Bangkok Masters League
──── Rules ────
On this page, the Rules of Masters League, as we have been applying them since its inception, plus the changes along the years, are documented on the following topics [Version: 19/Feb/2026; changes from previous season’s version are marked in [ADDED] Green and [DELETED] Red and [MOVED] Blue color highlights below]:
- Ethos
- Playing Rules:
- Summary Rules
- Points and Rankings
- Yellow Cards and Red Cards
- Underage Players
- Age Handicap
- Trophies and Others
- Season Championship
- Discounts
- Penalties
- Liability Disclaimer
Ethos
- The word “Master” in “Bangkok Masters League” (“BML”) is defined as follows:
- This is a football league for players who are over 50 years of age. In other words, for BML2 [i.e., Y2026], players shall have been born in the year 1976 or before.
- A maximum of thirteen (13) players per team shall be allowed to register in each tournament, and proof of age shall be checked randomly during registration.
- For the uninitiated, “football” is of course the “soccer” kind ..!
- Bangkok Masters League, with these “Masters Spirit Rules”, is intended as a friendly entertainment activity among friends — not to win anything!
- Masters League is all about bringing friends together once a month in the name of the “Beautiful Game”.
- Rough play, Foul language, Disrespectful behavior, Unsportsmanlike conduct are all banned!
Playing Rules
Summary Rules:
- In general, all “FIFA Laws of the Game” (dated Jul/2025) shall apply to BML.
- Timing & Format:
- 1st 2nd Sundays of every 2-3 months (following Veterans League schedule)(usually a week after Veterans League tournaments)
- half-day during 2pm-6pm
- minimum 4-5 teams
- World Cup style tournament format (Groups and Knockouts)
- 5-6 short games per team (3-4 in Groups and 2 in Knockouts in 3½-4½ hours)
- Major exceptions and clarifications to FIFA Rules are described below:
- FIFA-fair-play-rules
- gentlemanly-and-respectful-sportsmanlike-conduct-and-no-insults-nor-fighting
- for-older-age-Master-footballers:
- over-50-year-old-Masters (born in 1976+before)
- over-40-year-old-Goalkeepers (born in 1986+before)
- underage-players-are-declared-and-can-score-goals-and-can-play-in-grand-final
- 7-players-a-side
- 15-minutes-per-match (play 1; rest 1-or-2)
- no-offside
- no-metal-studs
- no-shinguards-no-play
- unlimited-rolling-subs-touch-hands-on-sidelines-or-otherwise-yellow-card
- playing-more-players-than-regulation-leads-to-a-penalty-kick-against-infringing-team
- slide-tackle-foul (slide-blocking, slide-shooting, slide-heading, slide-scoring, without causing danger to, or contact with, nearby players is permitted)
- goalkeepers-can-dive-from-front-inside-their-penalty-box, but-cannot-slide-with-feet-in-first
- all-freekicks-are-direct
- wait-for-whistle-for-all-freekicks-with-minimum-5m-distance
- penalty-kicks-on-penalty-box-arc
- [AMENDED] tackle-from-behind-or-elbow-to-head-or-high-foot-to-head-yellow-card
- [CLARIFIED] yellow-card-sit-out-the-match-no-sub (if the match has half-time, then “yellow-card-sit-out-the-half-no-sub”)
- red-card-take-a-hike-for-good
- sudden-death-penalty-shootout-in-Knockouts-with-max-7-chosen-players-on-both-teams
- 70-or-above-player-score-counts-2-goals (with “Penalty Kicks Exception”)
- shake-hands-and-enjoy-the-beers-&-trophies-at-the-end
- objective-is-not-to-win-but-to-build-lasting-friendships
- BVL Administration reserves the right to adjust the playing times and fixtures based on the number of participating teams in each tournament.
Points and Rankings:
- Masters League tournaments shall be in the style of FIFA World Cup, having Group Stage and Knockout Stage matches.
- In tournaments when there are odd number of participating teams, in order to ensure even match fixtures, it may be necessary to field a filler-upper “Team-X Volunteers” that is comprised of ad-hoc players.
- In the Group Stage, each team shall play 3 or 4 matches, depending on the number of teams assigned to their group.
- In the Group Stage, each team shall be awarded with three (3) points for a win, one (1) point for a draw, and zero (0) point for a loss.
- In case of 2 (or more) teams having same points at the end of the Group Stage, the following criteria shall apply, in order of precedence, so as to decide the group rankings:
- [1] More points earned.
- [2] Better goal difference.
- [3] More goals scored.
- [4] Winner of the head-to-head match (if any).
- [5] Winner of the coin-toss or rock-scissors-paper.
- In the Knockout Stage, each team shall play 2 more matches (even in the “losers brackets”) as their own division’s Semi Final and Division Final matches.
- Winner of the Cup Division Grand Final shall be declared as the Tournament Champions.
Yellow Cards and Red Cards:
- In hopes of preventing rough and violent play, any player receiving a Yellow Card during either half of a match shall be sent off, without being substituted, until the end of that half during that match. If the match is being played without a half-time, then the Yellow Card send-off, without being substituted, shall be active until the end of the match. The Yellow Carded player shall be permitted to play in the next match.
- A player with 2 Yellow Cards collected in 1 match (that has a half-time) shall automatically be sent off, without being substituted, and is suspended for the next match.
- A direct Red Card shall also lead to the player’s immediate dismissal from the match without being substituted, as well as a penalty of being banned from the rest of the matches in the tournament, with the possibility of further disciplinary action by the BML Administration.
- Yellow Cards and Red Cards shall not be carried over to future tournaments.
Underage Players:
- Each team is required to ensure that all of its players are 50-year-old or older. BML Administration shall not check the age of each participating player in each tournament; however, it may choose to ask the pictured-IDs of some players on a random basis or as may be contested by other Team Captains. [MOVED] Any team found to have broken this age-limit rule shall forfeit their match/es in which the Underage Player/s have played with a score of 2-0 walkover.
- All Underage Players shall be declared at the start-of-day Captains Briefing:
- Maximum 1 3 Underage Player (45-49-yo) per team [i.e., born in 1976-1980], and adheres to these “Masters Spirit Rules”.
- Goalkeepers are permitted to be 40+up [i.e., born in 1986+before].
- Lady players are permitted to be 18+up [i.e., born in 2008+before].
- [NEW] Team Captains, once per tournament, are permitted to contest the age of a player in the opposition team with the BVL Administration within the 5 minutes after the final whistle of a match.
- [MOVED] Any team found to have broken “Underage Players” rules shall forfeit their match, in which the ineligible Underage Player/s have played, with a score of 2-0 walkover.
Age Handicap:
- Older players with the following age handicaps shall be given “headstart” goal advantage as follows:
- If a 70-or-above Player scores a goal (with “Penalty Kicks Exception” below), it counts as 2 goals.
- Penalty Kicks Exception: If a 70-or-above Player is fouled in the penalty box and is rewarded with a penalty kick, and the same player takes and scores the penalty kick, then it counts as 2 goals. This “Penalty Kicks Exception” does not apply for Penalty Shootouts.
- Official IDs (pictured government ID, passport, driving license, etc.) are spot checked!
Trophies and Others:
- BML Administration shall award suitable trophies for each division champions as follows:
- Division Firsts:
- Cup (1st overall)
- Plate (5th overall)
- Shield (9th overall)
- Bowl (17th overall)
- Tournament: Last (BadCup!)
- Any event not covered in these “Masters Spirit Rules” shall be discussed and decided by the BML Administration during each tournament in consultation with Referees and Captains of the participating teams. Inevitably, but authoritatively, BML Administration’s decisions are final and binding!
Season Championship
Participating teams shall be eligible to compete for the BML Season Championship.
- The teams can earn points from each tournament and events throughout the season (Jan-Dec) based on the following structure of points:
- The team that collects the highest number of points as accumulated from Performance Points shall be declared as the Season Champions.
- In case of 2 (or more) teams having same points at the end of the season, the following criteria shall apply, in order of precedence, so as to decide the Season Champions:
- [RE-PRIORITIZED]
- [1] More points earned.
- [3][2] Veterans World Cup participation.
- [2][3] More number of participations in the monthly tournaments.
- [4] Winner of the coin-toss or rock-scissors-paper.
[1] Performance Points:
- Performance Points are earned based on each team’s final standing in each tournament, and has 2 components:
- [1a] Final Standing
- [1b] Great Performance
- [1a] Final Standing:
- Final Standing points are earned for max 100 points for the tournament’s winning team, and proportionally less points for the lower ranking teams.
- For example:
- In a 10-team tournament:
- Winning Team: 100 points [= 100/10 × (10-1st)+1]
- Runner-up Team: 90 points [= 100/10 × (10-2nd)+1]
- ⋮
- Last Place Team: 10 points [= 100/10 × (10-10th)+1]
- In a 6-team tournament:
- Winning Team: 100 points [= 100/6 × (6-1st)+1]
- Runner-up Team: 83 points [= 100/6 × (6-2nd)+1]
- ⋮
- Last Place Team: 17 points [= 100/6 × (6-6th)+1]
- [1b] Great Performance:
- Great Performance points are earned for teams that demonstrate outstanding performance in a tournament, as follows:
- All-Win: 50 points (for any team winning all matches)
- No-Concede: 50 points (for any team not conceding any goals)
- No-Loss: 50 points (for any team not losing any matches)
- All-Loss: 50 points (for any team losing all matches)
- No-Score: 50 points (for any team not scoring any goals)
- No-Win: 50 points (for any team not winning any matches)
Discounts
A generous discount shall apply for the following cases on a per team basis at each tournament:
- [REDUCED] First Participation 50% Discount (rewarded on the 6th 4th participation).
- [REDUCED]Team Referral 50% Discount (rewarded to the Referring Team at the same tournament of the 6th 4th participation of the Referred Team).
Penalties
A mandatory penalty fee shall apply to the following infringements on a per team basis at each tournament.
- Late registration 25% penalty (for registering after Wed-bef-Sun).
- Late cancellation 50% penalty (for cancelling after Wed-bef-Sun).
- Withdrawing from or abandoning an ongoing tournament 100% penalty.
Liability Disclaimer
As an individual or a team participating in Bangkok Masters League events or tournaments, you or your team (members, players, supporters, spectators, travelling companions, or other related persons) are deemed to:
- understand that organizers of Bangkok Masters League, pitch operator/s, or any other private, commercial or government entities that may be related with the Bangkok Masters League shall not accept any responsibility or liability against all claims, actions, proceedings, liabilities, costs & expenses (legal or otherwise), damages, loss, injury or death caused by or caused to you or to your team before, during or after the course of the events or tournaments;
- ensure that you or your team shall obtain appropriate health and/or life insurance coverage prior to participating in the events or tournaments; and
- have read, understood, and accepted, as well as informed yourself and your team about this Liability Disclaimer statement.
