UPDATED JULY 2022

In our Indoor League, all field rules apply with adaptations made for safety, teaching and fair play.
"If the Ball is at the Wall, Play the Ball". Safety is the highest concern.

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THE RULES OF THIS LEAGUE ARE BASED MOSTLY ON SAFETY AND KEEPING PLAY UNDER CONTROL.

This is off season indoor and is used to tighten up your stick skills, learn how to work well with your team and to have fun.

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COVID RULES

1. All players must bring a giant bottle of water that will last you throughout the game. Water cannot be 
    shared. Please write your name on the water bottle. There will be no water fountains open to refill water.

2. No spitting on or off the field.

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GENERAL MANAGEMENT RULES

PLAYER ARRIVALS 

Players need to arrive 30 minutes prior to their game time start.

Any player arriving after the game has started will have to wait until half time to play.

You must have your jersey to be able to play. No jersey, No play.

You must have a mouthpiece to play. No mouthpiece, No play.

You must have the new heart protection shoulder pads.  No Certified Pads, No play.

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GOALIES

All Goalies MUST have a throat guard, Protective cup and the new Heart Protective chest protector.
If you do not have the new chest protector, you will be required to use the chest protector provided by the league.

Goalies are the only players that can play for other teams, provided that teams' goalie is absent.

Goalies MUST wear a mouthpiece too.

 

PLAYER CONDUCT

All players must conduct themselves with dignity and sportsmanship.

Any player who engages in behavior unbecoming of a quality student athlete will be expelled from the game.

This includes but is not limited to fighting, bullying, disrespecting a coach, fan, administrator, teammate or referee,

constantly using foul language, playing over-aggressively/ body checking or failing to keep your temper and/or

emotions in check.

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COACHES CONDUCT

All coaches are required to conduct themselves appropriately and with sportsmanship in mind. Coaches are not allowed to criticize the referees at any time. They are required to play players evenly during the regular season. They are required to keep their players under control, make sure they do not enter the field without a mouthpiece and required gear and be positive with their instruction.

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PENALTIES

THERE IS NO BODY CHECKING IN THIS LEAGUE!

There are no one handed checks allowed in this league!

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PENALTIY TIMES

Most penalties are 2:00 minutes in length. Time must be served. Goals do not release penalties.

Penalties carry over to the following quarter. Penalties start when the whistle blows after the infraction.

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Severe penalties are 5:00minutes in length. These are unsportsmanlike conduct, maligning, aggressive body checking

and aggressive boarding.

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Expulsion fouls are 7:00 minutes in length. Fighting, severe unsportsmanlike conduct or anything else deemed

unworthy of happening in our league.

 

PLAYER PENALTIES

Players are allowed 2 penalties per game. The third penalty is a foul out and they cannot play in the remainder of the game.

The first two are considered foul outs and not expulsions.

 

2:00 minute penalties count as 1 penalty.

5:00 minute penalties count as 2 penalties.

7:00 minute expulsion penalties count as 3 penalties. (Fighting or Disrespect).

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Players are allowed 1 foul out. If a player fouls out a second time, they will be suspended for 3 games.

A third foul out and you are done for the season.

 

If a player is expelled from a game for fighting, unsportsmanlike conduct or anything else deemed

unworthy of happening in our league, they are suspended for 5 Games. A foul out after your suspension

and you are done for the year.

OFFENSIVE RULES

BALL HOGGING 
No player shall hog the offensive workload during play. This can be when a player is the only player that touches the ball during an offensive set. Players committing this foul will lose possession of the ball, a goal can be disallowed and a 2 minute penalty is enforced. Excessive ball hogging will result in said player to be removed from the field for the entire game. Passing and teamwork are essential in the GW Indoor League.

STALLING/SHOT CLOCK 
Players are not allowed to walk in the backcourt while clearing the ball. A warning will be given once; the second offense will cause a loss of possession. Any action by a player or a team that the Official deems stalling will be called stalling. If the referee feels a team is stalling, he will call out "Shot clock in ON"! You have 20 seconds to shoot on cage. The shot has to touch the goalie, the goal or score to end the shot clock.

RUNNING THE WALL 
Players with the ball near the wall must not dodge towards the wall in an attempt to elude a defensive player but dodge away. If a player with the ball is near the wall, he may not run along the wall more than 3 steps. A change in possession will occur.

MOVING PICKS 
Some movement is allowed when setting a pick in indoor, at least one foot must be stationary when setting a pick. You cannot block while running. You cannot reach out with your arms or stick to set a pick.

OFFENSIVE CREASE VIOLATIONS 
A "play-on" will occur when any offensive player enters the crease on a shot. The Official will hold the whistle to determine if the defensive team gains possession. If the offensive team gains possession, the whistle will blow and a change of possession will occur. If the defensive team gains possession, no call is made. The defensive team gets one pass or may run 5 yards for the "Play On" to be called off. If an offensive player enters the crease while his team is in possession of the ball, loss of possession will occur.

ILLEGAL SUBSTITUTION / TOO MANY MEN
In order for a player to enter the field, another player must exit the field. The exiting player must be able to touch the door with his stick before the new player can enter the field. NO substitutions are allowed when the ball is in play near either of the field doors. DO NOT OPEN THE DOORS when the ball is in play near the door. This is clearly for safety purposes and referees will blow the play dead. This violation is a change of possession for offensive teams and a 2-minute, time serving foul for a defensive team.

DEFENSIVE RULES 

ILLEGAL BODY CHECKING 
No player shall check another with their body in a deliberate manner. If you make contact with an opposing player and they end up on the ground, chances are you will be flagged for a body check. The result is a five minute, time serving foul or depending on its severity, expulsion from the game. Accidental body checks will be given a 5-minute, time serving foul. The decision is the Official’s whether or not it was deliberate. The Bench official can make the call from the scorers table too.

BOARDING 
Players are not allowed to push or strike a player into the walls of the field in a deliberate manner. The result is a five-minute, time serving penalty or expulsion from the game. The Official will consider the severity and the intention of the boarding.
"IF THE BALL IS AT THE WALL, PLAY THE BALL!"

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SLIDING 

If you slide from one player to the next, you must slide to their stick, not their body (as there is no body checking). 

Be careful not to follow through with your body as that would draw a penalty.

ILLEGAL CONTACT 
Any contact between players that is deemed by the Official to be inappropriate, uncalled for or illegally advantage gaining while the ball is in play. In all man / ball situations, the player taking the man must use his backside ONLY. He may not take the man facing him. You may only box out!

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ONE HANDED CHECKS

Any check delivered with one hand ONLY on the stick will be a penalty. One handed poke checks are OK. This rule was establisked to prevent checking from getting violent and out of hand and to get you to move your feet while playing defense.

SLASHING 
Any check with the stick that is uncontrolled, malicious or excessive. Any check striking an opposing players’ head or neck. Any check striking an opponents legs or back. Any check that was delivered without two hands on the stick. This can be a 2 or 5 minute, time-serving foul depending on the severity of the check.

CROSS CHECKING 
Any check with the center portion of the stick, between the gloves, without at least one of the gloves being in direct contact with the opposing player, will be considered a cross check. This is a 2-minute, time serving foul.

PUSHING
Any push that causes an opposing player to lose advantage, whether it is from the side or the back. Any pressure that comes from behind is a push. If the push occurs during a loose ball, the non-pushing team gets possession. If the team in possession of the ball pushes, there is a change of possession. If the team NOT in possession of the ball pushes, then there is a 2-minute, time serving foul.
 

UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS 
Any player that engages in extra aggressive play while on the field. Running through a pick falls in this category. This can be a 2 or 5 minute, time-serving foul depending on the severity of the offense, and also expulsion if the offense is particularly malicious. 
 

TAUNTING 
Any player talking trash to any other player/fan/coach or making a derogatory gesture to another player/fan/coach will be given a 5 minute, time-serving foul. This also includes excessive celebration that can humiliate the opponent or degrade the integrity of the league. This also goes for the bench area. Particularly offensive taunting can also be an ejection foul.
 

BACK COURT PRESSING
No team will be allowed to press their opponent in their back court if the goal differential has reached 8. Offensive players may only be played defensively after they have crossed the midfield line. This infraction is a two-minute, time serving foul. If a team commits this foul after being warned and flagged on 3 occasions, the fouled team will forfeit the game in the Win/Loss standings but the game will continue.
 

CREASE VIOLATION
A defensive player entering the crease when pressing in the backcourt while the clearing team has possession is illegal. A two-minute, time serving foul will be called.
 

FIELD PLAY

MAN - BALL
In OUR Indoor League, Man-Ball situations have been modified. In all man-ball situation, the players taking the man MUST do so with his back side. He may not block a man with his front side unless he is stationary. All man-ball situations should be played as "Boxing out" an opponent using the back side of their body. Any moving contact with the front side with be deemed illegal and will result in a change of possession.

BACK COURT 
Once the ball crosses the midfield line, it is illegal for an offensive player in possession of the ball to cross back into the defensive half of the field. Any pass that travels into the defensive half of the field after it has crossed the midfield line in possession, cannot be retrieved by an offensive player in the defensive half of the field; UNLESS a member of the opposing team touches the ball first. This rule is also in affect during all penalties.
 

FACE-OFFS 
All face-offs will begin play at the start of all games and also at the half unless there is a penalty and there is possession determined as time expires at the half. A face-off will occur if the ball travels outside of the playing area and the Official cannot determine which team touched the ball last. On all face-offs, all players except the players facing off, must stay inside their restraining boxes. Possession will be given to the opposing team if a player leaves the restraining box before the ball leaves the face-off circle or possession has been called.
 

CHERRY PICKING 
This call is made when a defensive player crosses the midfield line before the goalie or any other defensive player gains possession of the ball after a shot or a take-a-way. Cherry Picking will not be called if a player has come out of the bench area in a substitution situation. This promotes all players to play defense. It is not cherry picking if a defensive player is defending a player who would otherwise be considered cherry picking.
 

MALIGNING THE OFFICIAL, COACH, FAN or ANOTHER PLAYER 
Any player maligning the Official will be asked to sit out. Any player maligning a coach for any reason will be asked to sit out. Any player maligning another player will be asked to sit out. This is a 5 minute, time-serving foul or can be a game expulsion. The Official’s word is absolute and final. Questioning a call is considered maligning and will be dealt with accordingly. Particularly abusive players, fans or parents will be asked to leave the San Diego Indoor Soccer center and play will not resume until said player, fan or parent is removed. If this behavior continues, you will be asked to leave the league without refund.
 

GOALIE RULES
Goalies are allowed to play in other games where a team does not have a goalie or a player who has played goalie for their team previously. Approval from the Official is necessary. No forfeit will occur. Goalies are not allowed to make contact with an offensive player in front of the goal. Goalies may use "stick on stick" to play an offensive man but cannot clean out players or make body contact with them. This is for safety reasons. Goalies can play the ball behind the goal.
 

READY FOR PLAY
All players must be ready for play prior to the start of the game. Any player arriving after the opening face-off will not be allowed to take the field until half time. This rule is waived in the following case; 
1. If a team will forfeit due to a lack of the required amount of players to field a legal game.
2. Players coming from Temecula/Murrieta
 

FANS / PARENTS / SPECTATORS 
No one except the players are allowed in the bench area at any time during a game. All spectators must sit on the opposite side of the arena in the bleachers. Only certified GW coaches are allowed to coach a team. Certification is attached solely by the Director.
 

FORFEITS 
Any team that does not have 8 players and 1 goalkeeper when the Official is ready to begin the game, will forfeit the game. The game will still be played but other players from the previous or the next game are eligible to participate. All statistics will count.
 

EJECTIONS / PENALTIES
Penalty time begins when the penalized player is off the field and the whistle blows to resume play. A player will be ejected if he gets 3 fouls in a game. A 2-minute foul is equal to 1 foul. A 5-minute foul is equal to 2 fouls. Game ejections due to fighting or maligning will be 3 fouls and a 7-minute penalty. All ejected players due to fighting or maligning must leave the Arena immediately to avoid any further escalation. Any player ejected 2 times during the season is ineligible to play in any game for the remainder of the season.
 

CREASE PLAY
1. All goalkeepers will have 4 second to leave the crease after gaining possession of the ball. This crease violation will cause a change in possession. 

2. It is illegal for any player in possession of the ball to run into their defensive crease. This crease violation will cause a change of possession.

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3. A goalie may NOT come out of his crease to play a man. He may not body check any player outside of his crease. Penalty is a time-serving, 5 minute foul. He can come out of the crease to play the ball.

Crease violations on the offensive side of the field will be considered a "Play On" until it is determined by the Official that the violating team does not regain possession of the ball. If the non-violating team gains possession of the ball, no call is made and said team gets one pass or five yards running with the ball for the "Play On’ to be called off.
 

ELIGIBILITY / STATISTICS / POST SEASON
1. A Player must play in six games to be eligible for post season awards. 
2. Only the top 40 players will be entered on the website statistics page.
3. The Director, the officials and the coaches will determine the league award winners and All-County honors.
4. All statistical records can be broken or tied. Players eclipsing a record will be notified and honored.
5. All Games are played rain or shine (Lightning is the only reason we would cancel or if the Sportsplex says we have to)
6. All goalkeepers can play in other games without penalty should a team need a keeper.
7. No player can play without his League issued Jersey. Any player using another players jersey will be disqualified from the League.
8. No player can play in the League unless they are registered for the League and have submitted proper paperwork and fees. No new 
    players can be added to a team after week six.

9. All players must be members of US Lacrosse to be eligible to play. Expiration date must be November 30 (or later) of current year.