Question Number: 22588

League Specific 11/26/2009

RE: competitive and below

David A Peiffer of Naples, Fl usa asks...

This question is a follow up to question 22572

I totally disagree with all of the responses. THERE is a a USSF Law Book for small sided games. It is found on the ussoccer web site. Yes, there can be regional and tournment exceptions.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Perhaps we are talking about different things.

We use 'short sided' soccer to described to the modifications for play at U6, U8, U10 (and U12 in areas that follow the USYS or AYSO modifications) and many recreational tournaments for 6x6 adult play. Much like indoor rules, there is no standardized set of rules, and there is no FIFA law book (USSF doesn't post its own law books, but does post FIFA's).

If you are speaking about FUTSAL, which is FIFA's version of the indoor (often played outdoor) game, the FIFA laws of the game for FUTSAL is on the ussoccer website. There is a separate course taught for FUTSAL, and a separate badge earned. It is not the same as youth modifications for outdoor soccer. Although we have a new FUTSAL league in my part of Southern California law, most of the indoor/outdoor play does not follow FUTSAL - - even when they aren't playing with walls. They use a variant of indoor rules.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

If you are talking about the USYS small-sided game rules, they are **recommendations**, not mandates. (USYS is an affiliate of USSF; there might be a link to USYS on ussoccer.com, but the rules are on the USYS site usyouthsoccer.org.) Leagues are free to adopt all or parts of the recommendations as they choose, or to write their own rules. If the Florida Youth Soccer Association has managed to get all youth to play to one set of rules, good for them. But that doesn't happen in most areas.

Answer provided by Referee MrRef

Upon reasearch we came up with the link below for USSF small sided matches ASSOCIATE REFEREE GRADE 11 TRAINING COURSE

http://www.vadcsoccerref.com/downloads/inst_materials/GRADE11_SMALL_SIDED_GAMES/smallLP.pdf

We suspect that there has to be a corresponding rule book behind this training. as in the UK and Ireland they have a modified rule book for small sided games.


USSF E Candidate Manual
http://www.scribd.com/doc/5517587/USSF-E-Candidate-Manual

If you have a confirmed link on the USSF site please let us know what it is!


Thank you for you efforts in this matter!