Appleton Soccer Club

Have your team arrive at the field 30 minutes ahead of time to help keep the games on schedule. Plan to have your teams checked in with the referee about 15 minutes before game time. Last year there were very few times that teams met this timing and we had troubles getting games started on time. If your game gets started late, expect that your game will be shortened accordingly. This will especially be true early in the season.

a. No jewelry means NO JEWELRY. Have your players get piercing done at least two weeks before the season, or after the season. Pierced ear rings CAN NOT be taped over. If a player will not remove jewelry, they CAN NOT play.

b. No hard casts or splints are allowed. Wrappings are allowed as long as there is nothing hard, including the clips to hold the wrap together. Tape works the best.

c. Knee braces are allowed as long as they are covered by a commercial wrap, or to the referee’s satisfaction.

d. No hard plastic or metal barrettes/clips are allowed. No hair fixtures with knots are allowed. Sweat bands should match the color of your team’s socks.

e. Shin guards are required for all players. Shin guards may not be modified and must be appropriately sized to protect the player. If shin guards do not provide adequate safety to the player, it is up to the referee’s discretion to allow the player to play. Socks must cover the complete shin guard and need to be kept up.

f. Have your players in full uniform for the check-in so jersey numbers can be checked.

g. All classic teams need to provide player passes and team rosters (With jersey numbers) at check-in time for all games. NO PASS, NO PLAY, NO EXCUSES.

h. All recreational teams need to provide a roster (With jersey numbers).

i. U16 and above recreational players need to provide some sort of identification (License or school ID) in the event of a yellow or red card.

j. Each home team shall also provide a game card (U12 and up) and the referee’s pay.

a. All players and coaches are required to stay at least two yards off of the touch lines and at least 10 yards away from the center line. The far edges of the center circle are 10 yards off of the center line.

b. Both teams should be on the same side of the field. All parents/spectators are to be on the opposite side of the field. This won't always be the case for U10 and below recreational games.

c. All coaches/managers/trainers on the player’s side of the field are required to have a coach’s pass. Without a pass, you will be asked to move to the opposite side of the field. The referees will be checking the head coach's pass to report what license level they are registered at.

d. All teams must have a minimum of one coach with a pass in order to play. This applies to the whole game, not just the start of the game. If the only coach with a coach’s pass leaves the game before the game is complete, or is ejected from the game, the game will be suspended.

e. All substitutions should be from the sideline at the center of the field. Wait for the referee to wave the substitutes onto the field. Have your substitutes at the center of the sideline ready for the next substitution opportunity.

f. While each half is in play, have your captains do all of the communicating to the referees for your team. If a coach has a question, channel it through your captains. That is one of their responsibilities as a captain.

g. If there is something the coach feels he must speak to the referee about, hold it until halftime or after the game. In these cases, approach the referee in a calm and friendly manner.

h. In the event of injuries, try to wait for the referee to wave you onto the field to assist the injured player. Talk to your parents ahead of time and ask them to not come onto the field during injuries, unless waved on by the referee. Parents should not be on the field unless it is deemed a serious injury that will require immediate medical attention.

i. Ask your parents to stay at least two yards away from the touch line to allow the Assistant referee adequate room to work. They need this space the entire length of the field to assure that they can see the complete touchline.

a. No slide tackling is allowed at any level in recreational play.

b. U16 and U19 recreational league games will consist of two 35 minute halves all season long.

c. U16 and U19 recreational games are coed. Teams should attempt to keep equal ratios of boys-to-girls on each team throughout the game. The referees will help monitor this and ask coaches to adjust the ratio as they see the need.

d. In U16 and U19 recreational games, the offensive team may not play the ball within the goal area. Violations of this rule result in a goal kick to the defensive team.

a. U8 through U10 games shall have one certified referee assigned. The referees for these games will ask each team to provide one club linesman. The duties of the linesman are to help the referee know when the ball has gone out of play and which team touched it last. The referee may over rule the linesman on which team will get the through in. Club linesmen are not allowed to call fouls or offsides.

b. All U12 and above games will have a referee and two assistant referees assigned. If less than three referees show up for your game, the referees will seek out any certified referees that may be in the spectators to fill the open position. If there are no certified referees to fill the open position, the referees will seek a club linesman to fill the position.

c. All games U12 and above must have at least one certified referee to do the center, or the game can not be played.

d. All games U12 and above must use the Three Referee/One Whistle format. The 2-man system is not allowed in WYSA sanctioned games. Without three referees (Certified or Club), the game can not be played.

e. In all cases, the center referee shall be given the payment for all 3 referees during the pre-game check-in. If all of the scheduled referees do not show up, all referee funds will be disbursed to those that actually work the game.

i. Certified referees solicited from the spectators will receive full pay for their services.

ii. If club linesmen are used, the center referee gets normal center pay, the certified assistant referee gets paid at the center referee rate and he/she takes on additional responsibility. The club linesman is to be paid whatever is leftover.

iii. If two club linemen are used, the center referee gets normal pay and the two club linesmen split the remainder.

f. If the referees show up and the game is not played, for whatever reason, the referees are still to be paid. The only exceptions to this are if the game is cancelled due to weather, before it starts, or if the game has been properly rescheduled according to East Central policy.

a. If you have referees that do not show up, call the referee commissioner to report it.

b. If you have problems with a referee, call the referee commissioner to report it. We have a referee mentoring program to try to help with problems.

c. If there is a referee mentor at your game, remember that he/she is there to evaluate the referees, but NOT to resolve disputes or assist the referees with calls during the game.

d. Please try not to make a scene during the game. Treat the referees with the same respect that you would like to be given. REMEMBER – Even though they are paid, the referees are really still amateurs. Most of them are our children. Try to be gentle with them.

e. Problem parents on the sidelines are the responsibility of the coaches. Try to help the referees where you can.

f. All of the modified local rules that we use are posted on the East Central web site. Go out and review them.

g. The game is for the kids – Let’s have fun!

Q. My daughter just got her ears pierced last week. They told us that we couldn't take the posts out for 6 weeks. I know the East Central rule says no jewelry, can we tape over the earrings and still play in an East Central game?

A. No! The posts must be taken out to play. Please try to explain this to all players, coaches, and parents, pierce before or after the season.

Q. When only 1 or 2 referees show up at our games how are we supposed to pay them?

A. If only 2 certified referees are going to do your game this is what should happen: They will look for a club linesperson to do the 2nd Assistant Referee duties. Each Certified referee should get the normal pay for the Center Referee, what money is left over should go to the Club linesperson. If only 1 Certified Referee shows up, 2 Club linespersons should be found. The Certified referee should do the center of the game, get a normal Centers pay, and have the only whistle in the game. The Club linespersons should be paid as if they were the regular Assistant Referees