Pre-Game

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Uniforms

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Teams will receive jerseys to wear for the season. Each player must wear the provided Manhattan FC shirt to play. If a player is wearing a different shirt, they will not be allowed to enter the field. Team captains should account for potential absences and coordinate with teammates to ensure enough shirts are available on game day. 

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Safety 

 

Shinguards are optional. By registering for this league, captains and the players on their team understand the risks involved in playing in our league. Participants can find the Player Waiver/Agreement here.

Turf shoes are highly recommended.

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While this is a competitive league, we expect players to conduct themselves in a manner that respects themselves, their teammates, their opponents, the referees, and the game itself. Players who continually pose a physical danger to others or are extremely disrespectful to anyone in the game will be removed from the league immediately.

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League & Game Structure
 

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League Structure
 

8 regular season games per team. A win earns a team 3 points in the league. A tie earns a team 1 point in the league.

Goal differentials will be the first tie breaker, followed by number of wins, followed by number of goals scored. 

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Top 4 teams play in semi-finals. Winners of semis play in the final. 

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In the event of a tie during the semis or finals, penalties will follow. 

5 penalty kicks per team. 

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Game Structure
 

Games include two 21-minute halves, with a 2 minute half-time break. Game clocks begin on-time, regardless if teams are prepared to begin or not. 

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Game clock begins regardless if teams are ready to start on time or not. In the event of one team lacking a sufficient number of players, that team can choose to begin with a minimum of 5 players from their roster to not forfeit the game or they can choose to add extra players who are not on their roster to play the game and accept a forfeit. 

 

Substitutions
 

Subs can be made on-the-fly without having to ask the referee as long as it is made during a natural stoppage of the game (ex: the ball goes out of bounds, a foul is committed, etc.). 

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Forfeits

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If a team does not have at least 5 players ready to play on the field 8 minutes into the start of the game clock, they automatically forfeit the game.

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Forfeits will result in a 3-0 win for the opposing team. The 3 goals will count towards the winning team's goal differential. 

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We prioritize your overall experience in our league. If you expect to not have enough players to play in a game, please notify us as soon as possible and we will work to get you players so that the game can still be played and enjoyed, regardless of the forfeit and end result. 

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Gameplay

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Goals
 

Players may score from anywhere on the field.

A goal may be scored off a throw-in as long as the ball is touched by any player after the ball is thrown prior to entering the goal. 

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Outs & Restarts

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Anytime the ball goes out of bounds on a sideline, a throw-in with two feet touching the ground resumes the game. 

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When the ball goes out of bounds on an end line, players perform Goal Kicks. Goal Kicks can be played inside of the Goalkeeper Area. 

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Free Kicks
 

Free-kicks resulting from a foul are Direct kicks (the player kicking the ball does not need to have the ball touch anyone before entering the goal). 

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Free kicks resulting from a hand ball are Indirect kicks (the player kicking the ball needs to ensure that the ball touches another player before entering the goal). 

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If requested by the team in possession, a wall will be created 5 feet away from the ball, at which point the ball must be played after the whistle is blown. The team in possession does not need a whistle blown if they do not want a wall. They only need to place the ball on the ground.

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Fouls & Misconduct

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A player who receives a yellow card will have to be removed from the game for 2 minutes. Another player may substitute in for them. If a player receives two yellow cards in one game, they will receive a red card and will be permanently ejected from the game and the next game on their team's schedule.

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A player who receives a red card will be ejected from the game and their team will play with one less player on the field for the rest of the game. 
This player will also not be allowed to play in the following game on their team's schedule. 

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Yellow card offenses include but are not limited to: physical fouls, disrespectful behavior towards other players or referees, and excessive time-wasting.

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Sliding

Players may not slide to tackle or attempt to retrieve the ball from a member of the opposing team. Goalkeepers are the only players allowed to slide to tackle or attempt to retrieve the ball from the opposing team. 

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A slide tackle will count as a foul if the player tackled or attempted to retrieve the ball from the opposing team.

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Exceptions: Players may slide in an attempt to reach the ball if an opposing player is not in the immediate vicinity. Players may also slide to score as long as nobody from the opposing team is touched in the process. If an opposing player is touched by the player making the sliding attempt, the goal will not count. 

Differentiation of slides and slide tackles will ultimately be up to the interpretation of the referee in that moment. 

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Goalkeepers
 

Keepers are the only players on the field who are allowed to slide to tackle or attempt to retrieve the ball from the opposing team. 

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Keepers may touch the ball with their hands in the box outlined by the cones (Goalkeeper Area) 

 

Keepers may not touch the ball with their hands when receiving an intentional pass from a teammate. 

 

When the ball is in the keeper's hands, the keeper has 6 seconds to release the ball. 

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Substitutions
 

Subs can be made on-the-fly without having to ask the referee as long as it is made during a natural stoppage of the game (ex: the ball goes out of bounds, a foul is committed, etc.). 

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