• Remember, this is a social league. Chill attitudes are always welcomed. So, meet some new people, and have a good time.

• There should be equal playing time for all players, regardless of gender.

• You always need your team T-Shirts. They are our only way of identifying you and not having them hurts your team’s ranking!

• Please treat our referees with respect.

• Any aggressive behavior will not be tolerated and may result in suspension or expulsion from our leagues; let’s avoid that.

• Please be on time. We recommend showing up at least 10 minutes early to avoid any confusion and the chance of Forfeiting

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Overly Competitive Players

All Texas Sports & Social Club leagues are intended to be recreational. Any player deemed to be excessively competitive and/or overly aggressive may be removed from competition at the discretion of Texas Sports official or game day coordinator.

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Sportsmanship Rating:

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Teams will be awarded a sportsmanship grade based on their conduct:

 

• A (4.0) - Above and Beyond Conduct and Sportsmanship

• B (3.0) - Good Conduct and Sportsmanship

• C (2.0) - Average Conduct and Sportsmanship

• D (1.0) - Below Average Conduct and Sportsmanship

• F (0.0) - Poor Conduct and Sportsmanship

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Teams must maintain a 2.5 AVERAGE in order to be ELIGIBLE for the playoffs

Once in playoffs, the team must maintain a 2.5 average in order to remain in playoffs 

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Number of Players

5 Players will play at once; 1 goalkeeper and 4 outfield players. At least one outfield player must be a female.

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A minimum of 3 players from your roster and/or pre-registered substitutes is needed to start or continue a game.

 

• If a team is short of the required number of players in a specific gender, they may play down.

• A team must have a minimum of 3 players to start.  

• Teams may not play with 0 (zero) players from a specific gender. The opposing team will play with up to maximum amount of players allowed on the court even if the other team is playing down.​​

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Game Length/Structure and Scoring

Two 13-minute halves.  There will be 3-5 minute break at halftime.

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Win: 3 points Draw: 1 point Loss: 0 points

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Playing the Game

Field:  The field size is approximately 90 feet x 30 feet. The goal size is approximately 8ft x 6ft. The goal (semi circle) is approximately 12 feet x 8 feet. The field is a synthetic turf surface.

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Substitution: Unlimited substitution may be made at any time during play, provided substituted player is within touchline at own bench area as new player enters the field. Neither player may participate in play while both are on the field. Violation- results in free kick from opposing teams’ penalty spot.  Restart may be delayed for up to fifteen (15) seconds to allow substitutions at the following times: 

1. Goal is scored. 

2. When time penalty awarded.  

3.  Injury stoppage.  

4. Stoppage signaled by referee.  

5. Ball over perimeter   

6.  Ball into superstructure  

Warning issued to team for taking more than fifteen (15) seconds to complete substitutions during a guaranteed substitution. Free kick may be taken from the penalty spot if violation continues to occur.  

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Misconduct: Any player that receives a red card will be suspended for one game. Players that receive a red card will be required to leave the game. It will be up to the Referee/SoCo Soccer Academy to determine if the player may remain in the facility for the duration of the game.   

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FOULS   

Fouls- Player commits any of the following offenses in a careless, reckless manner or with disproportionate force will be penalized by a free kick from the point of infraction. 

• Kicking or attempts to kick an opponent.   

• Tripping or attempts to trip an opponent.   

• Jumping at opponent.   

• Charges an opponent.   

• Pushing an opponent.   

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Or commits any of the following:  

• Contact with an opponent before contact is made with the ball.  

• Handling the ball.   

• Dangerous play.   

• Fair charge, but ball not in playing distance.  

 • Obstructing when not playing the ball.   

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A penalty kick is a free kick from the Penalty Mark taken by a properly identified opponent against the goalkeeper without interference by other players. A penalty kick is awarded against a team, when while the ball is in play, a player commits one of the fouls listed Above within its own penalty area (or area within the goal). A penalty kick can be awarded irrespective of the position of the ball at the time an offense is committed.  All other players must be behind the midfield line until the ball has been touched.  

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Ball out of bounds: Any time the ball goes out of bounds, it results in a kick-in for the opposition. The opposing team must be approximately 1 yard away on all kick-ins. If the ball goes out for a goal kick, the goalkeeper may play the ball from any position within the keepers semi-circle. Goals cannot be scored directly from a kick-in or goal kick. Players only have 5 seconds to play the ball in. If time exceeds 5 seconds the ball will be awarded to opposing team.   

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THREE LINE VIOLATION   Player cannot pass (or last touch) ball across three (3) lines in the air toward opponent’s goal without the ball touching the wall, floor, player or official. NOTE: Player may pass back toward his own goal – not an infringement.  Punishment Free kick to the opponent at the center of the first White line the ball crossed.  

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Free Kicks: All free kicks are indirect. Defenders must be 1 yards away. If the free kick is closer than 1 yard from the edge of the goal line, then the defenders must stand on the goal line.  

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Kick-offs can go backwards. A goal cannot be scored directly off a kick-off, therefore, it is indirect.  

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Equipment

Shin guards are recommended for all players and are the responsibility of each individual player. They will not be provided by the league. 

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Please do not wear cleats as we look to protect the SoCo turf

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Indoor athletic wear is permitted.  Illegal equipment consists of:

A. Headwear containing any hard, unyielding, stiff material, including billed hats, or items containing exposed knots.

B. Jewelry.

C. Pads or braces worn above the waist.

D. Shoes with metal, ceramic, screw-in, or detachable cleats.

E. Shirts or jerseys that do not remain tucked in. Any hood on a coat, sweatshirt, or shirt is not allowed either.

F. Pants or shorts with any belt(s), belt loop(s), pockets(s), or exposed drawstring(s).

G. Leg and knee braces made of hard, unyielding material, unless covered on both sides and all edges overlapped.

H. Any slippery or sticky foreign substance on any equipment or exposed part of the body.

I. Exposed metal on clothes or person.

J. Towels attached at the player's waist.

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Balls

Team captains are responsible for bringing a regulation-sized Soccer ball size 5. 

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Rough Play

Any rough or physical play will result in immediate expulsion from further league play and may result in a lifetime league expulsion. Please see TXSports General Policy for our official guidelines on this subject. It is recognized that incidental contact between players is inevitable; however, all players should go out of their way to avoid creating an unsafe play.  This rule supersedes all others. 

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Please note that on-site staff members have full autonomy when supervising games. Games may be stopped entirely, players may be asked to leave the playing area or be removed from the game entirely under their discretion.

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Rotation

There must be a fair rotation of all players through court positions. This means both men and women get time both on the bench and on the court. Referees may require Substitutions to ensure this.

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Playoffs/Championship Overtime (PKs)

If tied at the end of regulation time in a Playoff or Championship game, each team will attempt PKs.

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The PK line up will consist of 5 players from each team (male, female, male, female, male). If after PK attempts are made by both teams and the game is still tied, sudden death kicks will occur  1 to 1 in the same gender order as PK all the way down the roster.  

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Forfeits

Teams should report to the gym at least 10 minutes before their scheduled starting time of the match. A game will be ruled a forfeit if any of the following occur:

• No one from one of the teams is present at game time

• The minimum number of players are not present (4)

• Not enough female players are present (2)

• Improper conduct by one or more players on any team

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See Forfeit Policy

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Teams will forfeit the first game of the match if they have not shown up by their scheduled time. After 10 minutes from start time, if the team still cannot meet the minimum requirement, the entire match will be called a forfeit and team will be assessed the forfeit fee. Exceptions can be made if a team is waiting on a couple of players (e.g. transit issues) with the understanding that the delay will cut time from the end of their match, and that the final decision is subject to the Referee’s discretion.

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Repeat Rule:

Competition is great, but a single team dominating the league consecutive seasons is not cool and not fun. 

 

A team retaining more than three players that has won two championships seasons for which they have been registered, that team to will have to form two or more separate teams to promote balance in the league or withdraw their registration (no refund will be issued, league credit will be issued). The team will then have the opportunity to divide their roster (with no more than three retaining players) to form two separate teams with each subsequent roster approved by the Texas Sports & Social Club-Waco.

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Teams that dominate leagues will be moved to a appropriate league or asked to separate if Texas Sports & Social Club staff believe that the team intentionally lost the Playoff or Championship game to circumvent the rules.

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Season Abandonment

Registered teams that miss two weeks of play will be considered to have abandoned their place in the league. Teams in this category will be contacted by a Texas Social Sports Club staff member to confirm their status. Teams failing to respond within two business days will be removed from the Season schedule and will forfeit their registration fees. Teams that do respond will be required to supply reasoning for lack of attendance and petition the league for reinstatement. Season abandonment and reactivation decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of the league management and must be resolved before returning to play in the current Season or in subsequent Seasons.

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Pre-Registered Player/Substitute

A team may pick up a substitute player for regular season games when they have a roster player that will not be able to attend their scheduled game. The player who is subbing will need to create an account and purchase a game sub pack. 

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• If a team is short the required number of players in a regular season game, they may invite players from other teams within the division. Subs from within the division are subject to the Referee’s discretion. Teams can only invite enough Subs from within the division to meet the maximum number of players allowed on court plus one additional player to rotate in.

• Substitute players from within the division should be the last one to cycle into the game (barring gender requirements). If players from a team’s roster arrive late, the Subs from within the division must rotate out.

• Substitutions from outside the division are allowed. Substitutions during the Playoffs are not permitted. Teams using pre-registered substitutes may not exceed the headcount of their original roster, and individuals may not serve as a pre-registered substitute player more than 3 times during a Season.

• Substitute players must check in with the Host onsite to receive a league issued pinnie to wear in the Game. Substitute players must leave a form of identification with the Host in exchange for the participation pinnie. The ID will be returned to the player when the pinnie is turned in after the Game.​

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Team T-Shirts

T-shirts will be provide by the second week of the season.  All teams may bring a light color and dark color shirt.  All official players on the roster must have the same color shirt.

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While shirt customization is allowed, teams/players must abide by the following rules when personalizing shirts:

• No company names or logos

• No offensive language

• No design that obscures or alters the Texas Social Sports Club logo

Names, nicknames, numbers, and team logos are all welcome additions to the Team T-Shirts. Please also feel free to bedazzle, tie-dye, or apply patches to them, if you are so inclined.​

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Alcohol, Controlled Substance, and Safety Policy

Individuals (players, fans, or friends of players) will, at the discretion of Texas Social Sports Club, be ejected immediately if any of the following are true:

• found bringing excessive alcohol, weapons, or controlled substances to any venue or sponsor bar in use by Texas Social Sports Club

• suspected of excessive pre-game alcohol consumption

• suspected of abusing a controlled substance

• deemed unruly or a danger to themselves or others at any time

• Anyone who is ejected from one of our venues or sponsor bars will be required to petition the Club for reinstatement before participating in or attending any subsequent Texas Social Sports Club event.​

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These policies are in place for the safety, enjoyment, and continued camaraderie of all players, the sponsoring venues, sponsor bars, and the entire Club.

 

Note: Players must wear appropriate colored, league-issued Team T-Shirts during games.

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Sportsmanship

​Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Any participant that does not conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner will be removed from the game.

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Types of Illegal Conduct:

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Unsportsmanlike conduct includes the following:

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• Arguing with an official or with other players.

• Abusive or insulting language to a player or official.

• Throwing the ball at another player in an unsportsmanlike manner.

• Abuse of the “honor system.”

• Harassing others

• Acting inappropriately when challenging a refs call

• Not maintaining an attitude that is consistent with Texas Sports SC’s core values

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In the event of unsportsmanlike conduct the following penalties will be sequentially enforced:

 

1st SMH-Team captain has a talk with the individual, notifies the League Coordinator

 

2nd SMH- The League Coordinator has a talk with the individual and suspended for one game

 

3rd SMH-Individual switches to a different team of The League Coordinator’s choosing

 

4th SMH-Removal from league and/or club

 

Fighting: Fighting will result in a player’s permanent suspension from participation in Texas Sport & Social Club

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 Ejected Participants

​Any ejected individual must get approval by Texas Social Sports Club prior to attending or participating in future Club games, leagues, or hosted events, including Post-Game Parties. Attempted participation without approval is subject to further penalties. Rulings may include, but are not limited to, probation, game/league suspension, or permanent expulsion.

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Playoffs & Awards

• Regular season team standings are determined by number of wins, then head to head, then point differential

• Top 4 teams will advance to the Playoffs.​

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MOST IMPORTANTLY!

THIS IS A SOCIAL LEAGUE: Have fun and make new friends. The game may or may not go your way!

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