5-A-Side Games - Spring 2024
A fun series of games for players to explore many positions, in an often high scoring game. The day is filled with many opportunities to network, as you move from one 15 min game to another.
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Game Day: Saturday
Coaches, please check in 30 min before your first game at the safety shed.
You might have a free agent player added, please ask at check in.
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- This has a cost of $5 per player, paid in cash or check (to AYSO) on game day.
- Funds cover costs, participant medals, and raise money for field/playing space in Benton County.
- Scholarship players can sign up/play for free.
- Each team plays 4-5 games, over about 3 hours on Saturday, between 9am - 1pm.
- Volunteers:
- Team/Squad Coach: Any current referee, team manager, or coach can fill this role. You are tasked with checking in, organizing players for each game, assigning playing positions, and running substitutions.
- Center Referee: Any current referee can fill this role. You would sign up in one hour blocks. You can swap on game day.
- Teams/Divisions:
- Each team needs a unique lead coach, you will likely have overlapping games, and you will need someone to lead the squad/team.
- Players should be on and stay on a single team. Only exceptions are allowed for squads that are short, need balancing, or substituting for a sick/injured player.
- Kinder would need to play up with 1st grade.
- 1st & 2nd grade is 4-7 players on a squad, games are 4 vs 4. (coaches run the game)
- 3/4th, 5/6th, & 7/8th grade is 5-8 players on a squad, games are 5 vs 5. (referees run the game)
- Notable Rule Modifications:
- Games are 15 min, 7 min halves, w/ 5 min between games, games start and stop by a central horn.
- Any time, on-the-fly substitutions like hockey.
- Kickoff is an indirect free kick (IFK), along with the normal drop ball & throw-in/kick-in.
- Keeper 1 bounce kick, dropkick, punt, or throw cannot cross half in the air, indirect free kick (IFK) is at half.
- No offside.
- 1st/2nd: No throw-in, do a kick-in or dribble-in instead.
- 1st/2nd: No keepers (no goal hanging allowed).
- 1st/2nd/3rd/4th/5th/6th: No deliberate slides (IFK) or slide tackles (direct free kick (DFK)).
- 3rd/4th/5th/6th: No deliberate heading, restart is an indirect free kick (IFK).
- No build out line, no penalty area, and no penalty kick.
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7 minute halves.
All restarts are direct (except kickoff, drop ball, throw-in/kick-in, and some of the specific rules/fouls noted)
No dropkicks, punts, single bounce kicks, or throws in air across half, must touch playing half (restart at half line).
No offside.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pets/Dogs/Goats/Cats?
No pets near any of the fields. No pets within 50 feet of the game fields. Hundreds of people, loud horns, music, it only takes one dog bite to ruin a love for animals.
Outside Players?
If they registered for AYSO this school year, they can play. Please be sure you balance if you have multiple squads.
Balancing, How?
5-A-Side favors big kickers and a lot of energy, look to balance those players first. Only distributions from the hands of the goalkeeper are restricted by how far they can go in the air, you can score a goal from a goal kick (Most free kicks are direct. Kickoff, drop ball, and throw-in/kick-in cannot score a goal directly).
Food?
Yes, you can bring food, but you cannot use a flame and cook the food at an AYSO event.
Free Substitution?
There is free, any time, substitution. The substituted player must leave the field before the replacing player comes on. Again, this can be done at any time without needing to check with the referee. If too many players are actively playing on the field, it is a restart for the other team at half, if a goal was scored and too many were playing on the field, the goal would be reversed.
Offside?
None. Players are in play anywhere on the field.
Goalkeeper throw or punt? Single bounce kick?
Cannot cross the half in the air. If it travels over half without touching anything else, the opposing team restarts (IFK) from half about where it crossed.
The single bounce kick is closing the loophole where a keeper thows the ball hard at the ground then kicks it as it is coming back down after that first touch of the ground. If it hits the ground twice before they hit it in the air, that is okay.
Central Horn Timer?
Once that horn goes to start a half, you can start, even if the other team is not on the field. The horn does the timed start and stop of play.
Kick-off?
Home team (team 1) starts the first kick-off, away team (team 2) kicks off after the half, see the game schedule. If the kicking off team isn’t ready, the other team may kick off if the referee allows. Teams cannot score directly from a kickoff.
Penalty Kick?
No penalty area will be marked, just a goal area, so no penalty kick. Remember, no restarts for fouls can happen within a goal area, they need to be placed outside the goal area.
Game Cards?
No game cards are required, no tracking of scores will be done.
Players Near Goal?
1st / 2nd grade players should be discouraged from goal hanging. Keeping at least a few feet away from the goal line. Since the goals are small, and no players can use hands, players should not be sitting in the goals.
Restart Distance?
3/4th it is 4 yards or the goal line. 5/6th it is 6 yards or the goal line. 7/8th it is 8 yards or the goal line. No restarts should take place in the marked goal area, except a goal kick. Since 1st/2nd has no goal area, move the ball 4 yards away from the goal (parallel to the infraction).
