Bakersfield ACES Rules, Regulations & Policies

⚽ What’s New This Season

Registration Deadline for NEW PLAYERS: September 20th at 4:00 PM — no late registrations without approval.
ALL PLAYERS must be registered before they play ANY GAMES.
New Check-In Process: Referees will receive official game cards with team rosters, player photos, and UUID #s. Players not listed may not play.
Borrowed Players: Must be written on the game card with full name, home team, and UUID #. All guest players must show their Demosphere digital ID at check-in.
Division Structure: All divisions (A, B, C, D) now require 2 female players on the field at all times.
Disciplinary Committee: Issues will be reviewed by board members Israel Chitay and Jose Ruiz, plus a randomly selected manager from the division involved.
On-Field Presence: Expect a stronger league presence to support referees and promote a safe, competitive environment.

All games are played on short-sided fields (6v6) with U-10 sized goals (7’x21’).
All players must be registered by the posted deadline (September 20th at 4:00 PM).
Teams must wear matching shirts or jerseys.
Teams must field a minimum of four rostered players. Teams unable to do so will forfeit.
- Use of an unregistered player = automatic forfeit and elimination from tournament play.
Teams must field a minimum of 2 female players at all times.
- If only 1 female player is present, the team must play short.
- Teams without any female players forfeit the match.
- Goalkeepers count. If a female player is in goal, she is on the field just like every other position, and that fulfills one of the two required spots. This rule applies across all divisions and all positions without exception.
Games begin at scheduled time. Forfeits declared 5 minutes after kickoff.
Referees must be paid before the match.
Check-In Process: Referees will be provided with official game cards that list team rosters (names, pictures, UUIDs).
- Players not on the roster may not play.
- Borrowed players must be written in with name, home team, and UUID #, and must show their Demosphere digital ID.

ACES follows FIFA Laws of the Game with the following exceptions:
- No slide tackling. (Automatic yellow card.)
  - Goalkeepers may slide inside the penalty area.
  - Sliding to save a ball going out of bounds is permitted if no other players are near (referee discretion).
- No offside.
ACES Culture Call: Referees may enforce calls not listed under FIFA rules if necessary to preserve ACES culture and sportsmanship.

Yellow card = immediate substitution.
Red card = automatic one-game suspension.
Teams with 6+ yellow cards or 2+ red cards in a season are ineligible for the End-of-Season Tournament.

Substitutions are on-the-fly but may not be used to gain an unfair advantage.
All substitutions must occur along the sidelines near midfield. Substitutions near the goals are not permitted.

Eligibility

Players may play up as many divisions as needed, but may only play down one division.
Division A & B players may only guest play in A & B.
Division C & D players may only guest play in C & D.

Limits

Check-In

Guest players must be written on the game card with full name, home team, and UUID #.
Guest players must present their Demosphere digital ID at check-in.

Teams unable to provide an opponent at the scheduled time = forfeit.
- If notice is given to the league before Tuesday of game week, reschedules may be possible.
- After Tuesday, it is a forfeit.
For each forfeit, $40 is deducted from referee refund.
Teams with 2+ forfeits are ineligible for tournament play.
If a team cannot satisfy pregame requirements, the game is forfeit. A pickup game may still be played (referees must still be paid).

Any violent conduct or behavior leading toward violence violates ACES Zero Tolerance Policy.
Offenders will face review by the Disciplinary Committee:
- Board members Israel Chitay & Jose Ruiz.
- One randomly selected, uninvolved manager from the division involved.
Incident reports must include: date, time, field number, opposing team name, referee, and summary. Reports should be submitted immediately to our email: bakersfieldacessoccer@gmail.com
Committee decisions will be made by the following Thursday.
All participants are reminded to remain calm and patient during altercations and allow referees to control the match.
Players in violation may be permanently removed from the league without refund.

No refunds after the registration deadline (September 20th at 4:00 PM).
Director may adjust schedule, shorten games, or cancel matches in case of inclement weather.

Only teams in good standing may participate.
Only registered players may play during tournament matches.
Standard 10-point system applies (Win: 6, Tie: 3, Loss: 0, Goals: +1 each up to 3).
Tiebreakers: Points → Head-to-Head → Goal Differential (max 3) → Goals Against → Penalties.
Knockout ties go directly to penalties.
Penalty shootout rules:
- 3 shooters alternating gender (M-F-M).
- After 3, sudden death applies.
- For championship games: 5 shooters, no sudden death.

Players must be registered before they play in ANY GAMES, the deadline for new players is September 20th at 4:00 PM.
Late registration requires approval from the registrar.