Download these Rules and Reminders (PDF)

D-League Rules and Reminders

Welcome to the 7th season of the Footskills Indoor Developmental League! We are excited about the competition that the players will experience this winter with us, and looking forward to the next two months of soccer.

Here are a few important rules and reminders for coaches, players, and parents.

Prior to Your First Game

  • All teams must submit a completed Official Team Roster form
  • All teams must submit a completed Player Liability Waiver form for every player on their Team Roster Form
  • All balances must be paid. Many teams paid a $250 deposit, leaving $850 due. Teams paying in full will owe $1100. Checks should be made payable to Footskills, LLC.

Forms and payment can be turned at the check in table just inside the dome.

D-League Rules

  • Games are 2 x 25 minute halves with a 3 to 4 minute halftime break. Referees will be instructed to end games on time. If this means that they need to start their clocks before both teams are set or shorten halves by a few minutes, they will do so. In order to maximize the field time for the players, please make sure your team is ready to go when the refs call for them.
  • Players may wear outdoor soccer shoes on the dome’s Field Turf surface, or they may wear indoor soccer shoes or tennis shoes.
  • Shinguards are mandatory on all players.
  • To try and make things more manageable in terms of uniforms, we will designate the home team as the team listed first in the game schedules. This team should try and wear lighter colors. Please make sure that your teams bring alternate jerseys and be ready to sort things out with the other team prior to your game.
  • Referees – 2 man system for all games
  • Footskills No Tolerance Policy – Footskills reserves the right to suspend or ban any coach, player, parent, or spectator from playing and or observing games at the facility. This can be done on the recommendation of a referee or at the discretion of league management.
  • Standings – we will use a standard 3-point system for our standings : 3 points for a win, 1 point for a tie, and 0 points for a loss

    • Tie Breakers (for playoff seeding) will go in this order, head to head competition, goal differential, fewest goals allowed, most goals scored.

  • All games will be governed under FIFA’s laws of the game (including offsides) with the modified/added rules below:

    • Footskills Fast Start Rule

    There will be no coin flip. Teams pick sides and whichever team defends the west goal (right side of the dome as you enter) will kick off in the first half.

    Footskills Free Sub Rule

    In the interest of maximizing play for the kids, we will allow hockey-style substitutions (free subs at any point in the game). The refs will not stop play for subs.

    Footskills No Blow-Out Rule

    This rule states that if a team, at any point in the game, goes down by 3 goals, they have the option to add 1 player on the field, play a man up, and continue to add an additional player on each time the other team scores another goal. The team that is behind will continue to play a player (or players) up until they score a goal, at which time they (the team that is behind and just scored) will pull off one of their additional players.

    For example, Team A goes ahead of Team B 3-0. Team B may then add a player onto the field and play 1 player up. If Team A scores another goal to make it 4-0, Team B may add another player and play 2 players up. If Team B then scores to make it 4-1, the goal difference is again 3, and Team B must pull off one of the two added players and play one man up.

    Not only will this new rule help weaker teams stay more competitive with stronger teams, but also help stronger teams in their development by making them adjust, adapt, and work harder when playing against more numbers.

Note to the Coaches and Parents

Please note that this league was created to give young soccer players a chance to enjoy the sport of soccer in the winter months - this is all about player development. We expect that all coaches and parents help encourage their players to respect the rules of the league, the referees, and their opponents. Good sportsmanship should be demonstrated at all times. Enjoy the season!