Rules of Play and Division Guidelines - AYSO Area K 

The following guidelines and rules of fair play have been approved by all Area K regions and are to be followed by all AYSO teams. 

• Each player is guaranteed half a game (unless they refuse to play).
• Coaches and players MUST be on opposite side of field to parents.

• Kick off shall be taken from the center of the field. The ball will be properly in play when it has been kicked and has clearly moved.
• Restarts after sub breaks shall begin from where the ball exited play.
• Substitutions

• No free substitutions other than sub breaks.
• Coaches can only sub when the referee, or 6U coach-ref, stops play for sub break, which shall occur as close to the midway point of each half and ball exiting play.
• Substitution breaks are to swap players in and out with a quick restart, not extended breaks for team talks, snacks, etc.
• Substitutions for injured players during the game is permitted. The coach may do one of the following:

• Play short if the injury is minor and the player just needs a brief recovery period -OR-
• Substitute for the injured player. The injured player may not return to the match until the next substitution break.

• In the spirit of good sportsmanship, share players if the opposing team has too few to play.
• Deliberate handball is not permitted.
• Respect the required distance (10 yds) on all goal kicks and free kicks. A goal kick is merely another free kick.
• Thunder and/or sight of lightning requires immediate stoppage until 30 minutes after last sound of thunder or sight of lightning.

Additional Considerations U6

• There may be times where kids of this age simply refuse to continue playing and exit the field. Let common sense prevail for those kids.
• Try and put the stronger players against each other on one field so that the quieter ones can try to learn the game faster on the second field. Unlike the guidelines above this is merely a suggestion. 

Additional Considerations (8U+) 

• Sliding tackles – while there is no rule against it it can be considered dangerous play. The referee has the right to decide if a sliding tackle is dangerous play. 

Division Guidelines