2008 St. Luke’s Grassroots Soccer Program

Rules

Kindergarten and 1^st Grade

4 v 4

***THE #1 RULE FOR GAMES AT THIS LEVEL IS TO KEEP THE BALL IN PLAY!!!!!

A) I believe that a valid criticism of small-sided soccer, since the game is played on a smaller field, is that the ball is out of play too often. The remedy? New to our game this year is that we ask the coaches (who are allowed on the field, 1 coach per team) to carry a ball with you. We will use a size 3 ball for these ages. If your game is being slowed down by too many out-of bounds situations, make an agreement with the other coach to roll balls back into play in neutral places on the field. Just try to keep the kids moving.

B) We will play a 40 minute game. We will not stop the games for a halftime. Rather, we ask that you talk with the other coach and agree as to when to give the kids a break.

The above 2 items will require collaboration on the part of the coaches, and it will also present opportunities to model good sportsmanship.

ALL GAMES WILL BEGIN ON TIME!!! If you’re late, that’s your problem, not ours. People want us to run a tight schedule, and we will. All games will conclude 15 minutes before the next hour. So, you can start whenever you want, take a break whenever, BUT ALL GAMES WILL CONCLUDE AT THE SAME TIME!!!

The field dimensions for 4 v 4 will be as follows: 40 yds long, 25 yds wide. Goals will be 10 ft. long, 3 feet high. Our goal is to promote more scoring. A child may play in the position of goalie, but they may not use their hands. Handballs in front of the goal require the coaches’ intervention and teaching. But please, don’t worry about lining up kids for foul kicks or penalty kicks. It’s a waste of time at this age. We’ll address this at the 2^nd grade level. Simply redirect play and/or re-position the offending child on the field. Let common sense rule.

Sub on the fly

No throw-ins, another waste of time. Let kids either pass-in or dribble in.

Once a goal is scored, have the team that scored retreat to half field to allow the other team to bring the ball forward.

Teams losing by more than 5 goals should add a player, at least until the gap closes. Again, common sense.

We leave it up to the coaches’ discretion as to how much time to spend on goal kicks and corner kicks. Again, the most important thing is to keep the ball in play, the game moving, and kids interested. If you’re recognizing a teachable moment, teach the players from both teams.