Soccer Rules Clinic - Unit 4

Important Dates:
August 10 (First Practice Date)
October 1 (Team Photos Due On-Line)
October 24 (Seeding/ Selection Meeting) Girls at 4:00 PM and Boys at 5:00 PM
October 30-31 (First Round of 12)
November 5 (State Quarterfinals)
November 6 (State Semifinals)
November 7 (State Championship Finals)

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Seeding/ Selection Meetings:
The State Championship Seeding/ Selection meeting will be held on Saturday, October 24 at 4:00 PM. All seasons must be completed by 3:00 PM on October 24.

Location:
The 2009 NMAA State Soccer Championships will be held at the Albuquerque Public Schools new soccer complex, November 5-7 (see photos below). The four-field complex is located just west of Voclano Vista High School on Albuquerque’s west-side. All four fields at the APS Soccer Complex have lights and are artificial turf; fields are approximately 105 x 60 yards.

Soccer_Complex_APS_Summer_2009.jpg

Format:
Because the Pool Play format was eliminated, the 2009 NMAA State Soccer Championships will be a 12 team single elimination tournament. The first round of 12 will take place on Oct. 30-31 at home sites, with the top four seeds having a bye. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals will be played in three consecutive days (Nov. 5-7).Soccer_Wilson_Soccer_Ball_2009.jpg

Official Ball:
The Official Soccer ball of the 2009 NMAA State Soccer Championships will be the Wilson Optima H8005.

Packet Pick Up:
All coaches will be required to pick up a coaches packet at the New Mexico Activities Association or the APS Soccer Complex prior to their quarterfinal game. The packet will include player, manager and coaches passes, map of complex, time schedule, field assignments, etc.

Passes:
All coaches, players and managers must be listed on-line in order to receive a pass for the State Soccer Championships. Any coaches, players or managers not listed on-line prior to Friday, October 24 will be charged $20.00 per pass in the form of an invoice to their school. Managers are limited to two per team.

Bus Parking:
Designated parking lots will be made available for bus parking at the APS Soccer Complex. The complex map, enclosed in the coaches packet, will detail the parking lot(s).

Tickets:
Spectator tickets will only be available for purchase at the APS Soccer Complex on the day of the event. Tickets will cost $6.00 per person.

Brackets/ Results:
All brackets/ results will be posted on the NMAA website immediately following each contest.

District Tie Breaking Procedures:

The NMAA recently implemented universal district tie breaking procedures for all team sports. The district tie breaking procedures for the sport of soccer are below:

District Tie-Breaking Procedures to Determine Placement
In the event that two or more teams tie during regular season district play, placement is determined by a goal differential system during the season as follows:

1. Compare the results of head to head competition: If one team has defeated the
other(s), that team has earned a higher placement.

2. Placement shall be determined by a goal differential of the teams tied based on district games, with 5 points being the maximum allowed for any one game. Each team involved uses either a plus or a minus goal differential; if a team wins by 5, they are credited (+5); the other team has a deficit (-5) in the calculation.

3. If two or more teams tie on the goal differential of the tied teams, the team which defeated the other teams in regular district play has earned the higher placement.

4. If all teams tie in the goal differential of the tied teams, the goal differential on all district games shall be used with 5 points being the maximum allowed for any one game.

5. If two or more teams tie in the goal differential of the tied teams on all district games, the team which defeated the other teams in regular district play has earned the higher placement.

6. If all teams tie in the goal differential on all district games, the least number of goals allowed in district play shall be used. The team which has allowed the least number of goals has earned the higher placement.

7. If all teams are still tied, a coin toss determines placement.

8. This process, including the coin toss, is administered by the NMAA staff. The official declaration of results is the responsibility of the Association staff.

Example A:
Team A and Team B are tied at the end of the season with a 2-2 record. Team A defeated Team B by a score of 5-2 and 3-1; therefore, Team A has earned the higher placement.

Example B:
Team A and Team B are tied at the end of the season with a 2-2 record. Team A defeated Team B by a score of 4-1 and Team B defeated Team A by a score of 3-2. Team A would have +3 and -1 goal differential, totaling +2, while Team B would have -3 and +1 goal differential, totaling -2. Therefore, Team A has earned the higher placement.

Example C:
Teams A, B and C are all tied with a 2-2 record. The results of the district games are as follows:
Team A (4) vs. Team B (2)
Team A (2) vs. Team C (3)
Team B (5) vs. Team C (1)
Results: Team A +1, Team B +2, Team C -3
Therefore, Team B has earned the highest placement, with Team A receiving the second highest placement and Team C finishing last.

NFHS POINTS OF EMPHASIS

Shinguardsshinguards2.jpg
All Shinguards must meet NOCSAE specifications and carry the required stamp or seal of approval. A player wearing shinguards more than 2 inches above the ankle shall be instructed to leave the field of play when the ball next ceases. This player would be improperly equipped.

Manufacturers are required to produce shinguards that will minimize risk to players. Correctly sized and safety-regulated shinguards should greatly assist in the reduction of leg injuries in high school soccer.

The new NOCSAE shinguards will be stamped or labeled with the NOCSAE logo. They will specify which size is correct for a particular sized player, making it easy for players, coaches and officials to differentiate which shinguards are to be worn.

NMAA Seeding and Selection Criteria

On June 5, 2008, by a unanimous vote, the Board of Directors approved revising the seeding and selection criteria for the 2008-2009, 2009-2010 school years.

The regular season district champion will be the only team to automatically advance to the State Championships.

The only time a regular season district runner up will automatically advance is if they win the District Tournament (volleyball and basketball are the only sports that have district tournaments). The district champ will be seeded with the at large teams depending on the number of teams in the bracket (i.e. football 12 teams, soccer 12 teams, volleyball 12 teams, basketball 16 teams, softball 16 teams, baseball 16 teams).

Coach/ Athlete Ejection Policy

The New Mexico Activities Association requires that all coaches,school personnel and athletes who have been ejected from a game or contest complete this on-line educational program in order to be approved to participate again.

NMAA bylaw 7.7.2 states that any coach or participant who is ejected from an athletic contest/game, regardless of sport, is required to sit out the next contest/game minimally, at all levels. This penalty is the responsibility of the local school district to impose. This sanction is subject to final approval by the NMAA after such violation is reported within a reasonable time frame but prior to the next contest. In addition to the one game suspension, ejected parties must complete this on-line PVWH component prior to returning to competition.

Please note that member schools will be assessed a financial sanction as per Section 7.7.2 of the NMAA bylaws.

NMAA Misconduct Progression Rule
Rule (NMAA Handbook, 7.17.5):

A. Yellow cards received during regular season or tournament competition must be counted. Once a player has accumulated five yellow cards, they are suspended for the next game. Once the player accumulates three additional yellow cards (totaling eight yellow cards), they are suspended for the next two games and are required to attend a meeting with the school’s Athletic Director, head coach and the NMAA Executive Director or his/her designee. Any additional yellow cards received by a player after eight total cards will be subject to more severe penalties by the NMAA Executive Director, including but not limited to suspension from additionalcontests.

B. Any team whose players and coaches, during the regular season, collectively receive a total of 24 or more yellow cards (including all second yellow/red cards and straight red cards) will be required to attend a meeting with the school’s Athletic Director and the NMAA Executive Director or his/her designee.

C. Any school receiving 32 or more yellow cards will be prohibited from participation in post-season. Any yellow/red cards received by the coach will count toward the 32 card total. (Note: The 32 card total is in effect for a two-year block, at which time this amount will be revisited by the NMAA Soccer Sport-Specific Committee and NMAA Commission.)

D. If a player receives a red card or a second yellow card resulting in disqualification, that individual is suspended for the next scheduled game. These are minimum penalties. All yellow and red cards must be reported to the NMAA.

E. Upon the commencement of post-season, all players and coaches receive a “clean slate” for the accumulation of cards. However, any pending sit-out resulting from the accumulation of cards or a direct send-off must be fulfilled in post-season if the requirement for a sit-out has not been satisfied during the regular season. For example, if a player receives his/her fifth yellow card or is sent off during the final regular season game, he/she will be required to sit out the first game of the post-season if the team has qualified for post-season competition or the first game of the next season if the team has not qualified for post-season competition.

Out-of-Season Coaching During the School Year
There shall be no out-of-season coaching during the school year of current or potential athletes, including feeder-school students beginning at the 7th grade (8th grade in schools that do not allow 8th grade participation at the high school level), with the exception of an athletic class or one hour a day Monday through Friday for those sports programs that do not have an athletic class. This provision applies to all school coaches, paid and volunteer. This rule prohibits coaching these individuals on any team (school or non-school sponsored) out-of-season during the school year.

PROCEED TO UNIT V