LWYSA Referees

Information: 2016


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Changes for 2016

The largest rewrite of the Laws of Game was completed by the "International Football Association Board" (IFAB, a committee of FIFA). All of the laws were rewritten in an effort to improve readability and consistency, as well as to make refinements to several laws. While most of the changes will only be apparent in senior level or highly competitive matches, a number will be seen in our games by all players, even the youngest. In addition, the US Soccer Federation has made a combination of mandatory and recommended changes that impact roster content and player safety. Finally, Washington Youth Soccer has published its own set of rules changes. How and when these changes are implemented can differ between leagues. our implementation of these changes in our 2016 version of the Rules of Competition.

An Important Note re: Patience and Sportsmanship

Any time there is this much change to the "rules", there is bound to be a period of confusion. No matter how many meetings or memos are prepared, somebody will misunderstand or will not have read the information or will have a different interpretation of what they read or heard. When this happens - and it likely will - remember that the players are looking to the coaches, parents, and referees to resolve any difference of opinion in a professional (at minimum courteous and respectful) manner. Do not shout at referees. If there is no major stoppage in play that affords a chance to call them over (remember coaches may not enter the field without permission) wait for half time to try and resolve things. If there is still disagreement, remember the referee's interpretation stands for that game. Please use the evaluation system to let us know the specific rule or aspect of the law that was in question.

Copies of Rules

[a1]Laws of the Game - Please remember these are the official Laws for the adult game. While they form the important foundation on which all of our "rules" are built, many are amended or enforced to account for the age of the players.
[a3]LWYSA U10-U12 Recreational Play - (LWYSA's "Rules of Competition") These were updated 9/6. If you previously downloaded, make sure you have the current version!

The Biggest Changes

This article cannot go into all of the details of the changes. It is just a summary. If you wish to do your own research - please consider sending an email to refereeassignor@lwysa.org as a start. The Laws of the Game above has an extensive section that explains the rationale behind the many changes as well. But REMEMBER - LWYSA's Rules of Competition prevail over these and some, in particular the IFAB Laws of the Game - are written for high level competition, not youth play.

Kickoff

On a kickoff, the ball may be kicked in any direction - even backwards.

Heading not Permitted in U11 and younger

Per USSF recommendation, deliberately heading the ball is not permitted in U11 and younger matches. If it occurs, the referee is to award an Indirect Free Kick to the opposing team. IN LWYSA U10-U11 Recreational Games ONLY: If a defender heads the ball in their half of the field between the Build Out Line and the goal line, the Indirect Free Kick will be taken from that part of the Build Out Line closest to the place where the ball was headed. This differs from the USSF recommendation that the IFK be awarded where the header occurred and will result in kicks being taken farther from the goal. This to avoid having defending players create a wall near the goal then have the strongest opponent kicking the ball at them as hard as they can at short range - which sort of defeats the purpose of the no header rule - safety.

Build Out Line

ATTENTION: Adjustments are being made to this rule during the beginning or the season, and many people did not read about it before the season. Please have coaches and referees meet to discuss this line before playing.

In U10 and U11 play, an additional line may appear on the field, called a "Build Out Line." For LWYSA recreational play, if none is present, then for U11 the build-out line is assumed to be the half-way line. For U10, the build out line is assumed to be half way between the goal line and the half-way line. For U10, this is an adjustment from the first weekend's rules.

When the goalkeeper has possession of the ball, or when a goal kick is awarded, the opponents are required to withdraw behind the build out line. They may not challenge for the ball until the ball has been put back into play. In these U10 and U11 games the goalkeeper may not punt the ball. (After instruction, award an IFK if they do.)

The purpose of this change is to promote "playing out of the back" in a less pressured setting.

IN ADDITION, if a Build Out Line is present, a player will not be considered to be in an offside position until they are closer to the opponent's goal than the Build Out Line (instead of the half-way line).

Punting

Punting is not permitted in U10 or U11 matches. Punting IS permitted in U12 matches.
To help address the many questions about punting...saying that you cannot punt in U10 and U11 is part of the US Soccer Federations Player Development Initiative (PDI). In 7v7 U10 and U11 matches that include a "Build Out Line", punting is not permitted to encourage players to put the ball into play and develop and attack beginning on the defensive end of the field. Permitting a player to punt would bypass the need to "develop" an attack. In the PDI presentations, it says that goalkeepers may "pass, throw, or roll the ball (punting is not permitted)..." to put it back into play.
LWYSA Clarification: For purpose of this rule, a "half-volley" is still considered punting the ball. While the "punishment" for punting is to award the opposing team an IFK, it is much preferred that the ball be returned to the GK and they be instructed not to punt. Only if the GK ignores the instruction should the opponent be awarded an IFK.

U10 Specific

The number of players is 7 (6 + GK). The match is played in two 30-minute halves. (This is longer than previous years and is unique to LWYSA recreational play. Other leagues may be playing with shorter periods.) The center circle has a 5 yd radius. Any kick that would require players to be 10 yds away in the IFAB, only requires 5 yds for U10. Penalty kicks MAY be awarded by the referee. The penalty mark is 7 yds from the goal. Red and Yellow cards are not to be shown to U10 players. The referee may suggest that coaches temporarily remove players to allow them to "cool off" or to give them coaching direction. LWYSA addendum: In the event of "Violent Conduct" or "Serious Foul Play" (as defined in IFAB) the referee may REQUIRE the player be removed. In that case the player may not re-enter the match. The team is NOT required to play short.

U11 Specific

Games are 30 minute halves. The number of players is 7 (6 + GK). (This is a smaller roster than previous years and is unique to LWYSA rec play for 2016 only. Other leagues may be playing with 9) The match is played in two 30-minute halves. The center circle has a 7 yd radius. Any kick that would require players to be 10 yds away in the IFAB, only requires 7 yds for U11.

U12 Specific

Games are 30 minute halves. The center circle has an 8 yd radius. Any kick that would require players to be 10 yds away in the IFAB, only requires 8 yds for U12. The number of players is 9 (8 + GK).

"Clearly Moves"

Previously, the Laws said that a free kick was in play when the ball was "Kicked and Moves." This resulted in some teams worldwide coming up with "trick plays" in which they would barely touch a ball and their opponents may not realize that was intended to put the ball in play. The Laws now say that, on a free kick, the ball must "Clearly Move" to be in play. This means that there can be no doubt in the referee's mind - standing 15 yds away, that the ball has moved. In other words - no more trick plays.

Red Card for Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity

This one gets a little tricky. It is no longer mandatory for a referee to red card a player if they are fouled in the penalty area and the FIFA requirements for "Denying an Obvious Goal Scoring Opportunity" have been met. If the referee awards a PK, then only a caution MAY apply if the referee thought the defender simply committed a foul while trying to make a legitimate play on the ball. For example, a mis-timed tackle may only require a Caution, whereas grabbing a shirt would still earn a red card. If you need more, read the information in the IFAB Laws of the Game (link above) explaining the change. Fortunately, this is rarely an issue in U12 and under matches.

Summary

The IFAB summarized the changes to the Laws of the Game within the body of the Laws for this year. It amounts to almost 50 pages of text. As indicated earlier MOST of the changes really only come into play in adult or competitive matches.

Questions??

Please make sure you get qualified answers to your questions and do not rely on "word of mouth." Send a note to LWYSA's Referee Mentors. This team includes two licensed USSF instructors and a USSF assessor so you can be certain to receive an authoritative answer there.