League Rule Breaches

Leagues Management Committees are responsible for upholding Competition Rules and are authorised to raise charges against Clubs and Individuals who may breach their rules under SCOR/Y 6.E.

Criteria 

The League must act on any potential Rule Breach within 28 days of being notified, or within 28 days of the County FA taking action over the same incident.

Process

1. League issues charge, providing details of the Rule Breach and any accompanying evidence
2. Club has seven days to respond to the charge. The Club may accept or deny the charge and may request the opportunity to appear before the League. If the Club fails to respond the League may consider the charge in their absence.
3. League consider the charge and determine if the charge is found proven or not proven. 
4. League determine sanctions in line with the Fines Tariff and notifies the Club within seven days.

Exceptions

There are three types of Rule Breach which do not require the formal charging process:

• SCOR/Y 6.I:     Failure to pay fine within 14 days
• SCOR/Y 8.H:     Failure to attend an AGM
• SCOR/Y 9:     Failure to attend an SGM

Appeals

Any decision taken by the League may be appealed to the Berks & Bucks FA by the Cub acting on their behalf in accordance with SCOR/Y 7.F. Any appeal must be submitted in writing to the County FA within fourteen days of being notified of the League’s decision. 

For more information on League Appeals, please click here.

Failure to Comply with League Decisions

If a Club fails to make payment on any fine within fourteen days of the decision, the League may issue them with a late fee in accordance with SCOR/Y 6.I (please note this timeframe is paused if an appeal is submitted).

If a Club fails to pay all outstanding fines within fourteen days of the late fee being issued, the League may withdraw fixtures under SCOR/Y 6.I until such time as all outstanding fines are paid.

If a Club continues to fail to pay all outstanding fines, the League should seek to meet with the Club and County FA to determine the cause for the continued non-payment in an attempt to resolve the matter and retain the Team’s participation in the League. If this is not possible, or the Club persistently fails to meet the terms of any agreement, then the League should consider calling an SGM to recommend the Team or Club’s removal from the Competition in accordance with SCOR/Y 12.A/B.

Rule Breach Flow Chart

More Information

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For more information about managing a grassroots football Club or League, please visit www.Berks-BucksFA.com. Alternatively, find us on socials @berksandbucksfa for the latest news and updates.