Portland Coed Soccer League Rules

1) Age Restriction: Men must be 25 years of age or older and Women must be 21 years of age or older prior to the Start of the game they are participating in. There are no exceptions. A Team using underage players will forfeit the game, and a player discovered to be underage during a game will be deemed ineligible to continue playing that game. If required, a Referee will enforce this rule by issuing the underage player a Red Card.

2) Players consuming Alcoholic Beverages prior to or during the course of a game are ineligible to participate. Referees are instructed to strictly enforce this. As there are many fields with No Alcohol policies and the inherent player safety issues involved, the League has a ZERO Tolerance policy regarding violation of this Rule. Players caught violating this rule will face suspension, and teams will face potential league fines for infractions.

3) Teams may not advise Referees to utilize rules other than the Portland Coed Soccer Rules. If teams are revealed or discovered attempting this, they may face monetary fines or Game or even Season Forfeitures. The League has a ZERO Tolerance for Violation of this Rule. The League Rules are Non-Negotiable. Team Managers are Responsible for making sure the Referee and their team adheres to League Rules. This is not optional.

4) NO Racial, Ethnic, or Gender based Slurs or Insults will be tolerated. The Referee will enforce this Rule with a Red Card Ejection for Unsporting Conduct, and the Offending Player will banned from ANY Future League play. In addition, Verbal Abuse or Taunting of opposing players is Unsporting Conduct, and not allowed in League games.

5) Each player must have their own valid OASA player pass (the player MUST not be allowed to play without a current card, and the card MUST be physically present at the match before the player is allowed to play!!) The OASA card is the ONLY acceptable identification. A driver license or anything else is absolutely not acceptable. Player cards from other states are not allowed in league games.

6) As with all USSF affiliated Adult soccer games in Oregon, Unlimited substitutions are permitted on any dead ball, at the referee’s discretion. (This means any throw-in, free kick, goal kick, corner kick, drop ball, penalty kick, injury, carding or any other stoppage of play).

7) Women must take all free kicks, except those in their own (defensive) penalty area, and all drop balls. This means that women must take all penalty kicks, corner kicks, indirect and direct free kicks. (Men may take kick offs). The Opponent shall be awarded an indirect kick in the event that a male takes a kick in error.

8) The goalie can be of either gender. The remaining Field players can consist of no more than five men. A team must have at least seven players on the field at all times.

9) Slide tackling is NOT permitted. Violation of this rule will be considered dangerous play, and will result in an indirect free kick. The first offense by a team will result in a verbal warning to the team. The second offense by any member of that team will result in a caution (yellow card) for unsporting behavior, to the offending player. A third slide tackle, and all subsequent slide tackles, will result in the sending off (red card) of the player for serious foul play. Please note: this does not mean the referee cannot penalize the first or second slide tackle of the game with a harsher penalty. It merely means that he or she MUST give cards beginning with the second slide tackle of the game. Also note: This rule does not exempt goal keepers. A Slide Tackle is defined as an attempt to take the ball from an opponent in which the back knee makes contact with the ground.

10) An indirect free kick shall be awarded in the event that a player takes unfair advantage of an opposing player through direct physical contact or through physical intimidation. Coed games are intended to be recreational and will involve players of a variety of ages and levels of playing skill and experience. It is not fair or pleasant for physically strong or aggressive players to take advantage of smaller, weaker, less-skilled or less- experienced players. Players should not be rewarded for taking the ball away from other players through unfair physical contact or through intimidation; only skill should be rewarded.

11) All other actions which are dangerous under the circumstances shall be deemed to be dangerous play. This rule means that the referee will be instructed to take into account the apparent skill level and experience of the players involved in a given situation. An action by a skilled, experienced male offensive player against a skilled, experienced male defensive player will be viewed differently from one involving the same offensive player and an inexperienced or unskilled male or female player.

12) A player sent off (red carded) will not be replaced for the duration of the game, and that player will be suspended for a minimum of one game following. The League Judicial Committee may impose a longer penalty if warranted. The minimum penalty for any action deemed by a referee to be “violent conduct”, including but not limited to fighting, is a four week suspension. THERE WILL BE NO EXCEPTIONS. Players are expected to give their name to the referee when asked. Managers are required to report the name of the player cautioned or ejected to the referee, any league, tournament, or OASA official. Failure to comply will result in fines, suspensions, disqualification of the team from further play, or disbanding of the team.

13) Referees, managers, players, coaches and fans are requested to ensure the recreational spirit above all else. This means Team Managers are expected to assist the Referee in keeping order before, during, and after the match. Basically, all games will be final and there will be no appeal from decisions of the referee regarding the outcome of the match.

14) Each team must fill out an OASA match roster form, or provide a typed list with the following information for each player: a) OASA Player card number b) Expiration Date c) Player’s name. This must be turned in to the referee prior to each game. Referees are instructed to not begin a game until you have a completed roster from each team.

15) Each team should be prepared to change to an alternate color. In case of a conflict, the Home Team must change colors.

16) If any team fails to play for any reason, the opposing team will receive a 1-0 win and the game will count for all purposes.

17) Please leave dogs at home. Most people like dogs, but very few like them at soccer games. Children have been hurt by dogs at local coed games.

18) Games will consist of two 45-minute halves and a 5-minute half-time. The time may be shortened if circumstances warrant (darkness, etc.)

19) Referees are required to be registered with the United States Soccer Federation for the year in which the games take place.

20) Referees are required to file a game report with OASA within 48 hours of the completion of each game. Failure to do so may result in forfeiture of referee game fees and/or fines.

21) All players may score only two goals in any game.

22) Any situation which is not covered by the league rules, OASA rules of competition or FIFA Laws of the Game will be resolved by the OASA.