Floor Hockey Rules

Overview

Plastic floor hockey balls will be used. Ties during the regular season remain as a tie. A running clock will be used for the entire game. Teams must provide and wear their own goggles. Games played in (2) 25-minute halves with a half-time break.

CO-ED RULES INCLUDE: NO CHECKING, HIGH STICKING ROUGHING ETC.

Sudden Death overtime/Shootout will be used in the playoffs. Players per side: 3 men and 2 women (3 men max.) Ex. (2 forwards, 2 defense men and 1 goalie). Only approved sticks will be allowed. Two time-outs, per team, per game.

Beginning of the Game

The ball will be dropped at center court by the referee. Face-offs will be at center court unless otherwise noted by the referee. The referee may stop the clock at any time if he/she feels that a team is purposely stalling or intentionally delaying the game, or to prevent a possible injury.

Team Size

Each team shall field no more than 5 players on the court at one time. No more than 3 men may be on the court at one time. A legal game requires a team to have at least 2 females when playing with three males but teams may always have more women than men on the court. Teams may have as many players on their roster as they want. All rosters must be finalized by the second week of the regular season. Players that are not on the waiver after the second week will not be eligible for playoffs.

Forfeits

Any team causing a forfeit without at least 48 hours notice to the PSSC will be responsible for both teams Referee fees. Referees are to be paid at the start of the game, as game play will not be permitted until fees are paid. Team who forfeits will not be permitted to play its next game until forfeited games fees are received.

Each team shall field no more than 5 players on the court at one time. Teams will have until 10 minutes past the designated start time to field a legal team. Teams forfeiting two or more times during the season may be ineligible for playoffs. Shorthanded teams may play a legal game with a minimum of 3 players, at least 1 being a female. Teams fielding less than 3 players or without any women will receive a forfeit. Exception: Teams with less than 3 players may still play a "legal" game but only with the opposing team's consent. All teams consenting to play a legal game with less than the allowed minimum waive their right to a forfeit win.

Substitutions

All substitutions will occur on the fly unless the referee deems it unsafe. There is no limit on the amount of substitutions per team. During the course of the regular season teams are allowed to "pick up" players that are not on their roster in order to field a full team. In playoffs no non-roster players will be allowed to play.

Game Time

Play is divided into (2) 25-minute halves separated by a brief halftime break. There will be a running clock throughout the game. A running clock will be maintained by the referee. Each team is granted 2 timeouts per game.

Penalties

Time penalties are:

Minor - 2 minutes of actual playing time
Major - 5 minutes of actual playing time
Misconduct - 10 minutes of actual playing time
Game misconduct - Disqualification from the game
The offending player shall serve the penalty unless otherwise specified. That player shall go directly off the court and remain there until the referee indicates the penalty time has expired. If a game disqualification penalty is also imposed on the player, that player shall be represented by a teammate for the penalty and shall report to the referee.
Major and Misconduct penalties do not terminate when a goal is scored.
If the penalty time has not yet expired at the end of a period, the penalty carries over into the next regular period or sudden death play.
During sudden death play a team shall not be reduced by time penalties so that it has fewer than 2 players during first overtime and one player during second overtime.
High-Sticking - the official will call any stick raised above the back of the knee on the back swing and/or above the waist on the follow-thru. Depending on the situation, it will be assessed as a warning, minor, or major penalty.
Sliding/Diving to stop a ball is not allowed by any player other than the designated goalie. A 2 minute penalty will be assessed for interference.

Minor Penalty

A minor penalty shall be assessed for:

A substitute taking the court before the departing player is off the court (too many persons on the court)
Contacting a player who is ready to participate in a face-off
Lifting a stick on a face-off
Playing the ball above shoulder level with a stick
Holding an opponent's stick
Stalling, trapping or holding the ball/puck
Interference
A goalkeeper interfering with opponent who is not playing the ball
Holding
Dangerous play
Intentionally displacing the goal
Returning to the court before penalty time expires
Tripping
Hooking
Boarding
Sliding/Diving
Unsportsmanlike conduct
Verbal abuse of an official
Stick checking or lifting sticks beyond blade vs. Blade

If any of the above are deemed excessive, a major penalty can be called and/or cause for removal from the game and/or league.

Major Penalty

A major penalty shall be assessed for:

Charging
Elbowing
Slashing
Roughing and over-aggressiveness
Checking
Spearing
Cross-checking
Refusal to obey a referee's decision
Fighting- (fighting is not tolerated under any circumstances and will result in removal from the game and possibly the league)

Offsides & Icing

There is no icing. Offsides only occurs if the ball is thrown by the goaltender beyond the centerline and is touched by a teammate without first being touched by an opponent. Offsides will receive warnings at the referee's discretion, followed by a 2-minute delay of game penalty.

Scoring

Each goal will count one point. A goal is scored when the entire ball:

Crosses the goal line.
Breaks the plane of the goal

In cases where the net moves, it is up to the referee to determine if the ball would have gone in the net and thus been a goal. If the defense intentionally moves the goal it is up to the referee to continue play or to declare a delay of game penalty.

Stoppages

The following stoppages of play will be followed by a face-off:

Goals
Penalties
Injuries
Time-outs(two time-outs per team, per game)
Dead ball (out of play)
A freeze in play where the goaltender holds on to the puck

Goaltenders

A goaltender will be allowed to handle the puck with his stick or hands within the designated zone, which will be determined by the referee for each particular venue (possible example: the free throw lane in front of the goal). If the puck is picked up by the goaltender, the goalie must be allowed a clear amount of space to put the ball back in play. A goalie may call for a "freeze" of play in which case the ball will be turned over to the referee and a face off will ensue at center ice. If the goalie is clearly delaying in putting the puck in play, the referee may stop the clock at his/her discretion and have a face-off or if it persists it will be a delay of game penalty.

The goaltender can put the ball back in play by rolling it to a teammate on his/her side of mid-court or passing the puck with his/her stick. Offensive players may not enter the crease without the ball or without the ball being in the crease(this is interference)

Equipment

Sticks - all referees will determine what is and is not a "legal" stick. Protective gloves must be worn at all times. Everyone must bring his or her own. Baseball mitts/catching gloves are allowed. Gloves, shin guards, mouth guards, elbow & knee pads are RECOMMENDED.

Goalie Equipment - There is no mandatory goalie equipment. It is the responsibility of the team to provide equipment for their goalie if they choose to. (in most cases the CSSC will provide a certain amount of goalie equipment however it is the teams responsibility to ensure that their goalie has any specific gear they choose to use.)

Playoff Overtimes

If a playoff game ends in a tie after regulation play, the following will occur:

A 5 minute sudden death overtime in which each team drops one male player from the ice.
If it is still tied after one overtime period, then a second 5 minute sudden death overtime period will follow in which each team drops a female player in addition to the missing male player.
If the game is still tied after both sudden death overtime periods, then a penalty shootout will follow:
Both teams will get 5 penalty shots. The teams must state which 5 players are going to shoot, however, they do not have to state in which order they will be shooting. No more than 3 men may shoot for either team. There is no male-female shooting order rule. Shooters will start at mid-ice and get one shot on goal. If the goalie, in the eyes of the referee "takes a player out" this will result in a goal.

If it is still tied after the initial 5 penalty shots, then sudden death penalty shots will follow. The same players from the initial 5 penalty shots may shoot again. The teams must state which 5 players are going to shoot. No more than 3 men may shoot for either team. There is no male-female shooting order rule. If one team scores during the round of sudden death shots and their opponent fails to score, then that team is the winner. During the sudden death round the same 5 players must continue to shoot until there is a winner, there will be no substitutions.

League Policies

GAMES:
During the regular season one game will be played within time allotted (warm up time is included). The game will use a running clock throughout the game. Games will be divided into two 25-minute halves with a brief half-time break. During the regular season, games will end in a tie and no overtime will be used. Each team is awarded 2 time-outs per game.

REFS:
Referee Fees are paid before the game starts. Refs reserve the right to cancel any game due to non-payment. Referee fees per team is $25 per game. If a team does forfeit, the team that forfeits is responsible for payment of both team�s umpire/referee fee ($50). The referee has the power to remove any player(s) from a game or the facility if deemed necessary.

FORFEITS:
If your team forfeits a game during the season, the following rules apply: First Offense: Loss of game and warning issued. Referee Fees must be paid before a team plays its next game. Second Offense: Loss of game and staff reserves the right to remove team from playoffs. Third Offense: Removal from the league.

If you know in advance that your team is going to forfeit a game, we encourage you to call our office so as to help us schedule a game for your opponent. This does not mean that your team will not receive the loss as a forfeit.

Teams have until ten minutes past the designated start time to field a full squad (or the league minimum of players required according to rules). If at that time a team is unable to field a legal team, it will be up to the staff and the opposing captain to determine whether a team will receive a forfeit win or if a team will allow the opposing team to play a legal game with less than the league minimum of players required according to the rules.

STANDINGS:
The updated standings will be posted weekly starting after the third week of play. The standings will display each teams rank within its skill level. Rank is based on winning percentage.

PLAYOFFS:
Playoffs will begin immediately following the end of the regular season and will typically last between 2 and 3 weeks. After teams have been seeded according to their records all captains will receive an email or call with the 1st week of playoff game times roughly 3 days before their league. Teams will not receive a call for any other weeks of playoffs! It is the responsibility of ALL TEAMS to check the playoff brackets at the league or online to find out what time they will be playing the following week if they win. In playoffs it is not uncommon, (and in some cases will be necessary), for teams to have more than one match in a given night. No substitutes will be allowed during playoffs. All players must have signed the waiver by the second week of the season in order to be eligible for playoffs. All eligible teams will make the playoffs. Playoff eligible teams will be determined on a league by league basis. Teams that have violated the forfeit policy during the course of regular season will not be eligible for playoffs. In certain situations teams at, or near the bottom of the standings may not advance to the playoffs. Check with the CSSC league coordinator to see if this applies to your league. Playoffs are single elimination.

SEEDING:
Teams are seeded based upon a points system, and strength of schedule. Teams may play more than one game per day/night, and/or play games on days/nights other than your regularly scheduled league day/night if necessary. CSSC reserves the right to schedule playoff games on days other than teams regularly scheduled league night. Any questions regarding rules, policies, or eligibility of players must be addressed before the start of the game. Any team that would like to challenge the eligibility of an opposing player must do so before the start of the game. No protests will be considered valid after a game has started.

WAIVERS:
In order to participate in the league, each participant must sign the team waiver. Waivers are provided and must be completed and handed in no later than the first night of play. Players not present the first week of play will still be required to sign a waiver with our staff before participating. Players must sign the waiver in order to be eligible for playoffs.

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY:
Players who have been placed on the roster and signed the waiver are eligible for playoffs. A formal protest may be filed before a game if an opposing player's eligibility is in question. The player in question will be required to provide his/her player information (name, address, phone #, and signature) in writing to a CSSC staff member prior to the start of the game. This qualifies as an official protest. Any protest made during a game or after a game will NOT be considered a formal protest. The game will then be played in its entirety as scheduled. Teams will be notified of all rulings on the identified eligibility discrepancy by the following business day decisions will not be made on site. If the protest is proven to be legitimate, it will result in the forfeiture of the game in question. Games subsequent to the protested game may be rescheduled. The above procedure will also apply for any other "logged" protests. All rulings by CSSC staff are considered final.

SPORTSMANSHIP:
The idea of CSSC is to have fun. We hope that all participants keep that in mind when becoming involved. Although the games may become intense, you still can be competitive while maintaining good sportsmanship. With this said, any behavior deemed unacceptable by staff may result in suspension and/or ejection from a game or the league. Abuse of officials/referees, and other staff will not be tolerated. CSSC reserves the right to remove a player from a game or a league if they are considered to be bringing down the quality of the league. CSSC will not tolerate fighting! Fighting will be an automatic ejection from any game and in most cases ejection from the league for the remainder of the season.

STAFF:
To coordinate and run the league, our referees and/or staff will be available at all times to help the league run as smoothly as possible. If you have questions regarding schedules, policies, rule interpretations, directions to the sponsor bar, etc. please ask.

LEAGUE CANCELLATION/RAINOUT:
Leagues may be cancelled due to extreme weather conditions, dangerous or unplayable conditions in the facility, facility constraints, etc. CSSC staff makes every effort to play all scheduled games, thus we will not cancel games unless absolutely necessary. Therefore, if you are calling concerning a decision on a cancellation, remember we will not have an answer until close to the start of the league.

If the league is cancelled, CSSC staff will change the "weather hotline" immediately. If possible, the CSSC will then call all of the captains to let them know. It is then the captain's responsibility to inform all teammates of the cancellation. If a league is cancelled on site, CSSC staff will attempt to contact those teams still scheduled to play the remainder of the league day/night. Depending on the time of cancellation, some teams will have to be notified on site. If we do cancel, follow next week's schedule (ex. If April 13 is cancelled teams should follow the April 20 schedule for their next game). The games that are cancelled will be made up towards the end of the season if time allows. In extreme circumstances, CSSC reserves the right to run a shortened season without a refund. CSSC also reserves the right to schedule games on days other than your regularly scheduled league day/night if necessary.

PRIZES/T-SHIRTS:
Each team will be given a t-shirt for each player listed on their roster with a maximum of 15 t-shirts per team. The top teams in each division will receive a prize of great emotional, spiritual, and most importantly, social value.

These policies are designed to make the league run as smoothly and safely as possible, and provide continuity for its participants. Each player in the league is responsible for this information: please advise your team of these rules and thanks for playing.