BU7/BU8 Referees’ Guidelines

Thanks for volunteering to referee in Boys’ U7/U8! Here are some guidelines that should answer your questions. This information is mostly contained either in the Regional Guidelines, which are found on the website at www.ayso10.org, or The Laws of the Game.

Players per side:	7 (6 + goalkeeper)
Minutes per half:	20 Substitution break at dead ball near 10 mins.; Min. halftime 5 minutes.
Substitutions	Made only at quarter breaks and halftime (unless for health or injury)
No. of quarters goalkeeper may play in goal:	1 This division limits a player to 1 quarter in goal.
Offside Calls & Throw-In’s	There is no offside below U9. Please instruct kids on how to do a proper throw-ins. If they do it incorrectly, give them some instruction and have them do it over again.
Penalty Kicks	There are no Penalty Kicks (PK’s) below U9. If there is a foul, hand ball, etc. in the penalty box, the team the infraction was committed on (the offensive team) gets a direct kick just outside the box closest to the place where the infraction occurred.
Player Safety	At this age there is no heading & no slide tackling. This is considered “dangerous play”. When either of these happens the first time in a game, the whistle should be blown, this safety issues explained to the kids and a drop ball done. The next time it happens in a game an indirect foul should be called on the player doing it – indirect kick for the other team
Tolerance for players’ jewelry, casts, slings, hard objects in hair, blood on uniform or body:	0 Note: National and Region rules prohibit ALL jewelry. Under no circumstances are players allowed to play with any form of casts, slings, earrings, necklaces, watches, rings, bracelets, or any hard object in their hair. Only prescription eyewear is allowed. In the event that any of these conditions exist, you must either take the corrective action or not allow the player to play. In the case of a player who presents himself with a cast or sling, that person may not be allowed to play even if they remove the cast or sling while present. A player may not play with any form of cast or sling even with a doctor’s note. In the event of any injury resulting in blood, the player must leave the field until all blood is removed or neutralized in accordance with AYSO Safe Haven Policy. Coaches have hydrogen peroxide in their bags to neutralize the blood and extra uniforms. A player cannot re-enter the Game with untreated blood. All wounds need to be covered with a bandage.

ü Start the game on time (especially after we lose Daylight Savings Time);

ü Use other team’s ref volunteer or a parent (or older sibling who looks like a soccer player J) as your linespeople .

ü Keep the game fun for you, the spectators, and most importantly, the PLAYERS. Remind coaches if necessary that they are responsible for their sideline, and anyone behaving inappropriately—parent, other spectator, coach or players--will be dismissed after having been warned.

ü Keep the environment positive for the boys—that means POSTIVE comments from coaches & sidelines, EVERYONE plays, and GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP is used.