General Rules
LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND SCHOOLS FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
GENERAL RULES
1. Name.
The Association shall be named 'Leicestershire and Rutland Schools Football Association'.
It shall affiliated to the English Schools Football Association and to the Midland Counties Schools Football Association.
2. Object.
(a) The development and improvement of schoolchildren through association football.
(b) The aid of such charities and charitable objects as the Council may from time to time decide.
(c) The encouragement, promotion and government of Association Football in schools in Leicestershire and Rutland as modified and adapted for school purposes by The English Schools Football Association.
(d) The organisation of leagues and cup competitions to provide regular matches for affiliated schools.
3. Membership.
(a) Membership is open to all schools who shall affiliate through their district associationsor Team Leicestershire (www.teamleicestershire.org). The Council shall approve all initial applications and requests for change of area. The district affiliation fee, payable at the A.G.M. shall be ten pounds per annum for each of the three sections - primary, secondary and over statutory school leaving age.
(b) No affiliated association or school affiliated to this association shall compete in any competition which is not recognised and registered with E. S. F. A. or play against any unaffiliated association or team without the sanction of council
(c) Each affiliated association shall forward a full list of affiliated schools to the Hon. Secretary during September each year.
4. Officers
The officers shall consist of President, Chairman, Ex-Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer, Fixtures Secretary, Competition Secretaries and Team Managers.
All officers with the exception of Ex-Chairman and Chairman shall be elected annually.
5. Vice-Chairman
The Vice-Chairman shall become Chairman the following year.
6. Council
The Council shall consist of the officers, representatives of each district association. Each district association shall be entitled to one representative.
7. Power of the Council.
(a) The Council shall have the power to call a general meeting. The secretary shall, at any time, call a general meeting on receiving from any affiliated association a requisition stating the object of the meeting.
(b) The Council may co-opt and fill any vacancy which may arise in its body. The Council shall make such arrangements for the management of the association from time to time as the need arises.
(c) The Council shall appoint sub-committees as necessary. The members of these sub-committees shall be appointed initially from Council members representing the age group concerned. These sub-committees shall then have the power to co-opt. The Council may then appoint other sub-committees as it may deem necessary.
(d) The Chairman and Secretary shall, ex-officio, be members of all sub-committees with power to vote.
(e) The Council shall have the power to arrange all inter-county matches
(f) For the transaction of business at a Council meeting, five shall constitute a quorum.
8. Annual General Meeting
(a) The annual general meeting shall be held in June and shall include all financial statements, secretary's report, election of officers, election of auditors and approval of competitions to be played.
(b) The secretary shall give seven clear days notice of the date, time and place of such meetings. An agenda of the business to be transacted shall accompany the notice.
(c) The voting power shall be vested on the officers of the Council together with one representative of each district association.
(d) Notice of any business (other than ordinary routine business of the annual meeting) together with any proposed alteration to rules must be sent to the secretary on or before the first day of May. No rules shall be altered except at the annual general meeting.
9. Inter-school and Representative Matches
(a) Representative matches
The Council have a prior claim on any boy or girl for a team coming under the auspices of the Leicestershire & Rutland Schools Football Association. Former representative players who are at affiliated colleges on a full time course of study shall be available for selection.
(b) Inter-school and representative matches.
- Players must be in full time education at a DfE registered institution to be eligible to represent their District, County or Country.
- A player shall be eligible for selection for the County Schools’ FA in which they attend school.
- A player shall be eligible for selection for the District Schools’ FA in which they attend school.
- For those attending a Pupil Referral Unit, eligibility to play for a District or County shall be determined by the location of the school/unit in which they are primarily registered, unless the pupil has been prohibited from playing football as part of the terms of his/her exclusion, in which case such pupils would not be eligible for selection. PRU-educated pupils able to play for their District/County Association are eligible for national selection.
- Those who are home educated shall be eligible to play for the District/County in which they reside, unless they are registered with a school for exams, in which case the school’s locality shall define eligibility. Players eligible to play for their County are eligible for national selection.
- . All inter-school and representative teams must be under the ultimate control of either:
(a) a practicing teacher, recognised as such by the Department for Education or a recognised teacher who is retired.
(b) an AOTT who has received direct approval in writing from the appropriate localor county schools football association to undertake such responsibilities. Approval may be withdrawn, at any time, by the ESFA, the local and / or county schools association
(c) everyone regularly assisting with or coaching a team must (i) have an accepted FA Enhance DBS check, issued with the previous three years (ii) complete the FA Safeguarding Children course in line with FA Policy and renewed every two years, unless they are a practicing school teacher who receives annual safeguarding training through their employment in a recognised educational establishment.
(d) Any cost associated with DBS and Safeguarding Children shall be the responsibility of the local or county schools football association.
(e) Everyone regularly assisting with or coaching a representative team must be named and accepted on the ESFA affiliation portal by the ESFA National Welfare Officers before they can be involved in any activity.. Practicing teachers must be identified as such on the ESFA portal. AOTTs (Adults Other than Teachers) must be identified as such on the ESFA affiliation portal. Retired teachers must be identified as such on the ESFA portal.
(f) Anyone who has an expired FA DBS and /or expired sageguarding training must not be involved in any activity.
(g) All coaches and helpers / assistants must operate in the presence of a person qualified under the paragraphs above.
10. Violation of rules of the game (as defined by The Football Association).
(a) The Council shall have the power to deal with violation of rules of the game, the rules and regulations of the association or the misconduct of any of its players, in any match played under its jurisdiction.
(b) It is the duty of the officials of the school and referee to report to the secretary all cases of misconduct likely to bring the game into disrepute. The teachers responsible for teams must report any infringement of rules in duplicate within seven days of the match.
(d) Any player reported for misconduct shall pay an administration cost (currently £10). This fee is payable by the school or college. The school or college must not try to recover this cost from the player or player’s family.
(e) Any player requesting a personal hearing after receiving a charge of misconduct shall pay £25.00. This fee is payable by the school or college. The school or college must not try to recover this cost from the player or player’s family. This fee shall be refunded if the appeal is successful.
11. Neutral referees.
Advice and contact information for neutral referees is available on request to the secretary. The home school / college is responsible for payment of a match fee.
12. Trophies
It shall be the responsibility of the winners of all cups to arrange for the suitable care of such trophies whilst in their possession. The school / college is responsible for the engraving of its name on the trophy (where applicable).