Below are the general rules for 3 v 3 soccer games. I provided some notes for our league since we do not use formal referees for our games. If there are any questions or clarifications required please let me know.
3 vs 3 game rules:
Game Coordination/Refereeing: Since the St. Barnabas fall soccer league is purely recreational, there are no referees assigned to games. The coaches are responsible for facilitating the games, calling fouls and keeping the overall flow of the game going. The spirit of the league is to teach the fundamentals of soccer, good sportsmanship and to get some exercise so games should be conducted with those thoughts in mind.
Team size and participation: The games will generally be played 3 v 3 but the coaches can play 4 v 4 to ensure equal playing time for all players during the game. Coaches should work to ensure all kids have an equal opportunity to play.
Game Duration: The game shall consist of two 12-minute halves separated by a three minute halftime period. There are no timeouts and the Game Clock does not stop in 3v3 games. The coaches can agree who will keep time and if the teams will switch sides after half-time. Exact timing and game duration is left to discretion of the coaches.
Substitution: Substitutions may be made during dead-ball situations, regardless of possession. Substitutions should not be made on the fly.
No Offsides, No Slide Tackling: If a player is sliding, no contact is allowed. If a player slides and contact is initiated, a free kick shall be awarded. This does not prevent players from sliding to stop/intercept a ball where contact is not initiated during the slide. Example: a player may slide to save a ball from going out-of-bounds. All other fouls should be called using common sense on the part of the coaches (no pushing, no kicking, etc) and generally follow along with the kids playing fair.
Player Cautions and Ejections (Yellow Cards/Red Cards): The St. Barnabas fall league does not use formal caution or ejection (red or yellow card) rules. Coaches should use their discretion to ensure the games are played fairly and with minimal fouling. Coaches should sub out any players not playing within the bounds of fair play and review the player conduct before putting them back in the game.
Kick Off: Will be taken from the center of the field and can go in any direction.
Five Yard Rule: In all dead-ball situations, defending players must stand at least five yards away from the ball. If the defensive player’s goal is closer than five yards, the ball shall be played five yards from the goal box in line with the direction of play prior to the penalty.
Direct & Indirect Kicks: All dead-ball kicks (kick-ins, kick-offs, free kicks) are indirect with the exception of corner kicks.
Kick-Ins: The ball shall be kicked into play from the sideline instead of thrown in. The ball is considered in play when the ball is touched and moves one full rotation.
Goal Kicks and Corner Kicks: Goal kicks may be taken from any point of the end line. If a ball goes over the end line was last touched by the offensive team, the defending team plays the ball in with a goal kick. If a ball goes over the end line was last touched by the defensive team, the offensive team plays the ball in with a corner kick.
