I. ORGANIZATION

A. The name of the league shall be the Optimist Soccer League of Southwest Michigan. (Referred to as the "OSL").

B. The OSL is dedicated to the growth and development of our area youth through the sport of soccer.

C. The headquarters of the OSL shall be the city of Niles. Meetings will be held as-needed for the Soccer Committee during the playing season. Parliamentary procedure shall govern the meetings.

D. The administrative body of OSL shall be the Soccer Committee, responsible to the Board of Directors of the Optimist Club of Niles, Michigan. The Soccer Committee shall have a general chairman plus ten other members who will chair the various subcommittees, at least seven of whom shall be members of the Optimist Club of Niles. Each community beyond the greater Niles area having one or more teams in the OSL shall form an Advisory Committee of not less than three members. The duties of the Advisory Committees shall be:

• procurement and maintenance of playing and practice fields in its community

• securing sponsors for all its teams registered in OSL
• coordinating registration of players and coaches in its community and forwarding registration forms and fees to OSL
• securing qualified referees for all games scheduled in its community
• keeping the Soccer Committee apprised of all its activities

Obligations of the OSL to the local committees shall include:

• training for coaches and referees
• payment of referees
• insurance of all participants
• player shirts
• goal nets and balls
• line and/or line-marking material
• scheduling

The general chairman and vice-chairman will be appointed annually by the Board of Directors of the Optimist Club of Niles.

5. The Soccer Committee shall be in charge of the funds, policies, properties, developmental programs, game schedule, referee appointments, and any other affairs connected with the OSL. Decisions of the committee are final.
6. Division chairman may be appointed by the OSL Soccer Committee. They will act as a liaison between the OSL and the teams in each division. They serve a one-year term.
7. The Secretary/Treasurer shall collect all fees and have charge of all money of the OSL, and shall keep a detailed account of income and expenditures thereof. He shall submit an annual report of finances to the Soccer Committee and pay all bills passed upon and approved by the General Chairman. The books will be audited annually.
8. When conditions exist within a team under the jurisdiction of the OSL which reflect poor management and/or are not in the best interest of soccer, then the Soccer Committee shall investigate such conditions and correct them.
9. If occasions arise that are not fully covered by these rules, the Soccer Committee has absolute power to decide such cases.

A. An individual within the OSL grade range (that is not a member of a high school varsity team) may register to play in the OSL. Each registration, except for hardship provision candidates, must be accompanied by a fee to be determined by the Soccer Committee on an annual basis.

B. Players will be placed in a division according to their grade during the current year. The divisions shall be as follows:

Division 1 - Kindergarten, boys and girls

Division 2 - Grade 1 and 2, boys and girls

Division 3 - Grade 3 and 4, boys and girls

Division 4 - Grade 3, 4, and 5 girls

Division 5 - Grade 5 and 6, boys and girls

Division 6 - Grades 6 through 8, girls

Division 7 - Grades 7 and 8, boys and girls

C. Proof of age or grade consist only of birth certificate, baptismal papers, passport, alien registration card or school records. Any player must present his or her birth certificate to the OSL secretary upon request.

D. No player may register without the signature of consent or guardian.

5. A player becomes an official team member only after payment of required registration fee and acceptance of registration form.
6. Any player on a High School varsity roster during the current school year is ineligible to play OSL soccer during the current school year.

1. Each team will have a sponsor. The cost of sponsorship shall be set by the Soccer Committee. This fee will be paid to the Optimist Soccer League. Sponsor’s name will be printed on the team uniforms. Bars, churches and religious groups are excluded from sponsoring a team.
2. Team names shall bear no resemblance to a religion or nationality.
3. With the exception of Division 1, each team shall have a minimum of twelve (12) registered players at any one time. Exceptions must be cleared through the Soccer Committee.

IV. TRANSFER OF PLAYERS

A player may transfer from one team to another after the following conditions have been met:

1. Approval of both coaches of the teams involved.
2. Approval of player or parents.
3. Approval of the Soccer Committee.

1. It shall be mandatory to a play a regularly scheduled league game, unless a valid reason for non-appearance is supplied to the OSL secretary.
2. In case of failure to play a regularly scheduled game, the offending team shall lose said game by a score of 1 to 0.
3. All games start at the scheduled time.
4. Divisions 3 through 7 use eleven (11) players, including the goalkeeper. If a team can only field less than nine (9) players at the start of the game, or less than seven (7) during the game, they will forfeit the game. If the shorthanded team has seven to ten players, the other team shall play with an equal number plus one. (For example, if Team A only has 9 players, then opposing Team B shall have a maximum of 10 players on the field of play. Substitution rules do not change in such circumstances. Players arriving after a game has started must receive permission of the referee before coming onto the field of play.
5. Both teams should be on the same side of the field during the game in an area between the 18 yard lines (penalty area). There must be at least three feet between the playing field, and the coaches and players. The spectators are to be on the opposite side of the field. Coaches should be careful not to interfere with the coach or players from the opposing team.
6. A team forfeits a game if neither coach, assistant coach or responsible team parent is present.
7. Regular season games ending in a tie will remain as such.
8. If, for any reason, a game is not completed, the Soccer Committee shall have the power to either reschedule the game, order the game to stand as played, or have the remaining minutes played off at a later date, depending on the cause of the game not being completed.
9. Goal keepers in Division 2 through 7 will have approximately 6 seconds before releasing the ball.
10. Kindergarten division teams field only six (6) players and play without a goal keeper. The coach is allowed on the playing field to direct his/her players.
11. Division 2 teams field only nine (9) players, including the goal keeper. The coach is allowed on the playing field to direct his/her players.
12. Trophies and/or awards given at the end of the season will be left to the discretion of the Soccer Committee.
13. Slide tackling is not permitted in divisions 1 through 4.
14. Players and spectators will be on opposite side of the field.

1. Kindergarten (first division) games shall be four (4) eight minute quarters.
2. Second division games shall be four (4) ten minute quarters.
3. Third and fourth division games shall be four (4) twelve minute quarters.
4. Fifth division games shall be two (2) thirty minute halves.
5. Sixth and seventh divisions shall play two (2) thirty-five minute halves.
6. Eighth division games shall be two (2) forty minute halves.
7. Half-time periods shall be a minimum of five (5) minutes and a maximum of ten (10) minutes, as designated by the referee.

1. Division 1 (Kindergarten) shall use a size 3 ball.
2. Divisions 2, 3 and 4 shall use a size 4 ball.
3. Divisions 5, 6, and 7 shall use a size 5 ball.

VIII. SUBSTITUTION

1. All registered players in attendance at League and OSL play-off games, must participate and play at least half of the total minutes in a given game unless a player is subject to coach’s disciplinary action or for health reasons. For Divisions 2 through 8, substitutes must be at the mid-field stripe prior to the ball going out-of-play; and players may enter the game only upon approval of the referee. For Divisions 2, 3, & 4, substitutes may also be made before each quarter (including goalie changes) without specific acknowledgment of the referee.
2. A player that receives a Red Card must leave the game and may not be substituted for, regardless of which period (i.e., quarter or half) that the Red Card was received. By-law V.D continues to apply to the minimum number of players required for the game to continue.
3. A player that receives a Yellow Card must leave the game for ten minutes, and may be substituted for. The ten minute penalty carries over to subsequent periods until the full penalty has been invoked. Yellow Card penalties do not carry over to subsequent games.

IX. DURATION OF SEASON

The official season of the OSL shall commence no earlier than March 15, and must conclude on or before June 15.

1. Proper dress shall include the official team jersey, and shorts or pants. Jerseys must be tucked into shorts or pants at the beginning of each period.
2. During inclement weather, players may wear long-sleeved shirts under their game jerseys.
3. Shorts shall be above the knee when the player is standing. Sweat pants may be worn over or under the shorts during inclement weather. The game referee has the authority to determine if the player is using the sweat pants as an unfair advantage and can ask the player to leave the playing field.
4. Shin guards are mandatory for all players.
5. No shoes with metal cleats will be allowed. Rubber cleats must be rounded and not have a point or edge.
6. No jewelry is allowed.
7. Players requiring glasses should have a retaining strap or sports glasses.
8. Unless harsh weather conditions exist, only the goalie shall be permitted to wear anything on his/her head other than glasses. The goalie may wear protective soccer headgear that does not create a hazard for another player. Under no circumstances will any player, including the goalie, be permitted to wear anything on their head that in the opinion of the referee, presents a hazard to any player.

1. Referee and/or assistant referee(s) for competition shall be assigned by the authorized member of the Soccer Committee.
2. Referees shall at all times impose the laws of competition as designated by the OSL and the United States Soccer Federation laws in general.
3. Referees shall at all times put great emphasis on the welfare of other players and officiate the game in a manner inducing clean competition and good sportsmanship.
4. The fee for referees shall be set by the league for the season in which the game is played. Half of the fee shall be paid in a case when any team fails to appear for a scheduled game.
5. In case the official referee fails to appear, a referee should be appointed by agreement of coaches.
6. The referees judgment is final as to what is safe (e.g. appropriate player equipment), fair (e.g. adding time to game), and in the spirit of good sportsmanship (e.g. addressing abusive language). Specific misapplication of an established soccer law or OSL by-law may be presented to the Soccer Committee for further consideration.
7. The Soccer Committee will maintain a central registry of all red cards for consideration of any necessary actions.
8. The minimum age for a referee is 15 years.

1. The custodianship and disposition of equipment issued to each team shall be the responsibility of the coach.
2. Goalie jerseys, balls and first kits and any other equipment issued to the teams will be collected at the end of the season by an individual authorized by the Soccer Committee.

It shall be the duty of each coach to:

1. Conduct himself in a manner becoming to a member of the OSL.
2. At all times encourage clean competition and good sportsmanship.
3. Train and coach his respective team to the best of his ability.
4. Enforce the rules and regulations of the OSL.
5. Participate in positive coaching that instructs and encourages players during competition. Negative comments and complaints about refereeing during the game shall not be allowed and shall be the subject of disciplinary action by the OSL Soccer Committee.

The OSL limits the number of practice sessions a team may have to a maximum of two and a minimum of one per week. Practice sessions should last no longer than 90 minutes.

Any injury to, or damage caused by, an OSL participant shall be reported to the Soccer Committee by the coach. Contact the league secretary/treasurer as soon as possible.

1. A player given a red card by the referee for misconduct (e.g. taunting) shall not be permitted to participate in the remainder of the respective game or in the next scheduled game played by his/her team.
2. Any coach given a red card shall be suspended for the remainder of the respective game and the next scheduled game for his/her team. Any coach given a second red card during the season shall be suspended from coaching pending review of the circumstances of his/her offense by the OSL Soccer Committee.
3. Any player who compiles three cautions in three matches shall be suspended for the next scheduled match.
4. When a player is shown a caution (yellow card), the player shall be required to leave the field of play for a period of ten playing minutes. The offending player can be replaced by a substitute. The referee shall note the time the offending player can return to the field of play.
5. Any team playing an ineligible person shall forfeit the game to the opposing team.
6. Every team coach is responsible for the actions of his players and his team’s supporters. Foul or abusive language used by or directed at the participants, officials, opponents, or spectators by any OSL member (coach, referee, player, administrator) will not be tolerated and will be considered grounds for immediate suspension or dismissal.
7. When any player or coach shall assault a referee, such assault shall suspend the offender automatically for one year from time of such assault.

Head Coaches, Assistant Coaches, Referees and any other official of the OSL will complete a disclosure form to be on file at the start of each season.