The 13th Annual Christmas Classic

Hosted at The Sports Academy in Glen Carbon, Illinois

December 16th– 23rd, 2023

Tournament Rules

The following is a list of Rules and points for this year’s tournament.

The Sports Academy official rules shall prevail unless otherwise stated below. The

Sports Academy rules can be provided if requested.

POINTS: Win = 3 Points Loss = 0 Points Tie = 1 Point

TIE BREAKERS: In the event of a tie in total points standings, the following sequence

will be used.

1. Head-to-head competition between the teams that are tied

2. Best Goal difference for all games-up to Five (5) per game

3. Most goals scored-Up to Five (5) per game

4. Fewest Goals Allowed

5. Penalty Kick Shootout – Five (5) players per team; if still tied, sudden victory penalty

kick shootout

OVERTIME/PK’s IN THE FINAL

1. One 3-minute period – Golden Goal

2. PK’s

a. Three players per team

b. U10 and under shoot from the first red dot

c. U11 and older shoot from the second red dot

Grouping and Advancement

4 Team Division- Round Robin play with each team playing one another other and the

two highest point getters meeting in a final.

5 Team Division- Round Robin with each team plays one another (4 games per team)

with the highest point getter being determined the Champion (No Championship Match).

6 Team Division- Two brackets of 3 will be created. Teams will play the 2 other teams in

their assigned bracket and 1 crossover game against a team from the other bracket.

The winners of each bracket will advance to the final

Laws of the Game

1. Games consist of two 20-minute halves (Facility Rules)

2. Each team is allowed (1) 60-second timeout per game with GK possession or

possession free kick.

3. 3-line off sides is NOT in affect – NO THREE LINE RULE.

4. 15 feet required on all dead balls.

5. Roster Checks cannot be requested after the start of the second half.

6. ALL Referees decisions are final!

7. A Red Card results in at least a 1 game suspension. A Referee committee will decide

if the player is expelled from the tournament.

8. A forfeit will be declared if a team receives 2 RED CARDS in one game.

9. The Tournament committee reserves the right to shorten or reschedule or shorten

games in case of inclement weather.

10. Under no circumstances can a goalkeeper pick the ball upon any pass back from

his/her own team. The goalkeeper CAN dribble the ball into box to pick up. (Outdoor

Rules)

11. The ball must be inside the black dotted line along the boards when taking an out of

bounds kick.

12. If the ball hits the ceiling, it goes to the nearest of the red dots from where the ball

was kicked.

13. No punting of the ball at any ages. The ball must be thrown, rolled or kicked from

the ground.

14. The Sports Academy official rules shall prevail unless otherwise stated below.

Those rules can be viewed by going to: http://www.thesportsacademy.net/forms-rules/