Playing season, Conditions of play, times of kick-off, postponements and substitutes
10. (A) The Annual General Meeting shall determine the commencing and concluding dates for the ensuing season, which shall be in accordance with Football Association Rules. No Club shall be compelled to play after the concluding date. Original fixtures arranged by the Fixture Secretary, shall not be arranged for a date later than seven (7) days preceding the concluding date determined by the Annual General Meeting.Original fixtures, having been circulated or published, shall be deemed to have been accepted unless Rule 10(B) paragraph 8 applies.
The Fixture Secretary shall review annually, prior to issue of Fixture Grids, matches for any of the three (3) Sundays over Christmas and New Year period and the first Sunday of the Autumn and Spring Half-Terms. Matches shall not be scheduled for the Easter weekend, except when requested by Clubs to the Secretary in writing. On all other Sundays matches shall be allocated at the discretion of the Fixture Secretary.
Each Team shall be allowed one (1) free date for any reason during the season. Fourteen (14) days notice shall be given to the Fixture Secretary in writing prior to the scheduled fixture date.
Failing to give fourteen (14) days notice and the match not being played it shall be treated as an unfulfilled fixture and shall be dealt with under Rule 10(F).
(B) All matches shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game as determined by the International Football Association Board as set down by The Football Association. Clubs shall 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 a duration as set out below unless a shorter time 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 duration of play shall be as follows unless it is mutually agreed by all parties to reduce the time.
- For Under 11 and Under 12, thirty (30) minutes each half;
- for Under 13 and Under 14, thirty-five (35) minutes each half and
- Under 15 and Under 16, forty (40) minutes each half, and
- Under 18, forty-five (45) minutes each half.
The minimum time for any game shall not be less than twenty (20) minutes each half for players in the Under 14 age group and below and twenty-five (25) minutes each half for all other age groups. No player under the age of seventeen (17) as at midnight on 31st August in any season shall be permitted to play more than one (1) game or, in the event the competition allows the playing of a double-header, i.e. two (2) separate matches, one-hundred (100) minutes per day in this Competition.
The times of kick-off shall be no earlier than 9-30am on Sundays. Any Club failing to commence at the appointed time shall be fined a sum not exceeding £10.00 or be otherwise dealt with as the Management Committee may determine.
Midweek games shall be arranged by the Fixture Secretary where necessary on a "Week Commencing" basis giving a minimum of ten (10) days notice. Once midweek games are arranged and agreed, Rule 10(F) applies to any subsequent postponement. Referees shall order matches to commence at the appointed time and shall report all late starts to the Competition.
Corner posts with flags complying with FA Regulations shall be provided by the home Club. Failure to comply shall result in a fine of £10.00.
The Home Team shall provide at least two (2) footballs fit for play and the referee shall make a report to the Competition if the footballs are unsuitable. The size of football to be used shall be:
- size 4 for those playing Under 11, 12, 13 and 14 age groups
- size 5 for all other age groups.
The referee shall inspect the players' studs and shin pads prior to match kick-off. A set of Assistant Referee "flags" shall be made available for the match Referee to use. Failure to comply shall result in a fine of £10.00.
All Clubs competing in all sections of the League shall provide goal nets for all matches. Failure to comply shall result in a fine of £10.00.
(C) Except by permission of the Management Committee all matches shall 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 shall be considered secondary. Clubs may mutually agree to bring forward a match with the consent of the Fixture Secretary.
(D) The Secretary of the home Club shall give notice in writing, telephone, fax or by e-mail, 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 four (4) clear days prior to the playing of the match.
Any Club failing to comply with this Rule shall be liable to a fine of £10.00.
(E) Every Club shall play its best available qualified team or teams in all matches in the Competition.
In the event of a Club playing in any match with less than eleven (11) players they shall be fined £0.00 for each missing player. A minimum of nine (9) players shall constitute a team for a Competition match.
(F) Home and away matches shall be played. In the event of a Club failing to keep its engagement
the Management Committee shall have power to inflict a fine not exceeding £15.00, deduct points
from the defaulting Club, award the points to the opponents, order the defaulting Club to pay any
expenses incurred by the opponents or otherwise deal with them except the award of goals.
Postponement forms shall be accepted due to:
a) Waterlogged or Frozen Pitch duly signed by the Senior Club Official present at the ground.
b) Local Council pitches closed as a result of Council instruction.
c) School activities, Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, Club/Scout, provided this is accompanied by letter(s) from the school(s), organisation(s) concerned, on headed paper and clearly naming the individuals involved no later than Wednesday after the scheduled fixture to be postponed.
Failure to comply shall be dealt with under Rule 10(F).
Insufficient registered players, illness, injuries or holidays shall not be accepted as a satisfactory reason for postponing matches accept in exceptional circumstances.
Any Club unable to fulfil a fixture shall, without delay, give notice to the Fixture Secretary, Referee 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 any penalty it may deem suitable.
Notice of postponement of any matches shall be given by BOTH CLUBS in the form of the League Postponement Notice and shall be sent to the Registration Secretary within forty-eight (48) hours of the postponement date. A Club in breach of this Rule shall incur a fine not exceeding £10.00.
Clubs or Teams wishing to have their matches rearranged due to their Club or Team undertaking a tour, shall give twenty-eight (28) days notice, in writing to the Secretary, in addition to obtaining County Association and Football Association permission.
All matches not played due to a Club being suspended from the Competition shall be deemed
"unplayed matches" and shall be dealt with under Rule 10(F). 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 mutually agreed by the two (2) Clubs and approved by the Management Committee. Failing such agreement and notification to the Fixture Secretary within fourteen (14) days the Management Committee shall have power to order the match to be played on a named date or on or before a given date. 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 Team, 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 (1) Team or its Club member(s) they shall be empowered to award the points for the match to the opponent. In cases where a match has been abandoned owing to the conduct of both teams or their Club members, the Management Committee shall rule all points for the match as void. No fine(s) can be applied by the Management Committee for an abandoned match.
All abandonments shall be reported to the Secretary BY BOTH TEAMS on the relevant form to be received by the Wednesday following the date of the game. It shall include the time of the abandonment, the reason and the score at the time. Failure to submit the form shall result in a fine not exceeding £10.00.
(G) A Club may at its discretion and in accordance with the Laws of the Game use five (5) substitute players in any match in this Competition who may be selected from five (5) players. For teams in the Under 16 age group and below, a player who has been substituted himself becomes a substitute and may replace another player at any time subject to the substitution being carried out in accordance with Law 3 of the Laws of the Game. The referee shall be informed of the names of the substitutes not later than five (5) 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 five (5) minutes duration, but it shall not exceed fifteen (15) minutes. The half time interval may only be altered with the consent of the referee.