Rules
Mission Statement
The mission of the Canadian Reformed Soccer League is to organize and govern an annual season of soccer and Christian fellowship in order to provide an environment that is as safe and as fair as possible, in a Christian manner, for the young people of the Canadian Reformed and affiliated churches.
The following is a list of rules which shall apply for the Canadian Reformed Soccer League which must be highlighted or are not found in the FIFA book. It is the team rep’s responsibility to make these rules available to each player on your team and the refs.
Gameplay Rules
1. Duration of Game
Games consist of two 45-minute halves unless otherwise agreed by both teams and the referee before the game. It is suggested that if a game begins late because a team arrives later, that you play the first half as a normal game, and let the ref call the game once it gets too dark to play. Suggested start time for a game (without lights) is 7:00. In order for a game to count, you must play a minimum of a 45 minute 1st half, and a 10 minute 2nd half, or 55 minute equivalent, unless not permitted to do so because of inclement weather.
2. Female Players
The maximum number of male players allowed on the field at any one time is eight. There must always be at least 3 female players on the field for each team. If a female player is missing her position must remain empty.
E.g. One female missing - ten players on field, two females missing - nine players on field, three females missing - eight players on field
3. Substitutions
Substitutions may be made on goal kicks and/or after a goal has been scored (NOT on throw-ins). Players being taken off the field should be off before the substituting player goes on the field. Players must be present at the side of the field before the start of the 2nd half of the game in order to be allowed to play. This should be enforced by the team reps.
4. Slide tackles
Slide tackles – slide tackles are prohibited in any CRSL regular season or tournament game. A sliding tackle or slide tackle is a tackle in which a player attempts to take the ball away from an opposing player by deliberately leaving his feet and sliding along the ground with one leg extended to push the ball away from the opposing player. Any attempt at a slide tackle made by a player must be penalized by the referee. Each occurrence will result in an indirect free kick for the opposing team. Repeated attempts by a player may be penalized with a yellow or red card by the referee, at the referee’s discretion. Any slide tackle resulting in an injury to another player will result in an immediate red card to the offender. The only exception is for the goalkeeper who while attempting to play the ball may slide feet out to the side or head first within the Penalty Area and is still subject to FIFA Law 12.
5. Attire
All players must wear shin pads and proper soccer shoes (cleats). No steel cleats are permitted. Jersey’s must be similar in color to the team, and must also have player numbers. Proper athletic shorts/pants must be worn (Spandex and similar compression wear is permitted under the shorts/pants and jerseys only.)
Ignore the following FIFA rules:
Page 11
# 3 - Substitutes
# 5 - Substitution
League Rules
1. Postponing/Cancelling Games
If the game needs to be cancelled due to the weather (lightning) during the:
1st half - it must be rescheduled
If 55 minutes have been played - game is over, leave score as is
All other cases of postponing/cancelling games need to be approved by both team’s reps as well as the league executives.
2. First Aid
Each team must be able to provide a first aid kit in case of injury. This is the team rep’s responsibility. For insurance and practical reasons, no player may be on the field if they have any body part in a cast or splint because of previous injury. Sport appropriate braces (for knees, ankles, etc) are allowed but you must have the manufacturers supplied protection otherwise it is the refs/reps discretion as to whether the player can play or not. This is to prevent injury to other players if contact between two players occurs.
3. Age Limit
All players must be 16 years old or turning 16 on/before December 31st of the current season.
4. Roster Regulations
The league is currently open to all members of the Canadian Reformed, United Reformed and Orthodox Presbyterian Churches. As of April 2011, the following amendment has been made: there may be 3 player exceptions per team, providing these players are a member of a Christian Church or else faithfully attending a Christian church. In addition, a letter must be sent by the team rep on behalf of the player(s) to the league executives providing some background and valid reasons to include the player(s) on the team roster. Rosters must be submitted by the date set by the Executive. Each player must have played 7 games in the season to be eligible to play in the playoffs. Rosters must be confirmed before the start of the season (specific date to be given by the Executive). Once rosters are confirmed, each team is allowed 3 changes per season. A player may only play on one team in the league. If a player wishes to switch teams, they may only do so 1 time per season. The team who is adding the player will be docked 1 roster change.
5. Discipline
In order to promote a safe and fair environment as much as possible, the behavior of players will be continually monitored throughout the season. Any behavior that does not promote the well-being of one's neighbor will be swiftly and decisively dealt with. Multiple cardings will be dealt with by the Executive and Discipline committee. Actions that are aimed to intentionally harm another person, such as fighting, will be considered grounds for dismissal from the league for the rest of the season.
All behavior occurring beyond the bounds of fair play and league regulations will be investigated by the Executive and Discipline committee, which retains the right to suspend players from play.
Absolutely no swearing or foul language is permitted. A red card must be given the first time this occurs. (Players who receive a red card may not play the remainder of that game nor during the following game). Let the referees know this rule and enforce it.
Fight/Intent to Injure - in the case of a fight or someone intentionally injuring another player, (a) red card(s) must be given. Each team must inform the committee what happened in writing sent to the league executive within 48 hours of the occurrence. The committee will decide how to deal with anyone who is reported multiple times.
Red cards for fighting / intent to injure will always include a suspension, the length of which shall be determined by the Executive and Discipline committee for each offence. Two yellow cards in one game will be considered a red card. Red cards will always include a minimum of a 1 game suspension, plus the duration of the game the card was issued in. Any player who receives 4 yellow cards during the season will be placed under review by the Executive and Discipline committee. Each yellow card thereafter will also be fair game for review.
Yellow and Red cards must be reported on the game sheets. There must be a report written by the referee, and signed by both team reps. Failure to do so can result in a forfeited game.
6. Game Sheets
Game sheets must be posted online within 1 week of the game. Game sheets must also be submitted to your divisional rep within 1 week of the game, without exceptions. Repeated failure to post and submit game sheets could result in a 1 point loss per occurrence.
7. Fields
A team is required to provide a safe and appropriate playing field for all games on the home schedule. An appropriate field at MINIMUM must include:
The outside field lines
The 18-yard box lines.
A center/half line.
Properly sized goal posts
All fields must be cut appropriately as well and be free of excessive dangers such as holes, divots, exposed sprinkler heads, etc. Refs have the option to cancel a game if the field does not meet these standards.
8. Teams Showing Up
If a visiting team fails to show up for a scheduled game, the home team has 24 hours to report this failure to the league executive upon which for almost all cases a fine will be levied against the visiting team, payable to the league executive which will be later applied to the home teams dues to the league, or a credit paid out to the home team if applicable. The fine shall be determined by the executive committee and will be a minimum of the cost of field use plus the cost of the referee. Weather is the only factor that can cancel a game within the 48 hour time slot, though the home team is still responsible to make the decision and notify the visiting team of a cancelled game. Any other VERY special situations resulting in a visiting team not showing up will be dealt with by the league on a case by case situation, though it should be noted that few exceptions will be accepted.
** If for some unforeseen reason the home team fails to show at their own home game without notifying the visiting team, the above situation will thus apply to them.
There must be a minimum of 7 players (including a goal keeper) in order to start the game. If this results in a delayed game start, follow Rule 1 of the CRSL rules. Should the game be delayed more than 20 minutes, the team causing the delay will forfeit.
9. Referees
The team rep. is responsible for providing the referee with the league rules and regulations. Referees must be 18+ years of age and cannot be an immediate family member of any of the team members of the home team that they ref for. The league encourages teams to find refs that are registered and trained. Referees are subject to league approval. The league encourages teams to find volunteering linesman in an effort to assist refs, though it is not mandatory.
Penalties will be as follows through this system:
At the beginning of the season teams must provide their referees contact information to the league exec.
If the home team cannot provide a ref at the beginning of game time, the game is AUTOMATICALLY forfeited to the visiting team. No exceptions or deals may be made to continue play without a ref at any time.
NOTE: It is still the responsibility of the VISTING team to report a missing ref to their league representative as the reason for a forfeit within 24 hours of the game time.
10. Team Penalties
Teams failing to abide by the regulations, including monetary issues, of the Executive will be subject to the following penalties.
1st offence: maximum number of players allowed on the field reduced by 1 male to 10 players total
2nd offence: maximum number of players allowed on the field reduced by 1 female to 9 players total
3rd offence: maximum number of players allowed on the field reduced by 1 male to 8 players total
After the third offence a team will be suspended from play until the situation has been resolved with the Executive.
Currently teams may be penalized for the following offences: failure to pay league dues, failure to return game sheets and/or failure to abide by the League rules and regulations.