LMHA - Mixed Section Playing Regulations

Mixed Playing Regulations 2007/8 :

** TO BE AMENDED FOLLOWING 2008 AGM on 30th June **

Introduction :

NOTE 1: Throughout these Playing Regulations, Competition(s) refers to League, Cup, Plate & 7-a-side Matches organised by the LRHA Mixed Section, unless otherwise individually identified.

NOTE 2: Abreviations - EC - Mixed Section Executive Committee unless otherwise stated.

PR - Playing Regulation.

FTC - Failure to Comply.

NOTE 3 : Health & Safety and Insurance - The EC and their insurer emphasise to all players, Teams, Clubs and officials that safety must be a priority in all aspects of hockey. The EC advise that all recommended protective clothing should be worn and the EC give match officials full authority to insist that all safety precautions are in place when there is concern.

1 General

a. Membership of the LRHA Mixed Section and entry into the Competitions is achieved by submitting a completed Team: Competition(s) & Membership Application Form to the EC with appropriate fees, by the due date. ?? If ANY of the contact details submitted on the form are subsequently changed, it is the Club’s responsibility to advise the Administrative Officer as soon as possible.

FTC: Shall result in a fine in accordance with PR 20.

b. All matches shall be conducted in accordance with International Hockey Federation "FIH Rules of Hockey" and as amended by these Playing Regulations.

For all Mixed Section Competitions. each team shall consist of not more than 5 males and 5 females in the outfield and either a male or female goalkeeper. (FIH: Each team is permitted to substitute from a maximum of 16 players)

No player shall be allowed to play for more than one Team on the same day.

FTC: The EC may award the match to the opposing Team and the offending Team may be liable to a fine in accordance with PR 20.

2 Goalkeepers - Dress, Equipment, Suspension, Safety, Incapacity

The Mixed Section has not adopted the following FIH Rules governing goalkeepers:-

Rule 2.2 relating to the substitution of goalkeepers and replacement with field players, with or without goalkeeping privileges,

Rule 4.4 relating to what goalkeepers must wear,

Rule 10.1b relating to players with goalkeeping privileges,

Rule 13.5f relating to field players defending a penalty stroke.

Accordingly, all Teams must have a goalkeeper on the pitch at all times and the goalkeeper must wear a helmet incorporating fixed full-face protection and cover for the entire head with throat protection, leg guards and kickers.

Furthermore, goalkeepers are strongly advised to wear upper body, thigh, abdominal and hand protectors.

If the goalkeeper is injured or suspended, a field player must replace the goalkeeper and must put on, without time wasting, the above equipment.

3 Pitches, Goal Equipment, Field Equipment, 1st Aid Kit, Ambulance Access

Each Club/Team must provide an EC recognised and approved hockey pitch for home matches.

FIH "Field of Play" pitch specifications are required for all Competition matches.

Each team must have quick and easy access to an updated First Aid Kit.

Access to a qualified First Aid person or equivalent is advisable.

Ambulance access to the pitch must be kept clear at all times - be aware of liability.

4 Team Colours

Each team must register with the EC the colour of its shirts, shorts, skirts and socks on the Team Competition & Membership Application Form.

· Colour changes require EC permission.

· Field Players of the same team shall wear clothing of uniform colour.

· Goalkeepers must wear a shirt or garment over the upper body protectors which is a different colour from that of either team.

· In the event of a colour clash, the visiting team shall change to different coloured shirts and socks. Team Secretaries must resolve colour clash changes when confirming the fixture.

5 Player Registrations & Transfers - MRL or RTF

a. Before playing in any Competition Match, a player must be registered in one of the following ways:-

i) for players re-registering, having been registered the previous season - by signing the Master Registration List (MRL);

ii) for players registering on or before the official registration evening and for transferring players - by completing the correct sections of a Registration/Transfer Form (RTF). Each RTF must be countersigned by an umpire prior to the player’s first match.

b. Procedures:

i) MRL: The checked and signed MRL must be received by the Registration Officer on or before the official registration evening . Fees must accompany the MRL.

If a player is not re-registering and owes money and/or property to the Club, the Club must make note against the player's name on the MRL. Any such player cannot register with any other Club until all debts are cleared and/or property returned.

FTC: Shall result in a fine in accordance with PR 20

ii) RTF: The countersigned RTF must be sent to the Registration Officer immediately after the match in which the player first played.

FTC: The player(s) shall be deemed ineligible and Teams including the player(s) on the match card shall forfeit the fixture 0-5

c. Method of payment: Each Team shall pay the registration fees for those players included on the MRL upon its submission.For all subsequent registrations, EITHER the fee shall accompany the form OR Teams may submit one collective payment on or before 31st March. Any registrations after this date shall be accompanied by the fee.

FTC: Shall result in a fine in accordance with PR 20 and points will be deducted

d. A player remains registered with a Club until:-

i) that player is transferred, in accordance with Playing Regulation 5a(ii) and the fee is paid or

ii) a full season has elapsed since the player last played, and provided the player does not owe money or property to the Club.

FTC: Shall result in a fine in accordance with PR 20.

Note: A Club registering a player in good faith shall not be deemed to have committed an offence if the player is subsequently found to be in debt to another Club, providing that once notified by the Registration Officer of the debt, the Club suspend the player until the matter is resolved.

e. Player Poaching: A registered player of an affiliated Club of the LRHA Mixed Section shall not be approached with a view to transfer by a representative of any other Club without the formal consent of the Secretary of the Club for whom that player is registered.

FTC: Transfer refused and the offending Club may be fined in accordance with PR 20.

f. A player transferred to another Club shall not play League matches for any team within that club if that team has completed three-quarters of the league program.

g. A team which has completed three quarters of the League program may register only one new player per match until the end of the playing program.

6 Nominated Players - For Clubs with more than one Team

a. This rule shall apply to all LRHA Mixed Section affiliated clubs with 2 or more League Competition teams as listed on the first page of: Nomination & Team Contact Details.

b. The Club must declare the lowest placed team in the league and that team shall be exempt from player nomination.

c. On or before the official registration evening, the higher placed League Team(s) shall submit a list of nominated players for each team to the Registration Officer.

d. Each team shall nominate 11 players, with a minimum of 5 male players and 5 female players.

Nominated players shall be restricted from playing for lower teams within that Club as follows:
A maximum of 2 nominated players may play for the next lower team in any one game ie. 1st to 2nd team, 2nd to 3rd team etc.). A Nominated player may not play for the second lower team (1st to 3rd team) or for the third lower team (1st to 4th team etc.).

e. A Nominated player shall not play for a lower team after that lower team has completed three-quarters of their League program.

f. There shall be no restriction on nominated players for a higher team with that Club.

g. Teams must notify the Registration Officer immediately of any changes to be made to the list of nominated players.
Changes can be made at any time, except (f) above, but must be in writing and will be effective from the envelope postage date stamp.
No more than 2 players may be changed in any one calendar month.
No changes to a teams list of nominated players shall be made after completion of three-quarters of that teams program.

FTC: The opposing Team may be awarded affected matches. The offending Team may be fined in accordance with PR 20

7 Fixtures

a. All matches shall be played on a Saturday with a start time not earlier than 10:00hrs nor later than 16:30hrs. In exceptional circumstances, matches may be played at other times mutually agreed by the teams. The Fixtures Officer must be notified by the home team of all such fixtures.

b. The home team must confirm match details for all fixtures by the Wednesday before the match with :-

i) the visiting Team secretary;

ii) the umpires, or if Club umpires are appointed, the secretaries of those Clubs.

FTC: Shall result in a fine in accordance with PR 20.

8 Match Cards

a. Match Cards shall be fully completed in ink using BLOCK capitals, signed by the team captain and submitted to the umpires prior to the start of the match. All alterations must be endorsed by one of the umpires.

FTC: Shall result in a fine in accordance with PR 20 and may lead to further penalties.

b. Upon completion of the match, the umpires shall be responsible for entering onto the Match Card the final score, the goal scorers, details of any suspended players and any late starts.

c. Team Captains or Secretaries must verify the result and the names of the goal scorers with the umpires and then countersign the Match Card to acknowledge agreement.

d. Players appearing on the Match Card shall be deemed to have participated in the match.

e. The umpires shall be responsible for ensuring that the Match Cards are sent to the Results & Charts Secretary. (Read "Home Team Official" for "Umpires" in the event of no official Match Umpires.

9 Notification Of Results (by Email)

The Home Team must register the League or Cup result with the Fixtures Officer by email within 48 hours of the match completion.

10 Postponement & Cancellation Of Fixtures - PRF

a. A team wishing to postpone a League or Cup fixture must, in every instance, send a completed Request for Postponement Form (RPF) to the Fixtures Officer.

Failure to submit an RPF form, or to notify those parties on the form, shall result in a fine in accordance with PR 20 and may lead to disciplinary action as per PR 11.

b. Teams wishing to postpone a League or Cup fixture must give a minimum of 28 days notice to the Fixtures Officer. Postponed fixtures will be re-arranged in accordance with PR 13a.

c. Teams wishing to postpone or cancel a League or Cup fixture with less than 28 days notice but not less than 14 days notice must submit their reasons to the Fixtures Officer. Such fixtures will be dealt with at the discretion of the EC under either PR 11 or 13a.

d. Teams shall not be permitted to postpone a League or Cup fixture within 13 days of the original fixture. These fixtures will be dealt with under PR 11.

e. Emergency fixture postponements shall only be permitted in the following circumstances:-

i) the pitch is deemed unfit for play by either the pitch manager or the umpire(s);

ii) the umpires, players or pitch manager believe that the weather conditions make playing unsafe.

iii) the Fixtures Officer instructs a postponement.

In all circumstances, it is the home Team’s responsibility to send a completed Request for Postponement Form (RPF) to the Fixtures Officer.

f. In exceptional circumstances, the Fixtures Officer may instruct a League or Cup fixture to be postponed or cancelled - see PR 13a.

g. Teams wishing to cancel a Friendly Fixture shall give 7 days notice in writing to the Fixtures Officer and the Secretary of the opposing team. Teams failing to do so shall be considered unable to fulfil the fixture and be dealt with under PR 11.

11 Failure to Fulfil a Fixture

a. Teams failing to fulfil a League or Cup fixture must submit an Request for Postponement Form (RPF) to the Fixtures Officer.

FTC: Shall result in a fine in accordance with PR 20.

b. Failing to fulfil a League or Cup fixture shall result in the offending Team conceding the match to their opponents by a score of 0 – 5.

In the case of a League fixture, the Team shall also be deducted 3 points.

In the case of a Cup fixture, the Team shall be fined in accordance with PR 20.

c. Failing to fulfil a Friendly Fixture shall result in a fine in accordance with PR 20.

d. In addition to all the above, the offending team shall be responsible for:-

i) all umpires fees, in the event of the umpires keeping their appointment;

ii) all pitch costs incurred by the home Team.

e. In exceptional circumstances, the EC shall consider evidence presented by the offending team and shall adjudicate accordingly.

12 Late Match Starts

Teams shall be on the pitch ready to start each fixture no later than 15 minutes after the official start time.

FTC: Offending Teams shall be liable to a fine in accordance with PR 20 and, at the discretion of the EC, may be deemed not to have fulfilled the fixture - see PR 11.

13 Rearranged Fixtures

a. The Fixtures Officer shall endeavour to re-arrange all postponed fixtures in accordance with PR 7a, but if that is not possible, the two teams may be instructed to agree a mutually convenient date for the fixture - it is then the Home Team's responsibility to ensure the match is re-arranged. Both Teams are advised to keep the Fixtures Officer informed at all stages of the discussions when trying to agree a mutually convenient date.

The home team must inform the Fixtures Officer and Umpires Secretary of the date and venue for the re-arranged fixture.

FTC: Shall result in a fine in accordance with PR 20.

b. All postponed fixtures must be re-arranged within 28 days of the postponement, but not necessarily played within that time.

FTC: Shall result in a fine in accordance with PR 20.

c: In the event that a mutually convenient date cannot be agreed, the EC shall consider the appropriate course of action, having regard to the efforts made by each Team to re-arrange the match.

If either Team is found to have made insufficient effort to re-arrange, they shall be deemed unwilling to fulfil the fixture and dealt with under Playing Regulation 11.

If the EC are satisfied that every effort was made to re-arrange and that a mutually convenient date could not be agreed by the due date, the match shall be deemed cancelled without penalty.

14 Organisation & Structure Of The League

The structure of the League shall be reviewed annually by the EC.

No club shall be permitted more than 2 teams in Division 1.

      League Point system: Win = 3 points, Draw = 1 point, Lose = 0 point.

15 League Promotions And Relegations

          a) The Champion Team and runners-up in each division, except the first Division, shall be promoted to the Division above.

b) The bottom two Teams in each Division, except in the lowest Division, shall be relegated to the Division below.
c) Positions of teams in Divisions will be determined by the following priorities:

        i)   Total points

        i)   Goal difference

        iii) Goals scored

        iv) Results of games between tying teams

d) Other promotions and relegations or league adjustments as directed by the EC.

16 Challenge Cup Competitions (Senior Cup, Junior Cup & Plate)

a)    Teams in the top two Divisions shall be eligible to take part in the Senior Cup competition. All other teams shall be eligible to take part in the Junior Cup competition. Any Team that loses their first Senior or Junior Cup match shall be eligible to take part in the Plate Competition.

b)    Players nominated for Teams in the first and second League Divisions are not eligible to play in the Junior Cup.

c)    All Cup matches shall be drawn by ballot. Cup matches shall have priority over League and Friendly matches.

d)    If after normal time no result is reached, the match shall be decided by a Penalty Stroke Competition as per FIH Rules of Hockey Penalty Stroke Competition Regulations. A maximum of 3 males and 3 females shall nominated from each team.

e)    The Cup Finals shall be played at a venue determined by the EC.

17 Cup Competitions: Player Registrations

A player shall be represent only one team per season in one of the LRHA Mixed Section Challenge Cup competitions. All players appearing on the Match Card shall be deemed to have participated in the match and shall be “cup-tied” to that team.

FTC: A player cup-tied to one Team then playing and/or named on the Match Card for another Team shall automatically disqualify the offending Team and the opposition shall be awarded the tie.

18 Representative Hockey: County Hockey

a)    The EC shall control all representative hockey via the County Team's Secretary and the County Team Managers.

b)    All Clubs are invited to send players to County Trials and to County Training Sessions for Representative Hockey consideration.

c)    A player chosen to represent Leicestershire & Rutland is by EC invitation.

d)    Clubs with 2 or more players engaged in a Representative match may be excused their commitments on that day. Alternative arrangements may be made at the discretion of the EC

19 Umpires - Procedures & Treatment by Players, Club Officials, Spectators

a. This Playing Regulation applies to all Umpires, Player Umpires and captain-appointed Umpires.

Umpires shall ensure that all matches are conducted in accordance with International Hockey Federation (FIH) Rules of Hockey and as set out in these Playing Regulations.

b. DISCIPLINARY HEARINGS: All players receiving a Red Card or multiple Yellow Cards amounting to 12 penalty points or more shall be required to attend a Mixed Section Disciplinary Hearing where additional punishment may be implemented.

c. Outside the Disciplinary Card Procedure, Umpires & Officials shall report in writing to the EC immediately that players and/or supporters subject them to: any abuse (physical or verbal), foul language, shouting, criticism or threat.
The EC shall refer all complaints to the Disciplinary Committee.

d. The allocation of Umpires to fixtures shall be the responsibility of the LRHA Mixed Section Umpires Association and organised by the EC Umpires Secretary.

e. The Umpires Secretary shall have call on all teams without a fixture to provide at least 2 umpires to officiate at League or Cup matches.

FTC: Shall result in a fine in accordance with PR 20 & the EC shall consider other penalties

f. Umpires failing to fulfil a match officiating appointment shall notify the Umpires Secretary within 3 days of the match, stating the reason(s).

g. The home team shall inform the Umpires Secretary immediately an umpire fails to fulfil a match appointment or is late in arriving.

h. Where 2 umpires are allocated, but only one umpire appears, then the attendant umpire shall officiate, providing that umpire is willing and feels able to do so.

i. In the event of the appointed umpire(s) not being able to officiate the League or Cup match, it may be postponed. Alternatively, the 2 Captains may agree to appoint a player from each side to officiate the match. Neither player is allowed to play while umpiring.
The fact of the match being played shall be "proof of that agreement" and the match shall count as a League or Cup match.

j. When a League or Cup match has no appointed umpire(s), each Club may provide an umpire(s), but only with the approval of the Umpires Secretary.

k. Umpires shall enter the match result onto the Match Card, endorse all alterations if accepted and append their signature for all competition matches they officiate.

l. Umpires shall record on the Match Card, a late match start with relevant details.

m. Umpires expenses shall be reviewed annually by the EC and any recommendations placed before an AGM.

n. In the event of an umpire arriving at a match which is cancelled due to circumstances beyond the control of either Team, the umpire may claim half expenses from the LRHA Mixed Section.
Umpires keeping an appointment but finding the match cancelled or postponed due to one of the teams shall receive full expenses from the offending Club - see PR 11d.

All Clubs are required as a duty of their membership to send players to the umpire training sessions organized by the EC and to ensure that qualified umpires are provided as and when required by the Umpires Secretary.

20 Fees And Fines

The Financial Year End is 31st May each year. All fees and fines shall be reviewed annually by the EC and their recommendations shall be presented before an AGM or a SGM in the form of Executor Proposals for approval.

a. All fees identified as identified in Team Competitions & Membership, Insurance, Player Registrations & Transfers must be paid to the LMHA on or before the official registration evening as detailed in PR 5cii.

b. All money owed to the Mixed Section as identified in the Payment Chart must be paid by the due date as noted on the invoice or demand letter.

FTC: Starting on the first day after the due date, Teams shall be deducted 1 point per week summating to a maximum of 5 points. The points penalty shall be carried over to the following season, if appropriate

c. The EC will consider extenuating circumstances for non-payment and may suspend persistent offenders from all Competitions.

21 Insurance

All Clubs/Teams must carry a Minimum Insurance Cover of Civil & Employees' Liability - Civil Liability. Insurance renewal is on 1^st September each year.

22 Child Protection

All Clubs must register a Child Protection Officer (CPO) for the Club and that person must have attended and completed a formal LRHA Child Protection course, or equivalent course.

If that person leaves the Club or ceases to attend matches before the season ends, the Club must notify the EC and register another person as CPO. More than one club member may attend a course.