Rules for the Elite Soccer Invitational

TOURNAMENT HEADQUARTERS

Warren County Sports Complex
1408 State Route 741
Lebanon, OH 45036

Contact Person: Joe Wuest (513) 379-6770

TEAM ELIGIBILITY

The Elite Soccer Invitational Tournament is open to teams that are registered to and affiliated with their state or national organizations which, in turn, are affiliated with FIFA. Applications are invited from teams that are duly registered with their State, Provincial, or National Associations. All teams and players accepted will have their rosters and players verified by their State, Provincial, or National Associations. Only approved players with player passes shall be allowed to play. The number of players on any one team shall be consistent with the maximum number allowed for that team's age group. Falsification of player registration forms, team rosters, player passes or other records used in the tournament shall be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including disbarment for the individual(s) involved and disqualification of the teams involved. Teams from outside of the United States must also conform to these guidelines.

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

• A player must be legally registered to his team in accordance with his national registration requirements with a current and valid player pass that verifies his team and date of birth, including current player photo ID.
• Player passes will be presented to the referee or tournament official before each game.
• All player passes will be checked by the credentials committee prior to the tournament.
• Any guest players must have current player passes to participate in the tournament.
• Players may play on only one team during the Tournament. No switching of teams will be allowed.

GAME FORMAT

• At the end of each game, the Referees and each coach will sign the official game cards verifying that the score shown on the card is correct, and turn it in to Field Marshall.
• Once signed, the score becomes official.
• Once the card is received at the headquarters tent, the failure of a coach to sign a card shall constitute a waiver of any error therein and the score shall be deemed official.

• Shin guards are mandatory and must be covered by a sock.
• Shirts/jerseys will be tucked into the player's shorts at all times.
• In the event of a color conflict, the home team (first team listed on schedule) will change color.

SCORES and STANDINGS

Scoring summaries can be obtained at the headquarters tent of each site and on the internet at: www.cutournaments.com

Bracket standings, leading to championship play, will be determined on the following "accumulation of points" basis.

FORFEITS

• Any team that fails to complete a match or leaves the field during play shall be scored as having forfeited that match.
• No team that has forfeited a match will be declared a wild card or group winner.
• The team winning the forfeit will be awarded the average number of goals per match that they have scored in their other preliminary matches, rounded DOWN to the nearest whole number.
• The opponent's score shall be zero. This score shall be the official score, in case goal differential is necessary to decide the group winner. The Tournament Officials reserve the right to decide all other matters concerning a forfeit.

Winners of division play will be selected on the basis of the most total points after pool play is complete. Scoring will be on a 3-1-0 system. Each team will be awarded three (3) points for a win, one (1) for a tie and zero (0) points for a loss.

In the event of ties in the group standing, the following will determine the winner/leader:

1. Team with the most wins (if tied go to step 2)
2. Winner of the game played between the tied teams. (If three or more teams are tied for the group lead, Step 2 is by passed, go to Step 3)
3. Highest number of total NET goals (goal differential). The maximum goal differential is three (3) per match. Example: for a score of 4-1, goal differential is +3 for the winner and -3 for the loser. For a score of 5-1, goal differential is also +3 and -3 as above).
4. Fewest total goals allowed (gross)
5. Most shutouts
6. Penalty kicks (according to FIFA laws of the game) - when the results would allow a winner to advance to a semi-final, or championship match.
7. Coin toss

• If the game is still tied after the second overtime period, penalty kicks will prevail.

• Only players on the field at the end of the second overtime period are eligible for penalty kicks.
• Coin flip will determine who will go first (visiting team calls the coin toss, winner of the coin toss has the decision to shoot first or second).
• Five penalty kickers per team.
• After the first round of 5 kicks, the team will continue to alternate shooters until there is 1 unmatched goal between opposing players.
• After all eligible players on the field of play have taken kicks, teams will start with their first kickers again and in the same order.

If the Site Director determines that the fields should be cleared, 3 long blasts on an air horn will signal that everyone should go to their cars. A signal of 3 short blasts will indicate that you may return to the fields. Games will be considered completed if the first half has concluded and play is stopped by either the Field Referee or the Tournament Directors. The score at stoppage of play will be the final game score. If the first half has not been completed and the game is stopped, every effort will be made to complete the game, or play to complete at least the first half and record the score as final.

If the game is cancelled before it starts efforts will be made to reschedule the game. It is the responsibility of the coach to check the Tournament Headquarters for reschedule information. If rescheduling is not possible, and game cancellation creates a situation where teams within the division are unable to play equal number of qualifying games, the group winner will be determined on the basis of awarding the average tournament points earned in the other games, to the teams unable to complete an official game, followed by the tie breaking procedure if necessary. The team with the highest average points will be declared the winner of the group. IF there is a tie that cannot be resolved by point averaging, the advancing team will be determined by a coin toss, or penalty kicks, per FIFA as directed by the Tournament Directors.

If the tournament is cancelled due to events beyond the control of the Committee, the tournament will not be required to make any financial remuneration.

PARTICIPANT CODE OF CONDUCT

• Be respectful of the hotels and motels, keeping noise in the hallways to a minimum, refrain from kicking soccer balls inside any buildings and be respectful of others property. Should it come to the attention of the Directors that a person or persons has failed to follow these guidelines, the Director reserves the right to take immediate action. Said action, depending on the circumstances, may range from a warning, to a reduction in points in standing, to banning that team and/or team in its club from future participation.
• All coaches will remain within 20 yards of the center line on their own half of the field.
• Spectators may be ejected from the park for improper conduct at the discretion of the tournament officials.
• NO ARTIFICIAL NOISEMAKERS ARE ALLOWED (INCLUDING AIR HORNS).
• NO PETS AND NO ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ARE ALLOWED