• 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. If not provided, bring a dark and light shirt if you can!

• 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 Forfeitin

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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 officials or game day coordinator.

 

Number of Players

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

 

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

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• If a team is short of the required number of players 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 may play with up to maximum amount of players allowed

 

 

Game Length/Structure and Scoring

16 minute halves for league play with  3-minute intermission.  Game time is kept by the Referee. There will be no overtime during the regular season.

 

Scores will be capped with an 8 goal differential. Play will continue, but no team will be awarded more than 8 more points than their opponent in the official scores / standings.

 

Points for a: Win: 3; Draw: 1; Loss: 0

 

 

Beginning the Game

Opening kickoff will be determined by a best of 3 games Rock, Paper, Scissors by the team captain.

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Playing the Game

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• Kick off

  • Opposing players must give 5 yards until ball is in play.

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• Offsides

  • No offside rules apply

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Goalkeeper

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The goalkeepers can only use their hands in the goal box, but may not touch the ball with their hands if a player on their own team has deliberately kicked it to them. Goalkeepers cannot drop-kick or punt the ball. They can only roll the ball underhand or set it down and kick it. Once the ball is set down, it cannot be picked up again. If the ball is picked up again, the opposing team receives an indirect kick from the spot of the retouch.

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Goalkeeper throwing infractions result in kick-ins for the opposing team from the touch-line (sideline) at mid-field.

 

Goal Kicks and Corner Kicks

Goal kicks occur when the ball lands on the net behind the goal after being touched last by the offensive team, at which point play is stopped. Goal kicks are indirect kicks and are taken from anywhere inside the penalty area.

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Corner kicks occur when the ball lands on the net behind the goal after being touched last by the defensive team, at which point play is stopped. Corner kicks are indirect.

 

Throw-Ins – Outdoor Soccer Only

To be out of bounds the entire ball must pass completely across the plane of the sideline. A legal throw-in must include both feet planted on the ground, ball must be thrown with two hands, and it must pass overhead.  If deemed an illegal throw, the thrower will have one more opportunity to complete the throw-in.  If they do not succeed on their second try, the ball will switch possession to the opposing team. All illegal throws will be called at the Ref’s discretion.

 

Handballs

Handballs are called at Ref’s discretion. The handballs that affect the flow or outcome of a play will be called. Many inadvertent incidents of contact between the ball and arm/hand area will go uncalled. Players may protect vital body parts from the ball with their hands as long as such movements are reactive in nature and close to the body. If the handball is intentional or impacts the flow or outcome of a play, the opposing team will receive an indirect kick at the placement of the infraction.

 

Officials (if applicable; see specific league for details.) 

 

Texas Sport & Social Club will provide an official for each match--the Texas Sport & Social Club official has final say over all decisions.

 

 

Fouls/Violations

If a foul is committed,

• Soccer is a minimum contact sport. However, some contact may occur, as long as it is done in a legal manner. It cannot be done by play that is careless, reckless, or with excessive force.

 

• Slide tackling a player is NOT allowed!  Doing so will result in suspension for the rest of the game.  If no opponents are nearby, a player may slide to intercept or direct the ball. No foul results.

 

Penalty Cards

 

YELLOW: Yellow cards are issued to players exhibiting any of the following behavior:

• Unsportsmanlike conduct

• Dissent by word or action to the Referee

• Delaying the restart of play (corner kick, free kick, goal kick, throw in, etc.)

• Failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted on a corner kick, free kick, goal kick, throw in, etc.

• Persistent fouling and physical play

Any player receiving a yellow card must be Substituted for, and may not return until the next legal Substitution opportunity. If the Referee stops the game for an injury, the injured player must be Substituted for and must sit out for 5 minutes of game time.

 

RED: Red cards are notifications that a player has been sent off/ejected from the game. Red cards are issued to players exhibiting any of the following behavior:

• Serious fouls and dangerous play

• Violent conduct

• Spitting at an opponent, teammate and/or Referee

• Denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity with a deliberate handball (does not apply to the goalkeeper within his/her goal box)

 

Substitutions

• Both teams may Substitute an unlimited number of players at anytime during play. The exiting player must be off the field prior to the Substitute entering the field. If the Referee stops the game for an injury, the injured player must be replaced by another player until the injured player recovers, or for a period of 5 minutes.

 

Equipment

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TXSports Waco will provide field lines.

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

 

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

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Team captains are responsible for bringing a regulation-sized Soccer ball size 5. The league will provide one as well.

 

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. 

 

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.

 

Rotation

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

 

Playoffs/Championship Overtime (PKs)

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

 

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.  

 

Forfeits

Teams should report to the field 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)

• No players from one gender are present(i.e. no female players present)

• Improper conduct by one or more players on any team

 

See Forfeit Policy

 

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.

 

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.

 

Pre-Registered Player/Substitute

A team may pick up a substitute player for regular season games, when the 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. 

 

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.

 

Team T-Shirts

Teams may purchase TXSportsWaco shirts or design their own.  All teams must bring a light color and dark color shirt.  All official players on the roster must have the same color shirt.

 

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

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• No company names or logos

• No offensive language

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

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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

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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:

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• found bringing 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

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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.

 

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

 

Sportsmanship

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

 

Unsportsmanlike conduct includes the following:

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

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Ejected Participants

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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.

 

Playoffs & Awards

Regular season team standings are determined by number of points, then head to head, then goal differential

Top 4 teams will advance to the Playoffs.

 

MOST IMPORTANTLY!

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