Soccer: rules at-a-glance

Two halves, no hands, offside is real. The rules of youth soccer in five minutes.

Field/court setup

Rectangular field, goals at each end, halfway line in middle. Field size scales with age — small-sided (4v4, 7v7, 9v9) at younger ages, full 11v11 at U13+. US Soccer publishes the official field dimensions by age.

Game length

Two halves with a halftime break. 25-minute halves at U10, 30 at U12, 35 at U14, 40 at U16, 45 at U18+ and HS. Clock counts up; ref adds stoppage time at the end of each half.

Scoring basics

— Goal: ball fully crosses the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar. One point per goal.
— No score limit, no run rule. The game runs the full clock regardless of score.

Calls you'll see

— Foul: physical contact that's reckless, careless, or excessive force. Direct free kick to the other team.
— Handball: deliberate use of hand or arm to play the ball (not the goalkeeper inside their own area). The deliberate part matters; accidental contact often isn't called.
— Offside: an attacker is in an offside position (closer to the opponent's goal than both the ball and the second-to-last defender) when the ball is played to them. NOT a foul if they're not actively involved in the play.
— Yellow card: caution. Two yellows in a game = red card.
— Red card: ejection. The team plays short-handed for the rest of the game.
— Direct free kick: can be scored directly. Awarded for fouls and handball.
— Indirect free kick: must be touched by another player before scoring. Awarded for technical violations (offside, dangerous play, etc.).
— Penalty kick: foul committed by the defense inside their own penalty area. Direct shot from the penalty spot, only the goalkeeper defends.

Three things parents most often get wrong

— Offside is not about position; it's about being in an offside position when the ball is played AND being involved in the play. The kid in an offside position who isn't going for the ball isn't penalized.
— Handball requires intent in most cases. Ball hitting an arm by accident — especially if the arm is in a 'natural position' — usually isn't a foul. The rules have changed over the years on this; current FIFA/IFAB language is what referees follow.
— The clock runs continuously. There are no timeouts in soccer. Ref's discretion on stoppage time covers injuries and substitutions.

A few things worth knowing.

Small-sided games at the youth level. US Soccer mandates small-sided games for younger ages: 4v4 (U6-U8), 7v7 (U9-U10), 9v9 (U11-U12), 11v11 (U13+). Smaller fields, smaller goals, more touches per kid. The format is by design — research shows more touches and decisions develop better players than full-field 11v11 too early.

Heading rules. US Soccer banned heading in practice for U11 and below in 2015 to reduce concussion exposure. Heading is limited in practice for U12-U13 (no more than 30 minutes per week, no more than 15-20 headers per player per week). At games, accidental heading happens; deliberate heading is restricted.

Substitution rules. Vary by competition. Most youth competitions allow free substitution at any stoppage. HS rules vary by state. Pro/college rules limit substitutions per game.

Mercy/run rule. No formal run rule in soccer. Some youth leagues use a rule that if one team is up by 5+ goals, they must remove a player or stop scoring strategies. League-by-league.

The goalkeeper. Can use hands inside their own penalty area only. Cannot pick up a ball deliberately kicked back by their own teammate (the back-pass rule). Has 6 seconds to release the ball after picking it up.

Last updated April 2026.