📋 Pre-Match Requirements

NISC Participant Waiver

 

All players must have a signed waiver on file prior to entering the turf. Team managers will be emailed a link to distribute to their rosters. Minors (under 18) must have their waiver completed by a parent or legal guardian.

Nordic Indoor Center Waiver - Click Here

Age Eligibility Guidelines

• Roster Restrictions: Players may not roster on multiple teams within the same age group.
• Guest Players: Allowed during regular season matches only if both head coaches explicitly agree prior to kickoff. No guest players allowed during playoffs (exceptions made at league discretion to prevent forfeits).
• Violations: Any roster violation results in an immediate automatic forfeit.

🛡️ Zero Tolerance Conduct Policy

• Prohibited Behavior: Abusive or obscene language, disputing calls, persistent yelling, sarcasm, referee criticism, intimidation, or physical altercations.
• Referee Respect: No coach, player, or spectator may criticize or confront a referee before, during, or after a match.
• Opposing Team Interaction: Spectators and coaches are strictly forbidden from engaging with opposing players. Non-positive interactions will result in immediate removal from the facility for the remainder of the session.
• Enforcement: NISC management reserves the right to ban any individual who detracts from a safe, competitive, and enjoyable environment.

⚽ Game Rules & Format Summary

Roster & Equipment

• Uniforms: Teams must wear their official NISC-issued match shirts. Goalkeepers must wear a distinct color (pinnies provided if needed). If shirt colors clash, the home team (listed first) switches to pinnies.
• Safety Gear: Shin guards covered fully by socks are mandatory. Arm casts must be padded with at least 1" thick bubble wrap or dense foam, subject to referee approval.

Match Flow & Timing

• Format: Two 25-minute halves with running time (Playoffs: Single 25-minute period).
• Kickoffs: Home team starts the 1st half; Away team starts the 2nd half. Teams do not swap sides at halftime.
• Substitutions: Unlimited on-the-fly substitutions allowed at any dead ball or during live play (except goalkeepers, who may only substitute during a stoppage with referee notification).

Restarts & Boundary Rules

• Side-Outs: 5v5 uses indirect kick-ins (defenders 5 yards back). 7v7 & 9v9 use traditional throw-ins.
• Goal Kicks: Ball must be kicked from inside the box. For U10 divisions, defenders must retreat to midfield until the kick is taken.
• Half-Field Air Rule: On goal kicks and keeper saves, the ball cannot cross the half-field line in the air without touching a player first. Violation results in an opposing throw-in at the half-line.
• Goalkeeper Play: No punts or dropkicks. Keeper may throw, roll, or play the ball to their own feet. Once dropped to the feet, the keeper cannot pick it up again (violators give up an indirect free kick).
• Ceiling Contact: If the ball hits the ceiling structure, play restarts with an opposing throw-in at the nearest sideline.
• Offsides & Tackling: No offsides. No slide tackling (violators give up an indirect free kick). Goalkeepers may slide hands-first inside their box.

🟨 Discipline & Penalties

• Too Many Players: Result in a direct free kick at midfield. A 2nd offense yields a 2-minute yellow card penalty (playing down a player until a goal is scored or time expires).
• Yellow Card: Player serves a 2-minute penalty on the bench. The referee must signal the player back onto the pitch. 2 Yellows = 1 Red.
• Red Card: Ejection for the remainder of the current match plus a minimum 1-match suspension for the following week. The team plays down a player for the remainder of the game.

🏆 Standings & Tiebreakers

1. Goal Differential (max +10 per match)
2. Total Goals Scored (max +10 per match)
3. Fewest Goals Allowed
4. Coin Flip

🏛️ Facility Rules & Formal Grievances

• Facility Policy: No outdoor cleats allowed. No kicking balls outside field netting. Clean up all trash before leaving the bench/bleachers.

• Filing a Grievance: Formal complaints regarding match incidents, conduct, or officiating must be submitted in writing to Briant Hamrell at briant@nordicsoccer.org. Hearings are reviewed by the NISC Conduct Committee (Senior Management & Board of Directors).