Glory Cup Rules

Glory Cup Tournament Rules

The Glory Cup will be played in accordance with US Youth Soccer rules as modified by the following changes and additions.

Updated July 9, 2023

WEATHER POLICY: The Tournament Committee may alter a game’s duration to accommodate weather related scheduling delays. Tournaments must have a UYSA-provided lightning detector at every event location. Games may be cancelled due to inclement weather at the discretion of referee officials and tournament directors. If a game is cancelled due to weather related issues, the score will stand if it is in the second half. If it is in the first half of the game, the tournament committee will determine if a shortened second half can be scheduled at a later time or if the game will be determined by other means. You can read our full weather related policy by clicking here.

APPLICATIONS: All teams must properly apply for acceptance to the Glory Cup by the registration deadline. Applications must include at least one Head Coach, a primary contact person, player roster with minimum rostered players and payment of the tournament fee. Upon Final Acceptance, tournament fees will be processed and are non-refundable.

TOURNAMENT  BRACKETING:

Terminology of Division, Flights, Groups & Brackets-

• Division:  Notates the age group and gender i.e. G14 Division = Girls 2014.

• Flights:  Within a Division there are Flights based on competitive levels.  For example, Showcase, Gold, Silver or Bronze.

• Groups:  Within a Flight, based on the number of teams and the length of tournament, determines how many teams are in a Group.

• Brackets:  Based on the Group, teams are placed in Brackets.  For example, a Group of 8 Teams will have two Brackets (A and B), each with 4 teams.

Summary of Groups-

• Group of Three Teams:  All three (3) teams will play each other playing two (2) games in group play.  Following group play the teams will go into a “playoff” format, where 2nd place vs 3rd place (semi-final) and 1st place vs winner of 2nd/3rd (final).

• Group of Four Teams:  Played as a single bracket of four teams in a round-robin format, with the top two teams accumulating the most points advancing to the final.

• Group of Five Teams:  Two Options (1) Played as a single bracket of five teams in a round-robin format (each team playing 4 games instead of 3 ) with the top two teams accumulating the most points advancing to the final. (2) Played as a single bracket of five (5) teams, with teams playing two group games, after the two games teams are seeded for playoffs. The quarterfinal match will play Seed #4 vs Seed #5. The winner of the quarterfinal will play the semifinals versus Seed #1. Seed #2 vs Seed #3 in the other semifinal. The winner of semifinal #1 vs winner of semifinal #2 advance to the finals.

• Group of Six Teams: Played as two brackets of three teams.  Each team will cross over and play the three teams in the other bracket.  The two teams accumulating the most points from all six teams will advance to the finals to determine which team is the champion (Wildcard 1 vs Wildcard 2).  It is possible that the finalists could have played each other already.

• Group of Seven Teams: Played as a single bracket of seven teams with all teams playing a total of four matches.  Note, teams will not play all other teams in the bracket. The team accumulating the most points will be the Champion. The team accumulating the second most points will be the Finalist. We try to avoid this option unless there is a reason it cannot be avoided.

• Group of Eight Teams: Played as two brackets of four. The winner of each bracket in round-robin play will advance to the final to determine the Champion and Finalist.

• Group of Ten Teams: Bracket A will have four teams (played as a Group of 4).  Bracket B and C will have six teams (played as a Group of 6).  The winner of A will advance to the semi-finals.  Then the next best three teams in Bracket A, B and C, based on points will advance as Wildcard 1, Wildcard 2, and Wildcard 3.  The winner of Group A will play Wildcard 1, Wildcard 2 will play Wildcard 3 in the Semi-Finals games.

• Bracket of Twelve Teams: Played as three brackets of four. The winner of each round-robin group and a wildcard (4th best team based on points) will advance to the semi-finals. Winner of Bracket A vs Wildcard and Bracket B vs Bracket C. In the event the wildcard team advances from Bracket “A” they would have already played the winners of the group and therefore the semi-final opponents will be as follows: Winner Bracket C vs Winner Bracket A and Winner Bracket B vs Wildcard.

• Bracket of Sixteen Teams: Played as four brackets of four. The winner of each round-robin bracket advances to the semi-finals with the winner of the semi-finals advancing to the championship game.

CREDENTIALS: All teams must be properly registered with their respective state organizations and must have a verified roster on record with the Tournament Committee. Coaches must have an official team roster and medical release forms for each player for verification with the tournament official. UYSA online Player rosters or Out of State Player cards will be used for game time check in. All guest players from outside your club, must have completed Specialty Action Player Forms. This form can be downloaded online here.

CHECK-IN: A mandatory check-in will be held before the tournament begins at the time and place listed on the website. Teams not properly checked-in will not be eligible for tournament play and will forfeit all tournament fees paid. Please bring the following to tournament check-in:

• 5 copies of the Affinity tournament photo rosters 

  • • • For instructions on how to print Affinity photo rosters, click here.

      • Laminated player cards with official team roster may be accepted in place of Affinity photo rosters.

• Guest player authorization forms must be provided for loaned players from outside your club. You can download the proper form here.

AGE GROUP DEFINITIONS:  The Glory Cup age groups will be based on birth-year registration in accordance with UYSA and US Youth Soccer. All teams will be playing in their respective age groups for the current year Fall season. 

GAME BALLS:  Game balls will NOT be provided by the tournament. Home team (which is the first team listed on the schedule) will be responsible to provide 3 quality game balls to use. Be sure to label them well and collect them after you play. Tournament is not held responsible for any balls lost or damaged. Game ball sizes are listed under 'Duration of Game' below. 

• U6 - U8 will play  with a #3 ball 

• U9 - U10 will play with a #4 ball (7v7)

• U11 - U12 will play with a #4 ball (9v9)

• U13 - U19 will play two with a #5 ball (11v11)

UNIFORMS: Home team (which is the first team listed on the schedule) will be required to change uniforms to an alternate jersey in the event of a color conflict. All goal keepers must have an alternative color jersey or a pinnie may be used. Goal keeper jerseys are not required to be numbered. Should teams not have official jerseys, players must wear matching colored shirts with visible numbers adhered on the back.

FIELD DIMENSIONS: All field dimensions are according to the West Jordan Soccer Complex and any disputes concerning field sizes will not be heard.

DURATION OF GAME: Officials may adjust game lengths if start times are delayed due to unforeseen reasons in prior games played.

• U6 - U8 will play four, 10 minute quarters (4v4)

• U9 - U10 will play two, 20 minute halves  (7v7)

• U11 - U12 will play two, 25 minute halves (9v9)

• U13 - U19 will play two, 35 minute halves (11v11)

No stoppage or inquiry time will be given. In the event of combined age groups, you will play the game length of the older age group. No overtime periods will be played in preliminary rounds. No additional play time will be added for semi or final games. However, no semi or final game will end in a draw. Should a semi or final game be tied at the end of regulation, the game will continue with a 10-min overtime period. See below for more info.

WATER BREAKS: With the discretion of the referee and/or Tournament Director, a water break will be given in extreme heat half way through the 1st and 2nd halves.  No stoppage or inquiry time will be given. Active field players should remain on the field during a water break.

START TIMES: A team will forfeit a game if it fails to present the listed minimum number of players at time of kickoff:

• U9/U10 5 players

• U11/U12 5 players

• U13 and above 7 players

Teams must field a full team minus one player, within 15 minutes from kickoff or will be subject to forfeit.  Forfeits will be determined on a game-to-game basis as decided by the game officials.

TEAMS & SIDELINES: Team and Spectators will occupy the same side of field, as per UYSA Sideline Policy. The home team will occupy the West or South side of the field, Away teams will occupy the East or North side of the field. Unless Home and Away team sidelines are marked otherwise by the Tournament. 

BRACKETING: Bracketing of teams will be determined by the tournament scheduler. No appeals of the tournament bracketing will be allowed. 

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY: Eligibility will be determined as follows according to age group. Rosters are set at team check-in and no amendments to the roster will be allowed after check-in. A player’s eligibility will be determined prior to each game. Any team playing an illegal or non-roster player will forfeit that game and all further games (to be determined by tournament director). Coaches may be required to show Birth Certificates/Players passes and Medical release forms at check-in and should have these documents available for the duration of the tournament.  

• U13 and older teams may have a maximum of eighteen (18) players, with fewer players allowed, including any applicable guest players.

• U11-U12 teams may have a maximum of fifteen (15) players, with fewer players allowed, including any applicable guest players.

• U9-U10 teams may have a maximum of twelve (12) players, with fewer players allowed, including any applicable guest players.

• U6-U8 Academy teams may have a maximum of ten (10) players, with fewer players allowed, including any applicable guest players.

GUEST PLAYERS: A team may have a maximum of five (5) guest players on its roster. Each team must have the appropriate documentation for each guest player. Specialty Action Player Forms can be downloaded online here.

SPECTATORS: Referees will have the authority to have unruly spectators removed from the field. All spectators must remain at least 3 feet back from the touch line. Spectators should not be seated past the top of the penalty box, (18 yard line extended) and officials can request spectators to relocate. Any referee assault or abuse will be referred to the State Organization and Police for disciplinary and/or legal action. 

EJECTION: (Yellow Cards and Red Cards will be issued as part of the game.) Anyone ejected from a game for violent behavior will automatically be suspended from the next game and upon review by the tournament committee, may be suspended for the rest of the tournament. The coach is responsible for all spectators. Unruly spectators will be asked to leave the premises. Failure to comply may cause a team to forfeit the game. No protests will be heard on this matter.

COACHING: No excessive coaching from the sidelines will be allowed. Any Coach that is ejected, leaving their team without a licensed coach will result in the team forfeiting the game and earn zero (0) points regardless of the score when abandoned. The opposing team will be declared the winner and earn full points as described in the Scoring section below.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Unlimited substitutions will be permitted with the consent of the referee at any stoppage times during the game.

PROTESTS: All games will be considered final and no protests will be allowed. 

LITTER/GARBAGE: All litter must be cleaned from the field after each game. Littered sidelines may result in forfeiture of the game if so determined by the Tournament Committee. 

SCORING/STANDINGS: Preliminary games will be scored as follows: 

• 3 points for a win

• 1 point for a tie

• 0 points for a loss

• no extra points for a shut out

5 POINT DIFFERENTIAL: X-League age groups will have a special circumstance allowance for games that the goal differential is 5 goals or more. If a team is winning by 5 goals, the non-winning team may add an extra player to the field. 

RED CARDS: All red cards will be reported to Tournament Headquarters. Player, Coaches, Tournament Director and game referee will meet to decide appropriate disciplinary action.

SCORING TIEBREAKERS:  The following tiebreaker scoring will be used to determine which teams will advance to the semi or final rounds:

1. The winner in head to head competition

2. Fewest goals against

3. Goal differential

4. Most goals for

5. Most total wins

6. Most shut outs

7. If a tie still exists after steps 1 through 6, Penalty Kicks from the penalty mark will be taken thirty (30) minutes prior to the scheduled start of the appropriate Semi-Final game. Check with the Tournament Headquarters to find out which field your team should be prepared to arrive at.

8. If ties exist in the determination of a wild card team, criteria 2 through 7 will be applied.

FINALS/SEMIFINALS/TIEBREAKERS: In any semi-final or final round, if the game is tied at the end of regulation play, two mandatory five-minute (5 min) overtime periods will be played (no golden-goal). If the score is still tied at the end of both overtime periods, penalty kicks will determine the winner in accordance with US Youth Soccer and UYSA rules.

AWARDS: 1st and 2nd place teams in each Division will receive medals for the players on the game roster. Award ceremonies will be held at the tournament headquarters. The winning teams will be crowned Champions and the Championship cup and players will be presented with their medals immediately after the Referee submits the Final Game Score Card. We would also like to award Finalists with medals. Medals will be presented to the players on the roster only and may not always be presented to the coaching staff.

ACADEMY JAMBOREE: U6, U7 and U8 teams that register and pay the entry fee for the Academy Jamboree will play a minimum of 3 games. Games will be played 4v4 without a goal keeper. Game balls will be provided by the Glory Cup tournament for the Academy Jamboree only. Game times will be four 10-minute quarters and no half-time. Participant awards will be provided for each team. No scores or standings will be kept. Rosters may have a maximum of 10 players per team and teams can be coached by an unlicensed volunteer if necessary. 

All tournament rules as outlined by the Glory Cup Tournament Committee are considered final. No disputes or protests will be heard. 

GLORY CUP             

ADDRESS: PO BOX 95534, SO JORDAN, UT 84095

PHONE: 801-403-9406

EMAIL: tournament@utahglorysoccer.com