A. Individual and Team Registration
Team captains are given the option to pay for an entire team, or split the payment between a set number of individual players during the registration process.
Team Rosters: Team Captains who cover the entire team payment are still required to have players to register for the team roster.
Payment: By signing a team up for a District Sports league, teams captains commit to covering the full team fee, either through individual player payments or paying the full team fee. Any individual player’s dues that have not been paid by advertised or communicated payment deadlines will become the team captain’s responsibility. The team captain must make payment equal to the cost of the remaining unpaid dues.
Player Refunds: If a player has signed up for a season and cannot participate, due to injury or change in availability, District Sports will honor refund requests made up to one week before the scheduled start of league play. Refund requests made due to change in availability are not guaranteed, and require a plausible explanation.
In the case that a player is refunded, the portion of the team fee he or she was responsible for covering still must be paid, either by a replacement player or an existing roster member.
A participation waiver must be signed by all league players and substitutes.
All players must be 21 years of age or older
B. Rosters
Teams rosters may be as small or as large as the team like, as long as the team fee is fully covered by participants. For teams that register players individually, District Sport retains the right to place non-aligned free agents on the team if the team fee is not covered in full.
District Sports suggest that teams carry the following amount of players per category: 11v11 outdoor soccer- 18 players; 9v9 outdoor soccer- 14 players; 8v8 outdoor soccer – 13 players; 7v7 outdoor soccer- 12 players; 5v5 soccer- 10 players.
During regular season, play teams may pick-up registered players from other District Sports teams as substitutes. This should only be done should the team not have enough of its own players present at the games. Captain discretion is requested in these cases—we request that team captains are considerate of the level of play in any given league when recruiting substitutes.
The players that a team may choose to pick-up on a temporary basis for regular season games must wear either the host team’s assigned District Sports jersey or a shirt that is identical in color to the host team’s assigned jersey.
Players wearing shirts that are a different shade of the host team’s jersey color or are wearing another color entirely may be excluded from games by referees.
Only Registered District Sports players are allowed to play on a given team. District Sports retains the right to suspend any team playing with un-registered players.
C. Rosters: Gender for Men’s and Women’s Leagues, Male to Female Ratio, Over 35 Leagues
For organizational purposes, District Sports has established the rules for our CoEd leagues by classifying players either male-identified or female-identified.
Women are welcome to play in men’s leagues.
Only cis-gendered male players are prohibited from women’s leagues. Trans, genderqueer, nonbinary, and all other players who feel like a women’s league is appropriate for their participation, are welcome to participate.
District Sports respects the rights of registrants to determine and establish their own gender identity as it pertains to participation in our leagues.
The following are the maximum amount of players identifying as male or female that may be on the field at any given time for each format.
11v11- Teams may have no more than eight (8) players of the same gender on the field at any one time.
9v9- Teams may not have more than six (6) players of the same gender on the field at any one time.
8v8 – Teams may not have more than five (5) players on the field of the same gender on the field at any one time.
7v7 – Teams may not have more than five (5) players on the field of the same gender on the field at any one time.
5v5 – Teams may not have more than three (3) players on the field of the same gender on the field at any one time.
In our Over 35 leagues, the majority of participating players on a team must be age 35 or older.
The following are the maximum number of players age 34 or younger who can participate in a match.
11v11- Teams may have no more than three (3) players under the age of 35 participate any specific game.
9v9- Teams may have no more than three (3) players under the age of 35 participate any specific game.
8v8 – Teams may have no more than three (3) players under the age of 35 participate any specific game.
7v7 – Teams may have no more than two (2) players under the age of 35 participate any specific game.
5v5 – Teams may have no more than one (1) player under the age of 35 participate any specific game.
D. Equipment
Shin guards (must be totally covered by socks to reduce risk of injury) are mandatory and are an absolute requirement for all players.
Footwear – Only soccer/athletic shoes are acceptable. No street shoes or metal cleats. Referees’ decisions on footwear suitability are final.
For outdoor soccer, each team shall be responsible for providing a game ball. For indoor soccer District Sports will provide game balls.
District Sports is not responsible for any items lost or stolen during games or at District Sports field sites.
Watches are not permitted during play unless covered by wrist sweatbands, or any equivalent covering that is padded.
E. Uniforms
Check out our Jersey Policy here.
F. Season Schedule
Schedules will be created based on the amount of teams playing in each league. While we will make every attempt to reschedule games lost for weather-related reasons, it is possible for a few games to be lost because of inclement weather. The league makes no ultimate guarantee of any certain number of games-if conditions beyond the control of the league are present, including but not limited to, excessive inclement weather conditions.
Teams cannot reschedule games. Only the District Sports administrators have the authority to reschedule a game.
Reschedule Requests: Requests by teams to alter the schedule after it is posted require the agreement of all teams affected, and are not final until approved by District Sports. However, it should be understood that requests for adjustments are not guaranteed.
District Sports reserves the right to change field locations and times during the course of the season, as needed. Every attempt will be made to give as much advanced notice as possible to affected teams.
G. Forfeit Policy
Teams who do not alert District Sports of a forfeit prior to their matches will be subject to a $75.00 penalty. Monies collected for forfeits will be donated to one of the league’s charitable partners.
Prior notice is defined in the following manner: Teams playing on weeknights must submit notice before 4:00 PM (Eastern Time). Teams playing on weekends must submit notice prior to 7:00 AM (Eastern) for all games scheduled to start before 1:00 PM (Eastern). Teams playing on weekends must submit notice prior to 11:00 AM (Eastern) for all games starting at 1:00 PM and later (Eastern).
If a team shows up in good faith but for some reason is unable to field a full team they will not be subject to a penalty.
Any team who does not pay a forfeit penalty will not be allowed to participate in their league’s playoffs, should they make it. If the team does not make the playoffs, further consequences can be placed on the captain’s team in the following games and/or season after refusal to pay.
H. Weather Related Cancellations — District Sports Game Hotline: 202-263-1143
Game Cancellations: Games played on turf fields will go on even in the event of rain. At points we may make a decision to cancel games due to extreme weather such as accumulating snow, freezing rain or extreme temperatures. We do this out of concerns for player safety.
Cancellation Notification: District Sports makes every effort to provide as much advanced notice as possible when forced to cancel games. Notification will go out via email and text (to those who’ve provided this detail when registering) along with our Game Hotline (202.263.1143). It is encouraged that players check for communications before leaving for games.
Suspended Games: If, due to weather conditions, safety conditions, or referee discretion, a game is halted prior to halftime, it will be replayed (field time permitting). A game halted at halftime or later can stand as indicated by the score when the game was halted, if a replay is not possible.
Rescheduled Games: District Sports will attempt to reschedule as many games as possible that are cancelled due to weather. In extreme circumstances, such as more than three games in a season being called off due to weather, it may not be possible to replay all matches, and refunds will be provided on a prorated basis.
I. League Standings
Game statistics (wins and losses) will be recorded and posted on the District Sports web page. Teams are encouraged to review their respective League Standings page periodically. The team captain should notify the League Administrator of any errors.
A 3-3 draw will be posted for games cancelled and not rescheduled at the end of the regular season.
A 3-0 loss will be posted for a team that forfeits a game.
Tie-breakers for playoffs are auto-calculated and explained on your league’s Standings Page.
J. Fans and Spectators
Spectators are allowed and encouraged to attend District Sports games.
Certain facilities have limits on the number of people allowed on the field at any point in time.
We ask that all District Sports affiliated players and fans respect the specific rules set forth by individual facilities.
Fan and spectator behavior is ultimately the responsibility of the team captain.
Any fan or spectator who is verbally abusive, enters the field of play, or is disruptive to gameplay in any way will be asked to leave by referees.
K. Pets
Pets are not allowed on the premises of any DCPS or privately owned field. Rules for pets at fields controlled by DC Department of Parks and Recreation vary. District Sports players and affiliated fans are asked to refrain from bringing any animal (with the exception of registered service-animals) to games.
L. Referee Decisions
District Sports considers the in-game decisions of referees to be final.
While we appreciate and welcome feedback on all elements of our league, including referees, challenges to both calls and non-calls will not be reviewed or overturned by league management, nor will referee decisions be considered as justification for a game to be replayed.
If a match is abandoned due to player behavior, it will not be replayed.
If a match is abandoned in the first half of a game, the following rules will apply:
If one team or player is clearly judged by the referees and league managers to be the cause of the match being unable to continue, it will be recorded as a forfeit victory (3-0) in favor of the team whose player(s) were not responsible for the match needing to be stopped.
If both teams or players from both teams are judged by the referees and league managers to be the cause of the match being unable to continue, it will be recorded as a tie (0-0) regardless of the scoreline of the game at the time it was abandoned.
If a match is abandoned in the second half of a game, the following rules will apply:
If one team or player is clearly judged by the referees and league managers to be the cause of the match being unable to continue, and they are winning at the time of abandonment, it will be recorded as a tie (0-0), regardless of the scoreline of the game at the time it was abandoned.
If one team or player is clearly judged by the referees and league managers to be the cause of the match being unable to continue, and they are tied or losing at the time of abandonment, it will be recorded as a either a forfeit victory (3-0) in favor of the team whose player(s) were not responsible for the match needing to be stopped, or the scoreline will stand if the team not responsible is winning by more than three goals.
If both teams or players from both teams are judged by the referees and league managers to be the cause of the match being unable to continue, the scoreline will be considered final, at the time the match is abandoned.
In the event of an abandoned match District Sports has no obligation to issue refunds or schedule make ups.
