Qualification of Players

Rule 8.

(A) Contract players, as defined by the Football Association are permitted in this competition.

No player registered with a F.A. Premier League or Football League Academy will be permitted to play in this competition. A Player registered with a Centre of Excellence may only play in this Competition subject to the Regulations of the Programme for Excellence.

(B) A registered youth playing member of a Club is one who, being in all other respects eligible, has:-

(i) Signed a fully and correctly completed Competition registration form in ink countersigned by his/her parent or guardian and the appointed Officer of the Club, and who has been registered with the Registration Secretary before 10:00 on Wednesday prior to a Sunday match or before 18:00 four days prior to a midweek evening match and whose completed registration identity card has been received by the Club prior to playing, The registration document must incorporate any known serious medical conditions of the player and emergency contact details of the player’s parents or guardians. These details must be available at matches and training events the player attends within the management of the Club or Competition.

The registration document and identity card must incorporate a serious current passport-size & style photograph of the player seeking registration together with confirmation of the proof of birth document examined by the appointed Officer of the Club. The numbered identity card is valid for the stated season only. It must be retained by the Club at the completion of each season and re-submitted to the Registration Secretary together with updated information and photograph should the player wish to register with the same Club in the subsequent season.

Registration identity cards are the property of the Competition and any replacement required through loss or damage of any kind will be charged to the Club at a cost of £5.00 per card.

A player may sign for a team of a Club and only one such current registration will be permitted.

No player will be eligible for the first match of the playing season unless the registration documents have been received by the Registration Secretary ten days prior to the commencing date of the ensuing season.

If a player’s age is required for registration purposes a Competition must accept an original birth certificate or a photocopy. In cases where the birth certificate is not available a Competition is required to accept a photocopy of the player’s passport or other official document issued by a Government Agency attesting to the player’s date of birth.

The qualification dates for the competition shall be as follows:-

Mini-Soccer

To play in a KO Cup game or a game where points are awarded, or results collected, a player must have achieved the age of eight on or before 31st August.

Under 7 – the player must be under the age of 7 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 8 – the player must be under the age of 8 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 9 – the player must be under the age of 9 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 10 – the player must be under the age of 10 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

In accordance with the foregoing qualifications a player in the above age ranges must not play in a match where any other player is older or younger by 1 year or more.

Youth Football

Under 11 – the player must have attained the age of 10 but must be under the age of 11 by midnight 31st August in the playing season.

Under 12 – the player must be under the age of 12 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 13 – the player must be under the age of 13 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 14 – the player must be under the age of 14 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 15 – the player must be under the age of 15 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 16 – the player must be under the age of 16 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 17 – the player must be under the age of 17 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Under 18 – the player must be under the age of 18 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

In accordance with the foregoing qualifications a player under the age of 15 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season must not play in a match where any other player is older or younger by 2 years or more.

(The above qualification dates are subject to the provisions contained in FA Rule C.4(a).

(C) Not Applicable

(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) Registration forms shall be obtained from the Registration Secretary. A fee of £1.00 per player shall be paid for each player registered

(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 Registration Secretary shall notify the Club last applying to register the player of the fact 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 had wilfully neglected to accurately or fully complete.

(H) (i) The Management Committee shall have power to accept the registration of any player.

(ii) The Management Committee shall have power to refuse, cancel or suspend the registration of any player or may fine any player, except those under the age of 18, 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 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 a player for misconduct on the field of play 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.

(I) 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 and a registration form as required by Rule 8 (B) (i) to the Registration Secretary accompanied by a fee of £5.00. Such transfer having previously been referred by the player 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 Registration 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 Registration Secretary may, on behalf of the Management Committee, transfer the player who shall be deemed eligible to play for the new Club five days 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 last day of February except by special permission of the Management Committee.

(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.

In the event a Club has more than one team in an age group, each team must be clearly designated “A” and “B” etc. In such cases, players will be registered for one team only. A player so registered will be allowed to play for his Club in a younger or older age group within the provisions of Rule 8 (B).

(L) A register containing the names of all players registered for each Club, with the date of registration, shall be kept by the Registration Secretary and shall be open to the inspection by 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 12 (A)) unless the player has played four games for that team in this Competition in the current season.

(N) Not Applicable

(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 £25.00 for each player and/or otherwise dealt with at the discretion of the Management Committee.

(ii) In addition the team may have six 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 in exceptional circumstances may, at its discretion, award any points deducted from a Club under this Rule to the opponents in the match in question, subject to the match not being ordered to be replayed.

(P) (i) Priority must be given at all times to school and school organisations activities.

(ii) The availability of children must be cleared with Head Teachers (except for Sunday Leagues).

(iii) Children under 15 shall not play in a team involving players who are more than 2 years older.

(Note: For players under the age of 18 the provisions contained in Football Association Rules will apply.)

(Q) All eleven-a-side teams must have registered a minimum of eleven players before 20 August. All Mini-Soccer teams must have registered a minimum of seven players before 20 August. Failure to comply will result in a fine of £10.00.