MEN'S AND WOMEN'S SOCCER RULES CHANGES 2008 AND 2009

Prepared by: Kenneth G. Andres, Jr.
NISOA Rules Interpreter

The following rule-change proposals have been approved by the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Soccer Rules Committee and by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel. They will be incorporated into the rules book for the 2008 and 2009 soccer seasons.

  1. Approved rulings (A.R.) throughout the rules book have been re-codified to follow the exact rule being explained; redundant ARs have been deleted. Rationale: More convenient for review and consistency.
  2. Rule 1.11 Displaced Crossbar, Goalpost (page 14). If any part of the goal becomes displaced during the game, play shall be suspended, and every effort shall be made to repair or replace the goal. If, in the referee’s opinion, it cannot be repaired to its original condition within a reasonable period of time, the game shall be suspended. When the goal is repaired or replaced, the referee shall restart the game by dropping the ball where it was when play was suspended; or, if the ball was inside the goal area, it shall be dropped at the nearest point outside the goal area. Rationale: Drop ball replaces indirect free kick by team with possession when any part of the goal becomes displaced. Exception if goalkeeper is in possession, there is an indirect free kick.
  3. Rule 1.18 Grading, Slope of Field (page 16, new). The rules of conduct in the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Soccer Rules do not specify, nor do they legislate, matters pertaining to the slope or grading of playing facilities. The rules specify only maximum and minimum dimensions of fields constructed after September 1995. New field construction minimums are 70 x 115. A field with no greater than a 2 percent slope at the declining edges of the touchlines, provided that the outer lines of demarcation do not abut with hazardous curbing or boundary materials, is considered preferable. Architectural engineers should be consulted with reference to the actual height references that pertain to grading percentages or broken back construction. (See 1.1.1 and 1.1.2.) Rationale: Recommendation added to assist with field design and construction.
  4. Rule 5.1 Number of Referees (page 32). The diagonal system of control (DSC) shall be used. Rationale: The DSC allows the referees to have better field coverage and will facilitate game control.
  5. Rule 5.5.3 Multiple Cards to the Same Player (page 34, insert new 5.5.3 and renumber former 5.5.3 and beyond as 5.5.4 and beyond). If a previously cautioned player, coach or other bench personnel commits a second cautionable offense, the referee shall display a yellow card followed immediately by a red card. When ejecting a player, coach or other bench personnel, a red card shall be displayed. A player receiving a red card shall be ejected from the game and cannot be replaced. An ejected player, coach or other bench personnel shall leave the premises of the field of play to the point that the individual, in the referee’s opinion, shall not be a disruptive influence on the further progress of the game. That usually means out of sight and sound of the field of play. Note: It is not possible for the same player in the same game to be charged with two (2) yellow cards. Albeit the multiple offense may be a cautionable offense the second card to the same player in the same game shall be red. Further, the player, coach or bench personnel shall be charged with one (1) yellow and one (1) red in their respective accumulation record. Rationale: Multiple cards issued clarified by moving multiple cards to same player from former Rule 5.5.2 and listing it and new Note as new 5.5.3.
  6. Rule 5.5.4.4 (Discretionary Power) (page 34, formerly 5.5.3). A coach and/or institutional representative fails to submit an official game roster prior to the beginning of the game. Rationale: Additional option to have a forfeit.
  7. Rule 6.3.11 (Timekeeper) (page 42, formerly 6.3.7). Signal for the termination of the period and signal with a horn (not whistle) when time has expired. Note: The expiration of time is the moment when the timekeeper’s timekeeping signal begins, regardless of the position of the ball. A.R. 6.3.11.a  What happens if the signaling device malfunctions? RULING: Provided the last 10 seconds have been counted down to zero and/or the timekeeping device (e.g. scoreboard clock) reaches zero (and/or 45:00/90:00/10:00/10:00) the referee’s whistle shall represent that time has expired and the period/game ends. Rationale: End-of-game definitions clarified.
  8. A.R. 7.1.2.c (page 46, formerly A.R. 75). The national championship game is determined by the penalty-kick tiebreaker set forth in Rule 7.1.2. How shall the game be recorded? RULING: State U wins the game and the University of the Arts loses the game. It shall be recorded as follows: Regulation game score was 1-1. State U wins the national championship on penalty kicks 10-9. The goals and ‘saves’ during the penalty kick tiebreaker are not credited to the shooters nor assigned as ‘goals against’ to the goalkeepers. Rationale: National Championship results clarified.
  9. Rule 10.9 Protest (page 56). If a game ends (i.e., legal contest, minimum of 70 minutes played) and a protest option is elected, the coach lodging the protest, provided it pertains to the misapplication of a rule of conduct (e.g., a referee requiring teams to continue playing after a legal goal has been scored in any overtime period), shall do so before the officials sign the official score sheet and leaves the site of the competition. The protest shall be recorded on the NCAA Soccer Protest Form (See form on page 108.) and forwarded within 72 hours to the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Soccer Secretary-Rules Editor. (See page 8 for address, e-mail, fax and phone information.) Protests shall not be received or considered if they are based solely on a decision involving the accuracy of the referee’s judgment. The decisions of the referee regarding facts of play are final.

If the protest is found to be valid, and the result of the game changed, the secretary-rules editor’s decision, which shall be final, shall be reported to the respective teams, and/or Governing Sports Authority (e.g. conference, commissioner, athletics directors, etc.). The secretary-rules editor shall determine the status of the game and if the decision results in a decision to replay the game, it shall be replayed in its entirety. Further, all statistics in the previous game shall not count; however, cautions and ejections occurring in the protested game are subject to the procedures stated in Rules 12.16, 12.17 and 12.18. Whereby a game result clearly delineates a winner, there shall be no replay and all statistics, except the modified score, shall remain.

If the protest involves a possible scorekeeper error (e.g., failure to record an obvious red card ejection), the referee and protesting coach shall make an immediate determination based on all information available at the game site. The protest shall not be resolved on a delayed basis by the secretary-rules editor. All rulings by the secretary-rules editor are final and there shall be no right of appeal. Rationale: Protested game status mandated.

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