLERANCE — slide tackles are illegal for all players, including goalkeepers. The goalkeeper can make a "foot save" while falling to the ground in natural motion, and can play the ball from the ground in their box after making a save, but cannot lunge or slide feet first. Any player sliding in the box, contact or not, with no fair scoring advantage to the play, is a penalty kick.