Sports
Sport Rules and Guidelines
General rules
- All players must participate in the spiritual exam competition.
- All Players must fill out the “Sport Ministry Accountability” Form.
- Age groups are determined based on the school year completed as of June
2024. - Location: Games will be played at Archangel Michael Church, Howell, New
Jersey. - In-person competition for all sports will be held on Saturday, August 24, 2024
Rain day Sunday September 8th, 2024.
Soccer:
- Each church can have up to two team(s) in the following age groups:
○ Lower Elementary
○ Upper Elementary School (Grades 3rd-5th)
○ Middle School (Grades 6-8)
○ High School (Grades 9-12) - A minimum of 6 players is needed to form a team.
- A team may have a maximum of 11 players.
- Teams can only be girls or boys.
- Games will be 12 minutes long with running time; the clock stops only at the
Officials’ discretion. - Substitutions can occur during dead play situations. All subs must inform officials
before entering the game. Unlimited substitutions are allowed.
Equipment:
- Each player must wear appropriate footwear (indoor soccer shoes or sneakers
for indoors; cleats for outdoors). - Shin guards are strongly recommended.
- Baseball caps are not allowed during gameplay.
- Jewelry, chains, rings, or earrings that could interfere (at the discretion of
officials/coordinators) may NOT be worn.
Volleyball:
- Each church can have up to 2 team in the following age groups:
○ Middle School (Grades 6-8)
○ High School (Grades 9-12) - Teams can only be girls or boys.
- A minimum of 4 players is needed to form a team.
- A team may have a maximum of 7 players.
Basketball:
- Each church can have up to 2 team in the following age groups:
○ Elementary School (Grades 3rd-5th)
○ Middle School (Grades 6-8)
○ High School (Grades 9-12) - A minimum of 4 players is needed to form a team.
- A team may have a maximum of 7 players.
- Teams can only be girls or boys.
- Games will be 12 minutes long with running time; the clock stops only at the
Officials’ discretion.
Ping Pong:
- Each church can participate in the following age groups:
○ Elementary School (Grades 4-5)
○ Middle School (Grades 6-8)
○ High School (Grades 9-12) - 2 players compete at a time; girls and boys can play against each other.
Chess:
- Girls and boys compete against each other.
- Players in each age group play against each other once.
- Top 3 places in each age group are determined by accumulated points.
These rules and guidelines aim to ensure fair play, safety, and adherence to Christian
values throughout the competition.
Please note that the guidelines listed above are subject to change depending on the
number, age, and gender of participants. For example:
- If only one church has a soccer lower elementary team, then we will have to
eliminate soccer competitions for lower elementary due to the limited number of
teams. - If a church has only 2 girls and 4 boys participating in soccer for middle school,
then we may allow combining boys and girls to permit the participants to
compete. - If only a limited number of teams participated in a specific sport then we may
increase the duration of the games for that sport to allow the participants to enjoy
more play time.