ADULT LEAGUE RULES
GENERAL:

The purpose of this adult soccer league is to promote and support adult soccer play in a friendly and family-like environment in the Modesto area. FIFA and USSF rules govern MYSA-Ajax play, except as amended by these rules .

It is the intent of MYSA-Ajax to:

● Promote the game of soccer in a spirit of teamwork, fair play and sportsmanship.
● Provide coherent competition among area players and soccer teams.
● Develop and foster interest in soccer in the greater Modesto area. These rules are broken into four major areas:
● Participation in MYSA-Ajax
● League Operations
● Scoring and points calculations
● Deviations from FIFA and USSF rules

Participation in MYSA-Ajax:
Players and coaches joining MYSA-Ajax must follow any additional guidelines found within these MYSA-Ajax rules.

SEASONS: MYSA-Ajax will run three seasons per year, but not limited to:
● Winter - January through April
● Spring/Summer - May through August
● Fall - September through December
Each team is scheduled for seven (7) regular season games with a 2-game playoff system (potential for 9 games).

LEAGUES : For additional information for each league, select the applicable league under the Adult Tab.  Other leagues may be established at the Adult League Coordinator’s discretion.

MYSA-Ajax shall offer the following:
● 8 v 8 Open Coed League - 16 Teams Max - 1 to 2 Divisions - Level of Play Beginner to Advanced - Time 30 minute halves - 5 min. Halftime
● 11 v 11 Open Men’s League - 8 Teams Max - 1 Division - Level of Play Advanced - Time 40 min. halves- 5 min. halftime.
● 8 v 8 Open Women’s League - 8 Teams Max - 1 Division - Level of Play Beginner to Intermediate - Time 30 minute halves - 5 min. Halftime
● Just for Kicks Open Coed - 24 Individual Participants - Level of Play Beginner to Advanced - 1 hour 30 minutes

LEAGUE FEES:
Payment is due in full before any team is scheduled for the season. Bounced checks will require
cash payment, and a $25.00 return check charge in addition to the amount of the NSF check.
Returned checks will not be re-deposited.
● 8 v 8 Open Coed League - $895
● 11 v 11 Open Men’s League - $995
● 8 v 8 Open Women’s League - $895
● Just for Kicks Open Coed - $5 per night

REFUNDS:  Once entered on the schedule, refunds are subject to the League Coordinator's approval.

ROSTER SIZES:
● 7 v 7 teams can carry a minimum of 9 players with a maximum of 22 players.
● 8 v 8 teams can carry a minimum of 10 players with a maximum of 22 players.
● 11 v 11 teams can carry a minimum of 14 players with a maximum of 22 players.

ROSTER:
Once team fees are paid, rosters are created as players register individually and sign a Release of Liability and Code of Conduct waiver. Players must sign by the deadline set for each game to be listed on the Game Card. If not listed on the Game Card, players will not be allowed to play - NO EXCEPTIONS . It is the responsibility of the Team Manager to check the public rosters for accuracy. Players will be allowed to register up until the last regular game of the season.  Unregistered players on a team will be the cause of a forfeit to the team in question and a penalty of minus 3 pts. from their standings.

MANAGERS MEETING:
The league will conduct one mandatory meeting (by email is acceptable) every season to discuss the upcoming season, suggestions for improvements and answer any questions.

UNIFORMS:
All teams are required to wear the same colored jerseys/T-shirts, preferably numbered. Shorts and socks do not necessarily need to be of the same brand name or style but have to be of the same color (or very similar such as navy blue & black). Clashing colors will not be allowed such as wearing green instead of red or orange instead of royal blue). A referee shall disallow a player from the field of play until he or she is wearing his or her team matching colors. If a player refuses to change then he shall not be allowed to play.

TEAM DIVISION PLACEMENT:  Teams will be placed in divisions based on level of play and past participation in the league. If there is more than one division, the top two teams of lower divisions will be moved up to the next higher division and the two last place teams will be moved down to the next lower division. MYSA-Ajax reserves the right to change, alter or combine divisions at any time for scheduling or competitive purposes.

CROSSOVERS: A player is allowed to participate in multiple divisions or leagues, however, there can only be one division difference (Div 3/2, Div 1/2). A Release of Liability and Code of Conduct waiver must be signed for each division and league. A player will be allowed to switch teams only one (1) time during a season with previous approval from the Adult League Coordinator. All requests must be submitted in writing and approved by the Adult League Coordinator prior to
the switch occurring's.

REFEREES : All decisions made by the referees assigned to MYSA-Ajax matches are final. USSF and referees in training are contracted to referee league games. No appeals will be accepted pertaining to decisions by the referee. No player or individual shall enter the field of play without the referee's express permission except during substitutions. ***Any red cards given to a player or manager will require the head referee to compose a detailed email describing the incident and email to [email protected] within 24-hours of the incident. The report will be forwarded to MYSA-Ajax adult league disciplinary committee for review.

PLAYER CONDUCT: Players are responsible for fair, sportsmanlike and polite behavior at all times. No fighting will be tolerated. Foul, vile or vulgar language will not be used on the field either toward other players or to yourself in general. Referees are instructed to card offenders. Any fight will result in an immediate one-year suspension without a refund to whoever throws the first punch. All other individuals who get involved in a fight will be also suspended for at least six  months. Referee abuse will not be tolerated. Assault includes the following acts committed upon a referee: hitting, kicking, punching, choking, spitting at, or on, grabbing, stepping on, or running into a referee; the act of kicking or throwing any object at a referee that could inflict injury, damaging the referee’s uniform or personal property. Referee abuse is also defined as a verbal attack or physical approach that implies or threatens physical harm to a referee or the referee’s property or equipment. Verbal threats are remarks that carry the implied or direct threat of physical harm. Threats such as: "I’ll get you after the game" or "You won't get out of here in one piece" shall be deemed referee abuse. Commission of any of the preceding acts will carry a 6 month to one-year suspension as determined by the MYSA-Ajax adult league disciplinary review committee—all committee decisions are final.

PLAYER RESPONSIBILITIES : Yellow cards carry to the next game. A player will receive a one (1) game suspension upon receiving their fourth (4) yellow cards in any one season. A red card issued is expected to carry at least an automatic 1-game suspension minimum. A suspended player may not be reinstated prior to the incident being reviewed by the league's disciplinary review committee—all committee decisions are final. A $25 fine will be levied for all red card violations. Accumulation of two red cards in the same season will result in suspension from the league for six months, dated from the date of the last card that causes the suspension. Red card consequences (fee, suspension) will apply to the specific League (Coed, Women's, Men's) and players will not be able to participate in any games within the specific league until all consequences have been fulfilled.

GAME POLICIES & RULES:
● Jewelry must be taken off or taped to the body if for religious purposes.
● Home team provides 2-3 game balls.
● In case of color conflict, the Visiting team will be required to change jersey/T-Shirt or wear bibs/pennies.

Check In:
● Both Referees will meet in the center of the field and will blow their whistle 10 minutes before the game to announce to teams they are ready to check in players.
● Any form of ID with a picture and name is good for checking against the roster. If a player is not on the roster they cannot play unless cleared by the Coordinator - NO EXCEPTIONS.
● The Referees will blow the whistle 2 minutes before game time. Starters for your team should retreat to their positions. Team Captain and/or Manager will meet Referees in the center of the field for pre-game and coin toss. Home team is to provide at least 2 game balls, but 3 would be preferred.
● Failure to have a minimum number of players’ show-ups (7 for 11 v 11 and 6 for 8 v 8, 5 for 7 v 7) will result in a forfeit for that team.. Referees will allow a five-minute grace period from the posted start time to field a team. The team that wins by default will add maximum points to their division standings (3 points) and the score will be entered as 1-0. A forfeit fee of $100 (the cost of the referees) will be levied against any team who forfeits.
● Any players who arrive after the two minute warning will check in with the Referee on their side where the team/spectators are located.

Men’s League:
● Home team and their spectators will sit on the West side (closest to Enochs). Visitors and their spectators will sit on the opposite side.
● Slide Tackle allowed
Coed/Women’s League:
● Home team and their spectators will sit between Fields A & B. Visiting team and their spectators must be on the opposite side of the field.
● Coed teams must field at least 1 female player and not field more than 5 male players at a time.
● Slide Tackle NOT allowed except by the goalie in the box. Restart is an indirect free kick. You may save a ball from going out if it does not endanger another player by tackling the ball away from a player.
● No Punt or Throw out by the goalie past midfield without first touching another player or the ground. Once a goalie has saved the ball he or she may kick or throw the ball back in play but the ball must touch another player or the ground before crossing over the halfway line.
● The restart is an indirect kick for the other team at the halfway line. Goalie may not save the ball with their hands and then play the ball to their feet in order to get around this rule. The ball still needs to touch another player or the ground before the halfway line. This does not apply to goal kicks.
● Female players take all offensive kicks.

SCHEDULE CHANGES: Once a season schedule is published to the MYSA-Ajax web site, no changes will be made unless an unexpected logistical problem arises. The only other exception is weather related changes. If this is the case, all managers will be notified of the change(s) electronically. Weather and field availability permitting, each team is scheduled for eight (8) regular season games with a 2-game playoff system (potential for 10 games). A match is considered official once the 1st half has been completed. If play must be halted after the start of play, but before the half is complete, the MYSA-Ajax adult league scheduler will make every attempt to reschedule the shortened game. However, if field, weather or other situations preclude timely rescheduling, the game may not be replayed. If this occurs, the score standing will be used as the final score of the game. If a playoff game is approved to be rescheduled, the requesting team will be required to pay for the referee fee, plus the field rental fee and the lights cost if the game is played under the lights. Regular season games cannot be rescheduled.

GRIEVANCE POLICY/PROTEST: A grievance/protest is a complaint with a suggested resolution. The only matters that are grievable/protestable are treatment of players by coaches, actions of spectators, or any clear violation of the MYSA-Ajax rules that has escaped the attention of the Adult League Coordinator. Any grievance/protest shall be filed in writing, with a $50 nonrefundable protest fee, to the league within three days of the action under protest. Upon receipt, the League management will review the relevant facts and render a determination in writing to the protester within seven days. The following items, while not exclusive, are not grievable/protestable:
● MYSA-Ajax rules
● Referee decisions
● Decisions regarding suspensions

SCORING AND POINT CALCULATIONS:
Games played will be awarded points based on the following system:
● Win- 3 points for winning team
● Tie- 1 point for both teams
● Loss- 0 points to the losing team

SEASON POINT TIE-BREAKERS:
In case of point ties, the tie will be broken in this order:
1. Goal difference
2. Goals for
3. Goals against
4. Head-to-head competition
5. Least amount of red-cards received
6. Coin toss
During play-offs, ties will be broken as follows:
● During the quarter-finals, the lower ranked team MUST win the game to move on. In case of a tie, the higher ranked team will qualify to the next round. There is NO overtime.
● During semi-finals, teams will go straight to PK’s in case of a tie.
● During final games, the teams will play two (2) ten-minute “golden-goal” over time halves (11 v 11), or (1) ten-minute “golden-goal” overtime halves (8 v 8) no half-time allowed. If there is no winner, teams will go to penalty kicks. If for any reason, lights are being used and they go off and the game is tied, the game will be rescheduled and decided by PK’s. Only players on the field at the time of the outage may participate in the PK’s. If there is any disagreement with regards to the above rules, it will be the Adult League Coordinators responsibility to interpret such rules to the parties affected. The Adult League Coordinator shall have the final word on any rule interpretation issue.

DEVIATIONS FROM FIFA AND USSF LAWS OF THE GAME:
Unless otherwise indicated, all Laws of the Game as prescribed in FIFA’s sanctioning bodies’ rulebooks will apply to all MYSA-Ajax matches.
● Slide tackling is prohibited in all 8 v 8
● Law 1: The Field of Play. Local conditions may mandate use of non-standard or sub-optimal fields.
● Law 3: The Number of Players. Free-substitutions are permitted for both teams during most dead-ball situations with previous referee approval.
● Law 7: Duration of the Match. If weather or field conditions mandate, and with the concurrence of both involved coaches, matches may be shortened from the normal 40 minute halves with a 5 minute halftime (11 v 11) or 27.5 minute halves with a 5 minute
halftime (8 v 8).