Winter Cup

Nike Winter Cup Tournament Rules 2026

This tournament shall be played under FIFA rules as modified by US Club (including rules associated with small sided games initiative, i.e build out lines and no punting 7v7, no heading before U12).

Decisions relating to the interpretation of the Tournament Rules can only be made by the Tournament Director(s).

Disputes relating to the interpretation of these rules will be resolved with the administrators/coaches that are registered with the involved team(s).

All decisions, judgments, and calls of tournament referees and Tournament Director(s) and their committee are final.

Check-in will take place 60 minutes prior to 1^st game and unlimited loan players are allowed. We are using US Club Roster Limits (12 16, 26). After initial check-in, roster is frozen. All teams will be scheduled for a minimum of 3 games. Players may only play on one team, including goal keepers. Adding players after rosters are frozen or allowing players to play with more than one team is only allowed with express prior permission from Tournament Director and only in cases of special circumstance. Teams who tried out in Dec and are affected by the new age groupings may be allowed to play on more than one team.

All games will be considered final and no protests will be allowed.

Duration of games by halves, and ball sizes are as follows:

Division	Age	Game	Prelim	Finals	Ball
U14	2012	11 v 11	35 Minutes	35 Minutes	5
U13	2013	11 v 11	35 Minutes	35 Minutes	5
U12	2014	9 v 9	30 Minutes	30 Minutes	4
U11	2015	9 v 9	30 Minutes	30 Minutes	4
U10	2016**	7 v 7	30 Minutes	30 Minutes	4
U9	2017	7 v 7	30 Minutes	30 Minutes	4
U8/7	2018/19	7 v 7	30 Minutes	30 Minutes	4

**2016 should register in U11 if they would like to play 9v9
These are not dedicated divisions but age will be taken into consideration
Halftime shall be 5 minutes. Field Marshals have the authority to reduce game minutes due to daylight or weather concerns.

Teams shall be awarded points based on a 10 point system described below:
10 point maximum per match
6 points for a Win
3 points for a Tie
1 point for a Shut-out. No shutout bonus shall be awarded for a 0-0 tie.
1 point shall be awarded for each goal scored in a game, not to exceed a maximum of three goals (points) per game.

1 point will be deducted for each red card received, including a soft red.

In the event that two or more teams are tied in points at the end of the preliminary games, the following tiebreakers shall be applied in order given until a winner is determined. Never revert back to the top of the list, even after a team has been eliminated from the tie-breaker.

Winner of head to head competition
Goal differential (goals for, minus goals against)
Least goals against
Most goals scored
Most wins
FIFA penalty kicks – If 3 teams, coin flip and odd one advances to 2^nd round of Pks. Pks will be taken as soon as possible.

In the event a player receives a red card, the tournament director(s) will determine whether the suspension shall be for one game or two. The decision will be made with the input of referees. A soft red (2 yellows) will be a one game suspension.

Game time is forfeit time. The team which "wins by forfeit" shall be deemed to have won by a score of 1-0 and will receive 8 points. If at the discretion of the tournament director(s) a forfeit provides an unfair advantage, the tournament director(s) may make a bracket determination by another means so as to place teams fairly. There are no refunds given due to forfeit.

Home team will wear a light jersey and away will wear a dark jersey. Home team is responsible for resolving jersey conflicts. Silver Lakes will have EZ ups and benches on opposing sides of the field. Fans will sit on their team's side only. In the event of wind, EZ ups may be banned.

In case of inclement weather, field conditions, or natural disaster, games may:

Be moved to Sunday / Monday (Feb 15, 16 2026)
Be shortened
Go to F.I.F.A. penalty kicks*
Be canceled

In the event of full cancellation, Registration Paid minus $250 will be returned to card on file.

*If the Tournament Director(s) rules that during the preliminary round penalty kicks will be taken due to inclement weather or field conditions, the following rain rule will apply:

Each team will take a maximum of five (5) penalty kicks.

At the end of five (5) kicks the game will be scored as a 1-0 win for the team that has scored more penalty kicks, or a 0-0 tie if both teams are tied in penalty kicks at the end of five (5) kicks.

The tournament director(s) reserves the right to determine whether games decided in this fashion will be included in any tiebreakers.

U8-U10 ages will play 7 v 7. U11/U12 ages will play 9 v 9. U13 and older must have a minimum of 7 players to start a game and will play 11 v 11. Failure to provide these minimums at game time will result in a forfeit.

For brackets with wild cards, the wild cards will be selected from the second place teams who have accumulated the most points. Ties on points will be broken in accordance with the tiebreakers listed above. A change in matchups may occur to avoid a wildcard playing a team from their pool. For flights of 5 teams, there will be a play in to the semi final for the teams with 4^th and 5^th most points. A play in team who reaches the final will play 3 games on Sunday.

If a Semi-Final or Championship game is tied at the end of regulation then FIFA Penalty Kicks will be taken to determine the outcome.

A ceremony will take place directly following Championship game to distribute championship and finalist awards. Win or lose please make your way towards the restaurant immediately following your championship game for the ceremony.