High School Soccer Bylaws

When participating in or coaching high school soccer, it is important to know the bylaws, specifically rules and regulations outlining starting times, practices and game play. Those bylaws take into consideration the well-being of the players, a very important factor for high school students for whom safety is paramount.

  1. Rules, Classifications and Starting Times

    • The official rules of high school soccer are outlined in the National Federation's Soccer Rule Book. Any exceptions to these rules, in terms of equipment or facilities, require an agreement between the coaches of both teams. Modifications of the rule book must be authorized by the board of managers. High school soccer is classified into four sections: girls varsity, girls junior varsity, boys varsity and frosh/sophomore. Saturday practices are generally not permitted once league play begins.

    Game Regulations and Tiebreakers

    • In standard league play, teams will play a double round-robin, and the team with the most points at the end of the regular season is the winner. Winning teams receive three points, and losing teams receive zero. Ties will result in one point for each team. However, seven courses of action can be taken in the result of a tie to create a tiebreaker. These include head-to-head competition; common opponents results; playoff game; goal differential minus goals against for all league games; goals in league games; goals against each team throughout league play; or a simple coin flip.

      Games are 80 minutes long with a five-minute halftime. Overtime play is not permitted. The hosting school must provide a legally marked field and is required to notify its opponent of any out-of-the-ordinary playing conditions, such as mud or uncut grass.

    Additional Rules

    • Fans are placed on the opposite side of the field from coaches and teams. During stadium games, teams may sit on opposite sides along with their fans. Fans must remain in the stands. Three officials are recommended for league games. Two officials are required. The leading official will also serve as the timekeeper.

      Behavior and sportsmanship are extremely important. A player given a yellow card may be substituted and is allowed to reenter upon the next legal substitution. A player given a red card will be ejected from the game and will not be allowed to be replaced, leaving his team one man short on the field for the duration of the match. He will also be restricted from participating in the next game his team plays. Two red cards will result in being ejected from that game plus a three-game suspension, and three red cards will result in ejection plus ineligibility for the remainder of the season, including playoffs.