Elite Clubs National League (ECNL)
Game Length. ECNL Competitions shall be played with the following game length:
- U13: 2 X 35 minutes Center Referee $80, Assistant Referee $60
- U14: 2 X 40 minutes Center Referee $85, Assistant Referee $60
- U15: 2 X 40 minutes Center Referee $85, Assistant Referee $60
- U16: 2 X 40 minutes Center Referee $85, Assistant Referee $60
- U17: 2 X 45 minutes Center Referee $100, Assistant Referee $75
- U18/19: 2 X 45 minutes Center Referee $100, Assistant Referee $75
The ECNL will adopt all of the new FIFA law changes with one exception. The league will NOT adopt the law regarding players covering their mouth with their hand to disguise potentially discriminatory behavior or communication. Since this was an optional law change the league is choosing not to adopt this law and it should not be enforced. Of course, the league does not tolerate discriminatory behavior or communication, so if a referee observes or sees this behavior directly, please address with appropriate sanctions and reporting.
Additionally, the league will NOT adopt the “Only the Captain” protocol for the 2026-27 season before it becomes mandatory in the 2027-28 season and this rule will not apply. This continues our stance from last season as the law remains optional at this point.
2. ECNL Competition Rules Updates
Starting in the 2026-27 ECNL regular season U13 and U14 Boys and Girls regular season matches will have unlimited substitutions and move to a “substitution moment” system. There will be three windows per half for substitutions and subs will be unlimited within those three substitution moments. These moments can occur at any stoppage of play when the referee allows an ECNL coach to substitute players. If a team piggy-backs on a moment that the other team is making a substitution, this counts as the use of a moment for both teams, not just the initiating team. Halftime does not count as a moment, there are three (3) moments per half plus halftime. Additionally, if there is a suspected head injury and a temporary substitute enters the field for the injured player to be evaluated this does not count as a moment unless other substitutes also enter during the stoppage. I have included the full rule below.
3.9.2 U13 – U14 ECNL Regular Season Competition in Conference Play. Clubs have unlimited player substitutions within three “Substitution Moments” in each half and at halftime. A “Substitution Moment” is a stoppage in play when the coach of an ECNL Team is allowed by the referee to substitute players. If both teams substitute players in the same Substitution Moment, the Substitution Moment counts as one of the three allowed Substitution Moments for both ECNL Teams. Any eligible ECNL Registered Player may be substituted in each Substitution Moment. A substitution of a player under Rule 3.9.4 “Head Injury” will not count as a Substitution Moment, provided only the player with the potential head injury is substituted.
Finally, there has been an update to the rule regarding Temporary Substitutes for Suspected Head Injuries. This update clarifies what occurs following the completion of the evaluation by the ATC. If the player being evaluated is cleared to return to play, that player should re-enter the match at the first moment possible following the clearance. This re-entry does not count as a substitution moment unless other substitutes also enter. If the player being evaluated is not cleared to return to play, the temporary substitute should be removed from the game at the earliest moment possible following the decision by the health care professional. I have included the full rule below.
Head Injury Exceptions. Any player suspected of suffering a head injury must be evaluated by a health care professional prior to returning to play. If a player is being evaluated on-site by a health care professional for possible return to play, the player may be temporarily substituted while the evaluation occurs, without the substitution counting against the team’s total number of substitutions and without prohibiting re-entry by the player being evaluated if he/she is ultimately cleared. This temporary substitution for evaluation of a potential head injury may take place regardless of whether the team has used all substitutions for the half or all Substitution Moments. For purposes of clarification, if the team has used all eligible substitutions (7) for the half or all Substitution Moments, the team may still substitute a player into the game who has already been substituted for purposes of this head injury evaluation. For further clarification, if the team has not yet used all eligible substitute players in the half, the temporary substitute must be a player who is still eligible to enter. If the player being evaluated is cleared to continue participation, that player should re-enter the game at the first substitution possible after the clearance decision is made by the health care professional. If the player being evaluated is not cleared to continue participation by the health care professional, the player that was temporarily substituted should be removed from the game when the final decision is made by the health care professional.
Please note RL will continue with the same rules as applied to the laws of the game as last season.
Substitution Rule (FCL differs from ECNL)
We want to specifically call out that while the ECNL has updated their Substitution Rules for certain age groups for 26/27 – The Florida ECNL RL (operated by FCL) will continue to use the SAME approved Substitution format as last season.
That Subsititution rule is listed below and can also be found in the FCL Handbook (Pg. 30)
ECNL-RL Substitutions (FCL Exception to ECNL Competition Rules)
Teams are allowed a maximum of three (3) substitution moments per half, per team with water breaks not considered a substitution moment. Players who are substituted may re-enter the game at any time, provided they are substituted off during a stoppage in play.
Injury Substitutions:
● If your team has available substitution moments, an injury substitution will count as one of those moments, and additional substitutions can be made during the same stoppage.
● If your team does not have any remaining substitution moments, an injured player may leave the field, but no substitute may enter in their place. To clarify, the team with the injured player would play a player-down in this situation, until substitution moments are reset.
Concussion Substitutions:
● A player requiring evaluation for a head injury may be substituted off without using a substitution moment.
● If the player is cleared and does not have a concussion, they may re-enter the game in place of the original substitute.
● If another player is substituted during the head injury, this will count as a moment.
Soccer Assigning Management for Soccer Referees 