The MJPL Competition Rules 2013-14 The Aim of the MJPL The aim of The MJPL is to encourage the development of the football skills of the boys who play in the league. This competition allows for the development of players without the pressures of promotion and relegation, and still arranging competitive fixtures. All teams will be included in a performance table which can be viewed on the leagues website. Also all player data can be viewed online after each team has updated their match data after each game. Match Data and Information The home team only provides the online match report. Each team has two days after the fixture date to complete their match data. Both teams will have 7 days to check and report any discrepancies between the data entered onto the system and the team sheet swapped before the match. No game will be allowed to be called off due to losing a player(s) to county call ups. The MJPL is a development league and the League Management Committee will encourage teams to use all players within their squads. Failure to do so the offending teams will be charged with league rule (10F) for non-fulfilment of fixture, and the game will be awarded to the opposition and 3pts deducted. Season Breaks During the season the following dates have been set aside to have no fixtures to allow for school holidays. These dates are as follows- October 2013 Half Term one Saturday please let us know which Saturday you wish to have off. February 2013 Half Term one Saturday - please let us know which Saturday you wish to have off. Easter Saturday. Each team has one 28 day notice that can be used during the regular season. This notice allows a team to close a date where that team will not be given a fixture. A winter break will be used this season and will be between Sunday 22 th December 2013 Friday 3 th January 2014. No fixtures will be played between these dates. Fixtures can be arranged on the School Holiday dates if a team s request a fixture in writing to the Fixtures Secretary. All fixtures will be played on Saturdays with the exception of a Beneficial Experience. A fixture can be moved forward to be played on an evening when the use of a first team ground under floodlight is available. The teams involved must gain permission from the fixtures Secretary before a fixture can be moved. - 1 -
Under 11 s The season will be divided into two half s each of which will culminate in two cup competitions. In each half of the season each team will play each other once in a development league. The development league will then be split into the major and minor cup groups based on teams seeding s. In each group you will play your opponents once the winners and runners up in each group will play in the cup finals. Under 12 s The season will be divided into two half s each of which will culminate in two cup competitions. The first half of the season will be split into two regionalised groups. In each group you will play each other once in a development league. This will then be split into the major and minor cup competitions based on teams seeding s. The highest seeded team in each cup will play the lowest seeded team and so on with all teams that remain in the competition. If an uneven amount of teams were left in a competition then the lowest seeded teams would enter The MJPL Wildcard Play-Off until the required amounts of teams are left. The second half of the season will be follow the first half of the season except that the initial groups will be performance related based on the first half of the season. - 2 -
Under 13 s to Under 18 s The season will be divided in to two parts. The Regular Season and the Championship Play-Offs. Regular Season The Regular Season will run from Saturday 7th September 2013 until 31 st May 2013 or until an equal number of games have been paled as set by the Management Committee. During the Regular Season all teams will play no more than 20 fixtures to determine their final positions in the Performance Table. If a team fails to play 20 fixtures their final points total will stand with the amount of games played. These may change if necessary and will be reviewed by the Management Committee in the event of continued bad weather. Match Fixtures Teams will be expected to play a fixture every Saturday. The amount of fixtures may be decreased by the League Management Committee if during the season bad weather causes too many fixtures to be postponed. Fixtures will be provided by the Fixtures Secretary and will be done so by the following criteria. 1. Approximate one and a half hour travelling. 2. Current form of teams to keep fixtures competitive where this is possible. Local fixtures will be arranged for the winter months where possible. All fixtures will be arranged by the Fixtures Secretary. If a fixture is played without the permission of the Fixtures Secretary the fixture will be void. - 3 -
The MJPL Championship Play-Offs The MJPL Championship Play-Offs will commence on Saturday 8 th March 2014. Teams All teams that have played 75% of their fixtures in the regular season will play in The MJPL Championship Play-Offs. Teams will be seeded according to their position in the Performance Tables at 28 th February 2014. Championship Set -Up At least two Championship Play-Offs competitions will be organised for each age-group. A third or fourth competition may be arranged in age-groups with a large amount of teams. Tables The Performance Table will be split into the different Championship Play-Offs competitions. All teams will be seeded according to their Performance Table position at 28 th February 2014. The highest seeded team in each cup will play the lowest seeded team and so on with all teams that remain in the competition. If an uneven amount of teams were left in a competition then the lowest seeded teams would enter The MJPL Wildcard Play-Off until the required amounts of teams are left. Venues The highest seeded team will have first choice of home venue. If the venue is not available then the tie will be offered to the opposition. If neither home ground is available the League Management Committee will arrange a venue for the fixture to be played. If a team refuses to play a Championship Play-Offs fixture the offending team will forfeit the tie, and the opposition will be awarded the tie. All rounds of The MJPL Championship Play-Offs will follow this rule with the exception of the final. - 4 -
The Final - 5 -