GENERAL RULES

• Field size – Length: 45-50 yards, Width: 25-30 yards (4 on each 11v11 field)
• Goal Dimensions: 7v7
• Divisions: Elite, Competitive, Developmental

AGE AND ELIGIBILITY

• Players must have been born during, or after, the specified birth year of the age group they are participating in. Each player is required to submit a birth certificate or 24/25 USYS/USClub Player cards at registration as proof of age.  DATE OF BIRTH VERIFICATION MUST BE PRESENT AT THE FIELD FOR THE DURATION OF EACH GAME.
• No player shall play for more than one team during the tournament.
• Coaches can be any adult provided they can provide evidence of SafeSport certification and background check or a 24/25 USYS/USClub Admin Card. No more than two coaches are allowed per roster.

ROSTERS

• Max Roster Size
  • All ages will have a max roster size of 10

NUMBER OF PLAYERS

• All teams will play a 5v5 format with four field players and 1 goalkeeper.
• A game may not start with fewer than four players on each team.  Once started, games may not continue with fewer than four players per team.  If a game cannot start or is stopped because a team has fewer than four players, that team shall forfeit the game.  A team shall have a 5-minute grace period from scheduled starting time before a forfeit is declared.
• A forfeit in the preliminary rounds shall be awarded as three (3) points for the win.  For tie-breaking purposes, the score shall be recorded as 3-0.
• If a team is the cause for termination of a game, that team will be considered to have forfeited that game.
• Teams that have forfeited a game may not advance beyond the preliminary rounds without the approval of the Tournament Director

5v5 GAME PLAY

• FOULS AND MISCONDUCT – All the Free Kicks are INDIRECT. There will be no Penalty Kicks in Group Play.
• PENALTY KICK – If required as a tiebreaker or in Semi-Finals or Finals, are to be taken from the penalty mark (8 yards from goal line). All players must be out of the penalty area. 
• OFFSIDE – There will be no offsides. 
• THROW-IN – A KICK-IN will be taken in place of the throw-in. 
• FREE KICK/KICK-IN – Defending players must be 5 yards from the ball. 
• GOAL KICK – The goalkeeper should rolls the ball into play from inside the penalty area. The ball must be played within their own half or touch the ground within their own half. The ball must also clear the Penalty Area for an opponent to play it, but a teammate may play the ball within the Penalty Area . 
• RESTART TIME LIMIT – Restart must take place within 5 seconds or the ball is awarded to the opposing team (enforcement to take place after first round of play or at ref discretion). 
• PASS BACK TO GK – GK may not handle the ball.
• SLIDE TACKLING: There is NO Slide Tackling by Field players in 5v5 Soccer other than to slide to save a ball from going out of bounds or to block or save a shot, however no contact may be made with an opposing player at any time. In other words, sliding where no opponent is present is allowed. A slide tackle infraction results in a Direct Free Kick. Inside the Goalkeeper arc becomes a penalty kick. A second infraction (same player) will result in a Yellow Card, and a third infraction will result in a Red Card.

SUBSTITUTIONS

• Substitutions will be unlimited
• The method will be “Flying substitution”, where all players but the goalkeeper can enter and leave as they please but players on the field per team cannot exceed more than 5 at any moment in time.
• Goalkeeper substitutions can only be made when the ball is out of play and with a referee’s consent
• A team may not substitute for a player who has been red carded.

PROTESTS

THERE WILL BE NO PROTESTS.

UNIFORM AND EQUIPMENT

• PLAYERS ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR SHIN GUARDS IN ACCORDANCE WITH F.I.F.A. LAWS OF THE GAME.
• The HOME team (listed first on the schedule) will wear their light-colored jerseys. The AWAY team will wear their dark-colored jerseys. In the case of a conflict, the HOME team must change.
• Regardless of weather conditions, coaches and their teams must appear on the field, ready to play as scheduled. Failure to appear will result in forfeiture of the game. Only referees and/or the Tournament Director can postpone or cancel a game.
• U12 and younger teams will play with a #4 ball, and U13 and older teams shall play with a #5 ball.

HEADING RULE AT AGE GROUP DIVISIONS U11 AND YOUNGER

Whenever the ball strikes a player in the head, play is stopped. The proper restart depends upon whether the player deliberately played the ball with his or her head. If deliberate, the proper restart is an indirect free kick to the opposing team. If this occurs within the goal area, the indirect free kick should be taken on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred. If the play by the head is deemed  inadvertent, then the proper restart is a dropped ball.

DURATION OF GAMES

The following outlines the length of game halves for boys’ and girls’ preliminary matches, Semi-Final, and Final matches.

In the event inclement weather forces cancellation of a game at or after half time, the game shall be considered official and the score at the point of cancellation shall be the final score.  Should a game be halted before half-time, it shall be rescheduled for complete replay, or recommenced at the discretion of the Tournament Director.  

In the event of a tie in a Semi-Final or Final game, overtime shall be played as described below under SEMI-FINAL AND FINAL TIE-BREAKING RULES.

SCORING

• Each team shall be points as follows in the preliminary games.
  • Three points for a win
  • One point for a tie
  • Zero points for a loss
  • One point for a shutout
• The division winner shall be the team with the most points. If two or more teams are tied, the tie-breaking rules are as follows:
  • Head-to-head competition (does not apply if more than two teams are involved)
  • Goal Differential – Max 5 goal differential per game.
  • Goals against – Max 5 goals per game.
  • Goals for – Max 5 goals per game.
  • Penalty Kicks
• In the event of a tie among more than two teams: a tie is broken by the above system, but if ties among remaining teams still must be decided, those ties would be broken by starting again from the top of the tie-breaking procedure.
• The wildcard team will be the team from any division which, after the division winners have been determined, has the highest win/tie total points. In the event of a tie, the above listed priority applies. The wildcard team cannot play a team from their division in the initial knock-out round.

SEMI-FINAL AND FINAL TIE-BREAKING RULES

• Overtime will be played for ties in semi-finals and finals, except in consolation matches.
• Overtime does not end when one goal is scored (it is not sudden death).
• Up to two 5-minute overtime periods will be played for all ages
• If the score remains tied after the first overtime period, a five minute halftime will occur and then the second overtime period. If there is a winner after the first overtime period, the game is complete.
• If a tie in score exists at the end of the second overtime, the F.I.F.A. penalty kick procedure will be used to determine a winner.

GAME AND SCORE REPORTING

• The winning team (or home team if game is tied) is responsible for collecting the score card from the referees and returning it to tournament headquarters at that field location immediately after the completion of the match.

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 surrounding field area.
• Both teams (players and coaches) will be on the same sideline. Spectators of both teams will take the opposite side of the field. No one will be allowed behind either end line.
• A player receiving a red card will not be able to participate in the tournament game following the game the card is issued. A coach receiving a red card will not be able to participate in the tournament game following the game the card is issued for the team in which the red card was received. VA Revolution Soccer Club reserves the right to SUSPEND ANY PLAYER, COACH OR TEAM FROM THE TOURNAMENT FOR UNRULY CONDUCT.

CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY

*After a team is accepted, then no refunds will be issued, exceptions as follows:

CANNOT FORM BRACKET FOR YOUR TEAM

If the tournament cannot provide a bracket for your team to participate, then you will receive a full refund.  An example of this would be if the tournament does not have enough teams to fill your age group.

WEATHER

In the event that inclement weather forces the cancellation of all or part of the tournament, teams will have the option to receive a credit or refund of a percentage of their paid entry fee.  This credit is to be used in future Virginia Revolution soccer tournaments (within one year), and will be given in the following increments:

• No games played = 75% credit or 50% refund
• One game played = 50% credit or 25% refund
• Two games played = 25% credit only

NOT RECEIVING GUARANTEED 3 GAMES

In the event that your team does not receive 3 games due to a team forfeiting or dropping out, teams will receive the following:

• One game played = 75% credit or 50% refund
• Two games played = 50% credit or 25% refund

* Please note that if one of your games is cancelled however you still play 3 games, then no refund/credit will be given.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY

Any team that withdraws after May 15, 2025, will forfeit its entrance fee.