A. This tournament shall be played under F.I.F.A. rules as modified by CYSA-South

and herein for youth competition. All games will adhere to the rules set forth with the following additions/clarifications:

• Decisions relating to the interpretation of the Tournament Rules can only be made by the Tournament Director(s).

• Tournament Director(s) may delegate authority to Venue Director if Tournament Director is not present at game site.

• Disputes relating to the interpretation of these rules will be resolved with the administrators/coaches that are registered with the involved team(s). Individuals may not represent a team if not registered as an administrator/coach with the involved team(s).

• All decisions, judgments, and calls of tournament referees and Tournament Director or designated Field Marshall are final. No protests will be allowed.

B. All teams will be scheduled for a minimum of 3 games. Check your team’s schedule and the list of fields and maps. It is possible you may be playing on more than one venue. USYSA player passes will be required of all teams for spot inspection in case of challenge.

C. All games will be considered final and no protests will be allowed.

D. Duration of games & overtimes, by halves, and ball sizes are as follows:

 E. Championship Games are as follows:

F. Halftimes will not exceed 5 min. in Championship Games. Field Marshals have the authority to accelerate games due to daylight concerns.

G. Teams shall be awarded points based on a 10 point system described below:

• 10 point maximum per match
• 6 points for a Win
• 3 points for a Tie
• 1 point for a Shut-out

• In addition, bonus points shall be awarded for goals scored in a game, not to exceed a maximum of three goals per game. One additional bonus point shall be awarded to the winning team for achieving a shutout. No shutout bonus shall be awarded for a 0-0 tie. Teams shall be awarded the bonus points for goals scored without regard to the outcome of the game. That is, the losing team will receive points for goals scored, and 0 points for the loss.

• One point will be deducted for each red card received

In the event that two or more teams are tied in points at the end of the preliminary games, the following tiebreakers shall be applied in order given until a winner is determined. While following this criteria, never revert back to the top of the list even after a team has been eliminated from the tie-breaker.

• Winner of head to head competition
• Net goals (goals for, minus goals against, up to a differential of 3 goals per game)
• Goals against
• Most goals scored (maximum of 5 goals per game)
• Most total wins
• FIFA penalty kicks

Forfeits will be recorded as a 1-0 win. The tournament committee at it’s discretion, may make a separate determination if a forfeit gives a team an unfair advantage.

H. Game time is forfeit time. The team, which "wins by forfeit", shall be deemed to have won by a score of 1-0 and will receive 8 points. If at the discretion of the tournament committee a forfeit provides an unfair advantage, the tournament committee may make a bracket determination by another means so as to determine bracket placement fairly. There is no financial consideration for a forfeited game.

I.  In case of inclement weather or field conditions, games may:

• Be shortened
• Go to F.I.F.A. penalty kicks
• Be canceled

*If the Tournament Director rules that during the preliminary round, penalty kicks will be taken due to inclement weather or field conditions, the following rain rule will apply:

·         Each team will take a maximum of five (5) penalty kicks.

·         At the end of five (5) kicks the game will be scored as a 1-0 win for the team that has scored more penalty kicks, or a 0-0 tie if both teams are tied in penalty kicks at the end of five (5) kicks.

·         The 1-0 win in penalty kicks will not be counted for or against to determine the tie breaker for advancement.

·         If regular games have been played in the bracket and the Tournament Director has determined that other games go to penalty kicks due to inclement weather or field conditions, the regular games score will revert back to a 1-0 win or a 0-0 tie.

There will be no refunds or reimbursements of tournament application fee for cancellation or forfeiture of games.

J. U9-U10 teams must have a minimum of 6 players to start a game. U9-U10 ages will play 8v8 with no exceptions. U11 and older must have a minimum of 7 players to start a game. Failure to provide these minimums at game time will result in a forfeit.

K. WILD CARD SELECTION
For brackets with wild cards, wild cards will be selected from the second place teams who have accumulated the most points. Ties on points will be broken in accordance with the rules listed below. If WC comes from bracket A, then Winner A will play Winner C, and Winner B will play WC.

L. CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
If a championship game is tied at the end of regulation time, then two 5-minute over-time periods will be played, followed by FIFA penalty kicks.

M. AWARDS
Winner will be presented with Champion Team Award. Individual player medals will be presented to both teams at the completion of the championship game.