League Rules
LEAGUE COMPETITION RULES
NOMENCLATURE AND CONSTITUTION
1. (A)
This Competition shall be designated the Ilford & District Football League
and known as the Ilford & District Football League and shall consist of not
more than forty eight Clubs approved by the sanctioning authority.
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 Essex County Football Association. The
area covered by the Competition Membership shall be Ilford and adjacent areas.
This
Competition shall apply annually for sanction to the Essex County Football
Association(s) and the constituent teams of Member Clubs may be grouped in
divisions, each not exceeding fourteen in number.
No
more than one team from a Club can participate in the same division.
This
Competition and its Clubs shall support the FA’s Respect programme. As such it
recognises that everyone in football has a collective responsibility to create
a fair, safe and enjoyable environment in which the game can take place. A
Respect League values the contribution of match officials, players and
spectators and ensures that they are treated with courtesy and fairness by
opposing players, club officials and spectators. The League and its Clubs will
seek to play fixtures in a fair, competitive but not antagonistic environment.
Member
Clubs shall not enter any of their teams playing in the Competition in any
other Competitions (with the exception of F.A. and County F.A. Competitions)
except with the written consent of the Management Committee of the Competition.
(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.
ENTRY FEE, SUBSCRIPTION, DEPOSIT
2. (A)
Applications by Clubs for admission to this Competition or the entry of an
additional team(s) must be made in writing to the Secretary and must be
accompanied by an Entry Fee of £50.00 per team which shall be returned in the
event of non-election.
At
the discretion of a majority of the accredited voting members present
applications, 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.
When
Rule 12(B) is applied or a team seeks a transfer or is compulsorily transferred
to another division no Entry Fee shall be payable.
(B)
The Annual Subscription shall be £95.00 per Team payable on or before the 31st
July in each year.
(C)
Each Club shall within 14 days of election
pay a Deposit of £50.00 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.
The
Entry Fee specified in Rule 2(A) shall be the deposit.
(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 1st July
of its appropriate County Football Association affiliation number for the
forthcoming Season, failing which they shall be fined £25.00. 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.
This information to be supplied by the date of the League’s Annual General
Meeting.
OFFICERS
3. The
Officers of the Competition shall be the President, Life Vice-Presidents,
Vice-Presidents, Life Members, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, Registration & Results Secretary, Fixture
Secretary, Referees Secretary Disciplinary Secretary, Press Secretary, Cup
Secretary, Publication Secretary and Minutes Secretary to be elected annually
at the Annual General Meeting. (N.B. Auditors/Verifiers are not Officers).
MANAGEMENT, NOMINATION, ELECTION
4. (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 five members who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. All
Participants shall abide by The Football Association Regulations for
Safeguarding Children as determined by The Association from time to time.
Not
more that 2 of the five members shall be from the same Division.
(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 1st 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 at least quarterly.
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.
(F)
The Council of the League shall comprise of the Management Committee and one
representative of each Member club. Management Committee members may represent
their Club. The Council will meet on dates specified by the Management
Committee.
Al
Club failing to be represented at Council meetings shall be fined £25.00 and
failure to be represented at two consecutive Council meetings without
satisfactory reason being given, shall be further dealt with by the Management
Committee with a further fine being imposed not exceeding £50.00.
POWERS OF MANAGEMENT
5. (A) The
Management Committee may appoint sub-committees and delegate such of their
powers as they deem necessary. The decisions of all sub- committees shall be
reported to the Management Committee for ratification. The Management Committee
shall have power to deal only with matters within the Competition and not for
any matters of misconduct that are under the jurisdiction of the Football
Association or affiliated Association
(B)
Subject to the permission of the Essex 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 Club (including any Club which 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 or where there may be a conflict of interest. (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.
With
the exception of Rules 5(I), 6(H), 10(A), 11 and 19, for all breaches of Rule a
formal written charge must be issued. The respondent shall be given seven days
from the date of notice to reply to the charge and given the opportunity to:-
(i)
Accept
or deny the charge
(ii)
Submit
in writing a case of mitigation, or
(iii)
Put 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 F.A. Rules by the
appropriate Association.
With the
exception of Clubs playing at Step 7 of the Football Pyramid and the FA Women’s
Premier League, the maximum fine permitted for any breach of a Competition rule
is £250 and, when setting any fine, the Competition must ensure that the
penalty is proportional to the offence, taking into account any mitigating
circumstances.
(E)
All decisions of the Management Committee shall be binding subject to the right
of appeal in accordance with Rule 16.
Decisions
of the Management Committee must be notified in writing to those concerned
within 14 days.
(F) Seven Members of the
Management Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business
of the Management Committee and three 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 be fined 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.
Any
Club failing to do so will be fined a maximum of £50. Further failure to pay
the fine including the additional sum within 14 days will result in fixtures
being withdrawn until such time as the outstanding payments are settled.
(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.
(L)
The business of the Competition as determined by the Management Committee may
be transacted by electronic mail or facsimile.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
6. (A)
The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than 30th June in
each year. At this meeting the following business shall be transacted provided
that at least 75% Members 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 therefrom.
(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 audited Balance Sheet, Statement of Accounts and Agenda
shall be forwarded to each Club at least fourteen days prior to the meeting,
and to the Essex County Football Association.
(C) A signed copy of the duly audited Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts shall be
sent to the Essex County Football Association within fourteen days of its
adoption by the Annual General Meeting.
(D) Each Member
Club shall be empowered to send two delegates to an Annual General
Meeting. Each Club shall be entitled to one vote only. Fourteen days’ notice
shall be given of any Meeting.
(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.
(F) All voting shall be conducted by a show of voting
cards unless a ballot be demanded by at least 50% of the delegates qualified to
vote or the Chairman so decides.
(G) No individual shall be entitled to vote on behalf
of more than one Member Club.
(H) Any continuing Member Club failing to be
represented at the Annual General Meeting without satisfactory reason being
given shall be fined £50.00.
(I) Officers and Management Committee members shall be
entitled to attend and vote at an Annual General Meeting.
AGREEMENT TO BE SIGNED
7. The
Chairman and the Secretary of each Club shall complete and sign the following
agreement which shall be deposited with the Competition 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 Ilford
& District Football League 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 appropriate County Football Association(s) to which the Club is
affiliated and to the Secretary of the Competition.
(Note:
The spaces above are intended for the inclusion of the signatures and addresses
of officers and members).
QUALIFICATION OF PLAYERS
8. (A)(i)
Contract players, as defined in Football Association Rules, are not permitted
in this Competition.
It
is the responsibility of each Club to ensure that any Player signing a
registration form for that Club has, where necessary, the required
International Transfer Certificate. Clearance is required for any player aged
12 and over crossing borders including Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
(ii) While serving in any branch of
Her Majesty’s Regular Forces, a player must first obtain the consent of his/her
Association Secretary before signing a registration form to play for a Club.
(B) A
registered playing member of a Club is one who, being in all other respects
eligible, has:-
(i) Signed a fully and correctly completed Competition registration
form in ink, countersigned by an Officer of the Club, and who has been
registered with the Registrations Secretary two days prior to playing and whose
completed registration counterfoil has been received by the Club prior to
playing.
(ii)
Signed a fully and correctly completed Competition registration form in ink on
a match day prior to playing, countersigned by an Officer of the Club and witnessed
by an Officer of the opposing Club, and submitted to the Registrations
Secretary within two days (Sundays excluded) subsequent to the match. The
player shall not again play until the Club is in possession of the completed
counterfoil. A maximum of 5 players may be registered in this way.
Registration forms may also be submitted to the Registrations
Secretary by facsimile machine or electronic mail prior to the player playing.
The original document must be forwarded by post within three days of the match
to the appropriate Officer.
(C) A team
shall not include more than three players who has/have taken part in any one or
more senior competition matches during the current season unless a period of 28
days has elapsed since they played.
For the purpose of this Competition
a senior competition(s) is Step 7 and above of the National League System.
(D) 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.
(E) Registration forms shall be
obtained from the Registrations Secretary.
Each team will be issued with 30
Registration Forms.
(F) 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
priority of registration shall decide for which Club the player shall be
registered. The Registrations Secretary shall notify the Club last applying to
register the player of the fact of the previous registration.
(G) It shall be a breach of Rule for
a player to:-
(i) Play for more than one Club
in the Competition in the same season without first being transferred.
(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.
(H) (i) The Management Committee shall
have the power to accept the registration of any player subject to the provisions
of clauses (ii) and (iii) below.
(ii) The Management Committee shall
have power to refuse, cancel or suspend the registration of any player who has
been charged and found guilty of registration irregularities. (Subject to Rule
16).
(iii) The
Management Committee shall have power to make application to refuse or cancel
the registration of any player charged and found guilty of undesirable conduct
(subject to Rule 16) subject to the right of appeal to the FA or the relevant
County Football Association.
Undesirable conduct shall mean an incident of repeated
proven misconduct, which may deter a participant from being involved in this
Competition. Application should be made to the parent County of the Club the
player is registered or intending to be registered with.
(iv) For a player who has previously had a
registration removed in accordance with clause (iii) but has a registration
accepted at the expiry of exclusion will be considered to be under a
probationary period of 12 months. Whilst under a probationary period, should
the player commit a further act of proven misconduct under the jurisdiction of
the Competition, (excluding standard dismissals), the Competition would be
empowered to consider a further charge of bringing the Competition into
disrepute.
(Note: Action under Clause (iii) shall not be taken
against a player for misconduct until the matter has been dealt with by the
appropriate Association, and then only in cases of the player bringing the
Competition into disrepute and will in any case be subject to an Appeal to the
Football Association. All
decisions must include the period of restriction. For the purpose of this Rule,
bringing the competition into disrepute can only be considered where the player
has received in excess of 112 days’ suspension, or 10 matches in match based
discipline, in a period of two years or less from the date of the first offence
for any team playing in this Competition.)
(I)
Subject to FA Rule C2(a) 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 Registrations Secretary accompanied by a fee of £5.00.
Such transfer shall be referred by the Registrations 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 Registrations 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 Registrations 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 seven 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.
(J) A player may not be registered
for a Club nor transferred to another Club in the Competition after 28th
February except by special permission of the Management Committee.
(K) 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.
(L) A register containing the names
of all players registered for each Club, with the date of registration, shall
be kept by the Registrations 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.
In the event of a player without a
written contract changing his status to that of a contract player with the same
Club, another Club in the Competition or with a Club in another Competition his
registration as a player without a written contract will automatically be
cancelled and declared void. In order to play in the League again either for
his original Club or for another Club it will be necessary for him to be
re-registered as required by this Rule.
(M) 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 three games for that team in this
Competition in the current season.
(N) A player who has taken part in
six or more league and/or cup fixtures within the Ilford & District
Football League for his Club’s first team during the current season shall be
deemed a first team player unless 28 days has elapsed since he last played for
the Club’s first team. Not more than four qualified first team players may play
for the Club’s second team or lower in any one match.
(O) (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.
(ii) In addition the team may have up
to three 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 may,
at its discretion, award the points available in the match in question to the
opponents, subject to the match not being ordered to be replayed.
(The following Clause applies to
Competitions involving players in full-time secondary education):-
(P) (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 Leagues).
(iii) To play open age football the
player must have achieved the age of 16.
(Q) Checks on
players' eligibility may be carried out by any League Officer who attends any
Ilford & District League controlled match. Players and substitutes of each
Club shall be requested to provide names and signatures of all players that
took part in the match. These names and signatures shall then be submitted to
the League Registration Secretary for authentication. Clubs shall be
responsible for their players' actions, and any refusal to comply when
requested will deem the offending 'club member' guilty of misconduct, and they
shall be dealt with by the Management Committee as if they had played an
unregistered player. Any irregularity found by the League Registration
Secretary in checking the submitted names and signatures shall be dealt with by
the League Management Committee as provided by the Rules of this Competition.
(R) In the
event of a Club or Official questioning the individual identity of a player of
the opposing team, they shall either at half time or immediately after the
match request that player to provide his name, date of birth and signature.
Clubs shall be responsible for their players actions and any refusal to
complete the form, when requested, will deem the offending player and Club
guilty of misconduct. These names and signatures form shall be submitted to the
League Secretary within FOUR days of the match as part of any protest (Rule15)
for adjudication by the League Management Committee. If any irregularity is
found, the matter will be dealt with by the League Management Committee as
provided by the Rules of this Competition on player eligibility (Rule 8).
CLUB COLOURS. CLUB NAME
9. (A) Every Club must register the colour
of its shirts and shorts with the Secretary by 1st July who shall
decide as to their suitability.
Goalkeepers must wear colours which
distinguish them from other players and the referee.
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 five 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. Any team not having a change of colours or delaying the kick-off by not
having a change shall be fined £10.00.
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. Shirts must be numbered. These numbers must
be 1 to 18 unless agreed by the Management Committee. Clubs in default of this section of the Rule
shall be fined £10.00.
(B) Any Club wishing to change its
name must obtain permission from its affiliated County Association and from the
Management Committee.
Any Club wishing to change its
colours must obtain permission from the Management Committee.
PLAYING SEASON. CONDITIONS OF PLAY
TIMES OF KICK-OFF. POSTPONEMENTS. SUBSTITUTES
10. (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 1st September, must not
be arranged for a date later than seven days preceding the concluding date.
Any
Club failing to be represented at a fixture meeting or otherwise infringing
this Rule shall be liable for a fine of £20.00 and the Management Committee or
the Fixtures Secretary shall arrange that Club’s fixtures.
In
the event of the original fixtures being arranged by the Fixture Secretary,
he/she shall determine the priority of all fixtures played by Member Clubs,
subject to the provisions of Rule 10(C).
Clubs
shall supply the Fixture Secretary with a list of dates for fixtures on a form
supplied by the League. The form to be returned completed to the Fixture
Secretary on or before 1st August. Failure to return this form will
result in a fine of £5.00 plus an additional fine of 50p per day thereafter
that the form is not returned.
Any
Club requiring a postponement of a fixture or unable to play a fixture on a
date shown on the form submitted must notify the Fixture Secretary at least 28
days before the date on which the postponement is required. Failure to do so
will be dealt with under Rule 10(F).
In
the event of the team being required to play double header fixtures, the first
named team on the fixture list shall be deemed the home side and subject to all
home team provisions in the Rules, and the second named team shall be deemed
the away team and subject to all away team provisions in the Rules.
(B)
All matches shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game as
determined by the International Football Association Board.
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 duration of 90 minutes unless a shorter time (not less
than 60 minutes) 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.
The
times of kick-off shall be fixed by the Management Committee. Any Club failing
to commence at the appointed time may be fined a sum not exceeding £10.00 or be
otherwise dealt with as the Management Committee may determine.
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. Failure
to comply will result in a fine of £10.00.
Goal nets must be used and suitably anchored to the
ground. Regulation corner posts must be used. Clubs in default shall be fined
£10.00.
(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.
In
the case of a revised fixture date, the Clubs must be given by the Competition
5 clear days notice of the match (unless otherwise mutually agreed).
(D)
The Secretary of the home Club must give notice in writing of full particulars
of the location of, and access to, the ground and time of kick-off to the match
officials and the Secretary of the opposing Club at least five 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 £30.00.
(E)
In the event of a Club playing in any match with less than 10 players they may
be fined £10.00 for each missing player. A minimum of 8 players will constitute
a team for a Competition match.
(F)
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 from the match in
question 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.
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 £40.00 or otherwise dealt with by the Management Committee.
Any
Club unable to fulfil a fixture must, without delay, give notice to the
Fixtures Secretary, the Competition Referees
Secretary, the Secretary of the opposing Club and the match officials. Any
Club failing to comply shall be dealt with by the Management Committee who may
inflict a fine. In addition the Press Secretary, Results & Registration
Secretary and League Secretary must be notified. Any Club failing to comply
shall be dealt with by the Management Committee who may inflict a fine.
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. Failing
such agreement and notification to the Fixtures Secretary within seven 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.
The
Management Committee shall review all matches abandoned in cases where it is
consequent upon the conduct of either or both Teams. Where it is to the
advantage of the Competition and does no injustice to either Club, the
Management Committee 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
opponent. In cases where a match has been abandoned owing to the conduct of
both teams or their Club member(s), the Management Committee shall rule all
points for the match as void. No fine(s) can be applied by the Management
Committee for an abandoned match.
The Management Committee shall review any match that
has taken place where either or both teams were under a suspension imposed upon
them by the Association or Affiliated Association. In each case the team that
was under suspension would be dealt with in the same manner as if they had
participated with ineligible players in accordance with Rule 8(O) above. Where
both teams were under suspension the game must be declared null and void.
(G) A
Club may at its discretion and in accordance with the Laws of the Game use 3
substitute players in any match in this Competition who may be selected from five players.
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.
The
referee shall be informed of the names of the substitutes not later than five minutes
before the start of the match.
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 ten minutes duration, but it shall not
exceed fifteen minutes. The half time interval may only be altered with the
consent of the referee.
(I)
The League shall require all players and club officials to have signed the FA’s
Respect Codes of Conduct and produce these if so requested by the League
management committee.
The
participating clubs taking part in the fixture shall identify a team captain
designated with a captain’s armband who has a responsibility to offer support
in the management of the on-field discipline of his/her team mates.
Prior
to each match the participating teams and officials shall conduct the ‘Respect’
handshake and participating teams to offer ‘three cheers’ or handshakes to the
opposing team after the match.
REPORTING RESULTS
11. (A) The
Registration& Results Secretary must receive within four 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 by Rule 13, or any other information
required by the Competition. Failure to do so will incur a fine of £20.00
and/or the Club being dealt with as the Management Committee decide.
(B)
The Home Club shall telephone/notify the result of each match to the Press
Secretary by 6 p.m. Clubs in default shall be fined.
(C)
The match result notification, correctly completed, shall be signed by a
responsible member of the Club. Failure to do so will result in a fine of £10.00.
NB.
If the fixed penalty exceeds £20 the Club must be charged as detailed in Rule
5(D).
DETERMINING
CHAMPIONSHIP
12. (A)
Team rankings within the Competition will be decided by points with three points
to be awarded for a win and one point 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 shall be
decided in the following order:-
(i) goal difference
(ii) goals scored
(B) Automatic promotion and
relegation shall be applied for the first two and
last two 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:
(a) retention of otherwise relegated team(s)
(b) additional promotion of the next ranked team(s)
from the Division below
(c) election
(iii) Not in use.
(iv) When a senior team is relegated
to a lower Division of which its reserve team is a member, or entitled to be a
member, such reserve team must accept relegation to, or retain its position in,
the next lower Division; and should the senior team be relegated to the lowest
Division its reserve team automatically retires from the Competition.
(v) Should either or both of the
leading teams in any of the Divisions have its senior team in the next higher
Division, promotion shall fall, at the discretion of the General Meeting, to
the next highest team or teams in the Division concerned.
(C) In the event of a team not
completing 75% of its fixtures for the season all points obtained by or
recorded against such defaulting team shall be expunged from the Competition
table.
Where a team
withdraws having completed 75% of its fixtures the points for any unplayed
games shall be awarded to the defaulting team's opponents.
(D) Not in use.
REFEREES
13. (A) Registered Referees (and Assistant
Referees where approved by the FA or County FA) for all matches shall be
appointed in a manner approved by the Management Committee and by the
sanctioning Association(s).
(B) In the event of the
non-appearance of the appointed Referee the appointed senior Assistant Referee
shall take charge and a substitute Assistant Referee appointed by the competing
Teams. In cases where there are no officially appointed Assistant Referees, or
where the competition has been unable to appoint a Referee, the Clubs shall
agree upon a Referee. A Referee thus agreed upon shall, for that game, have the
full powers, status and authority of a registered Referee.
(C) Where Assistant Referees are not
appointed each Team shall provide a Club Assistant Referee. Failure to do so
will result in a fine of £0.00 being imposed on the defaulting Team.
(D) The appointed Referee shall have
power to decide as to the fitness of the ground in all matches and the decision
shall be final subject to either in the case of a ground of a Local Authority
or the owners of a ground, the Representative of that body is the sole arbitor
and whose decision must be accepted unless the ground is declared fit for play.
(E) Match Officials appointed under
this Rule shall be entitled to charge travel expenses of 0p per mile together
with the following match fees:-
Referee £30.00 inclusive, Registered
Referees appointed by the Management Committee as Assistant Referees £12.00
inclusive, subject to any limits laid down by the sanctioning Association (currently
£30.00 maximum for Referees and £20.00 maximum for Assistant Referees).
The Home Club shall pay the
Officials their fees and/or expenses before/ immediately after the match.
For double header matches the fees
are: Referee £40.00 inclusive, and Assistant Referees £25.00 inclusive. Match
officials expenses shall be split equally. The home team is responsible for
paying the Officials. The away team shall pay the home team before leaving the
ground.
(F) In the event of a match not
being played because of circumstances over which the Clubs have no control, the
Match Officials, if present, shall be entitled to half fee plus expenses. Where
a match is not played owing to one Club being in default, that Club shall be
ordered to pay the Officials, if they attend the ground, their full fee and
expenses.
(G) A Referee not keeping his or her
engagement, and failing to give a satisfactory explanation as to their
non-appearance, may be reported to the Association with which he or she is
registered.
(H) Each Club shall, in a manner
prescribed from time to time by The Football Association, award marks to the
Referee for each match and the name of the Referee and the marks awarded shall
be submitted to the Competition on the prescribed Form provided. Clubs failing
to comply with this Rule shall be liable to be fined or dealt with as the
Management Committee shall determine.
(I) The Competition shall keep a
record of the markings and, on the Form provided by the prescribed date each
season, shall submit a summary to The Football Association/County Association.
(J) The Referee shall submit a
report Form, supplied by the Competition, giving the result of the match, the
number of players in each team and the time of kick-off to the Referees
Secretary within two days of the match.
(K) Referees and Assistant Referees
shall be supplied, each Season, with a copy of the Competition Rules free of
charge.
CONTINUATION OF MEMBERSHIP OR
WITHDRAWAL OF A CLUB
14. (A) After 31st December in the
current Season a Club intending, or having a provisional intention, to withdraw
a team from the Competition on completion of its fixtures and fulfilment of all
other obligations to the Competition must notify the Secretary in writing by 31st March each Season
or be liable to a fine not exceeding £25.00.
(B) A Club shall not be allowed to
withdraw any or all of its teams from the Competition after the Annual General
Meeting for the following Season.
(i) Any Club infringing this Rule after the fixtures have
commenced shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £50.00 per team and shall
also be liable for its share of any call which may be made under Rule 5(B).
(ii) Any Club infringing this Rule and not disbanding
before the fixtures have commenced shall be liable to a fine not exceeding
£50.00 per team and shall also be liable for its share of any call which may be
made under Rule 5(B).
(iii) Any Club infringing this Rule and disbanding before
the fixtures have commenced cannot be fined but will be liable for their
financial commitments prior to disbanding.
(C) The Membership for the coming
season having been decided at a Special General Meeting held for that purpose
not earlier than 30th April nor later than 30th June or
at the Annual General Meeting held not later than 30th June the Competition
shall have the right, irrespective of other provisions in this Rule, to refuse
to permit a Club to withdraw its team(s) in order to join another Competition
and may hold the Club to its engagements
(D) In the event of a Member Club which is an
un-incorporated association withdrawing and/or disbanding it shall be
immediately liable to discharge all its financial and other obligations to the
Competition.
In the event that any such
obligation remains undischarged after a period of twenty-one (21) days then
such obligation shall be met by the then current Club Members, excluding those
under the statutory school leaving age. Until a Member’s pro rata obligation is
discharged in full the Member shall not be allowed to participate in the
Competition, which may apply to the Club’s Parent County Association for a
suspension order.
If the debt remains unpaid after eighty-four (84) days
the Competition may apply to the Club’s parent County Association for the debt
to be recovered in accordance with the FA Football Debt Recovery System. Once
the matter has been passed to the Club’s parent County Association the debt can
only be cleared by payment to that County Association.
PROTESTS AND COMPLAINTS
15. (A) (i) All questions of eligibility,
qualifications of players or interpretations of the Rules shall be referred to
the Management Committee.
(ii) Objections relevant to the
dimensions of the pitch, goals, flag posts or other facilities of the venue
will not be entertained by the Management Committee unless a protest is lodged
with the Referee before the commencement of the match. Any Club lodging such
protest and not proceeding with it shall be deemed guilty of a breach of this
Rule and shall be dealt with by the Management Committee.
(B) Except in cases where the Management Committee decide
that there are special circumstances, protests and complaints (which must
contain full particulars of the grounds upon which they are founded) must be
lodged in duplicate with the Secretary within seven days (excluding Sundays) of
the match or occurrence to which they refer. A protest or complaint shall not
be withdrawn except by permission of the Management Committee. A Member of the
Management Committee who is a member of any Club involved shall not be present
(except as a witness or representative of his Club) when such protest or
complaint is being determined.
(C) Any dispute occurring between Clubs in the
Competition shall be referred for determination by the Management Committee
whose decision shall be binding upon all parties subject to Rule 16.
(D) No protest of whatever kind shall be considered by
the Management Committee unless the complaining Club shall have deposited with
the Secretary a sum of £10.00. This may be forfeited in whole or in part in the
event of the complaining or protesting Club losing its case. The Competition
shall have power to order the defaulting Club or the Club making a losing or
frivolous protest or complaint to pay the expenses of the enquiry or to order
that the costs to be shared by the parties.
(E)
All parties to a protest or complaint must receive a copy of the submission and
must be afforded an opportunity to make a statement at least 7 days prior to
the protest or complaint being heard.
(i) All parties must have received seven
days’ notice of the Hearing should they be instructed to attend.
(ii) Should a Club elect to state its
case in person then they should forward a deposit of £ 20.00 and indicate such
when forwarding the written response.
BOARD OF APPEAL
16. Within 14 days of the posting of written
notification of any decision of the Management Committee or the Competition, a
Club, Official or Player against whom action is taken may appeal against such
decision by lodging particulars in duplicate with the Secretary of the Essex
County Football Association, including a fee of £35.00, for adjudication of a
Board of Appeal. The grounds of appeal shall be in accordance with FA Rules. The
Board of Appeal may order the appeal fee to be forfeited and shall decide by
whom the costs of the appeal shall be borne. The decision of the Board of
Appeal is final and binding on all parties concerned.
No appeal can be lodged against a
decision taken at an Annual or Special General Meeting unless this is on the
ground of unconstitutional conduct.
EXCLUSION
OF CLUBS.OR TEAMS
MISCONDUCT, CLUBS,
OFFICIALS, PLAYERS
17. (A) At the Annual General Meeting, or
Special General Meeting called for the purpose, Notice of Motion having been
duly circulated on the Agenda, the accredited delegates present shall have the
power to exclude any Club or Team from further membership which must be
supported by (more than) two thirds (2/3) of those present and voting. Voting
on this point shall be conducted by ballot.
(B) At the Annual General Meeting,
or at a Special General Meeting called for the purpose, in accordance with the
provisions of Rule 19, the accredited delegates present shall have the power to
exclude from further participation in the Competition any Club whose conduct
has, in their opinion, been undesirable, which must be supported by (more than)
two-thirds (2/3rds) of those present and voting. Voting on this point shall be
conducted by ballot. A Club whose conduct is the subject of the vote being
taken shall be excluded from voting.
(C) Any official or member of a Club
proved guilty of either a breach of Rule, other than field offences, or of
inducing or attempting to induce a player or players of another Club in the
Competition to join them shall be liable to expulsion or such penalty as a
General Meeting or Management Committee may decide, and their Club shall also
be liable to expulsion in accordance with the provisions of Clauses (A) and (B)
of this Rule.
(D) Not in use.
TROPHY:-
LEGAL OWNERS, CONDITIONS OF TAKING OVER,
AGREEMENT
TO BE SIGNED. AWARDS.
18. (A) If a Competition is discontinued for
any reason a Trophy or any other presentation shall be returned to the Donor if
the conditions attached to it so provide or, if not, dealt with as the
sanctioning Association may decide.
(B)The following agreement shall be
signed on behalf of the winners of the Cup or Trophy:-
“We A _________________ and B ______________________,
the Chairman and Secretary of ________________________ FC, members of and
representing the Club, having been declared winners of _____________________ Cup
or Trophy, and it having been delivered to us by the Competition, do hereby on
behalf of the Club jointly and severally agree to return the Cup or Trophy to
the Competition Secretary on or before 30th September. If the Cup or
Trophy is lost or damaged whilst under our care we agree to refund to the
Competition the amount of its current value or the cost of its thorough
repair.”
Failure to comply will result in a
fine as determined by the Management Committee.
Any Club leaving the League before 30th
September shall return any Cup or Trophy held by them at the time of their
resignation.
(C) At the close of each Competition
awards shall be made to the winners and runners-up if the funds of the
Competition permit.
SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS
19. Upon receiving a requisition signed by
two-thirds of the Clubs in membership the Secretary shall call a Special
General Meeting.
The Management Committee may call a
Special General Meeting at any time.
At least seven days notice shall be
given of either meeting under this Rule, together with an agenda of the
business to be transacted at such meeting. Each Member Club shall be empowered
to send two delegates to all Special General Meetings. Each Club shall be entitled
to one vote only as will members of the Management Committee.
Any continuing Member Club failing to be represented
at a Special General Meeting without satisfactory reason being given shall be
fined £50.00.
Officers and Management Committee members shall be
entitled to attend and vote at all Special General Meetings.
ALTERATION TO RULES
20. Alterations, for which consent has been given by
the sanctioning Association, shall
be made to these Rules only at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special
General Meeting specially convened for the purpose called in accordance with
Rule 19. Any alteration made during the playing season to the Rule relating to
the qualification of players shall not take effect until the following season.
Notice of proposed alterations to be
considered at the Annual General Meeting shall be submitted to the Secretary by
31st December in each year. The proposals, together with any
proposals by the Management Committee, shall be circulated to the Clubs by 31st
January and any amendments thereto shall be submitted to the Secretary by 15th
February. The proposals and proposed amendments thereto shall be circulated to
Clubs with the notice of the Annual General Meeting. A proposal to change a
Rule shall be carried if a majority of those present and entitled to vote are
in favour.
A copy of the proposed alterations
to Rules to be considered at the Annual General Meeting or Special General
Meeting shall be submitted to the sanctioning Football Association at least
twenty-eight days prior to the date of the meeting.
FINANCE
21. (A) The Management Committee shall
determine with which bank or other financial institution
the funds of the Competition will be lodged.
(B) All expenditure in excess of £200.00
shall be approved by the Management Committee. Cheques shall be signed by at
least two Officers nominated by the Management Committee.
(C) The financial year of the
Competition will end on 30th April.
(D) The books, or a certified
balance sheet, of a Competition shall be prepared and shall be audited annually by some suitable
person(s) who shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.
(E)
Honoraria, if paid, must be agreed at the Annual General Meeting and relate to
the season just concluded. The
Management Committee shall recommend which Officers may receive honoraria and
the level of payment. All the above to be detailed on the AGM paperwork under
“Any other business” (Rule 6(A)(x)).
INSURANCE
22. All Clubs must have public liability
insurance cover of at least 10 million pounds (£10,000,000).
With effect from the 2013-14 season
all Clubs must be members of a Players’ personal accident scheme which meets
the minimum criteria set by the sanctioning Association.
Approved ECFA 22.6.2012 including Competition AGM amendments
June 2012.
CUP
COMPETITION RULES
1.
The Competition shall be designated the ‘Ilford & District Football League
Cups Competitions’
2.
The competitions shall be conducted in accordance with the rules, regulations
and bye-laws of the Football Association and shall be open only to Clubs
competing within the Ilford & District Football League. Unless otherwise
agreed by the Management Committee, clubs in the Premier Division and Division One shall for the LEAGUE CUP.
Clubs in Division Two and Division Three shall for the SPARTAK CUP. One team
from every club shall compete for the FENTON CUP.
3. Entries shall be received by the Hon. Cup
Secretary on or before the Annual General Meeting. The entrance fee shall be
£25 payable by the 30th September each year, failure to do so shall
result in a fine of £20
4. The Competitions shall be managed by the
League Management Committee.
5. i. Players competing in cup matches shall be duly registered
to play in the Ilford & District Football League in full compliance with
League Rule 8(B).
ii. No player may play in a semi-final or final of any
cup competition unless he has played in not less than four matches (League or
Cup) during the current season for his present club within the Ilford &
District Football League.
iii. A player may only represent one team in the same Cup
competition in any one season.
iv. A player who has competed in the League Cup
competition may not compete in the Spartak Cup in the same season
v. A club may at its discretion use up to three
substitute players from a nominated list of five at any time in the match,
except to replace a player who has been dismissed from the field of play by the
Referee for misconduct after the play has commenced, in accordance with Rule 10
(N).
vi. Any Club found in breach of any of the provisions of
this Rule shall be struck out of the competition and thereafter dealt with by
the Management Committee who may impose fines as they deem appropriate. The
opposing side may also be reinstated into the Competition if such action is
deemed appropriate by the Management Committee.
6.
In the event of a Cup tie having to be cancelled, notification must be made by
the Home Club to:
i.
the
opponents
ii.
the
Referee
iii.
the
Referees Secretary
iv.
the
Cups Secretary
v.
the
Fixtures Secretary
vi.
the
Registrations Secretary
immediately
that it is apparent that a game is to be postponed. Failure to do so shall
incur a fine of £5 in each case and the defaulting club shall be liable to such
further penalty that the Management Committee decides.
7.
Referees for all matches and Assistant Referees, if available, for semi-finals
and Final shall be appointed by the Hon. Referees Secretary. In matches prior
to the semi-finals, each club shall provide an efficient Assistant Referee.
Upon the request of any club, neutral Assistant Referees will be appointed
where available, the club making the request will pay their fees. Match
Officials under these rules shall be entitled to charge a match fee which shall be the maximum allowed by the
sanctioning Association for matches in the competition. All fees shall be
deemed to include expenses.
The
Referees and Assistant Referees fees shall be paid to them immediately after
the match by the home club, who shall recover the half the Referees fee and
half the Assistant Referees fees from their opponents. The away team shall pay
the home team before leaving the ground.
8.
The Draw shall be made by the Management Committee which will also fix the
grounds and dates by which the ties shall be played.
In
all Cup competitions, the tie shall be decided at the first game by two periods
of 45 minutes. If any match results in a draw at full time, the team winning
the tie shall be decided by the taking of penalty kicks, in accordance with the
International Board decision. In all
matches, the duration of play shall not be less than 60 minutes, followed if
necessary by penalties..
Clubs
competing in the finals shall (funds permitting) receive medals.
9.(A)
Each Club appearing in the competitions cup finals shall be required to provide
a squad list and programme information to the Publications Secretary at least
10 days before the date scheduled for the final. Failure to submit the details
will result in a fine of £20.
(B).
Each club appearing in the competitions cup finals shall shall supply two match
balls for use in the final. Failure to provide two acceptable match balls shall
result in a fine of £10.
10.
These competitions shall take prior
claims over an Ilford & District Football League match. The Fixtures
Secretary shall have the power to decide the priority of all League and Cup
fixtures. The Fenton Cup shall take precedence over the League Cup, and
likewise the League Cup over the Spartak Cup and the St Mary’s Cup.
11.
With the exceptions stated above, the Rules of the Ilford & District
Football League shall, wherever applicable, govern the competition.
12.
Each club shall be deemed to have given its assent to the foregoing Rules and
to abide by the League Management Committee, subject to the provisions of
League Rule 16.
#13
Rob
created 27/07/06 00:00 updated 26/08/12 14:12
idfl,ilford,district,football,league,essex