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COMPETITION

RULEBOOK

Official Season 0 rulebook. Version 2.4, issued 8 October 2026. Six clubs, one city, one champion.

24

MINUTES

12 + 2 + 12 on one continuous clock, 00:00 to 24:00.

6V6

ON THE PITCH

Five outfield and a keeper, four subs, unlimited rolling changes.

10

PER SQUAD

Ten players registered per club.

0

OFFSIDE

No offside. Kick-ins, not throw-ins.

40×25

METRE PITCH

Goals 5 m by 2 m. Size 5 ball.

12

MATCHES

Nine league games, two semis, one final.

THE SIGNATURES

WHAT MAKES
EKO6 EKO6.

ARTICLE 0706:00

THE SIX

One minute of double goals in the first half, from 06:00 to 07:00. Every legal goal counts twice on the scoreboard, but the scorer is credited with one.

ARTICLE 085

POWER CARDS

Each captain draws one card before kickoff from Power Play, Goal Shield, Penalty 1v1 and two Nothings. Play it between 07:00 and 18:00.

ARTICLES 15 TO 18₦400K

THE PRIZES

Champions share ₦400,000. King of Eko and the Golden Glove win ₦20,000 each. In every match: ₦5,000 per direct free-kick goal, ₦3,000 per penalty saved, ₦10,000 for eight goals.

ARTICLE 08 · THE DECK

FIVE CARDS.
TWO CAPTAINS.

Before kickoff, each captain draws one card face down. Nobody knows what the other team is holding until it is played. Tap a card to flip it.

TRY THE DRAW

SHUFFLE. DRAW. SWEAT.

Two captains, five cards, no replacement. The other three are removed unseen. This is just a preview. The real draw happens pitchside with the power-card official.

6CAPTAIN A6CAPTAIN B
07:00 – 18:00

Cards can be played on the match clock, at a stoppage, with the referee’s approval. Captains show the card to the power-card official.

NOT IN THE SIX

No power card may be active during The Six, from 06:00 to 07:00.

SHIELD vs PENALTY

While a Goal Shield is active, the other team cannot play its Penalty. A Penalty played first cannot be blocked by a Shield.

REVEAL AT 18:00

Unused cards, Nothing included, are revealed by the official at 18:00. Cards expire then. No power cards in shootouts.

THE FULL RULEBOOK

ALL 27
ARTICLES.

01 COMPETITION OVERVIEW
  • EKO6 is a Lagos six-a-side football entertainment competition built to showcase talent, represent communities across Lagos and create ways for players to earn recognition and money.
  • It mixes competitive football with special match rules, power cards, individual cash incentives and club rivalries. Season 0 is the inaugural tournament and the foundation for future league seasons.
  • EKO6 management runs registration, fixtures, officials, results, discipline, power-card administration, prizes and player bonuses. The referee has the final say on decisions during play.
  • Every player, coach and club representative must accept and follow these regulations. Material changes are communicated to all clubs before they take effect.
02 THE FOUNDING SIX
  • Gbagada 09, Ikorodu United, Yaba Athletic, Surulere FC, Agege Lions and Lekki Rovers.
  • Each club registers ten players. Six play at a time: five outfield players and one goalkeeper. Four substitutes may be named.
  • Every club names a head coach or team manager, a captain and a vice-captain, and follows the technical-area rules.
03 PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
  • Minimum age is 16 at the start of the competition. Players aged 16 or 17 need written consent from a parent or legal guardian.
  • Registration needs: full legal name, date of birth, valid ID, contact details, emergency contact, relevant medical information, a signed participation agreement, parent or guardian consent where required and image and media consent.
  • The Founding 64 are picked through recruitment and trials. Sixty are assigned to the six clubs and four form the standby reserve pool.
  • A player can represent one EKO6 club only in Season 0, and transfers between the founding clubs are prohibited during the tournament.
  • Replacements can be considered after injury, withdrawal, unavailability, disqualification or another legitimate reason accepted by the competition director. They must be verified and approved before playing.
  • Season 0 participation does not give EKO6 ownership of a player's professional registration or transfer rights. Any future agreement must be negotiated separately.
04 COMPETITION FORMAT
  • One six-club league table. Each club plays three league matches against three different opponents: nine league matches.
  • Fixtures use two sets of three clubs, and each club plays the three clubs in the opposite set. The sets are for scheduling only and do not make separate tables.
  • Win 3 points, draw 1, loss 0. Draws are allowed in the league phase.
  • Table order: points, goal difference, goals scored, fewest disciplinary points, then a drawing of lots supervised by the competition director. Disciplinary points: yellow 1, straight red 3, second-yellow dismissal 3 in total.
  • The top four reach the playoffs: 1st v 4th and 2nd v 3rd. Semi-final winners meet in the Grand Final. Fifth and sixth are eliminated. The Grand Final winner is the EKO6 Season 0 Champion.
05 FIELD OF PLAY AND EQUIPMENT
  • Standard pitch: 40 metres by 25 metres. If the venue cannot match that, it must be 35 to 45 metres long and 20 to 30 metres wide, with final dimensions published to all clubs before Matchday 1. Surface can be grass, turf or another surface EKO6 approves as safe.
  • Penalty area: 9 m deep and 14 m wide. Penalty mark: 8 m from the centre of the goal line. 1v1 start mark: 20 m from the centre of the goal line being attacked (on a 40 m pitch, that is the centre mark). Substitution zone: 3 m of one touchline beside the technical areas. A suspension area sits beside the timekeeper's table.
  • Goals are 5 m wide by 2 m high, and must be securely anchored or weighted. An unstable goal must not be used.
  • Size 5 ball, approved by EKO6 and confirmed by the referee before kickoff.
  • Clubs wear registered kits with numbered shirts. Goalkeepers wear colours that stand out from everyone else. If kits clash, the club listed second changes colours or wears EKO6 bibs.
06 MATCH DURATION AND CLOCK
  • A 12-minute first half, a 2-minute halftime and a 12-minute second half: 24 minutes of regulation time.
  • One continuous clock runs from 00:00 to 24:00. It sits at 12:00 during halftime and the second half resumes from there.
  • The clock normally keeps running during routine interruptions. The referee can stop it for serious injuries, disciplinary admin, power-card procedures, hydration breaks, major delays and safety interruptions.
  • The Six, Power Play, Goal Shield, yellow-card suspensions and red-card numerical penalties run on active playing time. They pause when play stops and resume when it restarts.
  • Those timers keep their remaining time through halftime. A player cannot use halftime to serve a suspension.
  • The referee ends the match when regulation time expires, after any standard penalty already awarded or 1v1 already in progress.
07 THE SIX
  • Sixty seconds of double goals. It starts when the first-half clock hits 06:00 and ends at 07:00.
  • Any legal goal in The Six counts as two on the scoreboard. A team leading 2–1 that concedes in The Six goes behind 2–3.
  • The scorer gets credit for one personal goal. That also covers the Golden Boot and the eight-goal cash challenge.
  • The clock pauses whenever the ball is out of play, so you get 60 seconds of live play. The whole ball must cross the line before 07:00 to count double.
  • No power card may be active during The Six.
08 POWER CARDS
  • Every match uses five cards: Power Play, Goal Shield, Penalty (1v1) and two Nothing cards.
  • The draw: the referee runs a coin toss between the captains, and the winner chooses to draw first or second. The power-card official shuffles the deck in front of both captains. Each captain draws one card face down, without replacement, and shows it privately to the official, who records both cards before kickoff. The other three are removed unseen. The deck is restored and reshuffled before every match.
  • Cards stay secret from the opposition until played. A team may show or hide its own card. A captain who bluffs about a card commits no offence, but cannot play a card the team does not hold. Unused cards, Nothing cards included, are revealed at 18:00.
  • Cards can be played from 07:00 until just before 18:00, at a stoppage, with referee approval. The captain asks by showing the card to the power-card official. Unused cards expire at 18:00.
  • POWER PLAY: for 60 seconds of active play, the opposition loses one outfield player, chosen by the captain of the team that played the card. The goalkeeper cannot be chosen. That player cannot be substituted while it runs. Goals do not shorten it. It cannot take a team below the minimum player count. If it cannot be played legally, the team keeps the card for later in the window.
  • GOAL SHIELD: cancels the first otherwise valid goal conceded in the next 60 seconds of active play. An own goal against the protected team is cancelled too. It is used up once it cancels a goal. A cancelled goal does not count for the score, player stats, cash bonuses or red-card goal reduction. Fouls are still punished.
  • PENALTY 1v1: one running one-on-one against the keeper. The ball starts on the 1v1 mark, 20 m out. The keeper starts on the goal line and can come out after the whistle. The attacker has six seconds, and a shot struck inside six seconds counts if it crosses the line. A goal adds one to the scoreboard and one to the scorer, and counts toward cutting an opponent's red-card penalty. The clock is paused throughout.
  • NOTHING: no ability. It cannot be exchanged, redrawn or carried into another match.
  • If a Goal Shield is active, the opposition cannot play its Penalty card until the Shield expires or is used. If a Penalty is played first, the opposition cannot play Shield to block it, and keeps any unused Shield for afterwards. If both teams ask in the same stoppage, the first request the referee confirms is processed.
  • No power cards in penalty shootouts.
09 SUBSTITUTIONS
  • Unlimited rolling substitutions. Players can go off and come back on as often as needed.
  • Subs go through the substitution zone. The outgoing player leaves first, substitutes must be registered and eligible, and changes must not interfere with live play. Goalkeeper changes need a stoppage and referee notification.
  • A yellow-carded player cannot be replaced during the two-minute suspension. A red-carded player cannot return, and another eligible player may enter once the red-card penalty ends.
  • Unauthorised substitutions may earn a yellow card and an appropriate restart.
10 GOALKEEPER REGULATIONS
  • Keepers can keep the ball at their feet with no time limit. With hands, the limit is four seconds, and going over gives the other team an indirect free kick.
  • They can throw, roll, punt or kick the ball, leave the area to join play and score from anywhere.
  • Keepers can only deliberately handle the ball inside their own area. They cannot handle a deliberate kick from a teammate, and cannot pick the ball up again after releasing it without an intervening touch or another lawful handling opportunity.
11 RESTARTS
  • There is no offside in EKO6.
  • Kick-ins replace throw-ins. The ball is stationary, taken from the marked touchline spot, opponents stay five metres away, and it must be taken within four seconds of the player being ready. No goal directly from a kick-in.
  • Corners are awarded when the defending team last touches the ball before it crosses its own goal line. Direct and indirect free kicks follow the offence, with opponents five metres back.
  • A standard penalty is awarded for a direct free-kick offence inside the area, taken from the penalty mark. Rebounds stay live in regulation time. Kickoffs happen at the start of each half and after every goal.
12 FOULS AND TACKLING
  • Fouls include kicking or attempting to kick, tripping, pushing, holding, reckless charging, illegal handball, dangerous challenges, unlawful obstruction and other prohibited contact.
  • Sliding tackles against an opponent are banned. You can slide only to block a shot, intercept a pass or stop an uncontested ball, and only if it does not endanger anyone.
  • An illegal slide is a direct free kick, or a penalty where applicable, and serious or reckless challenges can earn a yellow or red.
  • There is no accumulated-foul system and no special free kick after a fifth team foul.
13 DISCIPLINARY REGULATIONS
  • Two cards only. Yellow: two-minute suspension. Red: permanent ejection and a four-minute penalty for the team. No blue cards.
  • YELLOW: the player leaves immediately and waits in the suspension area. The team plays one short. The two minutes count only when play is live, goals do not shorten it, and the player returns with official permission. Yellow offences include reckless fouls, illegal slides that merit a caution, persistent infringement, dissent, unsporting behaviour, deliberate time-wasting, illegal substitutions and other cautionable misconduct. Not every foul needs a yellow.
  • RED: the player cannot return, and the team plays one short for four minutes before another eligible substitute can enter. Every goal conceded while short-handed cuts 60 seconds off, but only goals by the team with the extra player count. A double goal in The Six cuts only 60 seconds. A successful power-card 1v1 counts. A Goal Shield-cancelled goal does not. It cannot go below zero.
  • A second yellow in the same match is a red. The red penalty replaces any unfinished yellow suspension and is not added to it.
  • Straight reds: serious foul play, violent conduct, excessive-force challenges, spitting, serious threatening or abusive conduct and other offences that warrant immediate dismissal.
  • A team must keep at least four eligible players on the pitch, including a goalkeeper. If a sanction would take it lower, the referee stops play and refers it to the match commissioner.
  • A straight red normally means at least a one-match ban. Two cautions in separate league matches mean a one-match ban. Unserved bans carry into the playoffs.
14 PLAYOFFS AND PENALTIES
  • Semi-finals and the Grand Final are 24 minutes. If level, they go straight to a penalty shootout. No extra time.
  • Three standard penalties each from the penalty mark, alternating, with the first three taken by different eligible players, then sudden death. It ends early if a team cannot catch up. Dismissed players and players serving an unexpired yellow cannot take part.
  • No power cards in shootouts. The Grand Final winner is EKO6 Season 0 Champion.
15 CHAMPIONSHIP PRIZE
  • The Season 0 Champions receive ₦400,000.
  • Split: 10% (₦40,000) to the head coach or team manager and 90% (₦360,000) shared equally between the eligible players of the winning club. An eligible player is a registered player who appeared in at least one Season 0 match, as recorded in an official match report. If all ten qualify, each gets ₦36,000.
  • A player removed for breaching the competition integrity rules forfeits their share, which is split between the remaining eligible players. No club, coach or representative can change the split or deduct from a player's share. EKO6 pays each person directly.
  • The prize does not include individual match rewards, which players keep whichever club wins.
  • Paid by an approved, verifiable method within 14 calendar days of the Grand Final, or within 14 days of an open protest or eligibility review being resolved.
16 INDIVIDUAL CASH CHALLENGES
  • Cash challenges run during ordinary matches. No special session or extra registration is needed.
  • ₦5,000 for each direct free-kick goal.
  • ₦3,000 for each standard penalty a goalkeeper legally saves. A miss without a save, 1v1 power-card attempts and shootouts do not count.
  • ₦10,000 for scoring at least eight individual goals in one match, paid once per player per match. A double goal in The Six counts as one.
  • A player can earn several different rewards in one match. They are paid to the individual, not the club.
  • The match commissioner records qualifying achievements, and the official match report decides eligibility, with footage reviewed where needed. A goal cancelled by Goal Shield qualifies for nothing.
  • In-match rewards are paid within seven calendar days of the match, after verification. All qualifying rewards must be honoured.
17 KING OF EKO
  • KING OF EKO — ₦20,000. The most outstanding individual player of the tournament.
  • Every registered player who plays is eligible, and the winner does not have to come from the champions.
  • An EKO6 performance panel decides, using official stats and footage. It weighs individual performances, consistency, match influence, goals and assists, defensive and goalkeeping contributions, performance in decisive moments, leadership and sporting conduct.
  • Paid within 14 calendar days of the Grand Final, separate from any other rewards.
18 GOLDEN GLOVE
  • GOLDEN GLOVE — ₦20,000. The best-performing goalkeeper of the tournament, ranked by clean sheets and then goals conceded per match.
  • A qualifying appearance means playing the entire regulation match as goalkeeper. Part-match keepers and keepers who move to an outfield role do not earn one. A keeper needs at least two qualifying appearances to be eligible.
  • A clean sheet means no officially counted goal conceded in regulation time in a qualifying appearance. A goal cancelled by Goal Shield does not count as conceded. A goal in The Six counts as two. A successful 1v1 counts as one. Shootout goals do not count, so a keeper who conceded nothing in regulation keeps the clean sheet even if the club loses the shootout.
  • Ranking: most clean sheets, then fewest goals conceded per qualifying appearance, then most qualifying appearances, then the performance panel. If nobody keeps a clean sheet, it goes to the lowest goals conceded per appearance.
  • Paid within 14 calendar days of the Grand Final.
19 OTHER TOURNAMENT AWARDS
  • Runners-up, Golden Boot, Goal of the Tournament and Player of the Match. None carry a cash prize in Season 0.
  • The Golden Boot goes to the player with the most individual goals. Goals in The Six count once. If tied, the player with fewer minutes played wins, and if still tied it is shared.
  • Player of the Match is picked by the performance panel after every fixture.
20 MATCHDAY PROCEDURES
  • Clubs arrive at least 60 minutes before their first match of the day, and submit starting lineups and eligible subs by the commissioner's deadline.
  • Matchday officials: head referee, second referee or assistant, a timekeeper and power-card official, a match commissioner and a medical responder.
  • Captains speak to officials and activate power cards. Coaches stay in the technical area, and abusing officials or interfering with play can bring sanctions.
  • Every match report records the score, scorers, goals in The Six, cards, disciplinary countdowns, power cards drawn, activated and unused, Goal Shield cancellations, goalkeepers' appearances, goals conceded and clean sheets, qualifying cash rewards, every player who appeared, and injuries or incidents.
21 FORFEITS AND ABANDONED MATCHES
  • A club that does not show without an accepted reason forfeits. Arriving over ten minutes late can mean the same. Fielding an ineligible player may mean a forfeit plus further sanctions. Refusing to continue without a safety reason is a forfeit.
  • A forfeit is recorded as a 3–0 win for the innocent club, unless the match was in progress and the score at that point was better for them, in which case that score stands.
  • The referee or management can suspend play for serious injuries, unsafe weather, pitch hazards, facility failure, dangerous crowd interference or threats to safety. Where practical, the match resumes with the same score, time, players, disciplinary state and power-card state.
22 PLAYER SAFETY AND SAFEGUARDING
  • Required kit: approved numbered jersey, shorts, football socks, shin guards and appropriate footwear. No dangerous jewellery or accessories.
  • Medical personnel and first-aid equipment are present throughout, with an emergency response plan in place before the event.
  • A suspected concussion means immediate removal, no return that day and a medical assessment before football resumes.
  • Players aged 16 and 17 need parent or guardian consent, emergency contact information, appropriate supervision and safeguarding, suitable medical response arrangements, media consent and access to a designated safeguarding contact.
  • Referees can authorise hydration breaks for heat or welfare. They apply to both teams and stop the clock. EKO6 provides drinking water and at least 45 minutes between the end of a club's match and its next kickoff.
  • The referee can suspend play at once if continuing is an unacceptable risk.
23 PROTESTS AND APPEALS
  • Clubs can protest registration errors, player eligibility decisions, wrong application of the regulations, administrative scoring errors, wrong disciplinary timers, power-card administration errors and other documented procedural breaches.
  • Ordinary refereeing judgment calls are not automatically appealable.
  • Notify the match commissioner within 15 minutes after full-time, then submit a written protest within 30 minutes.
  • The competition director can review referee reports, match records, timekeeping records, footage and statements. Anyone directly involved in the disputed decision must not be the sole decision-maker. Decisions are communicated before the next affected match wherever possible.
24 COMPETITION INTEGRITY
  • No match-fixing, bribery or deliberate manipulation of results, statistics or cash-reward outcomes.
  • No violence, threats, discrimination, harassment or serious abusive conduct. False identity or eligibility information can mean exclusion. Conflicts of interest must be disclosed.
  • Competition-related communications must not be used to threaten, harass or target players or officials. Reasonable criticism and ordinary football discussion are fine.
25 SEASON 0 FIXTURES
  • All matches use 45-minute slots. Kickoff times are final once the venue is confirmed and published to clubs. See the full schedule on the Matches page and the run of show on the Matchday page.
26 PRIZE SCHEDULE
  • Fixed prizes: Champions ₦400,000 (coach ₦40,000, eligible players share ₦360,000 equally). King of Eko ₦20,000. Golden Glove ₦20,000. Total fixed prizes ₦440,000. All paid within 14 days of the Grand Final.
  • Variable rewards: ₦5,000 per direct free-kick goal, ₦3,000 per standard penalty saved, ₦10,000 for eight or more personal goals in a match. Paid within seven days of the match, in addition to the fixed prizes.
  • Where a protest affecting a prize or reward is open, the deadline runs from the day it is resolved. All qualifying rewards must be honoured.
27 AUTHORITY AND AMENDMENTS
  • The competition director interprets the regulations administratively. The referee keeps authority over match decisions.
  • Material changes must be written down, dated, versioned, communicated to clubs and explained to match officials before they take effect. No change can alter a completed result.
  • The rules apply equally to every club and player, with no undisclosed exemptions. Where something unforeseen comes up, EKO6 management issues a reasoned decision based on fairness, safety and integrity.
OFFICIAL DOCUMENT

EKO6 SEASON 0
RULEBOOK V2.4

This page is a plain-English summary of the official rulebook. If anything is unclear, the written rulebook and EKO6 management decide. Material changes are communicated to every club in writing before they take effect.

SIX CLUBS. ONE CITY. ONE CHAMPION.