SDFPL : Additions to rules set out by the Football Association

SDFPL : Additions to rules set out by the Football Association.

Version 2.05 dated 5^th July 2009 – Updated by Stephen Field – Ratified and sanctioned by the committee.

Basic League Rules

The entry age of players is 16 years old
The League is run by a committee. Elected members will remain until they step down or are voted out by fellow committee members or a total unanimous vote by all league managers at the AGM.
New members will be elected by the existing committee. Candidates will be chosen by fellow managers who regularly attend managers meetings
No one team can have more than 2 members on the committee unless sanctioned unanimously by fellow managers by vote at the AGM.
The league committee decides its promotion and relegation structure pre-season. These processes cannot be challenged. If at any time the league needs to change its structure due to teams leaving or changing the numbers in its divisions it will look to the committee to produce an outcome. The committee will review all factors in any change including the clubs recent performances and cup progress and liaise with club officials. The outcome of any re-structure must be abided by and clubs do not hold the right to decline any outcome.
The league allows a substitution system of 7 named substitutes. 3 can be used. The referee must be made aware of this before the start of a game.
The league will abide by any decision the FA make regarding disputes with referees or results.

· Each participating club must have a legitimately booked pitch. Written confirmation of this booking must be submitted to the league alongside the League Registration Form. This requirement is to comply with the laws set down by the FA and for insurance purposes. League registrations will not be processed until the pitch confirmation is submitted. If the registration deadline expires due to this, the club will be subject to league sanctions.

· If a team is compelled to change pitches during the season, permission must be sort from the SDFPL. New written confirmation must be submitted before matches will be permitted to proceed. A minimum of three days notice is required.

· Clubs will not be allowed to cancel or postpone matches due to not having a pre-booked pitch. (See cancellation guide). This does not apply to teams who ground-share with other SDFPL teams, and other factors outside the control of the club.

Any behavioural problems with teams that does not involve the FA’s own discipline panel such as unheard racial comments, spectator and the behaviour of players on the sidelines and general team fair play will be reviewed by the committee and if necessary the league will decide any punishment and if is required, pass any information directly to the FA for their attention.
Clubs will abide by any sanctions. They will be permitted to appeal to the committee.
If any game is abandoned, all scorers from that game will also be ruled void.

· All matches shall have duration of ninety minutes unless a shorter time (not less than sixty 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 Management Committee shall review all matches abandoned, for whatever reason. 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 opponents or take what other action they may deem necessary.
In cases where a match is abandoned owing to the conduct of both teams and/or their Club members, the Management Committee shall take such action, as they consider appropriate. Such action is subject to any disciplinary action taken by the Sheffield and Hallamshire County FA.
Once a match has been played or has been declared by the committee to have been completed, the match may not be replayed.

The SDFPL hold the right to request the sitting of the league committee at any time to review discrepancies and loopholes in any of these listed rules.

Club and Manager Administration and Responsibilities.

Every team must apply for entry into the League for each new season.
Each team competing in the SDFPL competition must submit a club registration form and fee to the league by the pre-determined deadline.
Each team competing in the SDFPL Cup competition must submit a club registration form and fee to the league by the pre-determined deadline.
If a team is competing in both competitions then one registration form will suffice, although both League and Cup fees are payable
Each manager/assistant manager must submit a manager’s registration form, that includes signing an agreement to abide by and promote the “Manager’s Code of Conduct” and rules of the league.

Home Managers are responsible for obtaining a referee. The league recommends managers booking referees well in advance and officials are usually hard to find within the week leading up to the game. Any manager/club frequently not providing a referee could be open to sanctions by the league committee.

o If a referee cannot be found for the game, an agreement must be reached between the two sides as to a non-qualified referee to officiate the match.

o Referees officiating on SDFPL games must be paid the approved match fee and travel expenses, as by the Sheffield and Hallamshire FA.

For the 2009/10 Season these are:

· Referee - £20

· Assistant Referee £10

· Public travel expenses or mileage at 30p per mile.

In the event of the match being postponed on the day of the match, the Referee will be entitled to half match fee plus expenses.

o If a referee cancels after being booked for the match teams must supply the League Secretary with a contact number to confirm the reasons for cancellation.

All appointed referees must be registered with the Sheffield and Hallamshire FA, and must have completed all the relevant CRB checks

Managers are required to provide a representative to ALL SDFPL meetings. Failure to do so will incur any of the following penalties

Missed One Meeting (With Apologies) – Grace

Missed One Meeting (No Apologies) - £10 Fine

Missed Second Meeting - £10 Fine

Missed Third Meeting - £10 Fine & 3 Points deduction

Subsequent Missed Meetings - £10 Fine & 3 points deduction for each meeting missed

Clubs must provide basic elements such as match ball, netting, corner flags and matching football team wear.
Clubs must provide basic medical items such as clean water, “magic sponge”.
Clubs are requested to provide further items such as medical/first aid bag containing dressings, spray, eye drops etc. Clubs are also requested to have a representative who has first aid qualification.
Clubs must supply its Saturday result by Monday 13:00pm, and Midweek results by 13:00pm the following day. The online form must be submitted with ALL sections of the report form completed. The information required includes: - Results, Scorers (yours and the opposition), Fair Play Points and comments, Opposition Man of the Match and Referee Marks.
Subsequent information must be provided by the manager in the form of a written report is: The Referee’s score is 5 or below, the fair play score is 6 or below.
The SDFPL reserves the right to request further match day information at any point throughout the season. This could be on an individual match basis or could be generic for all matches for the remainder of the season.
The SDFPL reserves the right to amend the match report form as may be required during the course of the season. Notification of this will be given.
If clubs do not submit their game information by the required date or the information is incomplete the team will face any of the following sanctions.

1st Missed Match Report - Grace

2nd Missed Report - £10 Fine

3rd Missed Report - £20 Fine

4th Missed Report - £20 Fine & 3 Points Deduction

Subsequent Missed reports - £20 Fine & 3 points deduction for each missed report

Fair Play points MUST be issued in accordance with the fair play standards which are issued to all teams and can be found on the leagues website. A monthly fair play table will be posted showing teams average scores.
Home managers are required to contact the opposition manager by Tuesday 10pm to confirm pitch booking and referee. The contact is to be made by phone call. SMS and e-mail are not acceptable.
It is the responsibility of manager’s to update the League Secretary of any changes to club contacts. If any correspondence is not received, the club will be liable for any consequences of that.
Clubs are responsible for its players and any supporters on the sidelines.
Clubs are responsible for informing their players of the standard of behaviour required by SDFPL Clubs and a general brief on the ethos of the league and what its stands for.
Teams are expected to complete fixtures without unjust delay. FA laws state teams can play with 8 players+

Deadlines

All registration deadlines will be announced to managers at the League AGM.
The amount of monies to be paid for League, Cup and Player registration fees is to be set by the committee, and will be announced to managers at the League AGM.
Any team completing all their registrations on time will receive a rebate of league fees. The amount of the rebate will be determined by the league committee and announced to managers at the AGM. Any team failing to meet the registration deadlines will not only forfeit their rebate but may also be subject to league sanctions.
At any point in the season the SDFPL committee reserves the right to request any administration information for any member club. A deadline of a minimum of 5 working days will be set for this information to be submitted. Clubs who fail to meet the set deadline will be subject to the standard league sanctions.
Managers/Secretaries are responsible for ensuring that the league receives all registration and administration documents. The SDFPL recommends that all documents be sent using a form of registered mail. This will guarantee delivery and provide managers with proof of postage.
All deadlines set out by the SDFPL must be abided to. These deadlines have been decided giving ample time to comply with rule requirements. Any further delay with out previous communication with the SDFPL will be subject to a league fine.

Fines

The following fines may be imposed on clubs for breach of league rules. Included is the amount of the fine.

£10	Non Attendance at League Meeting
£10	Non Payment of Fine
£10	Non Submittal or Incomplete Match Report
£10	Non Submittal or Incomplete of Registration
£25*	Non Fulfilment of Fixture
£10	Non Payment of Fees
£10	Non Submittal of New Fixture Date
£25*	Fielding an Un-registered Player
£10	Failure to submit requested Administration Information

*Further League sanctions may also be imposed.

When fines are issued a deadline for payment will be set.
For a first fine a deadline of a minimum 10 days will be set from the date of the fine being issued.
If the deadline for the fine falls within 14 days of a bi-monthly manager’s meeting the fine deadline will be extended to accommodate ease of payment.
If the deadline for payment of a fine is missed, a further £10 fine will be issued. The deadline for this further fine will be a minimum of 5 days from the date of the new fine being issued. The new fine deadline will also be the revised deadline for the original fine to be paid.
If this further deadline is missed the case will be submitted to the league committee for discussions on further sanctions

Appeals

Clubs may appeal any league sanctions.
A written* appeal must be submitted to the league secretary, (*This can also be by e-mail).
If a club appeals the league fine, the fine will be temporarily suspended, until the result of the appeal is known.

· Procedure

The League secretary will submit the appeal to the league committee members by e-mail. The committee will then submit their votes by e-mail to the league secretary.
Once a majority verdict is reached, the secretary will announce the result to the committee and the club officials in questions. If the vote is tied, the chairman will have a second “casting” vote.
Should a committee member deem that the procedure above is not appropriate, they have the right to request that the appeal be heard at a special meeting of the committee. The quorum for this meeting shall be a minimum of three committee members plus the chairman, although any member of the committee may attend.

· Conflict of Interests

If the Sanction and appeal involves a club that any member of the committee is associated with, the said committee member will be ineligible to vote. The said committee member is also ineligible from calling an appeal meeting of the committee

Failure of an appeal could incur further league sanctions, as is deemed appropriate by the league committee.

2^nd Appeals

If the team wishes to appeal further. The case will be presented to a further appeal group. This group will be made up of at least 2, and maximum 3 SDFPL managers and Committee members. The numbers of managers cannot outnumber the number of committee members.
The managers will be invited to join the group, on an individual case-by-case basis. The managers will be invited to be part of the group, ensuring there is no conflict of interest with the case in question.
On hearing the appeal case, the appeals group can put forward recommendations for consideration to the main committee. The committee will still retain the final decision on the appeal and may veto the recommendation of the appeals group.

All appeal hearings will be fully minuted for future reference

Kits

It is the AWAY teams responsibility to make sure they have a suitable change strip before arriving at the host venue.
Prior agreement during the telephone conversation between managers in the days before the game, may take place where the home team if necessary uses it’s change strip.
Managers of home teams forced to change colours must contact the SDFPL and make them aware.
Teams that force the home team to change colours on a regular basis will be warned they MUST arrange an alternate strip for away games against teams of the same colour.
Dark coloured kits close to the Black of referee’s shirts are not permitted. This is in accordance with FA rules, Rule 9 part.

Changes to league structure and new entry

Teams wanting to enter the SDFPL must follow these guidelines.
Request for entry should be made during September – March.
Contact the league secretary to request an application form. Applicants must have submitted this form.
The league committee will decide changes to the league structure.
Teams wanting to enter are advised to have played a series of games with other SDFPL sides in order to gain a good reputation with other league sides.
Teams must be able to prove they have:- Proof of pitch hire for home fixtures, full kit, basic match equipment as stated in the rules (nets, balls etc)

The League Committee will review all applications to join the SDFPL at the beginning of each season. The following considerations will be taken into account.

- Number of “Friendlies” played against SDFPL sides. And have good reports from SDFPL managers regarding the ethos of the League. (This requirement is only relevant to new teams applications)

- Affiliation and Sponsorship from a Church that the league is in “relationship” with (For New teams only)

- Average Fair Play points for the previous season

- Persistent Infringement of league rules, such as Administration and Attendance at meetings.

- FA Reports received

- Any action that may have brought the league into disrepute.

Cancellations

· A club may not postpone fixtures in the 7 days leading up to the match. If a club is unable to fulfil a fixture then the club will be subject to appropriate league sanctions, as set out in the Cancellation Guide.

· Teams are allowed to change fixtures 31days and over, of the fixture date being played provided that MUTUAL agreement has taken place. No penalty will be brought before the team cancelling at this point. Both clubs to inform the SDFPL of the change immediately.

· Inside one month of a fixture being played, should a team wish to cancel a fixture they will be fined a charge of £15 or use their “1 cancellation”. The SDFPL must be informed immediately of the cancellation and of a new date as soon as possible.

· All negotiation regarding fixture change MUST be clarified VERBALLY between managers. Email may be used in certain circumstances but fixtures change and confirmations between managers MUST NOT be done via SMS Text.

· BOTH Teams Must inform the fixtures secretary of change by either completing the online change form on www.sdfpl.co.uk or by phone or email immediately.

· All cancellation/postponements MUST be re-arranged within 14 days of the initial request to cancel/postpone or teams will incur a £10 fine. Midweeks from April onwards should be considered.

· If any rearranged fixture is played without consent or knowledge of the SDFPL, the teams involved shall be fined £15. (both clubs should have notified of the change)

· It is the responsibility of team managers to re-arrange postponed fixtures with the guideline set out.

· If agreement cannot be reached on a new date, the SDFPL committee will determine the date for the fixture to be played.

· Failure to complete any fixtures will in-cure the penalties set out in the above guidelines.

· Teams must supply dates that they are unable to play matches on. The deadline for this is 31^st July of each year. After that teams will be expected to play on the dates scheduled, unless in extreme circumstances.

· If a club is unable to complete a fixture due to League or FA suspension, the match will be awarded to the opposition with a 3-0 win.

· If a team cancels a match after Wednesday 21:00 preceding the Saturday match-day, the committee will review each situation individually to impose appropriate sanctions. This may be further monetary fines or further point deductions.

If a rearranged fixture is cancelled a second time, onus is solely on the team cancelling THE REARRANGED fixture not the first.

Please follow the following guide on the next page to cancelling a fixture

Time to Kick off	Allowed Yes / No	Conditions	Penalties
Over 31 days	Yes	Must inform SDFPL IMMEDIATELY – New date to be supplied within 14 days or league informed as to reason of delay in planning new fixture	None
Inside 31 days – 1 week	Yes but will incur penalty	Must inform SDFPL IMMEDIATELY – New date to be supplied within 14 days or league informed as to reason of delay in planning new fixture MUST BE DONE VERBALLY – NO SMS	Will be charged either their “1 allowed” change or (if that has been used) £15
Inside 1 week (after 9 pm previous Saturday)	No	Teams may not cancel this close to games.	Cancelling team charged £25 Opposing team awarded 3-0 win.
Outright Forfeit or Incompletion of Fixtures If a team postpones a game with no intention or ability to reschedule even though the opposition is in favour of playing the game at a new date. By entering the league, teams are obligated to complete its fixtures.			3-0 win to the opposition. £25 fine issued to the team forfeiting. Further points deduction to be decided by the league committee.
CANCELLATION DUE TO WEATHER ONLY – AT ANY TIME – Documentation may be required from council/pitch owner confirming pitch not to be used.			None – Both teams must sort a new date immediately and both should inform league. £10 Fines will occur if this is not done
Pitch not playable on match day If a game cannot be played due to conditions effecting the playing field which are NOT related to weather conditions (no nets, posts, line markings etc)			The onus is on the home team to make sure its pitch is playable before a fixture. This should involve either checking its condition in the lead-up to the game or contacting the pitch owners (private/council) to make sure it is ready. Home team charged £15 Opposing team HAVE THE RIGHT to claim a 3-0 win. The league does strongly recommend the fixture rearranged if dates are available in the calendar. Fine should stand regardless
Other information : - If a game is played WITHOUT the SDFPL being aware of a rearranged date			£15 fine to both teams )both are required to inform league of fixture changes – not just team cancelling)
Other information : - New date not being provided within 14 days (or league being informed as to why a new date cannot be provisioned)			£10

Players and Registrations

Teams can register a maximum of 30 players throughout a season.
Teams are entitled to de-register a player at any time until December 31^st
A player cannot play until he has signed a player registration form and that form has been received by the SDFPL with a £3 player fee.
Should a player take part in an SDFPL game who is not registered on the league database and has not been part of an emergency counter signing, the following will happen.

1. The game will be awarded to the opposition with a minimum score of 3-0 (if the match day score was greater, that score will stand)

2. The team will be fined £25

3. The committee will sit to determine if further punishment should be taken.

Managers must submit a player registration form and fee for EVERY player by the pre-determined deadline. Each player is required to read and agree to the “Players Code of Conduct” of the league.
A Minimum of 16 players must be registered by the first deadline.
Players may be signed at any time up to February 28^th of each season. Each time a player is signed a Player Registration form and fee must be submitted to the league. The form and fee must be submitted before the player will be permitted to play in a sanctioned SDFPL fixture.
Players may be signed on a match day on an emergency basis. A player registration form still must be completed for this player and counter-signed by the opposition manager. This form and fee must be sent to the League Secretary by the Tuesday following the match. Clubs that fail to submit the form by the deadline will be subject to league sanctions.
Clubs only competing in the SDFPL Cup competition do not need to submit individual player registrations. They must however submit a squad list spreadsheet by the Wednesday prior to their first match in the competition that season.
Clubs only playing in the SDFPL Cup competition may field players who are registered with other League teams. These players must not have played for any other club in the SDFPL Cup that season; they will then be considered “cup-tied” and will not be permitted to play for any other team in the SDFPL Cup competition, even for their parent club. Any players must have their parent club listed next to their name on the squad list spreadsheet.
At any point in the season, the SDFPL committee reserves the right to request a match day squad list. This is to ensure no ineligible players play in SDFPL matches.
A copy of the squad sheet should be retained by the manager to keep track of any changes in player details such as address etc. The SDFPL may require access to this updated information to present to the FA if required.
Players are to abide by these rules.

Transfer of Players

· If a player wishes to transfer SDFPL clubs, he must first be deregistered from his existing club before he can register for his new club. The player must complete a player transfer form.

· The following area must be completed on the player transfer form

- Name and signature of the player

- Name and signature of Manager of club the player is leaving

- Name and signature of Manager of club the player is joining

The player must have the agreement of the manager of the club he wishes to leave.
The SDFPL must receive the above form and the standard new player registration form before the player is eligible to play for his new club. The SDFPL secretary will send authorisation to the player’s new club.
The new player registration fee is still applicable to the registration of the player to the new club.
Players who play for their original team after 31^st December of each season may not transfer clubs until the end of the season. Players may only play for one team in Cup competitions.

· If the above conditions are not met, and the player plays in a SDFPL affiliated game then the club will be subject to disciplinary sanctions in line with the regulations covering non-registered players.

Forum

· The forum is provided for the benefit of all persons involved in the SDFPL. Its purpose is to provide a free flow of information between players and officials involved in the SDFPL. Abusive, offensive or insulting text or images will not be tolerated at anytime. If any player or official registered to an SDFPL club publishes for public viewing insulting, offensive or abusive images or text on SDFPL media, the committee will refer the case to the Sheffield and Hallamshire FA for disciplinary action. Following action by the S&H FA the league committee may take further disciplinary action against the person involved and/or club involved. The committee will determine what is deemed to be insulting, abusive and offensive material.

Any player or official registered with the SDFPL may contact members of the committee, including the Chairman and Secretary, to discuss any issues that have arisen with the running of the league. However, the committee will not tolerate abusive, insulting or offensive language or images sent by any media, directed towards themselves personally or the league. Any person found contravening this will reported to Sheffield and Hallamshire FA for disciplinary action.

Further action may be taken by the committee, in line with Sheffield and Hallamshire FA, against the club or clubs of the persons involved.