Drone Soccer Rules
U.S. Drone Soccer is team sport sanctioned by the Academy of Model Aeronautics and World Sports Federation or Federation Aeronautique International (FAI).

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Our U.S. Drone Soccer National Competitions are sanctioned by the World Sports Federation which allows the the winner of the U.S. Drone Soccer Association National Championships to be invited to represent the United States on the international FAI F9A Drone Soccer stage.  
 

Drone soccer is played with 3 to 5 active players in each team. There will be the same number of active players for each team at the beginning of the match. The number of active players per team is defined by the organiser when the event is announced.
 

Every active player is flying a drone ball. One active player is designated as the Striker who is the only player who may score with his/her drone ball going through the opponents' goal ring. The other active players may act with their drone ball as a guide for the Striker and/or as a defender for their own goal.
 

For each match, one of the active players will be appointed team captain and as spokesperson to communicate with the match referee and the scoring referees.
 

The playing field is mainly composed of a flying zone and two pilots' areas (one for each team). The flying zone shall be a rectangle marked by continuous lines and must be protected with a cage. During the sets of a match, nobody may be inside the protection cage. The pilot’s areas (one for each team) will be located outside the protection cage on its shorter sides.

The flying zone will be equipped with two goal rings (one for each team). For electronic scoring, a detection sensor may be installed on each goal ring provided this does not interfere with the scorer drone ball crossing the goal ring.
 

A match is subdivided into three sets. Time allocated for each set is three minutes.  Matches last 30 minutes.
 

The position of the teams on the playing field (left or right side) is determined with a coin toss done by the match referree. The team that wins the coin toss chooses their side, which defines the pilots' area. The teams keep the same side for the entire match, and so will stay in the same pilot’s area for all three sets.
 

A team scores a goal when the drone ball of the Striker crosses the goal ring of the opponent’s team.

The scoring referee concerned is responsible to decide if the goal may be scored. Scoring by crossing the opponent's goal ring with the drone ball of an active player who is not the Striker will not be recognized as a goal. There will be no penalty for doing that.
 

When a team scores a goal, all active players of the concerned team must immediately return to their side of the flying zone before attempting to score again. The scoring referee concerned is responsible for ensuring this is done properly. In case of an infringement, a penalty shot will be granted against the concerned team. In addition, a following goal which will be considered by the scoring referee as resulting from the violation of the rule will not be validated.

For each set, the team that scores more goals in the set wins the set. If both teams score the same number of goals, or neither team scores a goal, the set will end with a tie between the two teams. The team that wins two sets is the winner of the match.

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Code of Conduct

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Fielding Diverse Coed Teams

All teams must intentionally create and maintain a welcome and supportive environment for new pilots, and ensure equal representation and participation of all genders, abilities, and communities that have been historically excluded from aviation. 

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Respect and Anti-Harassment

All players have the right to equal participation and respect without fear, bullying, intimidation, or belittlement. U.S. Drone Soccer maintains a zero tolerance policy for bullying, racism, bigotry, and sexual harassment. All officials and coaches have a duty to immediately report known or suspected situations involving a minor that are unsafe or inappropriate. It is a violation of this policy to retaliate against any person who asserts their rights regarding harassment.

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Safe Aircraft Operation

Each pilot and crew member must take responsibility for the condition and operation of their drones and equipment. All flights should be conducted in a netted arena or designated practice area. Reckless flight or intentional damage to other teams or players will not be tolerated. Each participant, students and teacher, must practice good situational awareness to ensure the safety of themselves and others.

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Anonymous Reporting

Mirroring practices in professional aviation, all concerns about unsafe situations or inappropriate conduct can be anonymously provided to league administrators. Please include your contact information and a description of your concerns to reporting@usdronesoccer.org. Personally identifying information will be kept confidential unless prior consent is obtained, or the situation involves a suspected crime or threat to public safety that must be reported to law enforcement.  

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Integrity & Fair Play

Teams cannot interfere with the equipment or operations of other teams. Examples of prohibited activities include radio frequency interference or jamming, hacking, distraction, disruptive chatter, eavesdropping, or tampering with equipment in any way.