Somerset County FA. Somerset County Women s League 2012/13. League Constitution and Competition Rules

Transcription

1 Somerset County FA Somerset County Women s League 2012/13 League Constitution and Competition Rules 1

2 SOMERSET COUNTY WOMENS LEAGUE Rule Numbers & Their Applications RULE 1: NOMENCLATURE AND CONSTITUTION Page 4 RULE 2: ENTRY FEE, SUBSCRIPTION, DEPOSIT Page 4 & 5 RULE 3: OFFICERS Page 5 RULE 4: MANAGEMENT, NOMINATION, ELECTION Page 5 RULE 5: POWERS OF MANAGEMENT Page 5 & 6 RULE 6: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Page 7 RULE 7: AGREEMENT TO BE SIGNED Page 8 RULE 8: QUALIFICATION OF PLAYERS Page 8 to 12 RULE 9: CLUB COLOURS. CLUB NAME Page 12 RULE 10: SEASON - KICK-OFF TIMES, POSTPONEMENTS, SUBSTITUTES Page 12 to 15 RULE 11: REPORTING RESULTS Page 15 RULE 12: DETERMINING CHAMPIONSHIP Page 16 RULE 13: LEAGUE CUP COMPETITION Page 17 RULE 14: REFEREES Page 18 & 19 RULE 15: CONTINUATION OF MEMBERSHIP OR WITHDRAWAL OF A CLUB Page 19 RULE 16: PROTESTS AND COMPLAINTS Page 20 RULE 17: BOARD OF APPEAL Page 20 RULE 18: MISCONDUCT, CLUBS, OFFICIALS, PLAYERS Page 21 RULE 19: TROPHY:- CONDITIONS, AGREEMENT TO BE SIGNED, AWARDS Page 21 RULE 20: SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS Page 22 RULE 21: ALTERATION TO RULES Page 22 RULE 22: RULES BINDING ON CLUBS Page 22 RULE 23: FINANCE Page 23 RULE 24: CHILD PROTECTION Page 23 & 24 2

3 FEES AND FINES TARIFF Rule Description Fee Fine Minimum points Other comments Number deduction 2a Entry fee for new clubs/teams 10 Will be returned if not elected 2b Annual Subscription 100 2b Fail to pay Subscription 7 days before AGM 20 2c Subscription to be paid by new club/team of this is a deposit which will be returned when club leave League 2e Fail to notify League Secretary of Affiliation 10 Number by 13 th July 2f Fail to be represented at General Meetings 10 5h Fail to pay fines and charges within 14 days 50 Maximum amount to be imposed 6h Fail to be represented at AGM 50 8b(v) Fail to register minimum of 11 players prior to 14 days 25 before commencement of League season 8b(vi) Fail to send S.A.E. with registration forms 5 8e Purchase I/D Card 1 8j Submit fraudulent transfer or registration form 3 Management Committee decide any further course of action 8k Failure to notify registration secretary of player s who 20 Maximum amount to be imposed registered for another team in higher league 8o(i) Playing unregistered or ineligible player including breach of Rule 8c 35 May/shall have points gained deducted Management Committee decide any further course of action 8o(ii) Playing unregistered or ineligible player including breach of Rule 8c 3 9a Delay of kick-off due to no change of colours 10 10a Failure to acknowledge receipt of fixtures 10 10b Causing late kick-off 5 Maximum amount to be imposed 10d Fail to notify opponents and match officials of ground 5 location and kick-off time 5 days before match 10e Playing with less than 11 players 5 per missing player This rule may only be imposed by Management Committee 10f Not fulfilling fixture 50 1 Game not be played and 3 points awarded to opponents 10f Playing reserve game but not fulfilling first team fixture 10 In addition to above penalty under 10f 10j Fail to notify of postponement as per rule 10 10j Fail to send in match postponement as per rule 10 10l Home club fail to provide refreshments 10 11a Fail to submit result sheet within 3 days 5 11b Fail to text result within 30 minutes of end of match 10 (Home Club) 14c Fail to provide Assistant Referee 5 14d Fail to notify opponents, match officials and Fixture 10 Secretary if game postponed due to unfit pitch 14h Fail to write letter of explanation if referees marking is 50 or less 5 14h Fail to mark the referee according the FA prescribed 10 manner 15a Failure to notify intention to withdraw from League 50 before 31 st March 15b Withdrawing from League after fixtures have been produced 25 Maximum amount to be imposed and will also lose deposit 16d Protest Fee (NOT APPEALS) Appeal to Somerset FA 50 19c Fail to return trophy by 31 st March in clean condition etc Fail to attend Special General Meeting 25 3

4 RULES NOMENCLATURE AND CONSTITUTION 1. The competition shall be designated the Somerset County Women s Football League. 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 Somerset County Football Association. The area covered by the Competition Membership shall be Somerset. All member clubs shall notify to the Competition details of their Secretary and Chairman and shall submit to the competition an address which electronic Communication can be submitted. This Competition shall apply annually for sanction to the Somerset Football Association(s) and the constitution teams of Members Clubs may be grouped in divisions, each not exceeding 12 in number. 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 the County F.A. Competitions) except with the written consent of the Management Committee of the Competition At the Annual General Meetings or a Special General Meeting called for the purpose, a majority of the delegates present shall have power to decide or adjust the competition of the divisions at their discretion. When necessary the Rules shall take the precedence over Rule 12. ENTRY FEE, SUBSCRIPTION, DEPOSIT 2. (A) Application by the 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 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 the Rule 12(B) is applied or a team seeks a transfer or is a compulsorily transferred to another division no Entry Fee shall be payable. (B) The Annual Subscription shall be per club which includes League Affiliation, League Cup Entry and unlimited player registration payable 7 days before the date of the Annual General Meeting each year. Failure to do so will result in a fine of (C) Each New Club shall within 14 days of election pay of which shall be a deposit returnable to Clubs on leaving the Competition provided they have fulfilled their fixtures and complied with all orders of the Management Committee. 4

5 (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 be the 13 th July each year of its Somerset County Football Association affiliation number for the forthcoming Season, failing which they shall be fined 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) Any club failing to be represented at any general meetings without satisfactory reason being given may be fined 10 OFFICERS 3. Officers of the Competition shall be determined by the Annual General Meeting and elected thereat. (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 up to four members who 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. (B) Retiring Officers shall be eligible to become candidates for the 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 the 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 Secretary. 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 Somerset 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)). 5

6 (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 providing 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) (ii) (iii) Accept or deny the charge Submit in writing a case of mitigation, or 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. 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 to the Board of Appeal in accordance with Rule 16. Decisions of the Management Committee must be notified in writing to those concerned within 14 days. (F) Four 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 and sub-committee of the Competition. (G) The Management Committee, as it may seem 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 attends to the business and/or the correspondence of the Competition shall be liable to be fined or otherwise penalized at the discretion of the Management Committee. (l) 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. Clubs committing a breach of this Rule will incur penalties as the Management Committee may impose. 6

7 (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 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/shall be transacted by electronic mail or facsimile. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 6. (A) The annual General Meeting shall be held not later than 30 th June in each year. At this meeting the following business shall be transacted provided that at least 2/3rds members are present and entitled to vote:- (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) (vi) (vii) (viii) (ix) (x) To receive and conform the Minutes of the preceding Annual General Meeting. To consider any business arising there from. To receive and adopt the Annual Report, Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts. Election of Clubs to fill vacancies (as recommended by the Management Committee). Constitution of the Competition for ensuring season. Election of Officers and Management Committee. Appointment of Auditors. Alteration of Rules, if any (of which notice has been given). Fix the date for the commencement and conclusion of playing season. 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/verified Balance Sheet, Statement of Accounts and Agenda shall be forwarded to each Club at least seven days prior to the meeting, and to the Somerset County Football Association(s). (C) A signed copy of the duly audited/verified Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts shall be sent to the Somerset County Football Association(s) 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. This provision will not apply to Clubs expelled in accordance with Rule 18. (F) All voting shall be conducted by a show of voting cards unless a ballot be demanded by at least 75% 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 Full Member Club. (H) Any continuing Member Club failing to be represented at the Annual General Meeting without satisfactory reason being given may be fined (l) Officers and Management Committee members shall be entitled to attend and vote at an Annual General Meeting. 7

8 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 complete. 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 Somerset County Women s 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 requirements of the Respect campaign 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 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 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 together with 2 passport sized photographs and who has been registered with the (Registrations) Secretary 72 hours prior to playing and whose completed registration counterfoil has been received by the Club prior to playing and has paid the registrations fee given in Rule 8 (E). Parental consent must be obtained by players under the age of 18 and a photocopy of their Birth Certificate or passport must accompany the Registration Form. (ii) Signed a fully and correctly completed Competition registration form in ink together with 2 passport sized photographs on a match day prior to playing, countersigned by an Officer of the Club and witnesses by an Officer of the opposing Club, and submitted to the (Registrations) Secretary within two days (Sundays excluded) subsequent to the match. If the player is under 18 parental consent must be obtained and a photocopy of their Birth Certificate or passport must accompany the Registration Form. The player shall not again play until the Club is in possession of the completed counterfoil. 8

9 A maximum of one players may be registered in this way per match. 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 two days of the match to the appropriate Officer. Registered post is advised. (iii) is in possession of her player identification card so that it can exchanged with the opposing team prior to the match if requested to do so. Identification cards may be retained for the duration of the match by the opposing team and must be returned at the conclusion of the match. (iv) All clubs must register a minimum of 11 players prior 14 days prior to the commencement of the League season. Clubs failing to do this will be fined (v) All registration forms sent must include a stamped addressed return envelope. Failure to do so will result in a fine of (C) A team shall not play more than 1 player who has taken part in any 5 or more senior competition matches during the current season, plus up to 2 such players where a period of 28 complete days have elapsed since the conclusion of the last match in which they played. For the purpose of this Competition a senior competition(s) are FA Women s Premier league, or any Women s Combination, regions League s, Women s Super League or any equivalent International League and Somerset County Women s League Division 1 when a club has a reserve team in a lower division. (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 satisfaction of the Club, or Clubs, for which the player last played. (E) A fee of 1.00 shall be paid for each I/D Card. Identification cards may be revalidated by the registration secretary for subsequent seasons must be replaced following the third season. (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 that the player had willfully neglected to accurately or fully complete. (H) (i)the Management Committee shall have power to accept the registration of any player subject to the provisions of clauses (ii) and (iii) below. 9

10 (ii) The Management Committee shall have power to refuse, cancel or suspend the registration of any player at their discretion who has been charged and found guilty of registration irregularities. (Subject to Rule 16). (iii)the Management Committee shall have power to refuse or cancel the registration of any player 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 with or intended to be registered with (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. (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 proven misconduct under the jurisdiction of the Competition, excluding standard dismissals), the Competition would be empowered to consider a further charge of bring the Competition into disrepute. ( l )Subject to the Football Rules dealing with players without a written contract when a player desires a transfer, the club the players wishes to transfer to shall submit a transfer form to the Registrations Secretary accompanied by a fee of 2.00 such transfer referred by the Registration Secretary to the club for which the player registered. Should the club object 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 registration 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. No transfer will become operative until such time as the transfer has received approval of the registration secretary and notification has been received by the club secretary of the approval of the transfer. Any player transferred will also be required to also complete a registration form and submit signed photographs in accordance with section (B) above. In the event of an objection to a transfer the matter shall be referred to the Management Committee for a decision. (J) Where any cheque payment for transfer is dishonoured by the bank the player shall be deemed to be unregistered and ineligible, from the effective date of the transfer until such time as effective payment, including reimbursement of any bank charges incurred by the league, is met by any alternative means specified by the League Treasurer. The team will also be dealt with under Rule 8 (O)(i) (J)(i) Any club proved to have submitted a registration or transfer form which has been fraudulently completed shall be deducted a minimum of 3 points and otherwise dealt with as the Management Committee shall decide. This shall be in addition to any action under any other rule or subsection of this rule. (K) A player may not be registered for a club nor transferred to another club in the competition after 1 st March unless any player reaches the age of 16 years old and is also already signed for the junior section of your club and except by special permission of the Management Committee. 10

11 (K)(i) The registration secretary MUST be notified of any player/players in your club who is registered to play for another team in a higher league than the Somerset county woman s league. (The definition of a higher league means the F.A Premier, F.A, Premier league North & South, F.A Premier reserve divisions, Northern, Midland, South East or South West Combination league and any Regional League, Women s Super League or any equivalent International League. Failure to do so may result in a fine not exceeding the sum of 20. (K)(ii) Clubs are only permitted to register (dual sign) a maximum of 10 players who are registered for another team in a higher league. (NOTE: This rule also includes players who are signed on for a 1 st team whose reserve team plays in this league) If it is found that a player/players are playing for a higher league team and the registration secretary has not been informed then that club will be dealt with by the Management Committee who shall have the powers to inflict a fine. (L) A Club shall be kept 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. A register containing the names of all the 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 five games for that team in this Competition in the current season. (N) A player who has played for a team in the Somerset County Woman s League five times or more shall not in that season be eligible to play in a lower Division except by permission for the Management Committee. (O)(i) Any team playing an unregistered or otherwise ineligible player or players may/shall have the points gained in the match deducted from its total and shall be fined the sum of They may be further dealt with at the discretion of the Management Committee. (O)(ii) In addition the team shall have 3 points deducted from its total 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. 11

12 Children under 16 shall not play in a team involving players who are more than 2 years older. (Note: For all players under the age of 18 the provisions contained in Football Association Rules will apply.) (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. (P)(ii)The availability of children must be cleared with the Head Teachers (except for Sunday Leagues). (P)(iii) To play open age football the player must have achieved the age of 16. CLUB COLOURS/CLUB NAME 9. (A) Every Club must register the colour of their shirts and shorts with the secretary by 13 th 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 colour s as registered with the competition shall notify the colour s in which they will play to it opponents at least two 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 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. (B) Any Club wishing to change its name and/or colours must obtain permission from its affiliated County Association and 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 ensuing season which shall be in accordance with Football Association Rules. Original fixtures arranged by the (Fixtures) Secretary must not be arranged for a date later than seven days preceding the concluding date determined by the Annual General Meeting. The dates of all matches shall be arranged by the Fixture Secretary and notified to clubs. Receipt of these fixtures must be acknowledged. Failure to do so will result in a fine of Where it considered necessary the Fixture Secretary may require clubs to play on days other than a Sunday. 12

13 (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 duration of 90 minutes unless shorter time (not less than 60 minutes) is mutually arranged by the two captains in consultation with the referee prior to commencement of the match, and in any event shall be of equal halves. The times of kick-off time will be 2 pm, matches however may kick off anytime between 11am and 3pm for Sunday matches, if both Clubs are in agreement. Any Club failing to commence at the appointment time may be fined a sum not exceeding 5 or be otherwise dealt with at 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. Goal nets must be used. (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 via 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 5 clear days prior to the playing of the match. The away Club shall acknowledge receipt of such particulars by return . Any Club failing to comply with this Rule shall be liable to a fine of (E) In the event of a Club playing in any match with less than 11 players they may be fined 5.00 for each missing player. A minimum of 7 players will constitute a team for a Competition match. (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 a 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.) 13

14 (F) Home and away matches shall be played. In the event of a Club failing to keep its engagement the Management Committee shall deduct 1 point, award 3 points to the opponents and inflict a fine of except in exceptional circumstances. The defaulting Club is to pay any expenses incurred by the foregoing home and away provision. Any Club with more than one team in the Competition shall always fulfill 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 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 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 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 given by the Fixture Secretary. 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 and their Club members, the Management Committee shall take such action as they consider appropriate and rule all points for the match as void. Such action is subject to any disciplinary action taken by the appropriate County Association. (G) Clubs may use rolling subs. That is a player may come on and off and is up to a maximum of 5 players. The team sheets should be exchanged 30 minutes before the scheduled kick-off time. Players who appear on the team sheet and whose identification card has been passed to the opposing team need not be present until such time as they are required to play. The referee shall be informed of the names and substitutes not later than 15 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 10 minutes duration, but it shall not exceed 15 minutes. The half time interval may 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/or participating teams to offer three cheers and handshakes to the opposing team after the match. 14

15 (J) If for any reason, a game is postponed notice must be given, without delay, to the secretary of the opposing club, the match officials, and the fixtures secretary or else be fined 10 A match postponement form is required to be sent to the fixtures secretary within 14 days by the home club, failure to do so will result in a fine of 10.The form should be signed by the person who deemed the pitch to be unplayable. (K) Any club can have a maximum of two free dates each year. One between September and December, which must be requested by 1 st September and one between January and April which must be requested by 1 st December. (L) Each home club shall provide refreshments for their visiting opponents. This will be a minimum of two plates of sandwiches or rolls, along with at least two packets of biscuits or similar. Two plates will mean there will be at least one sandwich per visiting team member. Visiting clubs not requiring refreshments shall inform the home club when confirming the match that they will not require refreshments, if they fail to do so, and food is provided and they do not stay after not giving notice then the home club shall be entitled to claim a charge of 10. Clubs who wish to claim this charge shall inform the league secretary in writing within 3 days of the match taking place. Home clubs who fail to provide refreshments shall be fined a total of 10 for each and every occurrence. (M) A Club having two players selected for Representative Matches may request a postponement of its League/Cup Fixture. If one player is a Goalkeeper, a Club may similarly make a request for the postponement of its League/Cup fixture. The goalkeeper must however be playing in the match as a Goalkeeper and not an outfield player. All requests are to be submitted in writing to the Fixture Secretary. REPORTING RESULTS 11. (A) The (Registration) Secretary must receive within three days of the game played, the result of each competition match in the prescribed manner. This must include the FORENAME 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 5.00 and /or the club being dealt with as the Management Committee decides. (B) The home club must text results of ALL matches to the FA Full Time system in response to the automated text received within 30 minutes of the end of the match. In the event that the automated text from the Full Time system is not received the result shall be sent by text to the Fixture Secretary. The Club Secretary is responsible for ensuring the result is submitted and must notify the Secretary of Competition of the name/s of the person/people who will be responsible for submitting the result and any changes to that number. Clubs failing to comply with this rule will be automatically fined In the event of a delayed kick-off, the home Club shall telephone the Fixture Secretary to inform them of the position. (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

16 DETERMINING CHAMPIONSHIP 12. (A) Team rankings within the Competition will be decided by points with 3 points to be awarded for a win and 1 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 ranking shall be decided in the following procedure:- goal difference goal scored deciding match(es) played under conditions determined by the Management Committee. (B) Automatic promotion and relegation shall be applied for the first 2 teams and last 2 teams in each division except as provided hereunder, subject to the provision of Rule 1. Should the champion Club and/or 2 nd place club not wish for promotion 3 rd place Club will be eligible under the same conditions. Should one of more clubs withdraw from the 1 st Division after the fixtures have commenced an equal number of teams to those withdrawing in that Division shall not be automatically relegated. If any club ceases to operate during the season it s playing record in the League shall be expunged and the number of relegation places shall be reduced accordingly. If any club ceases to operate after the completion of fixtures but before the AGM one or fewer teams will be relegated. (i)vacancies occurring after the conclusion of the season may be filled by Election at the A.G.M. (ii) The last 2 teams in the lowest Division shall retire, but be eligible for re-election except as below, and be subject to the conditions of paragraph (B)(i) above. (iii) 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 a 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 for the Competition. (iv) 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 all of its fixtures for the season all points obtained by or recorded against such defaulting team shall be expunged from the Competition table. (D) Where a promotion and/or relegation link exists between Competitions one Club, providing they meet the appropriate grading criteria, will be eligible to make application to the S.W.W.F.L. at their Annual General Meeting. Should the champion Club not wish for promotion or, alternatively, not have the necessary grading criteria, then the 2 nd or 3 rd place Club will be eligible under the same conditions. 16

17 RULES OF THE LEAGUE CUP COMPETITION 13. (A) The Cups shall be called the Somerset County Women s league cup and the Chairman s cup. (B) The Cup is the property of Somerset County Women s League When the winning club shall have been ascertained, the League shall deliver the Cup to such club, which shall be responsible for its return to the League on or before the first day in March in the ensuing year in good order and condition. Should the Cup be lost, destroyed or damaged by fire or any other cause whilst under the care or custody of the Club the latter shall refund to the League the amount of the current insured value or the cost through repair in addition to any other penalty which the Management Committee may impose. (C) In addition to the Cup, the League shall present medals to the players and substitutes in the Final Tie. When a player taking part is ordered to leave the field of play for misconduct, the medal to which she may be entitled may be withheld at the discretion of the Management Committee. (D) The League Cup may be competed for by all Clubs competing in the Somerset County Women s League. Only player s registered for a Club shall be eligible to play for that Club in any one season. A player shall not play for more than one club in the League Cup Competition during any one season except in exceptional circumstances as determined by the Management Committee. If a match is postponed only the players eligible for the tie on the said date will be eligible to play in the re-scheduled tie (except those players returning from suspension) No player shall be eligible to play in the final tie unless she was eligible to play on the originally date of the semi-final. The Management Committee will decide the exact format of the competition. In all rounds, including the final, 90 minutes must be played in all matches. If the teams are level after 90 minutes, or 180 minutes in two-legged matches, an extra 15 minutes each way is to be played. If the scores are level after extra time has been played the tie shall be determined by the taking of penalty kicks, in accordance with the Laws of the Game. All matches in this Competition shall be played in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Football Association and the Laws of the Game. Any club playing an eligible player will be disqualified and their opponents will be progress to the next round. If both clubs play an ineligible player then both clubs will be disqualified. Any club withdrawing from the competition or failing to fulfill a fixture may be fined up to and debarred from the competition in future seasons. All cup semi-finals and finals plus any other league semi s/finals shall have referees and assistant referees (neutral) appointed by the management committee. 17

18 REFEREES 14. (A) Registered Referees 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/cancellation up to 24 hours before the match of the appointed Referee the home club must telephone a member of the Committee and with that person s support the clubs must agree upon a referee. A Referee thus agree upon shall, for that game, have the full powers, status and authority of a registered Referee. (C) The Management Committee may, if they consider it desirable, or upon application by the two competing Clubs, appoint Assistant Referees, if available, to any match. Where Assistant Referees are not appointed each Team shall provide a Club Assistant Referee. Failure to do so will result in a fine of 5.00 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 arbiter and whose decision must be accepted unless the ground is declared fit for play. When a match is postponed due to a pitch being unplayable it shall be the duty of the home club to notify the visiting Club, the match official/s and the Fixture Secretary immediately. Failure to comply will result in a fine of E) Match Officials appointed under this Rule shall be entitled to charge the standard class public transport expenses or private car expenses of (35p) per mile and any other permitted expenses actually incurred together with the following match fees:- Referee ( 20.00) Registered Referees appointed by the Management Committee as Assistant Referees ( 17.00), subject to any limits laid down by the sanctioning Association(s) This is guidance for member clubs The Home Club shall pay the Officials their fees and expenses immediately after the match. (F) In the event of a match not being played because of the circumstances over which the Clubs have no control, the Match Officials, if present, shall be entitled to half fee plus expenses only. 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 engagement, and failing to give a satisfactory explanation as to his non-appearance, may be reported to the Association with which he is registered. (H) Each Club shall, in a manner prescribed from time to time by The Football Association, award marks (out of 100) 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. All referee marking 50 or less must be accompanied by a letter, in duplicate, of explanation within 5 days of the match. Clubs failing to comply to this rule shall be fined 5.Clubs failing to mark the referees according the FA prescribed manner shall be fined 10. (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 (Registration) Secretary within two days of the match. 18