The Burke Athletic Club Adult Men's Soccer League Rules and Awards

Revised February 14, 2020

General Rules:

All FIFA laws apply except for the modifications by Burke Athletic Club (BAC) described below.

1.  The following age group rules apply to BAC’s adult men’s soccer league.  There are three divisions - over-30, over-35 and over-40 – as described below.

a. OVER-30 DIVISION.  Anyone born on or before December 31, 1990 can play in the division (see 1.d. and 1.e. for exceptions to this rule). This means that a player who is 29 years of age and will turn 30 during 2020 will be able to play in the over-30 division. Younger players who played the previous season will NOT be grandfathered to play in the over-30 division. 

b. OVER-35 DIVISION. Anyone born on or before December 31, 1985 can play in the division (see 1.d. and 1.e. for exceptions to this rule). A player who is 34 and will turn 35 during 2020 will be able to play in the over-35 division.  Younger players who played the previous season will be grandfathered to play in the division.

c. OVER-40 DIVISION. Anyone born on or before December 31, 1980 can play in the division (see 1.d. and 1.e. for exceptions to this rule). A player who is 39 and will turn 40 during 2020 will be able to play in the over-40 division. Younger players who played the previous season will be grandfathered to play in the division. 

d. The over-35 and over-40 divisions may have up to two female players U21 and above per team.

e. One U21 and above male player per team is allowed if the player’s parents are registered players on the team. A written request must be submitted to the BAC’s adult men’s soccer league commissioner prior to the season for approval. The commissioner’s decision is final.

f. If a player misses a season, the player will not be grandfathered to play in the league.  The player must wait until they meet the age requirements of each division.

g. Any team manager requesting to change divisions will not be allowed to take players to the new division that were grandfathered from the previous season. 

2.  League divisions and structure might change in a season depending on the number of participating teams. 

3.  BAC will schedule each team to play a minimum of ten games per season.  The number of games may increase depending on field availability and league structure.  

4.  Games will be played with a maximum of 8 players on the field for each team. 

a. Each team will play with 7 players and 1 goal keeper.

b. A minimum number 5 players per team must be on the field at all times.  A team with fewer than 5 players forfeits the game. The teams can play a friendly game and the referee will stay and referee the game. 

5.  Each team must have a minimum of 12 players registered by the registration deadline date.

a. Each game played with less than 12 players registered will be considered a forfeit.

 6.  A player may join a team after the initial registration deadline date by paying a late registration fee.

7.  A player is only allowed to play for the team for which the player registers to play. 

a. If for some reason a player requests to switch teams, the player is allowed to switch to another team only one time during the season.

b. No player is allowed to switch teams after the 4th week of the season.

8.  Every player on a team must have the team uniform with a number.  No player will be allowed to play without a team uniform and designated number.

9.  There shall be no guest players allowed to play.  All Players must be registered with BAC to participate in the league.  NO EXCEPTIONS.

10.  IF A TEAM ALLOWS A NON-REGISTERED PLAYER TO PLAY IN A GAME, THE ENTIRE TEAM WILL BE DISCUALIFIED FROM THE LEAGUE.

11.  Each team must provide two size 5 competition quality soccer balls for their games. 

a. If a team does not provide two soccer balls, the team will forfeit the game. 

b. The game will be played as a friendly game and the referee will stay and referee the game

12.  Each game is 60 minutes long.  Two 30 minutes halves with a 3 minute break between halves. 

a. No more than 2 minutes injury time is allowed, but at the referees’ discretion play time might be extended.

b. Game start times are 8:15 pm for the first game and 9:30 pm for the second game unless changed by BAC with advance notice provided to the teams.

c. If the 8:15 pm game finishes after 9:30 pm, there will be a maximum of 5 minutes before the start of the next game.

d. A maximum of a 10 minute delay to the start of a game is allowed at the referee’s discretion.   

13.  Player substitutions may be made when the team has possession of the ball, when the opposing team has possession and substitutes, on either team’s goal kick, or before a kick-off.  No substitutions on corner kicks.

14.  A goalkeeper is not allowed to hold the ball with his hands when the ball is kicked back from his teammates.     

 15.  For Yellow / Red cards the league has specific rules in addition to the rules set by FIFA.

a. If a player receives a yellow card he will be immediately asked to leave the field for a minimum of two minutes.  The player cannot return to the field until the next subbing opportunity for his team after the two minutes have elapsed. The player’s team will play short a player for the entire two minutes and until the referee allows the carded player (or one of his teammates) back on to the field.

b. A player who receives a red card is required to immediately leave the field.  Play will not resume until the player has moved to the parking area and out of the facility (park).  The failure of a player to leave the field will result in a forfeit of the game by the player’s team and in disciplinary action against the player and his team.

c. A sent off player will not be allowed to play the following game.

d. A player who receives a Red card for unsportsmanlike behavior on or off the field of play (e.g., intentional fouling to hurt an opponent) will be disqualified from the entire tournament with no refund.  (Refer to FIFA LAW 12 Fouls and Misconduct.)  The player must submit a written explanation to the BAC disciplinary committee for consideration the following season. 

 16.  If the number of players on the field for a team drops to less than 5 players during a game because of Yellow and/or Red cards the team forfeits the game.

 17.  No cursing in any language is allowed on the field at any time.  A player who receives a Red card because of cursing will be immediately banned from playing in the league.

 18.  No negative play (time wasting) is allowed.  The other team will be awarded the ball at the referee’s discretion.

 19.  Slide tackling or playing the ball while lying, kneeling or crouching on the ground is prohibited.  A yellow card will be awarded to the player except for an accidental sliding or fall. 

 20.  A distance of five yards away from the ball is required for the defending team during a free kick.

 21.  An extra player on the field will result in a penalty kick against the team.

 22.  The offside rule is not enforced.

 23.  For league standings, the winning team of each game will be awarded 3 points.  A draw will result in 1 point awarded to each team.  No points will be awarded to the losing team.

 24.  In the league format, the ranking of teams is determined in order as follows:

a. Greatest number of points obtained in all league games;

b. Goal difference in all league games;

c. Greatest number of goals scored in all league games.

 

25.  If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above three criteria, their rankings will be determined in order as follows:

a. Greatest number of points obtained in the games between the teams concerned;

b. Goal difference resulting from the games between the teams concerned;

c. Greater number of goals scored in all games between the teams concerned;

d. Drawing of lots by the BAC adult soccer committee.

26.  Weather permitting, the top four teams in each division will play in playoffs.

a. The regular season first place team plays the fourth place team and the second place team plays the third place team, and the winner of each game will play for the championship. 

b. The playoff format may change depending on the format set for a specific season and the number of participating teams.

c. During the playoff stage of the tournament, if teams play to a draw, penalty kicks in accordance with FIFA rules will decide the winner of the game.

27.  There will be no make-up games if games are cancelled due to weather or any other reason. 

a. The BAC adult league committee may allow a make-up game during the group stages depending on field availability.

b. Team rankings will be determined according to the criteria described in general rules 24 and 25

28.  If the referee stops a game because of weather or any outside circumstances not related to the game and the spectators, the game score will remain the same as when play was stopped.

29.  If a team at any point during the season decides to withdraw, the team will be banned from participating in future BAC leagues.  If a player on a team that withdraws from the league wants to continue to play in the league, the player must submit a written request for reinstatement into the league to the BAC adult soccer committee.

30.  It is understood that players may arrive late to a game or need to leave early.  If a player arrives late to a game, the player must check in with the referee before taking the field.  If a player needs to leave early, they are permitted to leave the field but the team may not substitute for that player on the field until the appropriate time as stated earlier in these rules.

31.  Teams are responsible for the conduct of their spectators.  The referee has the authority to remove a spectator from the facility.  In addition, BAC reserves the right to sanction a team because of the conduct of their supporters.

32.  Teams and their team managers are responsible for the proper treatment of the facility.  It is the responsibility of each team and manager to properly set up and take down the fields.  Each team and manager recognizes that Fairfax County could fine BAC or require that BAC replace improperly stored equipment and that these costs will be passed on to the teams.

33.  BAC reserves the right to ban a player or an entire team from the league for unsportsmanlike behavior and the number of misconducts awarded to the team, with no refunds.

34. After the tournament the following awards will be presented.

a. The BAC Championship Perpetual Cup will be awarded to the first place team in the Over-30 Division.  The winning team manager will also be awarded a championship cup to keep.

b. BAC Gold medals will be given to the first place team members of the Over-30 Division

c. The BAC Perpetual Cup will be awarded to the first place team in the Over-35 Division.

d. BAC Gold medals will be given to the first place team members of the Over-35 Division

e. The BAC FUN Cup will be awarded to the first place team in the Over-40 Division. 

f. BAC Gold medals will be given to the first place team members of the Over-40 Division.

g. It is the responsibility of the team manager and his players to return the CUPs and medals to the BAC adult league commissioner one month after the end of each season or the team will have to pay a $500 fine. All cups and medals will remain the property of BAC. If a team manager requests to keep a cup or trophy, a similar copy could be ordered depending on market availability and cost plus $100 processing fee.