The following are extracts from the League Handbook.
This combination of Clubs shall be called the Autotype Upper Thames Valley League and Cup Competitions, and shall hereafter be referred to as the Competition.
These Competitions shall be annual and shall be confined to Clubs whose headquarters or grounds are within the area bounded by a 16-mile radius from the crossroads of the A415 and the A338 at Frilford Heath.
The League shall consist of not more than 56 Clubs in Full Membership, with power to vote at meetings. Each Division shall consist of not more than 14 teams.
All Clubs must affiliate to their appropriate County Association. All Clubs shall forward to the Hon. General Secretary of this Competition before the 25th April each year, the County F.A. form 'W' and appropriate fees. Clubs failing to do so may be fined under scale B. The Competition will then forward to the appropriate County F.A., the form 'W' and fees on behalf of all member clubs.
All member clubs shall forward to the Hon. General Secretary of this Competition before 31st May each year, the appropriate membership fee and Cup entry fees due to this Competition. Clubs failing to do so may be fined under scale B.
Payment shall be made on demand to the Hon. Treasurer.
The closing date for entry in these Competitions shall be May 1st.
New applicants for membership of the League shall be admitted to the A.G.M.
A two-thirds majority of votes cast must be obtained before election can take place.
All new Clubs applying to join these Competitions shall be interviewed by the Council before the A.G.M.
The Council shall have the right to refuse entry of any Club if they deem such a course desirable.
All new clubs shall serve a probationary period of at least one season as an Associated Member before being eligible to become a Full Member.
All new clubs will deposit a sum of £75.00 with the Hon. Treasurer to cover the contingency of withdrawal from the Competitions with outstanding debts.
The Officers of the Competition shall be: President, Life Vice-Presidents, Vice-Presidents, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Hon. General Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Assistant Secretary, Hon. Disciplinary Secretary, Hon. Fixtures Secretary, Hon. Referees Secretary, Hon. Registration Secretary, and Hon. Grounds and Facilities Officer.
The Competition shall be governed by a Council consisting of the Officers listed above, eight league representatives and a Press Officer, as nominated under rule 5. League Representatives may hold Executive Office. All the officers mentioned above shall be invited to stand for election to office, annually. If any member of the Council shall be absent from three consecutive meetings of the Council without good reason, he shall be removed from the Council. Exception to this rule shall be the President and Vice-Presidents.
No less than five members of the Council shall form a quorum at meetings of the Council, which shall have authority to delegate any or all of its powers to sub-committees.Seven days notice of meetings shall be given to the persons concerned.
The Hon. General Secretary may receive an honorarium fee, which shall be agreed annually.
Officers of the Council may claim travelling expenses of up to 15p per mile for attendance of all official functions.
The A.G.M. of these Competitions shall be held no later than June 30th, at a venue to be decided by the Council. Each club will be allowed to send two representatives to the A.G.M., who shall be entitled to one vote each. Any member club failing to send representatives to the A.G.M. will be liable to a fine under scale C.
At the meeting, the following business shall be transacted:
a. The minutes of the last A.G.M. read and confirmed.
b. Adoption of Officers' reports and balance sheets.
c. Election of clubs to fill vacancies, if any.
d. Election of Officers, and Auditors.
e. Any other business.
Nomination of Officers and Council Members shall be made in writing and forwarded to the Hon. General Secretary not later than May 1 st. Only member clubs of this competition and Council members elected at the last A.G.M. shall be allowed to nominate a candidate for election to the Council.
The Officers shall be elected at the A.G.M. by a majority of the Officers, Members of the Council, and Representatives of the Clubs present. Retiring Officers shall be eligible for re-election.
Clubs wishing to propose alterations to these rules shall give written details of the proposals to the Hon. General Secretary not later than May 1st and no alterations shall be made unless supported by at least two thirds of those present and voting at the A.G.M.
The Hon. General Secretary shall inform each club of any proposed alterations at the time of giving notice of the A.G.M.
All entry forms shall be completed and sent to the Hon. General Secretary no later than the 31st May. The Annual Fee, whose amount shall be decided at every A.G.M., shall be sent with the entry form. No form for entry to these Competitions shall be accepted by the Hon. General Secretary without the Annual Fee.
Every club competing in these Competitions shall receive one Rule Book. If a club requests the need for more than one copy, then that club shall pay to the Hon. Treasurer the cost of each copy that the club requests.
The Accounts of these Competitions shall be audited and a balance sheet made out annually. A copy of the balance shall be given to each club at the A.G.M.
The Council shall have powers to consider and accept sponsorship of the Competitions after consultations with the clubs.
The powers of the Council shall extend to all matters arising from the conduct of the Competitions, even if not specifically dealt with in these rules.
It shall be at the Council's discretion to decide what a club shall pay for breaking any rule.
All fines to be paid to the Hon. Disciplinary Secretary within 14 days of the date on the charge sheet issued by Council, unless an appeal has been lodged in accordance with Rule 14. For non-payment after 14 days, the Hon. Disciplinary Secretary shall issue a reminder of the fine together with another fine under scale A. If after 21 days of the date of serving the reminder, a club fails to pay the fines imposed, the club shall be reported to the County Association of which it is affiliated.
The Disciplinary Committee of this Competition shall meet monthly during the season. If a club appears on the Disciplinary Committee monthly agenda and rules have been proven to be broken, then that club for that month, shall pay a cost under scale A.
An additional administration fee under scale A shall be added when clubs fail to pay fines within the stipulated time.
The scale of fines shall be:
A. Maximum £10
B. Maximum £20
C. Maximum £30
D. Maximum £50
E. Maximum £150
This scale shall be subject to annual review.
If a club wishes to appeal against a decision of the Council, after any claim has been transacted under Rule 15, then an appeal must be made in writing and a deposit of £25 must accompany the appeal. Any appeal must be lodged with the respective County F.A. within 14 days from the date on the charge sheet issued by the Hon. Disciplinary Secretary, and also a copy of the appeal to be sent to the competition Hon. General Secretary.
Whenever an appeal is received, the Hon. General Secretary of the Competition will then pass it together with all correspondence and a copy of the decision of the Council, to the Hon. Secretary of the respective County F.A., who shall have the power to order the forfeiture of the deposit if the appeal be deemed frivolous or unreasonable, and may order the appealing club to pay the expenses of the enquiry.
Any complaint or claim must be made in writing and signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the complaining club. It must contain the particulars and the grounds upon which it is founded, and must be lodged with the Secretary of the Competition accompanied by a fee of £5, within three days of the match (Sundays excluded), to which the complaint refers. The fee may be forfeited in the event of the complaint not being sustained. The Council may order any club engaged in a dispute or claim to pay such sum as may be considered necessary towards defraying expenses incurred.
Any protest relating to the ground, goal posts, cross-bars, or appurtenances of the game shall not be entertained by the Council unless an objection has been lodged with the referee before the commencement of the match. The Referee shall require the responsible Club to remove the cause of objection, if this is possible, without unduly delaying the progress of the match.
When an objection has been lodged with the Referee, a complaint must be made to the Council and no objection or complaint shall be withdrawn except by permission of the Council.
If a member of the Council is connected with a club involved in any complaint or claim, he shall not sit on the Council while the matter is being considered. In cases where voting is equal the Chairman shall have a casting vote.
If the Council is dissatisfied with the manner in which a Member Club is conducting its affairs, it shall have powers to call Officers of that club before the Council, to seek explanations and to give necessary guidance. Any club failing to comply with a directive to attend shall be fined under scale A.
The Council, before the start of the season, shall supply a form, of which all member clubs shall complete. This form shall give all information the Council requires about a club. If after submitting this form to the Council, a Club wishing to alter any of that information given on that form, must obtain the Council's permission.
Every club will be held responsible for ensuring that all Rules are complied with. For a breach of this Rule, a Club shall be fined under scale Q and ordered to pay any extra cost incurred by the Council. If, after a Club has been called upon to explain the manner in which its affairs are being run, the Council is still dissatisfied or if, in the Council's opinion subsequent events make such a course desirable, the Council, which shall not delegate this power, may suspend the Club from all Competitions, and may recommend the A.G.M. to expel the Club from the League, and to refuse any application to enter this Competition. A suspended Club may also be dealt with as if it has withdrawn under Rule 25 and the team records dealt with accordingly.
When directed, all correspondence from Officers of the competition must be answered and acknowledged by Clubs within 10 days of the date of the letter. Clubs failing to do so may be fined under scale B.
A Club suspended by the Association to which it is affiliated, and so unable to fulfil a fixture or fixtures, in these Competitions, shall be liable to pay any expenses incurred by the Competitions as a result and shall be fined under scale D.
Also the suspended club shall be liable to pay any expenses incurred by the non-offending club where a game cannot be fulfilled.
A club shall be responsible for the Field of Play and appurtenances and for ensuring that the dimensions of the Field of Play conform to Law One of the Football Association Handbook. The goals shall be 8 yards wide by 8 feet high and the use of goal nets is compulsory.
All clubs should have adequate accommodation for visiting teams and referees to change for the match. Also adequate parking should be available so as not to compromise public safety.
Every team shall wear its club colours when playing in these Competitions, except that if the clubs meeting have similar colours, then the home team shall wear alternative colours. This to be decided by the match official if necessary.
The shirts worn by all outfield players shall have on the back and above the waist a distinctive number from 2 to 13 or 14 not less than 7 inches from top to bottom.
A maximum of Five substitutes may be named to the Referee before the kick-off, and any Three shall be allowed, in accordance with F.A. Rules. Substitutes not named may not take part.
A written list of all substitutes must be handed to the referee before kick-off. Failure to do this will result in clubs being fined under scale A.
All Referees shall be appointed from the official list of Referees. The name of the official(s) appointed shall be sent to the clubs at least three days prior to the date of the match whenever possible.
The Referees shall have power to decide as to the fitness of the ground in all matches and in other respects the duties of the Referee and Assistant Referees shall be as defined by the Laws of the Game.
If a Referee decides a club is in breach of any league rules regarding facilities, ground condition, or a late kick-off and decides to report the club, he MUST inform an official of that club before leaving the ground, and to note the official's name to put in his report.
In the event of the appointed Referee not having arrived 20 minutes before the time of kick-off, clubs MUST agree to a substitute so that the match can be played. The substitute Referee is entitled to the match fee as paragraph 6, no matter if he is supplied by the home or away club. Clubs failing to comply without reasons acceptable to the Council shall be fined under scale D.
In the event of the late arrival of the appointed Referee, the substitute Referee shall take charge until the arrival of the former, provided this takes place before the commencement of the second half of the game. A Referee who is late in arriving shall continue and not restart the game if and when he takes over. In such cases, the appointed Referee is entitled to the fee and expenses. Referees and Assistant Referees, when appointed by the Competition, shall be paid fees and expenses BEFORE the commencement of the match. Clubs failing to comply without reasons acceptable to the Council shall be fined under scale C.
In semi-finals these fees will be equally shared between both clubs.
The Referee's fee shall be £25.00 for all matches except Cup Finals, when a suitable memento shall be awarded. This fee to be split between both clubs 50/50. The home club will pay the referee and collect the away teams contribution to the fee. The fee for Assistant Referees when appointed by the Competition shall be £15.00 except in Finals, when a suitable memento shall be awarded.
If a Referee travels to a match which cannot be commenced because of circumstances over which neither club has control, he shall be entitled to half the usual fee, to be paid by the Home Club. The fee for games where 3 officials are appointed then the league will pay 50% of the fee and the two clubs 25% each.
All appointed Referees shall complete an official Referee Match Card for all matches played within this competition. This card shall only give information concerning the Rules of this Competition. The Referee shall then forward the card to the Hon. Referees Secretary within five days of the match.
Any Referee not fulfilling an appointment without reasonable explanation shall not be given any more appointments by the Competitions and shall be reported to the Association with which he is registered.
Each club shall provide an Assistant Referee for its matches except when they are appointed by the Competitions. Clubs failing to do so may be fined under scale B.
Except with the permission of the Council, a club in membership of this League shall not seek to enter a team in any competition other than these Competitions and the Cup Competition of the Association to which the club is affiliated.
All matches shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game, and in accordance with the Regulations and By-Laws of the Football Association as far as they apply.
The duration of the season shall be governed by Rule 22 of the Football Association Handbook.
League fixtures shall be arranged by the Council, which shall also determine time of kick-off. Any team failing to commence the match at the specified time shall be fined under scale C, except under exceptional circumstances. Any team failing to commence any match within 15 minutes of the appointed kick-off time, shall be considered as non-fulfilling that fixture, and dealt with according to Rule 25, except under exceptional circumstances.
An interval of 5 minutes shall be taken at half-time as defined in law 7 of the Laws of Association Football.
The Home Club shall contact the Away Club and Referee, 48 hours before the fixture, confirming ground location and club colours. If the Home Club are unable to make contact with the Away Club and/or Referee, then the Home Club should inform a member of the Council.
The Council shall decide the ground to be used for a match replayed as a consequence of a breach of rules.
Should the fitness of the ground be in doubt, the Secretary or delegated officer of the Home club may seek the advice and opinion of any member of the Council or Registered Referee not connected with the club as listed in any current official handbook, who may authorise postponement of the match if the conditions of the ground warrant a postponement.
A member of the Council or Registered Referee called in by a club shall be entitled to travelling expenses as laid down for Referee's match expenses entitlement, this expense to be met by the Home club, except in the case of a game on a neutral ground when the Competition shall meet the expense.
If a postponement is so authorised, the Home club shall: (1) inform the Secretary of the visiting club and the appointed Referee and Assistant Referees (if applicable); (2) notify the Fixtures Secretary in writing within five days (Sundays excluded) of any postponement on the official postponement form supplied by the Council; (3) notify the Council's Honorary Press Officer of the postponement as if it was a result.
When a match is so postponed and at least three hours notice is given to the Secretary of the Visiting Club and to the Referee, the Home Club shall not be liable to a penalty nor to pay expenses.
When a match is so postponed and less than three hours notice, before the time of kick-off is given to the Secretary of the Visiting Club and/or the Referee, the Home Club may be ordered to pay expenses approved by the Council, shall be adjudged to have been guilty of misconduct and shall be fined, but a fine may be waived if the Council is satisfied that a Council Member or Registered Referee called in to inspect the pitch was unable to give a decision allowing at least three hours notice to be given and that after an authorised postponement as per the above paragraphs the Home Club took reasonable steps to prevent the appointed Referee and Opponents from travelling.
If a club fails to seek advice from a Member of the Council, or a Registered Referee, in accordance with the rule above, and the match is subsequently postponed by the Referee in charge of the fixture because of ground conditions, then the Home Club may also be adjudged to have been guilty of misconduct and may also be ordered to pay expenses approved by the Council.
Except where a match has been postponed on the authority of a Member of the Council or a Registered Referee as provided above, a club shall not postpone a match. A club doing so shall be adjudged to have been guilty of misconduct and shall be fined under scale E.
The opposing club shall be awarded the points if a league fixture is concerned, or the tie if the fixture is in a Cup Competition, and also any sum which the Council may order to be paid for actual out of pocket expenses not including the loss of gate.
In instances where a groundsman of a local authority or of a school has absolute authority over the use of the ground, his decision will be accepted as if it were made by a Council Member or a Registered Referee, but all other requirements concerning postponements must be complied with accordance with this rule.
Insufficient registered players, illness, lack of transport or injuries to players will not be accepted as satisfactory reasons for requesting postponements of matches. Any club with more than one side in these Competitions shall always fulfil its fixtures in the following order of precedence: 1st team, Reserves, and in descending order of seniority. Clubs in breach of this requirement shall be fined, and may be ordered to replay the match or matches under such conditions as the Council may direct.
Once a fixture has appeared on the fixture list, it will only be postponed for reasons of bad weather as mentioned elsewhere in this rule. Clubs wishing to have a "free Sunday" must let the Fixtures Secretary know, in writing, at least FOUR weeks in advance. Any club failing to fulfil such a fixture shall be fined under scale E.
All cases where a match is abandoned owing to circumstances over which neither club has control and cases where a club requests postponement of a match owing to circumstances over which that club has no control, shall be dealt with by the Council, or, in cases of urgency, by an executive Committee of not less than three officers, who shall have power to act.
In all cases where the Council or a Committee appointed by the Council is satisfied that a game has been abandoned owing to the conduct of one team or its club member or members, it shall be empowered to award the points from a League game or the tie in a Cup game to its opponents and or to take what other action it deems necessary.
In cases where a game is abandoned owing to the conduct of members of both teams or their club members, the Council or Committee shall take such action as it considers appropriate.
In cases where the result of a game is apparent and the game is abandoned through no fault of, the side in the lead, the Council may award the match as the score stands.
Each club shall hand to the opposing club an official match card stating the surname and initials of any player competing in the match. Where a club has players signed on with the same surname and initial, the player's first name AND surname must be on the match card. This card shall THEN BE COMPLETED FULLY BY THE OPPOSING CLUB and signed by a responsible officer of THAT Club, and forwarded to the Hon. Registration Secretary, to reach him no later than 5 days after the match. These match cards must be exchanged immediately after the game has been completed.
In all matches, clubs shall also ascertain the name of the Referee officiating, record the name on the match card, and indicate the club's marking of the Referee from 1 to 10 in accordance with the Berks and Bucks F.A. instructions. Any club failing to comply with either of these instructions shall be fined under scale B. Clubs marking a Referee with 3 marks or less shall, within 7 days of submitting the card, send to the Hon. Referees Secretary a written explanation for the mark given: a club failing to comply shall be fined under scale B.
Besides submitting this match card, clubs shall also telephone the result of all home matches to the Hon. Press Officer. Also the result of any matches outside this Competition of which they have participated in, whether Home or Away. This telephone result shall be given before 5.00 p.m. on the day of the match, unless it is an evening match, then the result shall be telephoned in before 9.30 p.m. Clubs failing to comply shall be fined under scale B.
Any club failing to send any result on an official match card to the Hon. Registration Secretary within 4 days shall be fined under scale B.
The date of postmark shall be sole proof of despatch of such cards.
In the event of a team withdrawing from the League, all points obtained by or recorded against such defaulting team shall be expunged from the league table. Any club withdrawing shall be fined under scale E.
Applications for withdrawal shall be made in writing to the Hon. General Secretary before April 1st.
Before being eligible to play in this Competition, every player shall have completed the registration form, which shall be supplied by the Council. This form with photographs attached, along with the registration fee of £3.00 a player, and a stamped addressed envelope, shall be sent to the Hon.Registration Secretary; failure to do so shall be finable under scale A
For this Competition any registration form received 48 hours prior to kick-off will deem to comply, if it is in order in other respects.
Each club shall be responsible for retaining their players registration documents, which may be inspected by the opposition. Referee or council members at any time before during or after the game .For any player who does not have a players registration document, if challenged then they should sign an exemption form as provided by the Council. Any club failing to produce all players registration documents, when requested without reasonable explanation, is liable to a fine under scale C.
A player signing a Registration Form for more than one club for these Competitions in any one season shall be guilty of misconduct, and may be debarred from participation in any match in these Competitions for the rest of that season
Any player who has signed a contract with a club shall NOT be eligible to play in these Competitions.
Any club who allows a player who has not been registered with this Competition, or allows a player whilst under suspension, to play in any match within these Competitions, shall be fined under scale E. The points for any such match shall be awarded to the non-offending club. If a match is a Cup Tie, then the Cup Tie shall be awarded to the non-offending club.
In the event of a club having its first team in a league other than this Competition, then any player of such a club who, in any one season has played more than FIVE games for the team of that club, which plays in a such other league, shall be classified a "restricted player" and no club shall play more than ONE restricted player in the reserve team during the remainder of that particular season in any one match.
If a club has a first team and a reserve team playing in this Competition and a player has played more than 5 matches before 1 st December for the first team (the team playing in a higher division than the other), then that player becomes a "restricted player" and a club cannot play more than 3 such "restricted players" in that club's reserve team, at any one time, except by permission of the Council. Any club who is found guilty of breaking the rule will be fined under scale B, and the points for any such match or cup-tie shall be awarded to the non-offending club.
No player shall be allowed to register with this league after the last day of February. No player can register for the League's Cup Competitions after the last day of January.
The Council has the right to refuse to accept the registration of a player who has previously been guilty of serious misconduct within this Competition.
All transfers shall comply with the Football Association Rules.
Applications for transfers shall be made on the forms provided by the Council, and shall be accompanied by a transfer fee of £3.00, and a stamped addressed envelope; failure to do so shall be finable under scale A. If the club for which a player is registered offers an objection to his transfer, the application can be sent to the Hon. General Secretary of the Competition and the matter considered by the Council at its next meeting.
Any player whose transfer is refused shall be entitled to state his case to the Council. A player who has taken part in matches for any club in this Competition shall not be allowed to join, sign for or be transferred to another club without first proving to the Council that he has discharged his reasonable financial liabilities to his previous club, and club officials shall not accept his signature without first ascertaining whether such claims have been discharged to the satisfaction of the club he last played for.
A player who is transferring and has played in the Devenney Cup, Ridgeway Cup, or Alan Alder Invitation Cup for the club which he is transferring from, shall not play in that Competition for the rest of the season.
No League transfer shall be permitted after the last day of February. No Cup transfer shall be permitted after the last day of January.
1. The method of scoring shall be as follows: three points for a win and one for a draw. The Championship of each Division shall belong to that club which has gained the greatest number of points at the end of the season. In the event of two or more clubs having an equal number of points for first place they shall play off for the Championship on a neutral ground, the Council making all arrangements.
2. The three leading clubs in division two plus the leading two clubs in divisions 3A and 3B shall be promoted to a higher division, unless prevented because paragraph 4 of this Rule is applicable.
3. The three lowest clubs in division one plus the lowest four clubs in division two shall be liable for relegation to a lower division, unless for any other reason relegation shall not take place.
4. No club shall have more than one team in any division.
5. Except for that provided for in paragraph 1 above, final placing in the League and issues of promotion and relegation shall be decided, when teams finish the season with equal numbers of points, on the basis of goal difference. Goals against shall be deducted from goals for and the team or teams with the highest positive or lowest negative goal difference shall be given precedence in the League positions. Where goal difference is equal, the team scoring the most goals will be judged to finish higher. If teams are still equal and promote/relegation depends upon positions, then the Council shall make arrangements for play-off match (es).
The winners of each division shall receive the appropriate award for that division. Runners-up shall receive a suitably inscribed memento.
a. The Officers of the Competitions: shall for all intents and purposes, be responsible for the management of this competition.
b. Only clubs: who are members of the Competition shall compete in this Competition.
c. The Rules: of the Competition shall apply.
d. The Draw: The pairing of all rounds shall be decided by a draw. The first club so drawn shall have the choice of ground. Should a result not be forthcoming after 90 minutes, extra-time will be played of 15 minutes each half. Should the result be inconclusive after extra-time, the replay will take place at the ground of the second team drawn choice with extra-time of 15 minutes each half being played in the event of scores being equal after 90 minutes. If after this, the scores are still level, then kicks from the penalty mark shall take place as set down under the Football Association rule, "Taking of kicks from the penalty mark".
The semi-finals and final shall be played on neutral grounds to be decided by the Council with extra-time of 15 minutes each half being played where necessary. If after extra-time has been played and the result is still inconclusive, then kicks from the penalty mark shall take place as adopted by The International Football Association Board, "Taking of kicks from the penalty mark".
e. Medals
The Committee shall decide upon the awards to the two teams and their substitutes competing in the final.
f. Qualification of Players
a. The Officers of the Competitions: shall for all intents and purposes, be responsible for the management of this competition.
b. Only clubs: who are members of the Competition shall compete in this competition.
c. The Rules: of the Competition shall apply.
d. Eligibility: for the Ridgeway Challenge Cup shall be extended to all clubs having teams outside the first division of the Competition. In the event of a club having both first and reserve teams outside the first division, then entry shall be open to that club's Reserve team only.
e. The Draw :Rule 33, section d of the Devenney Cup shall apply.
The Committee shall decide upon the awards to the two teams and their substitutes competing in the final.
g. Qualification of Players
Every player shall sign the form supplied by the Council. No player shall register for more than one club per season. No player shall register for any club after January 31 st of that particular season. Except by permission of the Council, no player may compete in the semi-finals or final unless he has played for the club concerned in three matches under the jurisdiction of the Competition prior to the last day of February in the current season. Changes as in rule 33F above to apply to the Ridgeway Cup.
All other rules of the Devenney Cup (Rule 33) shall appl.
The Council may each season invite two teams to compete for this trophy. All other rules as far as they concern shall apply.
The Officers of the Competitions shall for all intents and purposes be the legal owners of the Competitions' Trophies, which cannot be won outright. The Trophies shall be insured by the Competitions, but the club winning a trophy shall pay the Competition the cost of the premium. This shall be payable on demand to the Hon. Treasurer.
Every club winning a trophy in these Competitions, shall on receiving that trophy sign a Bond. This Bond shall read as follows:
"We…….. (Chairman) and……………….(Secretary) being officers of the..……… (Name of Club) Football Club do take the ……..(Name of Trophy)and where the said trophy will be kept on behalf of the said Club, and individually and collectively engage to return the trophy to the Secretary or his nominee on or before the 1 st March next, clean and in good order and condition, and uninscribed. The Competition shall then take responsibility for inscribing the name of the above said club on the trophy. We, the Officers of the above said club, will then undertake to pay the Treasurer of the Competition, at his demand, the cost of the inscribing, and the annual insurance premium."
Any club failing to adhere to the Bond shall be fined under scale C.
Rule 1: Only clubs who are members of the Competition shall be invited to compete in this competition.
Rule 2: The Council of the Competition shall decide whether this Tournament shall be annual.
Rule 3: A list of 8 nominated players shall be handed to the Secretary of the Competition, at least 10 minutes prior to a team's first game.
Rule 4: A player must be a bona-fide member of his club, and must have signed Registration Forms for that club, to be able to compete for that club.
Rule 5: The first team named in each game shall be responsible for providing a match ball.
Rule 6: The Council shall decide annually whether this tournament shall be played with 5-a-Side or 6-a-Side.
Rule 7: A maximum of two substitutes (from the list of 8 nominated players) may be named to the Referee before the kick-off of each game, but only one substitute shall be allowed during a game.
Rule 8: Trophies shall be awarded to the winners and runners-up of the Competition.
Rule 9: All games shall be won by the team scoring the most goals, but in the event of the number of goals being equal, the side with most corners to their credit in the game shall be declared winners.
Rule 10: The Council shall decide how many minutes each half shall consist of, but each half shall be of equal duration. The Council shall notify each club of its decision on this Rule before the start of the tournament.
Rule 11: Any player sent from the Field of Play shall take no further part in the Competition. However, a side may in subsequent rounds use a player nominated for that side before the start of the tournament, to make up the side.
Rule 12: Qualified Referees shall be appointed for all matches and their decisions on all points of play shall be final.
Rule 13: Any disputed point (other than points of play) shall be decided by the Appeals Committee, whose decision shall be final. Any appeal must be lodged within 10 minutes of the conclusion of the game in question, along with a deposit of £5.00.
Rule 14: In the event of opposing teams having the same colours the first named team shall change.
Rule 15: In any point not covered by these Rules, the decision of the Appeals Committee shall be final.
Rule 16: There will be no offside.
1. This Cup Competition will take place annually if fixture backlog from all other competitions is not delayed and will involve only those clubs who have played sufficient fixtures to warrant an invitation.
2. A sub-committee shall meet to decide on clubs to be invited and invitations to those clubs will be sent out after the first Sunday in January.
3 The minimum number of entrants to be invited in any one season will be four sides and the maximum number of entrants will be sixteen sides. Entry fee to be decided annually.
4. If more than 4 clubs are invited, then the first round of the competition will be played on a group basis and the draw for these groups will be presented to full committee for approval, involving only those clubs who have accepted their invitation in writing and have paid the entry fee.
5. Semi-finals and a Final will take place after group games, all venues to be decided by the Council. Semi-finals and Final to be decided by taking of kicks from the penalty mark, if extra-time produces no outcome.
6. Specific invitations will be sent to a first or reserve team where a club has both playing in these competitions and Qualification of Players (Rule 33F) shall apply.
7. Teams may be seeded in groups at the discretion of the sub-committee.
8. All other rules of the Devenney Cup (Rule 33) shall apply.