IGHSAU Soccer Memo #1
March 21, 2024

I hope your practices have been going well and your student-athletes love it. Please carefully review the following important rules and season information. 

Administrators: Site administrators must be present during regular and postseason soccer matches. Administrators, please communicate with officials before each match and let them know where to find you if a problem occurs during a contest. Proper communication between officials and site administrators can help keep problems from escalating. In addition, if there is an issue during the match, the officials will reach out to the administrator in charge (if no administrator is present, the official will reach out to the head coach of the home team). Also, following the match, communicate with the officials to assist as needed for leaving the playing field and supervising them appropriately. This process is a priority of the IGHSAU and the IHSAA in preventing any issues between the spectators and officials. Your help is greatly appreciated! 

Coaches Online Rules Meeting – Thanks to all head coaches for watching the online rules meeting on Bound.

Preseason Prospectus: A preseason prospectus is available in the Soccer Coaches & Administrators section of the IGHSAU website. Though not required, any information you can provide will be beneficial in putting together preseason rankings. Please contact Jason Eslinger with questions regarding your prospectus at [email protected].

Email List: Please confirm with your AD to ensure they have updated your contact information in the Online Forms in Bound to ensure you receive mailings from the IGHSAU throughout the season.

Score Reporting: The IGHSAU website and Bound will have a daily score page. Please enter your scores in Bound as soon as possible after each match.  

Bound: Varsity coaches must submit their varsity roster and schedule through Bound before their first match. Varsity coaches must have their  match results updated on Bound every Tuesday during the regular season. Coaches are also expected to update their QuikStats throughout the Regional Tournament series. Failure to submit the required information by the mandatory dates may result in further IGHSAU follow-through.

Medical Ear Piercings:  An ear piercing for medical purposes (Daith piercing) is permitted to be worn during competition; PROVIDED the head coach has a letter from the IGHSAU granting permission for the Daith piercing to be worn. Athletic directors must submit a request and doctor’s note stating a need for the piercing to Gary Ross, IGHSAU Soccer Administrator at the IGHSAU. The head coach must keep the letter on hand to show the referees before each of their games. 

IGHSAU Shoutouts: During the season, the IGHSAU mentions the superlative accomplishments of our female student-athletes. If you have a significant accomplishment you would like to mention (school records broken, coaching milestone wins, etc.), let us know, and we’ll do our best to mention your athletes' accomplishments on our Twitter account. Feel free to email Jason Eslinger any news at [email protected]. 

Overtime Procedures:  During regular-season matches, two ten-minute sudden death overtimes are required to be played. If no goal is scored during either 10-minute OT period, teams will move into penalty kicks. During regular season tournaments, teams will proceed immediately into penalty kicks if a match ends tied in regulation. During the postseason, two ten-minute sudden death overtimes are required to be played; if no goal is scored during either 10-minute OT period, teams will move into penalty kicks.  

A match that has met the complete game requirements (one half completed) but has ended due to weather/facility/injury may be recognized as a full game, even if it ends in a tie. By NFHS rule: the head referee shall declare it an official game if one complete half or more of the game has been played. If less than one-half of the game has been played, the game may be rescheduled from suspension of play according to state association adoption.

Caution (Yellow card) Re-entry:  Coaches are reminded when a player is removed for five minutes due to receiving a yellow card, the coach is not to send them in as a substitute to re-enter until the entire five minutes have elapsed.  

A coach who sends his player to re-enter as a substitute prior to the five-minute expiration is in violation of misconduct and subject to a yellow card (caution) for this game violation. Just a reminder that a player receiving a yellow card during the last five minutes of the second overtime is disqualified from participating in the penalty kick phase if it is needed.

10-Goal Mercy Rule - The IGHSAU and IHSAA adopted a 10-goal differential, causing the termination of a match. Any match that reaches halftime or anytime in the second half with a 10-goal differential shall be immediately terminated. The first half is to be played to completion.

If you have questions or comments, please contact Gary Ross at [email protected] or 515-401-1842. Best of luck with your season!

Gary Ross
IGHSAU Associate Director/Soccer Administrator