Puget Sound Premier League
General League Regulations for Competition
The Puget Sound Premier League (PSPL) is a competitive US Club Soccer league. The league is open to all teams within the state of Washington that are affiliated with US Club Soccer.
LEAGUE STANDARDS
• The Puget Sound Premier League believes fundamentally in open competition and promotion/relegation.
• The PSPL places teams with similar abilities into the same divisions. But once placed in a division, competition rules. Any team can advance to the Super League as long as it continues to win and meet the league’s standards and criteria.
• THE PSPL SUPER LEAGUE: This is our premier-level division. Teams must meet certain league standards in addition to advancing to the top echelon through competition. Two teams go down and two go up. Automatic Relegation to the Classic League will be for the lowest placed team; the second lowest-placed team will face off against the 2nd place finisher in the Classic League. Winner plays in the Super League.
• CLASSIC LEAGUE: This is for B-level select teams and strong C-level teams. League winner is automatically promoted to Super League. The 2nd-place team will compete against the 2nd-lowest team in the Super League in a one-match playoff. Relegation from the Classic League will include the lowest placed team and the 2nd lowest placed team will play off against the 2nd placed team in the Copa League.
• COPA LEAGUE: District select and Rec-Select teams will find a comfortable home here in Copa land. This is our entry-level league and may be structured in multiple ways. Automatic promotion to the Classic League will be awarded to the 1st place team; the 2nd place team will playoff against the 2nd lowest placed team in the Classic League. Promotion also will depend on teams and clubs meeting other league standards and criteria.
• INLAND NW COPA STANDARDS: This is a league for discric and rec-select teams from Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho that want to play on the east side of the mountains. The PSPL administers and helps to set ther ules and standards of this league with a seven-member Eastern Washington advisory committee. The President, or executive director, shall appoint committee members.
• INDEPENDENT TEAMS: The PSPL primarily creates competitive soccer leagues to promote club-based soccer teams. The PSPL believes clubs are more committed and more capable of developing young soccer players over the long term. However, the PSPL welcomes independent teams on a case-by-case basis subject to approval by the competition committee and subject to the specific criteria of some of the leagues.
ESSENTIAL RULES
• PLAYING UP: Teams wishing to play up may do so subject to meeting specific criteria as well as meeting the approval of the competition committee. First, teams must win the Super League, must remain undefeated and must show an overwhelming goal differential to be considered as a play-up, and then the competition committee will make the final decision. If approved, play-up teams will move to the Classic division and their performance will be monitored to determine if it ultimately is a good fit. A play-up team has to be better than good; it has to be extraordinary.
• NUMBER OF TEAMS: The number of teams per division is determined by the quality of competition. The aim is to match like-minded teams together in an effort to promote one of the key tenants of players development. It is the goal to ultimately keep the Super League to 7 teams in a 12 game fall league schedule so teams will play each other twice in a home/away series. A 12-game Fall Season will kick off following Labor Day weekend in September. An 8-game Spring Season begins late February. Results from fall and spring leagues will dictate promotion and relegation. Number of teams dictates the number of divisions within the league.
• PROMOTION/RELEGATION: We believe competition determines the pecking order. We believe that if you are good enough, you should be allowed to compete. That is the foundations of this league but we recognize extraordinary circumstances. The competition committee has the power to consider extraordinary issues, such as placing extraordinary play-up teams into older divisions. Fall-league results determine promotion/relegation for the following fall season and are used as a reference for team placement in the Spring League.
• ROSTERS: All teams may list up to 26 players on their US Club Master Roster. U-8 to U-11 teams may list up to 14 players on the game day rosters. U-12 to U-19 teams may list up to 18 players on the game day roster.
• SUPER LEAGUE STANDARDS: Entrance into the PSPL’s top league upon clubs committing to meet certain standards over time. These stricter standards do not apply to Classic and Copa leagues. They include:
o Affiliation with a recognized club, or a competitive track record and obvious player-development focus as an independant team if it receives competition committe endorsement.
o Clubs must have a Coaching Director with a minimum “C” License, or equivalent, or be committed to earning a "C" License over the 24- months after joining the league.
o Club must be composed of a minimum of three teams, or receive approval from the Competition Committee.
o Club must produce a recognized player development plan and/or demonstrate a track record of quality player development and/or a history of competitive excellence.
o Clubs must meet minimum field expectations. Super League matches must be played on quality turf or grass fields. Home team must provide a full crew of officials including a qualified Referee and 2 Assistant Referees.
o All of these factors will be considered when evaluating teams that want to play in the Super League.
- NORTHWEST CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Winners of Fall Super League automatically advance to NWCL. A play-up team must win its Classic division in order to secure a two-game playoff series with the Super League winner to determine which team qualifies for the NWCL. The playoff series will be home-away and the team with the highest aggregate number of goals will be the winner. In case of a draw following the two-legged playoff series, the teams will play a 20-minute Golden Goal (first goal wins) overtime. If still tied following the extra time, the winner will be determined by penalty kicks.
• COMPETITION COMMITTEE: This advisory committee determines league placement, league standards and the laws of the game for the various leagues. The committee consists of 7 (seven) representatives, including the league technical director, or proxy, who heads the committee. Four representatives of PSPL clubs which have a minimum one-year history with the club, are eligible to seek appointment to the committee. The president, or executive director, shall appoint committee members.
General Governance
Rule 101 Board
For league board and advisors to the board see PSPL bylaws.
Rule 102 Territories
No club has exclusive territory rights in the PSPL.
Rule 103 Conditions for Termination of a Team
Club and team affiliation may be terminated because of violation of performance conditions set forth by the league.
Rule 104 Conditions for Competition in Leagues
Following each season, the league competition board shall review the compliance record of each team in their specific division. The committee may find that compliance with the standards is insufficient and recommend action to the league office. In extreme cases of repeated noncompliance the respective executive committee may recommend the termination of the team or Club in question.
Rule 105 Conditions for Team Acceptance into League
Any club or team in good standing with US Club Soccer may apply for acceptance into the current league. Priority will be given to teams that commit to participate in the current league on a first come first serve basis. PSPL board will notify Club/Teams of acceptance.
League Structure
Rule 201 Governance
All competition in the PSPL is governed by regulations approved by the league office.
Rule 202 Division Formations
Competitive divisions will be structured according to the playing level of teams as determined by the PSPL Board of Competition, which has final authority on all placement issues. Should the PSPL determine that there are an insufficient number of teams to constitute an age group division the teams affected may be allowed to temporarily or partially compete in a different division of play.
Rule 203 Playing Rules
All games under league jurisdiction shall be played according to the rules and regulations recognized by the PSPL which shall be the same rules set by FIFA/ U.S. Soccer (USSF) except for those exceptions authorized by FIFA or USSF.
Rule 204 Playing Season
Each playing season, which shall be designated by the PSPL, will be provided to teams at least two weeks prior to the beginning of the first league play. The “League” is designated by the PSPL for the season in which the league is played. Example, Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter, but shall not be limited or restricted to a season.
Rule 205 Point System
The Puget Sound Premier league (PSPL) shall operate under a point system. The point system shall award three points for a win, one point for a tie and no points for a loss.
In case of a tie in the standings, the following criteria will be used to determine final standing;
- head to head competition
- number of wins
- plus/minus
- goals for
- goals against
In the event all tiebreakers are equal, the winner shall be decided by coin toss.
Rule 206 League Schedule
The league schedule is the responsibility of the league office. League schedules will be posted two weeks prior to start of play on the PSPL Website. However, once the initial schedule is posted teams may make changes to the schedule provided all affected teams agree to the change. Every effort must be made to play all games. If teams are unable to reach agreement for a makeup game the league office may re-schedule the game. Teams unwilling or unable to attend a game will forfeit points from the game. Forfeited games will result in a 3-0 loss for the team forfeiting the match. No additional points will be subtracted. Teams that forfeit a match will be charged $450 and possibly removed from further league play for a period determined by the league office. As a general rule for the PSPL fall league U-11 to U-14 teams play on Saturdays and U-15 to U-19 teams play on Sundays. Teams may opt to move their home games to a different day as long as it does not affect double header weekends and the other teams approve of the changes. For informaiton on scheduling please see rule 502.
Rule 207 League Standings
Official standings of teams, the keeping of which is the responsibility of the league office, are tabulated on a regular basis, and displayed on the Puget Sound Premier League website. The reporting of scores is the responsibility of BOTH teams. The web site will keep posted the standings of the league.
Rule 208 Game lengths
- U8 will play 8v8 and 2x25 minutes with a 5-minute halftime and a size four ball, field will be Starfire Modified field, goal size 6.5’x18’.
- U9 will play 8v8 and 2x25 minutes with a 5-minute halftime and a size four ball, field will be Starfire Modified field, goal size 6.5”x18’.
- U10 will play 9v9 and 2x25 minutes with a 5-minute halftime and a size four ball; field will be Starfire Modified field goal size 6.5’x18’.
- U11 will play 9v9 and 2x30 minutes with a 5-minute halftime and a size four ball, field will be Starfire Mod field or equivalent, goal size 7’x21’ preferred (8’x24’ acceptable.)
- U12 will play 11v11 and 2x30 minutes with a 5-minute halftime and a size four ball, full size field and goal
- U13 will play 2x35 minutes with a 5-minute halftime and a size five ball
- U14 will play 2x35 minutes with a 5-minute halftime and a size five ball
- U15 will play 2x40 minutes with a 5-minute halftime and a size five ball
- U16 will play 2x40 minutes with a 5-minute halftime and a size five ball
- U17 will play 2x45minutes with a 5-minute halftime and a size five ball
- U18/19 will play 2x45 minutes with a 5-minute halftime and a size five ball
Rule 208 may be modified by PSPL board, to best suit current league season schedule.
Rule 209 Substitutions
A team may have no more than 18 players’ eligible for each game. For U-8 to U-11 teams, a team may have no more than 14 players’ eligible for each game. Players must be named on the game roster presented to the referee at the beginning of each game. Free substitutions will be allowed in all age groups. Teams may substitute with the referee’s permission at on any stoppage. Player substitutions and reentry are unlimited.
Rule 210 Eligibility
All players and coaches must present their US Club Player Identification Card to the referee prior to the match. If the individual’s picture is not on the ID card and the card is not laminated, the individual will not be eligible for the match. Players must be named on the Master Roster and Game Day Referee Report presented to the referee at beginning of each game. Teams may use guest players provided they have not played with another clubs team during the current league season. Guest players may only be added up to two weeks into the league season. Teams using guest players must send copies of transfer forms along with US Club roster to the league office. Players may not compete for more than two different clubs in a US Club Soccer league during one designated season unless approved by the league office. Player requesting transfer between two clubs or teams must serve at least a two-week waiting period before competing with new team unless otherwise approved by the Director of Competition.
Players on a club’s first team that are not designated on the game sheet as starters are eligible to play on the club’s second team if they appear on the Master roster and game-day sheet for the second team. In the event no starters are designated on the game-day sheet, no first team players are eligible to play for the second team. Players on a club’s second team may play on a club’s first team as long as they appear on the Master roster and are listed on the game-day sheet.
Please note
- Players may play up into older age groups an unlimited number of times.
- U8, U9 and U10 teams are exempt from the starter designation requirement and may move players freely between club teams as long as players appear on the Master Roster and game-day sheet and are not playing down.
Rule 211 League Discipline
A send off (red card) will result in a minimum of a one (1) game suspension. A send off as a result of two cautions will result in the player being suspended for the next match. If a player is sent off during the weekend, they may not play the remainder of the weekend. Games sat out that weekend can count against the suspension, as long as noted on the Roster and/or Referee Game Report as such. Any team using suspended players will be disciplined the same as using illegal players. The League office must be notified of the send off within 24 hours by the home team. For more information on red cards please see rule 801.
Rule 212 Referee Abuse
Any player, coach, manager, club official or game official who assaults a referee shall be suspended for a minimum of one year from any and all PSPL, US Club Soccer, and US Soccer Federation activity. Longer suspensions are possible, depending on the severity of the assault.
Suspensions will be effect as soon as PSPL verifies that the assault occurred and will remain in effect at least until a PSPL/US Club disciplinary hearing is held. A disciplinary hearing will be held under Federation Rules for the purpose of establishing that an assault occurred, that the person so accused is in fact the perpetrator and/or whether a suspension of more than one year shall be imposed. The competition rules for all events shall contain this standard as a condition of receiving US Club Soccer sanctioning, though it should be noted that only US Club has the authority to impose said suspensions.
The team head coach of any player who commits referee assault shall be placed on probation for a two year period. If a player on a team coached by this individual (whether as a head coach or an assistant coach of that team), assaults a referee within the probationary period, the coach shall be suspended from any and all PSPL, US Club Soccer and US Soccer Federation activity for the remainder of the probationary period or for one year, whichever is greater.
The club of a player, coach, team official, club official or game official who assaults a referee shall be fined as follows:
•First Offense: $500
•Second Offense within 24 months: $1,000
•Third Offense within 24 months of the first assault: $5,000
PSPL may, at the sole and absolute discretion of its Director of Leagues and Tournaments, disqualify a team from any PSPL sponsored league or tournament in which a member of that team has committed a referee assault. The game in which the assault occurred and all subsequent games may be declared forfeits and forfeit-related fines may apply.
Rule 213 Incomplete Games
In the event a game cannot be completed, the game counts if one- half the game was completed. If there is no result and the match is suspended prior to the expiration of one half, the game shall be repeated at a time agreed upon by the competing teams in consultation with the league office.
Rule 214 No-Shows / Forfeits
A no-show occurs when a team willfully does not show up at a game agreed to by the teams. Penalties for no-shows are as follows:
- A forfeit will result in a 3-0 win to the team not at fault and the forfeiting team will record the result as a 0-3 loss.
- A $450 fine.
- One no-show may result in team being terminated at the discretion of the league.
- The accumulation of two no-shows in a season shall result in the team’s termination of the league.
A team unable to attend a scheduled game because of an accident, weather or act of God should immediately notify the opponent and the league office. Each situation shall be reviewed by the league office, which shall enter a decision.
Rule 215 Sideline Etiquette
- If field space allows, coaches and players should be on the same sideline opposite parents and spectators.
- Parents and spectators are expected to behave appropriately and respectfully at all times during the match. Unruly or irresponsible behavior identified by a referee could lead to a team’s forfeit of points and/or a monetary fine.
Game Officials
Rule 300 Match officials
Match officials must be licensed Referees. The match officials for PSPL games will be assigned by contracted referee assignors, and consist of three officials with the exception of U8, U9 and U10 which will utilize a single center referee.
Rule 301 Assignment of match officials
Match officials shall be assigned by the contracted referee assignors.
Failure of a match official to appear will not constitute canceling of a match. A substitute official will be agreed upon by both coaches and his/her decision will be final.
Disciplinary regulations
Rule 401 Suspensions
The league office shall have the authority to suspend, fine or disqualify players, team officials or competing clubs for violating league rules, or for any action or conduct not in the best interest of soccer or the PSPL. For more information on red cards please see rule 801.
Rule 402 Disciplinary Panel
A panel of individuals from the league office shall conduct the review of disciplinary issues. Such panels will consist of at least one licensed referee official.
Minimum Standards
Rule 501 Team Management Requirements
Each team must have a team manager that handles the following responsibilities: reporting of scores and communication with appropriate league officials. All teams must have access to email, and a telephone number connected to a 24 hour answering system during the season. All teams are responsible for maintaining their contact information with the league office. All team managers must have an email address checked on a regular daily basis. All team managers must list a current email address and phone number on their team page.
Rule 502 Playing Venues
The playing field used by each team must be lined according to FIFA standards with goals nets and flags. Home teams are responsible for marking the field of play, providing an adequate game ball (modified as follows):
- U11 will play 9v9 and 2x30 minutes with a 5-minute halftime and a size four ball, field will be Starfire Mod field or equivalent (length 75y-100y, width 40y-55y), goal size 7’x21’ preferred (8’x24’ acceptable.)
The home team contact is responsible for providing the visiting team directions, confirming kick-off time and jersey color no less than 72 hours prior to scheduled game time. In the event of a jersey color conflict the home team is required to wear an alternate color. If field and/or times are changed, the home team contact person listed is responsible to contact the opposing team contact as soon as possible.
If the visiting contact person has not been contacted they should call the home team contact to confirm match details. (Contact information will be posted on the PSPL website)
For all games scheduled outside of the Development League at Starfire, it is the expectation that games will not be scheduled earlier than 9 am on Saturdays or 10 am on Sundays unless agreed to by the visiting team. For teams that have more than two hours, games may not be scheduled earlier than 10 a.m. and for teams traveling three hours or more, games may not be scheduled earlier than 11 a.m.
502A
Double-header Schedules: When one team travels across the state and is playing two away games, the home teams must schedule their games within the following time frame: a late Saturday afternoon beginning no earlier than 2 p.m. and an early morning Sunday start, kicking off between 9 a.m. and noon. The league office reserves the right to approve the double-header schedules in case of disputes between both parties. Please be forwarned: in an effort to maximimize the competition and minimize travel, there will be very little flexibility for home teams hosting traveling teams, particularly traveling across state. This applies mainly to Super League teams, but applies to Classic Division when appropriate.
The goals of each club shall be to provide an enjoyable experience for the fans, players, officials and everyone involved with the staging of a soccer game.
Rule 503 Personnel on the Bench
A maximum of 3 non-playing personnel is allowed on each team bench. DOC’s are exempt from this count as long as they can produce their US Club membership card for the referee.
Rule 504 Score reports
Both teams are responsible for reporting the match results to the Puget Sound Premier League website within 24 hours of the game and keep and file the game sheet for possible future reference. Failure to do so could result in forfeiture of the game after 24 hours of the game being completed.
Game Procedures
Rule 601 Game Roster and Referee Report
Each team must provide the referee a PSPL Master Roster and Game sheet prior to the game. The Game day sheet can be downloaded from the Puget Sound Premier League web site, located at www.PugetSoundPremierLeague.com. At the conclusion of the game, the referee will complete the document and return the Home Team Game Roster and Referee Report to the visiting team and the vice versa. These documents shall serve as the Official Score Report.
Rule 602 Official Score Report
The game information from the Official Score Report shall be filled in on the PSPL web site after each match by both teams of each game. Both teams should keep and file the Game Sheets for future possible reference.
Rule 603 Protests
Any protest must be documented on the game day roster by the Referee no later than the completion of the match. The notice of protest needs to be submitted to the league office within 24 hours and followed along with a $150 non-refundable Administration fee.
Registration
701 Master Rosters
Players may only play for one US Club Soccer Club during the League. All out-of-Club transfers must be approved by Competition Committee. Individual teams may contain up to 26 players on their US Club roster. There is no limit to the number of changes made to the roster provided the players are registered to the club, or have not played for another club in the League. Only 18 of 26 players are eligible to play on match-day. Only 14 of the 26 can play U-8 to U-11 matches. The players for each match must be on the official game roster given to the match official and opposing team before the start of the game.
Any player that does not appear on the US Club master roster shall be considered an illegal player. Any team using an illegal player shall forfeit three points for each game to the opposing team against whom the illegal player was used. In addition the guilty team shall forfeit an additional three points in the standings. A fine of $450 will also be assessed against a team using illegal players.
703 Player registrations
Players shall be registered according to US Club rules.
801 Game-Suspension Procedures
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Red Cards: All Straight Red Carded Player/Coach are automatically suspended for 1 games with the Disciplinary committee reviewing and considering additional suspensions. This suspension is effective immediately. Please note: The card carries over into other PSPL Age Groups and Games. For example, if Coach A receives a sendoff for his/her U12 Girls game and Coach A has a game with his/her U15 Boys team – Coach A is unable to coach this match.
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Double Yellow: All double yellow carded players/coaches are automatically suspended for 1 games with the card being reviewed by the Disciplinary committee for further suspensions. For instance, a second card for dissent, especially involving swearing will most often result in additional games suspensions. Please note: The card does not carry over into other PSPL Age Groups and Games. For example, if Coach A receives a warning for his/her U12 Girls game and Coach A has a game with his/her U15 Boys team – Coach A must serve suspension with U12 Girl’s team.
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When do suspensions take affect? The carded Player/Coach must begin their suspension immediately in the next game(s). Even if the official suspension has not been awarded the one or two game suspension is effective immediately. It is the teams and clubs responsibility to ensure this is followed. If the player sits out a match, they should fill out the form below for verification of the player or coach serving the suspension. Failure to provide verification could result in a forfeit.
- Teams must have signed Disciplinary Determination and Notification . The form must be signed by the Center Referee, verifying that Player or Coach did not participate in game. Please copy and/or scan the Game roster and referee report or game suspension form to: discipline@pugetsoundpremierleague.com
Code of Conduct
Do not tarnish the game of soccer, the PSPL, US Club Soccer, USSF, your club, your team, yourself, your family or community. Behave reasonably, respectfully and flexibly.
