REGULATIONS FOR THE SANCTION AND CONTROL OF COMPETITIONS EXCEPT THOSE UNDER THE DIRECT JURISDICTION AND CONTROL OF THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION


1. A Competition consisting of clubs, all of which are Members of 1 Affiliated Association only, shall make application for sanction to, and the Competition shall be sanctioned by, and be under the jurisdiction of that Association.


2. A Competition consisting of clubs within the area of, or affiliated to, 2 or 3 Affiliated Associations shall make application for sanction to, and may be affiliated with, the Association which has the majority of the Competition's clubs in affiliation. The Association to which application has been made shall, within 14 days of its receipt, submit the application to the other Association(s) concerned. The Competition shall be sanctioned by, and be under the jurisdiction of a Committee of not less than 2 representatives of each of the Affiliated Associations.

* Competitions forming the National League System as designated by The Football Association from time to time will be sanctioned under Regulation 3.

(*Competitions designated by The Football Association are Essex Senior League, Kent League, Northern League, Sussex County League and Midland Football Alliance.)


3. A Competition consisting of clubs within the area of more than 3 Affiliated Associations shall make application for sanction to, and the Competition shall be sanctioned by and be under the jurisdiction of The Football Association unless it directs that the Competition may be sanctioned under Regulation 2. An annual sanction fee will be determined by The Association.


4. A Competition may be used for advertising and/or sponsorship purposes and the name of the donor of a Trophy or any other presentation may form part of the title of a Competition only with the prior consent of The Association or appropriate Affiliated Association.


5. If a Competition is discontinued for any reason a Trophy or any other presentation shall be returned to the donor if the conditions attached to it so provide or, if not, dealt with as the sanctioning Association(s) may decide.


6. The sanctioning Association(s) may not allot a club to a Competition but may permit it to make provision in its Rules to restrict the number of Competitions, except F.A. and County Cup Competitions, in which its clubs take part. An exception to the Regulation shall be in Competitions that form part of the National League System, as determined from time to time by The Association.


7. Players without a written contract are not restricted as to the clubs for which they may play provided they comply with the Rules and Regulations of any Competition in which their club(s) may be engaged.


8. (a) Application for sanction of a Competition (other than a Charity Competition) shall be submitted in the format of a completed form marked "D" as scheduled to the Rules of The Football Association. 2 copies of the proposed Competition Rules must accompany the application together with 2 copies of the Articles, if applicable.

(b) A Competition may promote and manage other Competitions restricted to the clubs listed on form "D" in which case only 2 copies of the Competition Rules are required.


9. Application for sanction of a Charity Competition shall be submitted in the format of a completed form marked "E" as scheduled to the Rules of The Football Association. 2 copies of the proposed Rules must accompany the application.


10. When an application for sanction is made by a new or youth Competition under Regulations 1 and 2, the Affiliated Association(s) concerned may require that the Competition Rules provide that representation of the Association(s) be by the inclusion of non-voting member(s) of the Management Committee. This arrangement is for the guidance of the Competition.

11. The sanctioning Association(s) may approve modifications of the Laws of the Game defined by the International Association Football Board in Competitions for players under the age of 16, women's football, veterans' football (over 35 years of age) and players with disabilities.


12. Competitions shall not allow matches to be played until their member clubs and Rules or Rule changes are approved by the sanctioning Association(s).


13. If a difference of opinion arises between Affiliated Associations having the right of sanction and jurisdiction under Regulation 2, any of the Association(s) may appeal to The Football Association in accordance with FA Rule H and the Regulations for Football Association Appeals.


14. In the event of a Competition being refused sanction or affiliation by an Affiliated Association the applicants have the right of appeal to The Football Association in accordance with FA Rule H and the Regulations for Football Association Appeals.


15. A Competition shall consist of member clubs the voting rights of which shall be determined by the Rules of the Competition subject to the approval of the sanctioning Association(s).


16. (a) A Competition is not allowed to alter its Constitution, Rules or clubs without the consent of The Football Association or the affiliated Association(s) sanctioning the Competition.

(b) Details of the proposed Rule changes must be submitted for approval to The Football Association or the Affiliated Association(s) sanctioning the Competition at least 14 days prior to the date fixed for the holding of the Annual or Special General Meeting of the Competition.

(c) Rule changes may not be made after they have been approved by the sanctioning Association(s) giving consent to the Competition, unless such intended alteration has first been submitted to, and approved by, that authority, and subsequently by a General Meeting of the Competition.


17. Applications to The Football Association for the formation of new Competitions, or for the approval of alterations in the Constitution, Rules or clubs of existing Competitions should be made by 1st August annually.

Applications to Affiliated Associations for alterations in the Constitution, Rules or clubs of existing Competitions should be made by 1st August, and applications for formation of new Competitions should be made by 1st September.

Competitions submitting amendments to their Rules must set them out in a proper form, side by side with the original Rules affected.


18. All Affiliated Associations sanctioning Competitions and all Competitions shall observe the Rules and Regulations of The Football Association. Any rule, regulation or practice of any such Association or Competition that is inconsistent with the Rules and Regulations of The Football Association shall be void and unenforceable. For further avoidance of doubt, the fact that a Competition has been sanctioned whether directly or indirectly by The Football Association shall not render enforceable any such rule, regulation or practice which would otherwise be void and unenforceable under the Rules of The Football Association.


19. Competitions (other than Charity Competitions) already sanctioned and which are not altering their Constitution, Rules or clubs should, before the 1st September in each year, forward completed Form "D" together with a copy of the Rules to the Affiliated Association from which sanction was received. Charity Competitions shall in like manner forward completed Form "E" together with a copy of the Rules.


20. The permission of The Football Association or of the Affiliated Association(s) concerned is required in respect of either a Competition conducted by a club or for a match in which a Trophy, presentation or any reward is given.


21. If a club is required to do so by its parent Affiliated Association, a club must enter a suitable Cup Competition of that Association. Only the matches of that Competition will take precedence over other Competitions in which the club competes, except The Football Association Premier League, The Football League and The Football League Cup Competition.

With the consent of its parent Affiliated Association, a club may enter suitable Cup Competition(s) of other Affiliated Association(s). Ties in The F.A. Youth Challenge Cup Competition will take precedence with the exception of ties in other F.A. Competitions and 1st team League fixtures.

Affiliated Association(s) Cup Competition games which involve the Reserve or Youth teams of a club do not take precedence over arranged first team League fixtures of The Football Conference, Northern Premier, Isthmian and Southern Leagues.


22. (a) A club may not withdraw or resign unless it has complied with the obligations set out in the Rules of the Competition, in so far as such Rules are consistent with the following provisions of this Regulation and the other Rules and Regulations of The Football Association.

(b) A Competition may require a club to give written notice of an intention or provisional intention to resign or withdraw at the end of a season. Where such notice has been submitted a club must either confirm or rescind the notice, in writing, by 31st March in that season.

(c) A Competition may not, in its Rules and Regulations, adopt or give effect to any Rule, Regulation or practice whereby:-
(i) a club intending or having a provisional intention to resign or withdraw at the end of a season is required to give notice of such intention before 31st December in that season;

(ii) any penalty or other obligation is imposed upon a club intending to resign or withdraw at the end of a season for not having given notice of such intention prior to 31st December.

(iii) any club is or can be required to give notice of an intention or provisional intention to resign or withdraw before being able to apply for membership of another Competition.

(d) Subject to the provisions of this Regulation, a club shall be permitted to resign or withdraw from a Competition at the end of a season.

(e) For the avoidance of doubt and without prejudice to the generality of Regulation 19, any rule, regulation or practice in breach of this Regulation shall be void and unenforceable.

(f) Without at least 7 days written notice to a Competition, a Participant (FA Rule A2) may not make an approach to or have contact with a club still in membership of that Competition with regard to the club becoming a member or another Competition.


23. (a) A Competition must make provision in its Rules for a right of appeal to the sanctioning Association, as provided for in FA Rule B1(b). The Rules of Competitions sanctioned by The Football Association must make provision for the payment of a minimum fee of £50.

(b) No appeal can be lodged against a decision taken at an Annual or Special General Meeting unless this is on the ground of unconstitutional conduct.


24. Without the prior consent of the sanctioning Association a Competition must not permit matches other than those incidental to it.


25. In Charity Competitions:-

(a) conducted on a league principle, not less than 1/10th of the gross gate receipts of each match must go to Charity. If the receipts are insufficient to cover ground expenses of the match the percentage may not be taken. Expenses must not include those of the competing clubs;

(b) conducted as a knock-out cup, of the gross gate receipts at least 1/10th of the Preliminary Round(s) and at least 1/3rd of the Semi-Final and Final Ties must go to charity;

(c) a salary or honorarium must not be paid to any official;

(d) at the close of each Competition an audited Balance Sheet or Financial Statement must be forwarded to the sanctioning Association together with confirmation from the Charity(ies) of the amount donated.


26. Competitions shall fix the fees to be paid to Match Officials officiating in their matches within the limits laid down by the Sanctioning Association. Officials shall neither ask for, nor receive a larger fee than that fixed by the Competition.


27. Referees must not be called upon to perform duties extraneous to the Laws of the Game which would bring them into direct contact unnecessarily with participating players, eg when match report cards were being signed by players.


28. Competitions must not impose bonds on their member clubs as a guarantee of the good behaviour of their players.


29. The Football Association keeps a record of all Competitions. For this purpose on or before the 1st November in each year the Affiliated Associations must transmit to The Football Association lists on the form marked "B" as scheduled to the Rules of The FA:-

(a) of Competitions which are under their jurisdiction, and

(b) of Competitions which are jointly under their jurisdiction.


30. The Rules of the Competition must comply with the Standard Code of Rules issued by The Football Association and as altered from time to time for the level at which the Competition competes.


31. The Football Association will appoint as one of its Standing Committees a Leagues Sanction and Registrations Committee and each Affiliated Association is required to make a similar provision.