RON EAGLEN CHALLENGE CUP RULES

RON EAGLEN CHALLENGE CUP RULES – 2024/2025

1.Name of Competition

This Competition shall be called the RON EAGLEN CHALLENGE CUP Competition and shall be conducted on the knock-out system. All matches shall be played and carried out in accordance with the Rules, Regulations and Bye-laws of the Football Association and the Laws of the Game.

2.Entry Limited to League Clubs

(A) The Cup shall be open for annual competition amongst affiliated clubs that are members of the Competition stated in Rule 1 as the Management Committee may from time to time decide. All clubs must enter this Competition. Where a Club has TWO or more teams then the team competing in the highest Division only shall enter. Clubs must enter ONE team only.

(B) The entry fee shall be £20.00 per Club, payable before the Annual General Meeting in each year.

3. Annual General Meeting

(A) The Annual General Meeting shall be held at the same time and place as the Lincoln & District Sunday Football League Competition Annual General Meeting.

(B) The Officers of the Competition shall be the same as those elected at the Annual General Meeting of the Lincoln & District Sunday Football League Competition.

(C) Any suggested alterations to these rules may be made but they must have been submitted in writing to the Competition Secretary before 1st April in each year and signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the Club proposing such alterations.

(D) Any alterations or additions decided upon shall not become operative until the approval of the Lincolnshire Football Association Ltd shall have been obtained.

4. Control of Competition

The entire control of the Competition shall be in the hands of the Management Committee of the Lincoln & District Sunday Football League Competition.

5. Gate Receipts and Proceeds of the Competition

In all rounds up to the Semi-Final the home Club shall take its own receipts and pay its expenses, including ground preparation. The visiting team is responsible for its own travelling expenses.

Both competing clubs shall pay the Referee and Assistant Referee where appointed before the game unless the Referee is under 18 years of age in which case their fee will be paid to them by the League and each team will be required to pay their part of the fee to the League no later than 6pm on the day of the game.

The Referee fee shall be £36.00 per game. Each team shall pay £18.00 per team to the Referee as their fee. No travelling expenses shall be paid. Assistant Referee’s, where appointed, shall be paid £22.00 per game. Each team shall pay £11.00 per team with the exception of Semi Final games where the Assistant Referee fees will be paid by the League. For Semi Final games each team shall pay for the Referee only.

6. Semi Final and Final Arrangements

(A) The arrangement of the Semi-Final & Final shall be left entirely in the hands of the Management Committee who shall appoint dates, Officials, grounds, take all receipts and pay any expenses not to exceed the sum considered reasonable by the Committee.

All Clubs in the Competition shall be liable to make their ground available to the Competition for the purpose of the playing of the Semi-Final / Final ties.

Referees and Assistant Referees shall receive trophies/Mementos in lieu of a fee, plus travelling expenses to the Final.

(B) The net proceeds of the Final of the Competition each year shall be devoted to the funds of the Competition.

(C) In the event that the game finishes as a draw after 90 minutes in the Semi Final or Final, then extra time of 30 minutes will be played. If the scores are still level after the conclusion of the extra time period then the game shall be decided by the taking of penalty kicks in accordance with the laws of the game.

7. Duration of Game and Club Colours

(A) All matches shall be duration of 90 minutes unless a shorter time (not less than 60 minutes) is mutually agreed by the two Captains in consultation with the Referee prior to the commencement of the match, and in any event shall be two equal halves.

In the event of a draw at full time, then extra time shall be played in all rounds of the Competition. This shall be 30 minutes extra time, comprising of 15 minutes each way.

The half-time interval shall be of 10 minutes duration and this can only be altered with the consent of the Referee.

(B) If in the opinion of the Referee two clubs have the same or similar colours, the away team shall change. Goalkeepers must wear colours which distinguish them from other players and the Referee.

(C) In all matches player’s shirts shall be clearly numbered or a fine of £20.00 will be imposed.

(D) Goal nets must be provided in all games.

8  Qualification of Players and Ineligible Players

1. A) No player shall play for more than one competing Club or Team in the same season.
2. B) Each individual player must have been a registered League Competition Player of the Club or team for which he happens to compete by 6pm on the Friday previous to the registered date fixed for playing the match, or by 6pm on the Friday previous to the date on which the match is played whichever is the earlier unless the player is a goalkeeper and permission is granted by the League Management Committee.
3. C) A player having played for a Club or Team in one match of the Competition for which he was qualified, shall unless in the meantime he has been transferred to another Club, be entitled to play in any subsequent match in the same Competition for the same Club or Team in the same season.
4. D) In the case of postponed or replayed matches, only those Players shall be allowed to play who were eligible for the first match. A player who has been suspended may, if otherwise qualified, play in postponed, drawn, or replayed ties after the term of their suspension has expired.
5. E) Only players who have played 3 or more games for his club in the current season shall be allowed to play in the Semi-Final or Final unless the player is a goalkeeper and permission is granted by the Management Committee.
6. F) Ineligible Player – Any Club playing an ineligible Player shall be struck out of the Competition and shall receive a fine not exceeding £100.00 per ineligible Player.
7. H) The Referee and a representative of the opposing Club shall be informed of the names of the players taking part in the match (including the substitutes) on the prescribed form not later than 15 minutes before the start of any Competition match and a player not so named may not take part in the Competition match
8.  
9. Appointment and Charges of Referees and Late Starts

Referees will be paid £18.00 by each Club making a total fee of £36.00. Assistant Referees where appointed, will be paid £22.00 and the Assistant Referee match fee will be paid by the League. The Referee payment must be made, in their dressing room before the game unless the Referee/Assistant Referee(s) is under 18 years of age in which case their fee will be paid to them by the League and each team will be required to pay their part of the fee to the League no later than 6pm on the day of the game.

No travelling expenses shall be paid.

10. Objections and Protests

Any objections relative to the field of play or appurtenances of the game must be lodged in writing with the referee before the commencement of a match. All protests or objections must be made in duplicate and confirmed in writing to the Secretary of the Competition within three clear days after the match, accompanied by a protest fee of £50.00 which shall be forfeited if the protest or objection fails.

11. Arrangements and Registration of Rounds

(A) Dates shall be appointed by the Management Committee for each round at the Annual General Meeting and immediately furnished to the Secretary of the Lincolnshire Football Association Ltd, and all matches must be decided on or before the dates chosen, unless special permission of the Management Committee be obtained for an extension of time. Clubs first drawn in the ballot shall have choice of ground.

(B) In the event of a match not being played or abandoned owing to causes over which neither Club has control it shall, subject to Rule 15(B), be replayed in its entirety on a date to be determined by the Management Committee.

(C) Clubs/Teams failing to fulfil a fixture in a round prior to the Semi-Final shall receive a fine not exceeding £50.00, and struck out of the Competition.

12. Notice of Results

The match result notifications, correctly completed, shall be submitted by an Officer of the Club on the prescribed form, by email, to the League Registrar no later than 6pm on the day the match was played, and further reported in the prescribed manner via the FA Full time system, by 6pm on the Monday following the game. Failure to comply with this Rule will result in a fine in accordance with the Fines tariff. This includes the names of the players and the substitutes in the game and the awarding of a referee mark for the referee’s performance. Any Club giving a mark to a Referee of 50 or less must submit a separate written report to the Referee Secretary by 6pm on the third day following the match, giving the reasons. Clubs that fail to submit such a report shall receive a fine not exceeding £30.00.

Clubs that submit an incorrect team sheet shall receive a fine not exceeding £100.00.

Referees shall be awarded a mark between 1 and 100. A mark of 0 will not be considered as a valid mark and will be deemed to be failing to provide a valid mark.

Both the home and the away Clubs shall be responsible for notifying the result of the match, together with the names of their goal scorers, to the League Secretary by SMS text on 07778 780835 or any other telephone number notified by the League by 2pm on the day of the match. If the game is played during an afternoon, then the match result must be notified by 4pm. Clubs failing to send a SMS text message by the stipulated time shall be fined £20.00.

Where a match has been postponed for any reason, it is the responsibility of the Home Club to notify the League, to the telephone number authorised by the League for collating results, namely 07778 780835. Clubs / Teams failing to notify the League of a postponement shall be fined £20.00.

13 Clubs not allowed to withdraw in Semi-Finals or Final

Any Club reaching the Semi-Final or Final stage of the Competition shall not be allowed to withdraw or postpone such matches but must play its best available team. In the event of any Club failing to keep its engagement without making application for postponement or giving a satisfactory explanation to the Management Committee, the match shall go against it by default and a fine of £50.00 shall be imposed.

Any Club not complying with this rule shall be considered to be guilty of gross misconduct and in addition to being dealt with by the Management Committee shall be compelled to pay the expenses of their opponents and ALL Match Officials who are in attendance on the day of the game.

Note: Any Club failing, for any reason, to play on the date fixed by the Competition for either the Semi-Final or the Final must be struck out of the Competition and a fine of £50.00 shall be imposed.

14 Procedures for Drawn Games

In the event of a draw at full time, then extra time of 30 minutes shall be played in all rounds of the Competition. If the scores are still level after the conclusion of the extra time period, then the game shall be decided by the taking of penalty kicks in accordance with the laws of the game.

15 Powers of the Management Committee

(A) The Management Committee shall have the power for breach of Rules or other misconduct to inflict fines upon Clubs, to suspend or expel any Player or Club from taking part in the Competition, and to order any match to be replayed on such terms as they decide.

(B) The Management Committee shall be at full liberty from time to time to appoint and to delegate their powers to a Sub-Committee and shall have power to appoint Commissions to inquire into any complaints, appeals, protests, or any other matters within the jurisdiction of the Competition and the expenses of such Commission shall be borne by the party to whom the Management Commission shall deem to have been at fault. Subject to confirmation by the Management Committee the decisions of the Sub-Committee, or Commissions, shall be considered final, subject to Rule 18.

(C) The Management Committee shall review all abandoned matches and in cases where it is to the advantage of the Competition, and does no injustice to any of the Clubs, shall be empowered to order the score to stand at the time of the abandonment to be recorded as the result. In all cases where the Management Committee is satisfied that a game has been abandoned owing to the conduct of one Club or its Club Member or Members, they shall be empowered to award the tie to its opponent and/or take what other action they deem necessary. In cases where a game is abandoned owing to the conduct of both Clubs or their Club Members, the Management Committee shall take such action as they consider appropriate. Such action is subject to any disciplinary action taken by the Lincolnshire Football Association Ltd or the appropriate County Football Association.

16 Trophy: Legal Owners, Condition of, Taking Over, Agreement to be assigned

(A) A competition Cup or Trophy shall be vested in the Association sanctioning the Competition as Trustees. If a Competition be discontinued for any cause, the Cup or Trophy shall be returned to the Donor if the conditions to it provides or otherwise dealt with as the Association may decide.

(B) 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 having been declared winners of the
______________________Cup/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 Trophy Steward on or before 1st March in each year, or when called for by the Management Committee, and for its keeping in the meanwhile. A Cup/Trophy must be returned in the condition it was presented to the Club or a fine of up to £100.00 shall be imposed. A penalty of £30.00 shall be imposed on any Club failing to return the Cup/Trophy by the 1st March each season.

(C) At the close of each Competition awards may be made to the winners and runners up if the funds of the Competition permit. The presentation of any other mementos or souvenirs is not allowed unless permission has been previously obtained from the Competition.

17 Precedence of other Competitions

The Lincolnshire Football Association Ltd Competitions shall take precedence over any fixtures arranged under the rules of this Competition.

18 Board of Appeal

Within 14 days of the posting of written notification of any decision of the Management Committee of the Competition, a Club, Official, or Player against whom action is taken may appeal against such decision by lodging particulars in duplicate with the Secretary of Lincolnshire Football Association Ltd including a fee of £50.00 for adjudication of a Board or
appeal. The grounds of the appeal shall be in accordance with FA Rules. The Board of appeal may order the appeal fee to be forfeited and shall decide by whom the cost of the appeal shall be borne. The decision of the Board of Appeal is final and binding on all parties concerned.

19 Clubs entering outside Competitions

A Club having been granted permission by the Lincolnshire Football Association Ltd to enter any Competition outside the County is not allowed to postpone or cancel any match within the jurisdiction of the Lincolnshire Football Association Ltd without their permission.

20 Rules Binding on Clubs

Each Club shall be deemed to have given its assent to the foregoing Rules and agreed to abide by the decision of the Management Committee subject to Rule 18.

Each Club in the Competition must be supplied with one copy of the Competition Rules, these will be sent by email to the named Club/Team email address as notified to the League by each Club/team.

21 Substitutes

A Club may at its discretion and in accordance with the laws of the game use 5 substitute players in any match in this competition who may be selected from 5 players. A player who has been substituted during the game shall then become a substitute for the remainder of the game, and may be reintroduced in the game after being substituted. A player who has been selected, appointed, or named as a substitute before the start of the 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 Rule 8 of this Competition.

22 Fines

All fines and charges are payable forthwith and must be paid within 14 days of the date of notification of the decision. Any Club failing to do so will be fined in accordance with the fines tariff. Further failure to pay the fine including the additional fine within 14 days will result in fixtures being withdrawn until such time as the outstanding fines are paid.

23 Payments

All payments to the Competition shall be paid either by direct transfer into the League’s Bank Account, the details of which will be clearly stated on the correspondence sent at the time, or by Cheque. Cheques should be made payable to “Lincoln & District Sunday Football League”.  Any Cheques that are sent to the League relating to League imposed fines should contain the fine reference number of the fine on the reverse side of the cheque. If any cheques are returned by the Bank, then the defaulting Club shall be responsible for any charges incurred.

24 Football Business

Other than Results Secretary, NO football business to be dealt with after 8pm.