SIASL RULES AND REGULATIONS

I. All teams must have a minimum of 15 players.

II. Each team member must provide the following to the league:

III. Once a Registration Form is submitted to the Registrar and teams chosen, a player may only be released from that team upon approval by the SIASL President.

IV. The SIASL reserves the right to turn down anybody deemed unsuitable to play in this league or trying to enter it under false pretences.

V. Any player participating in another soccer league of any kind must have permission from the team coach and the League President to play in the SIASL. This permission must be in writing and directed to the SIASL President. In addition, any player under 17 allowed by the Board to play will require the signature of one parent and the player on the Registration Form.

VI. Every team is responsible for the conduct of its players, officials, and known followers and must take necessary precautions to prevent their players/spectators from threatening or assaulting game officials or the other team players prior, during and after the game.

VII. All instances of alleged, serious misconduct will be taken up by the Trial Board upon the submission of a written complaint (see paragraph XXII). This board shall consist of a Captain from each team or his/her designated representative, and one member from the SIASL Board chosen by the President. None of the team representatives or the SIASL Board member can participate on the Trial Board if they will be testifying before the Trial Board or submitting statements to the Trial Board. The SIASL Board representative shall organize the date, time and location for the Trial Board and coordinate with each team to understand who will represent them. He or she shall also coordinate the collection of statements to be reviewed by the Trial Board. The SIASL Board representative will be an active participant on the Trial Board during all discussions, but will not vote except to break a tie. The Trial Board will attempt to meet within 1 week of the alleged serious misconduct, review the information gathered, determine whether or not any action is warranted, and recommend any punishment, if appropriate. Recommendations must pass by a majority vote of the Trial Board and all results and recommendations will be forwarded to the SIASL Board President. The President will notify the player(s) of the outcome from the Trial Board and their right to appeal any punishment to the full SIASL Board.

VIII. Any player, official, team member or known team follower who physically attacks a referee at any game played shall be suspended for a minimum of one year. Verbal attacks on referees will also warrant suspensions to be determined by the Trial Board.

IX. Game Rules: FIFA rules govern except as noted below:

X. Inclement Weather Policy: If poor weather prohibits playing a match, the SIASL President or Vice President will notify each team captain as soon as the decision is made. Each team captain is responsible for notifying his/her team by whatever means they see fit.

XI. The Treasurer will ensure the Referees are paid before each game.

XII. Scoring: 3 points for a win, 1 points for a tie and 0 points for a loss. Forfeits will be scored as a 2-0 game. League standings will be based on the team with the most points.

XIII. If Assistant Referees are not utilized by the league for any match, then the game will be officiated using 2 Referees.

XIV. Both teams are responsible for cleaning up any trash on their side of the field prior to departing.

XV. Player Misconduct:

  1. Red Card: Any player who receives a red card will be immediately ejected from the game and cannot be replaced. This player is automatically suspended for a minimum of one game which can be extended by the Board depending on the seriousness of the offense.
  2. Yellow Cards in one game: Any player who receives 2 yellow cards in one game must leave the game immediately, but CAN be replaced. No further penalty is incurred.
  3. Yellow Cards in each of 2 games in one season: Any player who receives 2 yellow cards in 2 different games is automatically suspended for one game. Additional suspension may be recommended by the Board depending on the seriousness of the misconduct.
XVI. A slide tackle is considered dangerous play because of its potential to harm players, therefore prohibited and penalized with an indirect free kick. If in the opinion of the referee, a slide tackle in the penalty area prevents a goal scoring opportunity it will result in a direct free kick from the penalty spot.
A slide tackle is defined as a tackle in which a player attempts to disrupt the play or get possession of the ball from an opposing player by deliberately leaving his or her feet and sliding along the ground with one leg extended and the opposing player in playing distance.

XVII. Each team must designate a team captain on the field. Only team captains are allowed to talk with the referee.

XVIII. Absolutely no "Guest Players" will be allowed to play. This creates serious liability issues for the league and is unfair to the other teams. Only players "officially registered" with the SIASL will be allowed to play. "Officially registered" means a completed SIASL form, a completed and signed ISSA form, a copy of their driver's license and a check must be in the hands of the Registrar or President BEFORE the start of the game.

If any team believes the opposing team has an unregistered player, they can inform the Referee immediately, at half-time or right after the game. The Referee will discuss this with the Team Captain and may request an official team roster. If the player is determined to be an unregistered player, the Referee will declare a Forfeit immediately and remove the player from the field. They will, however, allow both teams to complete the entire game regardless of when the Forfeit is declared.

XIX. To be eligible for any All-Star team or Traveling team, each player must have played in at least half the games up to that point.

XX. Rescheduling of Games:

  1. Once the game schedule for the season is published, it cannot be changed except by the Board President. Any changes due to weather or unforeseen problems will be corrected by the President.
  2. If any team determines they will not be able to field the minimum of 8 players for any given game, they may either forfeit the game in advance or coordinate another day/time for the game with the other Team Captain. Both Team Captains must agree to this change. Also, any game changes MUST be communicated to the President no later than 5 days prior to the scheduled game. This must occur in order to give the League time to coordinate the referee changes and field changes. Any requests for schedule changes less than 5 days prior to the scheduled game will result in a forfeit.
XXI. Absentee Players: Any player absent for 4 of the first 5 games may be declared an Absentee Player by the Team Captain after the 5th game. This rule does not apply to players with injuries. Upon notification by the Team Captain of this Absentee Player, the next available player on the waiting list will be assigned to this team by the SIASL President.

Any player absent for 50% or more of the games in any season will be considered an Absentee Player. Team Captains will submit the names of all Absentee Players at the end of each season and if these players register again the following season they will be taken off their previous team and placed in the player pool. They will then be reassigned to another team with all the new players after registration is complete.

XXII. Complaint Procedure: Any time a player feels another player is behaving in an unsportsmanlike manner and wishes to pursue a complaint against this player, they should follow the following process:

  1. Notify your Team Captain so he/she can discuss this unsportsmanlike conduct with the Referee and request the Referee observe the player in question for the remainder of the game. Also, politely explain the issue with the opposing Team Captain and request he/she help to resolve the problem.
  2. After the game is over, if a player still wishes to pursue the matter, both Team Captains and the players in question should immediately meet to discuss the issue while everyone's memories are still fresh. If there are witnesses to the alleged incident, they should also be brought into the discussion.

    Note: this is where 99% of all complaints should be resolved!

  3. If the player making the complaint is not satisfied with the results of this discussion, the player and his/her Team Captain may file an official, written complaint with the SIASL Board President within 48 hours of the alleged, serious misconduct. The complaint must include:

  4. Upon receipt of the complaint, the Board President (after consultation with the entire Board) will determine if the complaint should go before the Trial Board or can be handled by the SIASL Board. If the SIASL Board feels the complaint should go before the Trial Board, the Board President will follow the procedures per paragraph VI. Otherwise the President shall try to resolve the issue or bring it before the entire SIASL Board.

  5. All complaints should follow the procedure above or they will be returned to the team for further discussion.