Football Rules and Regulations

Football forms part of the core sports activities available at NAIS Pudong. Playing football not only helps students to improve their physical fitness and health, but also to learn technical ball skills and build relationships with their teammates. As such, students at NAIS Pudong are encouraged to participate in football and other sporting events throughout their school career.  

Visit our Sports Activities page to find out more information about the other sports and associations at NAIS Pudong, or contact us to speak to a member of our Admissions team.

What are the Rules in Football?

Here at NAIS Pudong, we follow the general rules and regulations for football with some slight variations on certain rules, which can be found below. Some of the basic rules of football that we adhere to include:

No Hands

Except for the goalie and during throw-ins, players are not permitted to use their hands in play. Hands refer to anything from the fingers to the shoulders.

Throw-ins

When the ball crosses the sidelines and goes out of bounds, a throw-in is taken by a member of the team that did not kick the ball out of bounds. The player taking the throw-in plants both feet on the ground and use both hands to throw the ball straight overhead and back into play.

Goal and Corner Kicks

Goal and corner kicks are taken when the ball passes out of bounds past the endline. If the offensive team kicks it out, the defensive team takes a goal kick from inside of the goal box. If the defensive team kicks it out, the offensive team takes a corner kick from the corner nearest to where the ball went out of bounds. More on how we take goal and corner kicks can be found below.

Game in Play

As long as the ball is on the field of play and in bounds, the game is considered in play. The only exception is if the referee calls for an infraction.

Fouls

In general, fouls occur when a player kicks or strikes another player without the intention of going for the ball. Kicking, tripping, jumping at, striking, pushing, and holding an opponent can all be considered fouls. When a foul occurs, the team who was fouled gets a free kick. More information on how we play free kicks can be found below.

NAIS Pudong Rules in Football

Below are the football rules and regulations that we follow in our games at NAIS Pudong:

• Pitches will be sized within the following parameters: 30m wide, 50m long
• Penalty box will be determined by size of pitch but is usually 2.5 times the width of the goals are the following parameters: 3.6m wide and 1.8m high
• All matches will be played according to the Laws of the Game with the following exceptions:
• Teams will be told which way they are kicking at start of game.
• Teams cannot score directly from a kick off.
• There is no offside
• All free kicks and corners are direct and opposition must be 3 metres away.
• Goal kicks to be taken anywhere inside penalty area. Opposition must be 3 metres away and ball must leave penalty area for play to recommence.
• Substitutions can be made at any time from the half way line. Substituted player must leave the pitch before replacement goes on.
• Compulsory line up and handshake to finish.
• Games will be 10 minutes each way in duration with a 2 minute half time
• There is a 6 minute gap between each game. Teams must be ready to take the pitch as soon as the previous match has concluded.
• A size 4 football shall be used
• Teams to have a matching kits in school colours with goalkeeper having a distinctly different coloured shirt – a bib may be used to facilitate this differentiation
• Correct equipment i.e. long socks, shin pads, football is a compulsory requirement

NAIS Pudong Rules in Football: Scoring

To determine the overall final positions in the tournaments the points allocated will be:

Win – 4 points, Draw – 2 points, Defeat – 1 point

NAIS Pudong Football Rules: Tie-Breakers

The deciding criteria for “breaking” a tie is as follows:

1. Head to head result

2. Points difference (goal difference) (between tied teams)

3. Points scored (between tied teams)

4. Points against (between tied teams)

If there is still a tie:

5. Points difference (goal difference) (between all teams)

6. Points scored (between all teams)

7. Points against (between all teams)

The procedure for “breaking” a 3 way tie follows the same criteria as above

Once a tie break has been resolved additional ties will be resolved in the same format using the same sequence of procedures beginning with the head to head result (point 1)

There is no extra time scheduled for round robin games in football.

Additional Resources

• Athletics Rules and Regulations
• T-Ball Rules and Regulations
• Swimming Rules and Regulations