Lancaster Area Girls Soccer
Rules and policies (as of 8/6/07)
LAGS philosophy: to promote and encourage the participation and growth of girls recreational soccer in lancaster county and surrounding areas. This will be accomplished by the cooperative effort of all participating soccer clubs with these mutual interests and goals. The emphasis should always be put on participation rather than winning and competition.
1) Rosters: must be provided to LAGS age group coordinator on date indicated at pre-season meeting. Team rosters must be in writing and include at least the following:
- coach's name and phone number
- player's name and birth date.
Any changes to the roster must be provided to the LAGS age group coordinator prior to the player participating in a match.
2) Club Eligibility: In order for a club to join LAGS, the following criteria must be met:
a) club must be registered with EPYSA
b) must be approved for acceptance by the board and club representatives.
c) must agree to abide by all LAGS rules and policies.
d) all clubs will have equal voting rights.
3) Team Eligibility: In order for a team to participate, the following criteria must be met:
a) the team must be an intramural team. No type of tryout for selection may be used.
b) all players must abide by usysa/epysa age group guidelines.There is one exception to this rule: each team that is in the oldest age group that a club is fielding may have up to three players on the team which are no more than one birth-year older than the age-group that the team is participating in.
c) in the spirit of fairness, member clubs that have more than one team in an age group shall try to balance the teams reasonably equally in regard to age and skill level.
d) teams in which coaches/parents have left a member club with the intention of establishing their own "select" team will not be eligible for play in the league.
4) Player Eligibility: in order to participate in LAGS league play, players must meet the following criteria:
a) Must be female.
b) Must be currently registered with epysa.
c) Must be an intramural player. Can not be "carded" on any travel or premier team roster. Select team players who are not on a travel team roster are eligible to play.
d) If a player has a club in the school district that she lives, and that club has the age group which she is in, that player must play for that club. An exception to this rule is players whose private school, church, etc. Has a team. In this case, that player could play for that team even though a club within the school district she lives in may exist. (this rule was created to eliminate the possibility of one club recruiting players from another.)
e) A player can only play for one team per season, unless a second team is in an older age bracket.
f) A player in 9, 10, 11 or 12th grade playing for a junior varsity or varsity high school team is ineligible to play on a LAGS recreational team.
g) 7th & 8th graders playing for a junior high or "freshman" team will be allowed to participate. Players on these teams will be noted on intramural team rosters by their club representative. Teams of similar caliber will then be scheduled to play each other.
h) Players who have graduated high school, but still meet the under-19 age requirement as well as all other eligibility requirements are permitted to play in LAGS.
5) Game Lengths: The following game lengths must be used during all LAGS matches:
U10 - 12 minute quarters
U12 - 15 minute quarters
U14 - 18 minute quarters
U16 - 40 minute halves
U19 - 45 minute halves
6) Ball Size: The following ball sizes must be used during LAGS matches:
U10 --- #4 U14 --- #5 U19 --- #5
U12 --- #4 U16 --- #5
7) Number of Players: All age groups with the exception of under-10's will field 11 players. Under-10 teams will field either 8 or 6 players per side depending upon their division.
8) Playing Rules: With the exceptions contained within these rules and policies, all FIFA rules apply at all age levels.
a) The home team is responsible for:
1) Insuring that fields are adequately marked and equipment is safe.
2) Wearing alternate shirts or pinnies in the case of an opponent with a similar color.
3) Providing a qualified referee. In the event of a referee no-show, a referee shall be chosen with mutual consent of both coaches. No games will be played without a referee.
b) Substitutions:
1) On throw-ins, the team with possession may substitute without limit. The team without possession may also substitute without limit as long as:
a) the team with possession is substituting players
b) all players are at
mid-field ready for substitution
when the ball leaves
play.(players will not be able to enter the game from the "bench"
area, and, all substitutes must wait to be called onto the
field by the referee.)
2) Both teams may substitute without limit:
a) on either team's goal kick
b) on either team's kick-off
c) at the beginning of each quarter/half
3) There are no substitutions on a corner kick.
4) In the case of an injured player, each team may substitute one player.
5) All substitutions will occur at the mid-field line, with permission of the referee.
9) Forfeits: the following criteria will be used to determine forfeits:
a) Teams must have 7 players to start a match. If at the scheduled start time, a team has fewer than 7 players, the referee should allow a 15 minute delay. After 15 minutes of delay, any team without at least 7 players ready to play will forfeit. (under-10 teams in the 8v8 division must have 6 players to start a match. Those in the 6v6 division must have 5 players to start a match.)
b) A team that does not have an adult coach at the match will not be allowed to play and will be considered to have forfeited.
c) A team which uses a non-rostered or ineligible player in a match will be charged with a forfeit.
d) A team/club which does not properly follow the rain-out policy and causes another team to arrive at a field without a match will be charged with a forfeit.
e) A forfeit will be scored as 1-0 and the club will be fined $25.00 payable to LAGS.
f) A club may appeal any forfeit assessment by doing so in writing to the commissioner.
10) Rain-Out/Field Condition Policy: In the event of bad weather or any other reason that a field becomes unplayable, the following procedure should be followed:
a) Unless the home team notifies the opposing coach at least two hours prior to the scheduled start, the teams must meet at the field. It will then be the referee's decision if the match is played.
b) It is the home team's responsibility to notify the referee if the game is cancelled.
c) Teams should attempt to make up all cancelled games prior to the end of the season.
11) Playing Time: In keeping with the philosophy and goals of LAGS, each player must play at least one half of each match.
12) Roster Size: While there is no limit as to the number of players that teams can carry on a roster, a team may only play a maximum of 22 at any single match and still be able to conform to rule 11 above. Under-10 teams in the 8v8 division may only play a maximum of 16 at any single match. Those in the 6v6 division, a maximum of 12.
13) Coaches Mobility: Coaches' mobility will be restricted from the halfway line to approximately the 25-yard line on their own half without switching at halftime. All team coaches must be on the same side of the field as their team. No more than 3 coaches on the team side of the field. It is recommended that teams and coaches be on one side of the field and fans on the other side.
14) "Romp Rule": It is recommended that no team run up the score on another team. When the score differential in a match reaches five, it is recommended that the team leading take appropriate measures to try to make the game more competitive.
15) Recreational Philosophy: No recreational player shall be subject to tryouts, invitations, recruiting or any process to roster players selectively to any team on the basis of talent or ability. There shall be a system in place within each member club to create a fair and balanced distribution of playing talent among the teams participating. No player shall be denied participation due to talent or ability. All players must play the minimum 50% of the game except for reasons of injury, illness or discipline.
These rules were adopted by the LAGS club representatives on 8/6/07. All member clubs have agreed to abide by them.