MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCCER TOURNAMENT RULES |
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Registration:
Previously handled at the beginning of the season. Teams are required however
to submit an official game card to the center referee prior to the start of each
game. As stated earlier in the basic rule, no guest players are allowed and a
player may play for only 1 team during the tournament. Teams in
violation will forfeit the game 1-0. |
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Coaches Information: There will be no coaches meeting prior to the tournament.
The basic rules of the game apply to the tournament just the same as for the
regular season. |
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Laws of the Game:
FIFA rules apply to the tournament apply to all matches, unless specified
herein. All games should begin promptly at their scheduled time and end at
least 10 minutes prior to the next game. The tournament director may shorten
the game as necessary to keep the schedule correct. |
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Length of Game / Ball Size: Tournament games will consist of two
25 minute halves with a 5 minute halftime. Final games will be two 35 minute
halves with a 10 minute halftime. PM
games could be shortened to allow for completion of all games if needed. All
teams will use a size # 5 ball. |
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Possible Division Formats: Listed
below are the possible Division formats.
Priority will be to first place all teams in an 8 Team Division. Other Divisions will be created as needed
based on the number of teams, available fields, daylight, referees, and the
desire to balance the teams within a Division. |
4 Team Division: In a 4 team division there is one
bracket consisting of 4 teams. Each team plays the other 3 in the bracket.
The team with the most points will be declared the Champion. If two teams are tied with points after the
preliminary games, the first tie breaker will be head to head competition to
determine the Champion. If head to
head does not resolve the tie then the Final Game will be played to determine
Champion and Finalist. |
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5 Team Division: In a 5 team division there is one bracket
of 5 teams. Each team will play the other teams in the bracket. The team with the most points will be
declared the Champion. The team with the second most points will be declared
the Finalist. At any point where two or more teams are tied with points then
the standard tie breakers will be used to determine the Champion and
Finalist. |
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6 Team Division: In a 6 team division there is an A
and B bracket consisting of 3 teams each. Each team plays the other 2 in its
bracket on Saturday. On Sunday there are 2 semi-final games and a consolation
game . These games are based on points scored on
Saturday. The winners of the 2 semi-final matches will advance to the finals. |
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8 Team Division: In an 8 team division there is an A and B
bracket of 4 teams each. Each team will play the other teams in its own
bracket with the winners of the 2 brackets based on points, advancing to the
finals. |
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9 Team Division: In a 9 team division there is an A,
B, and C bracket consisting of 3 teams each. Each team plays the other 2 in
its bracket on Saturday. On Sunday there are 3 quarter-final games and 2
semi-final games. The quarter-final games will help to determine a Wildcard
team based on points scored on Saturday and Sunday. The semi-final games will
consist of the 1st place team in each bracket plus one Wildcard
team. The winners of the 2 semi-final
matches will advance to the finals. |
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10 Team Division: In a 10 team division there is an A and B
bracket of 5 teams each. Each team will play the other teams in its own
bracket with the winners of the 2 brackets based on points, advancing to the
finals. |
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Points and Tie- Breakers:
The following is the point system which will be used for this
tournament. |
Wins - 3 points |
Ties - 1 point |
Loss - 0 point |
Forfeit counts as a 3-0 win. |
No shut out points will be
given for this tournament, nor will goal differential points be given. Net goal differential will only be
considered in the tie-break scheme. |
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The total points to be
earned in a given game will be 3. No
team will advance over another because of a forfeit if the team gaining the
forfeit has previously lost to the other team. |
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Tie- Breakers
– In case of a tie for placement in the semi-final or final games the
following will be used to decide the team that advances. Head to head competition will be checked
after each step listed below. |
1. Head to head competition. (Disregard this rule if more than 2 teams
are tied) |
2. Greater net goal
differential points. (Calculated by
subtracting the goals allowed by a team from the goals scored by that team in
a given match) with a maximum of plus or minus 3 goal differential in a
match. ) |
3. Most shut outs. A 0-0 score will
count as a shut out. |
4. Least number of goals allowed. |
5. Most goals scored with a maximum of
5 per match. |
6. FIFA shoot out. |
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Resolving Ties in the Semi-final or Championship game |
A. A tie in a semi-final
game will result in no overtime period and proceed directly to a FIFA
law shootout. |
B. A tie in the championship
game shall result in a 15 minute sudden death overtime period. If still tied
at the end, then a FIFA law shootout shall occur to determine the winner. |
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Awards:
Awards will be handled immediately after the conclusion of the championship
game. Medallions will be given to Finalist and Champion following the
championship game. In addition
championship shirts will be made for the winners to be delivered after the
tournament. A representative from the Finalists and Champions of each
tournament Division will come to the concession area to pick up their
medallions as soon as the final game ends. There will also be a “Smoky Mountain Middle School Soccer
Championships” banner for pictures located between fields #1 and #2. |
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Misc. Rules:
A copy of the general rules, which govern both the league and the tournament
are available to copy from the web site. In the event of bad weather, a
decision will be made at the field by the commissioner. David Melendy will be
available at the concession area to answer any questions you might have
during the tournament. Teams may call the voice number at 966-6183 if the
weather indicates to do so on Friday night. Please remember to park in the
corporate building lot if your game falls on the half hour to allow for a
smoother transition in the upper parking area. Thanks. Remember that all
teams are responsible for their players and parents trash. Please assign
someone to police the field before leaving. You can call me at the field at
679-0185 if a problem occurs. |
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Parking:
Teams and parents should try and park in the lower lot as much as possible to
avoid congestion. |
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Protests:
Protests are not allowed. Please have your team and parents conduct
themselves in the spirit of the game. Have a great tournament. |