• Yellow Cards.  A yellow card is shown by the referee to indicate that a Player has been officially cautioned.  With the exception of a team’s goalkeeper, a Player who has been cautioned must leave the field of play and may be replaced by another Player from that Player’s team.  The Player who came off the field as a result of being cautioned may return to the field of play at the next team’s substitution.
  • The reasons for being cautioned are:
    • Dangerous play (slide tackling)
    • Food/Drink on the field (or immediately surrounding area, if not grass) other than water*
    • Unsporting behavior
    • Dissent by word or action
    • Persistently infringing the laws of the game
    • Delaying the restart of play
    • Failing to respect the required distance of a corner kick or free kick
    • Entering or re-entering the field of play without the referee’s permission (except for substitutions)
    • Deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee’s permission (except for substitutions).
    • Improperly equipped (e.g., not having shin guards or socks; also not having a suitable game ball).
    • A Player who receives two (2) yellow cards in one game has the effect of receiving a red card.
      • Exception:  A caution imputed (see below) to a team’s Captain or Acting Captain will not count toward the Captain or Acting Captain receiving two (2) yellow cards in one game.

*This is an administrative caution.  It will count toward accumulation for consecutive games and for the number of cautions in a season.  Getting two yellow cards in one game, one of which is for this infraction, will NOT result in that player getting a red card for the game, the player being removed from the contest, and the team playing down a player.

• Red Cards:  A red card is shown by the referee to indicate that a Player has been sent off.  A Player who has been sent off is required to leave the field of play immediately and must take no further part in the game.  The team whose Player received a red card will not be able to replace that Player on the field and will be required to play down a Player.
  • The reasons to be sent off are:
    • Serious foul play (a violent foul)
    • Violent conduct (any other act of violence)
    • Spitting at anyone
    • A deliberate handling offense to deny an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by any player other than a goalkeeper in his own penalty area
    • Committing an offense that denies an opponent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity
    • Using offensive, insulting or abusive language or gestures
    • Any Player who has been given two yellow cards in one game, a yellow card in each of two successive games, a yellow card in three (3) games over the course of the regular season, or a red card in any game will not be allowed to play in the team’s next game.  Any Player found playing in a game in violation of this rule will be subject to disciplinary action at the discretion of the League.  Any team allowing a Player to play in their team’s game, knowingly or unknowingly, in violation of this rule will forfeit any such game.
    • Any Players suspended for one or more games resulting from any of the above may not play for his/her team or any other team on the day of the suspension.
  • For any red card caution (or the equivalent thereof):
    • The Player receiving the red card will be suspended for one game.  The League will advise the sanctioned Player if, in the discretion of the League, additional time beyond the one game suspension is warranted.
    • The suspension will apply in the same manner as cautions that are Imputed/Transferred (below).
    • Red card cautions will carry over from the end of one season to the start of a subsequent season.
• Penalty Cards Imputed/Transferred (see Roster Policy – Non-Roster Players).
  • If a non-roster Player is not on the roster for any team in the League and that Player receives a caution for slide tackling, that player will receive a yellow card (or, if more severe, a red card).  In addition, the Captain (or Acting Captain) will have a yellow card imputed to him/her.
    • Any yellow card imputed to a team’s Captain or Acting Captain will not count toward the Captain/Acting Captain receiving two (2) yellow cards in one game.
    • A Captain or Acting Captain who has a yellow card imputed to him/her will have that yellow card count toward the “accumulation” rule; it will not count toward the “successive games” rule.
  • If a non-roster Player is on the roster for another team in the same league and that Player receives a caution in the game where s/he is a substitute Player, the caution will be transferred to that Player as if it had been given in his/her team’s game.
  • If a non-roster Player is on the roster for a team in another league (e.g., Player on a Saturday team’s roster who is not on a Sunday team’s roster, but plays for a team in the Sunday league) and that Player receives a caution in the game where s/he is a non-roster player, the caution will be transferred to that Player as if it had been given in his/her team’s game that immediately preceded the game where the caution was given.
  • The Acting Captain is the player on the team’s roster that is serving as Captain for the particular game in the absence of the Captain being present, often the Assistant Captain.  If neither the Captain nor the Assistant Captain are present at the game, the Acting Captain will be deemed the person summoned for the coin toss, unless otherwise indicated.
• Penalty Cards to Non-Roster Players.  If a non-roster Player is not on the roster for any team in the League and that Player receives a straight red card or three (3) yellow cards over the course of a season, that Player will not be permitted to play in any remaining League games during the season in which such caution(s) occurred.  If a Player is suspended in this manner, that Player will be considered an illegal Player for the remainder of the season.
• Clearing of Cards.
  • For the purpose of the successive game and accumulation penalties, cards will clear after the quarter-final playoff games.  If a season does not have a quarter-final playoff game, but rather only a semi-final and final, cards will clear after the last regular season game.
  • Any suspension earned resulting from a game prior to when cards are cleared must still be served.

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