Felixstowe & District Junior Football League – Constitution and Rules.

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Note:

Statements in Italics are guidance notes inserted by the Competition Management Committee.

All Managers should be familiar with the FA Laws of the Game for Mini-soccer and 11 a side soccer referenced in these Competition Rules.

1. NOMENCLATURE AND CONSTITUTION

            (A) This Competition shall be designated the Felixstowe & District Junior Football Competition and shall consist of not more than 50 clubs who shall be Full Members.

All such Member Clubs must be affiliated to an affiliated County Football Association and their names and particulars shall be returned annually by the appointed date on the Form “D” to the Suffolk County Football Association. The area covered by the Competition shall be a 20mile radius from Ipswich Town centre

This Competition shall apply annually for sanction to the Suffolk County Football Association and the constituent teams of Member Clubs may be grouped in divisions, each not exceeding 12 teams per division.         

The Competition will provide 11-a-side football for players who have attained the age of 11 as at midnight 31st August in a playing season and Mini-Soccer for players who have attained the age of 6 years but not the age of 11 years as at midnight on 31st August in a playing season.

(B) At the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting called for the purpose, a majority of the delegates present shall have power to decide or adjust the compilation of the divisions at their discretion.  When necessary this Rule shall take precedence over Rule 12.

2. ENTRY FEE, SUBSCRIPTION, DEPOSIT

(A) Applications by Clubs for admission to this Competition or admission of new/additional team(s) must be made in writing using the Competition Registration form and reach the Competition Secretary by the 31st May. All applications must be accompanied by a Fee of £40 per team (£25 for U8s) for Annual Subscription which shall be returned in the event of non-election.

When a team has been accepted by the Competition they will be sent a Competition handbook that includes the rules and code of conduct for the Competition.

At the discretion of a majority of the accredited voting members’ present, of which due notice has been given, may be received at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting. The Entry Fee shall apply.

Subscription fees must be paid before or at the Annual General Meeting. (Note: the Competition requires all Registration information (Team and Players) to be provided by Club Secretaries. Clubs not meeting this requirement will be fined £5 per team which must be paid before the start of the season or the offending  Club will have their team registrations cancelled.

When Rule 12(B) is applied and a team seeks a transfer or is compulsorily transferred to another division no Entry Fee shall be payable.

(B) The Annual Subscription shall be £40 per Team playing 11-a-side football and £25 per Team playing Mini-Soccer payable on or before the AGM in each year.

            (C) Each Club shall, pay a Deposit of £50 which shall be returnable to Clubs on leaving the Competition provided they have fulfilled their fixtures and complied with all orders of the Management Committee.

            (D) A Club shall not participate in this Competition until the Entry Fee, Annual Subscription and Deposit have been paid.

            (E) Clubs must advise annually to the Secretary in writing by the start of the playing season of its Suffolk County Football Association affiliation number for the forthcoming Season, failing which they shall not be allowed to start their fixtures Clubs must advise the Secretary in writing, or on the prescribed form, of details of its Headquarters, Officers and any other information required by the Competition.

            (F) A team shall not participate in this Competition until:

·         the Annual Subscription has been paid,

·         the Suffolk County Football Association Affiliation number confirmed,

·         the Competition Secretary has received a fully completed team registration form (no later than 31st May).

·         the Competition Secretary has received fully completed player registration list for ALL individual team players (no later than 31st August)

(Note: to raise the standards within the Competition it is remains a desirable requirement for Managers to complete the FA Level 1 Coaching course. Copies of relevant Coaching Certificates should be held by Club/team Secretary for viewing if requested by the Competition Committee.

(G) All Clubs/teams must have in place a formal Constitution and have fully elected officers to discharge the responsibilities of the Club/team. The Competition reserves the right to request evidence to prove the existence of an appropriate management structure. Failure to comply with this request will result in club/team being suspended from any participation in the Competition until Management Committee are presented with information that clearly demonstrates that this situation has been resolved.

3. OFFICERS

The Officers of the Competition shall be the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, Fixtures Secretary, Disciplinary Co-ordinator and Age Group Representatives to be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting. (N.B. Auditors are not Officers).

4. MANAGEMENT, NOMINATION, ELECTION

            (A) The Competition shall be governed in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of The Football Association by a Management Committee comprised of the Officers and Associate members who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.

(B) Retiring Officers shall be eligible to become candidates for re-election without nomination.  All other candidates for election as Officers or Members of the Management Committee shall be nominated to the Secretary in writing, signed by the Secretaries of two Member Clubs, not later than 31st May in each year.  Names of the candidates for election shall be circulated with the notice of the Annual General Meeting.  In the event of there being no nomination in accordance with the foregoing for any office, nominations may be received at the Annual General Meeting

(C) The Management Committee shall meet as often as is necessary to deal with business as it arises.

On receiving a requisition signed by two-thirds of the Members of the Management Committee the Secretary shall convene a meeting of the Committee.

(D) Except where otherwise mentioned all communications shall be addressed to the Secretary who shall conduct the correspondence of the Competition and keep a record of its proceedings.

(E) All communications received from Clubs must be conducted through their nominated Officers.         

5. POWERS OF MANAGEMENT

 (A) The Management Committee may appoint such other sub-committees as they may consider necessary and may delegate such of their powers as they deem necessary to such committees.  The decisions of all such committees shall be reported to the Management Committee for ratification.

(B) Subject to the permission of the Suffolk County Football Association having been obtained the Management Committee may order a match or matches to be played each season, the proceeds to be devoted to the funds of the Competition and, if necessary, may call upon each member Team (including any team that may have withdrawn during the season) to contribute equally such sums as may be necessary to meet any deficiency at the end of the season (See Rule 6(e)).

(C) Each Member of the Management Committee shall have the right to attend and vote at all Management Committee Meetings and have one vote thereat, but no Member shall be allowed to vote on any matters directly appertaining to such Member or to the Club so represented. (This shall apply to the procedure of any sub-committee).

In the event of the voting being equal on any matter, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

(D) The Management Committee shall have powers to apply, act upon and enforce the Rules of the Competition and shall also have jurisdiction over all matters affecting the Competition, including any not provided for in the Rules. Except where these Rules provide for the imposition of a set penalty any Club, Official or Player alleged to be in breach of a Competition Rule must be formally charged in writing and given the opportunity to present their case before the Management Committee. All breaches of the Laws of the Game, Rules and Regulations of The Football Association shall be dealt with in accordance with FA Rules.

(E) All decisions of the Management Committee shall be binding subject to the right of appeal to the Board of Appeal in accordance with Rule 16.

Decisions of the Management Committee must be notified in writing to those concerned within 7 days.

(F) ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­50% of Members of the Management Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business of the Management Committee.

50% of Members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business by any sub-committee of the Competition.

(G) The Management Committee, as it may deem necessary, shall have power to fill in an acting capacity, any vacancies that may occur amongst their number.

(H) A Club having failed to comply with an order or instruction of the Management Committee, or failing to satisfactorily attend to the business and/or the correspondence of the Competition, shall be liable to a fine or otherwise penalised at the discretion of the Management Committee.

(I) All fines and charges shall be paid within 14 days of the date of posting of the written notification.. (applies to both FA and Competition fines and charges)

Clubs, Officials or individuals committing a breach of this Rule will incur such penalties as the Management Committee may impose.

(J) A member of the Management Committee appointed by the Competition to attend a meeting or match, may have any expenses incurred refunded by the Competition.

(K) The Management Committee shall have the power to fill any vacancy that may occur in the membership of the Competition between the Annual General or Special General Meeting called to decide the constitution and the commencement of the Competition season.

6. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

            (A) The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than 30th June in each year.  Any proposals made at this meeting on the following business shall be transacted provided that official representatives of at least 50% Member teams are present and entitled to vote:-

            (i)         To receive and confirm the Minutes of the preceding Annual General Meeting.

(ii)         To consider any business arising there from.

(iii)        To receive and adopt the Annual Report, Balance Sheet and Statement of

                        Accounts.

(iv)        Election of Clubs to fill vacancies (as recommended by the Management

                        Committee).

(v)         Constitution of the Competition for ensuing season.

(vi)        Election of Officers and Management Committee.

(vii)       Appointment of Auditors.

(viii)       Alteration of Rules, if any (of which notice has been given).

(ix)        Fix the date for the commencement and conclusion of playing season.

(x)        Other business of which due notice shall have been given and accepted as being relevant to an Annual General Meeting.

(B) A copy of the duly verified Balance Sheet, Statement of Accounts and Agenda shall be forwarded to each Club at least fourteen days prior to the meeting, and to the Suffolk County Football Association.

(C) A signed copy of the duly verified Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts shall be sent to the Suffolk County Football Association within fourteen days of its adoption by the Annual General Meeting.

(D) Each Full Member Club shall be empowered to send two delegates to an Annual General Meeting.  Each Club shall be entitled to one vote only per issue. Not less than 28 days notice shall be given of any Meeting. 

(Delegates will be entitled to cast votes relating to issues that impact all age groups – Club delegates should be briefed by their team officials on issues they want addressed before attending the AGM or any other Special Competition meetings.)

(E) Clubs who have withdrawn their Membership of the Competition during the season being concluded or who are not continuing Membership shall be entitled to attend but shall vote only on matters relating to the season being concluded.  This provision will not apply to Clubs expelled in accordance with Rule 17.

All voting shall be conducted by a show of voting cards unless a secret ballot is demanded by at least 80% of the delegates qualified to vote or the Chairman so decides.

(F) No individual shall be entitled to vote on behalf of more than one Full Member Club.

(G) Any continuing Member Club failing to be represented at the Annual General Meeting without satisfactory reason being given will be fined £10.

(H)    All Officers or Management Committee members shall be entitled to attend and vote at the Annual General Meeting.

(I) New teams entering the Competition will automatically be placed in the lowest Division.  If a new team is considered to be exceptionally strong then, with agreement of majority of managers in the appropriate age group, the team may be placed in a higher Division.

7. AGREEMENT TO BE SIGNED

            The Chairman and the Secretary of each Club shall complete and sign the following agreement which shall be deposited with the Competition Secretary together with the Application for Membership for the coming season, or upon indicating that the Club intends to compete.

            "We, A,_____ _____________of _________________________(Chairman) and

            B________________________of _________________________(Secretary) of the _________________________________Football Club have been provided with a copy of the Rules and Regulations of the Felixstowe & District Junior Football Competition and do hereby agree for and on behalf of the said Club, if elected or accepted into Membership, to conform to those Rules and Regulations and to accept, abide by and implement the decisions of the Management Committee of the Competition, subject to the right of appeal in accordance with Rule 16."

Any alteration of the Chairman and /or Secretary on the above Agreement must be notified to the Suffolk County Football Association to which the Club is affiliated and to the Secretary of the Competition.

8. QUALIFICATION OF PLAYERS

(A)    Contract players, as defined in The Football Association Rules, are not permitted in this Competition.

No player registered with a FA Premier Competition or Football Competition Academy will be permitted to play in this Competition.  A Player registered with a Centre of Excellence may only play in this Competition subject to the Regulations of the Programme for the Centre of Excellence.

(B) A registered youth playing member of a Club is one who, being in all other respects eligible, has:-                       

Signed a fully and correctly completed Club registration form in ink, countersigned by his /her parent or guardian and by an Officer of the Club, and who has been registered with the Competition Secretary 7 days prior to playing and whose completed registration counterfoil (written confirmation of registration number in this Competition) has been received by the Club prior to playing.  The registration document must incorporate any known serious medical conditions of the player and emergency contact details of the players’ parents or guardians.  These details must be available at matches and training events the player attends within the management of the Club or Competition.

(All Clubs must send in a list of registered players signed by the Club Secretary with date of birth and Competition Registration number (if known) to the Competition Secretary prior to the start of the playing season (assume 1st September). The Competition Secretary will then return the list with any new player registration numbers inserted if required.  Teams will not be able to play competitive games in the Competition until this list has been received by Competition Secretary.  Players may not take part in competitive games within the Competition until the Club has received a valid registration number from the Competition Secretary.

If a player's age is required for registration purposes a Competition must accept an original birth certificate or a photocopy. In cases where the birth certificate is not available a Competition is required to accept a photocopy of the player's passport or other official document issued by a Government Agency attesting to the player's date of birth.

            The qualification dates for the Competition shall be as follows:

            Mini-Soccer

Under 8 – the player must be under the age of 8 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 9 – the player must be under the age of 9 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 10 – the player must be under the age of 10 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 11 – the player must be under the age of 11 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

In accordance with the foregoing qualifications a player in the above age ranges must not play in a match where any other player is older or younger by 2 years or more.

            Youth Football

Under 12 – the player must be under the age of 12 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 13 – the player must be under the age of 13 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 14 – the player must be under the age of 14 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 15 – the player must be under the age of 15 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 16 – the player must be under the age of 16 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

In accordance with the foregoing qualifications a player under the age of 14 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season must not play in a match where any other player is older or younger by 2 years or more.

            (The above qualification dates are subject to the provisions contained in FA Rule C.4 (a)(v)).

(C) A player having taken part in matches for any Club affiliated to any County Football Association shall not be allowed to join, be transferred to, or sign for a Club in the Competition without first proving to the officials of the intended Club that the player has discharged all reasonable financial liabilities to the previous Club or Clubs, and a Club official may not accept such player's signature without first ascertaining whether such claims have been discharged to the satisfaction of the Club, or Clubs, for which the player last played.

            (D) The Management Committee shall decide all registration disputes.

In the event of a player signing a registration form or having a registration submitted for more than one Club, the earliest dated form shall have priority of registration and thus shall decide for which Club the player shall be registered. The Competition Secretary shall notify the Club last applying to register the player of the fact of the previous registration.

            (E) It shall be deemed misconduct for a player to:-

                        (i)   Play for more than one Club in the Competition in the same season without first being transferred irrespective of age group.

                        (ii)  Having signed for one Club in the Competition, sign for another Club in the Competition in that season except for the purpose of a transfer.

                        (iii)  Submit a signed registration form for registration that the player had wilfully neglected to accurately or fully complete.

            (F)        (i) The Management Committee shall have power to accept the registration of any player. 

(ii)The Management Committee shall have power to refuse, cancel or suspend the registration of any player or may fine any player at their discretion proved guilty of registration irregularities. (Subject to Rule 16).

                        (iii) The Management Committee shall have power to refuse or cancel the registration of any player charged and found guilty of undesirable conduct. (Subject to Rule 16). Undesirable conduct shall mean an incident of repeated conduct, which may deter a participant from being involved in this competition.

(Note:  Action under Clause (ii) shall not be taken against a player for misconduct on the field of play until the matter has been dealt with by the appropriate Suffolk County Football Association Disciplinary Committee, and then only in cases of the player bringing the Competition into disrepute.)

Transfers

            (G) Subject to The Football Association Rules dealing with players without a written contract when a player desires a transfer, the Club the player wishes to transfer to shall submit a transfer form to the League Secretary accompanied by a fee of £10. Such transfer shall be referred by the League Secretary to the Club for which the player is registered. Should this Club object to the transfer it should state its objections in writing to the Competition Secretary and to the player concerned within seven days of receipt of the transfer form.  Upon receipt of the Club's consent, or upon its failure to give written objection within seven days, the League Secretary may, on behalf of the Management Committee, transfer the player who shall be deemed eligible to play for the new Club from such date or 7 days after receipt of such transfer.

            In the event of an objection to a transfer the matter shall be referred to the Management Committee for a decision.

            (H) A player may not be registered for a Club nor transferred to another Club in the Competition after 1st March except by special permission of the Management Committee.

            (I) A Club shall keep a list of the players it registers and a record of the games in which they have played, and shall produce such records upon demand by the Management Committee
 In the event a Club has more than one team in an age group, each team must be clearly designated “A” and “B” etc.  In such cases, players will be registered for one team only.  A player so registered will be allowed to play for his Club in a younger or older age group within the provisions of Rule 8 (B).

            (J) A register containing the names of all players registered for each Club, with the date of registration, shall be kept by the Competition Secretary and shall be open to the inspection of any duly appointed Member Club representative at all Management Committee meetings or at other times mutually arranged. Registrations are valid for one season only.

              (K) A player shall not be eligible to play for a team in any special championship, promotion or relegation deciding match (as specified in Rule 12(A)) unless the player has played 10 games for that team in this Competition in the current season.

            (L) (i) Any team playing an unregistered or otherwise ineligible player or players shall have the points gained in the match deducted from its total and may be fined and/or otherwise dealt with at the discretion of the Management Committee.

 (The match result will be declared 0-0 draw. )

            (ii) In addition the team may  have 3 points deducted from its total at the discretion of the Management Committee and may be dealt with in any further manner which is thought to be fit.

            (iii) The Management Committee in exceptional circumstances may, at its discretion, award any points deducted from a Club under this Rule to the opponents in the match in question, subject to the match not being ordered to be replayed.

(The match result will be declared 0-0 draw.)        

            (The following Clause applies to Competitions involving players in full-time secondary education):-   

            (M) (i)   Priority must be given at all times to school and school organisations activities.

                 (ii)  The availability of children must be cleared with the Head Teachers (except for Sunday Competitions) 

                 (iii) Children  under 14 shall not play in a team involving players who are more than 2 years older.

(Note: Parents retain the right to decide which team their child will play for in the event of a clash with school  fixtures)

(Note: For players under the age of 18 the provisions contained in Football Association Rules

 will apply.)

Although not in the FA rules a team may:

contact the Secretary of the Club with whom the player is currently registered by telephone. If the Club/team receives an immediate positive response then both parties should contact the Competition Secretary confirming that the Transfer will take place. The requesting Club should then proceed with the completion of the required paperwork and send it, with the £10 fee, to the Competition secretary.

Registrations.

During the playing season Clubs/team in F&DJFL must inform the Competition Secretary, in writing, if they wish to de-register (release) a player. 

Players who have NOT played for a team in F&DJFL during the playing season or who have been de-registered by their Club/team may join another  Club/team via the standard registration process.

If a player is de-registered they cannot be registered to play for another Club/team until 14 days have elapsed from date of de-registration.

Any Club/team leaving the F&DJFL during the playing season must inform the Competition Secretary that they wish to de-register their players. The players then become eligible to play for another Club/team in F&DJFL in accordance with 14 day rule – see above.

(N) (Managers must check with new players attending training sessions to determine if they are registered with another team. If player is registered then Manager should refuse to allow the player to train with his/her team unless evidence is available that player has permission of team holding his/her current registration. Managers should be aware of potential Child Protection issues when allowing non-registered players to participate in training sessions.)

(O) A player will be considered cup tied if he has played in any round of a F&DJFL competition prior to transferring to a new club in any one season. This includes both KO and Plate competitions.

9. CLUB COLOURS.  CLUB NAME

.           (A) Every Club must register the colour of its shirts and shorts with the Secretary by before the start of the playing season who shall decide as to their suitability.  This applies to home and away kits.

Goalkeepers must wear colours which distinguish them from other players and the referee.  Every attempt must be made to ensure they do not clash with the opposing team’s goalkeeper’s shirt.

            No player, including the goalkeeper, shall be permitted to wear black or very dark shirts.

Any team not being able to play in its normal colours as registered with the Competition shall notify the colours in which they will play to its opponents at least 7 days before the match.

If, in the opinion of the referee, two Clubs have the same or similar colours, the away team shall make the change. If the Referee has to delay the start of the game due to clash of colours or abandon the game then the offending team will be fined £10.

(The game will then be re-arranged by the Fixtures Secretary.)

The Secretary of the Competition may request shirts to be submitted if complaints are received as to lack of distinguishing colours, and the Management Committee may refuse to permit any shirts or shorts as they think fit.  (Team shirts should be numbered)

(B) Any Club wishing to change its name and/or colours must seek permission from its affiliated County Football Association and from the Management Committee.

10. PLAYING SEASON.  CONDITIONS OF PLAY

TIMES OF KICK-OFF.  POSTPONEMENTS.  SUBSTITUTES

  (A) The Annual General Meeting shall determine the commencing and concluding dates for the ensuing season which shall be in accordance with Football Association Rules.  No Club shall be compelled to play after the concluding date.  Original fixtures arranged by the Fixtures Secretary, or at a meeting specially convened for that purpose, to be held no later than 31st August, must not be arranged for a date later than seven days preceding the concluding date determined by the Annual General Meeting.

Fixtures are deemed to be accepted unless objections are received by the Fixtures Secretary within fourteen days of their issue.

Any Club failing to be represented at a fixture meeting or otherwise infringing this Rule shall be liable for a fine of £10 and the Management Committee or the Fixtures Secretary shall arrange that Club’s fixtures.

(B) All matches shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game as determined by the International Football Association Board or, for Mini-Soccer, the Laws of Mini-Soccer as set down by The Football Association.

Clubs must take all reasonable precautions to keep their grounds in a playable condition. All matches shall be played on pitches deemed suitable by the Management Committee. If through any fault of the home team a match has to be replayed, the Management Committee shall have power to order the venue to be changed.

The Management Committee shall have power to decide whether a pitch and/or facilities are suitable for matches in the Competition and to order the Club concerned to play its fixtures on another ground.

All matches shall have a time duration as set out below unless a shorter period is mutually arranged by the two captains in consultation with the referee prior to the commencement of the match, and in any event shall be of equal halves.

For Mini-Soccer – The duration of play shall be as follows: for under 7 and under 8 15 minutes each half, under 9 age groups and under 10, 20 minutes each half and under 11, 25 minutes each half. The maximum playing time in any one day for under 7 and under 8 age groups is 45 minutes and for under 9 and under 10 age groups is 60 minutes.        

When an A team player plays half a game or more he becomes ineligible to play for the B team on the same day.

  The only exception to this being if a team turns up with 13 players – only in these circumstances may an A team outfield player, play in goal or the A team goalkeeper may play outfield – The maximum playing times still apply.

             Upon a team turning up with 12 players or less – the B team match is forfeited

             (Result recorded as 0 – 0 ).

            For Youth football – The duration of play shall be as follows unless it is mutually agreed by all parties to reduce the time.  For under 12, 30 minutes each half; for under 13, 14, 35 minutes each half and under15 and under 16, 40 minutes each half; under 17 and under 18, 45 minutes each half.

            The minimum time for any game will not be less than 20 minutes each half for players in the under 14 age group and below and 25 minutes each half for all other age groups.

            No player under the age of 17 as at midnight on 31st August in any season shall be permitted to play more than one game or, in the event the competition allows the playing of a double-header, i.e.: two separate matches, 100 minutes per day in this Competition.

            The times of kick-off shall be fixed by the A.G.M. or the Management Committee. Any Club failing to commence at the appointed time may be fined a sum not exceeding £10 or be otherwise dealt with as the Management Committee may determine.

The kick-off time for all matches is 10:30 am .

Referees must order matches to commence at the appointed time and must report all late starts to the Competition.

The home team must provide at least two footballs fit for play and the referee shall make a report to the Competition if the footballs are unsuitable.  The size of football to be used shall be: For Mini-Soccer, size 3 for players in the under 7 and 8 age categories; size 4 for under 9's, 10’s and 11s.  For youth football – size 4 for those playing under 12, 13 and 14 age groups; size 5 for all other age groups. Goal nets must be used under the Rules of this Competition.

  (C) Except by permission of the Management Committee all matches must be played on the dates originally fixed but priority shall be given to The Football Association and all relevant County Association Cup Competitions. All other matches must be considered secondary. Clubs may mutually agree to bring forward a match with the consent of the Fixtures Secretary.

(D) The Secretary (or other relevant match official) of the home Club must give notice by telephone of full particulars of the location of, and access to, the ground and time of kick-off to the match officials of the opposing Club at least 4 clear days prior to the playing of the match.  The away Club shall seek and acknowledge receipt of such particulars.

            Any Club failing to comply with this Rule shall be liable to a fine of £10.

  (E) Every Club shall play its best available qualified team or teams in all matches in the Competition.

(Note: The intention of this Rule is not to interfere with normal team selection by Clubs, but to prevent Clubs deliberately fielding a weakened team in order to unreasonably reserve players for another game or to boost the strength of another or lower team.  It is NOT intended that Clubs MUST field higher team players in lower teams when the higher team has no engagement.  If, in the opinion of the Management Committee, the substance or spirit of the Rule is obviously being disregarded, the Club or Clubs concerned may be called to account for its/their actions and shall be subject to such decisions as the Management Committee may determine, despite the fact that Rule 8 has not been infringed.)

A minimum of 9 players will constitute a team for a F&DJFL match. (this rule applies to 11 a side games only). A team may not postpone a game if they have 9 players available, unless they follow rule 10 F(ii). A match may not start if either team consists of fewer than nine players. The Match Official will abandon a game if either team is reduced to 7 players on the pitch. If the match has not reached half time then the match will be re-played. If the match has reached half-time then the result at that time will be taken as the final result for the match and there will not be a reply. The Competition Fixture Secretary must be informed of the result or the need for a reply.

  (F)        (i)  Home and away matches shall be played. In the event of a Club failing to keep its engagement the Management Committee shall have power to inflict a fine, deduct points from the defaulting Club, award the points to the opponents, order the defaulting Club to pay any expenses incurred by the opponents or otherwise deal with them except the award of goals.  Not withstanding the foregoing home and away provision, the Management Committee shall have power to order a match to be played on a neutral ground or on the opponent's ground if they are satisfied that such action is warranted by the circumstances.

(ii) Any Club with more than one team in the Competition shall always fulfil its fixture, within the Competition, in the following order of precedence: -  First Team, Reserve Team, A Team.  Clubs in breach of this requirement shall be fined a sum not exceeding £20 or otherwise dealt with by the Management Committee.

(iii) Teams may postpone 2 games per season if they give 14 days notice of their intent to the Fixtures secretary and notify their opponents they that they have made the application. Any further postponements will result in the team instigating the postponement forfeiting the game.

The only exception to the above is adverse weather condition.

(iv) In the event of a match not being played or abandoned owing to causes over which neither Club has control, it shall be played in its entirety on a date to be mutually agreed by the two Clubs and approved by the Management Committee (Fixtures Secretary can approve).  Failing such agreement and notification to the Fixtures Secretary within 7 days the Management Committee shall have power to order the match to be played on a named date or on or before a given date.

(v)The Management Committee shall review all abandoned matches and in a case where it is to the advantage of the Competition and does no injustice to either Club, shall be empowered to order the score at the time of the abandonment to stand.  In all cases where the Management Committee are satisfied that a match was abandoned owing to the conduct of one team or its Club member(s) they shall be empowered to award the points for the match to the opponents and/or take what other action they may deem necessary.  In cases where a match is abandoned owing to the conduct of both teams or their Club members, the Management Committee shall take such action as they consider appropriate.  Such action is subject to any disciplinary action taken by the appropriate County Football Association.

  (G) For Mini-Soccer – any number of substitutions may be used at any time with the permission of the Referee.  Entry onto the field of play will only be allowed during a stoppage in play.  A player who has been replaced may return to the play as a substitute for another player. 

For Mini-Soccer - Any player substituted at the request of Referee for potential Red Card offence cannot return to the field of play or take any further part in the game.

Team must not have a squad greater than double the size of its team in an age group.

For Youth Football (11 a side) – for teams in the under 16 age group and below, a player who has been substituted himself becomes a substitute and may replace another player at any time subject to the substitution being carried out in accordance with Law 3 of the Laws of Association Football.

For Youth Football (11 a side) – a team may name up to 5 substitutes. All 5 named substitutes may be used and players who are substituted, as stated above, may then be used as substitutes themselves. In this way up to 16 named players can be used as roll on/roll off substitutes.

For Youth Football (11 a side) -In the event of a player being sent from the pitch for a Red Card offence then a substitute MAY NOT be used to replace the player receiving the red card.

The referee shall be informed of the names of the substitutes not later than 10 minutes before the start of the match. (not required for Mini-soccer)  If the substitutes are not named then in accordance with the Laws of the Football Association, no substitutes will be permitted. Applies to 11 a side only.

  A player who has been selected, appointed or named as a substitute before the start of the match but does not actually play in the game shall not be considered to have been a player in that game within the meaning of Rule 8 of this Competition.

  (H) The half time interval shall be of minimum 10 minutes duration, but it shall not exceed fifteen minutes.  The half time interval may only be altered with the consent of the referee.

11. REPORTING RESULTS

  (A) The Competition Secretary must receive within 3 days of the date played, the result of each Competition match in the prescribed manner. This must include the forename(s) and surname of the team players (in block letters) and also the Referee markings required, or any other information required by the Competition.  Failure to do so will incur a fine of £10 and the team being dealt with as the Management Committee decide.

            (reporting of player details and Referee markings only applies to 11 a side games)

Managers who mark their Referee 50 or below must include a written report with their results sheet stating why they gave a low mark. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a £5 fine against the offending team.

(B) The Home Club shall telephone the result of each match to the age group results co-ordinator by 7pm on the day of the match.

(C) The match result notification, correctly completed, shall be signed by a responsible member of the Club.  The Management Committee shall have power to take such action as they deem suitable against a team that submits an incomplete form or incorrect information.

12. DETERMINING CHAMPIONSHIP

            (A) Team rankings within the Competition will be decided by points with 3 points to be awarded for a win and 1 points for a drawn match. The teams gaining the highest number of points in their respective Divisions at the conclusion shall be adjudged the winners.  Matches must not be played for double points.

In the event of two or more teams being equal on points team rankings may be decided in any one or more of the following ways:-

                        (i)         goal difference

                        (ii)         goals scored

                        (iii)        deciding match(s) played under conditions determined by the Management Committee.

For deciding matches, in the event of the scores in a special championship match played under conditions determined by the management committee being level at the end of the game, 20 minutes extra time shall be played in two equal periods of 10 minutes.  If scores level after extra time, the winners will be determined by the taking of kicks from the penalty mark in accordance with the International Board Decision contained in the Laws of Association Football.

(B) Automatic promotion and relegation shall be applied for the first and last 2 teams in each Division except as provided for hereunder, subject to the provisions of  Rule 1(b).

(i)  Should one or more teams withdraw from any one Division after the fixtures have commenced an equal number of teams to those withdrawing in that Division shall not be automatically relegated.

(ii) Vacancies occurring after the conclusion of the season may be filled on any of the following ways:

·         retention of otherwise relegated team(s)

·         additional promotion of the next ranked team(s) from the Division below

·         election

·         as decided by Management Committee           

(C) In the event of a team not completing 100% of its fixtures for the season all points obtained by or recorded against such defaulting team shall be expunged from the Competition table.