Frequently Asked Questions
Who can play? The Impact League is open to all women aged 18 and players identifying as women. We celebrate diversity in our teams, cultures, companies, friendships, and among feminists and activists. All skill levels are welcome.
How do you score points? Each team is scored in the categories: Impact, Crowd (Followers), PlaySprit, Purpose Project, and Football Score.
Can the goalkeeper come out of the box? Yes, the goalkeeper can play all over, but only use hands inside a goalkeeper area in front of the goal. Because we don’t always have lines on the field, it is a fine judgment by the goalkeeper and the referee how many steps the goalkeeper moves out of the goal when using hands. Around 3 to 4 meters at most.
What happens when the ball goes out of bounds? If the ball goes out of bounds, it is a kick in. We only use kick ins, not throw ins, which means a player puts the ball on the sideline and passes it to a teammate. Players cannot dribble the ball in nor shoot on goal from a kick in.
What about penalty kicks? Again a fine line because we often don’t have lines. So most of the time it will be a foul and not a penalty kick. But we do use them. We use the so-called ‘American’ way, where a player can dribble the ball from the middle to try to score a goal. The goalkeeper is allowed to move from the goal line in the goal up to 1 meter out of the goal.
And yellow cards and red cards? We do not use red or yellow cards.
What will the pitch look like? Will the ball ever leave the pitch? We will play in 5-a-side style pitches, sometimes street style, and other times on a bigger field divided into two fields.
How long is a game and how many games will a team play? Each game is 20 minutes with a 1-2 minute break in between. Each team will play 2 games per game day.
Can we wear soccer boots when playing or what shoes are recommended? Sneakers, cleats, or turf shoes are recommended.
How are we allowed to substitute? Yes, all teams can sub as often as they wish. Make sure your player is out before a new player enters the field.
My team has never played football, how is it going to go when we play against teams with experienced footballers—how can we make sure they can still compete against these types of teams? Some teams will have football experience, some will not - and that's part of the game when playing in the Impact League. It's also why winning a game only counts ¼ of the points given. We ask all players to play at a level that allows everyone to be the best player they can be. Everyone is welcome in this league and encouraged to play
Can the coaches also play, or do the coaches have to stay as coaches? Not all teams have a coach, but if you do and your coach is women then she is free to play.
What happens if someone gets injured during a game? We will have simple first-aid supplies like ice on hand and will help each other if a player needs to go to the emergency room. It's crucial for all teams and players to have the necessary insurance to cover any medical expenses.
What is a Players Tunnel? After each game the teams meet again in the middle, say thank you for a great game and then go on to create the Players Tunnel for the next 2 teams to run through. Players tunnel is a playful way to have a moment together with the other team, and to celebrate each other.
What about heading the ball and hard tackles? No and no. We have taken heading and all hard tackles out of our game. We will play on fields slightly bigger than standard 5-a-side games to give more distance between players, reducing physical confrontations. There are no fouls if someone makes a header on the field, and it doesn't count as a goal either. Even small hits to our heads can have a long-term impact on a our brain, so it's simply not worth the risk.
And what about complaints? If a coach or player complains too much during the game, the referee can stop the game and give the ball to the other team. If the complaining continues more than 3-5 times, the referee can award a penalty.
And fouls and hard tackles? No hard tackles or sliding tackles are allowed. This will result in a free kick (foul) to the other team. You can steal and block the ball fairly.
If there is a foul, the other team gets the ball at the point of the foul, and the player who committed the foul must move 3 meters away.
If the ball hits a player's close-to-body arm, it's not a foul. But if the ball hits a player's arm outside/away from the body, it's a foul to the other team.
When does a goal count? A goal only counts if the entire ball has crossed the goal line.
We do not use offside.
We do American Penalty Kick if there is a tie on final game day. On the last game day, if 2 or more teams have the same total score in all categories (not just soccer), each team will have 3 penalty kicks.
Each team chooses 3 players to do the first 3 kicks and the teams will take turns.
If the score after 3 penalty kicks is still a tie, each team continues to take one kick at a time until one team has a better score after an equal amount of kicks.