Indoor Soccer Rules for High School Players

Though usually not an officially-regulated high school sport, indoor soccer is very popular with high school students. Young men and women alike participate in various leagues, often playing alongside their teammates from high school outdoor soccer. Some indoor soccer facilities offer leagues specifically for high school players. The rules can vary from league to league and facility to facility, but the basic concepts remain constant. The United States Indoor Soccer Association, which reports over half of US indoor soccer facilities as among its membership, has compiled rules for youth and amateur play, which apply to high-school-aged individuals.

  1. The Basics

    • According to the US Indoor Soccer Association, high-school-aged players must play on teams of four to six people, including the goalkeeper. Teams may substitute players whenever they choose, but the substitutions must occur outside of the field. In most cases, players have to wear team uniforms, and goalkeepers must wear helmets. The length of the game can vary by facility, but games are divided into two equal halves. Depending on the game's importance, tournament versus regular season for example, a tie game could lead to a five-minute, "sudden death" overtime period. In sudden death, the first team to score a goal wins the game.

    The Field

    • To understand the indoor soccer rules, you have to know the field. According to the United States Indoor Soccer Association, a regulation-size field is 180 feet long, divided into two 90-foot sides by the halfway line. Fifty feet in either direction from the halfway line, a red line further divides the field. On either end of the field, a 12-foot wide by 6.5-foot high goal awaits scoring attempts. Each goal has an area around it called the penalty arch. The penalty arch, shaped like an arched doorway, is 30 feet wide and extends 35 feet in front of the goal, where the arch peaks. The 30-foot diameter center circle sits exactly in the center of the field.

    Out of Bounds

    • The ball does not travel out of bounds in indoor soccer as often as in outdoor soccer because walls surround the field. Players can bounce the ball off of these walls, making for a fast-paced game. If, however, a team sends the ball over the walls or into the ceiling, then the opposing team gets a free kick. The free kick may occur at the point where the ball left play or directly below where it hit the ceiling. By US Indoor Soccer Association rules, the free kick would occur at the closest restart mark. The field has a restart mark at the midpoint of each of the field's two red lines.

    Ball Travel

    • Indoor soccer rules for high-school-aged players prevent the ball from traveling too far across the field with one kick. If a player kicks the ball through the air across his team's red line, the halfway line, and the other teams red line, then the referee calls a three-line violation. The penalty for a three-line violation is a free kick for the opposing team, from the offending team's restart mark.

    Fouls

    • As in outdoor soccer, fouls happen in indoor soccer. Various actions can result in a foul, including using your hands to move the ball or holding a member of the opposing team. Violent or dangerous actions can also be called foul, including hitting, elbowing, kicking, charging or pushing an opponent into a wall. For some fouls, the referee issues the offending player a blue, yellow or red card. The blue card is a warning, the yellow card is a stronger warning and the red card sends the player out of the game. Other fouls can result in free kicks or shootouts. In a shootout, a player attempts to kick the ball into the opposing team's goal, unhindered by any opponents except the goalkeeper.

    Additional Rules

    • More than in other sports, indoor soccer rules for high school players vary from facility to facility. Contact the indoor soccer facility for the complete rules. Many facilities post their particular indoor soccer rules on their websites.