6. PLAYERS
6.1 STATUS OF PLAYERS
The FA Rules will apply in respect of all matters concerning players.
Players will be contract, non-contract or scholars. All players must be registered on forms provided by the Competition. To be eligible, a player of a Club must have obtained an International Transfer Certificate (if required), have signed a Competition registration form and have been registered and approved by the Company in accordance with a procedure set by the Board before playing in any Competition organised by the Company.
It is the responsibility of each Club to ensure that any player signing a registration form for that Club has, where necessary, the required International Transfer Certificate.
All players’ contracts shall be in the full name of the Club. If the club is a corporate body, the contract must state the full name of the company, and also include the company registration number.
The registration of a player shall be valid for one season only.
Players’ Registration Forms will be made available to Clubs by the League and will be charged in accordance with the Fees Tariff
The registration of scholars must be in accordance with The FA Rule C3 (a).
The Board have the power to refuse or cancel the registration of any player found guilty of undesirable conduct and to disqualify the player in question from participating in any or all matches in the Competition for a Breach of Rule.
Except when specific approval has been given by the Board a Club cannot sign or transfer more than one player, contract or non-contract, from another Club at any one time, unless a period of 14 days has elapsed between each signing.
The Board have the power to place an embargo on the registration, transfer or the loan transfer of players by any Club who are deemed to be in breach of these Rules.
6.2 REGISTRATIONS
6.2.1. In the event of a player signing registration forms for more than one Club, priority of registration shall decide for which Club he is entitled to play. The Club submitting the later form shall be notified of the prior registration of the player and the circumstances under which the registration forms were signed shall be investigated by the Board. Any player found to have signed registration forms for more than one Club or any Club found to have knowingly induced a registered player of another Club to sign a registration form, shall be dealt with by the Board in such a manner as it shall think fit.
6.2.2. At least 11 Players must be Registered 7 Days prior to the commencement of each playing season.
6.3 LATE REGISTRATION
Subject to the provisions of rule 6.5, a player will only be eligible to play in a match organised by the Company under these Rules if the appropriate forms are received by the Company (including by facsimile) by twenty-four (24) hours preceding the scheduled kick off time of such match.
No player whose registration is received after, twenty-four hours preceding the scheduled kick off time of any match will be eligible to play in a match organised by the Company during that period. Players not registered by 3pm on a Friday will not be eligible to play on the Saturday or Sunday immediately following.
If a registration form is sent to the Company by facsimile or by email, that form must be received by the Company within 5 days of the sending of the facsimile or email and in default the player shall not be eligible to play in the Competition unless and until a valid registration form is received.
Any Club deemed to have falsified any form will be deemed to have played an ineligible player and dealt with in accordance with Rule 6.8.
The late registration of a player by facsimile is not automatically valid and it is the responsibility of the Club to ensure that the player is NOT registered with any other Club. When the player involved was previously registered with another Club, it is necessary for that Club to complete the standard Competition cancellation of registration form or transfer form prior to or at the same time as the registration or transfer to the new Club.
6.4 TRANSFERS
6.4.1 The transfer of the registration of a contract player from one Club to another must be in writing, on the Competition transfer form, duly signed by the contract player and the two Clubs and forwarded to the Company for approval and registration. Such contract player does not become a bona-fide player of the Club seeking his transfer until that Club has received from the Company a certificate of registration or the provisions of Rule 6.3 have been complied with. The registration of a contract player whose contract is cancelled by mutual consent shall be automatically cancelled upon receipt by the Company of a copy of the relevant FA form.
Where a Club cancels the registration of a player, contract or non-contract, for any reason whatsoever, the Club must notify the Competition Secretary immediately, in writing on the League’s de-register form and such notification must be signed by an authorised signatory of that Club to be valid. A Club may sign a de-registered player by submitting a transfer form.
A non-contract player whose registration for a Club is cancelled or transferred for any reason whatsoever, cannot return to his original Club until a minimum of four weeks has elapsed from the date of the cancellation or transfer without the consent of the Board.
6.4.2 Should a Club wish to register a Non-Contract player who is registered by another Club, both Clubs if in agreement must sign the standard Competition transfer form applicable to Non-Contract players.
If a non-contract player also registers for a club not in membership of the Competition, his registration for the Competition may be retained by the Club.
6.4.3. A Player may not register for a club unless at least 14 days have expired from the date of registration with another club. A Club may not register a Transfer of a Contract or Non-Contract player unless that Player has been registered with the transferring club for at least 14 days.
Rule 6.4.4 - In the first paragraph the penultimate sentence be altered to read "." The last sentence to be deleted.
In paragraph 3 the first sentence to be deleted.
6.4.4 Short Term Loan Transfers: - Loans of contract players shall be allowed to or from Clubs in membership of:
· The FA Premier League Limited
· The Football league Limited
· The Football Conference Limited
· The Isthmian Football League Limited
· The Northern Premier Football League Limited
· The Southern Football League Limited
· Any other Leagues which have been authorised by The FA as shown in Appendix 3
on such terms and conditions as shall be mutually agreed by the two clubs and the player. For transfers between Clubs in the same Competition the transfers must be completed on the National League System Temporary Transfer Form, and for transfers between Clubs in different Competitions the transfers must be completed on The FA Form H3.
The Competition shall not approve more than TWO short term loan transfers to or from any club including FA Premier League or Football League clubs at any one time.
A club may utilise up to 465 loan days each season for short term loan transfers. A Club can have up to a MAXIMUM of 8 players on short term loan during the season. The minimum period of a short term loan transfer must be 28 days with a maximum of 93 days in any one season.
Short term loan transfers which become permanent before their expiry date shall not count against a Club’s quota of days or players.
A player whose contract registration is cancelled by mutual consent and immediately re-registered by the same or a different Club on a non-contract basis shall not subsequently be registered as a contract player for the same Club within three months of the date of the cancellation except with the consent of the Board.
On completing the National League System Temporary Transfer Form or FA form H3; a Club must send the top copy to the FA, one copy to the Company and the third copy to the secretary of the league with which the player is registered.
To extend the period of any short term loan transfer a further National League System Temporary Transfer Form or FA form H3 must be completed, with copies sent as provided above.
The player being taken on short or long term loan must sign a Competition contract registration form, which will be valid for the full period of the loan, including any extension to the loan period. The standard Competition cancellation form must be used to prematurely end the temporary transfer period.
The short term transfer of a player to a Club must be completed and registered with the Company at least 24 hours before the scheduled time of the kick off of the first match in which the player is required to play.
If the short term loan transfer is extended, only the Club for whom the player was originally registered will be allowed to cancel the agreement at any time within the extension period. In the case of a goalkeeper, Clubs may mutually agree, if they so wish, to include a recall clause in the agreement to enable the Club for whom the player was originally registered to recall the player at any time during the loan period. Players, other than goalkeepers, may NOT be recalled within the first month (ie 28 days) of any loan period.
Any short term loan transfer which may terminate after the last day for registrations (Rule 6.5) may be extended for a further period.
The short term transfer of a player must be continuous. If the same player is taken on loan at a later date, this second loan period will count against the permitted number of short term loan transfers.
A player cannot play for a Club on a short term loan for more than 91 days in any one season.
6.4.5 Long Term Loan Transfers – The Board may approve loans between clubs in membership of the leagues referred to in Rule 6.4.4. in respect of players aged 24 and under on or before 30th June prior to the commencement of the playing season and provided the loan is registered by 3pm on the Friday before the Playing Season commences or on or before the 31st December and providing that such agreement is dated to expire at the end of the season relative to the Club taking him on loan.
A player on long term loan may not be recalled except for a goalkeeper or where the player is to be transferred permanently by the Club holding his registered contract. A player other than a goalkeeper so recalled cannot be permitted to play for the Club holding his registration after such recall until the end of the Season. Players so recalled can only be replaced by a further long term loan with permission from the Company. Long term loan transfers will not count against the number of short term loans in Rule 6.4.4.
6.4.6 [The maximum number of Short Term Loans will be 8 per Season and Long Term Loans will be 2 per Season. Whilst a Club may register any number of Work Experience players only 2 may play in any one match in accordance with FA Rules. A Club may name up to a maximum of 5 players on a team sheet who are either Long Term Loans, Short Term Loans or Work Experience players with no more than 2 from any one Category.]
6.4.7 The Company may, at its discretion, refuse any further registration of players to any Club which has not completed payment of a transfer arrangement made with another Club or arranged for the payment to be adequately secured. The Club concerned will continue to pay the player in accordance with his contract.
6.5 CLOSING DATE FOR REGISTRATIONS
After 5pm on 31st March each season, registrations and transfer of registrations will be declined or will be approved subject to such limitations and restrictions as the Board may determine and, if so determined, the player shall only be eligible to play in the matches for which permission is granted by the Board.
6.6 CLUB LIST OF PLAYERS AND TRANSFER LIST
Clubs shall furnish the Competition Secretary by 1st June with the following details:
6.6.1 a list of contract players whose agreements do not terminate at the end of the current season;
6.6.2 a list of contract players in respect of whom the Club has exercised its option in accordance with Football Association Rule C1, J;
6.6.3 a list of contract players in respect of whom the existing agreements do not include an option to renew but which the Club is desirous of offering further engagements, in accordance with Football Association Rule C1, J;
6.6.4 a list of contract players in respect of whom the Club has exercised its option in accordance with Football Association Rule C1, J but whose registration the Club is prepared to transfer;
6.6.5 a list of contract players the Club has released;
6.6.6 a list of all players whose registration the Club wishes to be cancelled;
Clubs shall also complete the standard Competition forms and return these by this date.
A Club relegated from the Football League Limited shall advise the Competition Secretary by 30th June the names of players retained by that Club for the season, taking into consideration the contents of Football League Rule 53.
6.7 SUBSTITUTE PLAYERS
A Club at its discretion may use three substitute players at any time in a match. Substitution can only be made when play is stopped for any reason and the Referee has given permission. When a Club is making a substitution it shall use a numbered board to show the number of the Player to be substituted and the number of the substitute player.
A maximum of THREE SUBSTITUTES may be nominated and they must be included on the official team sheet handed to the Referee before the match in accordance with Rule 8.11.1. A substitute may not be used to replace a player who has been suspended from the match by the Match Officials.
If a player does not take part in the match for which he is a nominated substitute he shall be deemed as not having played for the Club in that match.
If a named substitute is not a registered player with the Club for the Competition and does NOT take part in the match, the offending Club may be fined in accordance with the Fines Tariff.
6.8 PLAYING AN INELIGIBLE PLAYER
Any Club found to have played an ineligible player in a match shall have any points gained from that match deducted from its record and have levied upon it a fine in accordance with the Fines Tariff.
The Company may vary this decision in respect of the points gained only in circumstances where the ineligibility is due to the failure to obtain an International Transfer Certificate or in the case of where a substitute player who is ineligible participates in a match or is listed on the official team sheet but does not participate in that match
The Board may also order that such match be replayed on such terms as are decided by the Board which may also levy penalty points against the Club in default.
6.9 FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS
6.9.1 Subject to clauses 6.9.2 to 6.9.7, and to the Rules and Regulations of The FA, a Club may negotiate a financial arrangement with its players.
6.9.2 All players under a written contract must be registered with the Competition and The FA.
6.9.3 All payments and benefits due to the player must be shown in the contract.
6.9.4 All payments made to players must be made by the Club and fully recorded in the accounting records of the Club.
6.9.5 All salaried payments (whether to contract or non-contract players) must be subject to PAYE and National Insurance.
6.9.6 All salary payments due on written contracts must be stated gross, before PAYE and National Insurance deductions.
6.9.7 Any players paid expenses should be reimbursed via an expense claim form. The club should retain all expense records in a format acceptable to the Inland Revenue.
6.10 NON UNITED KINGDOM PLAYERS
In a Competition match a Club shall not, without the consent of the Board, play more than three players who are not citizens of the European Union or colonies of the United Kingdom unless such person has been resident in the United Kingdom for a continuous period of five years. Any Club in breach of this Rule will be deemed to have played an ineligible player and will be dealt with in accordance with Rule 6.8.] |
