TOURNAMENT HEADQUARTERS:
Holiday
Inn Somerset
195 Davidson Avenue
Somerset, NJ 08873
Phone: 732-356-1700
Fax: 732-584-4642
Contact Person: Patty Seitz 908-581-0693
1) AGE AND ELIGIBILITY:
Participation
in the 4th Annual PDA Invitational Girls College Showcase Tournament is open to
accepted teams composed of eighteen (18) or fewer players meeting the age limit
of the specified division (See 1.B. below for loan player requirements) for 15
and 16 year old teams. U17, U18, and U19 teams are eligible to have up to
22 players on their team roster. Players must have been born during, or
subsequent to, the divisional year. Each
team from the US must be registered with
a National State Association affiliated with US Youth Soccer, or with US Club
Soccer, and must present an approved and valid Official State or US Club Soccer
Roster. US Youth Soccer or US Club Soccer Member passes duly authorized
by State National Association or US Club Soccer will be required as proof of
age. . Teams from
2) REGISTRATION AND CREDENTIALS:
a) REGISTRATION: Teams must check in at the MANDATORY REGISTRATION. Mandatory Registration is Friday evening preceding the first day of play. Teams will be notified to the time and location of the Mandatory Registration. Failure to check in will result in automatic disqualification (without a refund of the fee) from the Tournament.
b)
CREDENTIALS: At the Mandatory
Registration, teams must provide the required credentials. All
Player passes must be available at the fields of play during any and all matches.
c)
ROSTERS:
U-15 and U-16 teams may register a maximum of eighteen (18) players.
U17, U18, and U19 teams are eligible to have up to 22 players on their team roster. A maximum of 18 players can be listed on a particular game roster, all of whom must be listed on the team roster. A team may use up to five (5) guest players but any team utilizing guest players is still limited to the player maximum of their age group.
d) AGE GROUPS for teams are as follows:
(a) Under 19 (Born on or after August 1, 1986)
(b) Under 17 (Born on or after August 1, 1988)
(c) Under 16 (Born on or after August 1, 1989)
(d) Under 15 (Born on or after August 1, 1990)
3) RULES OF PLAY:
a) All games shall be played in accordance with FIFA Laws, except as specifically modified by these rules
b) Duration of Games & Overtimes, by Halves, and Ball Size is as follows:
Division Prelim* Semi Finals Finals Overtime** Ball Size
U19
35 Minutes
35 Minutes
35 Minutes
10 Minutes
5
U17 35
Minutes 35 Minutes
35
Minutes 10
Minutes
5
U16 35
Minutes 35
Minutes 35
Minutes 10
Minutes
5
U15 35 Minutes
35 Minutes
35 Minutes
10 Minutes
5
c) *All Preliminary Games will be called not less than five (5) minutes prior to the scheduled start of the next game regardless of the amount of time played in each half up to that point. A game is "complete" upon completion of one half of play regardless of the circumstances of termination during the second half with final results based on the score at the time the game is called. Preliminary games can end in a tie.
d) ** Semi-Final or Final games tied after regulation will play two equal overtime halves. If a tie still exists after overtime halves in Semi-Final or Final games, FIFA Penalty Kicks will determine who advances or is awarded the trophy. Penalty Kicks will immediately follow the game.
e) HALF TIME: Half Time will be exactly five minutes.
f) Players and coaches will take one side of the pitch, and supporters will take the other side of the pitch.
g) The designated home team is as listed on the schedule. Game balls will be provided by the tournament, but in the event that the game ball is lost and no replacement is readily available, the home team will be asked to provide a game ball.
4) GAME CHECK-IN CONDUCT:
a) Thirty (30) minutes prior to the start of each scheduled game, each team must present to the field marshal the team's player cards so the team may be checked in to play and the game started as scheduled. A team who fails to report within ten minutes after a scheduled kick off will forfeit the game.
5) SUBSTITUTIONS:
Free substitution will be allowed in all age groups. However, teams may substitute only with the referee's permission and only at the following times (including overtimes):
a) Prior to a throw-in by the team in possession
b) Prior to a
goal kick, by either team
c) After a
goal, by either team
d) After an
injury on either team when the referee stops play
e) At
halftime
f) On a
caution, only the cautioned player may be substituted at that time.
6) PLAYERS’ EQUIPMENT and Credentials:
a) It will be at the Referee's discretion to determine the safety and suitability of player equipment including the wearing of a hard brace or soft cast.
b) Shin guards are mandatory for all players.
c) Where uniform colors are similar, the designated home team will change colors. Home team is listed first on the schedule.
d) Player picture
cards are to be present and available at all matches.
e) Identification
cards are required to be checked by the referee prior to each match
f) The shirt number
of each player must be the same as the player’s shirt number on the daily match
report or roster. If the numbers are not the same, the referee is not to allow
the player to take part in the match until the numbers are the same.
7) COACHING:
All Coaches have total responsibility for the conduct of their players, substitutes, friends and spectators at all times. Coaching from the sidelines (giving direction to one's own team on points of strategy and position) is permitted, provided:
a) No mechanical devices are used;
b) The tone of the voice is instructive and not derogatory;
c) No coach, substitute, or spectator makes derogatory remarks or gestures to the referees, other coaches, players, substitutes, or spectators;
d) No coach, substitute, or spectator uses profanity or incites, in any manner, disruptive behavior.
8) CAUTIONS AND EJECTIONS:
a) A player or coach receiving two cautions (yellow cards) in a single game is considered to have been given an Ejection (red card) for the purposes of awarding points for the Tournament competition. A player who has been ejected (sent off), will not be replaced. A player or coach who has been ejected will not return for that game and will not be allowed to participate in the next scheduled game.
b) A player or coach who is ejected for violent conduct or serious foul play will not be allowed to participate in the next TWO scheduled games.
c) Any player or coach who assaults a referee will be expelled from the Tournament.
d) For the purpose of this Tournament a Coach can be carded.
9) SUSPENDED AND TERMINATED GAMES:
If in the opinion of game officials a game must be suspended (for reason), the game may be resumed, but is subject to being ended not less than five (5) prior to the scheduled start of the next game. If in the opinion of game officials, a game must be terminated for misconduct of players, bench coaches, or spectators, the offending team could be suspended from further play and forfeits that game and all remaining games. All previous points earned remain as played. Additionally, the home league and State Association will be contacted as appropriate.
10) INJURY:
Delays of the game due to injury will result in appropriate time being added to the full game time, based on the judgment of the referee. However, all preliminary games will be terminated not less than five (5) minutes prior to the scheduled start of the next game.
11) DETERMINING DIVISIONAL WINNERS AND WILD CARD TEAMS:
Teams will be awarded points on the following basis:
Game points:
a) Three
(3) points for each Win
b) One (1)
point for each Tie
c) Zero
(0) points for each Loss
Referees will sign the game cards, hand them to the field marshals who will report scores to Headquarters in a timely fashion.
At the end of the preliminary rounds, the division winner
shall be the team with the most (win/tie) points in their division.
In the event of a tie within a division,
the following criteria shall be used to determine the winner:
i) Head to head competition. (In the event
of a tie among more than two (2) teams, this criterion will not be considered).
ii) Most
wins.
iii) Most bonus points (used
only as tie-breakers to determine division winners at the end of preliminary
rounds):
Bonus point calculation --
d) Goal
differential – maximum 3 points per game to winner (no negative points).
e) One (1) point for each shutout
f) MINUS ONE (-1) FOR EACH PLAYER OR COACH EJECTED.
Examples:
· A 5-0 win receives 3 game points for the win, 3 bonus points for the goal differential, plus one bonus point for the shutout.
· A 3-2 win receives 3 game points for the win, plus 1 bonus point for goal differential
· For a 0-0 tie, both teams receive 1 game point for the tie, plus 1 bonus point for the shut-out.
iv) Fewest goals allowed.
v) FIFA penalty kicks thirty
minutes prior to the scheduled playoff round games.
In the event of a tie among three (3) or more teams, the elimination procedure begins with step #2 noted above. If two (2) teams remain, the tie shall be broken by repeating the above elimination procedures beginning with Step #1.
In the event that a wild card team must be selected for the playoff rounds, the above procedure will be used across the entire flight
Tournament Scorekeeper, acting within the parameters of these rules, will determine the teams to advance into the final rounds.
12) PLAYOFF ROUNDS:
a) Winners of each division and wild cards, as determined above, advance into the playoff rounds.
b) If a wild card team MUST be selected for the playoff rounds, that team will not be assigned to play against the winner of its own division in the first playoff round.
c) Overtime will be played in case of a draw at the end of regulation time in the playoff rounds. The winner will be determined as follows:
i) Both overtime halves (10 minutes each) must be played to completion.
ii) Should the game remain a draw after the overtime play, FIFA penalty kicks will be taken to determine the winner. The best of five penalty kicks taken alternately by each team will determine the winner. Only those players on the field at the end of the sudden death overtime period may compete. If the penalty kick score is tied at the end of the five kicks, the teams will continue to take penalty kicks alternately until there is a winner. All players on the field must kick before any player may kick a second time.
13) FORFEITS:
All teams who forfeit will have the game(s) scored a 0-1 loss. The winner will be awarded three points for the win and, in the case of a tie-breaker, two bonus points (one goal differential and one for a shutout). Teams failing to report with at least seven players ready to play, within ten minutes after the scheduled kick off time, will forfeit. Home Teams unable to supply alternate jerseys, or teams failing to check in at the Mandatory Registration or for taking actions which cause a game to be terminated will forfeit. Teams that forfeit will not be permitted to proceed in the tournament to the playoff rounds.
14) PROTESTS:
NO PROTESTS WILL BE ALLOWED.
15) DISPUTES:
Game conduct is under the jurisdiction of the referee and the tournament will not overrule a referee’s decision. Referee decisions may not be appealed. All disputes as to non-referee decisions (i.e. eligibility, interpretation of rules, etc) will be settled by the Tournament Director or his/her designee and that decision will be quick due process and is final and may not be appealed.
16) TOURNAMENT PLAY: Each team will be scheduled for 4 games minimum. Two games will be scheduled for Saturday, one for Sunday and at least one for Monday.
SIXTEEN TEAM DIVISIONS
Each Division will consist of four (4) Brackets of four (4) teams. Each team will play the others within its Bracket for a total of three (3) preliminary games with the top team in each Bracket advancing to the Semi-Finals. Semi-Final games will be played as the winner Bracket A vs. winner Bracket D, and the winner of Bracket B vs. winner of Bracket C. The Semi-Final winners will meet for the Championship.
TWELVE TEAM DIVISIONS
Each Division will consist of three (3) Brackets of four (4) teams. Each team will play the others within its Bracket for a total of three (3) preliminary games. The winner of Bracket A will play the Wildcard Team in semi-final Game 1, and the winners of Brackets B and C will play in Semi-Final Game 2. The Wildcard Team will be the second place team with the most points or tie-breakers. If the Wildcard Team comes from Bracket A, then the Winner A will play Winner B, and the Winner C will play the Wildcard. The Semi-Final winners will meet for the Championship.
EIGHT TEAM DIVISIONS
Each Division will consist of two (2) Brackets of four (4) teams. Each team will play the others within its Bracket for a total of three (3) preliminary games. The winner of Bracket A will play the second place team of Bracket B in the Semi-Final Game 1, and the winner of Bracket B will play the second team of Bracket A in Semi-Final Game 2. The Semi-Final winners will meet for the Championship.
ALL DIVISIONS
Teams not advancing to the semi-finals will play one crossover game against a team placing identically (or similarly, where a wild card team must be chosen) from another bracket for their fourth game.
17) CONDUCT:
a) Players, coaches, and spectators are expected to conduct themselves within the spirit AND the letter of the Law. Displays of temper or dissent are cause for ejection from the game and surrounding field area.
b) Players, coaches, and team officials ejected from a game by the referee shall be ineligible for the next scheduled game. The tournament committee may take additional disciplinary action against a team or individual for serious offenses, including suspension from the remainder of the tournament and non-eligibility for future tournaments. Passes for the player or coach are to be held at tournament headquarters. Coaches may be located on the spectator’s side of the field but may not coach or communicate with the team in any way. Players may sit with their team but may not be in uniform. Also, Tournament management will report red cards issued to players from other State Associations to those players’ home State Associations. Notice will be sent to the US Soccer Federation of disciplinary action taken and they will transmit the disciplinary action taken or required to that team’s provincial or national association.
c) ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ARE NOT PERMITTED AT GAME SITES.
d) ARTIFICIAL NOISE-MAKING DEVICES ARE PROHIBITED.
e) In the event of an assault
or abuse of a game official, a judiciary hearing shall immediately be convened
at a Tournament site to be designated by the Tournament Director. All
terms described in the USSF Official Administrative Rule Book – Misconduct Toward Game Official – shall apply. In any
event, a player or coach or other team official or spectator who is charged
with an assault on or abuse of a game official is suspended from further
participation in the PDA Invitational tournament.
F} All matches must use referees certified by the Federation.
18) INCLEMENT WEATHER:
a) In case of inclement weather or other force majeure, the Tournament Committee will have the authority to change games as follows:
b) Relocate or reschedule any game(s).
c) Change the duration of any game(s).
d) Cancel any preliminary game(s).
e) Specific guidelines:
i) INCLEMENT WEATHER BEFORE THE MATCH – PRELIMINARY ROUNDS; Referees and/or Tournament Committee may reduce the length of the match, and subsequent matches by 50%, however the halves of the match must be of equal duration. If the match is cancelled, the Tournament Committee will award a 0-0 tie.
ii) INCLEMENT WEATHER BEFORE THE MATCH – SEMI-FINAL ROUND; If a semi-final match cannot begin, a shootout will take place to determine the winner. If a shootout cannot occur, the match will be decided by the flip of a coin.
iii) INCLEMENT WEATHER BEFORE THE MATCH – CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH; If the championship match cannot be played the teams will become Co-Champions. A coin will be flipped to decide who gets the awards. Coin toss winner gets choice of Championship trophy and second place medals or Championship medals. The team that lost the coin toss will get the remaining awards. Both teams will gain the title of tournament Co-Champions.
iv) INCLEMENT WEATHER DURING A MATCH – PRELIMINARY; The match will be considered completed and the score will stand if one half has been completed. If less than one half has been completed, a 0-0 tie will be awarded by the Tournament Committee.
v) INCLEMENT WEATHER DURING THE MATCH – SEMI-FINAL ROUND; The match will be considered completed and the score will stand if one half has been completed. If less than one half has been completed, a shootout will determine the winner. If a shootout cannot occur a flip of a coin will determine the winner.
vi) INCLEMENT WEATHER DURING A MATCH – CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH; The match will be considered completed and the score will stand if one half has been completed. If less than one half has been completed, the Tournament Committee will award a 0-0 tie and both teams will be deemed Co-Champions. A coin toss winner gets choice of Championship trophy and second place medals or Championship medals. The team that lost the coin toss will get the remaining awards. Both teams will gain the title of tournament Co-Champions
vii) INCLEMENT WEATHER BEFORE START OF
TOURNAMENT; If severe inclement weather causes the cancellation of the
tournament in its entirety, ALL TEAMS WILL
be refunded at least 80% of a team’s
entry fee.
Viii} The tournament committee will make all decisions concerning weather.
19) GENERAL:
a) Under no circumstances whatsoever will the Tournament Committee, NJYSA, PDA or US Club Soccer be responsible for any expenses (including the Tournament entry fee) incurred by any team. This includes a situation where the Tournament or any game(s) is canceled/terminated in whole or part once it starts- A minimum of 80% of a team’s entry fee will be refunded if the tournament is cancelled BEFORE it begins. No other refunds will be given.
b) The Tournament Committee's interpretation of the rules shall be final.
c) The Tournament Committee reserves the right to decide on all matters pertaining to this Tournament.
d) No items of any kind may be sold at
Tournament Headquarters, the playing fields, or surrounding the event areas for
the duration of the Tournament without the expressed, written approval of the
Tournament Committee. A team found in violation of this rule will not be
declared a division winner or a wild card team. Determination of guilt
will be by the senior Tournament Official present.
e. You must have a valid driver’s license to operate a golf cart at any tournament.