8.1 The Board shall fix the date on which the Playing
Season shall commence.
8.2 All matches shall be played under the Rules and Regulations of
The FA and in accordance with the Laws of the Game as determined
by the International Football Association Board.
8.3
All matches shall be of ninety minutes’ duration. Any
match not complying may be ordered to stand as a completed
match or replayed
for the full period of ninety minutes, or the match awarded
to the Club not at fault, as the Board may decide, on such terms
as the
Board shall decide. The half-time interval in all matches shall
not exceed 15 minutes.
Where a match is abandoned for reasons over which neither Club
has control, the home Club shall retain the gate receipts of
such uncompleted
match and the Board shall decide the terms upon which any replayed
match shall be played.In
the event of a match having to be postponed for any reason
due to problems arising from one of
the Clubs involved their
prospective opponents shall be compensated by them.
In the case of the visiting
Club, should it have undertaken all or part of the
journey, travelling expenses and meal allowances may be claimed,
based on the total
mileage
involved on the whole journey. In exceptional circumstances
expenses for overnight accommodation for up to a maximum
of eighteen persons
are claimable and if the Clubs fail to agree a figure
the Board will have absolute discretion in the matter. No claim
in
excess
of £ per
person will be acceptable.
All claims for compensation by either Club shall be received
by the Competition Secretary within 14 days of the date of
the match to
which the claim relates.
8.4 In the event of the match being postponed, not completed
or abandoned, the home Club must immediately telephone or
facsimile the Competition
results service, the Competition Secretary and, in the case
of a match postponement, the Appointing Authority, the visiting
Club and
the Match Officials. When a postponement occurs in any FA
or County Cup competition, the home Club if two Clubs are
playing the tie,
or the Club if the match involves a team outside of the Competition,
must also follow this procedure.
8.5 Each Club must take every precaution to keep its ground
in good playing condition and amenities (including floodlights)
in good working
order throughout the Playing Season.
8.6
Where a match has been postponed for any reason, The
Competition Secretary shall determine the new date.
Any Club without just cause failing to fulfil
an engagement to play a Competition match on
the appointed
date shall
for each
offence be liable to expulsion from the Competition
and/or such other disciplinary
action the Board may determine, including the
deduction of up to a maximum of three points
from the offending
Club’s
record, any expenses incurred by their opponents,
and a fine in accordance
with the Fines Tariff.
In the event of a Club being in breach of the previous paragraph
of this Rule then the Board may award points to the Club
not at fault as if the match had been played and the League
table shall reflect
the position as if the match had been played with the result
awarded by the Board.
8.6.1
The Competition Fixtures Secretary of the League shall arrange
all League Fixtures, and have power to make such fixture arrangements
as he may deem necessary either Saturdays or Weekdays. Such arrangements
shall be accepted at any time in the season, excepting where
pre-arranged precedent fixtures are concerned.
8.7 The postponement of matches due to ground conditions
must be carried out in accordance with Rule 15.2.
8.8
All Clubs must have a facsimile machine, a mobile telephone and
an email address , operational at all times. These will
be listed
in the Competition Handbook unless a Club
requests otherwise.
8.9 Each Club shall be prepared to kick-off at the scheduled
time unless a satisfactory explanation is offered. Any Club
commencing
a Competition match with less than 11 players may be subject
to a fine in accordance with the fines tariff. Each team
participating
in a match shall represent the full available strength of
each competing Club.
8.10 When a Club obtains the consent of the Board to postpone
a fixture because of an epidemic , affecting the availability
of their players,
that Club shall be liable to pay any direct expenses incurred,
if any, to the opposing Club. The amount of claim will be
at the discretion
of the Board. Requests for the postponement of a match for
any reason will not be considered more than forty-eight hours
before the scheduled
time of kick-off.
Medical certificates for those players
affected, signed by the players’ own
doctor, must be forwarded to the Competition
Secretary within fourteen days of the
postponement, along with a full list
of contract and
non-contract players currently registered
by the Club at the date of the match
which was postponed, giving full reasons
against each
name for the player’s unavailability.
8.11.1
Each Club must hand copies of a list of name(s) of players taking
part
in a match
(including
the
name(s) and
number(s)
of the nominated substitute(s) to the
Referee
and a representative of their
opponents in the presence of the Referee
at least forty five minutes before
the scheduled time
of kick-off. The players’ numbers
(in accordance with Rule 7) and the
colours of the playing strip must be
clearly
stated. Any
Clubs in
breach may
be fined in accordance
with the Fines Tariff.
8.11.2 Any Club altering its team selection or numbering
after team sheets have been exchanged may be fined in accordance
with the Fines
Tariff. A player who is named on the team sheet exchanged
under Rule 8.11.1 may be replaced without fine if he is injured
warming up after
exchange of the team sheet. Any subsequent changes must be
notified to the referee and to a representative of the opponents
before the
actual kick-off.
[The name of the Doctor or Medical Practitioner in attendance
(in accordance with Rule 26) must be entered on the Team
Sheet in the
appropriate space provided.]
8.12.1 The home Club shall advise the visiting Club and the
Match Officials of the date and time of kick-off of each
match, to be received
at least five days prior to the match and the visiting Club
and the Match Officials must acknowledge receipt to be received
at least
three days before the match.
8.12.2 Where a match is re-arranged or cancelled after the
officials have been appointed, it is the duty of the home
Club to notify the
officials of the cancellation of their appointments immediately.
Clubs in default of this Rule may be subject to any action
decided by the Board.
8.13 Unless mutually agreed by the Clubs concerned, the time
of kick-off shall be:
Saturday matches – 3.00
pm
Midweek matches – 7.45
pm
Official bank holidays and
Sundays –3.00 p.m. unless
agreed otherwise by the two
Clubs and the
Board;
application
shall
be made to the Competition
Secretary by both Clubs at
least 21 days
before
the relevant date. All agreed
changes to time of kick-off
to be notified
to the
Board immediately
for confirmation.
To re-schedule a midweek fixture
for an evening other than a
Club’s
usual midweek night will require
written agreement
of both Clubs
and
the Competition Secretary.
The Competition Secretary reserves the right to amend scheduled
fixtures and kick-off times to meet television requirements
as necessary.
Notification will be provided by the Competition Secretary
in writing to both Clubs for fixtures so rescheduled.
8.14 All matches shall be played on the home and away principle
and the Board shall determine how the fixtures shall be arranged.
Such
fixtures shall take precedence over all competitions in which
a Club may engage, with the exception of:
The FA Challenge Cup/Welsh Cup.
The FA Challenge Trophy/Vase Competition.
The Senior Cup Competition for which the Club is eligible,
of the Affiliated Association
to which it was first affiliated.
Clubs playing in the FA of Wales Challenge Cup, or an Affiliated
Association Cup Competition which allows the option to play
the tie mid-week, must arrange the match to avoid interference
with Saturday
fixtures, providing the opposing club drawn at home has suitable
floodlighting. This applies to ALL Clubs who play in a League
competition which forms any part of the National League System
of Football outside
the Football League.
Scheduled Saturday fixtures
must not be re-arranged without
permission
of
the Competition
Secretary.
This excludes FA
Cup, FA Trophy and
FA Vase matches. Clubs may
be ordered to re-arrange
outstanding matches,
at the
discretion of the
Board, and where necessary
their prospective
opponents instructed accordingly.
Clubs with open dates on
Saturdays may be
instructed to play any
outstanding
Competition
fixture
on such date. A minimum of
days’ notice
will be given in respect
of any such re-arrangement.
8.15 A Club may not enter its first team in any outside competition,
other than those listed in Rule 8.14, without the prior permission
of the Board. The Competition Secretary must be informed
of all fixtures, postponements and results of all matches
played in any other competition.
8.16 The Board shall determine the policy of the Competition
for the issuing of match day passes.
8.17 The Board may change any Competition fixtures during
the season to suit the overall interests of the Competition
and shall have the
power to decide whether a ground is suitable for Competition
matches and to order a Club whose ground is deemed unsuitable
to play its
home matches at an alternative suitable ground.
8.18
3 weeks’ notice
is required from
Clubs wishing to
re-arrange
a Saturday match
to Friday
evening or Sunday.
A request
made in less
than this period
of time will only be considered
by the Board
in exceptional
circumstances
and granted at their
discretion.
8.19 All Competition matches shall be arranged as soon as
practicable. The copyright in all lists of arrangements of
such fixtures shall
be vested in the Company.
8.20 The home Club shall be responsible for notifying the
Competition immediately following the conclusion of each
home Competition match
the result of that match together with the attendance, the
times of all goals scored in the match and the scorer of
each goal. In
any FA or AFFILIATED ASSOCIATION Competition the home Club
if two Clubs are playing the tie, or the Club if the match
involves a team
outside of the Competition, must also follow this procedure.
8.21 The home Club is responsible for publishing a full match
programme acceptable to the Board for each of its Competition
matches. A team
sheet will not be considered sufficient to comply with this
Rule.
The visiting Club must send in writing to the home Club details
of the proposed team they plan to field together with their
Club history
and up-to-date pen pictures of their current players registered
with the Competition for the season [and the latest team
photograph] at
least five days before the scheduled date of the match between
the two Clubs.
The home Club programme must include the details sent by
the visiting
Club in the match day programme and a copy of each match day
programme
shall be sent
by the home Club to the Competition Secretary as required by
the Board.
Clubs will
be responsible
for
all comments
in their match
day programme
in respect
of the Competition,
the Company
or other
member Clubs,
notwithstanding
any disclaimers
to the
contrary. No
part of a Club’s
programme issued
for a match
in any competition
shall,
in the opinion
of the Board,
bring the Competition
or
the Company
into
disrepute.
All Clubs will be responsible for their official website
or similar computer related information system, which is
within the public domain.
Nothing shall be included on the website which in the opinion
of the Board brings the Competition or the Company into disrepute.
8.22.1
For Clubs in the Combination Divisions a match day team sheet
will be acceptable to the Board
8.22.2
In all Competition Matches, the number of Clubs players and officials
seatedon
the team benches, in the designated technical
area, must
not exceed 11 unless the team bench facility provides more than
11 individual seats.
8.22.3
Only
one person
at a
time has the
authority
to convey
tactical
instructions
to the
players
during
the match.
This
person shall be
the team
manager
or the
team
coach. He is allowed
to move
to the
edge
of the technical
area
to issue instructions
to
his team
but then
must
return to his
position
on the
bench
immediately after giving
these
instructions.
8.22.4
All
team officials
and
substitutes seated
on
the bench
shall be listed
on
the official
team
sheet when it
is
submitted to the
Match
Officials. Only those
persons
listed
on
the official
team
sheet shall be
permitted
in
the technical
area.
8.22.5
The
occupants
of
the
technical
area
must
behave
in
a
responsible manner
at
all
times.
Misconduct
by
occupants
of
this
area
will
be
reported
by
the
Referee
to
The
FA,
who
shall
have
the
power
to
impose
sanctions
as
deemed
fit.
8.22.6
With the
exception of
the team
manager, the
team coach
and any
substitutes who
are warming
up or
warming down,
all other
personnel are
to remain
seated on
the trainers
bench. The
team manager
or team
coach is
allowed to
move to
the edge
of the
technical area
to issue
instructions to
his team,
but must
then return
to the
trainers bench.
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