Bangkok Veterans League

──── Rules ────

On this page, the Rules of Vets League, as we have been applying them since its inception, plus the changes along the years, are documented on the following topics [Version: 07/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 “Veteran” in "Bangkok Veterans League” (“BVL”) is defined as follows:
- This is a football league for players who are over 35 years of age. In other words, for BVL22 [i.e., Y2026], players shall have been born in the year 1991 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 Veterans League, with these “Vets Spirit Rules”, is intended as a friendly entertainment activity among friends — not to win anything!
- Veterans 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 BVL.
Timing & Format:
- 1st Sundays of every month (usually)
- 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-Veteran-footballers:
  - over-35-year-old-Vets (born in 1991+before)
  - over-30-year-old-Goalkeepers (born in 1996+before)
  - underage-players-are-declared-and-cannot-score-goals-and-cannot-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
- 60-or-above-player-or-lady-player-score-counts-2-goals (with “Penalty Kicks Exception”)
- 70-or-above-player-score-counts-3-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:

Veterans 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 BVL 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 35-year-old or older. BVL 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 2 Underage Player (30-34-yo) per team [i.e., born in 1992-1996], only 1 of whom is permitted to be on the field and adheres to these “Vets Spirit Rules” [and, please don’t bring top class young players from Casuals League, Thai Premier League, Bundesliga, etc.].
- Goalkeepers are permitted to be 30+up [i.e., born in 1996+before].
- Lady players are permitted to be 18+up [i.e., born in 2008+before].
- SuperUnderage Players [i.e., players who are below 30-yo] may be allowed only if a team has no substitutes at all. As an alternative, SuperUnderage Players shall be encouraged to support Team-X Volunteers instead.
Goals scored or aimed to be scored (e.g., by deflecting off of other players) by Underage Players do not count (own goals are Ok, even deflected 😊)
[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.
Underage Players are not permitted to play in the tournament Grand Final.
If deemed to be “Game Changer”, an Underage Player may be asked to stop playing, upon a simple majority vote of the participating Team Captains, conducted by the BVL Administrator.
[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:

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.
Older teams with the following age handicaps shall be given “headstart” goal advantage as follows:
- If all players (including Substitutes, excluding Goalkeeper [ABOLISHED] and max 1 Wildcard Player) are 45+up, start the match 1–0 ahead.
- If all players (including Substitutes, excluding Goalkeeper [ABOLISHED] and max 1 Wildcard Player) are 50+up, start the match 2–0 ahead.
- If all players (including Substitutes, excluding Goalkeeper [ABOLISHED] and max 1 Wildcard Player) are 55+up, start the match 3-0 ahead.
- If all players (including Substitutes, excluding Goalkeeper [ABOLISHED] and max 1 Wildcard Player) are 60+up, start the match 4-0 ahead.
  - [ABOLISHED] [*] Note: A “Wildcard Player” must be Over-35-year-old, who is permitted to score goals and also play in the Grand Final.
- If a 60-or-above Player or a Lady Player scores a goal (with “Penalty Kicks Exception” below), it counts as 2 goals.
- [NEW] If a 70-or-above Player scores a goal (with “Penalty Kicks Exception” below), it counts as 3 goals.
  - Penalty Kicks Exception: If a 60-or-above Player or Lady Player or 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 (for 60-or-above Player or Lady Player) or 3 goals (for 70-or-above Player). This “Penalty Kicks Exception” does not apply for Penalty Shootouts.
- Official IDs (pictured government ID, passport, driving license, etc.) are spot checked!
These older age teams shall declare their age handicap at the start-of-day Captains Briefing, and shall not be permitted to change their age handicap status during the tournament.

Trophies and Others:

BVL 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 “Vets Spirit Rules” shall be discussed and decided by the BVL Administration during each tournament in consultation with Referees and Captains of the participating teams. Inevitably, but authoritatively, BVL Administration’s decisions are final and binding!

Season Championship

Participating teams shall be eligible to compete for the BVL Season Championship.
The teams can earn points from each tournament and events throughout the season (Jan-Dec) based on the following structure of points:
- [1] Performance Points
- [2] Social Points
At the end of the season, the team that collects the highest number of points as accumulated from Performance Points and Social 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.
- [NEW] [4] More number of Social Points earned.
- [4][5] 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)

[2] Social Points:

Social Points are earned for participating at various BVL events throughout a season, and has 8 components:
- [2a] Monthly Tournaments Participation
- [2b] Multi Teams Participation
- [2c] Joint Teams Participation
- [2d] Team-X Support
- [2e] Late Drinkers
- [2f] BVL Event Participation
- [NEW] [2g] Other Event Participation
- [2h] Charity Event Organization
- [2i] Annual Veterans World Cup Participation
[2a] Monthly Tournaments Participation:
- If a team participates in all the monthly BVL tournaments in a season (usually 12 per season), then they earn a 1-time 100 points (like winning a 13th month, usually BU Japan and Bangkok Oldboys 😊)
- If a team participates in 1-minus (i.e., 11) monthly BVL tournaments in a season, then they earn a 1-time 50 points (one-half of 100).
- If a team participates in 2-minus (i.e., 10) monthly BVL tournaments in a season, then they earn a 1-time 20 points (one-fifth of 100).
[2b] Multi Teams Participation:
- [AMENDED] If a team enters Multiple Teams (usually Bangkok Oldboys and BU Japan), then full 100 points shall be rewarded additional to the Performance Point of the 2nd (and 3rd) team/s, and added into the Performance Points of their main team.
[2c] Joint Teams Participation:
- If 2 (or more) teams join forces to enter a Joint Team (e.g., BU Japan FC), then the points earned by the Joint Team are shared among their main teams (i.e., BU Japan and Japan FC).
[2d] Team-X Support:
- Supporting Team-X Volunteers (with minimum 1 or maximum 3 random players per team) shall be awarded as follows:
  - +10 points per permanent player/s on the day.
  - +30 points per team for providing random player/s on the day.
[2e] Late Drinkers:
- [RE-TIMED] In hopes of creating a more social environment, teams that stay for drinks well after the trophy presentations (specifically, after 8:30pm 8:00pm ) on the tournament day earn Late Drinkers social points, based on the following tiers:
  - Teams with 1-2 players: 10 points
  - Teams with 3-6 players: 20 points
  - Teams with 7-9 players: 50 points
  - Teams with 10-or-more players: 100 points
[2f] BVL Event Participation:
- If players participate in BVL events (e.g., friendly matches), then they earn 10 points per player per event for their BVL teams.
[NEW] [2g] Other Event Participation:
- If a BVL team participates in other events (e.g., friendly matches or other tournaments), and they invite BVL Administration to join the event, and BVL Administration joins to watch the event, then they earn 50 points for their teams.
- If a BVL team participates in other events (e.g., friendly matches or other tournaments), and they invite BVL Administration to join the event, and BVL Administration joins the event and plays for their team, then they earn additional 50 points for their team.
[2h] Charity Event Organization:
- If BVL teams organize charity events with at least 10 players from their own teams, they earn 100 points per event for their teams.
[2i] Annual Veterans World Cup Participation:
- If a team also participates in the annual Vets World Cup representing their nation, then they earn straight 100 points (like winning a 13th month), no matter their performance in the tournament.

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).
[CLARIFIED] Omnipresent 25% Discount for continuously participating teams (for 1st-half-year in July June , and for 2nd-half-year in December, and additionally for full-year in December).
- [CLARIFIED] [*] Note: If, during a half-year, a team declines to participate in a monthly tournament, or a monthly tournament is cancelled due to unforeseen Force Majeure reasons beyond the control of BVL Administration (e.g., not enough participating teams, military coup, flooding, earthquake, etc.), then this discount does not apply for that half-year.

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 Veterans 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 Veterans League, pitch operator/s, or any other private, commercial or government entities that may be related with the Bangkok Veterans 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.