Rules of Competition
Nor Cal Premier League and State Cup
- Substitutions
- (NorCal U9-U19 Fall/Winter/Spring League Handbook, Rule 211, page 18)
- Game Lengths
- (NorCal U9-U19 Fall/Winter/Spring League Handbook, Rule 208 Game Lengths, page 17)
National Premier League (formerly Regional Academy League)
- Substitutions
- (Norcal Regional Academy League Procedures, Rules, and Regulations, Section 5.5, page 9)
- Game Lengths
- (Norcal Regional Academy League Procedures, Rules, and Regulations, Section 5.3 Game Lengths, page 8)
Players' Equipment
- Casts
- No orthopedic (hard) casts, air splints or metal splints may be worn. Players will be allowed to play in a soft cast at the discretion of the Referee.
- Jewelry
- Absolutely no jewelry, including rings, chains, watches, jewelry, hair clips, bobby pins, earrings, bracelets, Lance Armstrong type rubber bracelets, or abnormally long fingernails may be worn while participating in any NorCal games. Only Medical Alert Warning Bracelets may be worn, and shall be taped to secure them to the player's body. Earrings and other piercings cannot be taped, and must be removed.
- Shin guards
- All players are required to use shin guards at all times. They must be worn properly and be professionally manufactured and unaltered. No shin guards - No play! Socks must match teammates and must completely cover shin guards.
- Braces
- It is strongly recommended for the safety of the player, that a player does not wear a brace during NorCal games. Braces are allowed as long as the referee decides that the brace will not or cannot hurt the player wearing the brace or any other player. All metal, metal-like, or plastic brace supports are to be properly covered for the duration of the match. Elastic-type supports without any metal, carbon fiber, hard plastic or like devices are permitted provided the referee does not deem the support to be potentially harmful to other players.
- Eyeglasses
- Players who must wear eyeglasses are encouraged to wear sports goggles. Players must wear glasses that are safe. Lenses must be unbreakable and frames must be unbreakable plastic or sturdy metal.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What happens when a team has no team officials with a proper picture ID? Does the game get played, or is no game played and gets reported on the game card?
The game cannot be played unless a responsible adult with valid US Club Soccer credentials is present. Anyone with a US Club Soccer pass is eligible. If necessary, an adult without their US Club Soccer pass can use a smart phone, computer, etc., to log in to US Club Soccer's website to show that they are currently registered for the year and show a government-issued photo ID (driver license, passport, etc.) as proof of being that registered individual. Referees should observe the personnel start from the login screen of usclubsoccer.org and go through the entire process.
2. What happens when a team shows up with no US Club Soccer player passes? Does the game get played, or is no game played and gets reported on the game card?
The game is played under protest. The team that forgot their player passes must have a picture taken of the team so that passes can be verified if necessary. All players must be on the game card. The protest should be written on the game card before the match.
3. What happens when a team shows up with a player that has no picture ID and is on the roster? What do we do?
For an individual player, the player must have their US Club Soccer player pass. If they do not have a pass they cannot play.
4. What happens when a team shows up with a player that has no picture ID and is not on the roster? What do we do?
For an individual player, the player must have their US Club Soccer player pass. If they do not have a pass they cannot play.
5. What happens when a team shows up with a player that has a picture ID but is not on the roster? Could his name be added to the roster? Could he actually play?
The player needs to be electronically added to the roster. Once the player is electronically added (via smartphone, computer, etc.), the referee can use the electronic game card to check the player in. Once the player is checked in on the electronic game card, the referee (and only the referee) may write the player on the paper game card.
6. What happens when a team shows up and there are only two referees? Could the visiting team refuse to play and file an incident report?
The game should be played under protest if a referee is present. The PAD committee will determine if the result will stand or if the match will be replayed.