Tournament Rules

1. Teams will consist of seven players plus any number of 'roll on/roll off' substitutes.
2. Normal football rules apply except the following: no offsides, no back-pass rules, no sliding tackles. Throw-ins should be taken 'two-handed'. There is no 'head-height' rule.  Penalty kicks should be taken from a distance of 8 yards off a one-step run up.  Opposition players must retreat 3 yards from a free kick.  There are no restrictions regarding players entering either penalty area during open play.
3. Matches will be 25 minutes in length played in one period with no half time interval.
4. Matches should be played on half of the Astroturf pitch, using the 5-a-side goals. The goal area should be taken to be a semi-circle with a radius of 10 yards from the centre of the goal. The goal-keeper may not handle the ball outside this area, although all players may enter it.  Where appropriate, the areas marked out on the astroturf should be used.
5. Matches will be refereed by tournament participants, where a member
of a team not playing at that time will be asked to referee a game
being played.
6. Blades and studs are not permitted on the astroturf.

In the group stage each team will play each other team once, with 3 points being awarded for a win, 1 for a draw and 0 for a loss. The order of the teams will then be decided by the following criteria, stopping at the point where two teams can be separated:
(i). Total Points
(ii). Result between the two teams
(iii). Goal Difference
(iv). Goals Scored
(v). Penalties (a shoot-out will be arranged)

In the knockout stages, the winner shall be the team that has scored the most goals at the end of the 25 minutes. If the match is a tie, the game shall be decided by a penalty shoot-out.
Penalty shoot-outs shall consist of each team taking 3 penalties each (from 8 yards off a one-step run up) with a different player taking each penalty. The winning team shall be the one that scores the most penalties. If there is still a tie, then sudden death penalties will occur with each team taking one additional penalty each until a winner can be found. The first 7 penalty takers in each team must be different, after which point the penalty takers can be repeated. (In the event that 7 penalty takers cannot be found, the organisers will adjudicate.)

Each team must provide a referee for matches during the day. They must be familiar with the rules of the tournament. The team listed first in each match should have a player remain on the same pitch to referee the following match.  The referees need to:
- Collect a football and whistle from the organiser’s desk.
- Referee the game according to the rules laid out.
- If a player is judged to have made a serious foul he should be given a verbal warning by the referee. A second offence of similar weight and the referee should send the player off for the remainder of the match. Any offence deemed to be dangerous should result in an immediate dismissal. We ask that the referees use their judgement in these issues.
- The referees are not asked to keep time. When the allotted time is up, they will be notified by the main desk (via the PA system). They should then blow for full time when the next passage of play ends.
- After the match the referee needs to return the match ball and whistle to the organiser’s desk and give in the score. The referee needs to ask the captain of each team to also come to the desk to verify the score. If the ball has gone over the perimeter fencing, it is the job of the captain of the player responsible to retrieve it.

Players are expected to be ready to go onto the pitch as soon as the previous game ends to prepare as kick off times need to be kept strict so that we may get through the organised matches in the allotted time. If a team is not ready to start within 5 minutes of the scheduled kick off time, their opponents shall be awarded a 3-0 victory.