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Regulations

Regulations of THE Women’s Challenge Cup Competition

1. SCOPE OF APPLICATION

1.1 The present regulations govern the rights, duties and responsibilities of all parties participating and involved in the preparation and organisation of The Football Association of Wales Women’s Challenge Cup Competition (hereinafter the competition).

2. CUP OWNERSHIP

2.1 The Cup is the property of The Football Association of Wales Limited and shall be presented to the winning club following the outcome of the final tie. The Champions shall then be responsible for its return to the Association on or before the 1st day in March in the ensuing year in good order and condition. Should the Cup be lost, destroyed or damaged by fire or any other cause whilst under the care and custody of the Club, the latter shall refund to the Association the amount of its current insured value or the cost of thorough repair in addition to any other penalty which The Football Association of Wales may impose.

3. MEDALS

3.1 The winning team is presented with 25 winner’s medals and the runner-up with 25 runners-up medals. Additional medals may be purchased for additional squad members. When a Player taking part is ordered to leave the field of play for misconduct, the medal to which she may be entitled may be withheld at the discretion of the National Cup Board.

4. CONTROL OF COMPETITION

4.1 The entire control and management of the Competition shall be vested in the National Cup Board. The National Cup Board shall have the power to formulate the Competition Regulations and to alter or add to the Regulations as they, from time to time, deem expedient. The National Cup Board shall give decisions on matters arising out of the Competition which, within the Rules laid down by the Association, shall be deemed decisions of the Directors. Clubs shall be bound by any Contract entered into by the National Cup Board in relation to the Competition. In any matter not specifically mentioned in these Rules, the Committee shall have the power to take such action and impose such penalties as it deems necessary.

5. ADMISSION CRITERIA AND PROCEDURE

To be eligible to participate in the Competition, clubs must:

5.1 Play all of their Women’s football under the jurisdiction of the Football Association of Wales.

5.2 Meet the Ground Criteria as described in Rule 10.

5.3 Affiliate to their Area Association or the Football Association of Wales.

5.4 Complete the official entry documents, which must reach the FAW administration by 30th June.

5.5 Pay an entrance fee of £25.00 including VAT by 30th June.

6 DUTIES OF THE CLUBS

6.1 On entering the competition, participating clubs agree:

(a)  to play in the competition until their elimination and to field their strongest team throughout the competition;

(b)  to stage and play all matches in the competition in accordance with the present regulations;

(c)  to comply with all decisions regarding the competition taken by the National Cup Board, the FAW administration or any other competent body and communicated appropriately (by circular letter or by official letter, fax or email);

(d)  if appropriate, to confirm that the artificial turf meets the FIFA Quality standards as required by the FAW Regulations for 3G synthetic pitches;

(e)  to cooperate with the FAW at any time – and in particular at the end of matches – in the collection of match data;

6.2 The club may use its name and/or logo provided all the following requirements are satisfied:

(a)  the name is mentioned in the statutes of the club;

(b)  it is registered with the FAW or the Area Association to which it affiliates.

6.3 The clubs are responsible for the behaviour of their players, officials, members, supporters and any person carrying out a function at a match on their behalf.

7. COMPETITION FORMAT

7.1 The Competition shall be on a Knockout basis.

7.2 Exemptions or byes, as may be considered appropriate, shall be granted or made at the discretion of the National Cup Board.

7.3 Matches in all stages of the competition are played in conformity with the IFAB Laws of the Game. The half-time interval lasts 15 minutes.

8. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

8.1 The Competition shall be played on a geographical basis until the quarter-final stage. The National Cup Board shall decide the geographical distribution of the Clubs participating in the competition.

9. THE DRAW

9.1 Immediately after each draw; the fixtures, the Conference Date and the time of kick-off shall be published on the website of the Association. The National Cup Board shall have the authority to determine the kick-off time and the date of the match to suit the Transmission Contract or in the overall interest of the Competition. Clubs shall not mutually arrange to play a match in lieu of a Cup Tie. If a match is played to a conclusion, it must be a Cup Tie.

9.2 Immediately after each draw, the Secretaries of Clubs drawn at home must communicate with their opponents, agree upon a date, venue and the time of kick off and notify the Chief Executive Officer of The Football Association of Wales within seven days of the draw.

9.3 Where Clubs fail to agree as to the date fixed for the Tie, or any other particulars of the match The Football Association of Wales shall decide the issue upon such terms and conditions as it shall deem expedient.

9.4 Any Club refusing to play the Club against which it has been drawn within the time intimated to it, without sufficient reason for doing so, shall be adjudged to have lost the match.

9.5 The Home Club shall, 7 days at least prior to the date of time, notify the Secretary of the opposing Club and the referee all particulars necessary for the players of the tie. Clubs failing to do this may be subject to a fine.

10. STADIUM / GROUND INFORMATION, FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT

10.1 Registered Ground  

(a)  In each tie, up to the Semi-final Tie, the club first drawn in the ballot shall have home advantage and shall be played on the registered ground of the Club first drawn. If the registered ground is unavailable, the fixture must be reversed to the opponents registered ground. When the fixture has been reversed, the Club which will now host the match is responsible for all of the expenses.

(b)  The Ground for the Semi-Final and Final ties shall be decided by the FAW.

(c)  A Club not having the facilities as required by Rule 10.2 and having not obtained the consent of the National Cup Board to the use of an alternative ground shall play on its opponent’s ground.

(d)  Clubs shall not play on a neutral ground without the consent of the National Cup Board. 

(e)  The National Cup Board shall have the power to order any match to be played on an alternative ground if it is deemed necessary. 

10.2 Ground Facilities 

(a)  Goal nets and corner flags must be used in all ties. The playing area must be roped, railed or walled off, except those areas and spaces excluded from spectator viewing. Dressing and showering accommodation (including appropriate sanitary facilities) must be separate for each team and Match Officials and should be situated within a reasonable walking distance to the pitch, as accepted by the Association.

(b)  The dimensions of the field of play for all Cup Ties shall be as follows:

·   Length: Between 91m to 105m (100 - 115 yards)

·   Width: Between 45m to 68m (50 – 74.36 yards)

10.3 Appeal – Unsuitability of Ground

If the ground of the Club entitled by the draw to have the Cup Tie played on its ground is considered unsuitable for the Cup Tie, having regard to all the circumstances, the opposing Club may appeal to the Association within seven days of the receipt of the official intimation of the draw. Such appeal must be accompanied by a fee of £50.00 which may be forfeited in the appeal is not sustained. The National Cup Board may order the match to be played on the ground of the appealing Club, or on a neutral ground. The payment of the expenses incidental to the Appeal shall be at the discretion of the National Cup Board.

10.4 Playing Condition of the Ground

Each Club must take every precaution to keep its ground in playing condition and, if necessary, either Club may appeal to the Association and the Secretary shall require the Referee or some other Referee to examine the ground and decide as to its fitness for play in sufficient time to save expenses of unnecessary journeys being incurred by the Clubs. Subject to this Rule, the Referee shall have power to decide as to the fitness of the ground in all matches and must report to the ground where the match is to be played at least one and a half hours before the time of kick-off. During the months of November, December, January and February, the Referee shall visit the ground two hours before the time of kick-off. If necessary, the home Club may require the Referee to visit the ground two hours or more before the time of kick-off any time during the season.

10.5 Artificial Pitches Football turf must be in accordance with the FAW’s Regulations for the use of Synthetic Turf in all Competitions’ and the pitch must be listed on the FAW’s Register of Artificial Grass Pitches.

10.6 Equipment

The Home Club shall ensure that:

  •  Match Balls must comply with the IFAB Laws of the  Game.
  •  A First Aid Kit is available.

11. CLUB KITS

11.1 Every player must wear the distinctive colours of the club for which she is a playing member, and should two Clubs have similar colours, the away Club shall change its colours.

11.2 Should both Clubs concerned in a Semi Final or Final Tie have similar colours, then it will be decided by the toss of a coin.

11.3 In the event of Clubs not agreeing upon the colours to be worn the Association will decide.

11.4 Goalkeepers must wear colours which distinguish them from the other Players and the Match Officials.

11.5 Players must wear numbers on shirts between 1 and 99. If the number 1 is used, it must be worn by a goalkeeper. No number may be used by more than one player in a team during a match. The numbers on the back of the shirts must correspond with the numbers indicated on the official team sheet submitted to the referee. Player names are permitted on the shirt.

11.6 For all other kit matters, the FAW Kit Regulations shall apply.

12. PROVISIONS FOR ALL MATCHES

12.1 The match lasts two equal periods of 45 minutes. The Referee shall allow for time wasted or lost through accident or other cause. The Referee is the sole judge of allowance of time whether lost through accident or other cause and their decision on this matter is not subject to appeal.

12.2 If the match ends in a draw at the end of normal playing time, no extra-time will be played.

12.3 If the match ends in a draw at the end of normal playing time, the winner is determined by kicks from the penalty mark (see Regulation 12.4 to 12.6).

12.4 Kicks from the penalty mark are taken in accordance with the procedure laid down in the IFAB Laws of the Game.

12.5 The referee decides which goal will be used for the kicks.

(a) If either goal could be used for the kicks, then, in the presence of the two captains, the referee tosses a coin to decide which goal will be used.

(b) For reasons of safety/security, state of the field of play, lighting or other similar reasons, the referee may decide which goal will be used without tossing a coin. Such decisions are final and require no justification.

12.6 To ensure that the procedure is strictly observed, the referee is assisted by his/her team, who also note down the numbers of the players on each team who have taken kicks from the penalty mark.

12.7 Any late kick-off must be reported by the Referee to The Football Association of Wales and the National Cup Board shall have power to impose a fine.

12.8 The use of red cards and yellow cards for team officials are applicable and in accordance with the ‘FAW Disciplinary Procedures Concerning Field Offences in Cup Matches Only – Team Officials.’

13. POSTPONED OR ABANDONED MATCHES

13.1 When a first match has been postponed or abandoned before the completion of 90 minutes and neither club being at fault, it must be played on the same ground, the following week.

13.2 Matches abandoned through the fault of one or both Clubs, shall be dealt with by the National Cup Board.

13.3 When a match has been postponed or abandoned before its completion on two occasions, the fixture shall be reversed, with home advantage being awarded to the visiting team. When a fixture has been postponed by the FAW for whatever reason, this will not count as one of the ‘two occasions’ as described above. When the fixture has been reversed, the Club which will now host the match is responsible for all of the match expenses. 

13.4 If there are fewer than seven players on either of the teams, the match is abandoned. In this case, the National Cup Board (see Regulation 4) decides on the consequences.

14. REPORTING RESULTS

14.1 The Secretaries of each Club shall send notice of the result, on the Match Report Form supplied, with the names of the players competing, to the FAW administration so that it is received within two days of the match (Sundays not included).

14.2 Clubs failing to comply with this Rule or submitting an incorrect Match Report Form shall be subject to a fine as determined by the National Cup Board.

15. PROVISIONS FOR WITHDRAWING FROM THE COMPETITION

15.1 Any Club intending to withdraw from the competition, must give written notice of their intention to do so to the Secretary of the opposing Club and to the FAW immediately.

15.2 A Club failing to comply with this rule shall be reported to the National Cup Board, who shall have power to compel such offending Club to pay the expenses incurred and take such action as they may deem expedient.

15.3 Clubs who withdraw from the Competition shall be liable to a fine determined by National Cup Board.

15.4 Any Club that withdraws from the Competition, after earning prize money, will be fined at least the equivalent amount of prize money received, as well as the standard fine.

15.5 In the Semi-Finals and Final, any Club failing to play without showing a good and sufficient cause for such failure to play, may be adjudged by the National Cup Board to have been guilty of serious misconduct and will also be liable to a fine determined by National Cup Board.

16. PROVISIONS CONCERNING ELIGIBILITY OF PLAYERS

16.1 In order to be eligible to participate in the competition, players must be registered with the League, no later than 5pm on the last working day before the Conference Date and fulfil all the conditions set out in FAW Regulations for the Registration of Players (See FAW Regulations, Section P.)

16.2 When a match has been postponed or abandoned, only those players eligible on the Conference Date will be eligible to play in the rearranged match.

16.3 A player can play for more than one competing Club in the Season, provided that they are duly qualified according to the Rules of the Association.

16.4 A Player who has been suspended may play in postponed ties after the term of her suspension has expired.

16.5 Clubs must confirm their official team sheet including 11 starting players, the names of the nominated substitutes (maximum five) and club officials seated in the technical area on COMET (or any such system as authorised by the FAW) at least 30 minutes before the advertised time of kick off for all rounds up to the semi-final.

For the semi-final and final ties, team sheets must be submitted no later than one hour before the advertised time of kick off.

If the match is to be transmitted “live” on terrestrial or television or to be streamed by the FAW or one of our partners, team sheets must be submitted no later than 75 minutes before the advertised time of kick off.

Any Club failing to carry out these provisions may be fined by the National Cup Board.

16.6 a Club may at its discetion use five substitute Players at any time in a Cup Tie, except to replace a Player who has been sent-off from the game by the Referee after play has commenced. Substitute Players musdt be nominated to the Referee on the official team sheet. 

During the match, each team:

(a)  may use a maximum of five substitutes;

(b)  has a maximum of three substitution opportunities;

(c)  may additionally make substitutions at half-time;

(d)  where both teams make a substitution at the same time, this will count as a substitution opportunity for each team.

​​​​​16.7 A player must have reached the age of sixteen on the day that the match is played.

16.8 Should any nominated player or substitute sustain an injury after the submission of the team sheet to the Referee and before the kick off, she may be replaced provided the Referee and the opponents are informed before the match kicks-off.

17. VALIDITY OF PLAYERS’ ELIGIBILITY

17.1 If the National Cup Board have any doubt as to the eligibility of any Player taking part in the competition, they shall have power to call upon such Player, and/or the Club to which she belongs, or for which she played, to prove that she is eligible according to the Rules and Regulations.

17.2 Failing satisfactory proof of eligibility, the National Cup Board shall remove the Club from the competition and may impose such other penalty as they may think fit.

17.3 The club bears the legal consequences for fielding a player who is not named on the player list, or who is otherwise not eligible to play.

18. DISQUALIFICATION

18.1 The National Cup Board shall have the power to disqualify any competing Club, or Official, or Players for any competing Club, who may be proved to be guilty of any breaching of the Association’s Rules.

19. PROVISIONS CONCERNING REFEREES

19.1 In all matches, the Referee team shall be appointed by The Football Association of Wales. Neither past nor present members of either contending Clubs shall be eligible.

19.2 The referee team are appointed as follows:

(a) For matches before the Quarter Final, in principle, the FAW appoints one referee only.

(b) For Quarter Final matches, in principle, the FAW appoints one referee and two assistant referees.

(c) For Semi-Final and Final matches, in principle, the FAW appoints one referee, two assistant referees and one fourth official (substitute referee).

(d) The FAW reserves its right to provide additional referees where it deems necessary in any tie.

19.3 The fees and expenses of all match officials appointed by the Association for all matches prior to the semi-final ties shall be paid by the Home Club on the day of the match.

19.4 The fees and expenses of all match officials appointed by the Association for the semi-final ties and the Final shall be paid by the FAW on the day of the match.

19.5 Scale of Expenses to be paid to Referees

An allowance of £0.35 per mile will be allowed to all officials officiating who travel by private car.

19.6 Scale of Fees to be paid to Referees

Qualifying – Round 2 for matches involving one or more Clubs outside of Tier 1:
- Referee £35; Assistant Referees and 4th Official (if appointed) £23 each

Qualifying – Round 2 for matches involving two Tier 1 Clubs:
- Tier 1 League Match Fees apply for all Match Officials.

Quarter-Final for matches involving one or more Clubs outside of Tier 1:
- Referee £50; Assistant Referees and 4th Official £35 each

Quarter-Final for matches involving two Tier 1 Clubs:
- Tier 1 League Match Fees apply for all Match Officials.

Semi-final: Tier 1 League Match Fees apply for all Match Officials.

Final: Referee £100 and a souvenir medal.                  

Assistant Referees and 4th Official £60 each and a souvenir medal.

19.7 Officials are entitled to their travelling expenses if incurred and half their fees if the match to which they have started their travel, is not played.

19.8 The Referee team shall individually acknowledge acceptance of appointments for all matches in the Competition to the FAW Administration.

19.9 The Home Club shall send details of the match to the Referee team, who shall acknowledge receipt.

19.10 The duties of the Referee team shall be as defined in Laws of the Game 5 and 6.

20. PROVISIONS RELATING TO PROTESTS

20.1 All questions relating to the qualification of competitors or interpretation of the Rules, or any dispute whatever shall be referred to the National Cup Board, whose decision shall be final and binding on both Clubs.

20.2 Every protest must be made in writing and must contain the particulars of the ground upon which it is founded. Two copies of the protest must be lodged with the Association, accompanied by a fee of £100.00 within two days of the match to which it relates (Sundays not included). The fee shall be forfeited to the Association in the event of the protest not being sustained.

20.3 The National Cup Board may order any Club engaged in a dispute or protest to pay such sum as may be considered necessary towards defraying the expenses incurred.

20.4 Any protest relating to the ground, goal posts or bars or other appurtenances of the game shall not be entertained by the National Cup Board unless an objection has been lodged with the Referee before the commencement of the match, and not later than one hour before the official time of the kick-off. The Referee shall require the responsible Club to correct the cause of the objection if this is possible without unduly delaying the progress of the match.

20.5 When an objection has been lodged with the Referee, a protest must be made to the Association and neither objection nor protest shall be withdrawn, except by leave of the National Cup Board.

20.6 The Chief Executive Officer of the Association shall send a copy of the protest and particulars to the Club protested against.

20.7 Each Club may support its case by witnesses.

20.8 If a member of the National Cup Board is connected with the Club concerned in a dispute of protest, they shall not sit on the National Cup Board while the dispute or protest is being considered.

20.9 A Club summoned to attend a Hearing of a dispute of protest may be represented by one (1) or more of its Members. A Barrister or Solicitor may represent the Club of which he is Chairman or Secretary at the time of the alleged offence, but otherwise only with the prior consent of the National Cup Board. Any person summoned to attend a Hearing of a dispute or protest must attend personally and shall not be legally represented except with the prior written consent of the National Cup Board.

21. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

21.1 FAW is the exclusive owner of all intellectual property rights of the competition, including any current or future rights in all audio and visual (with or without audio) material of the competition, names, logos, brands, music, mascots, medals, plaques, commemorative items and trophies. Any use of the aforementioned rights requires the prior written approval of FAW and must comply with any conditions imposed by FAW.

21.2 All rights to the fixture list and match schedule, as well as any data and statistics (including databases in which such data is stored) in relation to the matches of and players’ participation in the competition are the sole and exclusive property of FAW. No tickets or accreditation may be used by anyone in order to gain access to a venue for the purposes of collecting or gathering such data, and such activities are expressly prohibited. The foregoing prohibition does not apply to the participating clubs, subject to any and all such data collected being used solely for the purposes of instructing their team, players and officials and expressly excluding any other exploitation or use whatsoever.

22. NOTICES

All notices required to be given to the Association by any of these rules shall be addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, at the offices of The Football Association of Wales, Hensol, Vale of Glamorgan CF72 8JY.

U-16’s Girls Challenge Cup

Rules apply as the FAW Women’s Cup except for the following variations:

1. NAME OF THE CUP

The Competition shall be called “The Football Association of Wales Under 16 Girls Cup Competition”.

5. ADMISSION CRITERIA AND PROCEDURE

To be eligible to participate in the Competition, clubs must:

5.1 Play all of their Girls football under the jurisdiction of the Football Association of Wales;

5.2 Meet the Ground Criteria as described in Rule 10, except for the provision of changing and showering facilities as prescribed in 10.2(a); 

5.3 Affiliate to their Area Association or the Football Association of Wales.

5.4 Complete the official entry documents, which must reach the FAW administration by 31st August annually.

5.5 Pay an entrance fee of £15.00 including VAT by 31st August annually.

7. COMPETITION FORMAT

7.1 The format of the competition should be determined based upon the number of entries submitted. A straight-knock out format should be used from the quarter-final stage onwards, but earlier rounds may use an alternative format. The National Cup Board shall confirm the structure of the competition once the entry deadline has passed and shall communicate to participating Clubs at the earliest opportunity.

12. PROVISIONS FOR ALL MATCHES

12.1 The duration of each match shall be 40 minutes each way. The Referee shall allow for time wasted or lost through accident or other cause. The Referee is the sole judge of allowance of time whether lost through accident or other cause and their decision on this matter is not subject to appeal.

12.2 If the match ends in a draw after 80 minutes played, it must be decided on penalties in accordance with the International Football Association Board procedures. (See Regulation 12.3 to 12.5). There is no extra time in this competition.

12.3 Kicks from the penalty mark are taken in accordance with the procedure laid down in the IFAB Laws of the Game.

12.4 The referee decides which goal will be used for the kicks:

(a)  If either goal could be used for the kicks, then, in the presence of the two captains, the referee tosses a coin to decide which goal will be used.

(b)  For reasons of safety/security, state of the field of play, lighting or other similar reasons, the referee may decide which goal will be used without tossing a coin. Such decisions are final and require no justification.

12.5 To ensure that the procedure is strictly observed, the referee is assisted by his/her team, who also note down the numbers of the players on each team who have taken kicks from the penalty mark.

12.6 Any late kick-off must be reported by the Referee to The Football Association of Wales and the National Cup Board shall have power to impose a fine.

13. POSTPONED OR ABANDONED MATCHES

13.1 When a first match has been postponed or abandoned before the completion of 70 minutes and neither club being at fault, it must be played on the same ground, the following week.

13.2 Matches abandoned through the fault of one or both Clubs, shall be dealt with by the National Cup Board. 

13.3 When a match has been postponed or abandoned before its completion on two occasions, the fixture shall be reversed, with home advantage being awarded to the visiting team. When a fixture has been postponed by the FAW for whatever reason, this will not count as one of the ‘two occasions’ as described above. When the fixture has been reversed, the Club which will now host the match is responsible for all of the match expenses.

13.4 If there are fewer than seven players on either of the teams, the match is abandoned. In this case, the National Cup Board (see Regulation 4) decides on the consequences.

16. PROVISIONS CONCERNING QUALIFICATIONS OF PLAYERS

16.1 In order to be eligible to participate in the competition, only female players are permitted.

The players must be registered with the League, no later than 5pm on the last working day before the Conference Date and fulfil all the conditions set out in FAW Regulations for the Registration of Players (See FAW Regulations, Section P.)

16.6 A Club may at its discretion use up to 5 Substitute Players in a Cup Tie, except to replace a Player who has been sent-off by the Referee after the play has commenced.

16.9 The player must be in Academic Year ten (10) or eleven (11), as defined by the FAW Rules or not have attained the age of 16 years before the 1st September of each season.

19. PROVISIONS CONCERNING REFEREES

19.6 Scale of Fees to be paid to Referees

Group Matches:
- Referee £25; Assistant Referees £18 each

Knockout Round Matches up to Semi-Final:
- Referee £30; Assistant Referees £20 each

Semi-final:
- Referee £40; Assistant Referees and 4th Official £30 each

Final:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        - Referee £60 and a souvenir medal Assistant Referees and 4th Official £40 each and a souvenir medal.

 

As approved by the NCB - Jan 2022

First Published

08 September 2020

Last Updated

03 November 2022

Part Of

Regulations

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