Youth Indoor Soccer Rules
The purpose of the Youth Indoor Soccer League at the Boys & Girls Club of Albany is to give youth an opportunity to
experience indoor soccer and compete with others of comparable skill in a positive atmosphere. The BGCA Athletic
Department promotes the positive use of leisure time through teambuilding, sportsmanship, and individual development. All
rules in the youth league shall be governed under the current Official Rules of Indoor Soccer, published by the United States
Indoor Soccer Association, available online and at the BGCA Indoor Soccer Office, unless otherwise addressed below.
General
 Good sportsmanship is expected of everyone involved in this program. Anyone who does not demonstrate proper
sportsmanship to the satisfaction of either the referee or BGCA staff may be asked to leave the facility.
 Absolutely no alcohol, smoking, or tobacco products on the BGCA Campus. Gum is NOT allowed inside BGCA buildings and
no food or drinks are allowed inside the playing area. Water is allowed in the player’s box.
 Protests – must be filed with the BGCA Athletic Director within 24 hours of the game and must directly relate to a rules
violation. An official’s judgment call is not grounds for a protest.
 Inclement weather – A determination will be made by 3pm whether contests will be played on a weeknight evening. For
weekend play, a determination will be made a minimum of 2 hours prior to the start time. The team coach or supervisor
will be contacted and it is their responsibility to relate the pertinent information.
Age/Division
Field
Ball
Size
4/K
1/2nd
3/4th
5/6th
7/8th
Short
Full
Full
Full
Full
3
3
4
4
5
Players
Length
Total game
time
Game time slot
4v4
7v7
7v7
6v6
6v6
4 x 7 min.
4 x 7 min.
2 x 18 min.
2 x 18 min.
2 x 20 min.
28
28
36
36
40
45 min.
45 min.
1 hr.
1hr.
1hr.
House Rules
Game time and Equipment Regulations:
• Games consist of two 18-22-minute halves, with a 2-minute half-time – see table above. 4-k and 1/2nd leagues
will have four 7 min. quarters with a 1 minute break in between each quarter.
• 4/5/6 players per side (field players + goalkeeper) – see table above, except for the 4-K and 1/2nd leagues which
will have all players on the field with no goal keeper.
• All players must wear shin guards, indoor soccer shoes or clean tennis shoes, & matching jerseys – except Goal
Keepers who must have a different color jersey from both teams. NO CLEATS are permitted on the turf.
Violations:
• NO BOARDING! Boarding is when a player pushes another player in to the boards / walls surrounding the field
(this also applies to shoulder-to-shoulder tackles). This is extremely dangerous and will not be tolerated – the
player who committed the offense will receive a warning or a yellow card.
• NO SLIDING or SLIDE TACKLES! There is no sliding allowed– players must remain on their feet at all times. Any
slide when making a tackle is considered a slide tackle – this includes an unintentional slide (ie. if a player slips)
Revised 4/22/15
Youth Indoor Soccer Rules
that results in a slide tackle. In addition to a ‘typical’ slide tackle, it will also be considered such if a player has one
knee on the ground, and the other leg straight out.
• A player cannot play the ball from the ground (ie. when completely off their feet).
• The goal keeper may not punt or drop kick the ball – free kick awarded to opposing team on the red dot at the
top of the goal box.
Free Kicks:
• ALL free kicks and spot kicks are direct, regardless of the location on the field (a player cannot pass the ball to
themselves from a direct kick – including off the wall).
• A free kick awarded on a yellow line or a dot – the referee must signal the restart with the whistle before the
ball can be played (this will be done quickly, within reason). At this time the defending players must be back 5
yards without being asked (except on a corner kick – the white goal box line is ok).
• A free kick anywhere else on the field may be taken immediately without a signal from the referee, provided the
ball is stationary and in close proximity to the foul/offense. The team awarded the free kick may ask for 5 yards if
they wish – in which case the referee will step it out, and then signal the restart before the ball can be played.
Penalty Kicks:
1) Shoot out Style Penalty Kick
a. Ball will be placed on the yellow dot on the yellow line; goalie will start with heels on the goal line.
b. Defensive team will start in the center circle; offensive team will start behind the mid-stripe outside the
center circle.
c. The player taking the penalty kick will start beside the ball.
d. At the officials whistle the ball will become live. The player taking the penalty may take as many
touches as desired. The defense is free to defend their goal as soon as the ball is live.
2) Additional time will be allowed for the taking of the penalty kick if the time expires before the kick can.
Fouls:
• Yellow Card and Blue Card = 1 man down for 2 minutes, the player must sit in player’s box.
• Red Card = 1 man down for 5 minutes, the player is out for the remainder of the game and must also sit the next
game out.
• In the event that a goal keeper receives a red of yellow card, he/she must serve the time penalty themselves.
The team will have to substitute him/her with another player for the duration of the penalty.
• NO SPITTING! Any player who spits on the turf will receive a warning, followed by a yellow card on their second
offense. Players can spit in the trash cans in the player boxes if necessary.
Revised 4/22/15
Youth Indoor Soccer Rules
League & Competition Rules:
• Maximum of 12 players minimum of 10 per roster for 3/4th leagues and above leagues. 4Y/K rosters have a
minimum of 7 and maximum of 9 players per roster.
• Players may play for only 1 team per division.
• The maximum goal difference that a team can win by is 10 goals – the game will continue & the full length of
game time will be played.
• The goal score will only be kept for 3rd/4th, 5th/6th, and 7th/8th grade leagues. Score will not be kept for 4Y/K and
1st/2nd grade leagues.
• A team must field a minimum of 4 players at all times, or they will forfeit the game. Teams may only field players
that are on the team roster.
• In the event a team does not have 4 players at the start of a game, they have a grace period until the forfeit
takes effect. The game clock will start on time, then the opposing team is awarded a goal after 6 minutes, 7
minutes, 8 minutes, and 9 minutes – at 10 minutes the forfeit is official and the final score remains 4-0. If the
team gets enough players to start during this time, play will begin and with the score as it stands at that time.
• If a team has less than 4 players on the field at any time due to yellow and/or red cards, they automatically
forfeit (as stated above – minimum of 4 players at all times).
• All game protests must be addressed to the management prior to the 2nd half of the game.
• If at any point in the match a team has a lead of 5 goals or more the opposing team may add an additional
player of either gender to the field. This additional player only remains when the score differential is 5 or greater
and must notify the referee before entering onto the field.
 Our Youth Indoor Soccer program is coed. If a team has no female players or no female subs they must play a
“man down” throughout the game.
Revised 4/22/15