Indoor Soccer: Rules & Guidelines
SPORTSMANSHIP
Sportsmanship is an important part of any successful athletic team
or activity. The Southern Vermont College Intramural Program
promotes sound sportsmanship and insists that all participants keep
it in mind while participating in SVC Intramurals. The
intramural program is designed to be a fun, casual way for
students, faculty and staff to be involved physically and
socially. It is not a professional sporting league, and
participants should treat it as such.
Participants who cannot or do not show good sportsmanship will be
asked to leave and possibly not be allowed to return and
participate in future events. Unsportsmanlike conduct will be
directed to the Director of Athletics, the Dean of Students, or the
Intramural Coordinator for a decision on what action to take with
the individual or people involved.
EQUIPMENT
The equipment needed will be:
- Two futsol soccer goals
- Futsol soccer ball
- Official's coin for decision flips
- Pinnies
For Intramural Indoor Soccer, participants are required to wear shoes that are suitable for use in the gymnasium. This excludes any black soled shoes, boots, shoe wear that is wet or excessively dirty, and cleats. Participants without the proper footwear will be required to play in socks or bare feet at their own risk or will be asked to leave and return with suitable footwear.
Equipment is to be stored in the shed behind the field house. Equipment will be taken out by the Director of Athletics or the Intramural Coordinator 15 minutes prior to the start of play. If neither is available to directly give the equipment, the equipment will be stored in the security suite prior to game play. Officials are to pick the equipment up before and return the equipment to the security suite after play.
Misuse or abuse to equipment will result in the suspension of the person or people involved from SVC Intramurals for a time to be determined by the Director of Athletics, Dean of Students, or the Intramural Coordinator. Those involved will have the choice to personally replace the equipment at their own cost instead of facing suspension.
PLAYERS & TEAMS
Games will be played by all of those who show up on that day. All sports will consist of co-gender teams to be selected upon the start of the day. Groups may choose to show up with a formed team. However, pre-formed teams may have to be split up or given additional players to accommodate numbers for the day. Unless otherwise agreed upon by all present for the day, teams will have an equal number of males and females, students and faculty or staff, and participants from the school's NCAA intercollegiate team for the respective sport (Five players from the men's basketball team will be allowed to play on the same ultimate Frisbee team as long as there are at least five males on the other team or teams). Teams will be allowed to be changed or re-picked upon the approval of the day's officials and a majority of present participants for the day.
Teams will be split up depending on how many participants are present. Captains will be selected by the official(s) with the help of those present. Captains will pick teams one-by-one, the team to select first being decided by an official's coin flip. The team that does not get to pick first will be that calling heads/tails for first possession. The team that picks first will wear pinnies during the game.
For cases of there being an odd number of participants, one team will have a substitute, unless the team with fewer players agrees to play short-handed. The team with fewer players will be that calling heads/tails for first possession.
During play, each team can have no more than 5 players on the court. Substitutions must be made every 5-10 minutes, and after every game so to ensure that every participant gets equal playing time.
At the half-time period, if the official and consensus of players agree, teams will be allowed to be re-picked.
Players have no obligation to stay for the whole duration. In the case that teams get lopsided, they will be evened out by the captains.
OFFICIALS
All officials must be unbiased and fair for the duration of the day and will not be allowed to play the sport for that day. Problems regarding officials' fairness and demeanor are to be directed to the Director of Athletics or the Intramural Coordinator.
Officials are to be equipped with:
- Coin for decision flips
- Whistle
- Tools or system to keep time and score
FACILITIES & LOCATIONS
All sports will be those that can be played in the field house
gymnasium in the case of inclement weather. Indoor soccer
will be played in the gym.
GAME PLAY
I. Game Length
A. Days will consist of two games lasting about 40 minutes each.
i. Each game will have two 20 minute halves with a five minute halftime period.
ii. Teams will switch sides of the court after each half.
iii. The team with the most goals after two halves wins the game
B. There will be a 10 minute break between games.
II. Pre Game
A. A coin flip will determine which team gets possession first.
i. The team that will call heads/tails will be that which did not get to pick first in team selection.
ii. The team that did not win the coin flip will decide which side of the court they would like to defend first.
III. Maneuvers, Techniques, & Game Play
A. Each half and restart after every goal must begin with a kickoff.
i. The ball must start still on the half court line in the tip-off circle.
ii. The offensive team must touch the ball with their foot and have it move noticeably to the official.
iii. Another player from the offensive team, or a player from the defensive team, must then touch the ball before the first player can touch it again.
a. If the initial player touches the ball again before it is touched by another player, play will stop and resume with a free kick to the team that was on defense.
b. The initial player can kick the ball out of the boundaries with possession to switch to the other team.
c. The initial player cannot kick the ball into the goal and have it count as such without being touched by a second player. If the initial kick deflects off the goalkeeper's hand into the net, the goal counts. If the ball enters the net untouched, a free kick for the defensive team will take place in front of their defended goal.
B. Players can advance the ball with any part of their body intentionally except for their arms and hands.
i. It if the official's discretion as to whether a ball was intentionally played with an arm or hand for the intentional purpose of advancing the ball.
ii. A ball that is kicked or bounced into a player's arm does not guarantee and stipulate an infraction, and play is to resume unless otherwise called by the official.
iii. An intentional play with arms or hands will result in a free kick to the other team at the spot of the foul.
C. One player from each team can act as a goalie and use arms and hands to prevent a goal from being scored.
i. Each team must designate only player on the court at a time to be the goalie.
ii. Goalies are allowed to block shots on goal with their arms and hands as long as they are within five feet from the goal.
iii. A goalie cannot run out from the goal and pick up the ball or block a shot. Doing so will result in a free kick at the spot of the foul.
IV. Scoring
A. A goal is scored when the ball completely crosses the plain of the goal line within the structure of the goal.
i. The ball must be played across the plain in a legal manner. Failure to do so will result in a free kick for the defensive team at the spot where the infraction occurred.
B. Play restarts with a kick-off by the team that was scored against.
C. Any effort to stop an obvious goal scoring opportunity by a play not designated as the goalie, or the goalie outside of the five foot range, will result in a goal for the offensive team and a warning for the penalizing player. A second action that warrants a warning will result in suspension from play.
i. This is at the discretion of the official who has final say.
V. Boundaries
A. The entire gym is playable area.
B. If a ball goes into or behind the bleachers, into the scoreboard or batting cage net, into the garbage can, basket lift or any other structure that impedes or halts play, a free kick will be given to the team that did not play the ball into such structure at the closest point on the floor to the structure as possible.
i. The team not restarting play must be ten yards away from the spot the ball is to be played from.
C. Balls that hit the walls, ceiling, lights or doors are playable so long as the ball returns to the floor immediately.
D. There is no off-sides rule for indoor play.
VI. Other Rules & Regulations
A. Any situations or problems not covered in these Rules & Guidelines are to follow the Laws of the Game as outlined by the United States Soccer Federation.
i. This applies to fouls such as tripping, pushing, unsportsmanlike conduct, holding, etc.
