Peter Creek Cup - Official Tournament Rules

The Tournament Committee, overseen by Oaklyn United FC’s President and the President’s designees, hold ultimate authority over all rules and rulings; their decisions on disputes is final.
These rules may be amended by the Tournament Committee at any time.

Team size: 5-v-5 (no designated goalkeepers); maximum 8 players allowed on roster.
Rosters and eligibility: Rosters must be provided by teams prior to the launch of the tournament via the method designated at time of registration; no players other than those named on the roster and who have signed an official release and waiver are allowed to participate.
Match length: 1x 12-minute play period; 3 points are awarded for a win, 1 for a draw, and 0 for a loss
Ball: Standard futsal ball (size 4 recommended).
Surface: Hockey rink floor, with boards in play.
Blue cards: In addition to standard yellow and red cards, referees may issue a blue card which incurs a 2-minute power play for the opposing team. The blue-carded player must leave the court and their team must play with one less player for two full minutes. Blue-carded players may only re-enter the field of play when the referee signals they may do so.

No Goalkeepers: There are no designated goalkeepers.
Crease Rule:
- Each team has a marked crease in front of their goal.
- Only one defending player may occupy their crease at a time.
- A defender may remain in the crease for a maximum of 2 seconds at the referee’s discretion.
- Violation: Penalty kick awarded to the opposing team.
Defensive Positioning: Players may defend the goal line, but must obey the crease rule. A defensive player stepping inside the crease area while playing the ball results in an immediate penalty kick to the other team. Defenders may walk, run, or stand inside of their own crease but may not play the ball within the crease.

Boards in play: The ball remains in play if it rebounds off the boards.
Leaving the field: If the ball leaves the rink (over the boards or into netting), the team who was not the team that last touched the ball is awarded a kick-in from spot nearest where the ball went out.

On the fly: Unlimited substitutions allowed at any time. Players leaving the field of play for a substitution may not play the ball on their way out; the penalty for violation of this rule is an immediate blue card.

Kick-off: Taken from center spot; ball may be played in any direction.
Free kicks: Opponents must stand at least 3 feet away.
Penalty kicks:
- Awarded for crease violations, fouls that result in denial of goal scoring opportunities, and deliberate handballs.
- A referee may, at his or her discretion, award a PK for DOGSO fouls if they occur forward of the hockey faceoff spots nearest the defending team’s goal in an attacking phase of play.
- Penalites will beaken from a designated penalty spot.
- Players are allowed a maximum of one step in their run-up when taking a penalty kick.
- During penalties, the defending team may designate a player to act as a goalkeeper for the kick. As soon as the kick is taken, and if the kick is missed or saved, the temporary goalkeeper reverts back to a regular player and is subject to the crease rules.

Kick-ins: Replace throw-ins. Ball placed on ground, must be stationary, and kicked in.

Standard futsal/indoor rules apply (tripping, holding, dangerous play, etc.).
Accumulated fouls: At referee discretion, persistent infringement may result in penalty kick or temporary suspension (blue card 2-minute sit-out).
Slide tackles: Prohibited (except to block or intercept if no opponent is endangered).

Referee decisions are final except in the case of review by the Tournament Committee.
Unsporting behavior (abuse, dissent, violent conduct) may result in immediate ejection.

Group stage: Round-robin within groups.
Points system: Win = 3 pts, Draw = 1 pt, Loss = 0 pts.
Tie-breakers: Head-to-head → Goal difference → Goals scored → Coin toss.
Knockout stage: If tied at full time, match proceeds directly to penalty shootout (3 kicks per team, then sudden death).