Rules
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL INVITATIONAL GIRLS’
SOCCER TOURNAMENT 2010
Tournament Rules
1. Laws of the Game
The FIFA 2007-8 Laws of the Game, OSA and EODSA published rules shall be in effect, except for changes hereinafter provided.
2. Age Groups
2.1. The tournament is open to teams that are comprised entirely of female players who were born on or after the first day of January in the age groups and years listed below:
- Under 12 - born in 1998 or later;
- Under 13 - born in 1997 or later;
- Under 14 - born in 1996 or later;
- Under 15 - born in 1995 or later;
- Under 16 - born in 1994 or later;
- Under 17 - born in 1993 or later; and
- Under 18 - born in 1992 or later.
2.2. Team rosters will be limited to twenty (20) players. All twenty may be dressed and played in each game of the Tournament. A team may include up to a total of six (6) guest players, with a maximum of three (3) guest players coming from outside of the registering team’s own Club. All guest players must meet the eligibility requirements. A guest player's age must fall within the age period of the team on which she is playing (i.e. a guest player's age cannot cause her guest team to be required to play in an older age Division). A player may only be registered and play on one team in the tournament.
3. Eligibility
3.1. Teams and players MUST be registered with their respective governing body (Provincial, State or National Association). Player registration cards, complete with pictures, names, registration number and birth year, issued by the team's governing body Registrar, are required and must be presented to the Tournament Committee at registration, and be available for presentation, if and whenever required, to the Field Marshal or other Tournament Official. The name and registration number of each player (including all guest players) must appear on the participating team's NCI Tournament Roster, game sheets and Discipline Log. Player cards (or passbooks) will be checked and compared to the game sheet; and players' pictures on their card or passbook will be compared to the player presenting the card or passbook at various times (to be determined by the Tournament Committee) during the competition and definitely before each team's first game of each day and before all Final games.
3.2. With the exception of the U-12 and U-18 Divisions, only teams playing in an Ontario Soccer Association (OSA) Level #3 League or higher (and equivalent level* teams from other provinces (such as "AA" in Quebec)) and from other countries; and any team that is playing in an Ontario League and can demonstrate its ability to compete at the calibre of an OSA Level #3 League, will be accepted to participate in the NCI.
3.2.1 In the U-12 Division, only teams playing in a Regional Level or Premier 1, OSA Level # 5 League or higher (and equivalent level** teams from other provinces (such as "A" in Quebec)) and from other countries will be accepted to participate in the tournament.
3.2.2 In the U-18 Division, only teams playing in an OSA Level # 4 League or higher (and equivalent level** teams from other provinces (such as "A" in Quebec)) and from other countries will be accepted to participate in the tournament.
3.3. Generally speaking, a team must play in the minimum age level Division for which the team's players' birth years allow. On rare occasions and only at the discretion of the Tournament Organizing Committee, will a team be allowed to "play-up" in an older age Division.
3.4.
3.5. Teams coming from outside of the Eastern Ontario District Soccer Association must have an approved travel permit issued by their governing body. Teams coming from outside of the Ontario Soccer Association must carry and supply proof of personal injury liability insurance while participating in the tournament.
4. Travel Permits, Insurance and Proof of Player/Team Registration
All teams must prove that they are registered with their District / Provincial / State soccer association and must play in an outdoor League. In addition, all out-of-district teams (i.e. those teams whose players’ cards or passbooks do not have the individual player registration approval “stamp” or signature from the Eastern Ontario District Soccer Association (EODSA)) must produce a Travel Permit from their home soccer association which authorizes that team to compete in the National Capital Invitational (NCI) and certifies that all players on that team are registered to participate in this Tournament's “class”(which is restricted to “International Competitive Club teams” (OINCC) only).
In accordance with the requirements of the Ontario Soccer Association (OSA), validly certified player passports or cards will be the only proof of player registration that will be accepted. Improperly-registered or unregistered players or teams will not be permitted to participate. On Registration Night (Friday, July 30, 2010) all teams will also need to provide to a Tournament Official an Official Team Roster that shows the names and birthdates of all players who are members of that team as well as the team’s level-of-play (such as: Premier, Elite, Regional, “AAA” etc.) during the regular outdoor season. In addition, an Official Team Roster for the regular outdoor team for each Guest Player, which roster shows the player’s name and birthdate and her regular outdoor team’s level-of-play will need to be shown and verified by Tournament Officials. These Rosters will be returned, uncopied, to the teams that night by the Tournament Officials; but all teams are to keep these documents available should they be required during the competition.
Finally, teams must carry and supply proof of injury and liability insurance while participating in this event.
5. Substitutions
5.1. Teams may register, dress and play as many as 18 players in any game. Substitutions may be made at the following times, with the consent of the Referee:
- on any goal kick;
- on a team’s own throw-in, or on the opposing team’s throw-in if the team is making a substitution;
- after a goal is scored;
- at half-time;
- in replacement of an injured player; and
- in replacement of a player who has just been shown a Yellow Card.
5.2. Substitutions will be unlimited in number. Substitutions will not be allowed for a player ejected from the game.
6. Position of teams
Teams (players, Coaches, Managers and other Bench Staff members) for both teams will take up position on the same side of the field but on opposite sides of, and at least ten yards away from, the center line. Players and Coaches (and other Bench Staff members) shall restrict their movements to within ten yards from this starting point going towards the nearest goal line. All spectators will take up position on the opposite side of the field across from their respective team's first-half bench. All players, Bench Staff members and spectators shall remain at least two (2) metres back from the touch line.
7. Playing Equipment
Each team should have two sets of different coloured jerseys. In the event of a conflict of jersey colours, the home team will be required to change. The goaltender’s jersey must be distinct from those of her team-mates and the opposing team. All players must wear shoes which conform to the requirements of FIFA Law IV. Shinguards are mandatory for each player.
8. First Aid
Each team is responsible for providing its own first aid requirements and pre-game and post-game “taping” etc. requirements.
9. Game Sheet
Each team shall enter its line-up on the Official Tournament Game Sheet and will hand the completed Game Sheet to the Referee prior to start of the game. The Game Sheet will remain with the Referee during the game and will be handed over to the Field Marshal at the end of the game.
10. Discipline
10.1. The Referee’s decision in matters concerning the application of the Laws of the Game, and the decisions of the Tournament Committee regarding conduct of the tournament shall be final and with no appeal rights.
10.2. All registrant discipline will be dealt with according to the OSA Rules and Regulations under the Discipline-By-Review System. The Tournament Discipline Committee will review the Referee's report and render suspensions as appropriate according to the OSA Rules, Regulations and Standard Penalties for Misconduct. All discipline not covered by the OSA Discipline-By-Review System or served in full during the tournament, will be referred to the Eastern Ontario District Soccer Association for its further action, which may include referral of the matter to the registrant’s home association for further action.
10.3. No protests regarding a Referee’s decision(s) – including the showing or issuance of red or yellow cards - will be entertained. All Referees’ decisions are final.
10.4. Protests regarding non-Referee-decisions will be permitted. All potentially affected parties will be notified of the protest and each will be permitted to make a presentation (of five (5) minutes maximum duration) to the Tournament Management Committee, which will make a decision on the same day that the protest is filed; its decision will be final and binding.
11. Failure to Show
11.1. Failure of a team to appear at the tournament will lead to a forfeiture of the team's entry fee, and reporting of the incident to the Eastern Ontario District Soccer Association for referral to the team’s home association for further action.
11.2. Failure of a team to appear at a game, or to field seven (7) players, without valid justification, within 15 minutes after the game's scheduled kick-off time, will result in a 3 - 0 score being awarded to the opposing team. Should both teams fail to appear or to field seven (7) players, without valid justification, within 15 minutes after the game's scheduled kick-off time, neither team will be awarded points, and both will be shown having a loss, with a 0 - 0 score being recorded. In both instances of game appearance failures (as opposed to a tournament appearance failure), the Tournament Discipline Committee will decide whether the team(s)-in-question shall be suspended from the remainder of the Tournament. Should the Tournament Committee accept the team's (or teams') non-appearance reason(s) as valid, the game may, at the discretion of the Tournament Committee, be re-scheduled, and/or shortened or forfeited (with continued participation in the Tournament allowed).
12. Duration of Games and Ball Size
12.1. Duration of games by age Division is:
- U12 and U-13 games will be of two equal 30 minute periods.
- U14 and U-15 games will be of two equal 35 minute periods.
- U16, U17 & U18 games will be of two equal 40 minute periods.
12.2. There will be a five minute half-time break in all games.
12.3. The Referee is the only official time-keeper for the game.
12.4. Size of ball by age Division is:
- U12 Division will use a FIFA size #4 ball.
- All other Divisions will use a FIFA size #5 ball
13. Competition Organization
13.1. All participating teams are guaranteed four (4) games during the “Round-Robin” portion of the NCI.
13.1.1. The structure of each Division’s “Pools” and the determination of each participant’s opponents will depend upon the final number of teams participating within a Division. Each Division’s competition structure will be explained in detail when its schedule is published.
13.1.2. Each game (including the Semi-Finals and Final) will have a winner and a loser as tied games are not permitted to "stand". There will be no overtime periods of play. Instead, if the score of any game is tied at the end of regulation time, the game's winner shall be decided by penalty kicks taken in accordance with the regulations laid out in the FIFA Laws of the Game.
13.1.3. In the Round-Robin portion of the Tournament, each team will be awarded three game points for a regulation time win and no game points for a regulation time loss. Shoot-Out winners will receive two game points and Shoot-Out losers will receive one game point.
13.1.4. If, at the end of the Round-Robin series of games, two teams' game point totals are tied, the various teams' rankings or standings will be determined according to the following criteria order:
- the winner of the game (if any) between the two teams. (A win includes a Shoot-Out win.);
- the team with the most regulation-time wins;
- the team with the better regulation-time goal differential (i.e. goals scored minus goals conceded) to a maximum of a +three (+3) differential per game. (This criterion includes all forfeited game assigned results and goal totals.);
- the team with the higher regulation-time goals for;
- the team with the lower total of regulation-time goals against;
- the team with the greater total of regulation-time shut-outs for;
- the team with the lower total of regulation-time shut-outs against;
- FIFA penalty kicks within one hour of the conclusion of the Round-Robin.
- In the event that the tied teams did not play a game against each other, the tie-breaking will commence with "bullet" #2 (above).
- In the event that 3 or more teams are tied, the tie-breaking will commence with bullet #2 (of the dotted items above) - even if two of the teams had a Round-Robin game against each other - and will proceed in the above order of criteria until one or more team(s) is (are) eliminated by one of the criteria. The breaking of the remaining tie will then re-commence at bullet #2 and proceed in the above order of criteria until each deadlock is broken.
13.2. Generally speaking, each Division will have four (4) teams advancing to the Semi-Finals which will be played during the morning of Monday, August 3, 2009. The top four game-point-gathering teams (and as may be determined via the above-described tie-breaking procedures) will advance to the Semi-Finals – regardless of in which Pool those teams competed during the Round-Robin phase of the tournament.
13.3. The winners of the Semi-finals will play each other in the Final.
14. Unfavourable Weather Conditions
14.1. Under normal weather conditions, games are to be played at the scheduled time and location. However, if inclement weather conditions occur, the location and starting times may be altered.
14.2. Unless previously advised by the Tournament Convener, teams must present themselves to the Field Marshal for their assigned field at least 30 minutes before the game's scheduled kick-off time, regardless of weather conditions.
14.3. No game will be allowed to start in an electrical storm, and where such a storm occurs during a game, play will be immediately suspended until the storm passes. Under no circumstances should teams withdraw from the playing field area until the Referee advises that that they may do so.
14.4. If a game is abandoned, the Tournament Discipline Committee will rule on its status, but every attempt will be made to complete the game as scheduled.
15. Cancellation of Tournament
The entry fee will be refunded in full if the tournament is cancelled in its entirety prior to June 1st 2010. If the tournament is cancelled any time after that date, the amount refunded will be at the discretion of the Tournament Organizing Committee. The tournament is not liable for any other personal or team-related or travel expenses.
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Eligibility (Rule #3) Footnotes * and **
- * - OSA Level #3 refers to the level of play at which teams competing in an
In - ** - OSA Level #4 refers to the level of play at which teams competing in an
November 10, 2009
