See the full Fall 2017 Playoff Bracket
Playoff Playing Time and Policies
Regulation Time Playing Policies (see Extra Time “Overtime” policy below)
U9 & U10: (no change from regular season)
Playing time: 3/4 rule applies to all players on the team (no one plays the entire game unless everyone else has played 3 quarters). No one shall play goalkeeper for more than half the game. Any player that does play two quarters as goalkeeper must also play the other two quarters on the field. Adherence to the playing time policy is the responsibility of the Coach, not the Referee nor the Assistant Referee. Any violation of the playing time policy will result in a (post-game) forfeit against the offending team. Players arriving after the game has begun shall be played as follows: A player arriving only prior to the “2nd quarter” must play a minimum of 2 quarters of the game. A player arriving only prior to the “3rd quarter” must play a minimum of one quarter of the game. A player arriving only prior to the “4th quarter” is not required to play. These are MINIMUM playing times. A coach may choose to play a late arriving player more than the minimum.
U12: (no change from regular season)
Playing time: 3/4 rule applies to all players on the team (no one plays the entire game unless everyone else has played 3 quarters). No player shall play goalkeeper for more than two quarters. In the event that a team has less than 12 players at a particular game AND a player plays as goalkeeper for two quarters, that player must play the other two quarters on the field. Adherence to the playing time policy is the responsibility of the Coach, not the Referee nor the Assistant Referee. Any violation of the playing time policy will result in a (post-game) forfeit against the offending team. Players arriving after the game has begun shall be played as follows: A player arriving only prior to the “2nd quarter” must play a minimum of 2 quarters of the game. A player arriving only prior to the “3rd quarter” must play a minimum of one quarter of the game. A player arriving only prior to the “4th quarter” is not required to play. These are MINIMUM playing times. A coach may choose to play a late arriving player more than the minimum.
U14: (no change from regular season)
Playing time: 3/4 rule applies to all players on the team (no one plays the entire game unless everyone else has played 3 quarters). Adherence to the playing time policy is the responsibility of the Coach, not the Referee nor the Assistant Referee. Any violation of the playing time policy will result in a (post-game) forfeit against the offending team. Players arriving after the game has begun shall be played as follows: A player arriving only prior to the “2nd quarter” must play a minimum of 2 quarters of the game. A player arriving only prior to the “3rd quarter” must play a minimum of one quarter of the game. A player arriving only prior to the “4th quarter” is not required to play. These are MINIMUM playing times. A coach may choose to play a late arriving player more than the minimum. Any player may play as goalkeeper any number of “quarters”. However, it is highly recommended that if a player plays ¾ of the game as goalkeeper, that player should also play on the field for ¼ of the game.
IF THE GAME IS TIED AFTER REGULATION TIME:
Only 14U Divisions will have overtime periods for this Saturday & Sunday. U9-U12 will proceed directly to Penalty Kicks if the game is tied after regular time. For Semi-final and Finals, all Divisions will have overtime periods.
Extra Time (“Overtime”) Playing time: all players on the team shall play at least 50% of the overtime period. There are NO goalkeeper restrictions in the overtime period.
Kicks From The Mark: Any player on the team may take part in the Initial Group of Five Kicks From the Mark (NOT only those players on the field at the end of regulation or overtime). No player shall be allowed to take a second kick until all players on the team have taken their first kick.
Despite the added pressure of playoffs, please remember to respect the officials, control your sideline and let the players play. Have fun and good luck to all.
If your team does not advance but has the opportunity to play a consolation game, please participate and let your kids get an extra game in. There is no substitute for game experience.