Florida High School Soccer Rules

Soccer rules for Florida's high schools are based on the regulations outlined by the National Federation of State High School Associations. The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) creates variations on some of the national rules to accommodate the regulations for its state. Florida's high school soccer rules are notable for their protective nature toward players.

  1. Schedule and Eligibility

    • All players must be enrolled at a Florida high school. If a player isn't enrolled, the team must forfeit the game. No practices are held on Sundays. Games are scheduled on Sundays only in an emergency and with the permission of the executive board or the executive director of the FHSAA. Teams play a maximum of three regular games per week; four games per week are allowed during tournaments.

    Referees

    • A minimum of one head referee and one assistant referee must be on the field at all times during a regular-season game. Three referees on the field during a game is optional. Throughout the regular season, the head ref can be the main timekeeper.

    Yellow Cards and Red Cards

    • Bad conduct during the game results in a yellow card. A player or coach is ejected with a red card from the game after two consecutive yellow cards. He must sit out the next seven days and miss at least two games. More serious offenses can result increased consequences such as being banned for the rest of the season.

    Prohibited Substances

    • Coaches, players and referees are prohibited from using alcohol, tobacco and tobacco-like substances during a game. Those same items aren't allowed on the field or in the surrounding area. Performance-enhancing products are also prohibited and can result in a season ban.

    Uniforms

    • All players and referees can wear bicycle shorts, but only under their uniform shorts. No commercial advertising is allowed anywhere on the uniform, with the exception of the manufacturer's logo.