Dover United 3v3 Tournament July 2o & 21, 2024
Rules:
Except as otherwise noted in these rules, the FIFA Laws will govern the play of all games in this tournament.
Division Guidelines: Age divisions are determined by the age of the oldest player and are based on the 2023-2024 soccer year age groups.
Team Registration: Six (6) is the maximum number of players on a team, three field players and three substitutes. A team must have a minimum of two field players. There are no goalkeepers in 3v3. Roster changes, substitutions and additions must be made before the beginning of the team’s first game. Any team player determined by the tournament director to have falsified age will be dismissed form the tournament. A PLAYER MAY ONLY PLAY ON ONE TEAM FOR THE DURATION OF THE TOURNAMENT. Players MAY ONLY BE ROSTERED on one team. Co-ed teams may enter; however, any team with at least one male player must play in the boys’ competition.
Check in is MANDATORY at the tournament site at least 30 minutes prior to the start of the first scheduled game. All coaches must have, in their possession, either a copy of a player card or a copy of a birth certificate as proof of age for all players on the team roster at any time requested by the tournament official.
Team Acceptance into Tournament: We will accept as many teams as possible. Teams are accepted on a conditional basis when registered online. Acceptance is not guaranteed until the fee is received. All entries must be received by July 11, 2024, at which time we will determine the level of participation and develop schedules. Late registration may be accepted, at the discretion of the tournament director. The medical waiver must also be filled out for every team/player.
Refunds/Team Withdrawal: In the event that a team is accepted into the tournament but then cannot be scheduled due to insufficient teams in the age group or a combined age group deemed appropriate by the Tournament Director, that team’s full registration fee will be refunded. A team withdrawing from the tournament after acceptance shall forfeit the entry fee. Teams providing incorrect information or changing information on the entry form after acceptance may be subject to removal from the tournament and forfeiture of the entry fee.
If the tournament is cancelled in its entirety due to weather, another act of God, Force Majeure, or any other event beyond the control of the tournament before it commences, a refund of 50% of the team’s entry fee will be given. Every effort will be made to schedule around inclement weather; however, once the tournament commences, there will be no refunds. In the event of a partial rainout, division winners will be determined based upon games completed; no refunds will be made for any uncompleted or un- played games.
Team Uniforms/Jerseys, Protective Casts, and Jewelry: All players are encouraged to wear shin guards. All players must wear a jersey/shirt during play and each team must bring both a light and dark colored jersey/shirt. If both teams are wearing the same color, the home team in pool play team must change. In playoffs the Home team will have the option to change. Players wearing
protective cast must receive written approval from Tournament Director and/or Referee Assignor and will be required to check in before each game with the on-field referee to be permitted to play.
No Jewelry will be allowed, including earrings of any type, rope necklaces and bracelets. The only exception will be players
wearing medical bracelets
Game Ball Sizes: Home team will provide game ball(s). U7 and U8 use a size 3 ball. U9-U12 use a size 4 ball. U13 and higher use a size 5 ball.
Field Dimensions: The playing field is 40 Yards Long and 30 Yards Wide. The Kickoff Circle will have a 5 Yard Radius.
Goal Arc: The goal arc is a 5-yard radius arc and is directly in front of the goal. There is no ball contact allowed within the arc, however, all players may pass through the arc as long as they do not touch the ball while in the arc. No player may stand within the goal arc. A Goal kick is awarded regardless of who touched the ball last. Any part of the ball or player’s body on the line is considered in the goal arc and is in extension of such. If a defender touches the ball within the arc a goal is awarded to the offensive team, if an offensive player touches the ball within the goal arc a goal kick is awarded to the defensive team, and a goal will not be counted if scored.
Game Start and Duration: The game shall consist of two 12-minute halves separated by a two-minute half time period . Games tied after regulation play shall end in a tie except in playoffs. Teams shall report to assigned fields a minimum of 10 minutes prior to assigned start time. In the event that a team is not readily available at game start time, the game shall begin by starting the game clock and one (1) goal will be awarded to the opposing team for every minute the team is late. The team may report, and the game will commence, and finish based on the timekeeper’s clock. In the event that any team is more than 5 minutes late for the start of their game the game will be forfeited (score 3-0 and 0-3 for losing team). Teams are responsible for waiting until their eligibility for playoffs has been determined. There are no Time Outs in 3v3 soccer.
Substitutions: Substitutions may be made at any dead ball situation regardless of possession. Teams must get the referees attention and players must enter and exit at midfield. The are no substitutions on the fly.
Goal Scoring: A goal may only be scored from a touch (either by offense or defense) within a Team’s offensive half of the field.
Playoff Overtime: Shall consist of overtime period, maximum length of 3 minutes, with a coin toss to determine kick-off direction. If no team has scored in three-minute overtime period, the winner shall be decided by shoot out. The ball will be placed at the center of midfield. A coin flip will decide which team starts the penalty kick round. The three players remaining on the field at the end of the overtime period will enter a rotation of penalty kicks alternating teams with each kick with the higher scoring team winning after the first round. If the
score remains tied after the first round of penalty kicks the same three players will rotate in a sudden death penalty kick format until one team scores unanswered. If one team has received a red card during the game and is finished with two players on the field, a remaining roster player (other than the red carded player) may be chosen to kick in the rotation of penalty kicks. If the red carded player is the last remaining player, one of the two field players may kick twice.
THERE ARE NO OFFSIDES IN 3V3 SOCCER
THERE IS NO SLIDE TACKLING IN 3V3 SOCCER, warning will be issued to teams then subsequent offense will result in caution.
THERE IS NO HEADING THE BALL PERMITTED FOR U8-U10 GAMES
Five Yard Rule: In all dead ball situations, including kickoffs, defending players must stand at least 5 yards away from the ball. If the defensive player’s goal area is closer than 5 yards the ball shall be moved 5 yards from the goal area in line with the place of penalty. If a defensive player encroaches or does not allow 5 yards immediately at a free kick, the referee may award the team possessing the ball a goal.
Kickoff: Is an indirect kick and may be taken in any direction. A goal cannot be awarded from a kick-off. Kick-Ins: The ball shall be kicked into play from the sideline instead of a throw-in.
Indirect Kicks: All dead ball kicks (kick-ins, free kicks, kick-offs) are indirect with the exception of corner kicks and penalty kicks.
Goal Kicks: May be taken from any point on the end line NOT in the goal arc area. All goal kicks are indirect.
Penalty Kicks: Shall be awarded it, in the referee’s opinion, a scoring opportunity was nullified by the infraction (the infraction does not automatically result in a red card). It is a direct kick taken from the center of the midfield line with all players behind the midfield line and the player taking the kick. This is a dead ball kick. If a goal is not scored the defense obtains possession with a goal kick.
Pool Play/Division Standings: All division standings will be decided by the following point system:
Win 6 Points
Tie 3 Points
Loss 0 Points
Shut Out 1 point
1 point for goal ( max 3 per game)
Points will be tallied to determine a winner in each division. In the event of a tie in division/pool play the group winner will be determined in the following order of applicability:
- Winner in head-to-head competition (move directly to #2 if more than 2 teams tied)
- Goal Differential
- Fewest goal allowed
- Most Goals scored for
- Penalty Kicks
Awards: T-Shirts will be awarded for First Place in Each Division.
Forfeits: A game forfeited will be scored 3-0 for the winning team and 0-3 for the forfeiting team. Any team forfeiting two consecutive games in pool play will be removed from the tournament. Any team forfeiting a game in playoffs will be removed from the tournament and registration fees will not be refunded.
Conduct: Players, coaches, and spectators are expected to display good sportsmanship at all times. Abuse of the referees will not be tolerated; any instance of such conduct will disqualify the responsible team from the event. Any player receiving a red card is barred from that game and the next game. Any coach removed from a game shall be barred from that game and the next game. The tournament director or an authorized tournament representative has the authority to terminate, change or cancel any game due to interference in the orderly flow of play because of actions of player, coach or spectators. Referees may also terminate the game for improper behavior by a player, coach or spectator. Warnings, Yellow Cards and Red Cards are encouraged as a preliminary means of maintaining control. If a termination is necessary in the opinion of the officials, a full explanation will be made separately in the game report by the official, noting all details and cards that were issued. The score of the game at the time of termination will remain unless the referee specifically states that it was the obvious intent of the winning team to have the game terminated. Under these conditions the game will be recorded as a 0-0 game with no points granted for the tie. If the referee and/or tournament director specifically states that it was the obvious intent of a team to have the game terminated, the score will be listed as 10-0 for the opposing team at the time of termination. The decision as to the final score of the game for all terminated games will be made by the Tournament Director. The Tournament Director will make a report to each team’s state association. If a team causes a game to be terminated, it may not, under any circumstances, be declared a division winner or semifinalist.
Protests: THERE ARE NO PROTESTS. All problems will be resolved by the referee or Tournament Director.
Situations or occurrences not addressed in these rules shall be left to the sole discretion of the Tournament Director
