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Felixstowe & District
Junior Football League – Constitution and Rules.
___________________________________________________________________
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 30mile 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 14
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
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 Fee of £40 per team (£25 for U8s)
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 31st July its Suffolk County Football Association
affiliation number for the forthcoming Season,. 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 Secretary has received a fully completed team
registration form (no later than 31st May).
·
the Registration 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, Registration 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
Secretary together with the Application for Membership for the
coming season, or upon indicating that the Club intends to compete.
"We, (Chairman), Name _____ ______________________
Signed __________________________
and
(Secretary), Name _____ _______________________
Signed ___________________________
of __________________________________________________________________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 PLAYER
(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 Registration 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 Registration Secretary prior to the start of the
playing season (assume 1st September). The Registration
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 Registration Secretary.
Players may not take part in competitive games within the
Competition until the Club has received a valid registration number
from the Registration 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.
Under 18 – the player must
be under the age of 18 as at
midnight
on 31st August in the playing season.
In
accordance with the foregoing qualifications a player under the age
of 15 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 Registration
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
Registration 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 (11 a-side
only), 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
Registration 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
Registration 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
Registration Secretary.
Registrations.
During
the playing season Clubs/team in F&DJFL must inform the
Registration 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 Registration 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 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 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
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: Under
8’s - 15 minutes each half, Under 9’s and 10’s - 20 minutes
each half and under 11’s - 25 minutes each half. The maximum
playing time in any one day - Under 8’s - 45 minutes, Under 9’s
and 10’s - 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 above 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 under
15 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
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: -
A Team, B 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 cancel 2 games per
season (any further cancellation will result in the team instigating
the cancellation forfeiting the game).
Cancellation
requests must be sent to the Secretary (by post or email only) and
will be considered up to 12 noon on the Sunday preceding the game
(or 7 days where applicable). Clubs to inform their opponents that a
Cancellation request has been made (it is not up to the opponents to
agree a cancellation). The Secretary to contact team making the
request to notify them whether the request has been approved. Club
to inform their opponents of the outcome of the request.
The
only exception to the above is adverse weather conditions, which is
considered as a postponement.
(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 (Secretary
can approve). Failing
such agreement and notification to the 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(s on that day).
Team must not have a squad greater than double the size of its team in an
age group.
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