Rules
EAST CENTRAL ILLINOIS SOCCER CONFERENCE RULES Adopted August 9, 2018; amended August 7, 2019
RULE 1:
Governing Rules:
The East Central Illinois Soccer Conference (hereinafter “ECISC”) shall be governed by the National Federation of High School rules (“NFHS”), as adopted and amended by the Illinois High School Association (“IHSA”). We are specifically not governed by the rules of the United States Soccer Federation (“USSF”) or the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (“FIFA”). Exceptions to NFHS / IHSA rules are those explicitly set forth in other rules of the ECISC.
(Adopted 8-9-18).
RULE 2:
Referees:
(a) U14 Division
The host team shall supply a minimum of two (2) qualified referees for each match. In order to be considered “qualified”, a referee should be at least sixteen (16) years of age and should fall into one or more of the following categories:
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Is currently, or has been within the past three (3) years, a licensed USSF or IHSA soccer referee; or
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Is currently, or has been within the past three (3) years, an IHSA varsity soccer player.
(b) U12 Division
The host team shall supply a minimum of two (2) qualified referees for each match. In order to be considered “qualified”, a referee should be at least a freshman in high school and should fall into one or more of the following categories:
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Is currently, or has been within the past three (3) years, a licensed USSF or IHSA soccer referee; or
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Has a minimum of three (3) years soccer playing experience. (Adopted 8-9-18).
RULE 3:
League Score Sharing.
(a) In order to facilitate the sharing of knowledge across the league necessary to properly seed teams for the post-season tournament, a League Score Sharing system should be established.
(b) In order to implement this Rule, the following protocol shall be established:
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The Commissioner shall initiate a group email to be sent to the coach of each team in the league;
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Each coach shall reply to said email, via the “reply all” method, and shall report the final scores of all matches played by his/her team no later than 12:00 p.m. (noon) Monday, the day after the matches were played;
(Adopted 8-9-18).
RULE 4:
Age Eligibility.
(a) In order to be eligible to play during regular season ECISC U14 matches, a player must meet the same eligibility requirements as in the ECISC Tournament (i.e., Player must be born on or after June 1 fourteen years prior to the current calendar year, and must be in the 8th grade or a lower grade).
(b) Should any team have a player on its roster who is in the 8th grade or lower, but whose birthdate is before the cut-off date for the year in question (see Table in subparagraph c of this Rule), a coach may request that said player be granted eligibility to play during the ECISC U14 regular season. The protocol for such a request shall be as follows:
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The coach requesting eligibility for such a player should send a written request to the Commissioner, requesting eligibility be granted to the player for the regular season.
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Said request shall contain, at a minimum, the following details:
a. The player’s name and date of birth;
b. The player’s current grade in school;
c. The player’s height and weight;
d. The player’s anticipated playing position(s) on the team; and
e. The reason(s) why the player is not in the grade corresponding to his/her age.
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The Commissioner shall then submit the request for eligibility to the coaches of all the teams in the league, including all of the above details EXCEPT the player’s name, which shall be kept confidential by the Commissioner.
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The coaches of all teams in the league shall submit their vote, either approving or rejecting the request for eligibility, to the Commissioner in a timely fashion.
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The coaches’ votes shall be privately submitted to the Commissioner and he shall keep their votes confidential.
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The Commissioner shall then inform the league of the final coaches’ vote, either approving or rejecting the request for eligibility.
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In the event of a tie vote, the Commissioner shall have the power to make the decision on such a request.
(c) Age eligibility cut off dates by year. In order to be eligible for the U14 Division under paragraph a of this Rule, a player must be born on or after the following dates:
2018 – June 1, 2004;
2019 – June 1, 2005;
2020 – June 1, 2006;
2021 – June 1, 2007;
2022 – June 1, 2008;
2023 – June 1, 2009;
2024 – June 1, 2010; and
2025 – June 1, 2011.
(d) In order to be eligible to play during regular season ECISC U12 matches, a player must be born on or after June 1 twelve years prior to the current calendar year;
(e) Age eligibility cut off dates by year. In order to be eligible for the U12 Division under paragraph a of this Rule, a player must be born on or after the following dates: 2018 – June 1, 2006;
2019 – June 1, 2007;
2020 – June 1, 2008;
2021 – June 1, 2009;
2022 – June 1, 2010;
2023 – June 1, 2011;
2024 – June 1, 2012; and
2025 – June 1, 2013.
(Adopted 8-9-18; amended 8-7-19 by striking the words “and must be in the 6th grade or a lower grade” from the end of paragraph d).
RULE 5:
Residence Eligibility / Recruitment of Players.
(a) Coaches are not permitted to recruit players whose residence is within a school district that corresponds to another league team.
(b) Should a player whose residence is within the school district corresponding to one team elect to play for another league team, the coach of the team on which the player seeks to play should communicate the player’s name and grade to the coach of the team corresponding to the school district of the player’s residence, and receive his approval allowing the player in question to play for the other team.
(c) Should the two (2) coaches be unable to resolve the issue, the question shall be submitted to the Commissioner for resolution. The Commissioner may resolve the matter, or he may submit the question to the league coaches for their counsel as to possible resolutions.
(d) The rationale underlying this Rule is the concept that the ECISC has as its purpose the preparation of junior high age soccer players for high school, and that goal is best achieved by having them play with their future high school teammates.
(Adopted 8-9-18).
RULE 6:
Special Rules Applicable to U12 Division.
(a) Play shall be between two (2) teams comprised of nine (9) players per side, including a goalkeeper.
(b) Matches shall be of two (2) halves, each of which is thirty (30) minutes in length.
(c) A size 4 ball shall be used in all matches.
(Adopted 8-9-18; amended 8-7-19 by changing paragraph c from “size 5” to “size 4”).
RULE 7:
Rules on Heading the Ball.
(a) The ECISC adopts the heading rules of U.S. Youth Soccer.
(b) In matches played in the U14 Division the following restrictions on heading the ball shall apply:
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No player age 10 or younger may be intentionally head the ball.
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Players age 11 through 13 shall be limited to thirty (30) minutes of heading training per week, with no more than 15 to 20 headers per player per week.
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No player may intentionally head the ball received from a goal kick or a goal punt.
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Should a player intentionally head the ball, the proper restart shall be an indirect free kick for the opposing team at the spot of the offense. If the deliberate header occurs within the goal area, the indirect free kick should be taken on the goal area line parallel to the goal line at the point nearest to where the infringement occurred.
(c) In matches played in the U12 Division, no intentional heading of the ball shall be allowed whatsoever. Should a player intentionally head the ball, the proper restart shall be an indirect free kick for the opposing team at the spot of the offense.
(Adopted 8-9-18).