LEAGUE RULES
1. NOMENCLATURE AND CONSTITUTION
a) This Competition shall be designated the PETERLEE & DISTRICT SUNDAY LEAGUE/CUP and known as the PETERLEE & DISTRICT SUNDAY LEAGUE and shall consist of not more than 48 Clubs who shall be Full Member Clubs.
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 DURHAM COUNTY FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION LIMITED. The area covered by the Competition Membership shall be within a nominal 12 mile radius of Peterlee Post Office.
This Competition shall apply annually for sanction to the DURHAM COUNTY FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION LIMITED and the constituent teams of Member Clubs may be grouped in divisions, each not exceeding 12 in number.
No team in the League or Division of the League comprising of ten or more Clubs shall be allowed to compete in more than THREE Charity Cup Competitions during the season without the consent of their parent Association and Management Committee.
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, SUBSCRIPTIONS, DEPOSIT
a) Applications by Clubs for admission to this Competition or the entry of an additional team(s) must be made on or before the Annual General Meeting in writing to the Secretary and must be accompanied by an Entry Fee of £20.00 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 Special General Meeting. The Entry Fee shall apply.
When Rule 12(b) is applied and a team seeks a transfer or is compulsorily transferred to another division no Entry Fee shall be payable.
b) The Annual Subscription shall be £10.00 per team payable on or before the 31st July
c) Each New Club shall on the day of election pay a Deposit of £30.00 which shall be returnable to Clubs on leaving the Competition provided they have fulfilled their fixtures and complied with all order of the Management Committee
d) A Club shall not participate in this Competition until the Entry Fee, Annual Subscriptions, Deposit and any outstanding debts to the Competition have been paid in full. (Instalments may be applied)
e) Clubs must advise annually to the Secretary in writing by the 30th April of its Durham County Football Association affiliation number for the forthcoming season. Clubs must also advise the Secretary in writing, or on the prescribed form, of details of its Headquarters, Officers and any other information required by the Competition on or before the Annual General Meeting. Any Club failing to comply with this Rule shall be liable to a fine of £20.00
f) In April each year the Competition will affiliate all Clubs to the Durham County Football Association for the forthcoming season and the appropriate affiliation fee must be paid to the Treasurer before the commencement of the season. Any Club failing to comply with this Rule shall be liable to a fine.
3. OFFICERS
The Officers of the Competition shall be the President, Vice-Presidents, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Registration Secretary, Referees Secretary, Fixtures Secretary and Divisional Representatives to be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting. (NB Auditors are not Officers)
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 comprised of the Officers and four members who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
c) The Management Committee shall meet monthly to deal with business as it arises. 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 committees shall be reported to the Management Committee for ratification The Management Committee shall have power to deal only with matters within the Competition and not for any matters of misconduct that are under the jurisdiction of the FA or affiliated Associations.
b) Subject to the permission of the Durham County 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 6e).
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 matters directly appertaining to such Member or to the Club so represented. (This shall also apply to the procedure of any sub-committee).
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 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. Except where these Rules provide for the imposition of a set penalty any Club, Club Official (limited to Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer) or Player alleged to be in breach of a Competition Rule must be formally charged in writing and given the opportunity to present their case before the Management Committee. Financial Penalties can only be imposed if included within the set penalties for breaches of competition Rules. All breaches of the Laws of the Game, Rules and Regulations of the Football Association shall be dealt with in accordance with F.A. Rules by the appropriate Association
e) All decisions of the Management Committee shall be binding subject to the right of appeal to the Board or Appeal in accordance with Rule 16.
Decisions of the Management Committee must be notified in writing to those concerned within 7 days.
f) Six Members of the Management Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business of the Management Committee and four 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 of the written notification.
Clubs, Officials or individuals committing a breach of this Rule and/or furnishing dishonoured cheque(s) will incur such penalties as the Management Committee may impose (e.g. additional £5.00 fine imposed and the outstanding amount doubled).
j) A Member of the Management Committee appointed by the Competition to attend a meeting or match may have any expenses incurred refunded by the Competition.
6. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than the 23rd June in each year. At this meeting the following business shall be transacted provided that at least 51% of Members are present and entitled to vote:
(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 for the commencement and conclusion of the playing season.
b) A copy of the duly audited/verified Balance Sheet, Statement of Accounts and Agenda shall be forwarded to each Club at least fourteen days prior to the meeting, and to the Durham County Football Association.
c) A signed copy of the duly audited/verified Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts shall be sent to the Durham County Football Association within fourteen days of its adoption by the Annual General Meeting.
d) Each Full Member Club/Team shall be empowered to send two delegates to an Annual General Meeting. Each Club shall be entitled to one vote only. Not less than 14 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 hands unless a ballot is demanded by at least two thirds 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 Full Member Club.
h) Any continuing Member Club failing to be represented at the Annual General Meeting without satisfactory reason being given shall be fined a minimum of £10.00
i) Officers and Management Committee Members shall be entitled to attend and vote at an Annual General Meeting.
7. AGREEMENT TO BE SIGNED
The Chairman and Secretary of each Club shall complete and sign the following agreement 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) and B, ___________________________of _______________________
_____________________ (Secretary) _____________________________________
Football Club have been provided with a copy of the Rules and Regulations of the Peterlee & District Sunday League 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 of the Competition, subject to the right of appeal in accordance with Rule 16.”
We further declare that we are eligible under, and will abide by, Clauses 1,2 and 3 or article 2 of the FIFA Regulations Governing the Status and Transfer of Players and agree, under the Data Protection Act, that the details can be used in the Leagues Handbook and be given to a third party.
Any alteration of the Chairman and/or Secretary on the above Agreement must be notified to the Durham County Football Association to which the Club is affiliated and to the Secretary of the Peterlee & District Sunday League.
8. QUALIFICATION OF PLAYERS
a) Contract players, as defined in the Football Association Rules, are not permitted in this Competition.
b) A registered playing member of a Club is one who, being in all other respects eligible, has signed a fully and correctly completed Competition registration form in ink, countersigned by an Officer of the Club, and who has been registered with the Registration Secretary 6 days prior to playing and whose completed registration counterfoil has been received by the Club prior to playing. A maximum of 30 players may be registered in this way. When the maximum is reached, and only then, can a registration be cancelled.
c) A Player is not eligible to play in this Competition who receives any form of payment for playing, other than expenses as per clauses 1,2 and 3 of article 2 of the FIFA Regulations Governing the Status and Transfer of Players. Clubs upon election must sign a declaration that they will conform to the said clauses and players of such Clubs are required to sign a declaration upon Registration that they are eligible under, and will abide by, the FIFA clauses, which are as follows:
Players who have never received any remuneration other than for the actual expenses incurred during the course of their participation in or for any activity connected with association football shall be regarded as amateur.
d) A team shall not include any player who has taken part in any senior competition matches during the current season unless a period of 6 days has elapsed since they played.
For the purpose of this Competition a Senior Competition is the Conference League and above.
e) 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 players signature without first ascertaining whether such claims have been discharged to the satisfaction of the Club, or Clubs, for which the player last played.
f) Registration forms shall be obtained from the Registrations Secretary on pre payment of 40p per form. A stamped addressed envelope must be provided for all returns. Failure to comply will result in a £5.00 fine.
g) 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 Registrations Secretary shall notify the Club last applying to register the player of the fact of the previous registration.
h) (i) The Management Committee shall have power to accept the registration of any player.
Undesirable conduct shall mean an incident of repeated conduct 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 with.
(Note: Action under Clause (iii) shall not be taken against the 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 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)
j) Subject to the Football Association Rules dealing with players without a written contract when a player desires a transfer, the Club the player wishes to transfer to shall submit a transfer form to the Registrations Secretary. Such transfer shall be referred by the Registrations 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 Registrations Secretary and to the player concerned within seven days of receipt of the transfer form. Upon receipt of the Club’s consent, or upon its failure to give written objection within seven days, the Registrations Secretary may, on behalf of the Management Committee, transfer the player who shall be deemed eligible to play for the new Club 1 day after receipt of such transfer. No player will be allowed more than one transfer per season without the permission of the Management Committee.
In the event of an objection to a transfer the matter shall be referred to the Management Committee for a decision.
k) A player may not be registered for a Club nor transferred to another Club in the Competition after 7th April, or after the fulfilment of all fixtures of his current club, whichever is the earliest, in each year except by special permission of the Management Committee.
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
A register containing the names of all players registered for each Club, with the date of registration, shall be kept by the Registrations Secretary and shall be open to the inspection of any duly appointed Member Club Representative at all Management Committee Meetings or at other times mutually arranged. Registrations 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
n) 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 8 games for that team in this competition in the current season.
o) A player who has played for a team in the Premier Division 16 times or more shall not in that season be eligible to play for any other team except by permission of the Management Committee.
p) (i) Any team playing an unregistered or otherwise ineligible player or players in this Competition or this Competitions Subsidiary Cups shall have the points gained in the match deducted from its total or eliminated from the Cup Competition and may be fined and/or otherwise dealt with at the discretion of the Management Committee.
(ii) In addition the team shall have 3 points deducted from its total or eliminated from the Cup Competition at the discretion of the Management Committee and may be dealt with in any further manner which it is thought to be fit.
(iii) The Management Committee in exceptional circumstances may, at its discretion, award any points deducted from a Club or the Cup-Tie under this Rule to the opponents in the match in question, subject to the match not being ordered to be replayed.
(iv) If a team has played an ineligible player, had points deducted and been fined by the league, that team will then be responsible for all costs in respect of pitch hire, referees fees and expenses etc incurred as a result of the match being replayed.
9. CLUB COLOURS, CLUB NAME
a) Every Club must register the colour of its shirts and shorts with the Secretary on or before the Annual General Meeting who shall decide as to their suitability.
Goalkeepers must wear colours which 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 5 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 kick-off by not have a change shall be fined £5.00
The Secretary of the Competition may request shirts to be submitted if complaints are received as to lack of distinguishing colours, and the Management Committee may refuse to permit any shirts or shorts as they think fit. Shirts must be numbered.
b) Any Club wishing to change its name and/or colours must seek permission from its affiliated County Association and from the Management Committee.
c) Clubs wishing to wear advertisements on their strips must seek permission of the Durham County Football Association and the Management Committee.
10. PLAYING SEASON, CONDITIONS OF PLAY, TIMES OF KICK-OFF, POSTPONEMENTS, SUBSTITUTES
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.
Fixtures are deemed to be accepted unless objections are received by the Fixtures Secretary within 7 days of their issue.
Any Club failing to be represented at a Fixtures meeting or otherwise infringing this rule shall be liable for a fine of £5.00 and the Management Committee or the Fixtures Secretary shall arrange the Clubs fixtures.
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. 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 the power to order the venue to be changed.
The Management Committee shall have the power to decide whether the 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 duration of 90 minutes unless a shorter time (not less than 70 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 Fixtures Secretary has the Management Committees full authority to order Clubs to play fixtures on Sundays, or days other than Sundays, when 5 clear days notice is given with the exception of Public Bank Holidays and the Sunday between Christmas and New Year. Failure to do so will incur a fine of £15.00 and/or the Club being dealt with as the Management Committee decide.
The times of kick-off shall be fixed by the AGM or the Management Committee. Any Club failing to commence at the appointed time shall be fined a sum not exceeding £5.00 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. No match shall commence 30 or more minutes after the appointed time of kick-off.
The home team must provide at least two footballs fit for play and the referee shall make a report to the Competition if the footballs are unsuitable. Goal nets must be used and properly secured, corner flags and an adequate first aid kit provided. Each club shall provide a suitable Assistant Referee. Failure to comply with this rule will incur a fine of £5.00
c) Except by permission of the Management Committee all matches must 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 must be considered secondary. Clubs may mutually agree to bring forward a match with the consent of the Fixtures Secretary. No cancellations will be accepted unless permission is received in writing from the Secretary before the months fixtures are printed. Permission to cancel Subsidiary Cup Competition matches will not be given if already scheduled and clubs notified thereof.
d) The Secretary of the home Club must give notice of full particulars of the location of, and access to, the ground and time of kick-off to the match official(s) and the Secretary of the opposing Club at least 5 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 minimum fine of £5.00
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 8 players they shall be fined £5.00 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 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. Not withstanding the foregoing home and away provision, the Management Committee shall have power to order a match to be played on a neutral ground or on the opponent’s ground if they are satisfied that such action is warranted by the circumstances.
Notice of postponement of any match must be given without delay by the postponing Club. Such notice must be given within 24 hours by the Club to the Competition Secretary, the Competitions Fixtures Secretary, the Secretary of the opposing Club, and the Match Official(s). Any Club failing to comply shall be dealt with by the Management Committee who may inflict any penalty it may deem suitable.
In the event of a match being 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 Fixtures Secretary within 3 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 Clubs 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 Management Committee for an abandoned match.
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 5 players.
The referee shall be informed of the names of the substitutes prior to 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 minutes duration, but it shall not exceed fifteen minutes. The half time interval may only be altered with the consent of the referee.
i) Clubs joining outside Cup Competitions must inform this Competition Secretary, in writing, on or before 1st September of each year of their intentions. Failure to do so shall result in a fine of £5.00 and may also result in the Management Committee being unable to release the Club for the outside Cup Competition’s fixture(s).
11. REPORTING RESULTS
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 Team rankings may be decided in any one or more of the following ways:
b) Automatic promotion and relegation shall be applied for the first TWO and last TWO Teams in each Division except as provided for hereunder, subject to the provisions of Rule 1(b).
(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) Vacancies occurring after the conclusion of the season may be filled in any of the following ways:
(a) Retention of otherwise relegated team(s)
(b) Additional promotion of the next ranked team(s) from the Division below
(c) Election
(iii) The last (two) teams in the lowest Division shall retire, but be eligible for re-election except as below, and be subject to the conditions of paragraph (b)(i) above.
(iv) When a senior team is relegated to a lower division of which its reserve team is a member, or entitled to be a member, such reserve team must accept relegation to, or retain its position in, the lower division and should the senior team be relegated to the lowest division its reserve team automatically retires from the Competition.
(v) Should either or both of the leading teams in any of the divisions have its senior team in the next higher division, promotion shall fall, at the discretion of the General Meeting, to the next highest team or teams in the division concerned.
c) In the event of a team not completing its fixtures for the season, the record of the matches played by such club shall be expunged from the Competition table, if more than TWO MATCHES remain to be played. If a club only has ONE or TWO MATCHES unplayed, points shall be awarded as follows:
(i) If the club which was not in default lost or drew the first match, one point shall be awarded to that club.
(ii) If the club which was not in default won the first match, the points normally awarded for a win shall be awarded to that club.
(iii) In the case where two matches against one club have not been played, the club not in default shall be awarded the points normally awarded for a win.
13. REFEREES
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 half match fee plus expenses. Where 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.
14. CONTINUATION OF MEMBERSHIP OR WITHDRAWAL OF A CLUB
a) After 31st December in the current season a Club intending, or having 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 31st March each season or be liable to a fine not exceeding £200.00
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 1st April each season or be liable to a fine not exceeding £20.00
b) A Club shall not be allowed to withdraw any or all of its teams from the Competition after the Annual General Meeting for the following season. Any club infringing this rule shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £500 per team and shall also be liable for its share of any call which may be made under Rule 5b.
c) The Membership for the coming season having been decided at a Special General Meeting held for the purpose not earlier than 1st April nor later than 14th June or at the Annual General Meeting held not later than 23rd 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 undischarged after a period of twenty one (21) days then such obligation shall be met by the then current Club Members, excluding those under 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.
15. PROTESTS AND APPEALS
a) (i) All questions of eligibility, qualifications of players or interpretations 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 the case 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 5 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 of £20.00 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 a losing or 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 be afforded an opportunity to make a statement when the protest or complaint is being heard and must have received at least FOURTEEN days notice of the hearing, together with a copy of the submission. When dealing with a protest or complaint the Management Committee shall take into consideration the possession by the protesting or complaining Club of any information which, if properly used, might have avoided the protest or complaint.
16. BOARD OR APPEAL
Within 14 days of the posting 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 TRIPLICATE with the Secretary of the Durham County Football Association, including a fee of £20.00 for adjudication of a Board of Appeal. The grounds of appeal shall be in accordance with FA Rules. The Board of Appeal may order the appeal fee to be forfeited and shall decide by whom the costs 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 ground of unconstitutional conduct.
17. EXCLUSION OF CLUBS OR TEAMS MISCONDUCT, CLUBS OFFICIALS, PLAYERS
a) At the Annual General Meeting, or 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. 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 (2/3rds) 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 all 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 a 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) A Competition Cup or Trophy shall be vested in the Association sanctioning the Competition as Trustees. If a Competition were discontinued for any cause the Cup or Trophy shall be returned to the Donor, if the conditions attached to it so provide, or otherwise dealt with as the Association may decide. At the close of each Competition awards may be made to the winners and runners up if the funds of the Competition permit.
The following agreement shall be signed on behalf of the winners of the Cup or Trophy:
“We A …………………………….. And B ………………………….., the Chairman and Secretary of ……………………………………………………FC, members of the representing 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 next or at any such time as it may he requested sooner in a good and clean condition. Should it not be returned on time or when requested and in a good and clean condition we understand that a payment of £5.00 will automatically be imposed. 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 and in addition pay to the Competition the sum of £200 (Two Hundred Pounds) liquidated damages as well as any other penalty the Competition imposes. We also agree to the Competition insuring the trophy on our behalf and the insurance premium to be paid to the Competition within 14 days”
19. SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING
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 14 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 Full Member Club shall be empowered to send two delegates to all Special General Meetings. Each Club shall be entitled to one vote only.
Any continuing Member Club failing to be presented at a Special General Meeting without satisfactory reason being given shall be fined £10.00
Officers and Management Committee Members shall be entitled to attend and vote at all Special General Meetings.
All amendment of rules can only be implemented once approved by the appropriate
sanctioning authority
20. ALTERATION TO RULES
Alterations 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 shall be submitted to the Secretary by 14th May in each year. A copy of proposed alterations to Rules to be considered at the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting shall be submitted to the sanctioning County Football Association FOURTEEN days prior to distribution to Member Clubs. The proposals and proposed amendments thereto shall be circulated to clubs with the notice of the Annual General Meeting. A proposal to change in Rule shall be carried if 51% (a majority) of those present and entitled to vote are in favour.
Any alterations or additions decided upon at any meeting shall not become operative until the approval of the Association issuing sanction shall have been obtained.
21. 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.
FINANCE
a) The Management Committee shall determine with which bank or other financial institution the funds of the Competition will be lodged.
d) The books, or a certified balance sheet, of a Competition shall be prepared and shall be audited/verified annually by some suitable person(s) who shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.
INSURANCE
The competition shall ensure all players have personal accident insurance through the scheme available with Durham FA.
CUP COMPETITION RULES
Tommy Burrell Memorial Cup
George Ivey Memorial Cup
John & Pat McManus Memorial Cup
Premier 1st, 2nd & 3rd Division Cups
Once a player has appeared in a cup competition he is not allowed to play for any other club in that same competition
A club guilty of a late start for a cup final will be fined £10.00, and that team will be reported by any member of the League Management Committee in attendance at the game.
n. The home club will supply a suitable match ball, and spare, to the referee no later than 15 minutes before kick off, Goal nets and corner flags must be used in all games. Any club reported for failing to comply with this rule will be fined a minimum of £5.00
o. Ground expenses will be paid by the home club.
minimum of £5.00
p. A club may at its discretion use 3 substitutes from 5 whose
names must be given to the referee prior to the kick off, at any time in a cup game, except to replace a player who has been suspended from the game by the referee after play has commenced. The substitution can only be made when play has stopped for any reason, and the referee has given permission.
One team sheet to be completed for each game. Exchanged before the start of the game and sent by the home club to reach the registration secretary by noon Wednesday following the game, or for midweek games within 48hrs of the game being played.
Team sheets not filled in correctly will result in the offending club being fined £5.00
Team sheets arriving late will result in the offending club being fined £5.00
Players full Christian and Surnames must be given on all team sheets.
MEMORIAL FUND
The fund will be used to send wreaths etc, to the funeral of any player, or recognised official, of any club in membership of the league. All clubs in membership will subscribe £5.00 per season. If, and when, the fund reaches a total which the clubs feel is large enough, the £5.00 subscription may be suspended, or may be donated to some other cause.
The member clubs will instruct the funds administrators to carry out their wishes. The League Management Committee will administer the fund.
The P.D.S.L. has signed up to the Respect Programme, therefore when you register with this league you will be expected to adhere to it.