Rules

TITLE

The Competition shall be known as the Doncaster and District Football Association Challenge Cup.

Clubs within the jurisdiction of the Doncaster and District Football Association shall compete for the cup annually, and such clubs as have been admitted into membership of the Association in accordance with Rule 2 of the Association Rules.

MANAGEMENT

The entire control and management of the Competition shall be vested in the Council of the D.D.F.A. The Council shall have the power to formulate the rules of thisCompetition and to alter or add to the Rules, as they from time to time deem expedient.

ENTRANCE FEE

The entrance fee shall be £25 to be paid to the Treasurer of the Doncaster and District Football Association on or before the 30th September in any year.

MATCHES

All matches shall be played under the Laws of the Game, and rules of the Football Association. The club drawn first in the ballot shall have choice of grounds on which the match shall be played. If two clubs are drawn together whose colours are similar the visiting team must change, and when meeting on a neutral ground the clubs must, prior to the day of the match, toss for the choice. The Council shall fix the dates and times of kick-off when the matches shall be played.

Each club competing in the Final Tie MUST provide one match ball.

The final ties shall be played on grounds selected by the Council. Each match shall be not less than 90 minutes duration. Any match not completed shall be replayed for the full 90 minutes.

If the score is level at the end of any cup match, extra time of 15 minutes each way shall be played. If the score is level at the end of extra time, penalties taken in accordance with the International Board Decisions will decide the winner.

Clubs MUST exchange team sheets with their opponents listing their eleven players and five substitutes PRIOR to kick off. Failure to comply will mean an automatic fine of £20 being imposed. The team sheets must then be sent to the League Registrar with the official match report form.

Both Home and Away teams shall respond to the text message sent by the FA in conjunction with the “Full Time” website to the nominated representatives of each Club, with the result of the match and their goal scorers by 17:30h on a Saturday and by 22:00h on a weekday. Failure to do so could result in a fine for a club by the management committee.

Each club must send the result of its matches on the recognized form of the competition, giving the names of the players competing, to the Association Registrar within two days of the date of each match, not including Sunday, under a penalty or a maximum fine of £20 for each offence.

All home clubs must notify the visiting team and referee of the location of their ground and dressing room, the best way to get there, also time of kick off, not less then five days prior to the date of the match.

Clubs found guilty of breach of this rule shall be fined the sum of £10.

Goal nets must be used in all matches.

The whole of the proceeds of the Final ties to the Competition – less official’s and match expenses.

PLAYERS

From the semi final stage of the competition every club shall, not less then five days before the match, send to the opposing club a list of the players from which the team for each will be selected. In case of postponed, drawn or replayed matches, the above period of time shall be observed in so far as circumstances will permit. In the case of postponed or replayed matches, only those players shall be allowed to play who were eligible on the date of the original match.

Eligibility shall be defined as a player, who is a bona-fide member of his club, i.e., registered according to the rules governing the Competition in which the club is competing. No player shall play for more than one team in this Competition in the same season.

Players in the Semi-Final and Final Ties must be registered for his club 28 days prior to the match.

A Club may at its discretion and in accordance with the Laws of the Game use up to 5 named substitute players in any match in this Competition.
A player who has been substituted himself becomes a substitute and may replace a player at any time subject to the substitution being carried out in accordance with Law 3 of the Laws of Association Football.
The referee shall be informed of the names of the substitutes not later than 10 minutes before the start of the match and a Player not so named may not take part in that match.

A player who has been selected, appointed or named as a substitute before the start of a match but does not actually play in the game shall not be considered to have been a player in that game within the meaning of the above rule in this Competition.

PROTESTS

All protests shall be to the Doncaster & District Football Association Secretary. The protesting club shall send one copy of the protest to the Doncaster & District Football Association Secretary within three days of the match (not including Sunday) per registered letter, together with a deposit of £50 – also at the same time send one copy to the opposing club. The deposit shall be forfeited in the event of the protest not being sustained.

In dealing with any protest, the Council may take into consideration the possession by the club concerned of any knowledge that, if properly used, might have obviated.

Any appeal against the decision of the Council can be made direct to the Sheffield and Hallamshire County Football Association in accordance with their rules, and their decision shall be final.

MATCH OFFICIALS

The Doncaster and District Football Association shall appoint referees; Assistant Referees may be appointed to any match at the discretion of the Council. Clubs may request neutral assistants in ordinary rounds provided they meet the costs involved.

The Officials fees shall be approved by AGM, as shown on the monthly Fixture and Appointments List.

The Final Referee and Assistant Referees may receive a trophy in lieu of their fee. In ordinary rounds and Semi-Finals the home club must pay the officials.

In all matches where Assistant Referees are not appointed, clubs have the responsibility to nominate a club assistant who should report to the match Referee not less than 5 minutes before the kick off time.

A club may at its discretion and in accordance with the Laws of the game and the permission granted by the FA, nominate five substitutes to the referee prior to the commencement of the game, but a club can only use three substitutes in this Competition.

A player who has been selected, appointed or named as a substitute before the start of a match but does not actually play in the game shall not be considered to have been a player in that game within the meaning of the above rule in this Competition.

TROPHIES

When the winners of the trophy have been ascertained the Association shall (on guarantors for the safety being provided) hand such trophy to the Club’s representatives on receiving a document to the following effect and signed by them.

The following agreement shall be signed on behalf of the winners of the Cup or Trophy:-

“We A________________and B__________________, the Chairman and Secretary

of ________________________FC, members of and representing the Club, having been declared winners of _____________________Cup or Trophy, and it having been delivered to us by the Competition, do hereby on behalf of the Club jointly and severally agree to return the Cup or Trophy to the Competition Secretary on or before 1st April. If the Cup or Trophy is lost or damaged whilst under our care we agree to refund to the Competition the amount of its current value or the cost of its thorough repair.”

Failure to comply will result in a fine as determined by the Management Committee.

No trophy shall become the permanent property of any club.

ALTERATION OR ADDITIONS TO RULES

Alterations or additions to Rules may be made in accordance with Rule 20 of the Doncaster and District Senior League.

CORRESPONDENCE

All communications must be addressed to the Hon Secretary of the Doncaster and District Football Association.

A stamped addressed envelope must accompany a request necessitating a reply.

COMPETITION WITHDRAWALS AND FAILURE TO MEET ENGAGEMENTS

Clubs intending to withdraw from the Competition must give at least eight days notice to the opposing club and the Association Hon. Secretary, failing which, the Council shall have the power to compel such offending club to pay any expenses incurred by the opponents or the Association. Any club failing to keep its engagement may be liable to a fine not exceeding £50 except in the Semi-Final and the Final Ties when the fine shall not exceed £50 or otherwise be dealt with as the Council may decide. In the event of a game not being played the Council will determine the new date for the match.

The Council shall have the power to dismiss any club from the Competition.

GENERAL

The Doncaster and District Football Association Council reserve the right to deal with all matters relating to this Competition not provided for in these Rules, in conformity with the Rules and Regulations of the Football Association.