Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Rules & Regulations

General

  • All players and coaches must submit a signed copy of the OVSL Registration and Waiver form before participating in any OVSL activities. Registration must occur at least 24 hours before the match.
  • Any team caught playing an unregistered player will be fined $100 and deducted 3 points from their league standing.
  • Shin guards are mandatory.
  • Substitutions may only occur on goals, goal kicks, and throw-ins with the permission of the official. There is no limit to the number of substitutions.
  • Any player receiving two yellow cards or one red card will automatically be suspended for one game and the team will be fined $100. The number of game suspension may be increased by league officials pending a disciplinary review.
  • Verbal or physical abuse of an official, fighting, or intent to injure will result in severe suspensions. In addition, the individual will be fined $100 and the team will be fined $200.
    • Minimum 1 full season suspension for on-field player/participants for 1st offence
    • Minimum 1 ½ season suspension for off-field player/participants for 1st offence
    • Lifetime ban from all OVSL sanctioned events for 2nd offence
  • Teams that fail to have a minimum of 7 players on the field at kick-off time will be forced to declare a forfeit and will be fined $100. There will be absolutely no extra time allocated for late arriving players.
  • A team may forfeit without penalty if they submit a request to league officials at least 48 hours in advance with a reasonable explanation. If approved, the team will receive a 2-0 lost.
  • In case of an emergency game stoppage or delays due to major highway closures, injuries, extreme weathers, etc. only games that complete 3/4 will be officially counted as a complete game. Otherwise the game must be rescheduled and replayed.
  • To promote cultural diversity, each team can have up to 3 non-Vietnamese players on its roster.
  • Teams can add new players to their roster, and players can switch teams only within the first 4 games.

Officiating

  • Each game will be refereed by 3 licensed referees (1 main referee and 2 referee assistants).
  • All rules of the game will strictly follow the FIFA standard.

Performance Bond

  • All teams are required to deposit $200 of performance bond. Any of the following offence will constitute to an automatic (minimum) $100 deduction from team performance bond: forfeit, red card, fighting or any physical abuse of officials, missing mandatory meetings. The remaining balance will be refunded back to the respective team captain at the end of the season.
  • Teams that utilize all their performance bond money will be temporarily suspended from all league play pending a review by the league officials. If team is reinstated, an additional $200 performance bond is required.

Disciplinary Review

  • Disciplinary review meetings are scheduled for serious offence such as fighting and must be attended by at least the team captain, coach, and players involved in the incident. Any player and/or team failing to attend the review will be suspended indefinitely.

Appeal Process

  • Teams can appeal any referee or league official ruling within 2 weeks of the initial ruling by submitting a formal document outlining the grounds for appeal. The appeal process consists of two phase: (1) league officials will review the appeal based on existing rules and regulations and all supporting documents such as referee report, game sheets, etc. and either accept or reject appeal application (2) if the appeal application is accepted, a disciplinary review meeting is setup to reach a formal decision. Administration fee for each appeal is $50.
1)  Team mangers/captains must educate their own players, fans, cheer leaders about OVSL’s rules and objectives.  The primary purpose of this league is to unite our people through the spirit of soccer. OVSL prohibit any violence acts either from players, fans or cheer leaders. In any case of disciplinary ruling, violated will get the first warning.  As for repeated violation, OVSL remain the right to withdraw your team with refunds after expense.
Note:  This league belongs to all of us and every time something like this happens it affects everyone in the league: players no longer feel safe, referees no longer want to ref, and the community looks at us like a bunch of thugs rather than soccer players. We refuse to let a few bad players ruin the reputation and unity of our league. Please be assured that the harshest disciplinary action will be enforced to rid players that show no respect to our community. OVSL execs needs to do our job, hence any retaliation actions from individual will consider being equivalent as the initiator.
2)  Non-sportsmanship behaviors such as threatening, intimidating other team’s players will be considered to be serious offense with a minimum of a red card.
3)  Team that quits during a match will be fined according to OVSL’s forfeit rule. If there is a just cause, team captains/managers are allowed 48 hours to submit a written explanation to OVSL’s team.  OVSL execs then will investigate the appeal.   Please follow these procedures in order to be accounted appealing:
i)  Captain needs to inform the referee.
ii)  Captain needs to inform one of the exec.
iii) Forfeit rule will be applied if fail to do i) and ii).