Tournament House Rules

BNP Paribas embraces mix gender equality, participants should treat opponents and the referees respectfully on and off the field.

General/ Safety Playing Rules

• There is no offside.
• There is no head height restrictions.
• All players must wear shin guards for the game.
• The pitch surface is Artificial Grass.
• It is recommended to wear Artificial Grass boots or Astroturf trainers. Metal studs is forbidden.
• No sliding tackles.
• All Players on the same team, should wear the same colour shirt.
• Jewellery, watch, sunglasses, hats or normal glasses is forbidden to be worn during matches.
• The draw for the groups will be made prior to the event by the organiser. 

Referees

• Please respect the referee, any dissent will not be tolerated.
• The referee will deal with all fouls and misconduct and will be punished accordingly.
• The referee holds the final decision.
• All cautions are reported to the organiser at the end of each game.

Football Matches

• The game is 7v7 (must include at least one female and one male at the start of each game).  If a team starts without at least one female and one male player, the team will start with 0-2 goal deficit at the start of the game.
• Each team can field a maximum of 7 players on the pitch, of which one needs to be a goalkeeper.
• Each team can field a maximum of 6 female or male players on the pitch at the same time.
• Matches must be played according to the schedule determined by the organiser.
• Matches will kick off on designated times, a team not at the pitch 5mins after the scheduled time will be deemed to have forfeit the game 3-0.
• Substitutions are unlimited, but must be done when play has stopped under the direction of the referee.
• Penalty kick to be taken 6 yards out, players cannot take more than 3 steps before the kick for safety of the keeper.

BNP Paribas Kick Off Cup 2024

• The back-pass rule is valid: It states the goalkeeper is forbidden to handle the ball when passed to them by a team-mate.
• The goalkeeper is allowed to pick-up the ball in designated area.
• Players must retreat 5 yards away from the ball for free kicks (where possible).
• A player can only play for the registered team in the tournament.  A team found to breach the rule will forfeit the game 3-0.

Yellow and Red Cards

• If a player receives a ’Yellow Card’ during the game, the player is sin-binned and must leave the field for 2 minutes.  S/he cannot be replaced by another squad player for the duration of the 2 minutes.
• If a player receives a ‘Red Card’ during the game, the player leaves the game immediately.  S/he cannot be replaced by another squad player for the remaining of the game.
• A player who receives a ‘Red Card’ is automatically suspended for the following game.
• If the player receives more than one ‘Red Card’ they shall no longer participate in the tournament.  

Group Matches

• Games are 15 minutes straight through.
• There are 5 Teams per group.
• 3 points awarded for a win; 1 point for a draw; 0 point for a loss.
• If two or more teams are tied on the same points after the group matches, goal difference will be used to separate the tie, followed by goals scored, followed by head to head result. If still tied, a sudden death knockout penalty shootout will take place.
• First and Second place teams in the group will qualify for the Cup and Plate competition. Third place teams will qualify for the Bowl. Fourth placed will qualify for the Shield followed by fifth placed team qualifying for the Plaque.