BOURNEMOUTH HAYWARD FOOTBALL LEAGUE RULES 2012/2013

1 Nomenclature and Constitution

2 Entry Fees. Subscription. Deposit

3 Officers

4 Management. Nomination. Election

5 Powers of the Management

6 Annual General Meeting

7 Agreement to be signed

8 Qualification of Players

9 Club Colours. Club Name

10 Playing Season. Conditions of Play. Times of kick-off, Postponements, Substitutes.

11 Reporting Results

12 Determining Championship

13 Referees

14 Continuation of membership or withdrawal of a Club

15 Protests and Complaints

16 Board of Appeal

17 Exclusion of Clubs or Teams, Misconduct of Clubs, Officials, Players

18 Trophy: - Legal Owners, conditions of taking over, Agreement to be signed, Awards

19 Special General Meetings

20 Alterations to Rules

21 Finance

22 Insurance

23 Rules Binding on Clubs

24 Standing Orders

1. NOMENCLATURE AND CONSTITUTION

a) This Competition shall be designated the Bournemouth Football League and known as The Bournemouth Hayward Football League (BHFL) (Saturday Section and Sunday Section) and shall consist of not more than 200 Clubs approved by the sanctioning authority.

All such Member Clubs must be affiliated to an affiliated County Football Association and their names and particulars shall be returned annually by the appointed date on the Form D to the Hampshire/Dorset/Wiltshire County Football Association. The area covered by the Competition Membership shall be:-

(i) to have grounds or headquarters situated in the area of the B.D.F.A. or

(ii) for such other Clubs outside that area, to be accepted and elected to the League in

accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the Football Association (F.A.) and the Hampshire Football Association Limited (H.F.A. Ltd).

The Competition shall apply annually for sanction of the Hampshire Football Association and the

constituent teams of Member Clubs may be grouped in Divisions, each grouping not exceeding 14 in

number and only one team from a Club may play in any one Division.

Member Clubs shall not enter any of their teams playing in the Competition in any other Competitions

(with the exception of F.A. and County Competitions) except with the written consent of the

Management Committee of the Competition.

b) At the Annual General Meeting, or a Special General Meeting called for the purpose, a majority of the delegates present shall have power to decide or adjust the compilation of the Divisions at their discretion. When necessary this Rule shall take precedence over Rule 12.

2. ENTRY FEE, SUBSCRIPTION, DEPOSIT

a) Applications by Clubs for admission to this Competition or the entry of additional Team(s) must be made in writing to the Secretary and must be accompanied by an Entry Fee of £35.00 per Team, which shall be returned in the event of non-election. At the discretion of a majority of the accredited voting members present applications, of which due notice has been given, may be received at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting. The Entry Fee shall apply. When Rule 12(b) is applied or a Team seeks a Transfer or is compulsorily transferred to another Division, no Entry Fee shall be payable.

b) The Annual Subscription shall be £40.00, per team, which includes £5.00 Postage for all teams in all Divisions in the Saturday and Sunday sections and shall be payable on or before the 15th July in each year. All Rules and Regulations can be found on the BDFA website, where they are also available to print. If required hard copies are available from the office, for collection, at a price of £10.00 each.

c) Each Club shall on the day of election pay a Deposit of £150.00, which shall be returnable to Clubs on leaving the Competition, provided they have fulfilled their seasons fixtures and complied with all orders of the Management Committee.

d) A Club shall not participate in this Competition until the Entry Fee, Annual Subscription and Deposit have been paid and received in the office. Each Club shall send a certified Statement of Accounts, verified by a suitable person, to the League by the 1^st August. Clubs in default shall be fined £40.00.

e) Clubs must advise annually to the Secretary in writing by 1^st July of its County Football Association Affiliation Number for the forthcoming Season, failing which they shall be fined £15.00. Clubs must advise the Secretary in writing, or on the prescribed form, of details of its Headquarters, Officers and any other information required by the Competition. Including a valid, working email address that the Club is contactable on.

All teams must nominate in writing, or in the prescribed manner a member to act as Referee when no Referee is appointed or the appointed Referee is not available. It is desirable that this person is a qualified Referee. (See Rule 13).

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3. OFFICERS

The Officers of the Competition shall be the determined by the Annual General Meeting and elected thereat. (NB Auditors/Verifiers are not Officers). These persons will act as Trustees of all monies, and property, of this League.

4. MANAGEMENT. NOMINATION. ELECTION .

a) The Competition, shall be governed in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the Football Association, by a Management Committee comprising of the Officers and 17 (1 from each Division) members who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting. All participants shall abide by The Football Association Regulations for Safeguarding Children as determined by the Association from time to time.

b) Retiring Officers shall be eligible to become candidates for re-election without nomination. All other candidates for election as Officers or members of the Management Committee shall be nominated to the Secretary in writing, signed by the Secretaries of two Member Clubs, not later than 1^st May in each year. Names of the candidates for election shall be circulated with the notice of the Annual General Meeting. In the event of there being no nomination in accordance with the foregoing for any office, nominations may be received at the Annual General Meeting.

c) The Management Committee shall meet at least quarterly. On receiving a requisition signed by two thirds of the Members of the Management Committee the Secretary shall convene a meeting of the Committee.

d) Except where otherwise mentioned all communications shall be addressed to the Secretary who shall conduct the correspondence of the Competition and keep a record of its proceedings.

e) All communications received from Clubs must be conducted through their nominated Officers.

 

5 POWERS OF MANAGEMENT

a) The Management Committee may appoint sub-Committees and delegate such of their powers as they deem necessary. The decisions of all such sub committees shall be reported to the Management Committee at their next meeting for ratification. The Management Committee shall have the power to deal only with matters within The Competition and not any matters of misconduct that are under the jurisdiction of the Football Association or Affiliated Association.

b) Subject to the permission of the Hampshire Football Association having been obtained, the Management Committee may order a match or matches to be played each season, the proceeds to be devoted to the funds of the Competition and, if necessary, may call upon each Club (including any Club which may have withdrawn during the season) to contribute equally such sums as may be necessary to meet any deficiency at the end of the season (See Rule 6(e)).

c) Each member of the Management Committee shall have the right to attend and vote at all Management Committee meetings and have one vote thereat, but no Member shall be allowed to vote on any matter directly appertaining to such Member or to the Club so represented or where there may be a conflict of interest. (This shall apply to the procedure of any Sub-Committee) Members franchise to vote at Management Committee and related elections is not compromised by this Rule. In the event of the voting being equal on any matter, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

d) The Management Committee shall have the powers to apply, act upon and enforce the Rules of the Competition, and shall also have jurisdiction over all matters affecting the Competition, including any not provided for in the Rules. With the exception of Rules 5(i), 6(h), 10(a), 11 and 19, for all breaches of Rule a formal written charge must be issued. The respondent shall be given seven days from the date of notice to reply to the charge and given the opportunity to:-

(i) Accept or deny the charge

(ii) Submit in writing a case of mitigation, or

(iii) Put their case before the Management Committee.

All breaches of the Laws of the Game and Rules and Regulations of the Football Association shall be dealt with in accordance with FA Rules by the appropriate Association. With the exception of Clubs playing at Step 7 of the Football Pyramid and the FA Women’s Premier League, the maximum fine permitted for any breach of a Competition rule is £250 and, when setting any fine, the Competition must ensure that the penalty is proportional to the offence, taking into account any mitigating circumstances.

e) All decisions of the Management Committee shall be binding subject to the right of appeal in accordance with Rule 16. Decisions of the Management Committee must be notified in writing to all concerned within 7 days.

f) Ten members of the League Management Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business of the Management Committee and three Members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business by any sub-Committee of the Competition.

g) The Management Committee, as it may deem necessary, shall have power to fill in an acting capacity, any vacancies that may occur amongst their number.

h) A Club having failed to comply with an order or instruction of the Management Committee, or failing to satisfactorily attend to the business and/or the correspondence of the Competition shall be liable to be fined or otherwise penalised at the discretion of the Management Committee.

i) All fines and charges shall be paid within 14 days of the date of posting/emailing of the

written notification. Any Club failing to do so will be fined a maximum of £50. Further failure to pay

the fine including the additional sum within 14 days will result in fixtures being withdrawn until such

time as the outstanding payments are settled.

j) A member of the Management Committee appointed to attend a meeting or match may have any expenses incurred refunded by the Competition.

k) The Management Committee shall have the power to fill any vacancy that may occur in the membership of the Competition between the Annual General or Special General Meeting called to decide the Constitution and the commencement of the Competition season.

l) The business of the Competition as determined by the Management Committee shall be

transacted by electronic mail or facsimile.

6. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than fourth Friday in June in each year. At this meeting the following business shall be transacted provided that at least 50% of the Members are present and entitled to vote:-

i) To receive and confirm the Minutes of the preceding Annual General Meeting.

ii) To consider any business arising there from.

iii) To receive and adopt the Annual Report, Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts.

iv) Election of Clubs to fill vacancies (as recommended by the Management Committee).

v) Constitution of the Competition for ensuing Season.

vi) Election of Officers and Management Committee.

vii) Appointment of Auditors.

viii) Alteration of Rules, if any, (of which notice has been given).

ix) Fix the date of the commencement of the season and kick off times applicable to the competition.

x) Other business of which due notice shall have been given and accepted as being relevant to an Annual General Meeting.

b) A copy of the duly audited Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts and Agenda shall be forwarded to each Club at least fourteen days prior to the meeting, and to the Hampshire Football Association Ltd.

c) A signed copy of the duly audited Balance Sheet, and Statement of Accounts shall be sent to the Hampshire Football Association Ltd, within fourteen days of its adoption by the Annual General Meeting.

d) Each Member Club shall be empowered to send two delegates to an Annual General Meeting. Each Club shall be entitled to one vote only. Fourteen days notice shall be given of any Meeting.

e) Clubs who have withdrawn their Membership of the Competition during the Season being concluded, or who are not continuing Membership shall be entitled to attend, but shall vote only on matters relating to the season being concluded. This provision will not apply to Clubs expelled in accordance with Rule 17.

f) All voting shall be conducted by a show of voting cards unless a ballot be demanded by at least 50% of the delegates qualified to vote or the Chairman so decides.

g) No individual shall be entitled to vote on behalf of more than one Member Club.

h) Any Continuing Member Club failing to be represented for the duration of the Annual General Meeting without satisfactory reason being given shall be fined £20.00.

i) Officers and Management Committee members shall be entitled to attend and vote at an Annual General Meeting. In the event of the votes being equal, the Chairman of the Meeting shall have a second/casting vote.

7. AGREEMENT TO BE SIGNED

The Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Manager and one Committee member of each Club shall complete and sign the following Agreement annually which shall be deposited with the Competition, together with the application for membership for the coming season or upon indicating that the Club intends to compete.

“We, A).... of .... , Chairman, B)... of ....... Secretary, C)....

of .... Treasurer D … of …. Manager and E) …. of …. Committee Member of the ……...Football Club have been provided with a copy of the Rules and Regulations of the Competition and, do hereby agree for and on behalf of the said Club, if elected or accepted into membership to conform to those rules and regulations and to accept, abide by and implement the decisions of the Management Committee, subject to the right of appeal in accordance with Rule 16.

Any alteration of the Chairman and/or Secretary on the above agreement will be notified to the County Football Association of which the said Club is affiliated and the Competition Secretary within 7 days of such alteration.

Please note that in making application for registration of your Club and Players with this League, the personal information of the Secretary and registered players will be held on computer and consent on behalf of all will be presumed unless the League is notified to the contrary.

8. QUALIFICATION OF PLAYERS

a) (i) Contract Players, as defined in the Football Association Rules, are not permitted in this Competition. It is the responsibility of each Club to ensure that any Player signing a registration form for that Club has, where necessary, the required International Transfer Certificate. Clearance is required for any player aged 12 and over crossing borders including Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

(ii) While serving in any branch of Her Majesty’s Regular Forces, a player must first obtain the consent of his Association Secretary before signing a registration form to play for a Club.”

b) A Registered playing Member of a Club is one who, being in all other respects eligible, has:-

(i) Signed and correctly completed a Competition Registration Form in ink, countersigned by an Officer of the Club, and who has been Registered with the Registration Secretary no later than 12 Noon on a Friday prior to any weekend fixture or, for any midweek game, 12 noon on the last working day (excluding Saturday, Sundays and Bank Holidays) immediately preceding any midweek fixture and whose completed Part C of the Registration Form has been received by the Club prior to playing.

(ii) After the first weekend of the Season forms may be faxed, or emailed, to the Office to be received no later than 12 Noon on a Friday prior to any weekend fixture or, for any midweek game, 12 noon on the last working day (excluding Saturday, Sundays and Bank Holidays) immediately preceding any midweek fixture and the Club Secretary must ensure that the player is eligible to play by confirming with the Office before 3.00pm on that day. The original form must be posted immediately and it must be received in the Office within 72 hours of the official time of kick off. The player shall not play again until the Club is in possession of the completed Section C. (Only Official Registration Forms are permitted, no photocopies or any other type of unofficial Registration Form will be accepted).

Note: Each completed League Registration Form must be forwarded, as above, to the Secretary as follows:

iii) Forms completed between 1st April and 31st July for the ensuing season before 1st August.

iv) Forms completed on or after 1st August within five days of signature by the player.

v) Each Club must forward at least 12 completed League Registration Forms, for each team, on or before 1st August each year and 15 completed Forms by 22nd August. Clubs failing to submit forms by these dates shall be fined £26.00 and their entry to the League may be cancelled. A minimum of 15 players must be registered per team by 1st September and this Rule must apply throughout the Season.

vi) Not more than THREE PLAYERS OR OFFICIALS can register for any one Club after their previous Club has been removed for on-field Disciplinary reasons (this Rule applies to Clubs both Saturday and Sunday. It does not apply to any registered player (other than a nominated official) who does not appear for their Club during the Season his Club is removed. The restriction is applicable for a minimum of three years after which, it may be reviewed by the League Management Committee).

c) A Team shall not include more than four players at any one time in any one match who have played nine or more games each in any recognised higher grade Division, League or Cup Competition competing on the same day as that section during the current season.

d) A player having taken part in matches for any Club affiliated to any County Football Association shall not be allowed to join, be transferred to, or sign for a Club in the Competition without first proving to the Officials of the intended Club that the player has discharged all reasonable financial liabilities to the previous Club or Clubs, and a Club Official may not accept such player’s signature without first ascertaining whether such claims have been discharged to the satisfaction of the Club, or Clubs, for which the player last played.

e) A fee of £5.00 shall be paid for each player registered and Registration Forms for the current season shall be obtained from the Secretary on prepayment of £5.00 per form. Registration Forms will be available to be downloaded online, printed out, signed by both parties and returned to the office with payment.

f) The Management Committee shall decide all Registration disputes. In the event of a player signing a Registration Form or having a Registration submitted for more than one Club priority of Registration shall decide for which Club the player shall be registered. The Secretary shall notify the Club last applying to register the player of the previous Registration.

g) It shall be a breach of Rule for a player to:-

(i) Play for more than one Club in the Competition in the same season without first being transferred.

(ii) Having signed for one Club in the Competition, sign for another Club in the Competition in that season except for the purpose of a Transfer.

(iii) Submit a signed Registration Form for Registration that the player has wilfully neglected to accurately or fully complete.

h) (i) The Management Committee shall have the power to accept the registration of any player subject to the provisions of clauses (ii) and (iii) below.

(ii) The Management Committee shall have the power to refuse, cancel or suspend the registration of any player or may fine any player at their discretion who has been charged and found guilty of Registration irregularities. (Subject to Rule 16).

(iii) The Management Committee shall have power to make application to refuse or cancel the Registration, of any player charged and found guilty of undesirable conduct (Subject to Rule 16) subject to the right of appeal to the FA or the relevant County Football Association. Undesirable conduct shall mean an incident of repeated proven misconduct, which may deter a participant from being involved in this Competition. Application should be made to the parent County of the Club the player is registered, or intending to be registered, with.

(iv) A player who has previously had a registration removed in accordance with clause (iii) but has a registration accepted at the expiry of exclusion will be considered to be under a probationary period of 12 months. Whilst under a probationary period, should the player commit a further act of proven misconduct under the jurisdiction of the Competition, (excluding standard dismissals), the Competition would be empowered to consider a further charge of bringing the Competition into disrepute.

(Note: Action under Clause (iii) shall not be taken against a player for misconduct until the matter has been dealt with by the appropriate Association, and then only in cases of the player bringing the Competition into disrepute and will in any case be subject to an Appeal to the Football Association. All decisions must include the period of restriction. For the purpose of this Rule, bringing the competition into disrepute can only be considered where the player has received in excess of 112 days’ suspension, or 10 matches in match based discipline, in a period of two years or less from the date of the first offence for any team playing in this competition).

i) Subject to the FA Rule C2 (a) dealing with players without a written contract, when a player desires a transfer, the Club, the player wishes to transfer to shall, request a transfer form from the Secretary of the Association accompanied by a fee of £25.00. Transfer Forms are valid for 14 days from the date of issue. Such transfers shall be referred by the League Secretary to the Club for which the player is registered. Should this Club object to the transfer it should state its objections in writing to the League Secretary and to the player concerned within 7 days of receipt of the transfer form. Upon receipt of the Club’s consent, or upon its failure to give written objections within 7 days, the League Secretary may, on behalf of the Management Committee transfer the player who shall be deemed eligible to play for the new Club from such date after receipt of such transfer.

In the event of an objection to a transfer the matter shall be referred to the Management Committee for a decision.

j) A player may not be registered for a Club nor transferred to another Club in the Competition after the 31^st March in any season except by special permission of the Management Committee. No player shall transfer from any Club who have completed their fixtures.

k) A Club shall keep a list of the players it registers and a record of the games in which they have played, and shall produce such records upon demand by the Management Committee.

l) A register containing the names of all players registered for each Club, with the date of registration, shall be kept by the Secretary and shall be open for the inspection of any duly appointed Member Club representative at all Management Committee Meetings or at other times mutually arranged. Registrations are valid for one Season only.

In the event of a player without a written contract changing his status to that of a contract player with the same Club, another Club in the Competition or with a Club in another Competition his registration as a player without a written contract will automatically be cancelled and declared void. In order to play in the League again either for his original Club or for another Club it will be necessary for him to be re-registered as required by this Rule.

m) A Player shall not be eligible to play for a team in any special championship, promotion or relegation deciding match (as specified in Rule 12A) unless the Player has played two games for that team in this Competition in the current Season.

n) A Team shall not include more than Four players, in any one match, who have played nine or more games for a team in any recognised higher grade Division, League or Cup Competition competing on the same day as that section during the current season.

o) (i) Any team playing an unregistered or otherwise ineligible player or players may have the points gained in the match deducted from its total and may be fined or otherwise dealt with at the discretion of the Management Committee.

(ii) In addition the team may have three points deducted from its total at the discretion of the Management Committee and may be dealt with in any further manner which is thought to be fit.

(iii) The Management Committee may, at its discretion, award the points available in the match in question to the opponents, subject to the match not being ordered to be replayed.

p) To play open age football the player must have achieved the age of 16.

9. CLUB COLOURS. CLUB NAME

a) Every Club must register the colour of its shirts and shorts with the Secretary by the Annual General Meeting who shall decide as to their suitability. Goalkeepers must wear colours that distinguish them from other players and the referee.

No player, including the Goalkeeper, shall be permitted to wear black or very dark shirts.

Any Team not being able to play in its normal colours, as registered with the Competition, shall notify the colours in which they will play to its opponents at least four clear days before the match.

If, in the opinion of the referee, two Clubs have the same or similar colours, the away team shall make the change. Any team not having a change of colours or delaying the kick off by not having a change shall be fined £14.00.

The Secretary of the Competition may request shirts to be submitted, for inspection, if complaints are received as to lack of distinguishing colours, and the Management Committee may refuse to permit any shirts or shorts as they see fit. Shirts must be numbered. No more than one player to wear the same number, and there must be no changing of numbers during the match. Any Team not complying with this Rule shall be fined a sum not exceeding £14.00.

b) Any Club wishing to change its name and/or colours must obtain permission from its affiliated County Football Association and from the Management Committee.

c) Teams may have their Club Name on the collar on the back of their Shirts providing such does not exceed an area of 50 square centimetres. They may also have the name of a sponsor on the front of their Shirts; this must not exceed 250 square centimetres which means no other advertising on the kit is permitted. The appropriate County FA must approve both of these.

10. PLAYING SEASON. CONDITIONS OF PLAY. TIMES OF KICK OFF. POSTPONEMENTS. SUBSTITUTES.

a) The Annual General Meeting shall determine the date for the commencement of the season in accordance with Football Association Rules. Original fixtures arranged by the (Fixtures) Secretary, or at a meeting specially convened for that purpose, to be held no later than July, must not be arranged for a date later than seven days preceding the concluding date.

b) All matches shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game as determined by the International Football Association Board. Clubs must take all reasonable precautions to keep their Grounds in a playable condition. Clubs must provide separate dressing room accommodation and washing facilities for the visiting team and match officials (male & female). 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 of 90 minutes unless a shorter time (not less than 60 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 times of Kick-off shall be fixed at the A.G.M. Unless otherwise approved by the Secretary the official time for starting all League Matches shall be:

i) Saturday Section 2.00pm throughout the Season.

1.45pm throughout November, December and January (Cup matches only)

ii) Sunday Section 10.30am throughout the season. (Except Remembrance Sunday)

Any Club failing to commence at the appointed time shall, failing a satisfactory written explanation to the Secretary within seven days of the offence, shall be fined a sum not less than £14.00 or be otherwise dealt with as the Management Committee may determine.

Referees must order matches to commence at the appointed time and must report all late starts to the Competition Secretary.

The Home team must provide at least two Mitre Monde, minimum or equivalent standard, footballs fit for play and the referee shall make a report to the Competition Secretary if the footballs are unsuitable. Goal nets must be used in all matches.

When fixtures are required to be played other than the accepted day of any Section, midweek games for only one Section of the Competition shall be arranged on any one day unless otherwise mutually agreed by the two teams involved. The cost of any Bournemouth Parks Pitch allocated by the League must be paid to the Bournemouth Divisional Football Association by return or by the date due on the invoice sent to clubs at the end of each month. Clubs in default shall be fined £25.00 and may have their fixtures suspended until the pitch fee has been paid and/or dealt with as the competition decides.

c) Except by permission of the Management Committee all matches must be played on the dates originally fixed by the Competition Secretary but priority shall be given to the Football Association and all relevant County Association Cup Competitions. All other matches must be considered secondary. Clubs may mutually agree to bring forward a match with the consent of the Secretary. In the case of a revised fixture date, the Clubs must be given by the Competition 5 clear days’ notice of the match (unless otherwise mutually agreed).

d) The Secretary of the Home Club must give notice in writing, by email, by telephone or by any other means, 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 clear days prior to the playing of the match. The Away Club shall seek and acknowledge receipt of such particulars. Any Club failing to comply with this Rule shall be liable to a fine £14.00.

e) In the event of a Club playing in any match with less than eleven players they may be fined

£3.00 for each missing player. A minimum of seven players will 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, deduct points from the defaulting Club, award the points, from the match in question, 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.

For the purpose of this Rule inability to field a complete team shall not, in any circumstances, be deemed a satisfactory explanation.

Any Club with more than one team in the Competition shall always fulfil its fixture within the Competition, in the following order of precedence:- First Team, Reserve Team, ‘A’ Team etc. Clubs in breach of this requirement shall be fined a sum not exceeding £26.00 or otherwise dealt with by the Management Committee.

Any Club unable to fulfil a fixture must, without delay, give notice to the Secretary of the Competition, the Competition Referees Appointment Secretary, the Secretary of the opposing Club, Parks Departments and the match officials. Pitches may be charged for if cancelled later than 48 hours (2 working days) prior to the match. Any Club, failing to comply, with this rule shall be dealt with by the Management Committee who may inflict a fine. The cost of any Bournemouth Parks Pitch allocated by the League must be paid by return or by the date due on the invoice sent to clubs at the end of each month. Clubs in default shall be fined the sum of £25.00.

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 Clubs and approved by the Management Committee. Failing such agreement and notification to the Secretary within 2 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 matches abandoned in cases where it is consequent upon the conduct of either or both teams. 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. In cases where a match is 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. The Management Committee shall review any match that has taken place where either or both teams were under a suspension imposed upon them by the Association or Affiliated Association. In each case the team that was under suspension would be dealt with in the same manner as if they had participated with ineligible players in accordance with Rule 8(O) above. Where both teams were under suspension the game must be declared null and void.

g) A Club may at its discretion and in accordance with the Laws of the Game use 3 substitute players in any match in this Competition who may be selected from a maximum of five players.

The Referee shall be informed of the names of the Substitutes no later than 5 minutes before the start of the game (this means the official nominated Kick Off time).

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 minutes duration, but it shall not exceed fifteen minutes. The half time interval may only be altered with the consent of the referee.

i) The League shall require all players and club officials to have signed the FA’s Respect Codes of Conduct and produce these if so requested by the League Management committee. The participating clubs taking part in the fixture shall identify a team captain designated with a captain’s armband who has a responsibility to offer support in the management of the on-field discipline of his/her team mates. Prior to each match the participating teams and officials shall conduct the Respect Handshake

 

11. REPORTING RESULTS.

a) The Secretary must receive within 2 days of the date played, the result of each Competition match in the prescribed manner. This must include the forename(s) and surname of the team players (in block letters) and also the Referee markings required by Rule 13, or any other information required by the Competition. Failure to do so will incur a fine of £15.00 and £3.00 per day, and/or the Club being dealt with as the Management Committee decide. This information is to be received on the Fulltime website by the time stated. This is to include all National, County and BDFA Cup Competitions.

 

b) Both Home and Away Clubs must telephone the required details of the match together with the Goal scorers in the games to the results Secretary on the day of the match as follows:

i) Saturday Section before 5.15pm

ii) Sunday Section before 2.15 pm

iii) County Cup matches (if Sunday afternoon Kick-off) before 4.45pm

iv) Evening matches before 10.00 pm

Any Club, whether HOME or AWAY, where scheduled games are not played for whatever reason, including County or local Association Cup games, shall enter the relevant details on the fulltime website by the scheduled time and telephone the result of the game as directed above. Clubs failing to comply may be fined £20.00, plus postage. NB. If the fixed penalty exceeds £20 the Club must be charged as detailed in Rule 5(D). Teams that are playing in the County Cup Competition must notify the office of Kick-off times if different from that stated in our Competition Rules.

c) The match result notification, correctly completed, shall be entered by a responsible member of the Club. Failure to do so will Result in a fine of £15.00

12. DETERMINING CHAMPIONSHIP

a) Team rankings within the Competition will be decided by points with three points to be awarded for a win and one point for a drawn match. The teams gaining the highest number of points in their respective Divisions at the conclusion shall be adjudged the winners. Matches must not be played for double points.

In the event of two or more teams being equal on points the best goal difference shall decide the outcome. In the event of goal difference being equal the team scoring most goals shall be given the higher placing.

b) Providing application has been made in accordance with Rule 2 the last two teams in each Division may be relegated whilst the leading two teams shall be promoted, except in the Sunday Premier Division where the bottom team may be relegated and the top team in Division 1 shall be promoted, but no Club shall be allowed to have more than one team in any one Division. The Management Committee shall have power to vary the number of teams promoted and relegated if considered necessary.

i) Should one or more teams withdraw from any one Division after the fixtures have commenced

an equal number of teams to those withdrawing in that Division shall not be automatically relegated.

ii) The two lowest teams of the lowest division of each section shall retire but may apply for re-

election together with any new applicant(s).

c) In the event of a team not completing 75% of its fixtures for the season all points obtained by or

recorded against such defaulting team shall be expunged from the Competition table.

 

13. REFEREES

a) Registered Referees for all matches shall be appointed in a manner approved by the Management Committee and by the sanctioning Association.

b) In the event of the non-appearance of the appointed referee or if no referee is appointed the Clubs shall agree on a Referee. A referee thus agreed upon shall, for that game, have the full powers, status and authority of a registered referee. A person who has been accepted to act as referee may not be used as a substitute in that match. All Teams must nominate a person who will act as Referee to be used when an appointed Referee is not available. If this person is a registered referee, his appointed game will take precedence over his home club duties, and the Club will need to find a replacement.

Note: For the purpose of this Rule it is the Responsibility of the Home Club to provide the Referee if no Referee is appointed or if the appointed Referee fails to turn up.

c) Each Team shall provide a Club Assistant Referee with a suitable flag for the duration of the match and teams failing to comply with this Rule shall be fined £20.00. In the event of the BHFL Management Committee ordering neutral Assistant Referees to be appointed, both Clubs shall share their travelling expenses and scale fee.

d) The appointed Referee shall have the power to decide as to the fitness of the ground in all matches and the decision shall be final subject to either in the case of a ground of a local Authority or the owners of the ground, the Representative of that body is the sole arbiter and whose decision must be accepted unless the ground is declared fit for play.

e) Match Officials appointed under this Rule shall be paid a match fee of: -

Premier Division & Division 1 Saturday & Sunday

Referee £20.00 Registered Referees appointed by the Management Committee as Assistant Referees £13.00

Division 2 & below Saturday and Sunday

Referee £19.00 Registered Referees appointed by the Management Committee as Assistant Referees £12.00

and travel expenses of 30p per mile.

Subject to any limits laid down by the sanctioning Association(s). The Home Team shall pay the Officials their fees and expenses before the match. Failure to comply may incur a fine £14.00. When Officials travel together by private car only one Official may charge travelling expenses.

f) In the event of a match not being played because of circumstances over which the Clubs have no control, the match officials, if present, shall be entitled to expenses only. When a match is not played owing to one Club being in default, that Club shall be ordered to pay the officials, if they attend the ground, their full fee and expenses.

g) A Referee not keeping his/her engagement, and failing to give a satisfactory explanation as to his non appearance, may be reported to the Association with which he/she is registered.

h) Each Club shall, in a manner prescribed from time to time by The Football Association, award marks to the Referee for each match and the name of the Referee and the marks awarded shall be submitted to the Competition on the Full-time website. Clubs failing to comply with this Rule shall be liable to be fined or dealt with as the Management Committee shall determine.

i) The Competition shall keep a record of the markings and, on the Form provided by the prescribed date each season, shall submit a summary to The Football Association/County Association.

j) The referee shall submit a report form, supplied by the Competition, giving the result of the match, and any breach of these rules to the Secretary, within two days of the match. He/she must also report the score in any match prematurely terminated by him with his reasons for doing so.

k) The Rules of the Competition are available for all Referees on the Bournemouth Divisional Football Association website.

l) Referees under the age of 16 must not participate either as a referee or assistant referee in any open age competition.

14. CONTINUATION OF MEMBERSHIP OR WITHDRAWAL OF A CLUB

a) After the 31^st December in the current Season a Club intending, or having a provisional intention, to withdraw a team from the Competition on completion of its fixtures and fulfilment of all other obligations to the Competition must notify the Secretary in writing by 1^st May each Season or be liable to a fine not exceeding £66.00. If a Club withdraws from the Competition on completion of its fixtures no more than four players can join any Club or Team in a lower Division who have played nine or more games in a higher League or Cup Competition, on the same day, for a period of two years. Membership to any Section of the League must be made each year on or before the 1st of May and new Applications by 14th April, to the Secretary of the BHFL on the form provided which incorporates the Agreement referred to in Rule 7.

All Clubs wishing to remain in membership of the Competition for the following Season must confirm their intention to do so, in writing, to the Secretary by 1^st May together with the fee of £35.00 per Team

b) A Club shall not be allowed to withdraw any or all of its teams from the Competition after the AGM for the following Season.

(i) Any Club infringing this Rule after the fixtures have commenced shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £250.00 per team and shall also be liable for its share of any call which may be made under Rule 5(B).

(ii) Any Club infringing this Rule and not disbanding before the fixtures have commenced shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £250.00 per team and shall also be liable for its share of any call which may be made under Rule 5(B).

(iii) Any Club infringing this Rule and disbanding before the fixtures have commenced cannot be fined but will be liable for their financial commitments prior to disbanding.

c) The Membership for the coming Season having been decided at the Annual General Meeting, held in June, the Competition shall have the right, irrespective of other provisions in this Rule, to refuse to permit a Club to withdraw its Team(s) in order to join another Competition and may hold the Club to its engagements.

d) In the event of a Member Club, which is an un-incorporated Association, withdrawing and/or disbanding it shall be immediately liable to discharge all its financial and other obligations to the Competition.

In the event that any such obligation remains un-discharged after a period of twenty one days then such obligation shall be met by the then current Club Members, excluding those under the statutory school leaving age. Until a Member’s pro-rata obligation is discharged in full, the Member shall not be allowed to participate in the Competition, which may apply to the Club’s Parent County Association for a suspension order. If the debt remains unpaid after eighty-four (84) days the Competition may apply to the Club’s parent County Association for the debt to be recovered in accordance with the FA Football Debt Recovery System. Once the matter has been passed to the Club’s parent County Association the debt can only be cleared by payment to that County Association.

e) Any Club with more than one team in the Competition must always observe the following order of procedure when withdrawing a Team (or Teams) from the Competition. eg; A Team, Reserve Team, First Team. Only in exceptional circumstances and at the absolute discretion of the Management Committee will any variation be allowed to the order of precedence.

15. PROTESTS AND COMPLAINTS

a) (i) All questions of eligibility, qualifications of players or interpretation of the rules shall be referred to the Management Committee.

(ii) Objections relevant to the dimensions of the pitch, goals, flag posts or other facilities of the venue will not be entertained by the Management Committee unless a protest is lodged with the referee before the commencement of the match. Any Club lodging such protest and not proceeding with it shall be deemed guilty of a breach of this Rule and shall be dealt with by the Management Committee.

b) Except in cases where the Management Committee decide that there are special circumstances, protests and complaints (which must contain full particulars of the grounds upon which they are founded) must be lodged in duplicate with the Secretary within 4 days (excluding Sundays) of the match or occurrence to which they refer. A protest or complaint shall not be withdrawn except by permission of the Management Committee. A member of the Management Committee who is a member of any Club involved shall not be present (except as a witness or representative of his Club) when such protest or complaint is being determined.

c) Any dispute occurring between Clubs in the Competition shall be referred for determination by the Management Committee whose decision shall be binding upon all parties subject to Rule 16.

d) No protest, of whatever kind, shall be considered by the Management Committee unless the complaining Club shall have deposited with the Secretary a sum £25.00. This may be forfeited in whole or in part in the event of the complaining or protesting Club losing its case. The Competition shall have power to order the defaulting Club, or the Club making or losing a frivolous protest or complaint, to pay the expenses of the enquiry or to order that the costs to be shared by the parties.

e) All parties to a protest or complaint must receive a copy of the submission and must be afforded an opportunity to make a statement at least 7 days prior to the protest or complaint being heard.

(i) All parties must have received 7 days’ notice of the Hearing should they be instructed to attend.

(ii) Should a Club elect to state its case in person then they should forward a deposit of £25.00 and indicate such when forwarding the written response.

16. BOARD OF APPEAL

Within 14 days, of the posting or emailing, of written notification of any decision of the Management Committee or the Competition, a Club, Official or player against whom action is taken may appeal against such decision by lodging particulars in duplicate with the Secretary of the Hampshire Football Association, including a fee of £50 for adjudication by a Board of Appeal. The grounds of appeal shall be in accordance with F.A. Rules. The Board of Appeal may order the appeal fee to be forfeited and shall decide by whom the cost of the appeal shall be borne. The decision of the Board of Appeal is final and binding on all parties concerned. No appeal can be lodged against a decision taken at an Annual or Special General Meeting unless this is on the grounds of unconstitutional conduct.

17. EXCLUSION OF CLUBS OR TEAMS - MISCONDUCT, CLUBS, OFFICIALS, PLAYERS

a) At the Annual General Meeting, or at a Special General Meeting called for the purpose, Notice of Motion having been duly circulated on the Agenda, the accredited delegates present shall have the power to exclude any Club or Team from further membership which must be supported by more than two thirds of those present and voting. Voting on this point shall be conducted by ballot.

b) At the Annual General Meeting, or at a Special General Meeting called for the purpose, in accordance with the provisions of Rule 19, the accredited delegates present shall have the power to exclude from further participation in the Competition any Club whose conduct has, in their opinion, been undesirable, which must be supported by more than two-thirds of those present and voting. Voting on this point shall be conducted by ballot. A Club whose conduct is the subject of the vote being taken shall be excluded from voting.

c) Any Official or Member of a Club proved guilty of either a breach of Rule other than field offences, or of inducing or attempting to induce a player or players of another Club in the Competition to join them, shall be liable to expulsion or such penalty as a General Meeting or Management Committee may decide, and their Club shall also be liable to expulsion in accordance with the provisions of Clauses (a) and (b) of this Rule.

d) Any Club or Team failing to complete 75% of its fixtures in any season shall, (unless the conditions are beyond their control, or the accredited delegates present at the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting decide otherwise by a majority of two thirds of the votes cast), be debarred from membership the following season.

18. TROPHY:- LEGAL OWNERS, CONDITIONS OF TAKING OVER, AGREEMENT TO BE SIGNED, AWARDS

a) If a Competition is discontinued for any reason a Trophy or any other presentation shall be returned to the Donor, if the conditions attached to it so provide or, if not, dealt with as the sanctioning Association may decide. The Trophy will remain the property of the Competition, who will insure all trophies.

b) The following agreement shall be signed on behalf of the Winners of the Cup or Trophy:-

We the Chairman and Secretary of ___________________ F.C., being members of and representing the Club having been declared Winners of _______________ Cup or Trophy, and it having been delivered to us by the Competition, do hereby on behalf of the Club jointly and severally agree to return the Cup or Trophy, to the Competition Secretary, on or before 1st March ____ in good order and condition and in its box. If the Cup or Trophy is lost or damaged whilst under our care we agree to refund to the Competition the amount of its current value or the cost of its thorough repair. A fine of £26.00 plus £3.00 per additional day will be imposed if the Cup or Trophy is not returned by 1^st March each year. The League to arrange for the Trophy to be engraved, the cost of which shall be paid for by the winners of the Cup. Any Club withdrawing from the competition shall return the cup immediately. Signed ___________ Chairman, ________ Secretary.

c) The Competition shall provide 14 suitable awards to both the Champions and Runners Up Teams of each division. Any awards in excess of 14 to be sanctioned by the Management Committee and ordered and paid for by Clubs after obtaining the sanction letter from the Association Office.

19. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS

Upon receiving a requisition signed by two-thirds of the clubs in Membership, the Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting. The Management Committee may call a Special General Meeting at any time. At least 7 days notice shall be given of either meeting under this Rule, together with an Agenda of the business to be transacted at such meeting. Each Member Club shall be empowered to send two delegates to all Special General Meetings. Each club shall be entitled to one vote only, as will members of the Management Committee.

Any continuing Member Club failing to be represented for the duration of a Special General Meeting without satisfactory reason shall be fined £20.00. Officers and Management Committee members shall be entitled to attend and vote at all Special General Meetings. In the event of the votes being equal, the Chairman of the Meeting shall have a second/casting vote. No Business shall be transacted unless at least 50% of members are present and entitled to vote.

20. ALTERATION TO RULES

Alterations for which consent has been given by the Sanctioning Authority, shall be made to these Rules only at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting specially convened for the purpose called in accordance with Rule 19. Any alteration made during the playing season to the Rule relating to the qualification of players shall not take effect until the following season.

Notice of proposed alterations to be considered at the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting shall be submitted to the Secretary in writing by 30^th November in each year. The proposals, together with any proposals by the Management Committee, shall be circulated to the Clubs by 17th December and any amendments thereto shall be submitted to the Secretary by 31^st December in each year. The proposals and proposed amendments thereto shall be circulated to the Clubs with the notice of the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting. A proposal to change a Rule shall be carried if a Majority of those present and entitled to vote are in favour.

A copy of the proposed alterations to Rules to be considered at the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting shall be submitted to the sanctioning Football Association fourteen days prior to the date of the meeting or by 1^st April whichever is the earliest.

21. FINANCE

a) The Management Committee shall determine with which banks or other financial institutions the funds of the Competition will be lodged.

b) All expenditure in excess of £150.00 shall be approved by the Management Committee. Cheques shall be signed by at least two Officers/ signatories nominated by the Management Committee.

c) The financial year of the Competition will end 31^st March each year.

d) The books, or a certified balance sheet, of a Competition shall be prepared and shall be audited annually by some suitable persons who shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.

 

22. INSURANCE

All Clubs must have public liability insurance cover of at least 10 million pounds (£10,000,000).

With effect from the 2013-14 season all Clubs must be members of a Players’ personal accident scheme which meets the minimum criteria set by the sanctioning Association.

 

23 RULES BINDING ON CLUBS

Each Member Club shall be deemed to have given its assent to the foregoing Rules and agreed to abide by the decisions of the Management Committee subject to Rule 16. Each Member Club must abide by any issued Football Association Code of Conduct.

The Players of each Club shall be jointly and severally responsible to the Competition for the performance of its obligations and each Player failing to comply with this, or any Rule, may be dealt with at the discretion of the Management Committee and, in the case of suspension, may apply to the appropriate County Football Association, for the suspension to be made General.

 

24. STANDING ORDERS

The Standing Orders of the Management Committee of the Bournemouth Hayward Football League will be based upon those adopted by the Bournemouth Divisional Football Association and reflect those of the Hampshire FA amended as necessary to meet the specific requirements of the Competition.