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Northern Counties Schools Football Association

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Governance Rules

1. COMPETITION NAME

(A)     The Competition(s) will be known as The Northern Counties Schools FA Competition(s).

 

(B)     The Competition(s) shall be open to, (consist of), teams representing County Schools Football Associations in the North of England approved by the Sanctioning Authority.

 

(C)     The geographical area covered by the Competition membership shall be the SFA areas of the Northern Counties of England that are not affiliated to another Regional SFA.

 

(D)     The administration of the Competition(s) under these Rules will be carried out through the Management Committee of NCSFA in accordance with the rules, regulations and policies of the   ESFA.

 

(E)     All teams shall adhere to the Governance and Competition Rules. Every county SFA shall be deemed to have accepted the Rules and to have agreed to abide by the decisions of the Management Committee in relation thereto, subject to the provisions of Rule 7 (qualification of Players).

 

(F)     SCORY

(i)         The Rules are taken from the Standard Code of Rules for Youth Competitions (SCORY), (the“Standard Code”) which are determined by the FA, ESFA and ISFA 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.

(ii)        This Competition shall be submitted for sanction annually for sanction to the Sanctioning Authority

(G)     Inclusivity and Non-discrimination

(i)              The Competition 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 Competition 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.

(H)     Teams must comply with the provisions of any initiatives of the FA / ESFA which are adopted by The Football Association/ ESFA, including but not limited to the “Respect” programmes.

 

(I)      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 competition(s) shall be vested in the Sanctioning Authority, or such committees that shall be appointed by the Sanctioning Authority.

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

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

(i) A practicing teacher, recognised as such by the Department for Education, and a  current employee of an education service, or

(ii)a retired teacher, or present or past employee of the education service, who has received direct approval in writing from the appropriate local or county Schools’ Football Association to undertake such responsibilities, or

(iii)  a person who has direct approval in writing from the appropriate Local or County Schools’ Football Association and who has:

(a) at least a level 1 FA coaching qualification.

(b) undergone a (CRB) Criminal Records Bureau check – any payment associated with this shall be the responsibility of the local/county Schools’ Football Association.

 

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

(ii) Any other person regularly assisting with, or coaching a team must have an FA  Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check,  and have received  safeguarding training within the previous 3 years (either through an educational establishment or the FA),  and operate in the presence of a person who is qualified under C(i) or C(ii) above. Any cost associated with this shall be the responsibility of the Local/County Schools’ Football Association.

(iii) Associations must, at all times, comply with the FA’s/ESFA’s Safeguarding Criteria. Compliance must be in place at the time of affiliation.

(E)     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.

(F)      All 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.

(G)     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 member Counties by The Northern Counties Schools Football Association shall be submitted to the Management 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 by the NCSFA Secretary 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 County Association Secretary as acknowledgment of their approval of its submission.

(iv)    The NCSFA Secretary 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 NCSFA must be made within 2 working days of the receipt of the ruling that the NCSFA has made.

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

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

4. TROPHIES & MEDALS

A            All Trophies are the property of the Northern Counties Schools FA.

i.         The Trophy pertaining to each section of the Competition shall be presented to the captain of the winning team immediately after the match, or at the match function should that be held after the match.

ii.         The winning County Association shall be responsible for suitable engraving and for the maintenance of the Trophy in good order. Arrangements for display of the Trophy must be agreed by the Management Committee.

(B)   11-a-side Competitions

(i)          Sixteen mementoes shall be awarded to each county taking part in the Final Tie. Additional mementoes may be purchased.

(ii)         The Management Committee shall determine the number of mementoes presented to each School or Association which finishes as the Champion or runner-up in a League competition.

(iii)        Up to six mementoes may be awarded as follows: Referee, two assistant referees, reserve official, and each County Association involved in the Final Tie.

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 General Rule 9.

6. DISSOLUTION

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

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

(i)              If a 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

The relevant age for each Player is determined by his or her 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 aged7 as at midnight on31 August in a Playing Season will be classed as Year 3 Players for that Playing Season, and so on.

The age groups that players 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 Player in the age ranges 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. 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).

(A)                If the Competition and / or Sanctioning Authority 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 County Association 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.

(B)                Mixed-gender matches shall be played in line with current FA regulations. However, in all Competition matches in the 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.

(C)                A player may only play for the County where he/she is currently receiving full-time education and who is on the roll of a school affiliated to the County Association.

(D)               A player shall not play for more than one County in the same competition during any season, except by permission of the Management Committee.

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

(F)                  Eligibility for Schools’ Football, clarification.

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.

(i)     Eligibility for Representative Football

(ii)    Players must be in full time education at a DfE registered institution to be eligible to represent their County or Country.

(iii)   A player shall be eligible for selection for the County Schools’ FA in which they attend school.

(iv)   For those attending a Pupil Referral Unit, eligibility to play for a 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 his/her exclusion, in which case such pupils would not be eligible for selection. PRU-educated pupils able to play for their County Association are eligible for national selection.

(v)    Those who are home educated shall be eligible to play for the 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.

(H)     Representative Football Eligibility

(i)     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.

(ii)    Crown Dependency Associate Members shall, through the Association Secretary, be able to directly nominate players to the international programme but players participating in District competitions, under the auspices of the ESFA’s regulations, shall not be individually eligible to represent any County.

8. COLOURS, PLAYERS’ ATTIRE

(i)     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.

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

(iii)   Players’ shirts shall be numbered where possible.

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

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

(vi)   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) Conditions of Play

(i)     All Competition Matches shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game as determined by the International Football Association Board as set down by the FA.

(ii)    Matches must be played on a private and enclosed ground from the NCSFA Semi Finals onwards. A school ground is acceptable in the earlier rounds if

a.     the pitch and the facilities are of a high enough standard for a national competition

b.     the pitch is fenced or roped from spectators

c.      Spectators are not allowed behind the goals

(iii)   If through any fault of the home Team a Competition Match has to be replayed, the Management Committee shall have power to order the venue to be changed.

(iv)   The Management 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.

(v)    Football Turf Pitches (3G) are allowed in this Competition provided they meet the required performance standards and are listedontheFA’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.

(vi)   The home team is also responsible for advising Participants of footwear requirements when confirming match arrangements in accordance with Rule9(C).

(vii)  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.

(viii)Competition Matches should be played in accordance with the Laws appropriate to the relevant age group, as laid down by the FA, as detailed below.

(i)

 

 

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

(iii)   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) Dates

(i)     Except by permission of the Management Committee all Competition Matches must be played on the dates originally fixed 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 NCSFA Secretary.

(ii)    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).

(iii)   Matches will, if possible, be played on Saturdays, but a match may be played midweek where teams are mutually agreed, or, where, on the application of the home team, the Officers of NCSFA consider it desirable. In the case of emergency, matches must be played on any date ordered by The Officers of NCSFA.

(C) notification and Confirmation

(i) 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 7 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.

(ii)    The “Home” association must offer all visitors a date and venue for games before the end of January, otherwise the fixture may be reversed.

 

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

(E) Fixtures

(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)            Any County unable to fulfil a fixture or where a Competition Match has been postponed for any reason must, without delay, give notice to the NCSFA Secretary, the secretary of the opposing team/school and the Match Officials.

(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 Management Committee. Failing such agreement and notification to the NCSFA Secretary within 7 days the Management Committee shall have the power to order the Competition Match to be played on an a meddateoronorbeforeagivendate.Whereitistotheadvantage of the Competition and the teams involved agree, the Management Committeeshall also be empowered to order the score at the time of an abandonment to stand.

(iv)         In the event of a dispute arising over the dates and or venues proposed for the playing of matches then The Officers may convene an ad hoc subcommittee of 3 to resolve the matter, as outlined in the General Rules section 7, with one member from the East division and one from the West plus one Officer

(v)           The Management Committee shall review any Competition Match that has taken place where either or both Teams were under a suspension imposed upon them by ESFA, ISFA 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) Substitutions

(i)     ‘Repeated’ substitutions are allowed in all competitions up to and including the Under 18 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.

(ii)    11v11 matches: Teams are permitted to use 5 substitutes from five named players.

 

(G)  Half Time interval

(i)     The half time interval shall be of a  5 minutes’duration, but it shall not exceed 15minutes.

(ii)    The half time interval may only be altered with the consent of the referee.

 

(H) The team captain

(i)              The Teams taking part in Youth Football shall identify a Team captain who may/shall wear an armband and shall have a responsibility to offer support in the management of the on-field discipline of his/her teammates.

 

 

 

10. REPORTING RESULTS

(A)      The NCSFA Secretary must receive within 2 days of the date played, the result of each Competition Match in the prescribed manner.

(B)       The home team shall telephone/ text /email/notify the result of each Competition Match to the NCSFA Secretary within 48 hours of the completion of the match.

(C)       All Divisional matches in both East and West shall be completed, and the results communicated to the secretary before the end of February.

 

11. DETERMINING CHAMPIONSHIP

i. Arrangements for deciding the champion county shall be voted upon at the Annual General Meeting prior to the commencement of the season.

ii.         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.

iii.         Competition Matches must not be played for double points.

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

a)     Goal difference.

b)     Most goals scored

c)     Won most matches

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

v.         Should teams share a qualifying position in the group and their playing records are identical then a playoff match may be arranged if time permits, or, if time does not permit, the drawing of lots to determine the team to proceed.

 

vi.         The withdrawal of any team from any NCSFA competition will result in their record and all results being deleted for the season.

 

vii.         In the event of the Final match at any age group involving two teams from the same division, then the Final shall be played in the county which travelled to the other in the normal qualifying league.

 

viii.         In the event of the Final involving teams from different divisions, i.e., one from the East and one from the West, then the drawing of lots at the AGM in the previous season shall decide the county which will have the option of staging the Final.

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 Management Committee and by the Sanctioning Authority. (Rule B applies in most inter schools football matches)

(B) Registered referees should always be used for Representative matches and in cup finals

(C)      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.

(D) 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 of14 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.

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

(F)       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.

(G)     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 travel expenses of [ ] per mile / or inclusive of travel expenses.

(H)     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 Management Committee.

(I)          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 fullfeeplusexpenses/half fee plus expenses/expenses 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.

(J)         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.

13 MATCH RELATED RULES SPECIFIC TO SEMI-FINALS AND FINALS

i.          If the scores are level after the completion of normal time in the semi-final and final ties, then extra time shall be played and if scores remain level, then the result of the match shall be determined by the taking of kicks from the penalty mark in accordance with the conditions prescribed by the International Football Association Board. No replays shall take place.

ii.         If in the opinion of the referee, for circumstances beyond the control of the organisers, scheduled extra time cannot be started or completed a match shall be deemed to have been completed at the end of normal playing time and the result is then to be determined by the taking of penalty kicks.

iii.         If, in the opinion of the referee, the taking of penalty kicks cannot be started or completed the facts shall be reported to the Officers of NCSFA for further advice.

 

 

 

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