Tournament of Terrors

Austin Community Soccer Association (ACSA) is a soccer league, BUT we’re a soccer league that emphasizes fun and the safety of our players above everything else. This tournament is a celebration to bring our broader community together while playing a game we all love, not a trophy brawl.

Whatever motivations people have for playing soccer – whether to win, score goals, get in shape, meet people, drink beer, have something to do, build community, change the world, all of these things or none of these – there is no judgement, but please don’t tear people down in pursuit of them. These motivations should never supersede others’ humanity, dignity or safety.

If we can – when we can – let’s build each other up, BUT at the very least have zero impact. Scoring a goal should not be at the expense of someone’s safety, not getting a call in your favour should not be a reason to dehumanize someone.

ABUSIVE AND DISCRIMINATORY BEHAVIOURS—physical, verbal, psychological—defined as any language and/or action used that is intended to insult, degrade, threaten, frighten, harm or harass any participant (players, referees, spectator, etc) of an Austin Community Soccer Association activity will not be tolerated by our community including but not limited to racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, ageism, xenophobia, etc. These behaviours are not representative of ACSA’s mission to provide adults with a safe organized and fun environment where EVERYONE feels WELCOME and celebrated. We truly believe in the strength and integrity of our community and this beautiful game to create a better Austin where everyone thrives. Any of these behaviours will result in immediate removal from the tournament.

Tournament Rules

ACSA’s cultural expectations and SoccerZone Lakeline’s 7v7 indoor playing rules will be used with the following notable exceptions:

All goals are 1 point.

Shin guards are encouraged, but not mandatory.

The goalie may be male or female-identifying and does not count towards field player allocations. The six (6) field players may consist of more than three (3) women, but no more than three (3) men.*

There is no clock delay/stoppage for goalie substitution.

First offense of “boarding” (propelling an opponent into the wall) is a yellow card (4 min penalty). A second offence – at any time during the tournament – results in a red card. See red card offense below.

Any red card offense results in the player’s ejection from the tournament and facility and a team penalty for remainder of that game – playing down 1 player.

Cards are cumulative during all games in group stage and knock-out but don’t carry over from group to knock-out.

This is a celebration and soccer activity – adults 21+ will be expected to manage their behaviour and use good judgement as it pertains to the consumption of alcohol. If anyone is deemed unfit or in an unsafe space to participate, they will not be permitted to play.

As it is a Halloween tournament and party – we highly encourage everyone to wear costumes. These can be worn during play if they are not a danger to anyone on the field. Costumes are also required to be appropriate for a family-friendly, mixed environment. If you have questions about this, please email me at President@ACSAsoccer.org.

Tournament Format

Group round (2 groups, 12 total teams), teams play 5-10min games. Wins = 3 points, ties =1 point, loss = 0 points. Group round standings determine elimination round schedule, top 4 teams from each group advance. If the knock-out round games end in a tie (including final), we go straight to penalty shootout. Quarter and semi are 10min, final is 15min.

In the event of a penalty shootout, any player who played during that game may participate. Each round is three (3) shots and must include at least 1 representative of each gender identity in each round. Best of three (3), then one (1) to one (1) until there is a winner.

*Gender fluid and non-binary players self-select their field identity with their captains. If any issues arise or there are any questions, the matters can be resolved privately with Alissa.

Tournament Schedule

Games are tightly scheduled with only 2min breaks between. Teams need to be dressed and ready for their scheduled start time. We’ll do our best to stay on track and have volunteers available to help stage and move teams along.

Schedule details are shared directly with captains.