1 Participating teams must fall into one of the following categories.

a) A Church

b) A Christian Organisation (Charity, Youth Work etc.,)

2. Teams must fulfil all league requirements. For a teams constitution.

3. League committee meetings are to be scheduled every six weeks or so. Each team should be represented by their team overseer. If a team overseer is unable to attend a meeting, it is his responsibility to arrange for someone else from his team to attend and represent his them. Committee meetings are necessary for the smooth operation of the league. Any team that persistently fails to be adequately represented at these meetings, can by vote of the other team overseers, face a deduction of 9 league points.

4. Prayer. It is hoped that every Christian involved with Fellowship Football will pray for our games together and the lives of those people involved with it. Please encourage your churches to support us in prayer. Each game will commence with a brief time of prayer to pray for God’s blessing on what we do and for protection from injury.

 

RULES OF PLAY

 

1. Each team shall consist of a squad of players. A squad can consist of a maximum of 15 players. From April onwards team overseers can only field players who have already played for them during the first half of that season. They cannot recruit any more new players for the rest of that season.

 

2.Teams consist of eight players. Seven outfield players and one goalkeeper. In addition to these a team can have up to three substitutes. (In the past under exceptional circumstances teams have been allowed an extra player to help them avoid getting thrashed every week. This will continue to be something that the committee decides about as the need arises)

 

3) League Points System - Win 3 points. Draw 1 point Loss 0 points.

 

4)League positions - League Positions and Cup Group Qualifications are decided in the following manner.

a) Points

b) Goal difference

c) The team that scored the most goals

d) The aggregate results between the teams based on

previous meetings within the same competition that season.

 

5) Pitch Hire - The cost of the pitch hire is agreed by the organising committee. Pitch hire is to be paid prior to the game. Currently £16 per team.

 

6) The home team defends the “school end “ in league games. In cup matches they have the choice of end.

A) The home team overseer should aim to ensure that the match commences by ten minutes past the hour at the latest, allowing teams some time for warming up and last minute preparations.

B) Teams should field eight players. If a team fields only six players or less they are automatically deducted 1 point. The game is played as usual and the result stands.

C) If a team is unable to field a team or abandons a match they are automatically deducted three points and automatically forfeit the game by a 5-0 scoreline. They also are to reimburse the opposition for any pitch hire costs should these have been incurred.

 

7) Guests - When a team have less than seven players available for a match they can field “Guest Players“. i.e. Players who normally play for one of the other teams.

A team who fields guest players can only have a maximum of seven players in their team including substitutes that evening.

“Guest Players” should ideally only play for one nominated team. (This rule can be slackened in an emergency)

A team can field a maximum of 3 guest players.

Teams are not allowed to drop regular team members to make way for new or guest players.

 

8) Female players. Although the league was originally established with the intention of it being for Christian Fellowship among males, teams are allowed to field female players who are over the age of 18. As with all players, female players take part at their own risk.

 

9) Age restriction. The minimum age is at least 13 years old. A risk assessment is to be completed by the team overseer for any players under the age of 15.

 

10) Teams can rotate their players within a match as often as they like as long as they do not hold up play. There can be only eight active players on the pitch at one time.

 

11) Normal football rules apply as far as possible. Except

a) Offside - There is no offside. Instead to avoid “goal hanging” an attacker must stand at least 10 yards away from the edge of the opposing goalkeepers area until the ball enters the opponents half.

b) Goalkeepers area. The Red ‘D’ is the goalkeeper’s area. A goalkeeper cannot handle the ball outside his goal area.

c) Free kicks. The opposing team must retreat 5 yards from the ball instead of the usual 10yds.

d) Back passes - The goalkeeper is allowed to pick up the ball from a back pass.

 

Fouls - If a player feels that he has been fouled and the opponents have not volunteered a free kick. The fouled player must immediately stop, stand still and raise his hand and shout “foul!” to appeal.

Play will then be stopped.

If there is no dispute from the opposing team overseer the free kick will be taken from where the infringement took place.

If both the team overseers disagree with the appeal, the free kick will be reversed.

If the team organisers fail to agree with each other, play will resume with a drop- ball.

Any player found to be consistently making false appeals would be subject to disciplinary action.

It is hoped that teams will accept the decisions made by opposing team overseers. The overseers are human and are bound to make mistakes. We have to accept this within the spirit of the game.

 

15)Throw-ins. Where there is uncertainty over which player touched the ball last before going out of play it is down to the nearest overseer to decide. If he is unsure he should award it to the opposition.

 

16) Players are to be honest in their conduct. It is considered serious foul play if any player intentionally makes false appeals for a free-kicks, throw-ins etc. Any player so doing should to be reprimanded by his team overseer who should offer an apology and free-kick to the opposition where the offence occurred.

 

17) Foul and Abusive language. Foul or abusive language is not tolerated. An opposing team can claim an indirect free kick from a place where a player swore. Players using foul or abusive language should be gently reprimanded by their team overseer.

 

18) Penalties - All players not involved must be outside the area and not interfering with the run-up of the player taking the kick. The goalkeeper must have his back touching the cross-bar of the goal until the kick is taken.

 

19) Persistently infringing players.

Players who persistently infringe rules or who play in a manner that is unsporting should be lovingly encouraged by their team mates and team overseer to play fairly.

If the player should persist, opposing team overseers should make a complaint about his behaviour to the infringing players team co-ordinator on the evening of their game. He should also bring this to the attention of the committee at the next committee meeting.

In a last resort the committee have the right to suspend or ban players who persistently offend.

 

20) Sending off. So far thankfully we have not experienced a situation where players should need to be sent off. Hopefully we never will. Should the need ever arise this would have to be something that the two team overseers involved would need to be in agreement about.

 

21) Disciplinary Action - Teams that break rules. If a team overseer feels that an opposing team is flouting the rules he should make an immediate complaint to the opposing team overseer to give him a chance to rectify the situation. If he should refuse to do so, then a complaint should be made within 24 hours to the other team overseers. The matter will be discussed at the next committee meeting. Teams flouting rules can be docked points, fined or expelled from the league.

The committee will not take any disciplinary action unless a complaint has first been made by the aggrieved team overseer directly to the overseer of the offending team.

 

22) Safety

a) Footwear. In accordance with sports centre rules, players must wear appropriate footwear. Trainers and Astro Turf boots are fine. Moulded studs, screw in studs and blades are prohibited.

b) Shin Guards - the wearing of shin guards is compulsory for all players.

c) Watches - plastic watches are fine. Metallic ones must be removed.

d) Body piercings - must all be taped

e) Rings - all rings must be taped. The only exceptions are wedding rings. We recommend that for safety reasons that wedding rings too be removed or taped, but leave this to the conscience of the individual players.

f) Spectacles - We recommend that for safety reasons spectacles be removed, but we leave the decision about this to the individual players themselves.

g) Safety - If any player is found not to be wearing shin pads or the correct footwear, the opposing team co-ordinator having spotted the infringement is duty bound to report it to his opposing counterpart immediately If the situation is not rectified, the team co-ordinator is expected to report the matter at the next committee meeting. A 9 point penalty deduction is to be imposed upon any team found to be breaking these safety rules.

 

25) Special rules for penalty shoot outs in cup matches.

PENALTY SHOOT OUT RULES

1. The match that starts at 8pm must finish at 8.55 to allow some time for a penalty shoot out should it be needed to settle a winner. The game scheduled for 9pm can finish at the normal time.

2. All the players in the teams including substitutes can take penalties. (This is because in Fellowship Football matches we allow rolling substitutes )

3. During a shootout, players other than the penalty taker and the defending goalkeeper must remain in the opposing half to the end where the penalties are being taken (other than the kicking team's goalkeeper, who stands on the junction of goal line and penalty area).

4. Each penalty taker can kick the ball only once per attempt. If the ball is saved by the goalkeeper he cannot score from the rebound (unlike a normal penalty kick).

5. Goals scored during the shootout are not added to the goal scoring records of the players involved.

6. The team to take the first kick is decided by a coin toss. The penalties will be taken in the goal at the end which is furthest away from the school.

7. Each penalty is taken from a point on the edge of the penalty area (the Red “D”) central to the goal. The goal is defended only by the opposing goalkeeper. The goalkeeper must remain between the goal-posts with his back touching the cross bar until the ball has been kicked, although he can jump in place, wave his arms, move side to side along the goal line.

8. Each team nominates a penalty taker.

9. The two teams each take a penalty in turn.

10. Each team takes three penalties. After these three penalties the team that has scored the most goals are the winners.

11. If the teams both score, or both miss then each team nominates another player to take the next penalty. The process continues until one team scores and the opposing team misses.

12. Each player is allowed to take only one penalty.