RULES

A. All Major Island Soccer Organization (MISO) games shall be played under the current �Laws of the Game� published by FIFA and Hawaii Soccer Association (HSA) rules, policies and procedures, subject to the following MISO Rules and Regulations. In the event FIFA, HSA and MISO Rules and Regulations do not addresses any MISO issue, MISO in its sole discretion shall make those determinations.

B. It is the responsibility of the participating club/team to become familiar with the FIFA, HSA and MISO rules.

A. Adult Divisions shall be gender restricted. MISO men�s divisions shall be closed to female participation and vice versa.

B. Team rosters shall consist of not more than twenty-five (25) registered players.

C. Teams will be allowed to place up to three (3) players on the Injury Reserve List (see Sec VII � E)

E. Clubs/Teams shall be considered in bad standing and shall not be allowed to participate in League and/or League Cup competition until all fees are paid.

F. Each member of the team must be registered with one (1) Organization club only, within the same age division.

G. Each team must submit to MISO, before the respective season deadline, the following:

H. Teams belonging to the same Club competing in the same division must complete and submit a Club Affiliation form to be recognized by the League.

I. Affiliated Club Teams shall have no restrictions in the number of player transfers between the affiliated teams during the �Off Season� period. During the course of the season, affiliated Club Teams must follow the same rules that apply to all other teams.

J. If one of the affiliated teams owes fees or fines to the league, the other affiliated team will be held responsible as well.

SECTION III: ADMISSION

New teams seeking admission into MISO shall first complete and turn in to MISO a MISO Team Application Form, along with a $300 deposit. Teams accepted into MISO shall pay an admission fee of $300; to be paid only the first year such team joins the Organization, provided such team remains a in the league.

SECTION IV: AGE & GENDER DIVISIONS

MISO now offers various age and gender restricted Divisions (some variations of the Rules may apply to each Division). The age restrictions are as follows:

Players under the age of 18 must have their HSA registration forms and all other forms, signed by their parents or legal guardian.

SECTION V: PLAYERS

A. An Active Player is a HSA registered player listed on a team's current MISO roster.

B. An Inactive Player is a player currently registered with HSA but not listed on any MISO roster.

C. Only Active Players on teams registered with MISO will be eligible to participate in MISO games.

A. Short Season: An Active Player released from a team's Roster becomes an Inactive Player at the time the modified Roster is submitted. This player may NOT be reinstated with the releasing team within the same season but may be reinstated with another league team within that particular season according to league rulings.

B. Long Season: An Active Player released from a team's Roster becomes an Inactive Player at the time the modified Roster is submitted. This player may NOT be reinstated with the releasing team within two (2) month of the date the player is released.

E. A registered member of the League will be allowed to play and coach on separate teams, only if the teams are in different divisions. Any suspensions or changes in status of such player/coach shall affect both teams. Only games for the team on which the suspension was incurred shall count toward the suspension although the player/coach shall not participate on either team until after the last day the suspension has been served.

F. Any player with a Professional status must first be reinstated as an Amateur thru USSF, prior to participating in any MISO games. Proof of reinstatement must be submitted to MISO.

SECTION VI: COACHES

A. An Active Coach is a HSA registered coach listed on a team's current MISO roster.

C. Coaches may be registered to coach on more than one team, provided they�re in different Divisions.

D. The usage of electronic equipment (phones, two way radios, etc) as a coaching device is prohibited

SECTION VII: ROSTERS

A Roster is defined as a list not to exceed 25 active players registered in MISO according to HSA rulings. The Roster submitted to the league shall include all Active Players registered to participate in MISO for a particular season. Any alterations to the Roster must be submitted a week prior to the next scheduled game.

A. The Roster submitted to the league shall include all Active Players and Active Coaches registered to participate in MISO for a particular season.

B. No team shall have more than twenty-five (25) players registered to play on its official MISO game card.

C. Any player listed on the official MISO game card shall be considered as having played under the name and shirt number as listed. The accuracy of the player entries on the official MISO game card is the responsibility of the team administrators (coaches and managers). The penalty for infraction may include forfeiture, fines, probation, or suspension at the discretion of the Disciplinary Committee.

D. Failure to cooperate with a reasonable request to substantiate the legitimacy of any player who has played in a particular game shall result in a Disciplinary Committee investigation and hearing, and may result in forfeiture, fines, probation, and/or suspension at the discretion of the Disciplinary Committee.

E. No team shall have more than three (3) players on the Injured Reserve List at any given time, and before a player may be placed on the injured reserve list, the team must submit to the League a written statement from a medical doctor describing the player�s injury.

SECTION VIII: REGISTRATIONS

A. Registration of players and teams shall be valid for one (1) seasonal year (September. 1 � August 31)

B. Player and team�s registrations must be submitted prior to the MISO established deadline, including all monies due, forms, pictures and players� passes.

C. Any player or coach not registered a week (7 days) prior to the game cannot play or coach in that game.

D. All signatures must be original. Any team or player found guilty of forging a signature will be severely penalized at the discretion of MISO.

F. Any team that allows a non-registered player to participate will forfeit that game.

G. No registrations will be accepted during the last month (4 weeks) of the Regular Season or Playoffs. For teams playing a �compact season�, the Registration deadline will be five (5) games from the end of their Regular Season.

H. Registration is revocable by action of the Board. Any action by a player or a team that is judged in conflict with the objectives, rules and / or regulations of MISO is grounds for revocation.

I. HSA players� passes/cards are property of the players. Team Managers/Coaches must release passes to the players upon request. Teams not complying will be fined $10 per pass/card not released.

SECTION IX: PLAYER RELEASE AND TRANSFER

A. Any player released for disciplinary (or misconduct) reasons may be subject to MISO before transferring to another team.

B. All player releases and transfers are required to be completed according to MISO Rules and Regulations.

1. Short Season: A player may transfer teams once during a season. A transfer form, which must be signed by the player and the coaches / managers of the teams involved, must be submitted to the league. A maximum of 3 players will be allowed to transfer from one team to another. Off-season transfers are also limited to 3 players from one team to another, unless it is within a Club.

2. Long Season: For long seasons, player may transfer teams twice during a season. A transfer form, which must be signed by the player and the coaches / managers of the teams involved, must be submitted to the league. A maximum of 3 players will be allowed to transfer from one team to another per round (half-season). During the winter and summer breaks (between rounds), transfers are also limited to 3 players from one team to another, unless it is within a Club.

D. No transfers will be allowed during the last month of the Regular Season or Playoffs. For teams playing a �compact season�, the Transfer deadline will be five (5) games from the end of their Regular Season.

The rules as listed in the last edition of the Federation Internationale de Football Association�s (FIFA) Laws of the Game and Universal Guide for Referees shall be adhere to with these exceptions:

A. There shall be no limit to the number of substitutions by a team during a league game and a replaced player may re-enter the game as a substitute for any other player.

1. Prior to a throw-in, by the team in possession only. Once team with possession agrees to substitute, the other team may substitute as well.

D. The game duration shall consist of two 45-minute halves played with a size 5 ball.

F. In the event that a game must provide a winner, and at the culmination of such the score is tied, the game shall go on to Over Time (unless otherwise stated in the competition rules).

1. The Over Time shall consist of two (2) equal halves of 10 minutes played in its entirety.

2. If the game remains tied after the two Over Time periods, the game will be decided via a penalty shoot-out according to FIFA rulings.

G. Games suspended by the referee because of player or spectator violence must be reported directly to the Disciplinary Committee. The Disciplinary Committee shall decide if the score at the time of the suspension shall stand, or if the game should be replayed. The Disciplinary Committee will make any other decision, which may be deemed necessary under the circumstances.

H. Agreement to play an unscheduled game establishes compliance with any and all League rulings.

Forfeits will not be tolerated. A $150 fine will be imposed to all teams forfeiting a game, and a $500 fine will be imposed to all teams forfeiting a championship game. After the second forfeit, a team may be further fined and suspended for the remainder of the season and may be reason for non-admission the following season.

A. If a team knows ahead of time of a future forfeit, it shall immediately submit notice to the MISO in writing and include reasonable explanation.

B. If the game is not played, the forfeiting team shall lose by a score of 0-3. The winning team shall also be awarded 50% of the forfeit fine.

C. If the game is played and the cause of the forfeiture is discovered later, the forfeiting team shall abide by these rules.

1. If it loses by a goal differential of three (3) or more, the game shall stand. Otherwise the score shall be recorded as 3-0.

2. If it wins, the goals scored by the forfeiting team shall be recorded as zero (0); the score for the other team, provided it is also not forfeiting and it is not less than three (3), shall stand. If the non-forfeiting team�s score is less than three (3), it shall be recorded as three (3)

3. If a tie exists, the forfeiting team shall have its goals nullified, its score being recorded as zero (0). The opposing team�s score shall stand as long as it is not less than three (3). If the non-forfeiting team�s score is less than three (3), it shall be recorded as three (3)

D. No team shall purposely forfeit or throw a game to gain advantage in the standings or to impede another team from advancing. This will be considered game fixing, and any team(s) found by the Disciplinary Committee to be guilty of such acts will be punished by the MISO and may face suspension.

SECTION XII: SCHEDULE

A. The official playing year shall begin on September 1, and end on August 31, of the following year.

B. The schedule of games shall include a list of teams, days, times and fields, as well as indicating Home team (team listed first), and team colors.

C. The schedule shall be finalized at least one (1) week prior to the start of each season.

D. The following steps must be taken when attempting to re-schedule a league game.

1. A team administrator must obtain approval to re-schedule the game from the other team�s official administrator before making any re-scheduling arrangements.

2. Game changes must be made at least two (2) weeks in advance of the scheduled game. The team administrator must notify MISO and referee assignor.

3. A $20 �re-schedule� fee must be submitted to the league, no later than the date of the original scheduled game.

4. The date of a �re-scheduled� game must be submitted to the President and referee assignor within two weeks of canceled game, but no later than two weeks prior the new date.

SECTION XIII: POSTPONMENTS

Request for game postponements may be issued for necessary / urgent matters only. A written explanation must accompany the request. Requests are not guaranteed to be accepted. If request is accepted, requesting team must follow same steps as Section XII, Article D (1-4).

A. MISO will submit to Hawaii State Referee Association (HSRA) MISO�s modified FIFA rules. HSRA will provide these rules to officials upon request.

B. No official connected, in any way, to a team shall officiate (center or line) games for that team, unless such referee is approved by both teams in writing on the official MISO game card prior to the game being played.

C. The referee shall be the sole judge on the field of play and his or her decisions shall be final. No protest based on �referee judgment� shall be allowed.

D. Any complaints regarding referees shall be directed in writing to the MISO BOD.

E. In the event that the referee fails to appear, a certified referee may be appointed with the mutual agreement of both teams. Signature on the official MISO game card by the official administrators for both teams shall constitute acceptance of the appointed referee.

F. All referees must have a current USSF Referee License. The three (3) Referee System (diagonal system) shall be used for all games. The two (2) Referee System is prohibited. Should one referee fail to appear or be unable to continue, a club linesman shall be appointed by and at the Referee�s discretion as a replacement. Should two (2) referees fail to appear or be unable to continue, two (2) club linesmen shall be appointed by and at the Referee�s discretion. But regardless of whether the Referee chooses to use club linesmen or not, the two (2) whistle system will not be used.

A. If for any reason a game is not played or is not completed, MISO shall decide the standing of the game depending upon the reason for the game stoppage.

B. The MISO Disciplinary Committee may reschedule the game, order the game to stand as played, order remaining time to be played off at a later date, or order such other action depending upon the circumstances as they are determined to be proper.

C. All games shall start at their scheduled time and the delay of a game for any reason shall not extend the start of the following game past the grace period for the following game.

D. The grace period shall be fifteen (15) minutes after the scheduled game time.

E. A team must start a game with a minimum of seven (7) players in good standing, who are registered to that team. The players must be on the field ready to play at the end of the grace period or forfeit the game.

F. It shall be the responsibility of the Referee to start the game on time and he/she shall be the judge of the tardiness of teams.

G. The Referee shall check the Player Passes of the team in attendance and follow the normal procedure before the absent team shall be subjected to forfeiture.

H. The Referee may terminate or suspend the game, but only the MISO Disciplinary Committee may determine a match to be a forfeit by one or both teams.

I. It is mandatory for each team to provide a Referee / AR to the league. MISO, in conjunction with HSRA, will organize referee clinics when needed, and will pay for such when funds are available. Teams not in compliance will be fined

Meetings attendance is mandatory. A $15 fine will be assessed to each team for meetings unattended.

SECTION XVII: PERFORMANCE BOND

Each team will deposit a $100 Performance Bond. Any and all fines will be levied against such bond, and at the end of the season, the residual money will be credited towards the following season�s Bond.

SECTION XVIII: DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS AND COMMITTEE

A. The Disciplinary Committee shall be composed of not less than three (3) and not more than five (5) members.

B. The Committee may meet to discuss any multiple games sanctions that it shall determine in its sole discretion. The team Rep of the affected team shall be notified of the time and location of the meeting. It is the team Rep�s responsibility to ensure representation at such meeting to defend their case. Once the Committee reaches a decision, it will be final. There will be no further appeals.

C. All suspensions and disciplinary actions will be posted within 72 hours on the website (islandsoccer.com). It is the team�s responsibility to keep track of their players� cards count and suspensions. Any team playing a suspended player will forfeit the game and be fined $150.

D. Any player, coach or manager serving a multiple games suspension in any MISO Division (Open, Juniors, Masters, Over 35, Cup competition, etc) shall be served in the same Division that the player, coach or manager committed the act that resulted in the suspension. In the event that such player, coach or manager is also registered with another MISO team and the said suspension cannot be served in that Division�s pending season, The Disciplinary Committee reserves the right to apply the suspension to other MISO Divisions.

E. Any player, coach or manager serving a multiple games suspension in any MISO Division (Open, Juniors, Masters, Over 35, W1, Cup competition, etc) due to violent conduct, shall be restricted from participating in any MISO games, regardless of division, until the suspension has been fully served in the same Division that the player, coach or manager committed the act that resulted in the suspension. In the event that such player, coach or manager is also registered with another MISO team and the said suspension cannot be served in that Division�s pending season, The Disciplinary Committee reserves the right to apply the suspension to other MISO Divisions.

F. Racial and/or ethnic insults will not be tolerated. Players found guilty of such will be issued with a 5 games suspension and a $30 fine.

G. Ejected and suspended players or coaches may not sit on the team�s sideline or coach. They must sit on the spectators� side or leave the premises.

H. Consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in all City and County of Honolulu parks. Any player caught consuming alcoholic beverages will be issued a 3 games suspension and a $30 fine.

4. The penalty for all yellow cards after 8 will be decided upon by the Disciplinary Board and may include suspension for the remaining season and a $50.00 fine.

5. The penalty for all yellow cards after 10 will be decided upon by the Disciplinary Board and may include suspension for the remaining season and a $50.00 fine

K. Red Cards. (short season)

2. 1 Red Card Referee Abuse (oral, physical or publicly) = 3 Game Suspension and a $20 fine minimum

5. 3 Red Cards = 5 Game Suspension or Reminder of Season, whichever is greater, and a $50 fine.

2. 1 Red Card Referee Abuse (oral, physical or publicly) = 3 Game Suspension and a $20 fine minimum

6. 4 Red Cards = 5 Game Suspension or Reminder of Season, whichever is greater, and a $50 fine

The Disciplinary Committee will review any incident involving violent conduct such as fighting, striking, intent to strike or any conduct that inflicts injury. Factors the Disciplinary Committee may consider include (1) degree of any injury, (2) intent to injure, (3) whether the player, coach or manager was the instigator, retaliator or neither, (4) whether a weapon or physical object was used, (5) whether the player, coach or manager has a history of abusive conduct, and (6) any HSA guidelines

N. Any player entering or leaving the field during an altercation or possibility of such will be suspended for a minimum of 3 games and subject to a $25.00 - $50.00 fine.

O. Any player, coach or manager who repeatedly and/or unreasonably abuses (orally, physically or publicly) a referee or league official may cause his or her team to be fined, suspended and/or lose team points in addition to the issuance of any game suspensions arising out of any red card issued for abuse of referee.

P. Any fan who engages in violent conduct during a game may cause the team the fan is associated with to be fined and/or lose team points.

Q. Any violence towards a referee may be punishable by a lifetime suspension from the League and a $50.00 - $100.00 fine.

R. Any team causing the termination of a game will forfeit the game regardless of the score at the time of termination.

S. All suspensions are effective immediately upon issue. Suspensions must be fully served prior to participating in any game(s), unless otherwise stated (refer to Sec. XVII, C).

T. In the event that a game, for which a player or coach was suspended, is postponed or re-scheduled, that game will count towards the suspension and the player or coach will have to serve such suspension when the game is re-scheduled.

The Board of Directors may deny or expel a Team�s or Club�s admittance to MISO based on the Team�s or Club�s violation of MISO, State or National Association, or other organizational rules, or due to excessive disciplinary problems caused by members of the Team or Club including, but not limited to, the administrators, players or spectators.

A. MISO will not be responsible for collection of a fine(s) incurred by a player, unless one of the following occurs:

2. The team on which the fine was incurred does not allow the player to participate until such fine(s) has been paid.

B. In these situations only, MISO may become involved in the collection of fines. The League must receive notification of outstanding fines within two (2) weeks from the close of the season in which the fine was incurred.

C. In the situation where the team allows the player to participate without payment of fines owed, the team will be wholly responsible for outstanding fines and will have forfeited MISO involvement.

Appeals of MISO decisions (not including Disciplinary Committee decisions which are non-appealble) must be submitted in writing to the MISO President by an official team administrator within 72 hours of the challenged decision. A $50.00 deposit must accompany the appeal. The deposit will be refunded only if MISO finds in favor of the defendant. Once MISO comes to a decision on the appeal, it will be final. No further appeals will be allowed.

SECTION XXII: UNIFORMS

Shorts and socks must be of the same color as the rest of the team. Team jerseys must be identical and shall not have duplicated numbers. Same jersey cannot be used by more than one player during a game. Players out of uniform will not be allowed to play. The league must first approve change of team uniform�s colors. In the event of a conflict of colors between teams, the home team must wear their primary color first. A $20 fine will be issued to the away team for wearing same or similar color as home team�s primary color.

4. Goal Differential in Head-to-Head (provided more than one [1] game was played)

5. If more than two (2) teams are involved, and teams are still tied after all previous tie breakers, then the

team with highest points and or goals from the games between the teams involved will win the tiebreaker.

A. Only those teams finishing in the pre-determined positions will qualify for the Play-Offs

B. In the event that a qualified team cannot participate, then the next team with the best record on the over-all standing would go in its place.

A. The Division II Jack Sullivan Trophy winners (best over-all record) shall be promoted to Division I the following scheduled season.

B. The bottom two finishers in the Division I over-all standings shall play a Promotion / Relegation Play-Offs with the 2^nd and 3^rd place finishers in the Division II over-all standings.

C. The Promotion / Relegation Play-Off shall be played as a single Round Robin. The team with the most points shall be awarded with a place in Division I the following scheduled season.

D. In the event a vacancy occurs in Div I, the 2^nd place team from the Promotion / Relegation Play-Offs shall also earn Division I status for the following scheduled season.

MISO must approve the use of the MISO logo and name including but not limited to use in tournaments, clinics, camps, events, and any promotion. Once approved, the organizers must follow the guidelines set by MISO.

All cups and trophies provided by or donated to MISO shall be awarded in competition. If cups and / or trophies are given to MISO for perpetual use, they shall be competed for each season. Cup and trophy winners shall be held responsible for the safety of such cup or trophy while it is in their care. Any repairs that are necessary when the cup or trophy is returned to MISO shall be charged to the team and / or team members returning the award. Perpetual trophies shall be returned to the League in good conditions one month before the culmination of the regular season or at any time MISO requests such trophy/cup. MISO reserves the right to deny any team the right to retain the perpetual trophies for an extended amount of time.

Teams and players must respect any sponsorship to MISO. Teams and players in violation will be penalized.

4. All players must have been registered in MISO for at least one (1) year within the last three (3) years.

The team will be responsible to give MISO special assistance within one (1) year from date of event (i.e. help with MISO tournaments, field maintenance, etc.)

The individual will be responsible to give assistance to MISO within one (1) year from date of event (i.e. put on a clinic, etc.)

MISO

Major Island Soccer Organization

SECTION I: GENERAL

SECTION III: ADMISSION

SECTION IV: AGE & GENDER DIVISIONS

SECTION V: PLAYERS

SECTION VI: COACHES

SECTION VII: ROSTERS