Individuals utilizing this facility—as players, coaches, spectators, or otherwise—do so at their own risk.  The facility, sponsors, or any authorized representative, agent, or employee of these shall not be responsible for any expense incurred by any individual or team if the event is canceled in whole or in part or for any liability in connection with the event for personal injury or property loss in connection with traveling to, participating in, or traveling home from the event.

 

EPL is not responsible for theft or damage to vehicles or vehicle contents. We encourage everyone to secure all personal property accordingly.

 

No individual will be allowed to participate in any game (league, pickup, or tournament), practice session, camp/clinic, or other activity until a waiver/release form [link] has been properly completed and signed. 

 

Conduct within the facility, both on the field and off, should be in the spirit of good sportsmanship.  Players are expected to adhere to the rules of the game and make every effort to avoid causing injury to themselves and other persons using the facility.

 

The following are prohibited on EPL premises:

·         Alcoholic beverages

·         Smoking or tobacco products

·         Sunflower seeds

·         Chewing gum

 

NO animals/pets are permitted at all

 

 

EPL reserves the right to refuse or terminate individual and/or team participation at the facility for violation of any facility/administrative/disciplinary policies.

 

 

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EPL uses only Certified referees.  Referees assigned to officiate each game have complete authority, and the decisions of the Referee regarding facts connected with play and interpretations of the Rules are FINAL.  

 

A player or coach issued a red card will automatically be suspended from his/her team's next game.  Straight red cards for violent conduct will result in suspension for oneadditional game and subject to further disciplinary action as decided by the facility management.

 

 

A player accumulating more than one red card during a season will be subject to an additional three-game suspension or of an appropriate length determined by facility management.

 

EPL, upon reviewing the facts surrounding any red card, reserves the right to amend or impose additional sanctions (to individual players and/or teams based on the nature and severity of the offense.

 

Neither teams nor players shall be entitled to refund of any fees due to missed/lost games due to player or team suspensions resulting from red card/disciplinary sanctions.

 

EPL has a ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY toward fighting.

 

Any player, coach, or spectator engaged in fighting will be ejected and suspended for a minimum of three games.  Any player, coach, or spectator engaged in fighting a second time will be banned from the facility for a minimum of one year.

 

 

All teams are guaranteed to be scheduled for a minimum of ten games per session unless otherwise stated. The regular season will be played in a round-robin format.  All divisions will have a playoff at the end of the regular season to determine their champion. 

 

A team can get a maximum of 4 points in the standings from each game it plays.  Points are accumulated as follows:

·         Win               =       3 points

·         Tie                 =      1 points

·         Loss               =      0 points

 

 

Regular season standings will be used to determine playoff structure.

 

Any teams tied in the standings shall be governed by the following tiebreaking procedure:

1.       Head-to-head record

2.       Total goal differential

3.       Total goals scored

 

 

 

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A maximum of fourteen (14) players may be placed on a team roster for one team in the same division/league.  Players under the age of 18 are not permitted to play in Adult League divisions.

 

Rosters must be submitted prior to the first game of the season.  Maximum 14 players per roster. The official roster form must be submitted to the league office prior to your team’s first game. If a team submits a roster form for registration and later adds players, any player not on the original roster MUST be added to the team’s roster prior to playing in his/her first game with that team. Changes must be made to team rosters prior to kick-off on your third game. Any players added to the roster after the third game will be charged a $25 fee. NO PLAYERS CAN BE ADDED TO TEAM ROSTERS AFTER WEEK 6.

 

Players must be able to provide proof of identification upon request. Players will also be issued a player card and should bring it to each game.

 

 

Guest players will not be allowed, but players may be added to the roster via the process above.

 

A player may participate in more than one division. Players may not play on multiple teams in the same division.

 

Teams found to be playing with ineligible players are subject to forfeiture of any and all games in which such players participated.  No refunds will be issued, and further sanctions (e.g., ban from league) may be considered.

 

TEAM CAPTAINS/MANAGERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR BEING AWARE OF ALL RULES, GUIDELINES, AND POLICIES OF EPL, AND FOR KEEPING THEIR TEAM INFORMED.

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All players and teams are encouraged to do everything within their power to attend their respective games. In the event of inclement weather resulting in a team's inability to field the minimum required number of players, a forfeit will result unless EPL has cancelled the game.

 

If a team fails to show up for a scheduled game, the use of the field by the opposing team shall be permitted at the discretion of management.  Teams are requested to appreciate that forfeiture is not in the spirit of competition and detracts from the enjoyment of the event by all participants.

 

A team that no-shows will be required to pay the referee fees for that game.

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On rare occasions (e.g., extreme inclement or dangerous weather, power outages), it may be necessary for EPL to reschedule games.  We will make every effort to avoid doing this and will strive to provide as much advance notice to affected teams as possible.  Notification will be made via one or more of the following methods: website, telephone, email, or text-messaging.  In cases where management is forced to reschedule games, teams are still responsible for playing all their respective games.  Inability of a team to play a game rescheduled in this manner will result in a forfeit; forfeit policies will apply and no refunds will be issued.

 

Requests from teams for rescheduling games are strongly discouraged, and will only be considered at management’s discretion.

 

 

a)       Team roster is limited to 14 players.

b)       8 players per team, one of whom is a goalkeeper, with no less than 6 players per team on the field at all times.

c)       Coed teams must have a minimum of 2 female players on the field (female goalkeeper counts).  If a coed team has only 1 female player present at game start time, the game will begin but that team will play shorthanded (maximum of 7 players on the field) until a second female player is available.

d)       If a team does not have the minimum number of players (6 total and, for coed, including at least 1 female player) at game start time, the game will result in a forfeit, however, a friendly can still be played if both teams agree.

 

 

Substitute players are to remain in their team bench area.  Teams may substitute on any dead ball.

a)       Substituting players must enter/exit the field of play between the Halfway Line and the nearer end of their own team's bench by "tagging" in and out.

 

 

a)       Each team’s players must wear same-color jerseys.  Jerseys do not need to be numbered. 

b)       The goalkeeper wears jersey colors distinguished from all other field players and from the Referee.

c)       All players must wear shin guards, which must be completely covered by socks.

d)       Absolutely NO metal cleats or screw-in studs are allowed. 

e)       Players shall not be permitted to wear anything deemed dangerous by the Referee.

 

The decisions of the Referee regarding facts connected with play and interpretations of the Rules are FINAL.

 

a)       A regulation game consists of two 30-minute Halves, with a 2-minute (or shorter, at Referee’s discretion) halftime interval.

c)       Except in the case of an unusual delay, determined by the Referee, the Game Clock counts down continuously through each Half or Overtime Period.

d)       Regular-season games may end in a tie (i.e., no overtime/tiebreaker).

e)       If a game where a winner must be determined (e.g., playoff, tournament), is tied at the end of regulation, two 5-minute "Golden Goal" Overtime Periods are played.  If still tied, game will end in penalty kicks.

 

 Game Start Time

Games will start promptly at the scheduled game time.  When the previous game ends, teams will be allowed a reasonable amount of time to get all equipment into the bench area and take the field.  We ask that players whose game has just ended not linger in the bench area to make way for players playing in the next game. Forfeit time is fifteen minutes past scheduled game start time.

 

 Free Kicks

A team is awarded a Free Kick after an infraction of the rules by the opposing team.  ALL FREE KICKS ARE DIRECT.

 

Before a player takes any Free Kick, the ball must be stationary.  All opposing players must be a minimum of 5 yards from the spot of the Free Kick (or, if within 5 yards of the opponent's Goal, along the Goal Line).  The player taking a Free Kick cannot play it again until someone else first touches the ball.

 

A forfeit is recorded as a 5-0 final score.  A double-forfeit is recorded as a 0-0 result with NO points being awarded in the standings to either team. A team will forfeit a game for the following reasons:

a)       Not having the minimum number of players required by the end of the 5-minute grace period after game start time.

b)       Dropping below the minimum number of players required at any point during the game.  This includes players lost due to injury as well as players serving Time Penalties or sent off with a Red Card, as explained in Rule 11.  In this type of forfeit, the official game result will still be scored 5-0, regardless of who is winning and what the actual score is at the point in the game when the forfeit is invoked.

 

Slide tackling is NOT PERMITTED and will result in a Free Kick being awarded to the opposing team.  Any player who slides or similarly leaves his/her feet, lunges, or goes down on a knee, in the vicinity (considered to be one body-length in any direction) of any other player (even if a tackle is not the primary objective) shall be deemed to have committed a slide tackle. A slide tackle in the Penalty Area will result in a Penalty Kick being awarded to the opposing team.  Additional penalties (e.g. Yellow, or Red Card) may also be enforced at the Referee’s discretion.

 

Referees will use discretion for normal goalkeeper play within the Penalty Area, as it relates to slide tackling. The two most common cases where a goalkeeper might be called for slide tackling are:

a)       If in the referee's opinion, the goalkeeper is attempting to take a player out of the play as opposed to making a saving/stopping play on the ball. (Most commonly if the goalkeeper makes a feet-first slide.)

b)       If the goalkeeper starts his/her slide inside the Penalty Area but momentum continues the slide outside the Penalty Area.

 

Bicycle kicks are NOT PERMITTED and will result in a Free Kick being awarded to the opposing team.  Additional penalties (e.g. Yellow, or Red Card) may also be enforced at the Referee’s discretion.

 

a)       A Penalty Kick is awarded for a Foul committed within the Penalty Area for which the offending player receives a Time Penalty (i.e., a Card is shown).

b)       A Shootout is awarded as the penalty for Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity (standard FIFA/USSF-rules apply for criteria to determine DOGSO).

 

a)       Yellow Card (Cautionable) Offenses:

                      

                    ii.            reckless Fouls

                   iii.            Unsporting Behavior

                   iv.            Dissent

b)       Red Card (Ejectionable) Offenses:

                     i.            *second Yellow Card

                    ii.            Fouls which the Referee considers violent or committed with excessive force

                   iii.            Violent Conduct or Fighting

                   iv.            Leaving team bench to engage in a fight or confrontation

                    v.            Denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity

                   vi.            Extreme Unsporting Behavior, including:

                                           1.       Spitting at an opponent, Referee, or any other person

                                           2.       Use of abusive, insulting, or threatening language and/or behavior

                                           3.       Bodily contact with a Referee in dissent

 

*The Emerald Premier League Director reserves the right to make changes to the rules and regulations as is deemed necessary.*