Rules for the League Competition
Any question or dispute relating to the following rules should be referred to the Venue Coordinator (VC) for immediate clarification or decision on match days. Any further grievance concerning the interpretation of these rules should be referred to the JSCL Committee.
1. Age Groups - Both league and cup competitions will be run for the following age groups (see Note below regarding girls playing in Boys’ teams):
a. Under 8 – players must be born on or after 1st September 2015
b. Under 10 – players must be born on or after 1st September 2013
c.Under 12 – players must be born on or after 1st September 2011
d. Under 14 – players must be born on or after 1st September 2009
e. Under 16 – players must be born on or after 1st September 2007
f. Under 19 – players must be born on or after 1st September 2004
Note: Girls may play in the Boys’ teams in all age groups and are permitted to play 1 year down, e.g., in Under 8 the girl must be born on or after 1st September 2014.
2. Normal FIFA Rules will apply, except as follows:
a. Goal kick-off is NOT allowed directly from the kick-off. The ball must touch the second player before a goal can be scored.
b. The “Offside” rule will not be applied to the U8, U10 and U12 and U19 Girls age groups although “Goal- hanging” will be discouraged by referees.
c. The “Goalkeeper Pass-Back” rule will not apply to the U8, U10, U12, and U19 Girls age groups. d. One referee will officiate all U8, U10, U12 & U19 Girls matches.
e. One referee and two assistant referees will officiate all U14, U16 & U19 matches.
f. Each team will consist of the following number of players, all of whom must be correctly registered with their school and the JSCL.
i. U8, U10, U19 Girls - 7 a side – Minimum number to start a match = 5; Maximum fielded on match days (including substitutes) = 13; Maximum registered in squad = 17.
ii. U12 – 9 a side – Minimum number to start a match = 7; Maximum fielded on match days (including substitutes) = 15; Maximum registered in squad = 18.
iii. U14, U16, U19 – 11 a side – Minimum number to start a match = 8; Maximum fielded
on match days (including substitutes) = 18; Maximum registered in squad = 22.
g. To give all players, the opportunity for more game time and enable easier injury management, all teams will be allowed “rolling substitutes” so that an unlimited number of changes can be made during a match and players who have left the pitch are able to return to the action.
h. The duration of each match will be:
i. U8 & U10 – 4 quarters of 10 minutes.
ii. U12 & U19 Girls – 4 quarters of 12 minutes. iii. U14, U16 & U19 – 2 half of 25 minutes.
iv. There will be an adequate rest period between each quarter however the breaks need to be short to ensure that the fixtures program at each venue can be completed within the allotted time. Referees will be instructed to restart the match no more than 2 minutes (U8, U10, U12 & U19 Girls) and 5 minutes (U14, U16 & U19) after the end of the previous quarter.
i. Players are not allowed to move between teams, either up or down or in different age groups.
Players must only play in their registered team. Under no circumstances should a player play down into a younger age group or play down from an A team to a B team, B to C, and so on.
j. All players must be correctly registered and appear on the team list registered to the
Committee prior to the commencement of the team grading and divisional allocation process. k. The team coach must bring a hard copy of the team list (as registered to the Committee) signed by an authorized official of the school to confirm players’ attendance at the school, as
well as copies of required player documents (passport or birth certificate) to be made available at all matches, including grading games, for the purpose of player verification by the JSCL officials.
l. Players without the correct documents will not be allowed to play.
m. If it is found that any player that is not correctly registered or does not have the required valid ID documents on match days does enter the field of play then this would represent a serious breach of the rules, which will be dealt with accordingly by the Committee. The offending team would forfeit the match and receive a formal warning from the Committee. Any repeat offence will result in points deduction and possible suspension from the League.
n. No additional teams or players will be accepted after the registration deadline. o. All players must wear different numbered shirts, as per their JSCL registration.
p. All players must wear proper attire including football boots and shin-pads. Referees will prohibit players from entering the field of play without shin-pads.
q. Players must not wear spectacles with glass lenses while playing; sports specs or plastic spectacles should be worn instead.
r. Slide Tackling/Going to Ground:
i. U8 & U10: Players should not attempt sliding tackles and referees will be instructed to control this for the protection of all players. In the event of a sliding tackle, a warning will be given to the offending player. A 2nd offense from the same player will result in that player being removed from the field of play for the remainder of the quarter. Repeated offenses will result in the referee instructing the coach of the team to remove the offending player(s) for the rest of the match.
ii. U12, U14, U16 & U19: This will be left to the referees’ discretion in accordance with
FIFA Rules.
s. Coaches’ area: During a match, the coaches (and players) of the two teams should remain on opposite sides of the pitch or, if this is not possible, they must remain on separate sides of the halfway line. They must not cross the halfway line before the match has ended.
t. A player that receives a red card, whether it be a straight red or following two yellow cards,
will receive a one-match ban. This means that the player will not be allowed to play in the team's next match, whether it be a league or cup match.
3. League
a. All teams in each division will play each other once in the season. b. The winning team will be awarded 3 points.
c. The losing team will not be awarded any points.
d. In the event of a draw, each team will be awarded 1 point.
e. At the end of the season, a team’s final position in its respective division will be determined based on a total point awarded.
f. For teams finishing with the same total number of points, the positions (in all age groups) will
be determined by the “head-to-head” match score (not goal difference). If the “head-to-head” match score was a draw then both teams will share the same position, except in cases where medal (winners & runners-up) positions are to be decided.
g. Where medal positions are apt to be decided (i.e., only for winners and runners-up), if the
“head-to-head’ match was a draw then a play-off match will be organized by the Committee. h. In the event of a play-off match resulting in a draw, the result will be decided by a “penalty
shoot-out” on the following basis:
i. For U8, U10, U12 & U19 Girls each team takes three penalty kicks; for U14, U16 & U19 each team takes five penalty kicks.
ii. Players must have played in the match to take a penalty.
iii. The team with the most penalty kicks scored will be declared the winning team.
iv. If teams are equal after the first three / five penalties, a sudden death shoot-out will take place. Only players who have played in the match, excluding those taking the first three / five penalties, may participate. After an equal number of penalties have been taken the team to score most goals will be declared the winning team.
v. If the match has still not been decided after all the players have taken one penalty kick, then each player will take a second penalty kick until one team scores more goals after an equal number of penalty kicks have been taken.
vi. The goalkeeper who is playing at the end of the match (normal time) must be the same goalkeeper in the penalty shoot-out.
4. Cup
a. A draw by the Committee will be held to determine the First Round matches.
b. Depending on the number of teams in each age group, there may be a requirement for
Preliminary Round matches to be played by certain teams to qualify for the First Round draw. c. After the First Round, future rounds will not be drawn but will follow the Cup format applicable to each age group e.g. round of 16, followed by a round of 8 (quarter-finals), then
a round of 4 (semifinals), and finally the round of 2, which is the final. d. Matches will be of the same duration as the league matches.
e. If a Cup match ends in a draw the result will be decided by a “penalty shoot-out”, as per 3. h. above.
f. Once a player has played for one team in the Cup they will be “cup-tied” and will not be allowed to play for a different team.
5. Fixtures Schedule – Postponements and Late Arrivals
The fixtures schedule for league matches will be posted on the JSCL website before the start of the season. Coaches must inform the Committee within 7 days if their team is unable to play on any of the scheduled match dates and the Committee will try to re-arrange accordingly.
As far as practically possible, the Committee will try to take into consideration each school’s requested “blocked dates” (due to holidays, exams, other school commitments etc.) when preparing the fixtures schedule, however we must also avoid excessive disruption to the schedule and therefore the final fixtures schedule is entirely at the discretion of the Committee.
Throughout the season the following rules will apply:
a. If a team is not able to play a scheduled match, the match may be re-arranged with prior approval from the Committee if both teams agree and the match can be re-scheduled.
b. Requests to re-schedule matches MUST be made no later than 5 days before the original scheduled fixture. The Committee will not consider requests after that time and the match will have to be played or forfeited.c. The Committee’s decision on whether a match is to be re-scheduled is final.
d. Only 2 schedule changes per team will be allowed throughout the season, subject to approval from the Committee.
e. Teams should arrive at the designated match venue / pitch at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the match and inform the JSCL venue officials of their arrival.
f. If any team arrives later than the scheduled kick–off time, the match will be forfeited 3-0 to the opposition unless the coach of the delayed team calls the Venue Coordinator (VC) in advance of the scheduled start and the VC has approved a delayed kick-off.
g. A maximum delay of 10 minutes may be allowed. If the team fails to arrive with sufficient players (see Rule 2f) to kick-off the match within 10 minutes after the scheduled start time, then the match will be forfeited, and the opposition will be awarded a 3-0 victory. If both teams are late the match score will be 0-3 against each team.
h. If a match is delayed due to the late arrival of one or both teams then the total match duration will be reduced by the number of minutes that the kick-off was delayed.
i. If the same team is late on more than two occasions, the Committee reserves the right to suspend the team from the League.
j. If the pitch contains an amount of surface water, which is deemed by the VC to be unsafe or unplayable, the game will not commence and play will be suspended until the water clears sufficiently, to the satisfaction of the VC.
k. If lightning is in the area, the VC has the authority to stop play immediately, to safeguard the safety of the players, coaches, and match officials.
l. If a match is suspended at, or after, half time (i.e., from the end of second quarter onwards),
the score at that time will be the final score if play cannot be resumed within 15 minutes. Any matches abandoned prior to half time will be replayed at a re-arranged date.
m. In the event of extreme weather conditions prior to the start of the weekend’s football program, resulting in waterlogging of the pitches and/or flooding of the access roads to the venue(s), the Committee may decide to postpone all matches at the affected venue(s). The Committee will attempt to notify all affected teams’ coaches although it is also the responsibility of the coaches to refer to the website and contact the Committee if in doubt. All postponed matches will be re-scheduled by the Committee.
Under 8 and U10 – “Mercy Goals“
-
The “Mercy Goals” rule should be applied to all matches: As soon as a team is 6 goals ahead then the winning team should play the remainder of the game without the strongest players and/or a reduced number of players on the pitch. Remember, the number of goals scored and conceded will not be used for determining league positions or recorded on the league website. Referees will be instructed to ensure that the “Mercy Goals” rule is implemented.
-
It is particularly important in these younger divisions that the parents follow the Parent Code of Conduct. Coaches, players, and parents from both teams are expected to be supportive of all players participating and emphasize a positive experience for all concerned.
I acknowledge that my school team will participate in the JSC League 2024 programs in compliance with the above JSCL requirements and accept the limitation of liability outlined below.
(Coach Signature)
I further acknowledge that I have received and read the “JSC League Rules – 2024 Season”, the “Parents & Families - Code of Conduct Guidelines”, the “JSC League Code of Conduct” and made all necessary efforts to pass these on to relevant parties (players, parents, fellow coaches).
(Coach Signature)
I hereby fully release and discharge the JSCL, its committee members, employees, officers, and all other official representatives (Collectively “the Released Parties”) unconditionally from all liabilities whatsoever arising from my school’s participation in the activities mentioned above and events, including all incidental activities related to it, such as transportation. I hereby indemnify and hold the Released Parties harmless from any suit, claim or damage, including all monetary damages, medical expenses, attorney’s fees, and all other claims, which may arise because of any injury or accident occurring because of my school’s participation.
(Coach Signature)
In the event of an accident or injury, I understand that The JSCL will make reasonable efforts to immediately inform me. I will be responsible to always have updated contact information on file at the JSCL Administration center. In case JSCL cannot contact me, I authorize any representative of JSCL to act on my behalf to obtain medical care on behalf of any player in my school team. Our school agrees to pay all costs and expenses of any such medical treatment and will promptly reimburse JSCL for all related incurred costs, without exception and upon demand.
(Coach Signature)
Name _________________________________
Date __________________________________
