Referee Procedures for Regular Season Competition
ECNL Club Competition and ECNL Regional League Games
Every game played in the ECNL impacts competition standings and postseason qualification in some way –
there are no “friendly” games or “meaningless” games.
For your reference, below is general information and rules applicable to all ECNL competitions.
Game Ball:
U13-U18/U19 – Size 5 (provided by the home team)
U11-U12 – Size 4 (provided by the home team)
- Game ball should be Nike for all ECNL Club competitions
- NOTE: If the appropriate manufacturer ball is not available, competition should continue
Game Length:
- U11, U12: 30 minute halves (10 minute halftime)
- U13: 35 minute halves (10 minute halftime)
- U14, U15 & U16: 40 minute halves (10 minute halftime)
- U17 & U18/U19: 45 minute halves (15 minute halftime)
- Referees should provide appropriate stoppage time in every game.
Substitutions, Check In & Passcard Handling:
- Each player, coach and staff on the bench must have a digital ECNL passcard that is verified during the team check-in process using the ECNL App. No physical passcards are accepted. If a club is attempting to check in players who are not appearing in the ECNL App, please contact the league immediately.
- Players designated as “Discovery Players” are tied to the age group in which they are carded and are only permitted to play for the team listed on the passcard.
- The ECNL allows up to two (2) U15 Trapped Players to participate in U14 ECNL Competition during their sanctioned high school season. Please reference ECNL Competition Rule 2.9.2 for more information.
- U13-U18/U19: seven (7) substitutions maximum are allowed per half in conference or league competition. Players may not re-enter in the same half. (NOTE: At regular season ECNL National Events, substitutions are unlimited.)
- Any player suspected of suffering a head injury must be evaluated by a health care professional prior to returning to play. If a player is being evaluated on-site by a health care professional for possible return to play, the player may be temporarily substituted while the evaluation occurs, without the substitution counting against the team’s total number of substitutions and without prohibiting re-entry by the player being evaluated if he/she is ultimately cleared. This temporary substitution for evaluation of a potential head injury may take place regardless of whether the team has used all substitutions for the half. For purposes of clarification, if the team has used all eligible substitutions (7) for the half, the team may still substitute a player into the game who has already been substituted for purposes of this head injury evaluation. For further clarification, if the team has not yet used all eligible substitute players in the half, the temporary substitute must be a player who is still eligible to enter. If the player being evaluated is cleared to continue participation, that player should re-enter the game at the first substitution possible after the clearance decision is made by the health care professional.
- U11-U12: unlimited substitutions.
- Check In:
- Referees must check in players and staff prior to the match using the ECNL App. No physical passcards or match reports are accepted. If a club is attempting to check in players who are not appearing in the ECNL App, please contact the league immediately.
- Substitutes should be marked by the assistant referee and/or referee.
Digital Rosters, Passcards, and Reporting:
- The home and away team should use the ECNL App to check in players and staff with the referee. Only eighteen (18) players are eligible for the match. Please click on each player to show their name and jersey number.
- At the conclusion of the game, the home team is responsible for finalizing the information on the ECNL App. The referee may choose to use the QR code to finalize below points. Once the referee signs, a notification will come back to the home team for final submission.
- Items to be completed by the referee:
- First half score, Second half score, Final score
- Yellow and Red Cards (see below for Red Cards), with brief description of red card and red card coding noted
- Signature from Center Referee to authorize all information contained in Match Report is accurate
- Items to be completed by the referee:
- Adding Players and Staff to the Game Roster
- How To Check the Team in
- How Referees Report Scores
Miscellaneous:
- Referees should arrive no later than 30 minutes prior to scheduled kick off time.
- Game fees should be paid to referees no later than immediately after the game. The home team is responsible for payment. Below is the minimum referee payscale:
- U17 & U18/U19 Fees: $75 to referee and $50 to each assistant referee, and
- U14, U15, & U16: $65 to referee and $40 to each assistant referee.
- U13: $60 to referee and $40 to each assistant referee.
- U12: $40 to referee and $30 to each assistant referee.
- U11: $40 to referee and $22 to each assistant referee.
- Uniforms: In a one-game weekend (teams will confirm uniform colors with each other)
- Home Team – light shirt, light socks, any short | Away Team: dark shirt, dark socks, any shorts
- Uniforms: In a two-game weekend (teams will confirm uniform colors with each other)
- Game #1 – Home Team – light shirt, light socks, any short | Away: dark shirt, dark socks, any shorts
- Game #2 – Home Team: dark shirt, dark socks, any short | Away: light shirt, light socks, any shorts
Should you have any urgent game-day questions, direct them to:
Jackson Proffitt, jackson@theecnl.com, 804-836-4578
Ania Barrick, ania@theecnl.com, 804-624-7170