Pursuit Soccer Club Glenn McDonald Memorial Weekend

2009 HOUSTON OPEN TOURNAMENT

LAWS OF THE GAME - The tournament shall be played in accordance with the laws of the game as observed by USSF and modified for youth by the USYS.

ELIGIBILITY - The tournament is open to accepted teams composed of no more than 18 players for U13–U19 Divisions; 12 players for U11–U12; 10 players for U9-U10; and 8 players for U7-U8. Due to the time of year of this tournament, Official Rosters are not required, however proof of registration (Current Player Cards 2008-2009) of all players from their Home Association must be provided at Check In. For all age groups, the number of guest players may be up to the maximum roster size for the age group.

REGISTRATION - All players must be currently registered with a USYS affiliated team. If that player lives outside the STYSA boundary, the proper travel documents must accompany the player from his or her Home State Association. If enough of a single team travels from another State Association that under the rules of that Association the team could be considered intact, that team must also provide travel documents.

Registering the team: Brackets of play will be provided where possible in the following fashion:

Gold – Upper select levels
Silver – Mid level select levels
Bronze – Recreational and lower select levels
Academy – U9 & U10 Academy Teams
Recreational – U10 and below recreational teams

TEAM COMPOSITION - No player shall be allowed to participate with more than one (1) team in the tournament or to switch from one team to another during tournament play, unless approved by the Director. Each team must provide a list of players who will participate in the tournament at Check In, and players who are NOT listed on this sheet will NOT be allowed to play with this team, unless approved by the Director.

SUBSTITUTION - USYS suggested guidelines modified for youth play will apply to all games. Substitutions will be allowed on EITHER team’s throw in. Substitutions will only be allowed with the referee’s permission, and are at his or her discretion.

NO SUBSTITUTION - will be allowed for a player ordered from the field of play by the referee for misconduct.

WATER BREAKS - water breaks may be taken during the play of all tournament games. These are NOT mandatory. The referee and both coaches should agree before a game begins that such breaks will be taken and generally when they will occur. THE GAME CLOCK WILL CONTINUE TO RUN DURING A WATER BREAK.

REFEREE GAME REPORTS - All game sheets shall be provided to the referees from the tournament staff, and will be retained and turned in by the referees or Field Marshals. They shall be signed by the referee and by both coaches, or a representative of each team. The referee shall forward a full report of any and all ejections as soon as is practical after the game.

PROTESTS - THERE ARE ABSOLUTELY NO PROTESTS ALLOWED!

PLAYER DISQUALIFICATION - Ejected players, coaches and managers will be disqualified from the next match. The tournament director reserves the right to extend the disqualification pending the match report.

CANCELLATION - If any games are canceled or shortened due to inclement weather after the tournament starts, then there shall be no refunds of entry fees.

POINT SYSTEM - Six (6) points awarded for a win, three (3) points for a tie and none (0) for a loss. In addition, one (1) point will be awarded for each goal scored (up to a maximum of three (3) per match), one (1) point will be awarded for a shutout. A 0-0 tie and a 1-1 tie will be scored as 4 points for each team.

LENGTH OF GAMES - Duration of games may be changed by the tournament director, but are planned as:

U-10 and Under. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 25 minute halves
U-11 and U-12. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 25 minute halves
U-13 and U-14. . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 30 minute halves
U-15 and U-16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 minute halves
U-17 and U-19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 minute halves

Semi-final and final games shall be the same duration as preliminary games.

Points totaled over tournament determine bracket winner. Some brackets may not have finals or semi finals, based on the number of teams in the bracket. Every effort will be made by the Tournament Committee through bracketing to place teams appropriately.

TIE BREAKING AND OVERTIME RULES - In the event of teams being tied in the preliminary round standings, the following procedure shall be used.

Head to Head (only when comparing 2 teams), winner of game played between tied teams during preliminary round
Goals for versus goals against during all preliminary games, with a maximum of a 3 goal differential per game
Fewest total goals allowed in all games (limited to 3 goals per game)
Fewest penalty points (Yellow card = 3 points, Red Card = 9 points)
Most shut-outs recorded
FIFA kicks from the mark between teams that are still tied (using current USSF procedures)

In the case of a three way tie in preliminary play: at whatever level the tie is broken, one of the three will be eliminated or advancement will be awarded and if any teams remain tied they will return to the top of the list to break the tie. In the event of a tie at the end of regulation play in a semi-final or final game, the following procedure shall be used: Two (2) ten (10) minute overtime periods. Both periods must be played (no golden goal). If still tied, referee shall use current USSF kicks from the mark procedure.

FAILURE TO SHOW OR FORFEITED GAMES - Any team quitting the field of play before the conclusion of a game is automatically disqualified from the game. Teams will be allowed a ten (10) minute grace period from the scheduled kickoff time before the game is awarded to the opponent. The watch of the referee who is scheduled for the game is the official time. A minimum of seven (7) players constitute a team for U13 and up, a minimum of 5 for U11–U12, a minimum of 4 for U9-U10, and a minimum of 3 for U7-U8. If there are less than the required players and there is a reason to believe more will arrive, the ten (10) minute grace period may be used if it has not already been used for the game. In the event a team wins by forfeit, the game will be recorded as a 3-0 win for the non-forfeiting team. If however the game was in progress when forfeited and the forfeiting team has already scored at least one goal, the score will be recorded as 3-1 and 9 points given to the non-forfeiting team. This is in the event that a team drops below 7 players after the start of the game or refuses to continue a game in progress.

PLAYER UNIFORM AND EQUIPMENT - Players must wear numbers on the back of their shirts. In order to avoid potential conflicts the designated home team (team listed first) shall wear their colored uniform. In the event team colors clash the home team shall change. All player equipment is subject to referee approval. A player must wear the same jersey number in all matches.

SCHEDULING - Scheduling shall be the sole responsibility of the tournament committee.

BRACKETING - Depending on the number of teams registering, every effort will be made to provide matches at Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Recreational levels for U-11 through U-19. All games in preliminary rounds count to determine the bracket winner, unless otherwise determined by the Tournament Director.

AWARDS - Medals or trophies will be presented to the winner and runner up of each bracket of play in ages permitted. In age groups where STYSA does not permit scores to be recorded, a special award will be provided all participants.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR – The Tournament Director may make any changes needed to the published rules and will decide all issues. The Tournament Director's decisions are final in all situations.