Strathclyde Saturday Morning Football League

1) The Football League will be known as the Strathclyde Saturday Morning Football League and be affiliated to an Amateur Football League affiliated to The Scottish Amateur Football Association (SAFA).

2) The League Executive Committee shall consist of President, League Secretary, Membership Secretary, Match Secretary, Referee Co-ordinator, Treasurer, Disciplinary Chairman, Registration Secretary, Minute Secretary, Divisional Representatives and Appointed Life Members. Any additional posts may be created when required to assist in matters relevant to the running of the League.

3) The League Executive Committee will be elected by the secretaries/representatives of the member clubs at the AGM. The AGM will be held not later than the 31st May. Voting at AGM or any Special General Meeting will be restricted to one vote per member club. The League President, or deputy, will have the casting vote.

4) Any proposed change to the Constitution must be submitted in writing to the Secretary no later than seven days before the AGM. Any amendment to the constitution will become immediately effective, unless otherwise stipulated.

5) League, Executive or Disciplinary Meetings will be held monthly, normally the second Monday unless stipulated otherwise at Hampden Park. The Executive Committee may at any time call a Special General Meeting. Any Club Secretary may call a Special General Meeting provided they obtain the support of one third of the member clubs.

6) The Quorum of the monthly League meetings and the AGM will be five with a quorum of three for Executive or Disciplinary Meetings. Clubs failing to provide a representative at League meetings will be subject to a £10 fine. Any club who fails to be present at least fifty per cent of the meetings will be liable to action as decided by the Executive Committee.

7) Club Officials, players or members who are given notice to attend any Meeting with the Executive Committee and fail to do so without prior notification and good cause, will be levied with a £10 fine. Cases will be dealt with in their absence.

8) The League Executive Committee has the power to investigate and deal with as they see fit any player, club official or club for any misconduct reported or breach of the League Constitution.

9) The Club (and Secretary) are responsible for compliance with the League Constitution and the actions of all players, substitutes and spectators at any fixture. Clubs may not permit alcohol within dressing rooms or at the side of the park.

10) All Club Officials must register their full details with the League Secretary in accordance with the SAFA Constitution and must immediately advise the League Secretary of any changes in address, contact details of officials, home park or strip colours. The League reserves the right to refuse the Registration of a Club Official or player on grounds of their disciplinary record (with this or any other League) or any other reasons stated in writing.

11) Committee Members will retire from Executive or Disciplinary Meetings where a case that directly involves their Club, Officials or Players is being decided upon.

12) Appeals against any decision made by the League Executive or Disciplinary Committee can be made to the SAFA Secretary, Hampden Park, Glasgow, G42 9DB. Appeals must be lodged in accordance with Rule 34(a) of the SAFA Constitution, be in writing with a copy sent to the League Secretary, both to be sent by registered or recorded delivery within seven days of receiving notification of decision in question. A deposit of £50 must be sent with appeal letter to SAFA, which may be forfeited if the SAFA so decide.

Membership & Finance

13) Subscriptions for season 2010/11 will be £310 with £110 deposit payable on re-application at the AGM and a further £100 due by 15th August with the final £100 due at the first meeting of 2011. New clubs, gaining admission, will pay a good behaviour bond of £120 this redeemable at the season’s end for good conduct. Clubs will be offered an alternative method of payment to the Treasurer of £70 deposit, payable upon re-application at the AGM with a six Direct Debit payments made on the penultimate day of each month August through to January. New clubs may have the alternative payment method, in the terms of this rule, applied should they so choose.

14) All clubs wishing to re-apply for a new season must do so by the closing date set by the League Secretary and pay a £110 deposit. Any club failing to reapply by the stipulated date will be deemed to have resigned and may be placed in a lower division at the discretion of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will have the final decision on rights of admission, re-admission, subject to possible appeals to the SAFA. Any refusals will be notified in writing.

15) Any club resigning from the League must do so in writing to the League Secretary and notify their next opponents in a reasonable timescale. Where a club has failed to play two thirds of their League fixtures all their results will be declared null and void.

16) Any club that fails to pay outstanding fines or penalties imposed within 31 days of receiving notification will be subject to an additional £5 fine. Clubs failing to pay within a further 28 days of receiving notification will be debt suspended. Debt Suspension will result in any scheduled fixtures being awarded to the suspended Club’s opponents until 7 days after the debt is met and the suspension is lifted.

Competitions & Fixtures

17) Matches will normally be played on Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. and the season will run from the third Saturday in August until the day prior to the SAFA AGM (normally June). Any matches out with this period can only be played at the permission of the SAFA. Cup finals will be played on a Friday evening.

18) All matches must be played on grass or approved synthetic pitches.

19) Matches that commence later than 10 minutes after the scheduled kick off time will be deemed a late kick off and the offending team shall be liable to a fine of £10. The non-offending team is entitled to put in a claim for the points where a game has not kicked off 30 minutes or after, beyond the scheduled kick off time. In these circumstances the match should not go ahead and a claim for the points is forfeited if the non-offending team agrees to kick off the match.

20) All games will be played according to the ‘Laws of the Game’ as adopted by the Scottish Football Association.

21) For all fixtures (including friendlies) Clubs must use the official team lines of the League or a format that provides the same information required on the official team lines. They must contain the full names, addresses and postcodes of all players taking part in the fixture and the numbers worn by each player. In addition, trialists must state their date of birth. The team lines must be signed by the Club Official responsible on the day. Missing or incorrect information on Teamlines will incur a fine of £10 per Teamsheet.

22) The League Secretary must be notified of all friendlies against Clubs from outwith the League in order that SAFA permission can be obtained. The Match Secretary’s approval must be given for friendly matches played by teams against each other within SSMFL.

23) Where there is a similarity in colours, the home team will change unless mutually agreed otherwise. All teams must provide facilities that are of a reasonable standard, goal nets and corner flags. Strips numbered on the back (minimum 8 inches high) are mandatory. Each Club must provide a minimum of two FIFA approved match ball at each fixture. The home team are responsible for handing these to the referee before kick-off.

24) Club Protests relating to a specific fixture must be lodged in writing to the League Secretary accompanied by a £25 deposit, which may be forfeited if the protest is found to be trivial or groundless by the Executive Committee. The protest must be addressed to the League Secretary, with a copy sent to the Secretary of the other Club concerned. Both to be sent by registered or recorded delivery bearing a postmark no later than two days after the match to which the protest relates (excluding Sunday). Where a club is seeking recovery of costs from the League they must be claimed in writing (e-mail or letter) to the Treasurer within seven days of the fixture.

25) Referees will be registered with an appropriate Referee Association, and appointed by the Referee Co-ordinator on behalf of the League. Should the official referee fail to turn up, a deputy can be appointed on mutual agreement by both clubs and the signature of both Club Officials - indicating this agreement - on the reverse of the team lines - as confirmation.

26) The referee’s fee will be £40 and is paid by the away team prior to kick off (except Cup Semi Finals and Finals). If the pitch is deemed unplayable both teams should contribute equal amounts to pay half the referees fee. The referee shall receive full fee if the match is abandoned or the referee is not advised of a postponement. In the case of non-fulfilment of a fixture, the non-defaulting club will pay the referees full fee which will then be recovered from the defaulting club.

27) Costs for League matches, and Cup matches prior to semi final stage, will be as follows: home team pays costs of the playing facilities, away team pays the referee. The costs of the playing facilities for semi-final stages of the cup competitions will be met by the League with the cost of match officials shared by the teams participating. All costs for cup finals will be met by the League.

28) All clubs will obtain their League Fixtures and allocated referee from the Match Secretary and must be played on the dates stipulated, unless superseded by a Cup-tie. All unregistered players are ‘trialists’ of which three may be permitted per club in any one game. Any trialist must be registered with the Registration Secretary after playing three games, should the club wish to further utilise the trialist.

29) Any club wishing to be excused from playing on a particular date must apply to the Match Secretary giving a minimum of ten days notice. Each case will be judged on merit. Any club competing in the Scottish Amateur Cup or District Cup will be excused from playing League fixtures scheduled for the same date as the cup-tie.

30) The home team must contact the referee and the away team’s Secretary (or Nominated Reserve) by phone or email no later than Tuesday prior to a Saturday fixture and tell them the venue, playing surface and team colours. If a message has been left by the home Secretary, the away team must phone or e-mail back and confirm the details. Failure to do so will result in a £10 fine.

31) Where a Club fails to fulfil a fixture the League Executive Committee will award the points or tie in favour of their opponents (but with no goals awarded). In addition costs may be awarded and further punishment the Committee deems appropriate imposed on the Club including a fine and a deduction of point(s) unless there are exceptional circumstances. Failure to fulfil three League fixtures during a Season will result in a Club being called to an Executive Meeting which may impose further punishment the Committee deems appropriate.

32) All results must be notified to the Match Secretary no later than two hours after the match by the home club. Abandoned and postponed matches must also be notified by the home club. Failure to do so will result in a fine of £10.

33) The League will be made up of three Divisions (Premier, One & Two) of 14-14-14 with a minimum of two Clubs promoted from Division One and from Division Two. A maximum of two Clubs will be relegated from the Premier Division and Division One. In the event of Clubs in the higher Divisions not taking part the following Season, the League Executive Committee may promote additional Clubs or retain relegated team(s).

34) On completion of all League fixtures, Clubs will be separated by: (a) Points total then (b) the aggregate score over the two League games between the two Clubs. Where the Clubs head-to-head aggregate scores are split, the Championship promotion or relegation will be decided by a play-off game between the two Clubs.

35) All participating clubs will be drawn in the first competition of the season - The League Cup. Matches, in the knockout stages, will be played to a finish i.e. 90 minutes and then penalties. Semi-Finals and Final will be played at a neutral venue.

36) All participating clubs will be drawn in The Strathclyde Cup, matches to be played on a knockout basis with first and second round losers being entered into a draw for the Tommy Marshall Cup. Matches will be played to a finish i.e. 90 minutes and then penalties. Semi-Finals and Final will be played at a neutral venue.

37) All Cup ties (other than the first and second rounds of the League Cup) must be played with equal halves of at least 45 minutes.

38) No trialists are permitted in Cup Ties except for any Sectional stage of The League Cup.

39) Divisional trophies will be presented to winners of the Divisions who, on receipt of trophy concerned, will be bound to maintain the trophy in good condition and return it when notified by the Executive Committee to do so. Knockout Cup trophies are retained by the winning Club.

Player Registration

40) All player Registration must be in accordance with Rule Forty of the SAFA Constitution and Cup Competition Rules which (inter-alia) states:-

“A player to be eligible to play must be registered on a Recreational Form for the relevant club(s) provided that such clubs are in membership of the Scottish Amateur Football Association.

A player may not register for more than one club who play on the same fixture day, this being defined by the affiliation form submitted by each Association and League.

The entire Recreation Form, fully and properly completed, must be received by the Registration Secretary of the relevant Association or League within three days of the date of signing (Sundays excluded). A player’s eligibility to play will be governed by the Constitution and Rules of the relevant Association and Leagues.

The Recreational Form as posted must be accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope to the sender. After being franked by the relevant Association/League stamp to establish its date of receipt, the club portion of the form will be returned to the club.

Failure to complete the complete postal address, including the village or town, district or post code as required on a Recreational Form will result in the registration being rejected.

Changes of addresses of registered players must be intimated in writing to the National Secretary and to the Secretary of the Relevant Association /League responsible, by the Secretary of the club to whom such players are attached within fourteen days of such change.

The registration of a player on a Recreational Form will lapse automatically at the end of a season (30^th June each year) in which he signed the form, and the player will be free to sign for the club of his choice thereafter.

Note: With the exception of the summer registrations, when the recreation forms will automatically cancel on the 30^th September in each season.

A player who is registered for s club by means of a Recreational Player Registration Form may, from 1^st May each season, sign and be registered for that club for the ensuing season.

A player who is registered for a club by means of a Recreational Player Registration Form may, from 15^th May each season sign and be registered for another club for the ensuing season, provided he is otherwise eligible to do so.

Before a player signs a Recreational Form, the club should ensure that all details have been fully inserted. The player, at the time of signing, must personally insert the date of signing. The player’s signature and that of the Secretary or other accredited official of the club shall be attested by a responsible third party.

A player who is suspended (dated or games) may not sign on a Recreational Form – unless in the case of a games suspension – his registration is automatically ended in the terms of this rule.

Should a player have his registration cancelled prior to the commencement of a game(s) suspension he shall be eligible to register for another club in membership of the Scottish Amateur Football Association and thereafter complete his suspension prior to playing for that club.

Players who play without having been registered in accordance with this rule will be grounds for protest in the season in which the offence has occurred.

Failure to adhere to the registration procedure will result in the responsible parties being dealt with by the relevant committee.

No transfer or cancellation of registration will be sanctioned after 31^st March each season to allow a player to register for another club in membership of the Scottish Amateur Football Association with the exception of that of a goalkeeper only.

Players registered for a club in membership of the Scottish Amateur Football Association which operate more than one team shall have freedom of movement within that club subject to the Constitution and Cup Competition Rules of the Scottish Amateur Football Association.

A player may have his registration cancelled by submitting the appropriate request in the correct manner to the relevant Association or League.

A club having a desire to have a player’s registration cancelled must forward their club portion of the Recreational Form to the Registration Secretary of the relevant Association or League complete with a stamped addressed envelope for its return.

The cancellation of a player’s registration will be effective from the date on which the proper notice of cancellation is received by the Registration Secretary of the relevant Association or League. When a request to have a registration cancelled has been lodged, the player shall neither play nor sign for any other club until his registration has been cancelled by the Registration Secretary of the relevant Association or League.

Players of clubs who fold or cease to exist during the currency of a player’s match suspension shall be eligible to register for a new club. The club for which the player registers, should send the Recreational Form to the Registration Secretary of the relevant Association or League accompanied by a letter from the player indicating the number of matches of his suspension he has still to serve. The matches played by that new club, from the date of receipt, will be counted towards the serving of suspension.

When a player and a club for which he is registered are unable to mutually agree to the cancellation of his registration, the player may apply to the Registration Secretary of the relevant Association or League to have his registration cancelled. The Registration Secretary of the relevant Association or League shall refer the matter to their Executive Committee who shall have the authority to sanction the cancellation of the player’s registration provided that the player has met all his commitments to the club to which he is currently registered. The player will only be eligible to participate again, in football, after receiving written notification from the Registration Secretary of the relevant Association or League.

The Registration Secretary of the relevant Association or League shall have the authority to cancel registrations of players in cases of clubs, for which they are registered, becoming defunct, debt suspended for a period of one month or longer or where reasons satisfactory to the Registration Secretary are adduced as to why the registration should be cancelled.

Players of a defunct club will be permitted to register for another club subject to the registration rules.

Players must be registered for clubs in membership of the Scottish Amateur Football Association on a Recreational Form in order to be eligible to participate in all cup ties played under the jurisdiction of that body.

Trialists who are eligible to play will be permitted subject to the registration rules of each relevant Association or League.

Disciplinary

41) This association recognises any suspensions imposed by the Scottish Football Association and its affiliated bodies.

42) Players and Club Officials will be subject to the Disciplinary Procedures set out in the SAFA’s Constitution and Cup Competition Rules. There is no right of appeal against these suspensions except in cases of mistaken identity.

43) Match Suspensions are issued by the Disciplinary Secretary and copied to the Club Secretary these will commence on a Friday, fourteen days after the date of postmark on the written notification of the suspension to the player. Dated Suspensions are from all football.

44) A penalty point system will be implemented with points based on the seriousness of the offence. All Clubs will be subject to a £1 per point fine in the ‘Fair Play League’. The League Executive will impose further punishment it deems appropriate. When a team accrues fifty points they will be called to an Executive Committee Meeting, and at 75 points and above Clubs will be called to an Executive Committee Meeting and will be deducted a minimum of three League Points.

45) Disciplinary Points will be calculated as follows:-

i. Caution: 1 point (excluding West Cup/Scottish Cup ties).

ii. Sending Off 1 points per game/week suspended (exclusive of West Cup/Scottish Cup ties) to a maximum of ten points.

iii. When a monetary element is attached to a disciplinary outcome no points will be added to clubs’ points total in the Fair Play League.