NCCNY Soccer Tournament Rules

Team Registration Rules

  1. Roster Limits: Teams cannot have more than 15 individuals (including the Manager and a Coach) on a team.
  2. Player Eligibility: Any individual who is listed among the 15 individuals on the official team roster can play the match.
  3. Required Documentation: A completed Team Roster form and individual player liability waiver forms from all players are strictly required to participate.
  4. Media Check-in: A team picture must be taken at the registration booth before participating in the tournament.
  5. Payment: The team registration balance for the tournament must be paid in full prior to the first match.
  6. Community Inclusivity: This tournament is mainly for the Nepali-speaking community originally from the Himalayan region (Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Burma, and India); however, teams are allowed to include players in their team regardless of language, origin, nationality, ethnicity, color, race, or religion.
  7. Himalayan Region Roster Requirement: Every team MUST HAVE at least 10 players (of total 15 players) from the Himalayan region.
    • 7.1 - For Teams with less than 10 Players: 100% of the roster must be from the Himalayan region.
    • 7.2 - For Teams with more than 10 Players: The first 10 registered players must be from the Himalayan region. Any players added after the 10th spot (up to the 15-player maximum) can be Himalayan or non-Himalayan region players.
  8. Minimum Registration Count vs. Match Minimums:Teams are permitted to officially register for the tournament with a minimum of 8 players (all of whom must meet the Himalayan region requirement, as noted above). On match day, a team must have at least 5 players physically on the pitch to legally start or continue a game. Registering with 8 players gives your team a safety cushion of 3 players for injuries, cards, or delays before triggering an automatic forfeit.
  9. Uniforms & Pinnies: Teams are required to bring a set of different-colored, numbered pinnies (aka bibs) in addition to their regular color Jersey. (e.g., If a team has a blue jersey, they must bring red or other non-blue numbered pinnies).
  10. Roster Submission: All teams must provide their final list of players and their respective jersey numbers prior to the start of the tournament.
  11. Liability Disclaimer: The Organizer is not liable for any kind of personal injuries sustained during the event or games.
  12. Organizer Authority: The Organizer reserves all rights regarding the tournament, including the right to update existing rules and circulate additional rules and regulations as needed.

Summary Table for Team Managers

Total players Required Himalayan Region Players Allowed Non-Himalayan Players Can Register?
7 or fewer N/A N/A NO (Does not meet registration minimum)
8 8 0 YES
9 9 0 YES
10 10 0 YES
11 to 15 10 Up to 5 YES

Verification & Penalty: Roster compliance will be verified by the organizer at the registration booth prior to the team's first match. Once a team is cleared and checked in at the booth, their roster is frozen and considered official. Teams failing to meet this requirement at check-in will be denied entry into the tournament with no registration fee refund. Structural eligibility protests will not be entertained once matches begin.

***TEAM REGISTRATION FEES ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. NO EXCEPTION!***

Rules of play

  1. Match Ball: Every game must be played with the Organizer's designated soccer ball.
  2. Punctuality & Grace Period: Teams must be present at the field 20 minutes prior to their scheduled start time.
  3. Required Player Gear: Every player on the pitch must have a Jersey (or the same-colored, numbered bibs/pinnies), soccer boots, and shin guards.
    4. Penalty: Players without proper equipment will not be allowed onto the pitch by the referee until they comply. If a color clash occurs and the designated "Away" team failed to bring alternate pinnies, the game clock will run while they source them, and they must play shorthanded or bleed match time until compliant.
    Home/Away Designation: For all matches, the team listed first on the schedule is designated as the 'Home' team, and the team listed second is the 'Away' team (E.g. for Team A vs Team B, Team A is Home and Team B is Away). In the event of a jersey color clash, the 'Away' team is strictly responsible for changing into their alternate colored pinnies.
  4. Match Duration: Game time will be 40 minutes (two 20-minute halves) with a 5-minute half-time, unless updated on the tie-sheet drawing day.
  5. Kickoff: The first team listed on the schedule kicks off the match.
  6. Restarts: All restarts (including kickins/throw-ins if applicable, and free kicks) will be indirect kicks.
  7. Substitutions: Free, unlimited substitutions are permitted on all out-of-play stoppages with the referee's permission.
  8. On-Field Maximum: At maximum, 8 players per team are allowed on the match pitch at one time (1 Goalkeeper and 7 field players).
  9. On-Field Minimum: At minimum, a team must have 5 players on the pitch to start or continue a match.
  10. Tournament Roster Maximum: A maximum of 15 players total can be utilized by a team during the tournament, including the team captain and/or manager.
  11. Single-Roster Restriction (No Double-Rostering): No individual may play for more than one team in the tournament.
    12. Penalty: If a player is found to have played for a second team, that player is disqualified from the remainder of the tournament. The first team they played for (their official checked-in team) faces no penalty. The second team automatically forfeits any match in which the illegal player participated (recorded as a 0-3 loss).
  12. League Standings: Group/League stage games can end in a tie.
  13. Knockout Stage Overtime (Quarters, Semis, Finals): Matches tied at the end of regulation in knockout rounds will proceed to two (2) 5-minute overtime periods, for a total of 10 minutes of overtime. Teams will play the full overtime duration regardless of whether a goal is scored. If the match remains tied after overtime, a penalty kick shootout will be used to determine the winner. The referee will have final authority over the shootout format and procedures.
  14. Discipline (Cards): Yellow and red cards will be strictly enforced. Two yellow cards in one match equal a red card. A straight red card or a red card via two yellows results in the player leaving the remainder of the current game and serving an automatic suspension for the team's next scheduled game.
  15. Unforeseen Conflicts: The Organizer’s decision will be FINAL in any unforeseen conflict or dispute.

Scoring

Group Stage Scoring System

  1. WIN = 3 points
  2. TIE = 1 point
  3. LOSS = 0 point
  4. FORFEIT = 0 points (and a 0-3 scoreline recorded against the forfeiting team for goal differential)

Tiebreaker for seeding

If two or more teams are tied on total standing points at the end of the group stage, the following criteria will be applied in order to determine the higher seed:

  1. Goal Differential: Total Goals For minus Total Goals Against across all group matches.
  2. Goals For: Total number of goals scored in group play (rewards attacking play).
  3. Head-to-Head: The direct match result between the tied teams (if only two teams are tied and they played each other).
  4. Penalty Shootout: A 3-attempt penalty shootout, to be scheduled immediately by the organizer, if teams remain tied after steps 1–3.