TOURNAMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE 2008 RAINIER CHALLENGE
I. TOURNAMENT HEADQUARTERS
The tournament headquarters are located 1202 E. “D” St., Suite 202, Tacoma, WA 98421. All matches will be played at the Washington Premier F.C. (“WPFC”) Soccer Complex located at 5600 44th St. E, Puyallup, WA 98371. Contact information for the Tournament Director is as follows:
Charlie Dent
Washington Premier F.C.
1202 E. “D” St., Suite 202
Tacoma, WA 98421
p. (253) 627-3086
f. (253) 627-3084
II. REGISTRATION AND TEAM ELIGIBILITY
A. Check-in. Teams must check in at least 60 minutes prior to their first match. Failure to check in properly could result in automatic disqualification from the tournament without refund.
B. Requirements. At check-in, each team must provide a copy of its final roster, signed by the team’s club registrar, listing each player’s name, birth date and jersey number. All players must also have a medical release form available at each game that is signed by the player’s parent or legal guardian.
C. Out-of-State Teams. In addition to the above, for teams from states other than Washington:
1. The Players must present picture identification cards issued by the team’s Federation Organization Member, if such team has received such cards by the start date of the tournament;
2. Teams must provide proof of approval of the team’s participation from the team’s Federation Organization Member; and
3. Teams must provide proof of permission to travel.
D. Foreign Teams – In addition to the requirements in A and B above, a team coming from a CONCACAF nation:
1. Upon the request of the tournament registrar, players must present proof of entry into the United States that is required by the United States.
2. Teams are required to have and present player picture identification cards.
3. Each team must have a completed form from its Provincial or National Association approving the team’s participation in the tournament.
III. PLAYER AGE AND ELIGIBILITY
A. Boys and Girls U11 through U15 are eligible to participate in the tournament. All players, including guest players, must be eligible to play in their age division.
• U11: Must be born on or after August 1, 1997
• U12: Must be born on or after August 1, 1996
• U13: Must be born on or after August 1, 1995
• U14: Must be born on or after August 1, 1994
• U15: Must be born on or after August 1, 1993
B. A maximum of 3 guest players shall be allowed. All guest players will be noted with an asterisk * on the final roster. Please note that any guest player on the roster of a U-11 Developmental team must be born on or after August 1, 1998.
The tournament’s format for U-11 follows Washington State Youth Soccer Association’s (“WSYSA”) format for this age group which is 9 v 9 with a goalkeeper and a maximum roster size of 14. U-11 games will be played on age-appropriate fields.
IV. TEAMS
A. The home team is the team listed first on the schedule and will have the responsibility of changing jerseys in the event of a color conflict.
B. The Tournament Director will designate which side of the field will be for the teams and which side will be for the spectators. No persons are permitted behind the goals.
V. PLAYER CREDENTIALS AND UNIFORMS
A. Player picture identification cards, if received from the team’s Federation Organization Member or Provincial Association, are to be present and available at all matches.
B. At the discretion of the referee, identification cards may be checked by the referee prior to each match.
C. The shirt number of each player must be the same as the player’s shirt number on the roster. If the numbers are not the same, the referee may not allow the player to take part in the match until the numbers are the same.
If player identification cards are not available, special circumstances will be taken into consideration by the Tournament Director.
VI. LAWS OF THE GAME
A. Rules. FIFA Laws of the Game will apply, except as specifically modified by these rules. Also, the tournament is playing under USSF Laws of the Game as modified by WSYSA Rules of Competition.
B. Match Length. Game duration for U-11 and U-12 will be 60 minutes. Game duration for U-13 through U-15 will be 60 minutes, except as noted elsewhere in these rules. All games will have a 5 minute half time unless shortened by the authority of the Tournament Director. If the start time of a game is more than 10 minutes behind schedule, the Tournament Director may make a decision to shorten the game by 5 minutes per half. If such a decision is made, the Director will notify the coaches prior to the start of the game. We will make every effort to have semifinals and finals start on time and run their full length. The duration of all championship games shall be per WSYSA rules for the particular age group.
C. Substitutions. FIFA substitution rules apply, and unlimited substitution is permitted. A player may be substituted on at a stoppage of play with the permission of the referee. A player must be checked in with an assistant referee prior to the stoppage of play.
D. Player Equipment. Age appropriate shin guards are required for all players, and there shall be no exceptions to this rule. No hard casts are permitted. Soft casts are permitted with the permission of the referee. No jewelry may be worn.
VII. TOURNAMENT AND MATCH SCHEDULES
A. Tournament Format. The tournament’s group format is based on the number of teams in each age group:
1. 4 Teams: one group with every team playing every other team. The top two teams advance directly to the finals.
2. 8 Teams: two groups of 4 teams each. The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals.
3. 12 Teams: three groups of 4 teams each. The top team from each group and the second place team with the highest point total or tie-breakers will advance to the semifinals.
4. 16 Teams: four groups of 4 teams each. The top team from each group will advance to the semifinals.
Depending on the number of teams entered, the Tournament Committee will have further bracket information available upon request.
B. Match Schedules. For all age groups, the minimum number of matches a team will play is three (3), and the maximum number of matches a team will play in a single day is two (2).
C. Procedures for Determining a Winner and Use of Overtime.
1. Preliminary Games. All preliminary matches will have no overtime period and may end in a draw.
2. Semifinal and Championship Matches. All semifinal and championship matches will have two (2) equal overtime periods of five (5) minutes that will be played to completion. If the match is still tied after overtime, the teams will proceed with kicks from the mark per FIFA rules to determine the winner. To keep the Tournament running on time, the Tournament Director reserves the right to move the “kicks from the mark” to a designated area.
Please also see Section IX entitled “Standings and Tiebreakers”.
D. Referees. All matches will use referees certified by the United States Soccer Federation.
E. Match Delays, Suspensions, Cancellations.
1. If in the opinion of the referee, a match must be terminated or abandoned due to the misconduct of the coach, players and/or spectators, the offending team will be charged with a loss and a score will be determined by the Disciplinary Committee. If, in the opinion of the referee, both teams are offending, the match will be abandoned and both teams will be awarded a 0-1 loss.
2. The Tournament will be played out in its entirety. In the case of severe weather and/or unplayable field conditions, the Tournament Committee reserves the right to have games decided with kicks from the mark in accordance with FIFA rules. The tournament will exercise its best efforts to play all games to their conclusion, but the final decision will rest with the Tournament Committee.
F. Refund Policy. The Tournament Committee will provide a full refund of the entry fee if a team is not accepted into the tournament or if an accepted team withdraws prior to April 1, 2008. If an accepted team withdraws after April 1, 2008, a refund, if any, will be within the discretion of the Tournament Committee.
VIII. FORFEITS
A forfeit will be declared if:
1. a team is more them five (5) minutes late to the field after the team’s scheduled game time;
2. a team cannot field the minimum number of players required to start a match; or
3. The team fails to check in at the field tournament headquarters as required by these rules.
The minimum number of players required to start a match is seven (7). A forfeit or a bye will be scored as a 1-0 win, and the winning team shall be awarded eight points. A team that forfeits a match will not be permitted to proceed in the tournament to the semifinals and finals.
IX. STANDINGS AND TIE-BREAKERS
A. Standings. The Tournament uses a ten point scoring system. The team(s) with the highest point totals will advance. A forfeit or a bye will be scored as a 1-0 win, and the winning team shall be awarded eight points. The rest of the points are awarded as follows.
• 6 points for a win
• 3 points for a draw
• 0 points for a loss
• 1 point for every goal (up to 3 max.)
• 1 point for a shutout
• Minus 1 point for every red card
• Minus 2 points for every dismissal of a coach
Examples: 0-0 = 4 points, 2-2 = 5 points, 3-0 = 10 points
B. Tiebreaking Procedures. For divisions with wildcard teams, the wildcard teams will be the teams that do not win their bracket, with the highest point totals. In the event of a tie on point totals, the below tie breaking system will apply.
1. Head to head (where applicable)
2. Most number of wins
3. Fewest goals allowed (max. of 3 per game)
4. Best difference between goals scored and goals allowed (max. 3 per game)
5. Least number of red cards
6. Coin flip or penalty kicks from the mark (at the Tournament Director’s discretion)
If more than two teams are tied at the end of the preliminary round, the tie breaker rules listed above will be used until one team is eliminated. The remaining two teams will be compared beginning again with Step 1 of the Tie Breaker Rules (head to head) until 1 team is determined the winner.
X. MATCH AND SCORE REPORTING
A. Reporting Results and Other Matters. Referees are responsible for reporting the match results, cautions, and ejections to the tournament’s field headquarters.
B. Score Reporting. Referees are responsible for the official score and will report the score to the field Headquarters promptly following each game, and in any event, no later than 1 hour following the end of the match.
XI. PROTESTS & DISPUTES
A. Protests. No protests will be allowed, and all referee decisions will be final.
B. Disputes. Disputes for non-referee decisions, including without limitation
player eligibility issues or disputes over tournament rules, will be decided by the Tournament Committee within two (2) hours of receiving notice of the dispute.
C. No Appeals. Decisions by referees may not be appealed, and decisions by the Tournament Committee deciding a dispute are final and may not be appealed.
XII. CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINE
A. Team and Spectator Conduct. Players, coaches, and spectators are expected to conduct themselves within the spirit of the law as well as the letter of the law. Displays of temper or dissent are cause for ejection from the game and the surrounding field area. Repeated violations may result in the suspension of the team from the tournament as decided by the Tournament Director.
B. Ejections. Players, coaches and team officials ejected from a game by the referee shall be ineligible for the next scheduled game. The tournament committee may take additional disciplinary action against a team or individual for serious offenses, including suspension from the remainder of the tournament and non-eligibility for future tournaments of that tournament committee. Coaches and players serving a suspension may be located on the spectators side of the field but may not coach or communicate with the team in any manner. Players may sit with the team but may not be in uniform.
C. Sideline Behavior. It is the responsibility of the team’s coach or the person acting in the coach’s behalf to control the conduct of its parents and other spectators. Failure to do so may result in a warning to the coach or the person acting in the coach’s behalf by the referee. If unacceptable conduct continues, the referee may eject the team’s coach, or the person acting on the coach’s behalf, from the game.
D. Red and Yellow Cards. Any player receiving two yellow cards or one red card in a game will be sent off from that game. In addition, said player(s) will not take part in his or her next tournament game. A player who receives a red card must appear before the Disciplinary Chairman for a hearing within thirty (30) minutes after the end of the game that he or she received the red card to determine the number of games for which he or she will be suspended. Failure to report will result in an automatic suspension for the remainder of the tournament. In accordance with the USYSA Tournament Hosting Agreement, all red and yellow cards and other matters involving team conduct will be reported to the home club and State/Provincial Association of the team involved as well as the US Youth Soccer National Office.
E. Foreign Teams. For foreign teams, the tournament committee will notify the US Soccer Federation of disciplinary action taken, and that the Federation will transmit the disciplinary action taken or required to the team’s provincial or national association.
F. Noisemakers. Artificial noise making devices are prohibited.
G. General Behavior. Smoking, alcoholic beverages and verbal abuse of anyone are not permitted at the Washington Premier F.C. Complex or in the parking lots.
H. Animals. While we love animals, no pets are allowed at the Washington Premier F.C. Complex.
XIII. GAME BALLS
The tournament will provide an age-appropriate game ball for each match. In the unlikely event that a tournament ball is not available, the home team must provide a match ball that is satisfactory to the referee, in his or her discretion.
XIV. GENERAL
A. Expenses. Under no circumstances will WSYSA, Washington Premier F.C., the Rainier Challenge Tournament Committee, or any of their representatives be responsible for any expenses incurred by any team. This includes a situation where the Tournament or any game(s) is canceled in whole or in part.
B. Interpretation of Rules. The Tournament Committee’s or their official representative’s interpretation of the rules shall be final pertaining to this Tournament.
C. Items for Sale. No items may be sold at the Washington Premier F.C. Complex for the duration of the tournament unless specifically sanctioned by the Rainier Challenge Tournament Committee.
D. Media. Photographs/film/video taken by representatives of Washington Premier F.C. during the tournament may be published on the tournament website.
E. Amendments. The Tournament Director reserves the right to amend brackets in the event that a team pulls out of the tournament at the last minute or is a no-show. The Tournament Director will ensure the remaining teams are provided with the best possible tournament competition play for the good of the game.
