Competition Rules

Competiton Rules -

based on the Standard Code of Rules for Education (the “Standard Code”) determined by the FA and ESFA

Individual Schools and Inter-Area Competitions

This document contains the Standard Code of Rules developed by The Football Association, English Schools’ Football Association and Independent Schools’ Football Association for Schools, Mini Soccer and Youth Football Competitions (the “Standard Code”).

The Standard Code is mandatory for all Schools’, Mini Soccer and Youth Football Competitions at County, Regional and National levels. A Glossary of the terms used within the Standard Code is shown at the end of this document.

School Competitions may add to the core of the Standard Code, which is mandatory, providing the additions are approved by the Sanctioning Authority and do not conflict with the mandatory rules or any relevant principles and policies established by the FA. Guidance from the Sanctioning Authority should be sought in advance if there is any doubt as to the acceptability of additional rules.

 

1. COMPETITION NAME

(A)     The Competitions will be known as the:

i.        Boys Under 13 Inter Area Competition

ii.        Boys Under 13 Schools Cup

iii.        Boys Under 14 Inter Area Competition

iv.        Boys Under 14 Schools Cup

v.        Boys Under 15 Inter Area Competition

vi.        Boys Under 15 Schools Cup

vii.        Boys Under 16 Schools Cup

viii.        Boys Under 19 Schools Cup

ix.        Girls Under 12 County Cup

x.        Girls Under 14 County Cup

xi.        Girls Under 16 County Cup

xii.        Girls Under 19 County Cup

xiii.        Mixed U12 Inclusive Schools League

xiv.        Mixed U16 Inclusive Schools League

xv.        Boys Under 11s Cup

xvi.        Girls Under 11s Cup

xvii.        Mixed Under 11s Cup

or such other name as the Association may adopt

(B)     The maximum number of teams taking part in each competition shall be determined by the CSFA. All entries must be received before the closing date (on or before 30 September in each year), accompanied by the appropriate entry fees. The draw for the competition shall be made before the onset of the forthcoming school year. All matches shall be played on the Cup-Tie (inter school) or Cup or League Principal (inter area) and shall take precedence over all other school matches. The Competition secretary shall fix the dates within which all matches shall be played.

(C)     The geographical area covered by the Competition membership shall be that of Somerset County Schools’ Football Association. The entry to interschool Competitions shall be open to all schools affiliated to the Somerset County Schools’ Football Association, unless otherwise restricted. The entry to Inter Area Competitions shall be open to all district associations within the geographical area of Somerset County Schools’ Football Association, unless otherwise restricted.

(D)     The administration of the Competitions under these Rules will be carried out by the Executive Committee in accordance with the rules, regulations and policies of the ESFA.

(E)     All teams shall adhere to the Rules. Every team shall be deemed to have accepted the Rules and to have agreed to abide by the decisions of the Committee in relation thereto, subject to the provisions of Rule 3.

(G)     The Rules are taken from the Standard Code of Rules for Education (the “Standard Code”) determined by the FA and ESFA from time to time. In the event of any omissions from the Standard Code then the requirements of the Standard Code shall be deemed to apply to the Competition.

(H)     Inclusivity and Non-discrimination

(i)      The Competitions and each team must be committed to promoting inclusivity and to eliminating all forms of discrimination and should abide and adhere to The FA Equality Policy and any legislative requirements (to include those contained in the Equality Act 2010).

(ii)    This Competitions and each team must make every effort to promote equality by treating people fairly and with respect, by recognising that inequalities may exist, by taking steps to address them and by providing access and opportunities for all members of the community, irrespective of age, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, marital status, race, nationality, ethnic origin, colour, religion or belief, ability or disability or otherwise.

(iii)      Any alleged breach of the Equality Act 2010 legislation must be referred to the appropriate Sanctioning Authority for investigation.

(I)       Competitions and each team must comply with the provisions of any initiatives of the FA / ESFA which are adopted by the Association including, but not limited to, the RESPECT programmes.

(J)      All Participants shall abide by The Football Association Regulations for Safeguarding Children as determined by the FA from time to time.

2. CONTROL

(A)  The entire control and management of the Competitions shall be vested in the Executive Committee.

(B)  The rules of the game shall be those of the International Football Association Board, except as otherwise stated.

(C)  All Local and County representative teams must be under the ultimate control of either:

1. A practicing teacher, recognised as such by the Department for Education, OR a recognised teacher who is retired
2. an AOTT who has received direct approval in writing from the appropriate Local, County Schools’ Football Association or ESFA to undertake such responsibilities.

(D)  Approval may be withdrawn, by the ESFA, the Local and/or County Schools’ Football Association, at any time.

(E)  Everyone regularly assisting with or coaching a team must:

1. Have an accepted FA Enhanced DBS check, issued within the previous 3 years
2. Complete the FA Safeguarding Children Course in line with FA policy and renew every 2 years, unless they are a practicing schoolteacher who receives annual safeguarding training through their employment in a recognised educational establishment.

(F)   Any cost associated with this shall be the responsibility of the Local/County Schools’ Football Association.

(G)  Everyone regularly assisting with or coaching a representative team must be named and accepted on the ESFA affiliation portal by ESFA National Welfare Officers before they can be involved in any activity.

(H)  Practicing schoolteachers must be identified as such on the ESFA affiliation portal.

(I)    AOTT (Adults Other Than Teachers) must be identified as such on the ESFA affiliation portal.

(J)   Retired teachers must be identified as such on the ESFA affiliation portal.

(K)  Anybody who has an expired FA DBS and/or expired safeguarding training under (e) above must not be involved in any activity.

(L)   All coaches and helpers/assistants must operate in the presence of a person who is qualified under (c) above.

(M)  Associations must comply with the FA’s/ESFA’s Safeguarding Criteria. Compliance must be in place at the time of affiliation and throughout the season.

(N)  An individual cannot be the named manager/coach for more than two teams within the same Association, although they can be named as assistant manager/assistant coach for more than two teams.

(O)  All District and County Associations who run representative teams must register all team personnel with the ESFA as a requirement of the affiliation. This information must be registered with the ESFA as part of the affiliation process, prior to affiliation being approved.

(P)  All ESFA affiliated Associations running representative football teams must have an FA qualified and ESFA approved Welfare Officer.

(Q)  Association Welfare Officers must comply with the current training requirements of the Football Association.

(R)  Any official or player representing a School or Association in membership with the Welsh Schools’ FA participating in any of the ESFA national competitions who is reported for misconduct, on or off the field of play, shall be referred to the Council of the Welsh Schools’ FA for appropriate action.

 

3. PROTESTS, CLAIMS, COMPLAINTS, APPEALS

(A)       Protests arising from competitions organised for schools by the Somerset County Schools’ Football Association shall be submitted to the Executive Committee in line with the ESFA policy for protests, which shall apply as follows:

(i)                  All protests shall be in writing and shall be received at the Somerset County Schools’ Football Association nominated address within 2 working days of the match concerned.

(ii)               No protest relative to the ground, goalposts, or other appurtenances of the game shall be considered unless a protest in writing was made to the referee before the start of the match.

(iii)            Any protest shall be signed by the Headteacher/Principal as acknowledgment of their approval of its submission.

(iv)            The Executive Committee will gather any evidence they wish to have before making their decision.

(v)               A copy of this decision must be relayed to both teams in writing.

(B)               Should the complainant not be satisfied with the decision of the Association, an appeal shall be submitted to the ESFA in line with the ESFA policy for appeals, which shall apply as follows:

(i)                  Any appeal against the decision of the Somerset County Schools’ FA must be made within 2 working days of the receipt of the ruling that the Somerset County Schools’ Football Association has made.

(ii)               The appeal must arrive at the ESFA headquarters by letter, countersigned by the Headteacher/Principal/Association Secretary and accompanied by a School/College/Association payment for £50. This will be returned if the appeal is upheld.

(iii)            The appeal will be considered by the ESFA’s / Committee and shall be final and binding on all participants.

 

4. TROPHIES & MEDALS

(A)   All Trophies are Challenge Trophies and shall never be won outright and they remain the property of the Somerset County Schools’ Football Association. The holders of the trophies shall be responsible for their safe custody and shall deliver them, engraved for the previous season and cleaned, to the county secretary by the 1st of March of the ensuing season.

(B)   Mementoes

(i)     16 suitably engraved mementoes shall be awarded to each School or Association taking part in the final tie of a Cup Competition.

(ii)      Extra mementoes may be purchased for squad members of the teams concerned.

 

5. ALTERATION TO RULES

These rules may be altered only at a General Meeting of the Association in accordance with the principles laid down by the rule prescribing the Association’s arrangements for an AGM.

 

6. DISSOLUTION

(A)     Dissolution of the Competition shall be by resolution approved at a general meeting in accordance with the constitution of the Association.

(B)     The Committee shall deal with any surplus assets in accordance with the provisions of the constitution of the Competition.

(i)      If any Competition or an individual section of it 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 Authority may decide.

 

7. QUALIFICATION OF PLAYERS

(A)     Players who are under six years of age on 1st September in any playing season shall not be allowed to participate in competitions sanctioned by ESFA. A child who has not attained the age of ten years at midnight between 31 August and 1 September shall not play and shall not be permitted or encouraged to play in a match between sides of more than seven players in that playing season.

The relevant age for each Player is determined by their age as at midnight on 31 August of the relevant Playing Season i.e., children who are aged 6 as at midnight on 31 August in a Playing Season (together with those who attain the age of 6 during the Playing Season) will be classed as Year 2 Players for that Playing Season. Children who are aged 7 as at midnight on 31 August in a Playing Season will be classed as Year 3 Players for that Playing Season, and so on.

The age groups that children are eligible to play in are set out in the table below, along with the permitted football formats for each of those age groups.

A Child in the age ranges Under 7 (Year 2), Under 8 (Year 3),  Under 9 (Year 4), Under 10 (Year 5),  Under 11 (Year 6), Under 12 (Year 7),  Under 13 (Year 8), Under 14 (Year 9),  and Under 15 (Year 10),  must not play, and shall not be permitted or encouraged to play in a match where any other player is older or younger by two years or more than that child with the exception of Under 16 (Year 11) players who may play Under 19 (Year 13) matches.

Note: Individual Competition rules may cater for one year age bands.

 

 

The following apply to Competitions involving Players in full-time education.

(i)             Whilst a player is receiving full-time education in accordance with the Education Acts, priority must be given to school or schools’ organisations activities in accordance with FA regulations.

(ii)          The availability of children must be cleared with their head teacher (except for Sunday league competitions).

(B)  If the Competition and / or CSFA has any doubt over the qualification of a player taking part in any competition, it shall have the power to call upon the player’s Association or School to which he or she belongs to prove that he or she is qualified according to the rules and failing satisfactory proof the offending School or Association shall be disqualified from the competition.

(C)  Mixed-gender matches shall be played in line with current FA regulations. However, in all Competition matches in the U12, U13, U14, U15 and U16 age groups which may involve players of mixed gender then only players from the same chronological academic year group shall take part.

(D)  A player may only play for the School or College he/she is currently attending and on whose roll he/she appears at the time of the game in which he/she is playing.

(E)  A pupil shall not play for more than one School / Association / County in the same competition during any season, except by permission of the Committee, with the exception of Under 16 (Year 11) students who may also play for their school's Under 19 (Year 13) team as well as their Under 16 (Year 11) team provided they have reached the age of 16.

(F)   Pupils under the statutory school leaving age who are not on the roll of a school may apply to the Committee to participate in representative football for the District Association in which they reside.

(G)  Eligibility for Schools’ Football

What is full time education? At least 15 hours per week, on average, for the full academic year.

What is an eligible institution? An institution with a Department for Education number.

What is an eligible player? On a full time, programme in an eligible institution.

(H)  Eligibility for Representative Football

1. Players must be in full time education at a DfE registered institution to be eligible to represent their District, County or Country.
2. A player shall be eligible for selection for the County Schools’ FA in which they attend school.
3. A player shall be eligible for selection for the District Schools’ FA in which they attend school.
4. For those attending a Pupil Referral Unit, eligibility to play for a District or County shall be determined by the location of the school/unit in which they are primarily registered, unless the pupil has been prohibited from playing football as part of the terms of their exclusion, in which case such pupils would not be eligible for selection. PRU-educated pupils able to play for their District/County Association are eligible for national selection.
5. Those who are home educated shall be eligible to play for the District/County in which they reside, unless they are registered with a school for exams, in which case the school’s locality shall define eligibility. Players eligible to play for their County are eligible for national selection.

(I)    Representative Football Eligibility

To play for the County the player must go to school within the defined County Boundary: the same principle shall apply for Districts and Crown Dependency Associate Members as defined by ESFA.

 

(J)   If an ineligible player is fielded within a Somerset County Schools’ football Association Competition, this will result in an automatic 3-0 win for the opponents. However, if this is to the detriment of the 'winning' team in respect of league position, the Committee will consider an appropriate score based on previous matches.

(K)  All questions of eligibility, qualifications of competitors, interpretations of rules and alleged breaches of conduct on and off the pitch, shall be referred to the Committee through the appropriate Competition Secretary.

District teams can only play pupils from schools within their designated Area. For inter-district matches, team managers must have an appropriately completed team list available (with players names & their schools) to give to the opposition's team manager before the game.

8. COLOURS, PLAYERS’ ATTIRE

Where Schools or Associations have similar colours, the home team shall be entitled to retain their colours and the visiting team shall change to colours that provide a satisfactory contrast.

Teams must not wear shirt advertising of a conflicting interest to that of the competition’s sponsor.

Players’ shirts shall be numbered where possible.

Attire worn by players and staff must only reflect their School, College or Association and not make any reference to other football organisations.

Goalkeepers must wear colours which distinguish them from all other Players and the Match Officials.

No Player, including the goalkeeper, shall be permitted to wear black or very dark shirts.

 

9. PLAYING SEASON, CONDITIONS OF PLAY, TIMES OF KICK-OFF, POSTPONEMENTS, SUBSTITUTES

(A)   All Competition Matches shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game as determined by the International Football Association Board or, for Mini-Soccer, and 9v9 football, the Rules as set down by the FA.

Schools must take all reasonable precautions to keep their Grounds in a playable condition. All Competition Matches shall be played on pitches deemed suitable by the Committee. If through any fault of the home Team a Competition Match has to be replayed, the Committee shall have power to order the venue to be changed.

The Committee shall have power to decide whether a pitch and/or facilities are suitable for Competition Matches and to order the team concerned to play its Competition Matches on another ground.

Football Turf Pitches (3G) are allowed in this Competition provided they meet the required performance standards and are listed on the FA’s Register of Football Turf Pitches. All Football Turf Pitches used must be tested (by a FIFA accredited test institute) every three years and the results passed to the FA. The FA will give a decision on the suitability for use and add the pitch to the Register.  Mini soccer can be played on sand-based pitches where necessary.

Arrangement for matches is the primary responsibility of the home school. The home school should contact the opponents and follow the rules laid down by the BCSFA Code of Conduct.

The home team is also responsible for advising Participants of footwear requirements when confirming match arrangements in accordance with Rule 9(C).

All Competition Matches shall have a duration as set out below unless a shorter time is mutually arranged by the two teams in consultation with the referee prior to the commencement of the Competition Match, and in any event shall be of equal halves.

 

 

Competition Matches should be played in accordance with the Laws appropriate to the relevant age group, as laid down by the FA, and notwithstanding the above, Competition Matches organised by Somerset County Schools’ Football Association shall be as detailed below:

 

a. Under 19 - 40 minutes each way

b. Under 16 - 40 minutes each way

c. Under 15 - 35 minutes each way

d. Under 14 - 35 minutes each way

e. Under 12 & 13 -30 minutes each way

 

f. Extra time, when used, shall be up to a maximum of 10 minutes each way, except for U12/U13 which is 7 minutes each way.

g. Should scores remain equal after the conclusion of extra time then the result shall be decided by penalty kicks (taken in accordance with the recommendations of FIFA and published in the Laws of the Game).

Matches for age-groups from U7 to U10 can be played in either quarters or halves. These competitions use halves.

For round robin/trophy events, the maximum duration of play per half cannot be exceeded, but the minimum duration of play per half may be adjusted.

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

The home Team must provide goal nets, corner flags and at least two footballs fit for play and the referee shall make a report to the Competition if any of the items provided are unsuitable.

 

(B)   Except by permission of the Committee all Competition Matches must be played by the closing date set for the playing of a specific set of matches but priority shall be given to ESFA and parent County Schools’ Association Cup Competitions. All other matches must be considered secondary. Teams may mutually agree to bring forward a Competition Match with the consent of the Competition Secretary.

In the case of a revised fixture date, the Teams must be given by the Competition 5 clear days’ notice of the Competition Match (unless otherwise mutually agreed).

(C)   An Officer of the home team must give notice of full particulars of the location of, and access to, the Ground and time of kick-off to the Match Officials and an Officer of the opposing team at least 2 clear days prior to the playing of the Competition Match. If not so provided, the away team shall seek such details and report the circumstances to the Competition.

(D)   The minimum number of Players that will constitute a Team for a Competition Match is as follows:

FORMAT	MINIMUM NUMBER
5v5	4
7v7	5
9v9	6
11v11	7

 

(E)      (i)   In competitions where points are awarded, home and away matches shall be played (unless a single fixture programme has been agreed by the competition organiser and participating teams prior to its commencement).

(ii)        Both schools must inform the Competition Secretary when a match has been postponed giving the reason for the postponement. Postponed or abandoned matches shall be played within 7 days, unless agreed by the Competition Secretary.

(iii)       In the event of a Competition Match not being played or abandoned owing to causes over which neither school has control, it should be played in its entirety on a date to be mutually agreed by the two teams and approved by the Committee. Failing such agreement and notification to the Competition Secretary within 2 days the Committee shall have the power to order the Competition Match to be played on a named date or on or before a given date. Where it is to the advantage of the Competition and the teams involved agree, the Committee shall also be empowered to order the score at the time of an abandonment to stand.

(iv)      The Committee shall review any Competition Match that has taken place where either or both Teams were under a suspension imposed upon them by ESFA or Affiliated Schools’ 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.  Where both Teams were under suspension the Competition Match must be declared null and void and shall not be replayed.

(F)       Difficulties in arranging or playing fixtures which cannot be resolved between the two schools must be referred to the Competition Secretary who will set a time in which the match should be played, or the match shall have the date fixed by the Competition Secretary.

(G)       A maximum of five ‘Repeated’ substitutions are allowed in all competitions up to and including the Under 19 age group. In these age groups, a player who has been substituted during a match becomes a substitute and may, in turn, replace another player at any time subject to the substitution being carried out in accordance with Law 3 of the Laws of the Game.

(i)             9v9 and 11v11 matches: Teams are permitted to use 5 substitutes from five named players.

(ii)          Small-Sided matches: Indoor 5-a-side - 3 named substitutes 7-a-side - 3 named substitutes

(H)     The half time interval shall be specified in each competition and shall be of at least minutes’ duration, not mor than 15 minutes. The half time interval may only be altered with the consent of the referee.

 

10. REPORTING RESULTS

(A)   The Competition Secretary must receive within 48 hours of the date played, the result of each Competition Match in the prescribed manner, from both the home and/ or winning team via telephone or email. Failure to do so may result in disqualification.

 

11. DETERMINING CHAMPIONSHIP

The Competitions outlined in Rule 1(A) i, iii, v, xiii, and xiv are Competitions in which points are awarded. In Competitions where points are awarded, Team rankings within the Competition may be decided by points with three points to be awarded for a win and one point for a drawn Competition Match. The teams gaining the highest number of points in their respective divisions at the end of the Playing Season shall be adjudged the winners of the group (knock out) phase except where a school has not fulfilled all of its fixtures and will not be eligible to qualify for the knockout stages. A fixture decided by the Emergency Committee shall be considered a game played in this context and the school awarded the match shall be credited with a win - i.e. 3 points - and a score of 0-0. However, if this is to the detriment of the 'winning' team in respect of league position, the Committee will consider an appropriate score based on previous matches.

Competition Matches must not be played for double points.

In the event of two or more Teams being equal on points the highest placed team shall be decided as follows:

(i)                           Goal difference; then

(ii)                        Most goals scored; then

(iii)                     Won most matches; then

(iv)                     Result(s) of match(es) between the teams concerned.

The determination of championship in Cup Competitions can be found in Rules 13 – 25.

 

12. MATCH OFFICIALS

(A)     Registered referees (and assistant referees where approved by the FA or County FA) for all Competition Matches shall be appointed in a manner approved by the Committee and by the Sanctioning Authority. (Rule B applies in most inter schools football matches) Registered referees should always be used for Representative matches and in cup finals

(B)    In cases where there are no officially appointed Match Officials in attendance, the teams shall agree upon a referee. An individual thus agreed upon shall, for that Competition Match, have the full powers, status and authority of a registered referee. Individuals under the age of 16 must not participate either as a referee or assistant referee in any open age competition and individuals under the age of 14 must not participate either as a referee or assistant referee in any Competition Match. Referees between the ages of 14 and 16 are only eligible to officiate in competitions where the Players’ age band is at least one year younger than the age of the referee, for example a 15-year-old referee may only officiate in competitions where the age banding is 14 or younger.

(C)    Where assistant referees are not appointed each Team shall provide an assistant referee.

(D)     The appointed referee shall have power to decide as to the fitness of the Ground in all Competition Matches and that decision shall be final, subject to the determination of the Local Authority or the owners of a Ground, which must be accepted.

(E)     Subject to any limits/provisions laid down by the Sanctioning Authority, Match Officials appointed under this Rule shall be paid a match fee in accordance with the Fees Tariff and the match fee will be inclusive of travel expenses unless the Competition Committee deem it necessary to make them extra.

(F)      Match Officials will be paid their fees and/or expenses by the home team before/immediately after the Competition Match, unless otherwise ordered by the Committee.

(G)     In the event of a Competition Match not being played because of circumstances over which the teams have no control, the Match Officials, if present, shall be entitled to full fee only. Where a Competition Match is not played owing to one team being in default, that team shall be ordered to pay the Match Officials, if they attend the Ground, their full fee and expenses.

(H)     A referee not keeping his or her engagement and failing to give a satisfactory explanation as to their non-appearance, may be reported to the Affiliated Association with which he or she is registered.

 

MATCH RELATED RULES SPECIFIC TO CUP COMPETITIONS

13. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to provide Cup Competitions, which shall be open only to schools affiliated to the SCSFA.

14. The Cup Competitions shall be fully managed by the Executive Committee, who may appoint a Competition Organiser to oversee each Cup Competition. These competitions will operate at age groups from U11 to U19 inclusive. Rules 1-13 of the Competition shall fully apply except where stated otherwise in this section.

15. An entrance fee (non-refundable) shall be paid by each competing team on or before 30 September in each year. This fee shall be decided annually at the Annual General Meeting.

16. All ties shall be drawn, and all rounds shall be on a knockout basis, [with the exception of ANY CHAMPIONS LEAGUE-STYLE Cup, which shall commence with a group stage from which teams shall progress to a knockout stage]. The draw shall be circulated to all schools. The school first drawn shall have choice of ground except in the final tie which shall be arranged by the Executive Committee, who shall take all receipts of the match and pay all reasonable expenses.

17. A ‘limit date’ shall be set by the Executive Committee for each round of all Cup Competitions, by which all ties in the round(s) affected shall be played. Schools must ensure that they arrange to fulfil their fixtures in advance of each limit date and shall only be permitted to play Cup ties after the limit date if they request permission to do so by contacting the Competition Organiser in advance of the deadline, setting out the reasons why they cannot play by the limit date.

18. In the event of Cup ties not being played by the limit date, the relevant Competition Organiser shall have discretion to resolve the tie by either:

a. Permitting the tie to be played as soon as practical after the deadline, in accordance with the provisions of Rule 18

b. Where they are satisfied that one school has made all reasonable efforts to ensure the tie was played but those efforts have not been reciprocated by the opposing school, then the school which attempted to play the match shall advance to the next round.

c. Where both schools have made reasonable efforts to play the tie or have been unable to do so for reasons beyond their control, they may toss a coin to determine which school advances.

d. In extreme circumstances, where a tie has been unplayed and neither school can demonstrate they have attempted to arrange the playing of the match, the Competition Organiser may remove both schools from the competition. This course of action shall only be taken where limit dates have been missed by a considerable margin and attempts to communicate with the schools involved have failed.

19. All matches shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game as determined by the International Football Association Board. The duration of matches shall be the same as for Competition matches. If the scores are level after the completion of normal time in all matches including the final then extra time shall be played if conditions are suitable and if scores remain level then the result of the match shall be determined by the taking of penalty kicks in accordance with the conditions prescribed by the International Football Association Board. No replays shall take place.

20. No player shall play for more than one school in the Playing Season unless they have transferred from one school to another, and the new school has applied for and received permission from the Executive Committee for the player to represent their new school in accordance with the provisions of Rule 7.

21. Any Team playing an ineligible player(s) shall be removed from the Competition and the match awarded to their last opponents.

22. In all rounds, except the final tie, the Match Officials fees (where applicable) are to be shared by both teams competing in each match. The home side is responsible for paying all such fees to the Match Officials immediately after the conclusion of the match. In the final ties, matches may not take place unless under the control of a referee appointed by the Executive Committee, or such person and / or body to whom the appointment has been delegated.

23. In the event of two schools in a cup final having the same or similar colours both teams shall change their colours, unless the Competition Organiser agrees to allow one school to retain their usual colours.

24. If the final tie of any Cup competition ends in a draw, the winner shall be determined by the taking of kicks from the penalty mark.

25. At the conclusion of each cup final tie, 16 awards will be presented to the winners and runners up in the Under-13 to Under-19 sections (inclusive) and 14 awards in the Under-12 section. The Executive Committee shall have the power to withhold mementoes in any section, should the number of teams competing be deemed insufficient or for any other causes not provided for in these rules.

 

 

 

 

Please note it is strongly recommended that schools and colleges have a first aid kit at all games!

New Rules 2019/20

1. Substituted player leaving the field of play - The player who is being substituted must now leave at the nearest point (as with injury) unless the referee indicates otherwise e.g. that the player can leave quickly at the halfway line or because of a safety/security issue or because the player is injured (and needs to leave on a stretcher). The substituted player must go straight to the technical area or dressing room to avoid interfering with match officials, substitutes etc. and to avoid problems with spectators. A player who infringes the spirit of the law should be sanctioned by the referee for delaying the restart.

2. Yellow and red cards for team officials -If an offence occurs and the offender cannot be identified, the senior team official who is in the technical area at the time of offence will, as the person responsible for the other team officials, recieve the yellow/red card.

3. Goal kick and defending team free kick in their penalty area -The ball is in play once kicked and does not have to leave the penalty area. Opponents must remain outside the penalty area and at least 9.15m away for free kicks until the ball is in play.

4. Dropped ball -The dropped ball becomes uncontested. The ball will be dropped for the goalkeeper if when the play was stopped, the ball/last touch was in the penalty area. In all other cases, the ball is dropped for one player of the team that last touched the ball. All players (of both teams) must be at least 4m (4.5yds) away until the ball is in play.

5. Dropped ball -If the ball has hit a match official (especially the referee) and a team gains possession, starts a new attack or scores a goal then a dropped ball will be given.

6. The defensive wall -There is no legitimate reason for players from the attacking team to be in the defensive wall. The attacking team must be 1m from the wall. An attacking player encroaching at the free kick will be penalised with an indirect free kick.

7. Coin toss -The captain who wins the toss can now chose the kick off

8. Penalty kicks -The goalkeeper only needs to have one foot on the goal line.

9. Quick free kick -If a team takes a quick free kick and created a goal scoring opportunity, the referee can delay the yellow/red card until next stoppage

10. Releasing the ball -When the goalkeeper clearly kicks or tries to kick the ball with the intention of releasing it into play, if the clearance is unsuccessful they can then handle the ball.

11. Penalty taker -If a team's penalty taker is injured and requires treatment they can stay after treatment and take the kick

Definition of Handball

It is an offence if a player

• - Deliberately touches the ball with their hand/arm, including moving the hand /arm towards the ball
• -Gains posession/control of the ball after it has touched their hand/arm (and then)
• -Scores in the opponents goal
• -Creates a goal scoring opportunity
• -scores in the opponents goal directly from their hand/arm, even if accidental, including the goalkeeper

It is usually an offence if a player

• -Touches the ball with their hand/arm when the hand/arm has made their body unnaturally bigger
• -Hit-the hand/arm is above/beyond their shoulder level (Unless the player deliberately plays the ball which then touches their hand/arm)

Except for the above offences it is not usually an offence

• - Touches a players hand/arm directly from the players own head or body (including the foot)
• -Directly from the head or body (including the foot) of another player who is close
• - If the hand/arm is close to the body and does not make the body unnaturally bigger
• -When a player is falling and the hand/arm is between the body and the ground to support the body but not extended laterally or vertically away from the body

Sin Bin

Heading Guidance

This takes effect immediately. This is NOT a ban on heading.

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