Rules - Keeper Wars Ink

RULES OF THE GAME

GOALKEEPER RULES OF WARFARE

*Updated Field Schematic *Affective 2025

FIELD OF PLAY BY Age Group

Keeper Wars Ink uses 3 Different Sized Fields based on Age Group.

Players Register by Birth Year. (Birth year is simple and does not change with the school year.)

Small Fields (12 yards wide x 18 yards long) / 9U-11U Age Groups / 6.5 x 18.5 Goals / Field divided into thirds. No goal boxes
Medium Fields (12 yards wide x 18 yards long) / 12U-13U Age Groups / 7' x 21' Goals / Field divided into halves with goal boxes
Large Fields (12 yards wide x 22 yards long) / 14U & Older Age Groups / 8' x 24' Goals / Field divided into halves with goal boxes

*Tournament Directors may combine age groups if the numbers combined provide better competition for both groups. (Ex: 10U & 11U may be combined to 10U-11U.)

*Younger age groups may use either 6.5' x 18.5' or 7' x 21' goals depending on location/facility

SOCCER BALLS (WEAPONS)

Only one ball is permitted on the field of play during match play.
If two or more balls are on the field during match play, the referee, at his/her discretion may stop the game until the excess balls are removed. (There will be 8 balls at each field.)
Size 4 balls = 12U and under
Size 5 balls = 13U and older

(If age groups are mixed, the ball size for the older age group will be used.)

GAME PROCEDURES

Each goalkeeper must report to the referee/field marshal 5 minutes prior to their scheduled match and provide their name. The referee/field marshal will oversee "rock, paper, scissors, shoot" in lieu of a coin toss. The winner will choose if they want to start with the ball or decide which side they want to start on.
If you are not at your field within the grace period of 5 minutes from the game time, the referee will award a 1-0 forfeit win to the opponent who was present.
All other bracket participants will be required to act as ball retrievers and feeders. (We request that each keeper bring 1-2 ball boys/girls to shag.)

REFEREE / FIELD MARSHAL / DIRECTOR

Each match is controlled by a referee who has full authority to enforce the rules of the tournament director including but not limited to the following:

Referees will score each goal, save and clean catch for all players in all age groups.
Ensures that the ball meets size and inflation requirements
Ensures player equipment requirements
Shin guards are not required for our event
Acts as timekeeper and scorekeeper for each match
Stops, suspends, or terminates the match, at his/her discretion for any rule infringements, safety precautions, player injuries, unsportsmanlike conduct from participants, parents and/or fans
All match related decisions are determined by the referee and are considered final once a match has ended.
The Tournament Director reserves the right to modify the tournament rules should he/she deem it necessary.
All decisions are final, no protests and no videos will be accepted.

TIME LIMIT

The match duration is 2 halves of 3 minutes each, with keepers changing goals during a 1-minute half-time.
When the timer sounds end of half, if the ball was already touched, kicked, thrown, etc. the play will be allowed to finish.

EVENT FORMAT

Each goalie is guaranteed a minimum of 4-7 games, dependent on the event.

3 points are awarded for a win / 1 point for a tie / 0 points for a loss

Tiebreaker Protocol:

Points
Head to Head (In the event of a 3 way tie, head to head is taken out of consideration.)
Most Clean Catches *(Also a Tie breaker on Day 1 for individual games.)
Least Goals Conceded (Goals Against)
Goal Differential
Sudden Death PK Shootout

scoring

Competitors receive points by scoring on the opposing goalkeeper like in a full sided game. 1 point for each goal scored. (There is no max goals allowed.)

Clean Catches

A "Clean Catch" is defined as the ball is shot by the opposing keeper and caught by the defending keeper, 1st contact with the ball, with no bounce beforehand. The ball must go directly into the defending keeper's hands and they must maintain possession of it. (No deflection then a catch. No catch then a juggle or fumble.)

*This is a fundamental and critical skill for goalkeepers to learn. In Keeper Wars, we reward a keeper for making a save... If they save it and the ball goes out of bounds, then they get the ball back. But in a full sided game, this could end in a corner kick or the opposing team getting the ball.

Therefore, Clean Catches will be used as a tie breaker, as described below on Saturday Only.

Tied Game Rules

Round Robin/Pool Play: Games during match play (round robin/pool play) that are tied at end of regulation will be decided by which keeper has the most clean catches for that match.

Example: If a round robin game ends in a tie, 5-5, then the keeper with the most clean catches will be awarded 1 extra point to win the game, 6-5. If both keepers are tied in clean catches, then the game will be scored as a tie.

Playoff Games: All Playoff games will not be allowed to end in a tie. In the event of a tie during playoff competition, an overtime period of 3 minutes will be played. (Keepers will play the full 3 minutes, no golden goal.)

ShootOut: If after 3 minutes of Overtime, the game is still tied then the players will go to Sudden Death PK Shootout. (PK's are 10 yds for 11U and below and 12 yds for 12U and up.)

Overtime Scoring: Overtime wins are scored with 1 more goal being given to the winner. (Actual goals scored during overtime will be documented on the game card.)

DISTRIBUTION

Distribution is the method by which a goalkeeper starts or restarts play and scores goals.

A goalkeeper may distribute the ball in the following ways from their hands or the ground:

Throw
Volley
Dropkick
Stationary kick
Roll and kick

SIX-SECOND SHOOTING RULES

Goalkeepers must distribute the ball within 6 seconds of taking possession of the ball. Possession means that said goalkeeper firmly maintains control of the ball by catching it, stopping it, or receiving it from the sideline.
In the event that the ball is not distributed within 6 seconds the designated goalkeeper will be called for a delay of game. A delay of game violation results in a change of ball possession.
*Younger groups can go all the way to the first line on their fields and shoot within 6 seconds.
All small KW Fields (11U and younger) will have a center section (dead zone) (see field diagram above) that neither keeper can go into during gameplay to shoot or save the ball.
*Older groups have 6 seconds and 3-4 yards (see field diagram above) from their own goal line to try and score.

STARTS / RESTARTS

The referee will oversee "rock, paper, scissors, shoot" in lieu of a coin toss. Whoever wins will decide if they want the ball first or pick which side of the field they start the game on.
Keepers switch sides at the half.
The keeper that did not start with the ball at the beginning of the match starts with the ball in the second half.

OUT OF PLAY

The ball is out of play when:

It has entirely crossed the goal line or touch line whether on the ground or in the air.
If a goalkeeper saves or deflects the ball out of bounds it remains your ball. If you are scored on the ball will restart in your hands to continue play.
Ball shaggers are allowed to toss or roll the keeper the ball when needed. *Ball shaggers are not allowed on the field.

BALL IN PLAY

After the keeper makes a save he/she can attempt to score within the designated shooting area, using any type of distribution within 6 seconds.
Rebound Rule: After the ball is deflected off the keeper or crossbar/post and enters the other players half they will have the chance to shoot a one time finish on any rebounds given up but ONLY if it enters their half of the field. Once the ball enters back into the original shooter's half of the field, the keeper can either shoot it one time up to the half line of the field OR bring it back to their original shooting area and not have to use one touch to score. If they bring it back to their original shooting area they have to shoot from the original shooting zone and not up to half. (Rebound Rule is for a rebound that comes off the opposing keeper, not yourself.)
- 9U-11U ages do not have a half line for their fields but must stay in their own 3rd of the field at all times (marked by cones or painted lines). These keepers also do not have to use one touch to score off of a rebound, they can stop the ball and re-kick it if it comes back into their 3rd of the field.
Any rebound that goes into the initial shooter's goal is not counted as a goal. This is played as an out of bounds and given to the opposing keeper as a restart. The keeper must have possession and follow all other rules in order to score on their opponent.

GOAL SCORE

A goal is scored when the entire ball passes completely over the goal line, between the goal posts, and under the crossbar, provided that no infringement of the laws of the game has been committed prior to the goalkeeper distribution.
A goal cannot be scored from the opponent’s shooting area.

Penalty Kicks

All spectators will be behind the halfway line on the opposite side of where the kicks from the mark will take place.
All soccer balls will be at the halfway line.
Rock paper scissors, 1st win, no best of 3, one and done, to determine who will shoot first.
PK will be sudden death; each keeper will get one possession minimum to shoot against the opposing keeper.
Gk will shoot at the referee's signal; the referee’s whistle or verbal signal.
One referee will stand at the mark, a second referee will stand at the goal line to observe for encroachment and watching the ball cross the line.
Encroaching goalkeeper that makes a save will result in the kick being re-taken.
All recordings of the gk penalty shoot outs must be captured behind the halfway line no exceptions.

MATCH WINNER

The goalkeeper earning the greatest number of goals by the end of the match is the winner.

OFFSIDE

A keeper is offside when he/she enters the opponent's half. After infringement, he/she loses possession of the ball. Play resumes with both keepers starting on their own goal lines.

MODIFICATIONS

Any or all rule modifications may be made at the tournament director's discretion including but not limited to:

Combining Age Groups
Field size
Ball size
Goal size
Game duration
Adjustment of the total number of matches

Weather related stoppage of play

If the weather stops playing during a match. For the match to count, the match must make it to half time to stand as an official match played. If a weather-related issue stops the match prior to making it to half time the match will be postponed. If the match is not able to continue due to weather, the game will not officially count as played.

If weather stops the event from completing and a minimum number of 3 games have been played, the event will be considered final. Standings will determine the winners.

If fewer than 3 games have been played, then a partial refund will be given or a transfer of the full registration fee to another event will be offered.

Injuries

Keepers must complete the match in order to win the match. Once a serious injury takes place, an Athletic trainer must state they are safe to continue to play the game. Once this takes place, parents and injured players are able to decide if they would like to continue.
If a player drops out leading up to finals matches (quarterfinals, semifinals, or finals) the next highest ranked player in their bracket will be moved up in the injured player's position. *We strongly advise not leaving our event early if you are close to moving on to finals games due to this possibility.

CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY

If the Keeper Wars event or the tournament Keeper Wars Ink is partnered with gets canceled due to forces beyond our control including: inclement weather, health related events or the like, the participant registration fees may be transferred to another Keeper Wars Ink event or a 100% credit may be issued to the participant's account. A partial refund may be given as well, depending on the circumstance.
For participant withdrawals, a credit/transfer of registration will only be given with advanced notice, 2 weeks before the event. 50% refunds for player withdrawals will only be issued for certain circumstances.
Refunds or credits will not be given without prior notification or if the player is a "No Show" on game day.

National Qualifying Rules & Requirements

*Updated April 2025

Individual bracket winners of the City/Showcase Tour events (regional events) qualify for the National Championship, which takes place each year in July.

NEW in 2024-2025 Season: Keeper Wars Ink will have single age groups and 2 Divisions at our National Championships; Premier & Championship.

Our 5th Annual National Championships will take place July 25-27, 2025. Both divisions will play the same weekend.

City Tour Events (Regional Qualifiers):

All players in al bracket will compete in round robin/pool play games on day 1. Players are grouped by a random draw.
For brackets of 10 or less players, the division for day 2 will be the Premier Playoff Division.
For brackets with more than 10-12 players, who finish in the top half of their group on day 1 will advance to the Premier Playoff Round, to compete in the Premier Division at the National Event. The players who finish in the bottom half of their group on day 1 will compete in the Championship Division at the National Event.
Tournament Directors have the right to move players to the division appropriate for their skill level, taking into consideration their qualifying event as well as their National rankings.

Invitation Procedures

If a National qualifying goalkeeper is not able to compete at the national event for any reason, the second place competitor for the specific national qualifying event may be eligible/invited to the national championship event.
If a keeper qualifies for nationals at multiple City/Showcase Tour events, he or she will only qualify once at the first event he or she took part in. In this case the following keeper wars second place winners will qualify for a national championship tour spot invitation.
- Ex) If Mary won 3 separate keeper Wars events, the second place winners in the second and third event that Mary won will qualify for the nationals.
Wildcard Spots will be offered to fill open spots at Nationals to keepers who have participated in a Keeper Wars event during the season, with first offers being given in order of placement at a City Tour event such as; 2nd place, 3rd place, semi-finalists.
Goalkeepers are able to participate in multiple events throughout the year at any location they would like to compete in.

Sanctioning Event Information

Out of state players may be required to acquire an out of state player pass for City/Showcase Tour events. If this is necessary, KWI staff will assist you in securing your pass.

2024 KEEPER WARS INK