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Rules for U6—U8

We are thrilled to have you join us this soccer season! Please remember that this is recreation, not competition. The goal is to have fun, learn the game of soccer and develop soccer skills!

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The focus should be on developing skills to help them be successful in games. An example is dribbling – “inside, outside, laces” with
lots of repetition to see improvement. You may also begin teaching pullbacks and hook turns! The score is irrelevant. Encourage correct development of skills not “winning.”


We play a “Dual Field” system. Below explains how this is set up and run.


Coaches Responsibilities

  • Home Team Coach – supervises one field (both teams)

  • Visiting Team Coach – supervises the other field (both teams).

  • Assistants – stand on the sidelines at mid-field (not on the field).

 

Each field has only one adult who keeps the game flowing. Use the whistle to get players' attention if needed, but let the kids play. No mistakes are made at this age.


Home team players will be assigned a field by the coach and stay on that field for the entire game. Visiting Team players will also be assigned a field to begin and at half-time, the two visiting teams will switch fields. Visiting team spectators will turn the chair around to continue cheering.


Game Play

  • Game Ball

    • size 3

  • Number of Players

    • U6 - 4v4 players on the field (There are no goalkeepers in this age group)

    • U8 - 5v5 players on the field (played with goalkeepers)

  • Duration of the Match: The match is divided into:

    • Four (4) equal, ten (10) minute quarters

    • Five (5) minute break between quarters (including half-time)

  • Substitution

    • Substitutions are unlimited and can occur at any time

  • Refereeing

    • Home team head coach supervises/referees one field for safety sake

    • Visiting team head coach supervises/referees the second field for safety sake

    • All rule infringements shall be briefly explained to the offending player

    • Do-overs’ should be a regular occurrence allowed by the coach supervising the game

  • Fouls and Misconduct

    • No caution or send-off shall be issued to players

    • If a child is acting out of control, the coach will make a substitution of that player to give the child a chance to calm down before returning to play

  • Starting and Restarting Game Play

    • Kickoffs, free kicks, throw-ins, goal kicks, and corner kicks are used to start or restart play

    • U6 only - Kick-ins are also acceptable

    • If used, all free kicks are indirect

    • Opponents should be 5 yards (15 feet) away from the ball on all restarts

    • No penalty kicks

    • No offside

  • Goalkeepers (U8 Only)

    • Goalies can only handle the ball inside the goalie box.

    • Goalies can throw the ball or place and kick. No drop-kicks.

  • Goal Kicks

    • The ball is placed in the goal box. The defending players must stand at least 5 yards (15 feet) away from the ball until it is in play

  • Corner Kicks

    • The defending players must stand at least 5 yards (15 feet) away from the ball until it is in play.

  • Scoring

    • No score or standings should be kept. Coaches should remind parents that the primary objective is fun, skill development, and improvement with each game

  • Weather

    • Games are not canceled for any reason except lightning. That decision is only made at game time on the field by administrators at the complex. Plan to play in all kinds of exciting weather

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Heading Policy
Heading in all U12 and younger games and practice/training’s (U10 and U9) is prohibited. These will be effective Starting August 15th, 2016 for all UYSA games.


If a player deliberately heads the ball in a game, an indirect free kick (IFK) should be awarded to the opposing team from the spot of the offense. If the deliberate header occurs within the goal area, the indirect free kick should be taken on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred.


Please note that U9, U10, and U11 do not practice heading during training.


If a player is playing up in an older age group (ex: A 2006 player playing with a U12 (2005) team), please note
that players who are 10 and younger should not be heading the ball regardless of the age group in which they
play. This requires education and support from the coach and parent to instruct the player accordingly.
For U12, U13, and U14 Players heading is allowed in games but it is
recommended that it be limited in practice to a maximum of 30 minutes per week with no more than 15-20
headers per player, per week. U.S. Soccer will provide this information in its coaching education courses and
will direct coaches to check with their local rules of competition to see if the recommendation has been adopted
by the applicable club.

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Player Registration

Registrations may continue to be accepted and players may be added to your teams throughout the fall and into spring seasons. Coordinators will contact coaches when an addition is made.

 

Each team should have a Head Coach, 1-2 Assistant Coaches, and several Team Parents who are assigned by the coach to help with communication, treat schedules, distribute uniforms, and help with unifying parties and activities.


Head Coaches decide when and where to practice. Practices may not be held at Lakeside. All city and school parks are available for soccer practices.


How to Check the Team On the Computer

  1. Go to www.uysa-oys.affinitysoccer.com

  2. Top left, click on “user login”

  3. Type in the user name and password you used/created to register your player (if you don’t remember it, click on “forgot password” and follow instructions – note: the affinity website works best in the web browser internet explorer)

  4. You will see on the screen your family information.

  5. Click on the child you are looking for

  6. Click on the tab that says, TEAMS.

  7. This will show your team name and information.

* You may also click on “view” link on the right of the line to see the team roster.


Resources

They are now endless. Search on the internet for helpful websites and Youtube videos.

There should be plenty of practice plans you can use.

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Thank you for volunteering. OYS is a Volunteer Organization and we are always looking for great people to join us.

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