Rules of Competition

Please Note:  Neptune Soccer Classic is a closed tournament. 

All tournament matches will be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game as issued by FIFA except as modified in these "Tournament Rules.

No Protests Will Be Allowed.
The Tournament Committee reserves the right to use their discretion for resolving conflict or other matters not specifically provided for under these Rules of Competition. The Committee, captains and coaches of the host teams, or any sponsors of tournament activities shall not be responsible for expenses incurred by any team or club if the tournament is canceled in whole, or in part. No application fee refunds after acceptance.

Player Registration
Each team shall be allowed a maximum of 20 players, and a PLAYER MAY ONLY BE REGISTERED ON ONE TEAM, REGARDLESS OF BRACKET. All teams must meet eligibility requirements as stated in the affiliation/eligibility section of the Neptune Soccer Classic website (www.neptunesoccer.com). All tournament players must have current USASA Player Passes. Passes will be checked against MDCVSA verified rosters or out-of-state release forms at registration, and again prior to each match. Passes will also be inspected to ensure they are current. Season Dates marked on the passes should be from September 1, 2007 to August 31, 2008. Players must turn 18 years of age by the first day of the tournament to play in the open bracket. Players must turn 30 or 40 within the calendar year to play in the respective age brackets.

Player Equipment
Shoes must meet FIFA specifications. Players are required to wear shin guards in accordance with Laws of the Game. Teams must have an alternate jersey in case of a uniform color conflict. In this event, the home team shall change jerseys.

Inclement Weather
The Tournament Committee reserves the right to make the following changes in the event of inclement weather:

• Relocate and/or reschedule a match
• Change division structure
• Reduce scheduled duration of a match
• Cancel a match

In the event of inclement weather forcing play to be halted and preventing the match from completing during the scheduled time, the score shall stand if at least one-half of the match has been completed.

Clearing fields: If dangerous weather is reported in the vicinity, one long air horn blast will be sounded. Clear fields immediately and wait in cars or other lightning shelter areas until three horn blasts are sounded to indicate games will resume (the permanent shelters at the Hampton Roads Soccer Complex have lightning arrestors installed).

Touch Lines
Coaches and players from both teams will share the same side of the field as designated by the field official, and spectators will take up a position on the opposite side of the field during the time that the match is in progress. Coaches are responsible for their players and guests on the Touch Lines. All personnel must remain between the top of the Penalty Area Lines - no coaching is allowed from the Goal Line to the top of the Penalty Area. No player or club official may enter the field of play regardless of the circumstances unless that person has been given permission to enter the field of play by the Referee.

Start of Play
A team that cannot field seven (7) players at the scheduled start time shall forfeit the match. A match should not continue if either team goes below seven players after the match has started. The team forfeiting the match shall be declared the loser by a score of three (3) goals to none (0). A team that forfeits a match will not be eligible for advancement.

It is the duty of the coaches to insure that players report to the field 15 minutes prior to the start time of each match for verification of player passes by the Referee or an Assistant Referee. If there is no Referee present within ten minutes of the scheduled start time, the match shall be rescheduled unless both teams' coaches agree to proceed. If the match proceeds, the score shall stand as played. If there are fewer than three referees present for a preliminary match at the scheduled start time, the Referee shall commence the match using volunteer “club” linesmen. Should an additional Assistant Referee arrive at the field, he/she shall enter the match at an appropriate break in play, and the volunteer linesman shall be relieved of his or her duties.

Duration of Matches
Duration of halves will be 40 minutes with intervals between halves of five (5) minutes each. The Referee is the official timekeeper of the match. Divisions with 5 teams will have 30 minute halves with a five minute halftime (4 preliminary games are scheduled). If heat and player safety conditions warrant, the Tournament Committee or a Referee may allow a three (3) minute water break approximately midway through each half – such a break will be called during a normal stoppage of play, and the match will restart based on the reason play was halted.

Coed
No slide tackles will be allowed. Referees will treat a sliding tackle as a foul and award a direct free kick. At all times, a minimum of four (4) players for each team on the field shall be women. No more than seven (7) men may be on the field at one time.

Cautions and Send-offs
If a player is sent off from the match – shown red card by the Referee – that player must leave the vicinity of the field and sit out the remainder of that match. In addition, the player sent off is suspended from his/her team’s next tournament match. No substitution may be made for a player who was sent off during the match in which the red card was issued. If the goalie is sent off, the team is required to assign a new goalie before resuming play. Note: in accordance with Laws of the Game, a player is shown the red card and sent off for receiving two cautions in the same match. Referees may caution or send off a coach and will show the appropriate card. Coaches in receipt of a red card are subject to the same penalties as outlined above for players. Red cards issued after the end of regulation play as a result of physical assault are considered especially serious and are subject to review by the Tournament Committee - a more strenuous penalty, which is not subject to appeal, may be employed.

Substitutions
Teams are allowed unlimited substitutions which shall be carried out in accordance with the Laws of the Game. During the normal course of a match, for consistency and to maintain pace of play, Referees are to manage unlimited substitutions by allowing substitutions on a throw in for the attacking team only and to avoid allowing substitutions on corner kicks. Substitutions by either team are allowed on any kick off or goal kick. An injured player (and only the injured player) may be substituted once the Referee has stopped play. If the team elects to substitute for the injured player(s), as a courtesy the opposing team is allowed to substitute a like number of players.

Tournament Overtime
All preliminary matches will remain a tie if score is tied at the end of regulation time. In the semifinal and final matches, if regulation play ends in a tie, the following steps will be taken:

• Two 5-minute overtime periods will be fully played. If still tied after two overtime periods, the tie will be broken by kicks from the penalty mark to be carried out in accordance with the Laws of the Game. Only players on the field after the second overtime period will be allowed to participate in kicks from the penalty mark.
• In coed divisions, kicks from the penalty mark must alternate between male and female players until at least 4 men and women from each team have alternated. If either team has fewer than 4 men or 4 women on the field, teams will alternate until the same number have taken kicks from each team. After the first 8 (or 6 if a team has less than 4 men or women) kicks, it is up to the team's discretion to determine the order of the remaining players.
• In coed divisions, if a team finishes the match with a greater number of players than their opponent, that team shall reduce their numbers so that both teams have the same number of men and the same number of women. The team captain is responsible for notifying the Referee which player(s) will be excluded.
• During kicks from the penalty mark, goalkeepers may be changed with an eligible player (player on the field at the end of the second overtime) at any time, but the goalkeeper may only be replaced by a substitute (player not on the field at the end of the match) in case of injury.

Tournament Standings
Division bracket standings will be decided by the following point system:

Win: 2 points
Tie: 1 point
Loss: 0 points

Determination of Wild Card, Semi-finalists, and Finalists
Division bracket standings will be based upon total points accumulated upon the completion of preliminary matches with the team accumulating the most points finishing first. Total point ties within division brackets will be broken by the following tiebreakers in order:

• Head to head competition during the tournament of the two teams tied. (Disregard if more than two teams are tied. You must continue to the next criteria and may not revert back).
• Team with the highest goal differential. A maximum of 3 goals per match will be counted -positive only.
• Total goals scored (maximum of 3 goals per match)
• Most wins
• Fewest goals allowed during the preliminary matches.
• Fair Play point system in which the team with the fewest number red cards during the course of all matches played so far advances.

If still tied after the 7 steps above, both teams will proceed to an available field, at a time and place directed by the Field Marshall/Tournament Committee, and take penalty kicks in accordance with FIFA kicks from the penalty mark rules, with the winner advancing to the next stage.  

Semi-Final and Final Matches
The team with the most points earned in preliminary matches will be seeded #1 (visiting team).  If tied, a Tournament Committee representative will flip a coin to determine home and visiting team.

Incompleted Final Matches
In the event play is halted that prevents the match from being completed, the score shall stand if at least one-half of the match has been completed.  In the event a Final Match must be abandoned before at least one half of the match is completed due to inclement weather or other factors, the following system will be used to determine the official winner of the bracket (any goals scored or red cards awarded during the incompleted Final Match will be counted):

• Previous head to head competition
• Highest goal differential. A maximum of 3 goals per match will be counted -positive only.
• Most goals scored (maximum of 3 goals per match)
• Most wins
• Fewest goals allowed
• Fair play point system in which the team with the fewest number of red cards during the course of all matches wins.