Rules

Updated January 29th 2025 

First Annual Poughkeepsie Winter Tournament Rules 2025

The Town of Poughkeepsie Soccer Club Inc. and the Town of Poughkeepsie assume no responsibility for any injury resulting from participation in this tournament. By accepting these rules and procedures, all participating clubs and players indicated that they carry their own insurance and will hold harmless the TOPSC, its members and the Town of Poughkeepsie.

Tournament Rules

Registration:

• Teams must register 30 minutes prior to scheduled kickoff of their first match.

• There will be a $5 charge for entry of non-players and coaches.

• Teams absent at the start of a scheduled match will forfeit and be charged with a loss with zero goals scored.

• Teams winning by forfeit will be awarded three (3) goals and three (3) points for a win.

Player Passes:

• Only registered players with valid player passes will be allowed to participate. A GotSport Team Roster with player photos, player passes (if roster with no photos), medical release forms, and approved Guest Player Release forms, if appropriate, must be presented at Registration before starting play.

• Coaches must clearly indicate on their rosters who is present and will be playing in the tournament. Tournament roster size is 15 players max.

• Players are allowed to play for more than one team within the same age bracket, as long as there are multiple flights within that age bracket. (Example: BU11 blue flight and BU11 white flight). If there is only one flight within an age bracket, a player may not play on more than one team within that age bracket.

• Players may be used as guest players to play on a team in a higher age bracket any time throughout the day.

• A maximum of three (3) Guest players are allowed per team. Exceptions may be granted at the discretion of the Tournament Director. Requests must be made by 12:00pm ET on the Friday before the tournament. No requests will be considered after that time.

• Rosters are frozen after the first match played.

Weather:

• The tournament will be held snow, rain, or shine. There will be no refunds for nonappearance due to weather.

Laws of the Game/Tournament:

• All rules are F.I.F.A. rules except where stated otherwise.

• Tournament format is 7 v 7 for all age groups.

• Casts of any type and ALL jewelry are strictly prohibited. Long pants are allowed.

• Each team will play a maximum of four (4) matches. All matches are twenty-seven (27) minutes in length with a continuous clock (no stoppage time for any reason) and there are no halftime breaks.

• There will be a minimum of three (3) minutes in between matches.

• All matches will start and end with a horn by the Tournament’s timekeeper.

• Coaches are responsible for having their team ready to play within one minute of the finish of the previous match.

• The home team is the team listed on the left side of the schedule. In the event of a conflict of colors, the home team must change jerseys.

• Cleats are not allowed in the Hudson Valley Sports Dome. Indoor shoes or Sneakers are allowed.

• The visiting team (second team listed on the schedule) will kick off.

• Substitutions shall be unlimited and may be on the fly.

• Substitutes may not enter the field of play until the exiting player is off the field.

• The offside rule is not in effect. There is no build-out line.

• Balls over the touchline will be a throw-in.

• On all restarts, the opposing team must be at least five (5) yards from the ball.

Keeper Play:

• After taking possession of the ball in the penalty area, a goalkeeper may play the ball over the midfield line.

• Goal kicks may be played over the midfield line.

• Balls hitting the ceiling or fixtures which are within the boundaries of the field of play are in play and play will continue.

• Slide tackling is prohibited and will be considered Dangerous Play, resulting in an indirect free kick to the opposing team. However, players are allowed to slide if they are not challenging a player for the ball (Example: to keep the ball from crossing over the touchline or goal line).

• Heading by any U9, U10, and/or U11 player will be considered Dangerous Play, resulting in an indirect free kick to the opposing team.

Tournament Scoring:

• Scoring for round robin and preliminary rounds will be determined by the total number of points earned. The team with the highest number of points will be ranked first, the second highest second, and so forth. Points will be earned as follows:

  • Win = 3 points

  • Tie = 1 point

  • Loss = 0 points

  • Each goal (up to three goals) = 1 point

  • Shutout = 1 point

  • The most points a team can score in a single match is 7

If teams are tied, ties will be broken in the order listed below:

1. Winner of the head-to-head game. (If more than two teams are tied, this Tie Breaker is eliminated.)

2. Most Wins

3. Fewest goals against

4. Most Goal Differential

5. Penalty Shots (each team takes 5 penalty shots)

In the case of a three-way tie, after a determination has been made with respect to first place, second place will then be determined by using the same order listed above, starting with the first tie-breaker for the remaining 2 teams.

Four Team Divisions:

If due to registrations it is necessary to create a division with four (4) teams, the following special rules will apply:

• Each team will play three (3) scheduled matches for points.

• After three (3) matches, the teams will be ranked using the point system above.

• The third (3rd) and fourth (4th) place teams will play a consolation match, which may end in a tie.

• The first (1st) and second (2nd) place teams shall play a championship match. The winner of this match shall be the division champion regardless of points earned in the earlier matches. If, at the end of full time, the championship match is tied, the teams shall bypass overtime periods and go straight to kicks from the mark. All players shall be eligible to take kicks regardless of whether they were on the field of play at the end of the match. After five (5) kicks have been taken by both teams and no winner has emerged, a coin toss will be used to determine the winner.

General Expectations:

• Decisions of the referee are not subject to appeal.

• A player or coach who receives a RED CARD is AUTOMATICALLY EJECTED FROM THE ENTIRE TOURNAMENT, and the team must play short for the remainder of that match.

• The Tournament Director shall have final say over anything not covered in these written rules.

• All participants and spectators will be expected to observe the game in progress from the stands and not block entrances, exits, etc.

• Each team and player participating in the tournament does so at his/her own risk and agrees to accept all responsibility for any injuries. The Hudson Valley Youth Soccer League, its directors and officers, any tournament official, and the Hudson Valley Sportsdome accept no responsibility for any injuries.

• Additional information, material, and/or corrections may be issued on tournament day.

• Smoking, outside food, and outside drink are strictly prohibited throughout the facility. Coaches are responsible for team/spectator behavior.

Rules are subject to change at the discretion of the tournament director. Any questions should be directed to the Winter Cup tournament director at traveldirector@topsc.org.