Player Eligibility & Trialists

Suspended players and team officials are not permitted on or about the field of play nor can they attend other functions representing their team during the championships.

Teams are permitted to use up to three (3) guest players players (same tier they are competing in or lower). Teams will follow any additional local rules & regulations pertaining to the utilization of trialist players.

All teams are required to complete this roster and submit a signed copy to tournament headquarters 30 minutes prior to their first game.

Rosters can be emailed to Tournaments@sprucegrovesoccer.ca

An official provincial roster form (i.e. ASA form) along with letters of permission (guest player form) for any guest players (max. 3 guest players allowed) must also accompany this Early Bird roster.

Guest letters must include name/age/tier of the team the player is from as well as a legible printed name, signature and phone number from the coach. Guest players must be from a ASA registered indoor team.

Local players cannot play for more than one team in the Early Bird Tournament.

Teams are permitted to carry a maximum of 20 players on their rosters for this competition, based on ASA roster size allowance.

PLEASE NOTE: Absolutely NO player registrations will be approved at the tournament HQ – please ensure you have enough team players prior to entering this competition.

Registration of Players

All teams, including EMSA league teams are required to hand their completed team rosters and a copy of their letters of permission from coaches of guest players to Tournament Headquarters 30 minutes prior to the start of their first game. No changes to the team roster can be made once the first game of the tournament is played. No player may participate without being on the team roster. Players not registered on a team for the Indoor Soccer season cannot be used. Teams can sign up 20 players.

**Players may only play for one team during the Early Bird Tournament**

Non-EMSA League teams (EIYSA, Sherwood Park, etc) are required to submit a signed copy of their ASA Team Registration Form and must be able to provide it to Tournament Headquarters (HQ) upon request.

Game Sheets and Player/Coach/Manager Cards

Each team will need to print off their own game sheets for the Early Bird Tournament. Game sheets will be available on the Early Bird Tournament schedules by clicking the icon next to the game that is being played. The system will automatically enter the game information.

Please wait until all team names have been entered on the website schedules before you print off your game sheets.

Players are not required to have player’s cards for the competition.Game sheets are to be turned into the game officials prior to kickoff.

Tournament officials will collect the game sheets from the referees following the game. If a field marshal is not present to collect the game sheets, the winning team, or in the case of a tie, the home team, brings the game sheets back to Early Bird Tournament Headquarters.

Points

All teams will receive 0 points for a loss, 1 point for a tie and 3 points for a win.

Mercy Rule

All games can end in a tie as it is a round robin competition. The “mercy rule” is in effect for this competition. No team will be given more than a 5 goal win differential.Tie-breaking procedures will use statistics AFTER the mercy rule was applied, i.e.:if a team wins 6 – 0, they will only receive credit for 5-0 regardless of the actual score.

Referees are required to mark actual scores on games sheets. The mercy rule is applied by headquarters prior to recording final score and posting the game results.

Length of Games

All games shall consist of two twenty five minute halves with 1 minute of stop time at the end of each half. Each team is guaranteed a two minute break at half time. Warm-up time is usually two to three minutes on the field prior to kickoff (usually determined by the game officials prior to the start of the game – time permitting). There are NO TIME-OUTS.

Discipline

Red cards will result in an automatic minimum one (1) game suspension. The Discipline/Tournament Chairperson will only notify the team if more than a one game suspension is merited. Two yellow cards in a single game will result in an automatic one (1) game suspension to be served the following game. Team officials issued a red card must leave the field of play or area within 1 minute and the building premise within 5 minutes and can not return until the suspension is served. The onus is on the team’s coaches to ensure that suspensions are indeed served. The onus is on the team’s coaches to ensure that suspensions are indeed served. 

Protests of Game Results

Protests of game results will be reviewed provided that they have been submitted to the tournament headquarters in writing with a cheque made payable to the Spruce Grove Minor Soccer Association in the amount of $100.00. Protests must be received at the tournament headquarters within one hour of the completion of the game being protested. Protests made in regards to the Laws of the Game as well as decisions made by game officials will not be accepted.

Communication

As per EMSA rule (416) - Each team designate two individuals (Coach, Assistant and / or Team Manager) responsible for team correspondence (schedules, registration, discipline and complaints).

ALL correspondence must go through only the two assigned liaisons. Any complaints / messages filed by other parties will be ignored should they not go through the proper channels; otherwise, they will be redirected accordingly and until such time will not be duly addressed

Awards Presentations

Gold, Silver and Bronze medals shall be awarded to each of the age / tier categories. Pools with only 3 teams will only be awarded Gold and Silver Medals. Awards will be presented on the main concourse of the Tri Leisure center following the completion of the final scheduled game.

Tie Breaking Procedures

2 Way Tie Breaking Procedures:

• Head to Head
• Goal Differential
• Least Goals Against
• Free Kicks

3 Way Tie Breaking Procedures:

• Goal Differential
• Least Goals Against
• Free Kicks

Field Locations

All games are played on the two ( 2 ) fields at the Trans Alta Tri Leisure Center, 221 Jennifer Heil Way, Spruce Grove, AB.

The fields are designated North (Field 1) & South (Field 2) on the schedules.

Laws of the Game – Rules for Playing Indoor Arena Soccer

The Early Bird Tournament rules of play are listed in the Alberta Soccer Association (ASA) publication, Laws of the Game and the Rules of Indoor. A copy of these rules can be obtained on-line through the Alberta Soccer Association’s website at www.albertasoccer.com (under ASA Documents).

U11 Modifications to these can be found at the below link:
https://emsasprucegrove.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/u11-modifications-early-bird.pdf

U9 Modifications will follow the below Rules with the exceptions to Rule 7, Duration of the matches will be 2 equal 25 minute halves with no warm up time and no time out permitted as per tournament rules.
https://emsasprucegrove.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/the-rules-of-indoor-mini-soccer-2022-2023.pdf

PENALTY SHOTS PROCEDURES (if required)

Should the score be tied following the conclusion of regulation time (2X25 minute halves) and a clear winner of the match needs to be declared (as is the case with the Gold and Bronze medal matches), the following penalty shoot-out procedure will come into effect. During round robin play, ties are acceptable and the aforementioned tie-breaking procedures outlined on teams’ schedules will not be implemented.

The penalty shots involve five players from each team participating as the “shooters”. They can be any player (even the goaltender) who is dressed for the game and / or who is on the game sheet (i.e. back-up keepers who are designated as player 18 on the game sheet). Players are to line up at the centre line. The first shooter is determined via the flip of a coin. As per regular penalty shoot-out procedures, the referee places the ball on the penalty spot located just inside the goalkeeper’s box. On the referee’s signal (a blow of the whistle) the designated shooter takes their shot. Each of the teams will alternate kicks until all five players from both teams have had their one chance or until a winner is declared. If a tie remains after this time, players who have not had the opportunity to shoot will take individual turns during a sudden death round of penalty kicks. If all the players have had a turn and a tie remains, the turns begin anew. Any offences which occur during the penalty shoot-out procedure will be dealt with by the game officials as per the Laws of the Game.

Team officials and players who are not shooting are asked to remain with their respective teams on the bench. The game official must ask if the player and the keeper are ready to begin before the whistle is blown. The goaltender used for the penalty shoot-out must be the same person who was on the field in goal at the completion of regulation time with the only exception being that the referees have determined that an injury prevents the keeper from fulfilling his/her obligation in the penatly shoot-out. At this point, the team may select an alternate from any player dressed for the game.

Forfeits/Game Cancellations

Failure to show up or arriving more than 15 minutes after start time will result in a forfeiture of that game. The win will be awarded to the opposing team with a score of 5-0.

Referees have the power to call or cancel a game for reasons other than weather conditions. Reasons may include but are not limited to:

• Abusive behaviour by players, team officials and/or spectators
• Dangerous levels of play, etc. Cancellations of this nature must be communicated immediately to Tournament Headquarters. The results of the game in question will be decided by the Tournament Committee and that decision will be final.

Facility Emergency

There may be times when the facility will require mandatory evacuation for the safety of the occupants.

If a game cannot continue and less than 50% of the game has been played, the game will be rescheduled if time is available or be determined by kicks from the penalty mark at scheduled time. If a game has been played more than 50% before being called, the game shall be considered complete and the score at that time shall be the official outcome of the game.

 Facility closure of any kind is not cause or grounds for refund.

Refund Policy

There will be no fee refunds (either partial or full) to any team once entry into the tournament has been confirmed.

Tournament organizers have the right to deny a team registration if they believe a particular team is at risk of influencing the integrity of the tournament, in such cases a full refund will be returned.

Conduct on and off the Field

All persons attending the tournament will be expected to behave is a respectful manner conducive to a family event.

The Early Bird Tournament has zero tolerance for inappropriate behaviour by or towards officials, coaches, players, spectators, parents, volunteers and staff. Any person behaving inappropriately will be required to leave the premises immediately. In extreme circumstances teams may be expelled from the tournament.

Teams and/or individuals will be held financially responsible for any damage done to any of the facilities or grounds associated with the tournament.

A REMINDER TO ALL:

This tournament is for the enjoyment of our youth. Coaches are asked to keep in mind the importance of proper conduct on behalf of themselves, their players, their fellow coaches, their parents and all their spectators. Remember that without the opposing team, there would be no competition. Furthermore, although competition is healthy, we must remind ourselves of the fine line between competition and unsportsmanlike behavior. Should, in the opinion of game officials, a coach, parent or fan is deemed to be acting in an unsportsmanlike behavior, they will be asked to leave the facilities ( Tri Leisure Center ) by the game officials. The game will not proceed until the person(s) asked to leave have done so. Failure to vacate the area and/or field of play within the allocated time the game will be called by the referee and the win awarded of 5-0 to the opponent of the non-offending team. 

Thanks for joining us this year!