Rules

NOTE: All games shall be played in accordance with FIFA Laws, except as specifically modified by these rules. 

Teams are guaranteed three games.

NOTE: Important — see Section F for information about bad weather policies.

A. Teams

● All players must be 18 years of age or older by August 17, 2024, to be eligible to play in the tournament.

● All Teams are coed and should be large enough to support 7v7 play.

● Players are only allowed to be listed on a single roster.

● Players must be listed on their team’s final roster to play in any tournament matches.

● All players must sign a waiver of liability before participating in any matches. Waivers are due at the same time as their team’s final rosters are due (before a team’s first game). Players will not be allowed on the field until they have turned in a signed player waiver.

● Each player must present proper identification if requested by tournament administration. Any player that is unable to produce proper identification will not be allowed to play in any tournament matches. Ineligible players who have already participated in tournament matches will have those team’s matches forfeited and that player WILL NOT play in any remaining matches.

B. Uniforms and Equipment

● Official DC SCORES Cup team shirts will be provided to all participants; they are to be worn during all tournament games. **If you have more than 15 players, they may wear shirts that are the same color as the T-shirts.

● Shin guards are required. Teams are expected to bring any necessary goalkeeper equipment. Game balls will be provided.

● Any color socks or shorts may be worn with team shirts.

C. Rules of Play

● Teams will play 7v7 including a goalkeeper.

● Teams may have no more than five players of one gender on the field at any one time.

● Unless medically necessary, jewelry shall not be brought onto the field of play by any player or goalkeeper. Any medical bracelets must be taped down to the wrist. In order to play, necklaces, all other bracelets, earrings, wristwatches, any metal piercings, or hard metal/plastic hair clips must be removed prior to entering the field. Players wearing any of the above illegal equipment shall be required to substitute out by the referee.

● The offside rule will not be enforced. However, in the spirit of the game, persistent cherry-picking will not be allowed. The referee will use discretion to warn these players of unsporting behavior.

● THERE IS NO SLIDE TACKLING. If a player slide tackles and the slide results in a foul, a direct free kick will be awarded, and if warranted, a yellow/red card will be issued. If there is a slide tackle committed without a foul, an indirect free kick will be awarded to the opposing team and a warning will be issued to that player for the first infringement, and a yellow card will be issued to that player for any further slide tackles. Slide tackles committed in the penalty area are automatic penalty kicks.

● Red Cards: If a player receives a red card, they are ineligible for the team’s next game. If the same player receives a second red card during the tournament, they are no longer eligible to play. If a team receives 3 red cards in a game, they forfeit.

Substitutions

Unlimited substitutions may be made on the fly as long as:

● No more than 2 players substitute within the same 30-second interval.

● The player entering the game and the player exiting do so at midfield.

● The player coming into the game yells “sub” upon entering.

● The player exiting the game raises his or her hand.

● The player exiting the game makes no effort on a ball in play.

o Failure to substitute properly will result in a yellow card for the player entering the game.

o If a substituting player touches the ball or interferes with an opponent before leaving the field (examples: touches the ball; runs a pick of an opponent; distracts play with a word or gesture), the opponent is awarded an indirect free kick from the last spot where the ball was played – in addition to the violating player receiving a yellow card.

D. Tournament Format

Casual (AM) Division - Each team will play three 18-min. group stage games. Top two teams of each group advance to the quarterfinal round, followed by a semifinals and championship match. Teams that don’t qualify for the knockout round will have an additional consolation match.

Casual (PM) Division - Each team will play  three 18-min. group stage games. Top two teams of each group advance to the quarterfinal round, along with the overall top two 3rd place teams. Semifinals and a championship match will follow the quarterfinal round. Teams that don’t qualify for the knockout round will have an additional consolation match.

Competitive Division - Each team will play three 18-min. group stage games. Top two teams from each group qualify for the semifinal round, followed by a championship match. Teams that don’t qualify for the knockout round will have an additional consolation match.

Law Division - Each team will play four 18-min. group stage games. Top four teams advance to the semi-final round, followed by a championship match.

Standings

Standings will be based on each team’s win-loss-tie record throughout the preliminary games. At the completion of the preliminary games, points will be added to determine which teams will continue into the playoffs. Points will be awarded as follows:

● 3 points for a win;

● 1 point for a tie;

● 0 points for a loss.

Forfeits

Should a team forfeit for any reason the forfeited game will be scored as a 0-3 loss.

Tiebreakers

If there is a tie in points in the standings at the conclusion of the group stage, tiebreakers will be used in the following order to determine which team advances:

● Goal Differential: the team with the higher goal differential (goals scored minus goals allowed) in the games will advance.

● If the teams are still tied, the team that allowed the fewest goals over the first five games will advance.

● Head to Head: Team 1 and Team 3 have the highest points in a given bracket; however Team 1 beat Team 3 during the preliminary round. Team 1 will advance.

● If teams are still tied, a coin toss will be used to determine the team that should advance.

Playoff Rules

● In the event of a tie, a 5-minute golden goal will be played. If there is no winner at the end of that period, a penalty kick shootout will take place in accordance with the rules below.

● If the teams have scored an equal number of goals at the end of these five rounds of kicks, sudden death rounds of one kick each are used until one side scores and the other does not. No player may kick again until every player on the team has taken a kick.

E. General Information

Facilities

● Restrooms will be available on the playing grounds; showers will not be available.

Food

● Water and food will be provided throughout the tournament to participants.

First Aid

● A trainer will be present throughout the tournament.

Trash & Recycling

● Each team is responsible for picking up all its trash and recyclables and leaving the fields as they were before the tournament. NO FOOD (including oranges & orange peels!) is allowed to be consumed on the fields. Please eat at the designated lunch tents in the parking lot.

F. INCLEMENT WEATHER

The Fields At RFK is solely responsible for opening or closing fields in the event of inclement weather. The SCORES Cup Tournament Committee will communicate as soon as possible any closings both before the Tournament date and during the Tournament itself. To ensure as many scheduled games as possible are played, the Tournament Committee will have the authority to change games as follows:

A. Relocate or reschedule any game(s)

B. Change the duration of any game(s)

C. Cancel any game(s)

PLANNING FOR HOT WEATHER

In the case of extremely hot weather under 105F, the following steps will be taken to ensure a safe event:

• Hydration—Additional hydration stations will be available on all fields, in the HQ tent, and in the Fan Zone/beer garden (where electrolyte beverages will also be available). Extra ice and a refrigerated truck will also be onsite.

• Shade/Tents—Extra tents will provide sun cover, including tents on-field for subs and tenting for a portion of the beer garden/fan zone. Pole fans for the fan zone and an additional misting tent will also be available. 

• Personnel—Certified athletic trainers will be on-site for the full day, ready to treat any heat-related issues. 

• Game Schedules—Game schedule may change to provide cooling time between games. Schedule changes will be communicated as soon as possible and in advance of the event.

Participants are also encouraged to take necessary self-care steps, including:

• Recruiting a larger team if possible and rotating subs regularly

• Bringing personal water bottles, and hydrating the night before the tournament and throughout the day

• Bringing sunscreen and hats

• Bring a team tent, if you have one. Staff will help you find a place to set up a shady base of operations.

• Wear light-colored socks (and cleats, if you have them)

• Bring a cooler with ice and washcloths/towels to keep cool

OTHER INCLEMENT WEATHER

In the case of other inclement weather, please read this carefully to fully understand how the Tournament Committee will handle scheduling.

1. We will play in rain unless the field was closed by The Fields at RFK. Note that six out of ten fields are all-weather artificial fields. In case of rainy weather you should expect to get wet. Please bring rain gear.

2. If games are stopped due to an electrical storm, all games will stop and the entire schedule will be shifted together when play is allowed to resume. In other words, the 10 games scheduled during a time slot will always be the same 10 games regardless of when they are played.

3. If games are less than 12 1⁄2 minutes old when lightning stops play, ALL 10 games in that time slot will resume when we return to the fields.

4. If games are more than 12 1⁄2 minutes old when lightning stops play, the score at the moment of stoppage stands, and games are considered FINAL (no goals are needed for a complete game).

5. In case of a stoppage it is VITAL that all games start ON TIME when they resume. Please be at your field at least 5 minutes before your scheduled start time.

LIGHTNING DETECTION AT THE FIELDS AT RFK

This is the policy of The Fields at RFK:

In the event that lightning is observed at or near The Fields, the entire facility will be closed for 30 minutes; the 30-minute clock will restart after each subsequent observance of lightning. Field staff will announce field closures via the public announcement system and on the weather hotline, 202-539-9555 Ext. 1. All players, spectators and others must follow the instructions of The Fields staff and vacate the fields. Staff may reopen the park after lightning or other weather hazards have passed, but all decisions of The Fields staff are final and within their sole and absolute discretion.

Stretching the Schedule

It is our goal for every team to have the full DC SCORES Cup experience. However, we are also cognizant that participants may have late afternoon and evening plans.

Therefore, out of an abundance of caution and to facilitate participants’ planning, below is the Tournament Committee’s detailed plan for rescheduling games, should any game be delayed or stopped by weather:

1. If lightning delays play by more than two hours, we will shorten the tournament as follows:

a. First, we will cut the DC SCORES presentation (if it hasn’t already happened)

b. Second, if necessary, we will cut everyone’s 4th game of the day (30 min)

2. Once we get to the playoffs, we will play every game (semifinals and finals) until we have four champions, even if late storms delay the games.

IMPORTANT: All game time changes will be updated as quickly as possible on the Leagues app. It is CRUCIAL that captains have the app downloaded and use it throughout the day.

Additionally, we will update times on physical brackets at the respective check-in tents. Players can stop there to view updates. Thank you!

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Please contact us with any questions!