INDIANAPOLIS, IN (March 5, 2025) — Beginning next school year,
soccer head coaches may be warned, cautioned or ejected for misconduct
committed by bench personnel in the team area. The increased
responsibility of head coaches for team conduct highlights the 2025-26
high school soccer rules changes.
In all, six
rules changes were recommended by the NFHS Soccer Rules Committee at its
February 10-12 meeting in Indianapolis. All rules changes were reviewed
and approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
Rule
12-4-4 was amended to support positive bench decorum and reinforce the
head coach’s responsibility for the conduct of their team and bench
personnel within the team area. The new language allows officials to
take action against the coach in addition to any cautions or ejections
issued to the sanctioned offender.
"The 2025-26
rules changes emphasize accountability and sportsmanship, reinforcing
the head coach’s responsibility for team conduct," said Gibby Reynolds,
chair of the Soccer Rules Committee and an administrator with the Oregon
School Activities Association. "Head coaches have a high degree of
responsibility for their team areas and bench behavior and are to be
held accountable now that officials are allowed to warn, caution or
eject head coaches for misconduct committed by bench personnel. This
change promotes a culture of respect and positive behavior on the
sidelines. These updates, along with the other approved changes,
continue our commitment to improving the high school soccer experience
for players, coaches and officials."
The
committee also addressed behavior toward officials aiming to reduce
unnecessary confrontations. Rule 7-2-4 was added and stipulates that no
coach, player, substitute or other team personnel other than the team
captain can approach or speak to officials during the interval between
periods, unless beckoned by the official. This action will now result in
a yellow card to the offending individual.
A
change to Rule 3-3-2 clarifies that if an official beckons a coach or
appropriate health-care provider for an injured player – including the
goalkeeper – that player must leave the field regardless of the reason
the clock is stopped.
Teams will now be allowed
to substitute when a game is temporarily suspended thanks to a change
to Rule 3-3-2. Often games are paused for water breaks in hot weather.
Teams will now be permitted to make substitutions during these
stoppages.
Rule 4-1-2 was edited to clarify that the number required on the front of the uniform may be on the jersey and/or the shorts.
Finally,
Rule 18, which listed definitions, has been eliminated from the NFHS
Soccer Rules Book. All relevant definitions were relocated to their
corresponding rules, and redundant or outdated terms were removed. In
addition, the index was expanded to better serve as a reference tool.
"Over
the past few years, the rules committee has been committed to
streamlining the rules book for greater clarity and ease of use” said
Julie Cochran, NFHS Director of Sports and liaison to the Soccer Rules
Committee. “By integrating Rule 18’s terms and definitions directly into
their corresponding rule sections, we continue this effort –
eliminating redundancy, resolving potential conflicts and ensuring
consistency. The result is a more intuitive and efficient resource for
all users."
A complete listing of the soccer
rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at
www.nfhs.org.
Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and
select “Soccer.” The print version of the 2025-26 Soccer Rules Book will
be available for purchase in late May at
www.NFHS.com, and the digital
version will be available in May via NFHS Digital at
www.NFHS.org.
According
to the most recent NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey,
soccer is the fifth-most popular sport for boys with 467,483
participants in 12,754 schools nationwide. For girls, it ranks third
with 383,895 participants at 12,307 schools.
