| | Sponsored by AYSO Region 65 Rancho Cucamonga, California 21st Annual Grape Stomp Tournament Rules (2025) | |
| CATEGORY | RULE |
| 1) JURISDICTION | A. Unless otherwise noted, the current AYSO National Rules and Regulations, Section 1 and IFAB Laws of the Game will be used for this tournament. The following rules are intended specifically for this tournament ONLY! B. The Tournament Committee (incl. Tournament Director, Assistant Director(s), Field Director, Referee Director and other designated staff) will have jurisdiction over all games played. Disputes will be resolved by the end of the soccer day.
Referee judgment calls are NOT subject to dispute or protest! |
| 2) FEES | A. Entire entry fee and referee deposit must accompany tournament application and will be returned if application is not accepted. Fee and deposit must be a single check issued from the Region’s account (no personal checks, money orders, credit cards, etc.). B. Fees are:
U-10: $950 ($500 entry fee plus $450 referee deposit),
U-12: $975 ($525 entry fee plus $450 referee deposit),
U-14-U19: $1025 ($575 entry fee plus $450 referee deposit). |
| 3) ACCEPTANCE | A. Applications are due on March 1st, 2025 B. Applications will be accepted on a first-come basis, based on completed application (see Team Application Form for criteria). Teams will be notified by email within 48 hours of the receipt of their applications. C. Teams not accepted into the tournament will be offered the opportunity to be placed on a waiting list. If a team chooses not to be on a waiting list, the application and entry fee will be returned within 48 hours of notification. D. The primary form of communication between the Tournament and applying teams will be email and the Tournament website. Teams must designate a Team Contact on their application who has email and Internet access. |
| 4) REFUNDS | A. Teams withdrawing 30 days or more before the tournament will be issued a full refund within 48 hours of request. B. Teams withdrawing less than 30 days before the start of the tournament will only be issued a refund if a replacement team can be found. C. If the tournament is canceled and cannot be rescheduled a full refund will be issued within 48 hours of notification. D. For teams that are eligible, referee deposit refunds will be mailed no later than 14 days after the end of the tournament. Referee deposit refunds will be on a prorated basis, comparing the number of assignments actually completed versus the number that were assigned. |
| 5) RAINOUT/
CANCELLATION | A. Should the tournament be rained out on the original date, it will be rescheduled to the weekend of May 4th and 5th 2024. All teams will be expected to return on that date to resume the tournament. Any team not able to return will only receive a refund if a replacement team can be found. B. If the tournament is cancelled due to weather after partially completing and it cannot be rescheduled to be completed, refunds will be made to teams on a prorated basis, based on the number of actual games played. C. If the tournament cannot be held due to weather or other conditions beyond the control of the tournament hosts, then a full refund will be sent to all teams. |
| 6) PLAYERS/TEAMS | A. Players on participating teams must be properly registered to play in AYSO, and have played in the 2024-2025 Primary season in a minimum of one-half of the games for which they were eligible. Coaches are responsible to ensure that all players meet eligibility requirements. B. The team roster must be verified and approved by each player’s Regional Commissioner. Roster changes may be submitted (with the written approval of the Regional Commissioner). C. Divisions U-16 and U-19 will play 11-v-11, and there will be a roster limit of 18 players per team.
Division U-14 will play 11-v-11, and there will be a roster limit of 15 players per team.
Division U-12 will play 9-v-9, and there will be a roster limit of 12 players per team.
Division U-10 will play 7-v-7, and there will be a roster limit of 10 players per team. D. Coed teams will be accepted; however they must play in the boys’ divisions only. E. All players must play at least half of each game. Violation of these player rules exposes a team to protest and renders them subject to forfeiture of game and possible disqualification at the discretion of the Tournament Director. |
| 7) COACHES | A. Each team is limited to one Head Coach and one Assistant Coach. These coaches must be the ones listed on the Official Team Roster. A. Each Coach must provide their AYSO ID Number, be a current registered volunteer, Safe Sport Trained, Safe-Haven, Cardiac Arrest, Concussion Awareness certified and AYSO trained at the age-appropriate level. Coaches are expected to set the example for their team in exhibiting proper AYSO behavior and Kids Zone behavior. Coaches are expected to remain in the technical area during games and only enter the field of play as requested by the referee. B. Coaches are expected to set the example for their team in exhibiting proper AYSO behavior and Kids Zone behavior. Coaches are expected to remain in the technical area during games and only enter the field of play as requested by the referee. |
| 8) REFEREES | A. Please see the Referee Plan for all referee requirements. |
| 9) FIELDS | A. All fields will be set up and taken down by the tournament staff. B. Trash cans will be provided at each field. Teams will be expected to clean up all trash in their area before leaving. |
| 10) FORMAT | A. This is a pool-play tournament. B. Each age division will be bracketed into playing pools. Each team will play a minimum of 3 preliminary play games within their respective pools. Where there are sufficient teams, divisions will also be separated into multiple competition flights. C. Teams will advance from qualifying pools based on pool play standings points. Number of teams advancing per pool will be determined by the number of pools in the division. |
| 11) CHECK-IN | A. Teams must check in 60 minutes prior to their first game, and must present 4 completed Game Cards. The Game Cards must be properly completed with the players listed by first name-last name in jersey number order. The players listed on the game cards must match the approved roster submitted with the team’s application. All players listed on the roster must appear on each game card, even if there is an expectation that one (or more) might miss a scheduled game. B. Each coach or team representative must provide AYSO Player Medical Release Forms for verification by tournament officials. C. Coaches must have these Player Medical Release Forms with them at all times and ready for presentation to Tournament Officials. D. Late arriving players must be escorted to the check-in station by a team official along with their Player Registration Form and be cleared by the Tournament Staff before participating in any games. |
| 12) FIELD MONITORS | A. There will be a tournament Field Monitor assigned to each field, and will report to the Tournament Field Director. B. At the conclusion of the game, the match referees must return the completed game cards to the Field Monitor. C. Field Monitors will be the first to respond to any incidents or injuries, and will be in contact with the rest of the tournament staff by phone. Tournament participants are encouraged to report any concerns immediately to the Field Monitor, and also to respectfully follow any instructions given by the Field Monitor. |
| 13) GAMES | A. Pool play games will consist of 25 to 30 minute halves depending on the age division (see chart below) with a five minute half time. There will be a running clock during the match including substitutions. There will be no time added on for injuries or time wasted in qualifying rounds. Games will expect to end on time, and may be shortened if they started late. Pool play games may end in a tie. B. Championship games will be full length for that division (see chart below). Championship games will be played until there is a winner (see Medal Round rules below). C. Game duration shall be as follows:
Division Pool Play Semi, Final Rounds
U-10: 25 minute half 25 minute half
U-12 30 minute half 30 minute half
U-14: 30 minute half 35 minute half
U-16: 30 minute half 40 minute half
U-19: 30 minute half 40 minute half D. The “home” team will be the first team or top team listed on the game schedule and will be responsible for providing the game ball. The home team will be situated on the North or East side of the field, and the visitor will be situated on the South or West side. Spectators must remain on the side of the field designated for their team. The home team will change jerseys or don pennies in the event of a color conflict with the visitor team. If any questions, the referee will determine whether this is necessary. E. There will be no warming up on the field. Teams must warm up prior to taking the field. As soon as the previous game has ended, teams must clear the field and the teams for the next game must take their places. F. FORFEITS: Teams must check in at the designated Field Coordinator Station 45 minutes prior to the start of the game. There will be a five-minute grace period at the start of the game for a team to take the field before a forfeit is declared. The score for a forfeit match will be 3-0 for the remaining team (See STANDINGS for the points to be awarded). For U-10 division teams, there is a minimum of 5 players on the field to continue a game. For U-12 the minimum number is 6 players. For all other divisions, there must be a minimum of 7 players to continue a game. If a team cannot field the minimum number of players, the game will be abandoned and a forfeit will be declared. G. SUSPENDED GAMES: The Tournament Committee may determine to end matches early if field schedule is behind due to game delays, interference, or if weather conditions provide unsafe conditions; and may distribute awards according to games played and points. The Tournament Committee will determine the outcome of any single game which is terminated prematurely (due to inclement weather, participant injury, or interference by outside party, etc.). H. ABANDONED GAMES: if any pool play games cannot be played due to circumstances beyond the control of the tournament, the final standings of the pool will be determined by applying the Winning Percentage formula (Total Points Earned in all Game Played divided by Total Points Possible for the Number of Games Played) to each team in the pool. Note. This does not apply to games which were shortened due to late a late start. Only the Tournament Director or designee can declare a game to be abandoned or not played. |
| 14) SUBSTITUTIONS | A. Substitutions shall be allowed approximately mid way through each half for ALL divisions U-10 through U-14 and will be recorded on the game cards by the referee. B. U16 & U19 will have monitored substitutions. Monitored substitutions will be monitored at each location by tournament staff. Substitution monitoring forms are available on the web site as well as at each site for all teams. Each team in U16 & U19 will have monitored substitution sheets filled out during each game, these sheets shall be turned in with the game cards at the end of the game. All players must play a minimum of ½ of the game. C. All substitutions must be approved and recognized by the referee. Substitutions may be made for injured players; however, they may not return until the beginning of the next quarter and will be considered as having played the current quarter for U10 thru U14 (exception: an injured player not replaced may return to play at any time with the referee’s permission). D. Substitutions in overtime periods of medal round matches will be at the beginning of each period only. |
| 15) STANDINGS | A. Standings for pool play games will be determined on the “ten-point system” as follows: WIN = 6 points
TIE = 3 points
LOSS = 0 points
GOAL = 1 point per goal up to a maximum of 3 per game
SHUTOUT = 1 point for a shutout, including a 0-0 tie
FORFEIT = 10 points (scored as a 3-0 win)
B. Winners of ties in standings will be determined as follows: Head to head competition
Least goals allowed Goal differential (maximum of a 3 goal difference per game)
Goals scored (maximum of three (3) per game) Coin Toss C. Wildcard teams will be the team(s) with the highest standings points from all teams in the division who are not automatically advancing. D. Standings will be updated regularly at the Tournament Scoreboard. The deadline to challenge the posted results will be at the conclusion of Pool Play. |
| 16) ADVANCEMENTS | A. Pool winners (and in some cases wildcard teams) will advance to medal round play. B. Teams will play consolation and/or championship final matches, depending on the number of teams in each pool and the format of play for that flight. |
| 17) MEDAL-ROUNDS | A. All medal round matches ending in a tie will have two full overtime periods of five minutes in length with teams changing field direction after the first five minute period. In these matches, if still tied after overtime play, the game shall be decided by IFAB Kicks from the Penalty Mark. |
| 18) AWARDS | Medals will be awarded to 1st, 2nd 3rd & 4th place teams in each flight. Flights with only 4 teams will receive 1st & 2nd place medals. A. A tournament pin and t-shirt will be presented to each player and coach. |
| 19) CONDUCT | A. Coaches will be expected to set a positive example for the team, and will be held responsible for the actions of their team including spectators. All spectators must remain behind the control line and between the 18-yard lines (penalty areas in small fields). Two coaches maximum per team, and they must remain in the marked coaching area (within ten yards either way from halfway line). B. At the conclusion of each match, the referees will indicate on the reverse of the game cards any misconducts. Referees will be required to complete a game misconduct report for all sendoffs during the game, as well as any incidents of interference by spectators. C. Any coach or spectator ejected must immediately leave the vicinity of the playing field (out of sight and sound) and will be prohibited from attending the next scheduled game. Any player sent off (red carded) must immediately leave the vicinity of the game (under supervision of his/her parent or Safe Haven-certified adult), and may not return to the field of play during the current game, including for the post-game handshake, and may not be substituted for, and is suspended from participation in the next game. In the alternative, the player may stay on the sideline under the supervision of the coach. There will be penalty point deductions for all send-offs (see Standings rules). D. Any violent conduct red card or ejection will result in that player/coach/spectator being barred from the remainder of the tournament. E. If it is determined that an ineligible player has participated in a game, the team will forfeit all games in which that player participated illegally. Furthermore, if it is determined that the coach knowingly played a player illegally, that coach will be barred from further participation in the tournament. F. It is mandatory to play a scheduled game. If it is determined that a coach willfully fails to have his team participate in a scheduled game, the coach will be dismissed from the tournament and the incident will be reported to the respective Regional Commissioner. G. Noisemakers of any kind are not permitted. H. All conduct problems will be reported to the respective Regional Commissioner. I. All Serious Incidents will be reported to the respective Coach, Regional Commissioner, Area and Section Directors, as well as Area G, and Section 1 Tournament Directors. |
| 20) MEDICAL/FIRST AID | A. There will be a First Aid station at the main tent where participants may receive ice, etc. for minor injuries. B. There will be a roving first aid response staff member to respond to injuries on the field. Field Monitors will communicate via phone to call the first aid staffer to the field where first aid is requested. C. If an injury is serious, the first aid staff or Safety Director will call 911 for emergency response. D. Directions to the nearest hospital/urgent care center will be available at the First Aid station. |
| 21) UNIFORMS/SAFETY | A. All players must wear the approved AYSO uniform only according to the National Rules & Regulations, and all players on the same team must wear matching uniforms (goalkeeper excepted – may have a different jersey, AYSO logo is recommended but not required.) B. Each player’s uniform must be marked with a permanently-affixed unique number that matches the uniform number on the Game Card, and may not exchange numbered jerseys with any other player during the game including the goalkeeper. C. Garments may be worn under the uniform (i.e. long sleeves, etc.) during inclement weather, however the match referee will be the judge of what should be allowed or not. D. Not allowed: jewelry, hard metal or plastic clips on clothing or hair. No player will be allowed to participate with any type of cast or splint. Removal of any type of cast or splint at the field or surrounding area in order to participate shall disqualify that team member from participation. E. AYSO will not prohibit the use of knee braces by players in AYSO events and programs; providing that the brace is adequately covered and padded in the judgment of the referee, so as to eliminate the possibility of its causing injury to the other players on the field. |
| 22) PROTESTS | A. No Protests are allowed for any reason. B. Referee judgment calls are FINAL and are not grounds for nor subject to protest or dispute! |
| 23) RULES INTERPRETATION | The Tournament Director retains the right to interpret and apply the tournament rules to the optimum benefit of all tournament participants. |