Club Sport Kids Soccer

Soccer is the most popular game on the planet! It is one of the easiest for young children to learn and promotes fitness and exercise as players are constantly running and moving. Below are the general rules of soccer. The table shows the variations for the rules for the different age groups offered.

Rule of play	3-4 & 5-6 year olds	7-9 year olds	10-12 year olds
Referees used?	No	Yes	Yes
Coaches allowed on field?	Yes	Yes	No
End of game parent tunnel run?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Approx field size	20 yds x 40 yds	30 yds x 70 yds	30 yds x 70 yds
Game length	Two 15-20 min halves	Four 8 minute quarters	Four 12 min quarters
Goal size	6' x 4'	12' x 6'	12' x 6'
Players on field	4v4 or 5v5	5v5 or 6v6	5v5 or 6v6
Team size	8-10 max	8-10 max	8-10 max
Score officially kept?	No	No	No
Goalies used?	Not usually, but up to coaches	Yes	Yes
Offsides?	No	Yes, but lax	Yes, but lax
Throw in?	Not required, but can be used by players	Yes	Yes
Ball size	3	4	4

The coach represents a role model, teacher, and mediator for the team. For the 3-4, 5-6, and 7-9 year olds, the coach may be on the field to help direct the children and guide them. Coaches should try to remain on the sidelines for the 10-12 year olds. Good coaching information for Club Sport Kids can be found on our Soccer Coaches Page.

All coaches and parents are encourage to maintain that all players share equal playing time. The purpose of the league is for fun and exercise, not winning. Substitutions can be made at any time.

All coaches, parents, representatives, etc, share in the responsibility for the success of our league, and for maintaining our reputation as a home of good sportsmanship, character, and class.

Any coaches or parents displaying unsportsmanlike conduct may be asked to leave the playing area for the duration of the game.

Coaches will be aware of the score, even thought it's not officially kept, at all times and will actively refrain from running it up. Scores of 9-1 and 11-2 don't make our league stronger, instead they have the opposite effect. Coaches are expected to reposition stronger/advanced players when ahead by three goals or more.

Since no refs are used, no fouls are called in the 3-6 age groups. But any player playing too aggressive or hitting, pushing, or kicking other players should be pulled for a "breather" by the coach and/or parent. For other age groups, it is important that all coaches and players learn the rules of the game and associated tactics. We encourage you to do this outside of practice and games. Learning the rules will also help parents enjoy the games. Soccer, like all games, has a number of rules and buzzwords. Here are a few key terms to understand. They may or may not be called precisely as worded to ensure smooth play and encourage learning the game:

Throw-in . when the whole of the ball passes over a sideline, either on the ground or in the air, it shall be thrown in from the point where it crossed the line, in any direction, by a player of the team opposite to that of the player who last touched it. The thrower at the moment of delivering the ball must be: Facing the field of play, touching the ground with both feet (neither of which are in the field of play), and delivering the ball from behind and over the head using both hands. Throw-ins are not required for all ages.

Offside - Offsides is taught in the upper age groups but may only be called in certain instances. Since it can be a hard concept to grasp, calling it every time would take away from the flow and enjoyment of the game. It is at the discretion of the ref.

A player in an offside position is only penalized if, at the moment the ball touches or is played by another team member, the player is, in the opinion of the referee involved in active play by:

Free Kicks Free kicks and penalties can be difficult to understand. It is essential that all players understand the referees signal on free kicks. An indirect free kick is signaled by a raised hand, which remains raised until the kick is taken. Players can score directly from a corner, a penalty, a kick-off or a direct free kick.

Handball . deliberate handling of the ball; carrying, propelling, or striking the ball with the hands or arms.

Ball In and Out of Play - The ball is out of play when it has wholly crossed the goal-line or side-line, either on the ground or in the air, or when play has been stopped by the referee. When cones are used as lines, this is obviously an approximate call. The ball is in play at all times, except as listed above, and including: If it rebounds off of a goalpost, corner flag, referee, or coach, on all throw-ins, goal kicks, corner kicks, or free kicks when the action is taken.

Goal Kick . when the whole of the ball crosses over the goal-line (not in the goal), either in the air or on the ground, having last been touched by a member of the attacking team it shall be kicked into play by the defending team inside the goal area.

Corner Kick . when the entire ball crosses over the goal-line (not in the goal), either in the air or on the ground, having last been touched by a member of the defending team it shall be kicked into play by the attacking team in the corner nearest to where the ball left the field of play. All defending players must be at least 5 yards away from the ball. There are no corner kicks at U6.

Second Touch . a player putting the ball into play cannot touch the ball again until it has been touched or played by another player; violation will result in a free kick for the opposing team.

If you want more information on the soccer laws go to www.fifa.com, where all 17 laws are described in detail