The countdown is on! Our 3rd Annual Holiday Classic is just four (4) days away. A lot of information below. Please take the time to read through the entirety of this news article to ensure your team(s) are prepared for the weekend.
Schedule & Format
The schedule is now posted on the Coliseum website. To view the schedule, go to coliseum.ca, 'Schedule/Stats' from the top menu, and 'Schedule'. Select the appropriate league:
- Boys Holiday Festival U13 (BU13 only)
- Boys Holiday Classic Tournament U14-U18
- Girls Holiday Classic Tournament U14-U16
Keep in mind there are several boys and girls divisions, so double check you're looking at the right one. Here's the format for each division:
Boys U13 Group A
- Four (4) teams, play each opponent once
- 3x 40-minute games (no halftime)
- All games at the RA Saturday morning
- No standings or playoffs
Boys U13 Group B
- Five (5) teams, play each opponent once
- 4x 30-minute games (no halftime)
- All games at the RA Saturday morning
- No standings or playoffs
Boys U14 Tier 1
- Five (5) teams
- 4x group games. Play each opponent once
- Saturday group games at OttawaU Lees between 10am-3pm. Sunday morning group games at RA
- Group games are 30-minutes, no halftime
- 2nd v 3rd will play in the semifinal at 11:30am
- The semifinal winner will play 1st in the final at 2:30pm
- **all semis and finals are 40-minute games with a brief 2-minute halftime. Games that are tied at the end of regulation go straight to PKs**
Boys U14 Tier 2
- Seven (7) teams
- 6x group games. Play each opponent once
- Saturday group games at RA between 10:15am-4pm. Sunday morning group games at RA
- Group games are 20-minutes, no halftime
- 2nd v 3rd will play in the semifinal at 10:40am
- The semifinal winner will play 1st in the final at 12:20pm
- **all semis and finals are 40-minute games with a brief 2-minute halftime. Games that are tied at the end of regulation go straight to PKs**
Boys U15
- Seven (7) teams
- 6x group games. Play each opponent once
- Group games are 20-minutes, no halftime
- Saturday group games at OttawaU between 10am-3pm. Sunday morning group games at RA
- 2nd v 3rd will play in the semifinal at 12pm
- The semifinal winner will play 1st in the final at 2:10pm
- **all semis and finals are 40-minute games with a brief 2-minute halftime. Games that are tied at the end of regulation go straight to PKs**
Boys U16
- Eight teams in two groups of four (4): Group A & Group B
- 3x group games. Play each opponent in your group once
- Group games are 40-minutes, no halftime
- Saturday group games at the RA between 12:50-9pm. No Sunday Group games (only playoffs)
- The top two from each division will qualify for the semifinals on Sunday. Semifinal #1 at 1:15pm, semifinal #2 at 1:30pm
- The winners of that will play in the final at 3:05pm
- **all semis and finals are 40-minute games with a brief 2-minute halftime. Games that are tied at the end of regulation go straight to PKs**
Boys U17/18
- Six (6) teams in one group
- 5x group games. Play each opponent once
- Group games are 25-minutes, no halftime
- Saturday group games at OttawaU between 10am-3pm. Sunday morning group games at the RA
- 2nd v 3rd will play in the semifinal at 1:15pm
- The semifinal winner will play 1st in the final at 3:10pm
- **all semis and finals are 40-minute games with a brief 2-minute halftime. Games that are tied at the end of regulation go straight to PKs**
Girls U14/15
- Five (5) teams
- 4x group games. Play each opponent once
- Group games are 30-minutes, no halftime
- Saturday group games at the RA between 7am-12:45pm. There are no Sunday group games.
- 2nd v 3rd will play in the semifinal at 11:50am
- The semifinal winner will play 1st in the final at 2:10pm
- **all semis and finals are 40-minute games with a brief 2-minute halftime. Games that are tied at the end of regulation go straight to PKs**
Girls U15/16
- Six (6) teams in one group
- 5x group games. Play each opponent once
- Group games are 25-minutes, no halftime
- Saturday group games at the RA between 2:20-8:30pm. Sunday morning group games at the RA
- 2nd v 3rd will play in the semifinal at 12:40pm
- The semifinal winner will play 1st in the final at 3:05pm
- **all semis and finals are 40-minute games with a brief 2-minute halftime. Games that are tied at the end of regulation go straight to PKs**
Tiebreaker
In the even that two or more teams are tied on points, the following tiebreaker will be used:
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Head-to-head goal encounters
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Most wins
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Goal differential
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Goals for
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Coin toss (have never had to use this, hope we never do!)
Playoff Games Ending in a tie
If the final is tied at the end of regulation, the game goes directly to penalties. Each team has three (3) shooters. The players that are shooting do NOT need to be on the field. If teams are tied after three shooters, penalties move to sudden death 1 for 1. Everyone on the gamesheet must shoot before the first shooter shoots again (one of our league playoff games last year had 15 shooters per team, it can happen!)
Locations
RA Centre
This address for this location is 2451 Riverside Drive (the big white dome). There is parking at the dome. If it's full, you can park across the street by the eastern side of the RA Centre. In the event that both lots are full, there is parking at the Walmart (250-300 meters east of the dome). The staff desk is to your right upon entry to the facility. Please have a coach or manager come by the desk to say hi and check in before your team's first game.
EVERYONE AT THE RA DOME MUST ENTER AND EXIT THROUGH THE MAIN ENTRANCE ONLT. THE MAIN ENTRANCE IS THE REVOLVING DOOR. DO NOT USE THE EMERGENCY EXITS.
All Sunday games will be played at this location. There are games starting at 7:00am on both days at this facility. The dome will be open by no later than 6:30am.
There are two (2) porta potties on site (far from luxurious). They are 10-15 meters from the entrance of the dome, next to the garage. One of them will be locked. This is for females. The key is with staff at the desk. Alternatively, there are several bathrooms at the RA Centre - roughly 200 meters from the entrance of the dome. Upon exiting the facility, look to your right and you will see a blue sign that reads ‘EAST WING’. Walk through those doors, and there will be staff at the desk who can point you in the right direction.
There is no seating at the facility, however they are more than welcome to bring portable chairs. The same goes for teams if you have a portable bench you'd like to bring. Spectators must be 1.5 yards or more away from the touch line. This tends to be a recurring problem. We will continue reminding folks over the course of the weekend, but any help you and your spectators can help provide would be appreciated.
Teams and spectators must sit on opposite sides of the field. The idea is to have team benches adjacent to team benches.neighboring fields.
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Field #1: South = Spectators, North = Bench Areas
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Field #2: South = Bench Area, North = Spectators
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Field #3: South = Spectators, North = Bench Areas
Staff will help point folks in the right direction.
If you or any spectators need snacks or coffee over the course of the weekend, there is a Walmart and a small shopping a couple hundred meters from the dome – opposite direction from the RA Centre. There are bathrooms there too.
We have ice and a first aid kit on hand (but teams are strongly encouraged to bring their own).
OttawaU Lees
The address for this location is 200 Lees Avenue.
Only the following divisions have games here on Saturday between 10am-3pm:
- Boys U14 Tier 1
- Boys U15
- Boys U17/18
Please note: the facility will NOT be open until 9:45am on Saturday. Be sure to let your players and parents know so they're not arriving too early. There are NO games here on Sunday.
The bathroom for this facility is in the building across from the entrance of the dome. Go straight/veer slightly left. It's a 20-30 meter walk. If you have trouble finding them, please ask a Coliseum or OttawaU staff member. They will point you in the right direction.
Parking passes will be needed to park at this facility. These are the same passes that are used for league games. If your team already has them, you are all set. If you do not have them, there will be some available for pickup inside the OttawaU dome. They are on the desk - on your right just past the revolving door entrance.
Pregame/Postgame
There will be just five (5) minutes in between matches. After finishing your game, please immediately direct your players to grab their gear and move it away from the bench area. The next two teams will drop their gear at their bench area and should be ready to kickoff a couple of minutes later. If the coach wants to do a post-game chat or cool down, he/she may do so behind the nets where they warmed up.
Admin
Game sheets
The Coliseum will be providing game sheets for each match. Here's what we need from the team manager:
- Ensure everyone's name who is playing is on the gamesheet
- Double check to ensure they are wearing that jersey number. Multiple players cannot wear the same number. If you have 2 or more players in this boat, bring tape with you to create a unique jersey number
- If there are players listed on the game sheet that aren’t playing or sitting on the bench, the team manager must
cross their name off.
Rosters
Players must be registered in the Ontario Soccer database (Sports Engine) and satisfy the age requirements (or Quebec Soccer equivalent). To note: multiple TRRs can be used for each team. As long as they are on a club's TRR and satisfy the age requirement for the tournament, they are eligible. The same goes for coaches and managers. If they are not on the gamesheet they must sit with the spectators. Teams must bring a copy of their TRR with them.
Please note that rosters cannot be changed after Friday. All players must be printed on the gamesheet. Players added to the roster on Saturday or Sunday will be deemed INELIGIBLE. You should double triple check to ensure everyone who is playing, or MIGHT play is listed on the gamesheet. We will go over player approvals one last time Friday morning (December 26).
Tournament Rules
Below is an overview of our Tournament and 7-a-side rules. If you want to get into the knitty gritty check out our Tournament Rules or 7-A-Side Rules. Here's a brief overview:
Equipment
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Players may use indoor shoes or cleats, provided the cleats do not have metal studs
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If teams have a similar jersey colour, it is the responsibility of the home team to change. If your team does not have an alternate jersey be sure to bring pinnies. We will have some but cannot guarantee they weren't worn earlier that day...
Rosters
Discipline
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All fouls/hand balls outside the box are indirect (inside is a PK)
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Yellow cards result in the player being sent off, and the team to play short for two (2) minutes OR until their opponent scores
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Red cards result in the player being dismissed from the game, and the team playing short for five (5) minutes (regardless of if their opponent scores)
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Red card reports will be sent to our remote discipline panel immediately after the conclusion of the game for review and to determine next steps. A decision will be communicated before the team’s next game
Shootouts
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Playoff games that are tied after regulation will go directly to penalties.
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Penalties are taken from the top of the box
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Each team will have three (3) shooters. The players do not need to be on the field when the game ends – any player can shoot. If it is tied after three shooters, penalties continue in sudden death style (1 for 1). All players must shoot before the first penalty taker can shoot a second time.
7-a-side Rules
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Seven players on the field at a time (including goalkeeper)
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Ball size five (5)
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No slide tackling. A slide tackle is considered a slide where an opponent is a yard or less away from a player (not easy to officiate, remind your players to play to the whistle).
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No offsides
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Balls that go out along the sides are kick ins (not throw ins)
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All freekicks outside the box and kickins are indirect
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Corner kicks, kickoffs and goalkicks are direct
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Distance on all restarts is five (5) yards
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Outfield players can sub on the fly. If a team wants to change their goalkeeper they must notify the match official
Other
"The maximum score a team can win a game by is six (6). The entire game will be played, regardless of what the score is, however if a team wins by more than six, the score will input into the website will be the goals the losing team scored plus six for the winner."
Ex: Team A beats Team B 12-2. The final score will be 8-2.
Participant & Spectator Behaviour
The Coliseum will not tolerate foul and abusive language. While at the venue, any coach, parent, team official, player or spectator threatening violence or verbal abuse to any individual will be ejected from the facility, and the entire team may be ejected from the tournament. This type of behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. If there is an issue, do not engage. Bring it to the attention of our staff.
Last Reminder: the team manager's priority at this time should be getting all of your players added to the Coliseum website. If a player is unlikely to play, but there is still a small chance he or she will, add the to your roster! There are typically a couple of teams asking to add players on Sunday - this is NOT permitted. Make the assumption that a couple of players won't be able to make it on Sunday for whatever reason. There is no harm in adding too many players. You can have up to eighteen (18) players on your roster.
We will be online today and tomorrow, and offline Thursday. We will be online for a couple of hours in the late morning/early afternoon Friday to review player roster requests, respond to any emails and potentially follow up with teams if we forgot any information in this communication.
Have a wonderful rest of the week and holiday. Looking forward to a fun weekend of footy!
Thanks,
- Your Coliseum Team