Under 15 Girls Futsal Competition

KSFA FUTSAL RULES

There are 18 laws in all, ranging in focus from the technical requirements of the ball and pitch through to the exact workings of the accumulated foul rule.

This guides you through the laws, highlighting the basic principles of the game that make it different from any other versions of five-a-side that you might have played before:

The pitch – if possible,Futsal should be played on a marked pitch that allows the ball to go out of play

The ball – if possible the standard Futsal ball, which is a smaller, heavier, ‘low bounce’ version of 11 a-side ball.

Head height - There are no restrictions (apart from the ceiling of the sports hall!) as to how high the ball can be kicked in Futsal.

Number of players & substitutions - A match is played by two teams, each consisting of not more than five players (a goalkeeper and four outfield players) and five substitutes. There is no restriction on the number of substitutions that may be made during a match. Substitutions may be made at any time, whether the ball is in play or not, Up to 10 players can be used in one match and there is no limit on how long a player must stay on or off the pitch. Players must enter and leave the field of play via the ‘substitution zone’ that is marked on the pitch in front of the team’s benches.

Kick-ins - In order to restart the game after a ball has gone out of play the ball is kicked back into play from the touchline and from corners. The ball must be placed stationary on the touchline and the feet of the player taking the kick-in must not cross the line.

The 4 second rule - For kick-ins, free kicks, goal clearances and corner kicks the player in possession of the ball has 4 seconds to restart play which the referee will count with their fingers in the air. If play isn’t restarted within four seconds an indirect free kick will be awarded to the opposing team. The goalkeeper is not allowed to control the ball for more than 4 seconds in his/her own half.

The 5m rule - Players are required to keep 5m from the player in possession of the ball on free kicks, corners, goal clearances, kick-ins and penalties.

Goalkeepers - Goalkeepers are allowed to come out of and players are allowed to go into the penalty area. A goal clearance must be thrown out and the goalkeeper cannot touch the ball again until it has crossed into the opponents half or a member of the opposition has touched the ball.

Accumulated fouls - Each team will be allowed to give away 5 direct free kicks in each half, then on the sixth foul a direct kick is awarded to the opposing team and the defending team is not allowed to position any players (other than the goal keeper) between the ball and the goal. The kick may be take from the 10m mark or, if the foul was committed closer to the goal than the 10m mark, then the kick may be taken from the position where the foul took place.

Real time - A Futsal match consists of two twenty minute halves that are played real-time which means the clock stops whenever the ball goes out of play. In the knock-out phase of the competition, extra time of minutes each way must be played if the scores are level. If scores remain level after extra time, the game must be decided by penalty kicks.

Time outs - Each team is allowed a one-minute time out in each half lasting 60 seconds.

Sliding Tackles - Sliding tackles are not allowed in Futsal but players ARE allowed to slide on the pitch, for example to stop the ball from going out of play. For a player sliding to be considered an offence, the tackler’s opponent must have possession of the ball. Referees will not give a foul for a slide if the opponent does not have possession of the ball.

Red Cards - If a player is sent off then the team to which the player belongs must remain with 4 players until either two minutes have passed, or the opposition have scored a goal.

First referee (to be provided by the Home school) - The first referee is responsible for controlling the match and has full authority to enforce the laws of the game. They will and provide the appropriate authorities with a match report if required and will act as a timekeeper.

Second referee (to be provided by the Away school) - The second referee is also permitted to use a whistle to stop the game for any infringement of the laws and will ensure that the substitutions are carried out correctly. S/he will also record times of goals, stoppages and the number of accumulated fouls.