Intramural Sports

INDOOR 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 on the MAC West courts at Hamel Rec. It is expected that all players will wear athletic shoes and activewear and no hats are allowed. 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 5 v 5 league (4 players and a goalie). You may start the game with 3 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 3 players of the same gender on the court at a time.

Mixed Gender Ratio

When playing, no more than 3 players of the same gender are permitted to play on the court 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 18-minute halves, with a 2-minute halftime.
Teams are not allotted any timeouts.
There will be no offside violations
Penalty kicks will be awarded by rule.
No punts allowed. If a goalie catches the ball, they must throw the ball in their half. If the ball is thrown over the midline without another player touching the ball, then an indirect kick will be awarded to the opposing team. Drop kicks do not apply to this rule.
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 and will result in an automatic yellow card.

SCORING

A goal is scored when the entire ball has passed over the goal line, hitting the wall on the inside of the goal, provided it has not been thrown, carried or intentionally propelled by hand or arm, by a player of the attacking team, except in the case of a goalkeeper, who is within his own penalty area.

SUBSTITUTIONS

Substitutes must report to and be recognized by the referee before entering the game. Substitutions may be made between periods, on a goal, or during your team's kick. If one team subs, the other team may as well.
There is no limit to the number of substitutions.
Any player may change places with the goalkeeper, provided the referee is informed before the change is made and that the change is made during a stoppage of the game.

MERCY RULE

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

BALL IN AND OUT OF PLAY:

The ball is out of play: When it has hit the ceiling, basketball hoops, above or on the white trim.
When the game has been stopped by the referee
The ball is in play all other times from the start of the match to the finishing including: Rebounds from the walls around the goal.
Corner kicks are awarded when the defending team is the last to touch the ball before it is out of play. Corner kicks are located at the corner of basketball courts.

FOULS:

PENALTY KICKS

A direct free kick within the opposing team’s penalty area: within three-point arch
The kick will be taken at the free throw line
Goalie cannot be changed for penalty kicks.
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 first being touched or played by another player.
The penalty kick will not be taken until both the goalkeeper and player taking the penalty kick are ready (within reason), at which time the official will blow their whistle and the penalty kick shall be taken.

DIRECT KICK PENALTIES

Kicking or attempting to kick an opponent.
Tripping an opponent.
Jumping at an opponent.
Charging an opponent
Striking, attempting to strike
Spitting at an opponent.
Holding an opponent.
Pushing an opponent.
Handling the ball.

**NOTE: If a player of the defending team commits one of the above offenses within the penalty area, they shall be penalized by a penalty kick.

INDIRECT KICK PENALTIES

Dangerous play
When not playing the ball, intentionally obstructing an opponent, i.e. Obstruction.
Restrictions on the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper has 6 seconds to release the ball back into play. Cannot pick up the ball after putting it down.
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.

YELLOW CARD PENALTIES:

Slide tackling
Leaving or entering the field of play without first getting the signal from the referee.
Persistently infringing the rules of the game.
Showing by word or action dissent from any decision given by the referee.
Being guilty of unsportsmanlike conduct. Delaying the restart.
Failure to respect distance.

**NOTE: For 2-4, an indirect free kick from the spot closest to the offense should be awarded in addition to the caution.

RED CARD PENALTIES:

Being guilty of violent or serious foul play.
Using foul or abusive language.
Being guilty of misconduct after having received a caution.
Conduct which warrants ejection in the judgment of the referee.
Denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity.
Advantage clause: The referee shall refrain from penalizing when it would be an advantage to the offending team. It is recommended that the referee raise both arms and give a verbal indication of “advantage, play on”.

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 (5) minutes of golden goal overtime will be played. If still tied, the teams will go into kicks from the foul line. Each team designates one player to play in goal
- Kicks consist of 5 rounds, with each team shooting once per round. Goalies are allowed to take a penalty shot.
- If still tied after 5 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 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.

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