Simplified Rules of Soccer (AYSO Region 370)
AYSO LAW 9 - Ball out of touch (ball out of the field of play) - All of the ball must go completely past the outside edge
of the touch line or goal line either on the ground or in the air.
AYSO LAW 10 - Goal - All of the ball must go completely past all of the goal line into the goal.
AYSO LAW 15 - Throw-In - Both of the player's feet must be on or behind the touch line. The ball must be thrown from
behind the head with both hands, one on each side of the ball.
AYSO LAW 17 - Corner Kick - After the ball has gone out over the goal line having last been touched by the defensive
team. The ball is placed inside the corner arc and kicked by an offensive player.
AYSO LAW 16 - Goal Kick - After the ball has gone out over the goal line having last been touched by the offensive
team. The ball is kicked by a defensive player from anywhere inside the goal area. The ball must be kicked out of the
penalty area before it is touched by any other player.
AYSO LAW 11 - Offside Offense - A player is in an offside position and will be whistled if:
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the player is in the opponent's half of the field, and
is ahead of the ball, and
there are fewer than two opponents ahead of the player.
He / She receives a pass or becomes involved with play (judged by the referee).
NOTE: There is no offside offense it a player receives the ball directly from a throw-in, corner kick or goal kick.
AYSO LAW 13 - Indirect Free Kick (IFK) - An IFK is taken from the location of the offense. A goal cannot be scored
directly, i.e. the ball must touched by another player before a goal can be scored. An IFK is awarded for various
infractions as well as the following fouls:
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plays in a dangerous manner
impedes the progress of an opponent
prevents the goalkeeper from releasing the ball from his hands
The following apply to the goalkeeper within his/her own penalty area:
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controls the ball with his hands after he has released it from his possession and before it has touched another
player
touches the ball with his hands after he has received it directly from a throw-in taken by a teammate
touches the ball with his hands after it has been deliberately kick to him by a teammate
touches the ball with his hands after he has released it from his possession and before it has touched another
player
AYSO LAW 13 - Direct Free Kick (DFK) - A DFK is taken from the location of the foul and is awarded for the following
offenses when committed by a player while the ball is in play (except when committed inside the offenders own penalty
area) :
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kicks or attempts to kick an opponent (not an accidental kick which is an IFK offense)
trips or attempts to trip an opponent (not an accidental trip which is an IFK offense)
jumps at an opponent
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charges an opponent
strikes or attempts to strike an opponent
pushes an opponent
tackles an opponent
holds an opponent
handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area)
spits at an opponent
AYSO LAW 14 - Penalty Kick (PK) - A PK is awarded for a direct free kick foul committed inside a team's penalty area.
The kick is taken from the penalty spot. All players except the kicker and goalkeeper must be outside the penalty area,
behind the ball and at least 10 yards from the penalty spot. The ball is in play after it has been kicked forward, but the
kicker may not be the next to touch it.
AYSO LAW 12 - Caution (Yellow Card)
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unsporting behavior
dissent by word or action
persistent infringement of the laws of the game
delaying a restart of play
failing to respect required distance when play is restarted
entering or re-entering the field of play without the referee's permission
deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee's permission
AYSO LAW 12 - Send Off (Red Card)
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serious foul play
violent conduct
spitting at an opponent or any other person
denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball
denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent
using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures
receiving a second caution in the same match
General Modifications - U10
Referees may or may not call Offside play as unsporting conduct (we do not call offside offenses) and award an indirect
free kick (depending on the understanding of the players). Toward the middle of the season, the offside unsporting
conduct will be called more often to prepare the players for U12 play.
Handling by the goal keeper (back feeding) may or may not be called or explained depending on the team’s
understanding of the law. Again, this rule will be enforced later in the season more often to prepare players for U12.
Throw-ins may or may not be retaken. Retaking throw-ins will be more often in the early games of the season. Later in
the season, there will be fewer “retries” allowed.
General Modifications - U12
Generally, all AYSO rules will be called from the beginning of the season. Referees may give one or more chances
(similar to U10) as they see fit. After a few games, the calls will be normalized in accordance with AYSO regulations
General Modifications – U15
None