Pickup soccer has no referee and no rulebook. It has house rules, and each group's are a little different. That's fine, as long as everyone knows your group's version before kick-off. Pick an option for each section below, then fill in the template at the end.
Arrive on time and pay your share
- Be there ten minutes early to help set up. A game that starts late ends early.
- Bring a light and a dark shirt, so teams can be split with or without bibs.
- Pay your share without being asked. The field is paid for either way, and whoever booked it shouldn't have to chase anyone. See splitting field and court fees.
- If you said you're in, come. A spot you hold and don't use is a spot someone on the waitlist couldn't have.
How teams get picked
Lopsided teams end more pickup games than bad weather. The usual ways to pick them:
- Captains pick. Familiar and fast, but the same players get picked last every week, and friends pick friends.
- Shirts. Lights against darks. Quick, and often uneven.
- Balanced by skill. Rate the players, mark the keepers and let a balancer find the closest split. The free team generator does it in your browser with no sign-up. In Rostara, the balancer uses your group's private ratings and the list of who is coming; see the team balancer.
Whichever way you pick, agree on one fix for a runaway game. A common one: when a team leads by four or five goals, it swaps a player with the other side.
Goalkeepers and rotation
Decide this before kick-off. Common options:
- Regular keepers. If two players like going in goal, put one on each team. See how to split goalkeepers between teams.
- Rotate. Everyone takes a turn, changing after every goal conceded or every five to ten minutes.
- No fixed keeper. Some groups let whoever is last back use their hands inside the area.
On a small field, many groups ask keepers to roll or throw the ball out instead of punting it, and some don't let a throw cross halfway.
Fouls, tackles and calling your own
- No slide tackles. Many indoor venues ban them, and on turf or a court they hurt.
- No tackles from behind. Go for the ball, from the side or the front.
- Call your own fouls. The player who was fouled calls it, and the other player gives the ball back without arguing. If two players really disagree, restart with a drop ball.
- Free kicks. Many groups make every free kick indirect, with the other team a few steps back. Penalties are a house choice: some groups skip them, others give one for a clear foul that stops a goal.
Above all, say sorry when you clip someone and let the small stuff go.
Out of play: kick-ins or throw-ins
When the ball goes out, groups pick one of these:
| Option | How it works | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Kick-in | The ball is placed on the line and passed back into play. Futsal's own laws use kick-ins. | Small fields, courts and futsal |
| Throw-in | Two hands, from behind the head, as in the full game. | Bigger grass fields |
| Play off the walls | No out of play along the boards or netting; only over the top or behind the goal stops play. | Cages and boarded fields |
Also settle whether you can score straight from a kick-in. Many groups say no.
Headers and height rules in 5-a-side
Small-sided games often limit how high the ball can go. Groups differ, so treat these as options:
- Head-height rule. Many 5-a-side venues and leagues play it: the ball can't go above head height, and a free kick goes to the other team when it does. Some groups apply it only to shots.
- No heading. Some groups skip headers entirely, especially when ages and sizes are mixed.
- No limit. On a bigger field, many groups play the ball at any height.
Substitutions and rotation
- Rolling subs. Players come on and off at any time, at halfway, without stopping the game.
- Fair minutes. With 12 players for 10 spots, rotate subs in a fixed order every goal or every five minutes, so nobody sits twice before everyone has sat once.
- Three teams on one field. Winner stays on, with games to two goals or seven minutes, whichever comes first. Some groups cap a team at two or three games in a row.
Injuries
- When someone goes down, play stops at once. Whoever sees it shouts, everyone stops where they are, and the team that had the ball gets it back when you restart.
- A knock to the head means sitting out for the rest of the night. Nobody talks them back on. If they were knocked out, are confused, vomit or have a headache that gets worse, call emergency services, and don't let them drive home.
- Be ready. Keep a first-aid kit in someone's bag, know the venue's address for an emergency call, and know where the defibrillator is if the venue has one.
No-shows and late cancellations
One no-show takes a spot from someone on the waitlist and leaves one team a player short. Write down where the line is:
- Set a deadline, such as 24 hours before kick-off. Dropping out after it is a late cancellation.
- Keep a waitlist so an early dropout costs nobody a game. See waitlists and guests.
- Late cancellations and no-shows still pay their share, and repeat offenders get a warning, then a break from signing up.
In Rostara, players can't drop out in the app once RSVPs close; they have to message you. Warnings, fines and suspensions from RSVPs are part of Rostara Pro. See no-shows and late cancellations for a policy you can copy.
Pickup basketball's unwritten rules
- Call next. The next team waiting plays the winners, and winners stay on.
- Agree the score before the first game. Games to 11, 15 or 21, by ones and twos, usually win by two.
- Make it, take it, or loser's ball. Decide which before tip-off.
- Check the ball at the top in half-court games, after every foul, violation or ball out of bounds.
- Call your own fouls, and save the calls for real contact.
The team generator works for basketball too, with its own skills.
A copy-ready rules template
Fill in the square brackets, delete the options you don't use, and post it where everyone will see it: pinned in your group chat, or as a Rostara notice, which stays on the group's board and sends everyone a push notification.
Questions
What are the basic rules of pickup soccer?
There is no official set. Many groups agree on a few house rules: show up on time and pay your share, no slide tackles, call your own fouls, rotating keepers and rolling subs. Write yours down and share them before the first game.
What are the usual rules for 5-a-side?
Venues and leagues publish their own, and casual groups pick and choose. Common ones are kick-ins instead of throw-ins, a head-height rule, no slide tackles, indirect free kicks and rolling subs.
Who calls fouls in pickup soccer?
The player who was fouled. The other player gives the ball back without arguing, and if two players really disagree, the game restarts with a drop ball.
How do I deal with players who don't show up?
Set an RSVP deadline, keep a waitlist, and agree that late cancellations and no-shows still pay their share. In Rostara, warnings and suspensions are part of Rostara Pro.