Inclement Weather

Living in New England, we are all quite accustomed to the torments of winter and being an indoor soccer facility allows you to participate regardless of the elements. In general, we will remain open unless we feel that extreme weather conditions make it unsafe.

Please understand that while we respect the decision of those who do not want to go out in inclement weather, we have found that many people prefer to continue on in a “business as usual” mode.

We operate anticipating that teams will show up and play as scheduled unless told otherwise. Please remember that referees are scheduled and there is an opposing team that will also be traveling and expecting to play. If your team does not show up, house rules will be enforced and the game will be considered a forfeit. There will be no makeup game scheduled for either team. The team that shows up will be allowed to practice on the field in the scheduled game time slot.

While we rarely shutdown the facility, in the event this becomes a necessity, the Allsport website will immediately be updated with the current status on our home page. We will generally be unable to makeup missed games, due to limited field availability. If a makeup date cannot be arranged and the game has playoff implications, final standings will be determined using the normal house rules for determining tiebreakers.

Refund and Returned Check Policy

Purchases and registrations made online or in the Arena are generally non-refundable. At our discretion, we may refund a clinic, league, or other payment if the event has not happened and there is sufficient cause for the request. In these cases, refunds may be provided as account credits for future programs. There will be a fee of $40 for all returned checks.

Photo/Video Policy

Allsport may from time to time take photographs  or video of players, coaches and fans in our arena to use for our website, social media, or printed materials. Additionally, there are security cameras in the Arena which are not routinely monitored, but might be used in the case of a dispute or crime. Anyone wishing to not have a photo of them used in the above manner is responsible to bring it to the attention of Allsport management.

Alcohol Policy

Alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the building or the parking lots.

Pet Policy

No pets are allowed inside the arena. Service animals are welcome and should be under the control of the owner at all times.

Fees

Team managers are responsible for team fees. It is their responsibility to collect pay collect money and pay team fees to Allsport before the second game of any session. Failure to pay fees may result in penalties or suspension from play. If payment is not made by week 5 of the session, we reserve the right to pursue collection action with the team manager.  

Youth teams have individual fees and collection is per player under the same terms.

Allsport management reserves the right to remove and prohibit access to Allsport property, temporarily or indefinitely to players, coaches, referees or spectators for illegal, immoral, offensive or inappropriate behavior as seen fit by the management.

The possibility of physical injury associated with sports is serious, so we expect all participants to act responsibly and show good judgement and sportsmanship when playing

Stand Against Hate

Allsport asks you to help us in standing up against hate. We have zero tolerance for actions or speech against people based on age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, nationality, race, immigration status, religion, or sexual orientation. A violation of our community standards of openness, support, and acceptance may lead to suspension or other actions at our discretion.

Coaches Code of Conduct

• Before, during, and after the game, be an example of dignity, patience and positive spirit
• Before a game, introduce yourself to the opposing coach and to the referee
• During the game you are responsible for the sportsmanship of your players. If one of your players is disrespectful, irresponsible or overly aggressive, take the player out of the game at least long enough for them to calm down.
• During the game, you are also responsible for the conduct of the parents of your players. It is imperative to explain acceptable player and parent behavior in a preseason meeting. Encourage them to applaud and cheer for the good plays by either team. Discourage them from yelling at players and the referee.
• During the game, do not address the referee at all. If you have a small issue, discuss it with the referee calmly and patiently after the game. If you have a major complaint, or if you think the referee was unfair, biased, unfit or incompetent, report your opinion to Allsport management.
• After the game, thank the referee and ask your players to do the same.

Referees

Referees – especially young and inexperienced ones – are like your players in that they need time to develop. You can play an important role in helping them to improve by letting them concentrate on the game. You can help by encouraging them, by accepting their inevitable, occasional mistakes and by offering constructive post-game comments. On the other hand, you could discourage and demoralize the referee by criticizing their decisions, by verbally abusing them and inciting – or even accepting – your own players overly aggressive behavior.

Your example is powerful, for better or worse. If you insist on fair play, if you concentrate on your players’ enjoyment of the game and their overall long-term development, and if you support the referee, your players and their parents will notice. If you encourage (or allow) your players to play outside the rules, if you’re overly concerned about results, if you criticize the referee harshly, your players and parents will notice. Think about what you’re doing during a game. Uphold the spirit of the game!

Coaches who don’t follow the expectations described above will be disciplined or removed.

Discipline

• Any player, coach or manager ejected from the game must leave the playing area and its immediate surrounding area (stands, benches, etc.) and is out for the next two weeks for all teams that he/she plays on.
• Any player, coach or manager receiving a combined total 2 red cards (ex: men’s 1 red card, co-ed 1 red card) during one session will be suspended for the remainder of that session and could be out for the season at the discretion of management
• Any violent action, verbal or physical abuse towards a referee, coach, player or spectator can result in suspension from Allsport

General League Policies

• Age groups may be combined to form leagues.
• Teams may be moved to different leagues based on skill level or registration numbers to accommodate fair, safe, and competitive play.
• No heading allowed in U8,U9, U10, or U11 leagues.
• The scoreboard in the Arena will reflect a maximum of a 5-goal differential for youth and 7 for adults. This is also what is used for calculating standings – there is no need to run up the score.

Rosters

• A player can only register with one team in a division.
• While our divisions are divided by gender, we encourage players to sign up for whatever division they feel is appropriate or matches their gender identity.
• Adult league players must be 18 years or older or have received permission for an exception to this age rule by management.
• Maximum of 18 players per team without a waiver from Allsport management.
• Minimum of 10 paid and rostered players per team. Teams with fewer than 10 players rostered may be required to accept free agents as additional players.
• Men’s over 40 leagues can have two players on their rosters between the ages of 35 & 40.
• The use of non-rostered players can result in a forfeit.
• If a team is short players at the start of the game and wants to ‘pick up’ extra players from the Arena, the opposing team can decide if they’d like to take a forfeit win or allow play with the extra players. Once the decision is made, it cannot be changed, regardless of the outcome of the game. The burden of notifying the ref/opposing team is on the team that picks up the players. If the team is not notified, they may later be awarded a forfeit win.

Forfeitures

• Teams must show up no later than five minutes after the game’s scheduled start time
• Forfeits are recorded as 5-0 game for youth and 7-0 for adults.

Reschedules

1.  Reschedule Requests will only be considered from teams that are in good standing. (Balance paid in full and have a completed roster with all players waivered.)

2. Games will be considered on as scheduled until BOTH teams agree to a date/time to reschedule. If a time cannot be agreed upon within 5 hours of Kickoff, the requesting team must confirm their attendance at the scheduled time or be subject to forfeit.

3. Reschedule requests will not be considered within 5 hours of Kickoff.

Protests

• All protests must be made within 60 minutes of the game, in writing, to the Allsport management.
• A $100.00 deposit must be made with the protest (refundable if protest is upheld).
• No protests will be allowed on judgment calls of the referee.
• All decisions by Allsport management are final.

Standings and Finals

• U11 divisions and up will have playoffs.
• Standings will be determined by points: 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie and no points for a loss.
• Top two teams are in finals.
• In the case where tied teams have no head to head games, Allsport at our discretion may require a semi-final game to determine a playoff spot.
• Tiebreakers:
  1. goal differential with a maximum of 5 per game (youth) and 7 per game (adult)
  2. fewest goals allowed
  3. head to head
  4. coin flip

  If three teams are tied:

  1. If one team is undefeated and untied against the other 2 teams
  2. goal differential
  3. if after breaking the 3-way tie, 2 teams are still tied, the tie breaker for those 2 teams is:
     • goal differential with a maximum of 5 per game
     • fewest goals
     • head to head
     • coin flip

House Rules of the Game

The Ball

• U-12 and under, size 4
• U-13 and up, size 5

Player Equipment

• Mandatory equipment: shin guards, shorts or athletic pants, flat soled soccer shoes, turf shoes with soft cleats, or flat soled sneakers, light and dark shirt each time you come to play.
• Players not complying with the mandatory equipment rule will be removed from the field and the team could be assessed a 2 minute penalty.

Number of Players

• 6 v 6 (5 field players and a keeper)
• Co-ed teams must have 2 female identifying players on the field at all times.

Youth Team Ages

• Per MYSA guidelines, except if modified for tournaments or leagues.
• At Allport’s discretion, players may be moved up or down with the goal of providing fair, competitive play.

Substitutions

• Unlimited on the fly (like hockey), with the player being substituted having to be off before another player can come on.
• Players coming off must be within 1yd of the boards before another player can come on, a violation of this rule can result in a 2 minute penalty.
• Players entering or leaving the field cannot participate in the play while they’re both are on the field.
• Jumping over the boards is not allowed and can result in a 2 minute penalty.

Time

• Each half will be 25 minutes (running time) long with a 2 minute half, no time-outs.
• The referee, at their discretion, may stop time for injuries or other long delays.
• Tournament times will be set in the tournament rules.
• In semi-finals and finals if tied at the end of regulation there will be a 5 minute sudden death overtime period. If still tied at the end of the 5 minute period there will be a shootout to determine the winner.

Free Kicks

• All free kicks on the small field are indirect.
• All free kicks on the large field are direct, including kickoffs.
• All players must be at least 10 feet from the ball; encroachment can result in a 2 minute penalty.
• All infractions within the red lines, but not in the box, resulting in a direct kick, will be taken from the red line.
• All free kicks must be taken within 10 seconds, if not the referee can award the ball to the other team.
• On a shootout, all players besides the kicker and goalie, must be behind the midline. (See ‘Shootouts’ below.)

Three-Line Rule

• The ball cannot be played in the air over ‘three lines’. The three lines include the red lines and midline.
•  A violation occurs when a player (goalie or field) propels the ball in the air across the two red lines and the midline toward the opponent’s goal without the ball first touching the perimeter wall or another player on the field of play.
• In the case of a violation, the defending team will be awarded a free kick on the opponent’s red line.
• A free kick taken from the red line is considered over the red line, and therefore cannot result in a three-line violation.

Referee cards (time penalties)

• Blue Card: a player receiving a blue card must leave the playing field for 2 minutes and the team must play short during the full 2 minutes even if a goal is scored, 2 blue cards for the same player results in a yellow card.
• Yellow Card: a player receiving a yellow card must leave the playing field for 5 minutes, and the team must play short during the full 5 minutes even if a goal is scored.
• Red Card: a player receiving a red card is ejected from the game and the team must play the rest of the match short handed; 2 yellow cards for the same player results in a red card. Players receiving a red card must leave the playing area and its immediate surrounding area (stands, benches, etc.) and is out for the next two weeks for all teams on which they play.
• Verbal abuse, from the bench or stands, directed at the referee can result in either a blue, yellow or red card for the bench player or audience, at the referee’s discretion.
• When a goalkeeper receives a card, they must serve the penalty, and the team can replace them with another player in goal.

Fouls & Misconduct Unique to Indoor Soccer

• 2 minute penalties
  • intentional boarding
  • slide tackles
  • delay of game
  • encroachment
  • jumping over the boards
  • illegal substitutions
  • 2 hands on boards to shield the ball
• 5 minute penalties
  • intentional boarding (more severe than 2 minute version)
  • slide tackles (more severe than 2 minute version)

Out of bounds

• All nets are out of bounds
• If the ball hits the side nets the ball is placed at the location it hit 1 yd from wall, except if it hits the side net inside the red line, in which case it is placed 1 yd from the walls at the red line.
• If the ball hits the top nets it is put in play where it hit the net, except if it hits within the red line area, in which case it goes to the red line.
• When the ball hits the nets the team that gains possession has 10 seconds to get the ball back in play or the referee can award the ball to the other team.
• If the ball hits the referee, it is considered ‘dead’ and is returned to the attacking team for a free kick.

Misc

• There is no offsides.
• The goalie can pick the ball up with their hands if passed back to them from within the red lines, players cannot bring the ball back into the red area and then pass it back for the goalie to pick up.
• The ball can only be played back to the keeper inside the red line and picked up once in a possession – in other words, the keeper can’t repeatedly pickup balls bassed back within the red line, unless there is play outside the red line area in between. 
• All infractions within the red lines, resulting in a direct kick, will be taken from the red line
• Delaying of the game can be a 2 minute penalty, if this delaying of the game and receiving a 2 minute penalty is used as a tactic to run the clock out, the referee can award the other team a penalty kick

The following are NOT allowed:

• Spitting on the field – Spitting is unsanitary, unsightly, and potentially dangerous. Please refrain or spit into trash cans on the side of the field. Spitting on the field will be penalized with a blue card.
• Slide tackles. (Sliding to reach a ball if there are no other players around IS allowed, but sliding near other players is NOT.)
• Boarding – hitting, or pushing players into the boards.
• Goalie punting or drop kicking. The goalkeeper must play the ball from their hands (throw) or off the ground – no bounce kicks.
• Two hands on the boards while shielding the ball is not allowed. (Two hands CAN be placed on the boards to break a fall or protect yourself from crashing into the boards.)

Time penalties/cards are at the sole discretion of the referees.

All cases not covered by the above are governed by fifa laws of the game and the Official Rules of US Indoor Soccer.

Allsport arena reserves the rights to change or amend any rule at any time of the soccer season.

Build-Out Line Initiative Adoption

Starting with the January session 2018 onwards, Allsport Arena will be using “build-out lines” for all small field games. The decision to add build-out lines is to help teams comply with one of US Soccer’s Initiatives for youth player development.

Field Setup

On the small field, the red line serves as the build out line.  The referee will confirm with each coach where the line is before the start of the game.  The referee will also help the coaches remind their players to retreat behind this line.

Goal Kicks

When a team is awarded a goal kick, the defending team must retreat past the build out line in a timely fashion. Once the ball is put into play, the defending team may pressure the ball. The attacking team may choose to restart play before the defending team retreats to the build out line; when this occurs, the defending team may pressure the ball as normal.

Goalkeeper Possession With Hands

The same “retreating” process also occurs when the goalkeeper has possession of the ball in their hands. The goalkeeper may distribute the ball by roll, throw, or put the ball on the ground and pass it. The goalkeeper is prohibited from punting or drop-kicking the ball and must play the ball from the ground (not off a double bounce). Violations result in an indirect free kick awarded to the opposing team from the middle of the red line.

The goalkeeper may choose to distribute the ball before the defending team retreats to the build out line; when this occurs, the defending team may pressure immediately. 

A build-out line has been used across the world as a development aid to young players who often have trouble re-starting play from goal-kicks and is used to promote goalkeepers to play a short pass instead of drop kick or a punt.  Here are some benefits to this and some ideas to consider as we implement this initiative.

1. Possession soccer starts with the goalkeeper playing an easy short pass to their nearest supporting player.
2. Kids learn by imitation and seeing what works.  This first easy pass can begin a cascading effect of easy controlled passes, thereby slowing down the game.  Encourage your kids to make the easy pass, as fast as possible using the inside of their foot.
3. Because your keeper and supporting players will have time, have your defenders go wide to the side boards to receive either a pass or a roll of the ball.  This widening of the field is the first step in creating space going forward.
4. Have your center player occupy space in the middle of the field behind the build out line.  If your keeper elects to play the ball to this player, this player can then play the ball wide if needed.
5. Today’s modern game requires goalkeepers to be involved in the game.  Encourage them to use their feet to make a pass.

If you have any questions, please ask the referee or let us know.