Intramural Sports

7v7 SOCCER RULES:Updated January 9, 2026

OVERVIEW:

Three weeks of pool play on the day and time that a team signed up for, followed by two weeks of single elimination playoffs at varying days and times in the evenings. All games will be played Sunday through Wednesday on Student Rec Field. It is expected that all players will wear athletic shoes and activewear. It is recommended that you bring two different colored shirts, one light and one dark. Please arrive 15 minutes before scheduled game time to check in with the supervisor using UNH ID. You MUST bring your UNH ID.

PLAYER AND ROSTER REQUIREMENTS:

This is a 7 v 7 league (6 players and a goalie). You may start the game with 5 players and a goalie if you do not have enough of your team in attendance. If a team is unable to meet gender requirements, they may play down, but there can be no more than 4 players of the same gender on the field at a time.

Mixed Gender Ratio

When playing, no more than 4 players of the same gender are permitted to play on the field at a time.
Goalies are part of the gender ratio.

You may add players to your roster on site and on Fusion Play all season until playoffs. They just need to bring their UNH student ID to be added at check in. If your team does not have enough players, you may temporarily borrow players from another team or bring temporary players for that night. This is ONLY during regular season. Rosters become locked at the start of playoffs.

Club and Division 1 Athlete Eligibility

Division 1 soccer athletes are not eligible to play intramural soccer. Division 1 athletes from other sports may play intramural soccer.
Club soccer athletes are eligible to play. However, there may be no more than 2 club players (men or women) on their intramural team roster.

RULES:

GAME

Games consist of two eighteen (18) minute halves with a 3-minute half-time
Teams are not allotted for any timeouts
There are NO OFFSIDES in 7v7 soccer
Goalies have 6 seconds to return the ball to play after picking it up
Penalty kicks will be awarded by rule, 10 yards from the goal line. It is a dead ball situation. All players must be outside of the designated penalty area until the ball is kicked
A foul preventing an obvious goal scoring opportunity will result in a red card for the offending player and a penalty kick for the opposing team
For the safety of all participants, slide tackling is not allowed (AUTOMATIC yellow card)

GOAL SCORING

A goal is scored when the whole ball has passed over the goal line between the goalposts and under the crossbar
Cannot be thrown, carried or intentionally propelled by hand or arm by a player of the attacking team

SUBSTITUTIONS

Unlimited
Must be authorized by an official
May substitute at goal kicks, after goals, half time, throw-ins, corners, and for injuries
Goalies can only switch during proper substitution opportunities and must be authorized by an official

MERCY RULE

If a team is leading by 5 goals or more with 5 or less minutes remaining in the 2nd half the game will end.

FOULS:

PENALTY KICKS

A direct free kick within the opposing team’s designated penalty area.
The kick will be taken at the designated penalty spot.
Goalies cannot be changed for penalty kicks.
The goalie must keep both feet on the goal line until the ball is kicked.
The player taking the penalty kick shall not play the ball a second time without it being touched or played by another player.
The goal posts or walls do not constitute a player.
The penalty kick will not be taken until the goalkeeper and player taking the free kick are ready (within reason), when the official will blow their whistle, and the free kick shall be taken.
Penalty kicks taken during the game are live when kicked.

DIRECT KICK PENALTIES

Sliding – automatic yellow
Kicking or attempting to kick an opponent
Tripping
Jumping at an opponent.
Charging
Striking or attempting to strike
Spitting
Holding
Pushing

NOTE: If a player of the defending team commits one of the above offenses within the penalty area, he/she shall be penalized by a penalty kick. Updated: January 9, 2026

INDIRECT KICK PENALTIES

Dangerous play
Intentional obstruction
On any occasion when a player deliberately kicks the ball to his/her own goalkeeper, the goalkeeper is not permitted to touch it with his/her hands.
As the kicker on a kick-off, free kick, corner kick playing the ball again before it has been touched or played by another player.
Intentionally obstructing the opposing goalkeeper in an attempt to prevent him/her from putting the ball into play
Any infringement by the attacking team during a penalty kick.
If, during a throw-in, the thrower plays the ball a second time before it has been touched by another player.

CARDS

Yellow: warning for unsportsmanlike conduct, slide tackling, use of foul language.
Red: automatic ejection for extreme unsportsmanlike conduct (i.e. abusive language or gesture, serious foul play, denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity). The ejected player must leave the playing site and will be suspended indefinitely until they meet with the Intramural Coordinator.

PLAYOFFS:

Games will be scheduled at different times than regular season to accommodate seeding and facility schedule. Single elimination bracket. Schedule is subject to change. Check Fusion Play daily. ROSTERS ARE LOCKED. Champion teams will be awarded shirts and a Domino's pizza party. Only players who have played in the final game will get shirts.

OVERTIME

There is no overtime during regular season.
Five minutes of golden goal overtime will be played.
If still tied, the teams will go into kicks from the penalty mark. Each team designates one player to play in goal
Penalty kicks consist of 3 rounds, with each team shooting once per round. Goalies are allowed to take a penalty shot.
If still tied after 3 rounds, the shootout changes to golden goal. Once the team of fewer players has used all eligible members to kick, both teams may begin reusing players.
A coin flip will be held with the winner deciding whether to shoot first or last. The shootout will alternate genders in mixed leagues.

FORFEITS:

If a team forfeits in week 1, they will be removed from the league. Week 1 is considered commitment week.

When a team forfeits a game, they will be emailed by the intramural staff. It is required that the team captain replies to the email within 24 hours. If intramural staff does not receive a reply within 24 hours, the team will be removed from the Updated: January 9, 2026 league and replaced by a team on the waitlist. A team that forfeits twice will be automatically removed from the league.

If your team is unable to play and must forfeit, please email unh.intramurals@unh.edu by noon on game day so we can try to find another team to fill your spot.

Teams with any number of forfeits ARE NOT ELLIGIBLE FOR PLAYOFFS.

Don’t have enough players? There are options! You can play down players, bring new players on the night of your game, and/or borrow players from another team when you get to your game. New players should check in like any other player would with intramural staff.

If a team fails to have the required number of participants at the scheduled game time, the opposing team who is present will have the following options:

Choose to wait 10 minutes until the opponent arrives to compete with the official game running as scheduled. The waiting team has the option to lead the game 3-0.
If the opposing team is still not ready to play 10 minutes after the scheduled game time, the intramural staff will declare a forfeit win for the waiting team. No game will be played.
If both teams do not have the minimum number of players at game time and/or arrive late but get enough players within ten minutes of the scheduled game-time, the game shall commence with a starting score of 0-0

SPORTSMANSHIP:

Following each game, the intramural staff will rate each team on their sportsmanship with a 0-5 score. The default score for all teams successfully completing a game is 4. Teams receiving a 0, 1, or 2 rating twice in the same season, will be removed from the league or playoffs. Depending on the severity of the incident, a team may be removed from the league and/or face additional sanctions for only one unacceptable rating (0-2).

Teams will receive a 0 rating for a game that is forfeited. This includes for reasons of no-show, disqualification, or misconduct.
Teams are required to have an average sportsmanship of 3 or higher to be considered for playoffs.
Scores are given based on the discretion of intramural staff and cannot be contested.

Good sportsmanship is required of all participants. Players and spectators are always to conduct themselves respectfully. UNH Campus Recreation reserves the right to suspend or disqualify groups or individuals for unsportsmanlike conduct at any time. Unsportsmanlike conduct before, during, and/or after a game will not be tolerated.

By participating in intramural sports, players agree to follow all Campus Recreation policies and those outlined in the UNH Student Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities. Prohibited behavior includes but is not limited to: consuming or being in possession of alcohol, nicotine, and other prohibited substances, physical or verbal altercations, vandalism, theft, or unauthorized participation.

The decision of an official or intramural staff member to eject a player or spectator for any unsportsmanlike conduct (be it verbal or physical) will be firmly upheld by UNH Campus Recreation. All ejected players must leave the playing area/facility. Individual players’ conduct may impact team eligibility to remain in the league. Updated: January 9, 2026

If you have any questions regarding intramural policies or rules, please contact unh.intramurals@unh.edu or Gabby Merrill (Intramural Sports Coordinator) Phone: (603) 862-2038 or email: gabby.merrill@unh.edu