Youth Festival 2025 Rules
Please make sure your teams are aware of the FESTIVAL RULES ADAPTATIONS for this weekend. With time tight between games make sure your Coaches, Players & Parents are fully on board with any differences from Regular season play.
The below information is for 9U-12U Festival Teams ONLY.
EACH TEAM SHOULD PROVIDE A TEAM ROSTER AND LAMINATED PLAYER CARDS TO THE REFEREE 15 MINUTES BEFORE YOUR FIRST GAME.
9U-10U Games - 25 minute halfs / 7v7 format
11U-12U Games - 30 minute halfs / 9v9 format
Home Team: Dark Jersey
Away Team: Light Jersey
In the event of a conflict HOME team will be asked to change.
Scoring:
Each Age Group will be awarded a 1st & 2nd place designation based on the format below
Win - 3 points
Tie - 1 Point
Loss - 0 Points
Tie-Breakers:
1. Head to Head
2. Goal Difference ( max of 4 per game)
3. Goals Scored ( max of 4 per game)
4. Goals against
5. Shutouts
6. Red/Yellow Card awards for Coach/Players ( 5pts for Red, 2pts for Yellow).
If more than two teams are tied, the tie-breaking process will be used until a winner is determined. The tie-breaking procedure does not revert to previous criteria if one team is eliminated.
In a situation where a group cannot be completed due to exceptional circumstances, and teams
have played an unequal number of games, we may use Points Per Game (PPG) to decide group standings.
No Re-Entry Protocol (Head Injury)
In accordance with the US Soccer return to play guidelines, any player removed from the field
for a suspected head injury will not be allowed to return to the field of play unless cleared by a
Healthcare Professional.
Healthcare Professional
A healthcare professional is defined as “a licensed healthcare professional such as an athletic
trainer certified (ATC), or a physician (MD/DO), with a skill set in emergency care and sports
medicine injuries and with knowledge and experience related to concussion evaluation and
management.”
Substitutions
Substitutions by either team are allowed at any stoppage of play with the permission of the
referee. Referees will be instructed not to allow substitutions that are deemed “excessive” or of
a “time-wasting” nature. Please be respectful of the integrity of the game and do not use the free
substitution rules as a means to disrupt the match.
Each manager should have the following at every game
? US Club Medical Release forms
? US Club Soccer roster/loan form of the team and players.
? US Club Soccer passes for its players and team officials
Personnel on the bench
A maximum of 2 team officials are allowed in each team’s technical area. Team officials must
have a US Club pass visable around their neck in order to sit in the technical area.
It is recommended that teams have several credentialed coaches or managers with passes for the team just in case something happens to the head coach. A US Club pass makes a person eligible to coach any team in the club for which that coach or manager is credentialed.