INDOOR SOCCER OVERVIEW
Rules vary between governing bodies, but some of the
nearly universal rule deviations from association
football include:
- The Field. Most indoor soccer arenas are
rectangular or oblong in shape, with turf floors. In
many collegiate intramural leagues, the game may
be played on basketball courts, in which case the
floor is hardwood. Walls at least six feet tall
bound the arena. Ceiling heights vary. Arena
sizes are generally smaller than soccer fields,
and the goals are recessed into the walls. Goals
are also smaller than in standard soccer and
generally the penalty area is smaller.
- The team. Most indoor soccer games are
played with six active players per team, one of
which is the goalkeeper. Substitute players are
permitted.
- Play off of walls. The ball may be struck
in such a way that it contacts one or more walls
without penalty or stoppage. If the ball flies
over the walls or contacts the ceiling, play is
stopped and the team opposing the one that most
recently touched the ball is awarded a free kick
at the location where the ball left the arena or
made contact with the ceiling. In some areas of
North America, these walls are being removed due
to their hazardous nature.
- Contact rules. Standard contact rules
generally apply (i.e. ball contact must be made
during a play on the ball, no charging with hands
or elbows, no charging from behind, etc). Many
leagues ban the use of the slice tackle, though
such techniques are less useful on turf or wood
than they are on a slick field. If one attempts
to slide on an indoor field a "strawberry"
will result, which is a painful rug burn.
- No offside. Most leagues play without an
offside rule.
Beyond
these common threads, the sport is structured according
to the idiosyncrasies of individual leagues. Most of
these rules are adopted from other arena sports like ice
hockey. Below is a listing of some of the more common
ones:
- Substitution. Many leagues allow
substitution while the game is in progress,
provided that one player leaves the arena before
another steps on. A minority of leagues require
substitution in shifts.
- Cards. In addition to the traditional
yellow and red of association football, some
leagues include a card of a third color (blue is
a common color) or another form of warning before
the issuance of a yellow card. Often, leagues
with a third card include a penalty box rule, and
issuance of this third card requires the
penalized player to sit in the box for a
prescribed period of time during which his or her
team plays shorthanded. In leagues using the
traditional card system, it's common for the
yellow card to carry with it a penalty box rule.
- Zones. Because of short fields and walls
surrounding the goal, a common tactic is to
attempt to score at kickoff by shooting at the
goal and charging at the goal with all five non-goalkeeper
players who overwhelm the other team's defense
and score at close range. As this depletes the
tactics and drama of the game, many leagues have
adopted an ice hockey-like zone rule, requiring
that the ball not cross more than a certain
forward distance toward the goal without being
touched by a player.
- The ball. For leagues that play on
hardwood, the ball is generally covered with
suede or a similar non-marking covering. The ball
is generally bouncier and harder to control.
- The crease. Some leagues enforce a special
zone inside the goalkeeper's box called the
crease. No player may shoot the ball from inside
the crease unless that player entered the crease
already having the ball.
- Multi-point scoring. Some leagues value
goals scored from a greater distance to be worth
two or three points, similar to basketball.
Sometimes, leagues with a multi-point system also
use a rule that a minor technical infraction
gives the non-offending team a one-on-one
opportunity to score on the opposing goalkeeper, worth one point.
Three-lines rule.
Some leagues rule that the ball may not cross
three lines without touching the ground. The
lines are evenly spaced along the length of the
pitch, one of them being the exact center. The
rule is used to avoid playing only with long
balls and keeping the ball close to the ground.
Violations are often punished with a free kick at
the center of the line closer to the opposing
goal.
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North
Texas State Soccer Assoc Rules United State Indoor
Soccer Assoc. Rules
New Mexico Youth Soccer Assoc. Indoor Soccer Manual
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