These Rules are intended to provide a framework for the operation of the Darlington Men s Sunday Night Recreational League. These guidelines have been established as a measure to minimize misunderstandings and potential disputes between teams and members. The goal of this League is to provide an environment in which to play quality soccer and these rules are designed to ensure enjoyment, fairness and equality during participation in the game of soccer in this League. Table of Contents PARTICULARS PARAGRAPH NUMBER Schedules 1 Weather Conditions 2 Number of Players Per Team 3 Player Shortage 4 Player Wait List 5 Signing New Players 6 Unresponsive Player 7 Player Eligibility 8 Questioning Player Eligibility 9 Play with Illegal Players 10 Game Grace Period 11 Player Substitution 12 Referees 13 Protests 14 Standings 15 Team Responsibilities 16 Equipment 17 General Information (game 18 duration/ball size/netting/posts/game sheets/tournaments) Drinking on the Field 19 Registration Process 20 Prize Money 21 Infractions 22 Rules and Regulations 23
1. League Schedules A minimum of two schedules will be prepared each year, one for the regular season and one for playoffs/finals. The complete season including playoffs and finals will run from the first week in June until the first week in October. 2. Weather and Cancelled Games Weather Games shall not be started during an electrical storm. Once a game has been started, deteriorating weather conditions may require that it be abandoned. A game will be abandoned if, in the opinion of the referee, the game cannot be completed due to darkness, electrical storm, excessive rain, field conditions or any other reason that creates an unsafe environment for players. Referee Abandoned/Postponed games The decision to cancel/abandon a game can only be made by the referee. He/she shall advise the coach/team representative of each team before leaving the field, record an explanation on the game sheet and provide a copy of the game sheet to each team. The referee may decide to postpone a game by up to 20 minutes either prior to or during play to see if whether conditions change in the hopes that the game may proceed. If after 20 minutes the conditions are still unacceptable, the game will then be cancelled. Any game that is able to continue after a waiting period may be shortened by up to 10 minutes per half in order to keep games on schedule. Recording an Cancelled/Abandoned Game Any game that is cancelled/abandoned by the referee for legitimate reasons before the end of the first half shall be recorded as a 0-0 tie. Any game that is cancelled by the referee for legitimate reasons after the completion of the first half shall be considered complete and the score of the game at the time that it is cancelled shall be the final score. If a game is cancelled due to weather or other unsafe conditions and one of the teams does not have the required 7 players at the field within the allotted time, the game will be considered a forfeit. If a game is temporarily postponed, teams must wait until they have word from the referee whether the game is cancelled or whether it will continue. If a team leaves before the referee s 20 minute waiting period and the game is able to restart the team that leaves the field will forfeit the game. The team representative or coach must confirm with the referee that the game is actually cancelled before they leave the field and should receive a copy of the game sheet as proof that the game was cancelled. Reps. Canceling a Regular Schedule Game in advance If in advance of a regular season game both teams agree to cancel the game due to a shortage of players, written notice from both team representatives must be provided to the Darlington Men s Rec. Soccer League Coordinator with 72 hours in order to cancel the scheduled referee. Due to time restraints a regular season game will not be rescheduled and both teams shall receive a double loss for the cancelled game. If the 2
Coordinator is not notified of the cancelled game then the teams are responsible for paying the assigned referee themselves. Non-Start Game If a game is unable to start as scheduled due to weather conditions or field conditions both team reps shall immediately notify the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League Coordinator. The two team reps will have a two week opportunity from the date of the non-start game to mutually agree upon a reschedule date. Once the game date, time and location has been agreed to and arranged by the Darlington Soccer Office it is final. In the event that a team backs out or is unable to field a minimum of 7 players on game day that team shall be deemed in default and the non-defaulting team shall receive a 1-0 win. If the team reps cannot arrive at a mutually convenient reschedule date within the 2 week deadline or if both teams default due to lack of players than a 0-0 tie shall be recorded. Under any circumstance (lack of weeks in season, lack of referees or fields or another other reason) if the non-start game cannot be rescheduled it shall be recorded as a 0-0 tie for both teams. 3. Players per Team Number of players on the field at one time: 11 Minimum number of players needed to field a team: 7 Maximum players signed to a team: 21 A Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League team can sign more players with the consent of the Darlington Recreational Men s League Committee. In the event that a team does not have the minimum 7 players required to field a team they will forfeit the game. If both teams have fewer than 7 players they both forfeit and a double loss will be recorded for the game. 4. Player Shortage Options In the event of player shortage a team may utilize players from other teams within the Darlington Soccer Club. Call up players must be a registered player in good standing already playing for the Darlington Soccer Club in the oldest registered house league age group (example: Under 23 division). A call up utilized in the Darlington Men s Recreational League shall be at least 18 and no more than 23 years of age in order to be utilized as a call up. Players from another League outside the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. or players registered in the Darlington Soccer Club Rep. program MUST NOT BE USED AS CALL- UPS. A call up must be indicated appropriately on the game sheet and may not be used if a team has 14 or more of their own registered team players. Call ups may be used a total of 6 times during the regular season for any team in the League. Call ups can not be used during playoffs or finals. 5. Player Waiting List Once all the teams within the league are filled to the maximum 21 players a wait list shall be created. The player waiting list can be utilized and called upon at any time by a team requiring additional players up until the completion of the first game of the season at which time the waiting list shall be deemed abandoned. 3
6. Obtaining New Players After The Wait List Has Been Abandoned Due to Medical Reasons In the event that a team loses a player due to a legitimate medical reason that team may sign a player of their choice once the waiting list has been abandoned provided the following conditions have been met by the resigning player: the resigning player provides a medical certificate or doctor s letter to the League acknowledging the player s inability to complete the remainder of the season; the player shall be given a medical refund based on the Darlington Soccer Club s refund policy; and the player returns his team jersey to the League. Once all of the terms contained in (a), (b) and (c) above have been met the player shall be considered resigned from the team. The new player shall be deemed an official member of the team once the following conditions have been met: he pays the prorated registration fee determined by the Darlington Men s Recreational Coordinator; he attends to complete the appropriate Registration form; he obtains a team jersey from the team representative; and all team reps receive a revised team roster or verbal communication indicating the new player s information and eligibility to play. Any team found to have allowed a new player to begin playing for their team prior to all of the terms contained in this paragraph having been met shall be deemed to have played an illegal player and shall be penalized based on the terms contained in paragraph 8 herein in addition to discipline under the Standard Penalties for Misconduct by a Player by the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. The penalty for playing an illegible player is an automatic 4 game suspension. 7. Signing new players after the Waiting List is abandoned due to Non-Medical Reasons In the event that a team loses a player due to reason other than medical, that team may sign a player of their choice once the waiting list has been abandoned by permission of the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League Committee provided the following conditions have been met: the resigning player shall provide a signed acknowledgement or send an email to the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League Coordinator indicating his intention to be removed from the team s roster and that he will cease playing with that team for the remainder of the season; and the player shall return his team jersey to the team representative or the League at which time he will be provided with a $25.00 refund for the return of the jersey. Once the terms contained in (a) (b) above have been met by the resigning player that player shall be considered resigned from the team. The new player shall be deemed an official member of the team once the following conditions have been met: he pays the pro rated registration fee determined by the Darlington Men s Recreational Coordinator; he attends to complete the appropriate Registration form; obtains a team jersey from the team representative; and 4
all team reps receive a revised team roster or verbal communication indicating the new player s information and eligibility to play. Unresponsive player In the event that a registered player does not attend games nor does he respond to emails or phone calls from either the team representative or Darlington Men s Recreational Coordinator for a period of no less than 4 weeks that player shall be deemed missing in action and shall be automatically considered a resigned player. As such the team may sign a new player in his place. The new player shall be deemed an official member of the team once the following conditions have been met: he pays the pro rated registration fee determined by the Darlington Men s Recreational Coordinator; he attends to complete the appropriate Registration form; he obtains a team jersey from the team representative (it may be necessary to order a replacement jersey if one cannot be retrieved from the unresponsive player); and all team reps. receive a revised team roster or verbal communication indicating the new player s information and eligibility to play. Once all the team representatives have received an official team roster with the new player s name indicated then and only then can that player commence playing for the team. Any team found to have allowed a new player to begin playing for their team prior to all of the terms contained his this paragraph having been met shall be deemed to have played an illegal player and shall be penalized based on the terms contained in paragraph 8 herein. In the event that the team representative or the league is unable to get the resigning player s jersey returned the new player or the team as a whole shall be responsible for requesting and paying for a replacement jersey. The cost of a replacement jersey could be approximately $20-50.00. 8. Player Eligibility In order to play in the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League a player must turn 19 years of age in the calendar year of the current season in order to be an eligible player on any team roster Players who are not registered with the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. CANNOT PLAY for any team in the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League. If an unregistered player is injured or causes injuries to other players or game officials that results in a claim or lawsuit the team will be held responsible. Each team representative will be provided with an official copy of the Darlington Men s Recreational team rosters at the commencement of the season and at any time during the season if there is an amendment to a team s roster. This roster indicates all those players who are eligible and registered to play in the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League. In order for a player to be eligible to play in a game he shall be a registered team player or a legal call up who is in attendance at the assigned field and have his name listed on the game sheet before the end of half time. Any player arriving at the field once the second half has started shall be deemed late and will not be eligible to play in that game. 5
In order for a player to be eligible to participate in playoffs and finals he must have played a minimum of 50% of the regular season games. Medical exemptions may be made provided that the team rep notifies the Darlington Men s Rec. Coordinator, in writing, at the time of the injury including an anticipated return to play date and keeps the Coordinator informed of the player s injury. 9. Questioning a Player s Eligibility At any time prior to the commencement of the second half of play a team representative may question the eligibility of a player on the opposing team. The team representative may request that the player show a piece of photo identification (example: driver s licence, health card, player book or work ID). The team representative is then able to verify if the player is a registered player based on the ID and the official team roster. If the player s name is not listed on the team roster that player shall be deemed ineligible to play for that team during that game unless the player indicates that he is a call up for the team and his name is duly noted on the game sheet as a call up. If the player indicates that he is a call up for the team his name shall be duly noted on the game sheet, he shall provide photo ID to the questioning team representative and shall prove that he is between the ages of 18 and 23 years of age (only male players who play on a Darlington Soccer Club Under 23 Division between the ages of 18 and 23 are eligible to be used as a call up in the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League). If he is not between 18 and 23 years of age he cannot technically be considered a call up and he will not be permitted to either begin or be permitted to play the remainder of the game. If a call up proves that he is between the ages of 18 & 23 and since the team representative cannot verify at that point in time whether the call up is a registered Darlington Soccer Club player in good standing that player shall be permitted to complete the game. If the team representative believes that the player is an illegal call up and he wishes to verify this with the League the representative shall within 24 hours following the completion of the game email the Darlington Men s Recreational Coordinator and provide the name of the player and the team for which he played. The Coordinator shall within 24 hours of receipt of the request to validate a player confirm with the team representative whether or not the call up is a registered Darlington Soccer Club member who at the time of the game was in good standing with the Club. If the player is deemed to be an illegal player the offending team will be penalized based on the terms of paragraph 8 contained herein. 10. Playing an Illegal Player Playing an illegal player will not be tolerated by the League. Only registered Darlington Men s players and players registered in the Darlington Soccer Club s Under 23 division who are between the ages of 18 & 23 are eligible to play. If a team is found to have played an illegal player in a game that team shall: immediately lose that game and the opposing team shall receive the 3 game points despite the actual score of the game; the offending team shall also lose a total of 3 additional game points as part of the penalty for playing the illegal player; and the offending player shall face discipline in accordance with the Rules of the Darlington Soccer Club Discipline Committee. 6
If a player is allowed to play without being registered, the Darlington Soccer Club Inc, Durham Region Soccer Association and the Ontario Soccer Association will not be held responsible. 11. All Games Must be Started Promptly The referee is not obliged to wait more than 15 minutes after the scheduled start time to commence the game. A team that does not arrive on time or does not have the minimum 7 players required by the end of the referee s 15 minute grace period will lose the game by default. The only exception to this rule would be under the circumstances contained in paragraph 2(b) contained herein. Once the game sheet has been signed by the referee as a default game the teams may choose to play a scrimmage game and may do so however the default score stands regardless of the outcome of the scrimmage. 12. Player Substitution Player substitution may be made during either team s goal kicks, goals and on a team s own throw in. A team may also substitute at the other team s throw in if the other team is already doing a substitution. Substitutions are NOT allowed at corner kicks, free kicks or penalty kicks. All substitutions require the permission of the referee. 13. Referees The Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League, with the assistance of the Referee assigner of Durham Region Soccer Association, shall schedule a referee for every game. The REFEREE IS ALWAYS RIGHT. Do not argue the referee s calls. In the event that a referee does not show up for a game, the teams must attempt to get a volunteer to referee the game. Both team representatives must be in agreement to the suitability of the volunteer referee and once agreed upon the game shall proceed. Despite the outcome of the game, the score shall stand. If a suitable volunteer cannot be found and the game cannot be played then the game will be counted as a double tie. Regular season games will not be rescheduled if a referee does not show for the game. If a referee does not show up for a playoff game, the game will be rescheduled. Only League assigned referees can officiate playoff games and volunteer referees cannot be utilized during playoffs or finals. The game will be rescheduled and could take place any night of the week prior to the scheduled finals. The date, time and location of the rescheduled game will be set by the Darlington Men s Recreational Coordinator and in the event that a team decides that it cannot play in the rescheduled game at the date, time and location set then that team shall be deemed to lose by default. If teams attend on the date, time and location set for the rescheduled game and a team does not have the required minimum 7 players in order to play the game, that team shall lose by default. If both teams attend and neither team has the minimum number of players required to play then the teams shall each receive a double loss for the game. ABUSE OF THE REFEREES BY PLAYERS, COACHES, MANAGERS OR SPECTATORS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!!!! Referees must report any such abuse to the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. in order that action may be taken. A guilty coach or player will be expelled from the game. A guilty fan on the sidelines will be asked to leave the park. Anyone asked to leave the park must do so within 3 minutes and if they don t leave within this 7
time, the referee may stop the game until they do leave or abandon the game entirely. The matter will then be referred to the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. s Discipline Committee for further action. Referees shall be provided by Durham Region Soccer Association for each regular season game of the Darlington Men s Rec. League. During the playoffs and finals games shall be officiated by both a center referee in addition to two assistant referees (linesmen). 14. Protests A team may protest a game if there is a violation of league rules and regulations. There must be veritable proof that rules have been broken. A protest must be filed with Darlington Soccer Club Inc. within 48 hours, must be in writing and state clearly the nature of the infraction. A non-refundable fee of $50.00 must be paid at the time the protest is filed. Protests will be reviewed and decided upon by the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. as soon as possible. NO PROTESTS WILL BE CONSIDERED OVER A REFEREE S DECISION. Any justifiable protest can result in the forfeiture of the game, replaying of the game and/or suspensions from soccer or any penalty prescribed under paragraph 8 contained herein. 15. Game Scores and Standings Both team reps shall email the score of their game to the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League Coordinator at scott.fisk@yahoo.com immediately following the game. Reps. shall also advise the Coordinator of any red or yellow card infractions the may have been handed out during the game. Standings shall be maintained by the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. Standings can be viewed on the Darlington Soccer Club website at www.darlingtonsoccerclub.ca. In the event that there is a discrepancy in the website standings, the team representative shall contact the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League Coordinator and not the office staff. Game points shall be awarded as follows: WIN = 3 LOSS = 0 TIE = 1 In the event that teams are tied in the standings at any point in the season and that tie is required to be broken such determination shall be made as follows: a) Head to head (game result of tied teams playing each other) b) Least number of defeats c) Highest number of wins d) Goals against e) Goals for f) Coin toss 16. Team / Player Responsibilities Team Representative Responsibilities Each Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League team representative shall: 8
attend meetings as scheduled by the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League Coordinator or in his absence ensure that a team member attends on his behalf; email the Darlington Men s Rec. Coordinator with the game score within 24 hours following the completion of the game; bring any concerns, problems or comments of their teammates to the attention of the Committee at a regular meeting or via email if required; Keep a copy of the game sheet for each game throughout the season; and Transport, provide & maintain the team s equipment on a weekly basis and return the team s equipment (ball bags, balls, first aid kits, team binder, goalie shirt, goalie gloves, nets and corner flags) at the end of the season. Player Responsibilities Each Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League player shall: report any concerns, problems or comments to their team representative; educate themselves on the rules of the game and the rules of the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League; play the Laws of the Game and the Rules and Regulations contained herein; and play and act in a sportsmanlike manner. 17. Equipment All players must wear the league supplied uniform. If the shorts or socks do not fit, then a player may substitute them with items in the same colour and of appropriate design. All shirts must have sleeves (not rolled up). Long pants may only be worn if such clothing does not have any exposed zippers, buttons, buckles or other items that could cause injury. All players MUST WEAR SHIN PADS and they must be covered by soccer socks. NO JEWELLERY MAY BE WORN DURING GAMES. NO HARD CASTS MAY BE WORN DURING GAMES REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THEY ARE WRAPPED OR NOT. Support braces may be worn upon the referee s approval. Call ups must wear a shirt in a colour to match the team they are playing for and should NOT wear a registered player s jersey. 18. General Game Duration Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League game time shall be 90 minutes (two 45 minute halves), unless otherwise prescribed by the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League Committee; Game Ball The Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League shall use a size 5 regulation ball. The home team shall be responsible for providing the game ball. 9
Netting / Corner Posts Each team shall be provided with one goal post netting and two corner flags. Both the netting and corner flags shall be utilized for each game by both teams. Game Sheets The home team is responsible for providing a game sheet for each game. The home team shall complete the game sheet information (field, date, time, location, game number), complete the home team player information, coach/team representative information and provide the game sheet to the visiting team no later than half time. Each coach or team representative shall obtain a completed game sheet signed by the referee at the conclusion of the game and shall maintain that copy until the end of the season. Play outside of the Darlington Men s Recreational League No team shall play games against opponents from other clubs or leagues, outside their own league, unless approved by the DARLINGTON SOCCER CLUB INC. If a team wishes to play in an OSA sanctioned tournament they shall with the assistance of the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League Coordinator complete all the necessary paperwork including team entry forms, team rosters, travel permits and obtain valid Player books issued by Durham Region Soccer Association. 19. Drinking on Soccer Fields There will be absolutely no drinking of alcoholic beverages by players, coaches or spectators on any field utilized by the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League. Abuse of this rule will result in immediate suspension of all involved participants by the Darlington Soccer Club. Zero tolerance will be observed. 20. Registration Process Registration will take place through the Darlington Men s Recreational Soccer League Committee under the guidance of the Coordinator. Team reps will be responsible to provide and collect registration forms from players they wish to sign to their team. Team reps shall also be responsible to collect registration fees, at an amount set by the Coordinator in conjunction with the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. Board of Directors, and that team rep shall submit one payment (either by cash, cheque or credit card) together with the team s registration forms to the Darlington Soccer Club office at a date set by the Coordinator. Absolutely no players will be registered to any team, for any reason, after August 1 st. 21. Prize Money The year end prize money shall be distributed as follows: $100.00 to the team that finishes the regular season without receiving a yellow or red card against them $300.00 A Division Champs $150.00 A Division Finalists $200.00 B Division Champs $100.00 B Division Finalists 10
$50.00 C Division Champs 22. Yellow Cards and/or Red Cards One yellow card will be given as a caution. If a second yellow card is given in a game, it will equal a red card. Anyone who receives a red card shall be ejected from the current game and their team shall continue to play a man short for the remainder of the game. The incident will then be referred to the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. s Discipline Committee. Any ejected player shall sit the immediate game for which the red card was received, however, he will continue to play in future games until such time as the infraction has been settled by the Darlington Soccer Club Discipline Committee. Infractions may be dealt with by the Darlington Soccer Club s Discipline Committee by either a Hearing (more serious infractions) or by Review. Hearing dates are posted on the Darlington Soccer Club website at the commencement of the season. A player may request to have his infraction dealt with by a Hearing and should review the Darlington Soccer Club s Policies and Procedures to determine that process. A Discipline by Hearing is a hearing during which the player is invited to attend to speak to the Darlington Soccer Club s Discipline Committee regarding the infraction. Similar to a Discipline by Review the player s infraction and the referee s report are reviewed. Following the Discipline by Hearing the player shall received notice of the penalty, if any, that has been imposed by the Committee based upon the Standard Penalties for Misconduct. A Discipline by Review is a closed door review by the Darlington Soccer Club s Discipline Committee of the player s infraction and the referee s report. Following the Discipline by Review the player shall received notice of the penalty, if any, that has been imposed by the Committee based upon the Standard Penalties for Misconduct. A player may request that their infraction be dealt with by Hearing and should follow the Darlington Soccer Club s Policies and procedures for further information regarding that process. During playoffs the Darlington Soccer Club Discipline Committee shall ensure that Reviews and Hearings are conducted on a weekly basis and that decisions will be made regarding penalties (if any) in a timely fashion. Once the player receives notice of suspension from the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. they must not play for the allotted number of games on the dates set out by the Discipline Committee. All team reps shall be notified by the Darlington Men s Coordinator in the event that a player in the league has been suspended from play and will be advised of the exact dates for which that player is ineligible to play. If a suspended player plays a game or games during his suspension each game that they participated in shall be counted as a loss for the offending team in addition to the team being penalized with the loss of 3 additional points in the standings as set out in paragraph 8 contained herein. Furthermore, the suspended player shall also face discipline by the Darlington Soccer Club Discipline Committee and upon a first offence could face a 6-12 month suspension of play. 11
Accumulation of Yellow Cards (Cautions) A third yellow card (caution) in a season, playoffs and/or finals will result in a one game suspension. The date of the suspension will be determined by the Darlington Soccer Club and notice will be sent to both the offending player and all team reps. A fifth yellow card (caution) received in a season, playoffs and/or finals will result in a 2 game suspension. The dates of the suspension will be determined by the Darlington Soccer Club and notice will be sent to both the offending player and all team reps. A sixth and any subsequent yellow cards (caution) received in a season, playoffs and/or finals will result in a 3 game suspension. The dates of the suspension will be determined by the Darlington Soccer Club and notice will be sent to both the offending player and all team reps. Accumulation of Red Cards A second red card in a season, playoffs and/or finals will result in an automatic 3 game suspension in addition to the number of games suspension allotted by the Darlington Soccer Club s Discipline Committee. Three red cards in the regular season, playoffs and/or finals will result in the recipient being suspended for the remainder of the season in addition to any additional penalty(s) received from the Darlington Soccer Club Discipline Committee. The Darlington Soccer Club Inc. follows the Standard Rules and Penalties as set by the Ontario Soccer Association. The Club is obligated to follow the Standard Penalties based on the infraction and cannot make the penalty less than that prescribed. The Club however can choose, based on the evidence, to make the penalty greater than that prescribed by the Ontario Soccer Association. For further information regarding Discipline refer to the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. Policies and Procedures. 23. Rules and Regulations Any Rules and Regulations not covered in this document are covered by the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. in either the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. Zero Tolerance Policy, Darlington Soccer Club Inc. Operating Rules and Regulations or the Darlington Soccer Club Inc. Policies and Procedures. The Darlington Soccer Club Inc. is further governed by the Durham Region Soccer Association, The Ontario Soccer Association and The Canadian Soccer Association. 12