IGHSAU Soccer Memo #1
March 24, 2023
I hope your practices have been going well and that your student-athletes are loving it. Please carefully review the following important rules and season information.
Site Administrators: It is important for site administrators to be present during regular season and postseason soccer matches. Administrators, please communicate with officials prior to 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.
Coaches Online Rules Meeting – Thanks to all of the head coaches for watching the online rules meeting on Bound.
Preseason Prospectus: A preseason prospectus is available in the Soccer section located under the Coaches & Administrators tab on the IGHSAU website. Though not required, any information you can provide will be extremely helpful 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 make sure they have updated your contact information in the Online Forms in QuikStats/Bound to ensure you receive mailings from the IGHSAU throughout the season.
Score Reporting: There will be a daily score page on the IGHSAU website and on QuikStats/Bound. Please enter your scores in QuikStats/Bound as soon as possible after each match.
QuikStats/Bound: Varsity coaches are required to submit their varsity roster and schedule through Quikstatsiowa.com prior to their first match. Varsity coaches are required to have their individual match results updated on QuikStats/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 the suspension of the head coach.
Sub-Varsity Uniforms: We fully understand that varsity uniforms are often passed down to sub-varsity teams. The uniform rule of home teams wearing dark jerseys is strongly encouraged but will NOT be enforced in sub-varsity matches. It is expected that the home team wear uniforms that are dark in color and similar styles.
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 need to 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 prior to each of their games.
IGHSAU Shoutouts: During the course of the season, the IGHSAU makes mention of superlative accomplishments from our female student-athletes. If you have a significant accomplishment you would like to mention (school record 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 games, the procedure of two ten-minute sudden death overtimes is required to be played, if no goal is scored during either 10-minute OT period, then teams will move into penalty kicks.
A game that has met the complete game requirements (one half completed) but has ended due to weather/facility/injury may be recognized as a complete 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 has elapsed. Several situations occurred last year where coaches were sending them up prior to the five minutes elapsing.
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 game. Any game that reaches half-time 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].
Best of luck with your season!
Gary Ross
IGHSAU Associate Director/Soccer Administrator