8th Annual Holiday Tournament

Online Player Roster & Liability Waiver

After a team registers for the Holiday Tournament, the team's coaches and managers will receive a link to the MSA Holiday Tournament Player Roster & Liability Waiver.

The coach or team manager must forward this link to the parent or guardian of every player participating in the tournament.

Each player's parent or legal guardian must complete the online Player Roster & Liability Waiver before the player participates. The online form records the player on the team's official tournament roster and includes the required liability waiver, parent/guardian acknowledgment and electronic signature.

Maryland Sports Arena will use the team's completed online roster to determine player eligibility in the event of a protest. Players added after the original team roster has been submitted must also have their parent/guardian complete the online Player Roster & Liability Waiver before participating.

Age Groups & Player Eligibility

Tournament age groups are determined by the current 2026–27 Maryland Sports Arena Age Group Chart. Coaches are responsible for making sure every player is eligible for the age group in which their team is registered.

VIEW 2026–27 AGE GROUP CHART

Players may not play on more than one team in the same age-group tournament. Teams may carry a maximum of 18 players on their tournament roster.

Number of Players & Ball Size

• U12 and younger: 7 players on the field and a Size 4 ball.
• U13 and older: 6 players on the field and a Size 5 ball.
• No slide tackling is permitted in U14 and younger tournaments.
• A maximum of two coaches are permitted on the players' bench unless additional coaches have been approved by the Tournament Director.
• Players who are not dressed to play may not sit on the players' bench without permission from the Tournament Director.
• All youth teams must have an adult coach on the bench during every game.

Game Rules

All games are played under Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) rules except where modified by Maryland Sports Arena tournament or house rules.

• Games are 24 minutes with no timeouts. Game time is forfeit time.
• Substitutions are unlimited.
• Guaranteed substitutions are permitted for balls contacting the ceiling, side netting or rear netting and going out of bounds. A maximum of 15 seconds is allowed for guaranteed substitutions.
• Fouls are not guaranteed substitutions. Teams may substitute on the fly following fouls.
• The ball must be put into play within five seconds on foul situations.
• No guaranteed substitutions are permitted during the final two minutes of a game.
• Opposing players must remain at least 10 feet from the ball on dead-ball situations. Encroachment may result in a two-minute penalty.

Goalkeeper Rules

Goalkeepers may not handle a ball intentionally played to them by a teammate except for a header or another ball played above the knee.

Punting and drop-kicking are prohibited except in the U8, U9 and U10 tournaments.

For youth tournaments U14 and younger, except for the age groups noted above, when the goalkeeper has possession the ball may only be distributed by throwing.

For U15 and older, the goalkeeper may also roll the ball to his or her feet. Once the goalkeeper places the ball on the ground, the ball is live and may be challenged by an opposing player.

Equipment & Field Rules

• Shin guards are mandatory.
• Players may wear flat-soled soccer shoes, tennis shoes or turf shoes. Cleats are not permitted.
• Players wearing plaster casts may not participate.
• The home team is responsible for changing uniforms in the event of a color conflict.
• There is no warm-up time on the field. Teams should be ready to play immediately upon entering the field.
• Teams must arrive at the facility at least 15 minutes before their scheduled game.
• Coaches must leave the field promptly following their game. Please conduct post-game team meetings elsewhere in the facility.

Player, Coach & Spectator Conduct

• Dissent toward referees will not be tolerated from players, coaches or spectators. Continued dissent may result in removal from the facility.
• Taunting is a two-minute penalty.
• Teams are responsible for the behavior of their spectators.
• Any player ejected before, during or after a game is automatically suspended for two games. All red cards are subject to review and may result in additional tournament suspension.
• A red card results in a five-minute unreleasable penalty.
• Players, coaches or teams threatening officials will be removed and may be banned from the facility.
• A referee's judgment decision cannot be protested.
• Teams removed from the tournament are not entitled to a refund.

Player Eligibility Protests

A team wishing to protest the eligibility of a player must notify the referee before the end of the game. The referee will identify and record the player being protested and provide the information to the Tournament Director.

Your team's online roster must be completed in order to protest another player's eligibility.

If a player on your team is protested and that player does not have a completed online Player Roster & Liability Waiver associated with your team, the player will be considered ineligible.

A referee's judgment call cannot be protested.

Penalty Kicks

For major infractions occurring in the penalty area, a penalty kick will be awarded. Penalty kicks are taken from the first dot outside the penalty area. All other players must remain behind the second dot until the kick is taken. The ball is live once the penalty kick is taken.

Shootouts have been eliminated from regular tournament play except where required to determine advancement or a winner.

Tournament Standings & Tiebreakers

4-, 6- and 8-Team Formats

3 points for a win and 1 point for a tie.

If teams are tied for advancement, the tiebreakers are:

1. Head-to-head competition
2. Head-to-head goal differential
3. Total goal differential — maximum of 7 goals per game for youth tournaments
4. Fewest goals allowed
5. Coin flip if teams remain tied

For games that must produce a winner, teams will take a best-of-three series of alternating penalty kicks. If still tied, alternating penalty kicks continue one-for-one until a winner is determined.

5- and 9-Team Formats

7 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, 1 point for each goal scored up to a maximum of 7 for youth tournaments, and 3 additional points for a shutout.

Inclement Weather

Unless there is a major snowstorm or other significant weather emergency, the tournament will be played as scheduled.

Weather-related cancellations or changes will be posted on the Maryland Sports Arena website. You may also call 410-538-7300 for information.

House Rules

• No commercially prepared food or beverages may be brought into the facility.
• No food or beverages are permitted on the playing field. Water and sports drinks may be consumed on the players' benches. Plastic bottles only.
• No gum, chewing tobacco or sunflower seeds are permitted.
• No spitting on the field.
• All soccer balls must be held or kept in a bag when off the playing field. No ball playing or bouncing balls is permitted elsewhere in the facility.
• Children must be supervised by their parents or guardians.
• Please do not stand in front of the bleachers. Remain seated while using the bleachers and do not stand on the top level.
• No climbing on building structures and no banging on the glass dasher boards.
• No smoking.
• No foul or abusive language.
• Anyone fighting on Maryland Sports Arena property will be removed and may be banned from the facility.

Parking

DO NOT PARK DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF THE WEST SHORE OFFICE BUILDING. VEHICLES MAY BE TOWED.

Additional parking is available in the Home Depot parking lot.