Mens Division

The Free Reformed Soccer Association has adopted the following custom rules that apply in addition to the official FIFA Laws of the Game:

1) Every player must observe the laws of the game as detailed in the "Laws of the Game" (as accessed in more detail here), the official FIFA rules governing the game of football. The version of rules published at the commencement of the season will apply for the duration of that season. Every player is expected to maintain good conduct both on and off the field.

2) If any player has been shown a card during a match, the umpire has the right to take back the card. This decision must be done before 8pm on match day and must be communicated to the umpire coordinator, the player involved and his or her captain.

3) If a player believes that the case has not been treated properly, the player must approach their captain. The captain if they agree with the player, must then inform the umpire coordinator of the issue by no later than the following Monday by 8pm. The umpire coordinator will then contact the umpire (and linesman if required) to come to an understanding of the issue. It is then up to the umpire coordinator to uphold or withdraw the card with the approval of the EC.

4) Substitutions must be conducted in compliance with FIFA Law 3.

5) All substitution of players must be done only with the permission of the referee. There will be no limit to the number of substitutions made by a team during the game, except that no substitutions will be granted in the last 5 minutes of the game unless due to injury. Substitutions must take place in accordance with the FRSL Interchange Procedure.

6) Any team with less than 7 registered players (whether they be team players or pool players) at the scheduled start of the match will forfeit that match. If a scratch match is played, no records will be kept.

• Consequence: Lack of players leading to forfeiture of the match awards the match points (3) plus two goals to nil score line in favour of the opposing team.

7) A captain may make up to 14 players from the pool and his own team ONLY, provided the arrangements are concluded prior to 8:00pm Thursday night. A captain may not use players from other registered teams to compile a full team. All arrangements are to be made through the relevant Men's or Ladies Coordinator:

• Each week the captain must advise their Division Coordinator of how many pool players they need (i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4 etc).

• The pool players will then be divided as equally and proportionally as possible with the emphasis on teams having 11 players before the rest of the pool players are distributed.

• For example if 1 team asks for 4 and another for 2, and 4 players are available, the first team will receive 3 and the other 1. However, if the team that asked for 4 has 11 of its own players, and the team that asked for 2 has only 9 of its own players, then the team with 9 will get 2 and the team with 11 will get 2.

• The Coordinator will inform the Captains who the pool players are that will play for them.

8) If a team plays a registered or non-registered player that is not part of their team, and has not been arranged with the Coordinator, the team will lose 1 point for every player who has illegally played. (Note: The Umpire cannot make any decisions with regards to pool players on game day).

9) Each member of a team and pool players shall wear their team shirt, socks, shorts and approved shin pads and regulation soccer boots for the duration of the match. All socks and shorts must be black (or nominated team colour). Any player not abiding by this ruling will receive a yellow card in the first break of play once play has commenced. No jewellery may be worn at any time.

10) If a player is shown a red card, he/she must immediately leave the field and shall forfeit the right to play, as per the Discipline schedule. The Umpire may recommend, and may consult the player reps and/or captains an extension or reduction in the suspension. This must be informed to the Umpire Coordinator, the player concerned and the player’s captain.

11) Temporary dismissals will not be used in any division.

12) If a player receives a second yellow card in one match the player must immediately leave the field and he/she will be suspended accordingly as per Discipline schedule.

13) Players that are found to be abusing/slandering umpires and linesman (apart from general dissent which will be treated in the game by yellow or red cards) will be suspended for a minimum of two weeks. Depending on the seriousness of the matter at hand this suspension could be lengthened.

14) Matches that are abandoned will be deemed a nil all draw, with one (1) match point awarded to each team.

15) Playing fees must be paid in full on registration. Non-payment of all fees excludes from the right to participate. Pool Players will pay a deposit and a certain amount for each game.

16) All teams are requested to help clean up at the end of each week's games.

17) Player Committee meetings will be held throughout the year at regular intervals with minimum two weeks' notice. Each Men’s and Ladies division team must be represented at every meeting. If there is a non-attendance, one (1) match point per meeting missed will be deducted.

18) Offside Interpretation Adopted by FIFA and implemented at the World Youth Cup as adopted by FRSL:

• Interfering with play means playing or touching the ball passed or touched by a team-mate.

• Interfering with an opponent means preventing an opponent from playing or being able to play the ball by clearly obstructing the opponent's line of vision or movements or making a gesture or movement which, in the opinion of the referee, deceives or distracts an opponent.

• Gaining an advantage by being in an offside position means playing a ball that rebounds to him off a post or crossbar or playing a ball that rebounds to him off an opponent having been in an offside position.

“In essence, what it means is that if an attacking player is in an offside position, but not interfering with an opponent, the referee must wait until he touches the ball before penalising him for being offside. We want the referee's assistant to wait a little longer before deciding if the player in the offside position is actively interfering with play.”

If the attacking player in an offside position is running towards the ball and touches it, only when contact with the ball has been made should the assistant raise his flag. If contact is not made, then play should continue.

But to clarify: "However, if a player's position interferes with an opponent, preventing him from reaching or playing the ball, or results in impaired vision for a goalkeeper or defender, the referee need not wait until said player touches the ball before sanctioning the offence."

19) A team allocated to perform duties of training, lining or refereeing must have the required number of members present to undertake the tasks, and at the allocated time. At the discretion of the FRSL, teams failing to do so may incur a one point deduction for every member that is not present (or unreasonably late). Furthermore, point deductions may also be applied where, in the opinion of the match referee and at the discretion of the FRSL, the team members do not perform their duties effectively.

20) In normal circumstances, the standard match duration will be 100 minutes. This consists of two 45 minute halves separated by a 10 minute interval.