All matches will be played in accordance with the F.I.F.A. Laws of the Game. Rules and/or interpretations provided by USYSA. for youth matches may be incorporated. The following items will further interpret these rules for purposes of this tournament and/or will provide an administrative framework for the operation of the tournament.

The tournament will use only USSF registered referees for all tournament games, utilizing a one (U11 and below) or three (U12 and above) person referee system. The diagonal system of play will be used with the USSF procedure to be followed when only two referees are present. Where only two referees are present the USSF mandated procedure will be utilized - one will be referee and the other will be a linesman. The referee will select a club linesman.

A. Upon the referee's request, each teams players, coaches and spectators will be located along the touchline on opposite sides of the field, if field space is available. The home team (listed first on the schedule) has the choice of sides of the field.

B. All players and coaches should remain near the player bench area while on the sidelines. All spectators must remain between the 18-yard lines. No spectators will be permitted in the areas directly behind the goal lines. All people on the sideline must remain at least two (2) yards behind the sideline. Failure to provide the linesmen room to clearly see the touch line may lead to a bench caution.

C. Coaches and/or other officials, players and spectators may not enter the field of play at any time unless requested to do so by the referee. Only players and coaches will be permitted in the bench area. All sideline personnel must keep back from the touchline a minimum of two (2) yards at all times.

D. Each coach will provide a linesperson as requested by the referee if a linesperson is not provided by the tournament

All players, coaches and spectators are expected to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the spirit as well as the letter of the Laws of the Game. Referees have been specifically instructed to run the matches according to this spirit and will act accordingly. DISSENT FROM PLAYERS, COACHES AND/OR SPECTATORS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED; CAUTIONS AND/OR DISMISSALS WILL RESULT. Players are encouraged to play all matches with intensity and desire. However, UNNECESSARY PHYSICAL PLAY, PARTICULARLY THAT WITH INTENT TO INJURE, WILL NOT BE TOLERATED; CAUTIONS AND/OR DISMISSALS WILL RESULT. Coaches are responsible for the actions of the team's players and spectators as well as their own actions.

Players, coaches, and/or spectators DISMISSED FOR FIGHTING will be banned from further tournament participation. Teams will be held responsible for adhering to this rule. Any team playing a dismissed player in violation of this rule will be disqualified from the tournament and all matches played by the team will be ruled to have been a forfeit.

THE TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO TERMINATE THE PARTICIPATION OF ANY TEAM, PLAYER, COACH OR FAN, IF THE BEHAVIOR OF THE PLAYERS, COACHES AND/OR SPECTATORS CREATES AN ATMOSPHERE IN WHICH A MATCH OR MATCHES CANNOT BE COMPLETED WITHIN THE SPIRIT AND LETTER OF THE LAWS.

*Any player, coach, and/or spectator that is cautioned (yellow carded) TWICE during any given game will be ineligible to participate in the remainder of that match and may not participate in the next match.

**If any player, coach, and/or spectator is sent-off the field of play (dismissed/red carded) by a referee for any reason other than fighting, that player, coach, and/or spectator is ineligible to participate in the remainder of that match and may not participate in the next match. Referees are instructed to record the players name, number, team and reason for the caution or send-off and present the information to the tournament director. All cards issued will be reported to the appropriate state association. Any disciplinary measures imposed by the Gettysburg Youth Soccer Club shall be limited to placing restrictions upon an individual's group participation in the tournament.

Team captains must report to the FIELD MARSHAL TENT (blue tents with yellow flags above, assigned to their field) at least 15 minutes before game time. Coin toss will be done at this time. Any team not reporting will be considered as having lost the toss and will forfeit selection of goal AND kick-off. The home team is designated first on the schedule. IF THERE IS A CONFLICT WITH JERSEY COLORS, HOME TEAM MUST CHANGE JERSEY. Teams may warm up in practice areas away from playing fields. There will be no warm up on the field between games.

Regardless of weather conditions, players and coaches must be on the field at the scheduled playing time, ready to play. Forfeits will be awarded if play has not started within five (5) minutes of starting time as determined by the referee; a minimum of 7 players must be prepared to play before a team will be allowed to start a match. A forfeited match will be recorded as a 1-0 score and bonus points awarded. The Tournament Director/Site Administrator may modify a scheduled start time for any match or reduce scheduled match length prior to the start of the match; all such matches will be considered to be official.

A match maybe suspended due to inclement weather. Tournament Director/Site Administrator will determine if play will resume that day (play may resume 20 minutes after the last observed lightning strike) or the following day. If Tournament Director/Site Administrator determines it is unsafe to play the remainder of the day the suspended matches will be treated as follows:

1. If the match has been played for a minimum of 50% of the scheduled time it will be considered official, score stands as it is.
2. If the match has not been played a minimum of 50% of the scheduled time it will be replayed in its entirety when rescheduled.

All matches in the qualification round will consist of twenty-five (25) minutes of playing time. There will be no halftime, however the referee will allow the teams to change ends of the field at a stoppage of play at approximately the twelve (12) minute mark of the game. The clock will continue to run during the exchange of ends.

B. All matches in the championship round will consist of fifty (50) minutes of playing time divided into two (2) twenty-five (25) minutes halves with a five (5) minute halftime.

C. Official match time will be kept on the field by the referee. Match time will be kept on a running clock, and there will be no stoppage of time unless an injured player needs to be assisted from the field with an ambulance.

There shall be unlimited substitutions with the permission of the referee at the following times:

a. On a throw in, your own or your opponents throw-in provided they are also substituting.

b. Either team's goal kick.

c. Either team scores a goal.

d. At the beginning of the second half.

e. In case of an injury, substitution for the injured player is permitted but not required; the opposing team may also substitute one player if the injured player is substituted for. If injured players' coach comes on to the field of play to attend to injured player, said player must be substituted for.

f. If a player receives a dismissal (red card), that player must leave the field of play. Their team may not substitute for them at any time during that match. If the match goes into Sudden Death the team will play short one player from the allotted number based on their age group. The team may field a full team in its next scheduled match.

All substitutions must enter the playing field from the halfway line with the permission of the referee. The referee may disallow a request for substitution if, in the referee's judgement, that request is intended to delay the play of the game.

NO PROTESTS will be entertained concerning the interpretation of the Laws of the Game by a referee.

A tournament staff field marshal will be stationed at a group of fields. The field marshal will fill out a game report for each game played. The report will include game related information as required by the tournament committee. The field marshal will give the referee the game report. The referee will record all game related information such as goals scored, cautions and dismissals. At the conclusion of each match, the field marshal will collect the game report after it has been signed by the referee. WINNING COACHES MUST SIGN GAME REPORTS AFTER EACH GAME. The field marshall will verify the information on the game report and then relay the match results to the tournament headquarters. The field marshal may be available to answer questions NOT pertaining to match situations. If there is a question on the score of a match, the coach and coach only, can contact the site administrator. The site administrator will take whatever action may be necessary to verify the score.

Teams will play three (3) mini-games (providing no teams forfeit) in the qualification round of play. At the end of each game the winning and losing teams will be awarded game points based on the following criteria:

a. Regulation win = 3 game points

b. Tie Match with Score (i.e 1-1) = 2 game points

c. Scoreless Tie Match ( i.e. 0-0 ) = 1 game point

d. Regulation loss = 0 game points

At the conclusion of all qualification matches in an age group the game points will be totaled. The team with the highest game points will be seeded in the highest position. The team with the next highest game points will be seeded in the next position. This will continue until all teams have been seeded. Should 2 teams have the same number of game points, tie breakers as specified in 11 will take effect.

The tie breakers used in determining the seedings into the championship round will be as follows:

a. Bonus points will be added or subtracted based on a +(-) goal differential. The differential will be the difference between the goals scored and goals allowed by each team in regulation play with the maximum differential points allowed for a single match being +(-)4. The +(-) difference will be summed. The team with the highest number of differential points will be seeded in the higher position.

b. If two or more teams have the same number of differential points, the team that has allowed the fewest goals in the qualification round of play will be seeded in the higher position.

c. If after (b) above two or more teams have the same number of goals allowed, then the team that has scored the highest number of goals in the qualification round shall be seeded the higher position.

d. If after (c) above, two or more teams have the same number of goals scored, the winner shall be determined by: HEAD TO HEAD PLAY IN THE PRELIMINARY ROUND, with the winning team in the preliminary round obtaining the higher seed, OR if the said teams did not meet in the Preliminary Round, a coin toss shall determine the seeding position.

a. Tie games in the championship round will be decided by playing a Sudden Death overtime period.

b. All 11v11 ages (U11, U12 and above) will play 7 v. 7, U11 (8v8), U12 (8v8) and below will play 5 v. 5. The players selected for the Sudden Death period must be on the field at the end of regulation time.

c. If a team member receives a red card his team "will" be penalized in the sudden death period by playing one player down.

d. At the end of regulation time all players on the field will immediately report to the center circle. Coaches will be allowed 3 minutes to select the players to remain on the field, all other players will report to the sidelines.

e. A coin toss, with the home team calling the flip, will be held. The winner of the toss will determine which goal they want to defend. SUDDEN DEATH PERIOD WILL COMMENCE WITH A DROP BALL AT MID FIELD.

f. All regular FIFA rules will apply with the exception of the following:

1). There are no substitutions during the Sudden Death period. This includes substitutions due to injury.

2). There will be no goalkeepers allowed during the Sudden Death period.

3). If a penalty kick is awarded during Sudden Death, the defending team may place a defender on the goal line in front of the net. This defender may use any part of his body EXCEPT his hands during the penalty kick.

4). There will be NO OFFSIDE called during the Sudden Death Period.

5). IF SCORELESS AT THE END OF EACH APPROXIMATE FIVE (5) MINUTE INCREMENT (AT ANY STOPPAGE OF PLAY), ONE (1) PLAYER FROM EACH TEAM WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE FIELD. COACHES WILL HAVE 20 SECONDS TO REMOVE A PLAYER, OR REFEREE WILL DESIGNATE PLAYER TO BE REMOVED.

5) AT EACH 5 MINUTE DESIGNATED STOPPAGE, TEAMS ARE REQUIRED TO SWITCH ENDS OF THE FIELD. RESTART WILL BE A DROP BALL AT MIDFIELD.

g. The game will end upon the score of a goal by either team.

h. Any cards given during the Sudden Death period will be treated as if issued during a regular match.

The tournament director, members of the tournament committee, the host soccer club, its members and board of directors, any participating associations, colleges, advertisers, school districts and recreation departments and related municipalities will not be responsible for any expenses incurred by any team, player or spectator nor will they be held liable for any injury of any player, coach or spectator that may result from the participation in, or travel to and from the tournament.

The tournament director or site administrator reserves the right to decide on all matters pertaining to the conduct and administration of the tournament and their judgement shall be deemed as final.