QUALIFICATION OF PLAYERS

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(A) Contract players, as defined in Football Association Rules, are not 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:-
Signed a fully and correctly completed Competition registration form in ink, countersigned by her parent or guardian and by an Officer of the Club, and who has been registered with the Registrations Secretary five days prior to playing and whose completed registration counterfoil 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.

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.
Under 10 – the player must have attained the age of 8 but must be under the age of 10 at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.
Under 11 – the player must have attained the age of 9 but must be under the age of 11 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.
Under 12 – the player must have attained the age of 10 but must be under the age of 12 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

Youth Football.
Under 13 – the player must have attained the age of 11 but must be under the age of 13 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.
Under 14 – the player must have attained the age of 12 but must be under the age of 14 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.
Under 15 – the player must have attained the age of 13 but must be under the age of 15 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.
Under 16 – the player must have attained the age of 14 but must be under the age of 16 as at midnight on 31st August in the playing season.

In accordance with the foregoing qualifications a player under the age of 16 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.

(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 on prepayment of £0.01 per form.

(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 Registrations Secretary shall notify the Club last applying to register the player of the fact of the previous registration.
(G) It shall be deemed misconduct 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 who has been charged and found guilty of registration irregularities. (Subject to Rule 16).

(iii) The Management Committee shall have power to refuse or cancel the registration of any player charged and found guilty of undesirable conduct. (Subject to Rule 16). Undesirable conduct shall mean an incident or repeated conduct, which may deter a participant from being involved in this Competition.

(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.)

(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 to the Registrations Secretary accompanied by a fee of £5.00. 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 from such date or fourteen 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 the 1st March in the current season except by special permission of the Management Committee, which will only be given in exceptional circumstances and subject to Rule 8(M).

(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 players so registered will be allowed to play for her 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 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 are valid for one Season only.

(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)), after the 1st March, unless the player has played in 25% of the 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 and/or otherwise dealt with at the discretion of the Management Committee.

(ii) In addition the team may have 3 points deducted from its total at the discretion of the Management Committee and may be dealt with in any further manner which is thought to be fit.

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


(The following Clause applies to Competitions involving players in full-time secondary education):-

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

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

(iii) Children under 16 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) Each team upon joining the League will receive 20 registration forms.

(R) A team may de-register players during the season, provided it maintains a minimum number required to fulfil fixtures (subject to Rule 8(B)). It is the responsibility of the Club to advise any player whom they have de-registered of their action. A player, once de-registered, may join another club (subject to Rule 8(J)), without the need for a transfer, after a lapse of 14 days.

(S) In the event of a Team withdrawing from the Competition, all of their players will be de-registered automatically, and consequently will be free immediately to register for other Clubs subject to Rule 8(J)).

(T) No player shall play more than one match per day for her Club.

(U) All teams are required to register a minimum of 7 players by the 15th August in the playing season. Any club failing to comply shall be fined £10.00.