FAW Handbook | Ardal Leagues

THE ARDAL LEAGUES NORTHERN

1. DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION

1.1. In these Rules, the following words and expressions have the following meanings:

1.1.1. ‘Authorised Kit’ means each Match playing kit approved by the Committee in accordance with Rule 14 below;

1.1.2. ‘Business Day’ means a day that is not a Saturday or Sunday or a public or bank holiday in Wales.

1.1.3. ‘Clear Days’ in relation to the period of notice means that period excluding the day when notice is given or deemed to be given and the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect.

1.1.4. ‘Club’ means an association football club which is for the time being a member of the League or (where the context requires) a prospective member or a former member of the League.

1.1.5. ‘Chairman’ means the Chairman of the Committee, appointed from time to time by the Directors with the approval of the FAW.

1.1.6. ‘Committee’ means the committee of the League constituted in accordance with the FAW Rules and FAW Regulations in order to administer the Divisions from time to time. The Committee will consist of Directors, as well as a Media Officer appointed by the Directors, and two Club Representatives elected at the Annual General Meeting by the Clubs and representing one Division each.

1.1.7. ‘Directors’ means the directors of the League duly appointed from time to time with the approval of the FAW.

1.1.8. ‘Divisions’ means each of the two (2) divisions of the League, currently known as ‘Ardal North East and Ardal North West’, as such names may be amended from time to time by the League with the approval of the FAW (for example) to include the name of a title sponsor.

1.1.9. ‘FAW’ means the Football Association of Wales Ltd.

1.1.10. ‘FAW COMET’ is as defined in the FAW COMET Regulations, as amended from time to time by the FAW.

1.1.11. ‘FAW Regulations’ means the regulations, standing orders, byelaws, orders, codes, policies, procedures, directives and instructions for the time being of the FAW.

1.1.12. ‘FAW Rules’ means the Rules for the time being of the FAW.

1.1.13. ‘General Secretary’ means the general secretary of the League or any other person appointed from time to time by the League with the approval of the FAW to perform the duties of the general secretary from time to time.

1.1.14. ‘General Meeting’ means any meeting of the Clubs and shall include the Annual General Meeting and any Extraordinary General Meetings called in accordance with Rule 4 below.

1.1.15. ‘Home Club’ means the Club on whose ground any Match should be or should have been played and where ground sharing is in operation the Club whose name first appears on the relevant Match details issued by the Committee and ‘Visiting Club’ means the other Club due to play in the relevant Match.

1.1.16. ‘League’ means Ardal Leagues Northern Ltd, the organisation which currently arranges and runs the Divisions and the League Cup, as such company name may be amended from time to time by the League with the approval of the FAW.

1.1.17. ‘League Cup’ means the FAW Tier 3 league knockout cup currently known as the ‘Ardal Leagues Northern League Cup’, as such name may be amended from time to time by the League with the approval of the FAW (for example) to include the name of a title sponsor.

1.1.18. ‘Match’ means any association football match played in the Divisions.

1.1.19. ‘Match Officials’ means the Referee, Assistant Referees and any Fourth Official for a Match.

1.1.20. ‘Official’ means any director, secretary or other duly authorised representative of a Club.

1.1.21. ‘Player’ means any male association football player, whether or not registered with the FAW to play for a Club.

1.1.22. ‘Rules’ means these Rules of the League as amended from time to time.

1.1.23. ‘Scale of Fines’ means the scale of fines referred to in Rule 33 below.

1.1.24. ‘Sponsorship Rights’ means any and all sponsorship rights worldwide in perpetuity relating to the League or any Division, including rights to use League designations (such as title sponsor, official sponsor, official partner and/or official supplier of the League), League advertising rights, rights to use League logos, rights to League press and other public relations campaigns, rights to League licensing, merchandising and promotions but excluding Transmission Rights.

1.1.25. ‘Sponsorship Contracts’ means any and all contracts entered into by the League and/or its agents and licensees in or ancillary to the exercise of the Sponsorship Rights.

1.1.26. ‘Team Sheet’ means the standard form sheet as provided by the League from time to time listing the numbers, surnames and first names of the Players in the relevant Club team’s Match day squad, together with the surnames and first names of Officials to be seated on the substitutes’ bench for a Match.

1.1.27. ‘Tier 3’ is as defined in the FAW Regulations for the Pyramid League System.

1.1.28. ‘Tier 3 Club Licensing Regulations’ has the meaning given in Rule 5 below.

1.1.29. ‘Transmission Rights’ means the sole and exclusive worldwide right in perpetuity to record (a) television or other moving pictures of any Match; (b) sounds of and/or commentary upon any Match and (c) data relating to any Match (and, in each case, have sole and exclusive access to the ground of each Club to do so) and transmit and/or exploit and/or otherwise make available the whole or any part of such recordings in any language and whether live and/or delayed by any and all manner and means in all current and future media including by terrestrial, cable and satellite television, radio, internet and mobile networks and whether to the public or closed groups, and to authorise others to do so.

1.1.30. ‘Transmission Contracts’ means any and all contracts entered into by the FAW and/or its agents and licensees in or ancillary to the exercise of the Transmission Rights.

1.1.31. ‘Welsh Cup’ means the FAW Challenge Cup.

1.1.32. 'Welsh Trophy’ means the FAW Amateur Trophy.

1.2. A reference to a person includes a body corporate and an unincorporated body of persons.

1.3. Referring to natural persons include both genders. The singular case applies to the plural and vice versa.

1.4. The headings in these Rules are inserted for ease of reference and do not affect the interpretation of these Rules.

1.5. The terms ‘include’, ‘including’, ‘for example’, ‘such as’ and ‘in particular’ or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative, without limiting the sense or scope of the words preceding them.

2. GENERAL

2.1. These Rules have been prepared in accordance with FAW Rule 28.

2.2. Acceptance of membership of the League shall constitute an agreement between the Club concerned and the League, to be bound by and comply with these Rules, such agreement to be effective from the date of the Club’s admission to the League and to terminate from the date a Club ceases to be a member of the League.

2.3. In addition to these Rules, all Clubs shall be bound by and comply with:

2.3.1. The FAW Rules and FAW Regulations; and

2.3.2. The Laws of the Game.

In the event that any of these Rules conflict with the FAW Rules or FAW Regulations, the FAW Rules or FAW Regulations shall prevail.

2.4. Clubs must reply to correspondence from the League within seven (7) Business Days.

3. THE DIRECTORS AND THE COMMITTEE

3.1. The business of the League shall be conducted by the Directors which, subject to the FAW Rules and FAW Regulations, shall have jurisdiction over all matters relating to the administration of the League and the conduct of Clubs.

3.2. The Directors have established the Committee to arrange and run the Divisions for the time being.

3.3. The Committee may appoint a President.

3.4. The Committee may from its own number, appoint and elect such sub-committees as it deems necessary for the efficient management of the business of the Divisions and may delegate to such sub-committees such of its powers as the Committee deems appropriate.

3.5. In the event of the voting at any meeting of the Committee being equal, the Chairman of such meeting shall have a second casting vote.

3.6. The Committee shall defray out of the funds of the League all expenses in respect of the administration of the League. A member of the Committee may be paid out of League funds such expenses incurred through attendance at meetings of, or in connection with, the League, as the Committee may approve.

3.7. The Committee may do all such acts and exercise all such powers as may be required to give effect to the provisions of these Rules. Save for those matters which in the first instance are to be dealt with or determined by other bodies of the FAW in accordance with the FAW Rules or FAW Regulations, the Committee shall in the first instance determine all breaches of these Rules or other matters of misconduct or dispute by or between Clubs, Players, Officials or other personnel directly or indirectly involved with the League. The Committee shall have the power to impose fines not exceeding £2,500 and any other sanctions (including deduction of points or suspension from the League) as the Committee shall consider appropriate, subject always to the rights of appeal and (if applicable) the Scale of Fines hereinafter mentioned.

3.8. The Committee shall normally meet as and when required, but the General Secretary shall either of his own volition, or otherwise on the requisition of any three (3) members of the Committee, summon a meeting of the Committee at any other time.

3.9. The Committee shall cause minutes to be retained:

3.9.1. of the names of the members of the Committee present at each meeting thereof and of any sub-committees; and

3.9.2. of all proceedings and decisions at General Meetings and at all meetings of the Committee.

The General Secretary shall cause such minutes to be circulated to members of the Committee and to the Clubs following ratification by the Committee.

3.10. The Committee may act notwithstanding any temporary vacancy of any member.

3.11. All acts done by any meeting of the Committee or by any person acting as representative of the Committee shall, notwithstanding that it is afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any person so acting or that any person so acting was disqualified, be as valid as if such a person had been duly appointed and qualified.

3.12. Each member of the Committee shall be furnished with a pass (which shall not be transferable) and all Clubs shall admit the holder to their grounds and stands to all matches under the jurisdiction of the League.

3.13. In relation to any matter not specifically addressed in these Rules, the Committee shall, subject to the FAW Rules and FAW Regulations, have the power to take such action and make such decisions, orders and impose such penalties as it deems necessary and to follow such procedure as it considers appropriate.

4. GENERAL MEETINGS

4.1. The Annual General Meeting of the League shall be held in each year at a time and place to be determined by the Committee.

4.2. The Committee may, whenever it thinks fit and shall upon a requisition made to the League in writing signed by duly authorised representatives of not less than two thirds (2/3rds) of the Clubs convene an Extraordinary General Meeting.

4.3. The General Secretary shall notify all Clubs and the members of the Committee of the date time and place of all General Meetings not less than fourteen (14) Clear Days in advance, such notice to contain basic details of the matters to be discussed. Short notice can be given with the consent of all the Clubs.

4.4. Each Club shall be entitled to have two (2) representatives and one (1) vote at any General Meeting and Clubs shall prior to the General Meeting in question notify the General Secretary of the identity of the Club representatives and which representative shall be entitled to cast the Club’s vote. Votes may only be given by representatives personally and voting by proxy shall not be permitted. Any resolution at a General Meeting must have the support of two thirds (2/3rds) of the Clubs present at the meeting.

4.5. The Chairman of the Committee shall be the Chairman at all General Meetings but in his absence the members of the Committee present shall choose one of their number to be Chairman.

5. FAW TIER 3 CLUB LICENSING REGULATIONS

5.1. Only those Clubs and prospective Clubs which attain FAW Tier 3 Club Licensing Certification (‘Tier 3 Club Licence’) under the FAW’s Tier 3 Club Licensing Regulations shall be eligible for membership of the League in the playing season which next commences after the grant of such Tier 3 Club Licence.

6. SUBSCRIPTIONS

6.1. The League deposit for each Club shall be £200 or such other sum as shall be determined by the Committee from time to time. Clubs promoted or relegated will have their deposit refunded, clubs who withdraw from the league will forfeit their deposit The League deposit shall be paid to the league treasurer and in advance on or before 31^st July immediately before the start of the Club’s first season in membership. Any Club whose subscription has not been paid by 31st July shall not be entitled to be represented at any General Meeting until the same shall have been paid.

6.2. The annual subscription of each Club to the League shall be £135, which includes the League Cup fee, or such other sum as shall be determined by the Committee from time to time. All annual subscriptions shall be paid in advance on or before 31st July in each year via COMET. Any Club whose subscription has not been paid by 31st July shall not be entitled to be represented at any General Meeting until the same shall have been paid.

7. ACCOUNTS

7.1. The Directors shall cause proper annual accounts to be kept of all income and expenditure of the League to 30th April in each year and shall lay the said accounts before the Annual General Meeting of the League for the information of the Clubs. The Directors shall be solely responsible for the manner in which the income of the League is expended.

8. NOTICES

8.1. Any notice or other communication to be given in accordance with these Rules shall be delivered in accordance with Rule 144 of the FAW Rules (with references therein to ‘Association’ amended to ‘League’ and as otherwise expressly amended by this Rule 8). All notices sent to the Clubs shall be sent to the secretary of the Club whose name and address shall be notified by the Club to the General Secretary. Any notice or other communication to be served on the League shall be addressed to the General Secretary, whose contact details will be available on the FAW COMET System. Proof of service shall be in accordance with Rule 144 of the FAW Rules.

9. ALTERATIONS TO THESE RULES

9.1. No alteration in these Rules shall be made until they have been approved by the FAW in accordance with Rule 30 of the FAW Rules. Alterations to these Rules shall only be made at the Annual General Meeting or at Extraordinary General Meeting convened under Rule 4 above for that purpose. Any alteration to these Rules must be supported by at least two thirds (2/3rds) of those present and eligible to vote at such meeting.

9.2. Club proposals for alterations to these Rules together with the name of their Club proposers and seconders shall be received by the General Secretary no later than 1^st March prior to the date fixed for the Annual General Meeting in any year. The Committee may also propose alterations to these Rules to be considered at an appropriate Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting.

10. COMPLAINTS, DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS, DISPUTES, APPEALS, INDEPENDENT ARBITRATION AND SANCTIONS

10.1. Provisions relating to disciplinary procedures, disputes, appeals, independent arbitration, penalties, sanctions and other powers shall be dealt with in accordance with the FAW Rules and FAW Regulations including Rules 37-54(A) and 146 of the FAW Rules.

10.2. Save for complaints relating to facilities or the playing area for a Match, complaints by Clubs under these Rules must be submitted in writing to the General Secretary within two (2) Business Days after a Match. and The Club submitting the complaint shall also pay to the League a fee of fifty pounds (£50) , or such other sum as shall be determined by the Committee from time to time, within five (5) Business Days after the Match. Any complaint lodged after two (2) Business Days will be rejected unless the Club can demonstrate to the reasonable satisfaction of the League that it was not reasonably practicable to lodge the complaint within the time limit. The fee will be returned should the Club’s complaint be upheld. Club complaints relating to facilities or the playing area for a Match must be submitted in writing to the Referee before he leaves the ground.

10.3. On the field of play, any decision by the Referee in charge of any Match on questions of fact or the interpretation of the Laws of the Game shall be final and conclusive.

11. REGISTRATIONS, CONTRACTS AND TRANSFERS

11.1. Provisions relating to Player registrations, contracts and transfers shall (if as so far as applicable) be dealt with in accordance with these Rules and the FAW Rules and FAW Regulations including Rules 55-91 of the FAW Rules.

11.2. All Player registration and transfer forms and any other applicable documents must be received by the FAW (in each case, using FAW COMET in accordance with the FAW COMET Regulations or any other systems and procedures set by the FAW from time to time) by 5pm on the last Business Day prior to the Match in which the Club wishes the Player to participate.

12. SUBSTITUTES

12.1. A Club at its discretion may use up to five (5) substitutes, within three substitution opportunities (half-time not included within the substitution opportunity limit), at any time during a Match except to replace a Player or Players who have been sent off or suspended from the Match by the Referee. Substitutions can only be made when the play has been stopped for any reason and the Referee has given permission. The name(s) and numbers of the substitute(s) must be nominated to the Referee on the Team Sheet in accordance with Rule 20 below. Clubs may nominate up to five (5) substitutes for each Match.

13. INELIGBILE PLAYERS

13.1. No Club may play an ineligible Player in any Match. Any Club which plays an ineligible player in a Match will have three (3) points deducted per Match, from its record for that playing season and will also be liable to a fine. If the Player is a nominated but unused substitute for a Match, he shall be deemed as not having played for the Club in that Match.

13.2. A Club must not nominate a Player as a substitute for a Match unless he is a duly registered Player for the Club with the FAW who is eligible to play in the Match.

14. AUTHORISED KITS

14.1. By the date of the Annual General Meeting, each Club shall submit to the General Secretary, in writing, in PDF format full details of their proposed Match kit colours (comprising shirts, shorts and socks for outfield players in both home and change kit versions, and including any proposed sponsor logos) for the forthcoming season and, once approved by the Committee (each such kit then being an “Authorised Kit”), such details shall be published in the League Handbook for that playing season. The Authorised Kits shall be worn during the relevant playing season and no changes of either colours or combination of colours shall be permitted during the course of the playing season except:(a) when the colours of two competing Clubs are alike or similar the Visiting Club shall change to another kit approved in writing by the Committee (or, in an emergency, approved by the Referee) that does not include any of the basic colour of the Authorised Kits of the Home Club; and (b) Club may submit a request in writing to the General Secretary at least fourteen (14) days before a Match to wear an alternative special kit (for example, a charity kit or a new season launch kit) and may wear such a kit if it obtains prior written approval from the General Secretary.

14.2. Each goalkeeper shall play each Match in a kit clearly distinguishable from the colours of the shirts worn by all outfield players and Match Officials and the other goalkeeper, as determined by the Referee.

14.3. If undershorts or tights or undersocks or undershirts are to be worn by a Player in a Match, they must be of a colour approved by the Committee in relation to the applicable Authorised Kit prior to the relevant playing season.

14.4. No Club shall be permitted to register or play a Match in shirts the colour of which is likely to cause confusion with the outfits worn by Referees and Assistant Referees. If in doubt, the Clubs concerned should contact the General Secretary, whose decision shall be final.

14.5. The Players’ shirts for each Match must be clearly numbered in accordance with the Team Sheet submitted to the Referee before the Match and there must be no change of numbers during the Match except if there is a change of goalkeeper. The captain of each team shall wear a distinguishing arm band to indicate his status.

14.6. An unmarked blood shirt is also required by every team at every Match.

14.7. Clubs wishing to make alterations to their Authorised Kits after the date set by the Committee under Rule 14.1 above, must make an application to the Committee. The Committee may require all Players participating in Matches to carry the League’s and/or a League sponsor’s logo on both sleeves of their shirts.

14.8. All kits for Matches must comply with FAW Kit Regulations.

15. LEAGUE FORMAT

15.1. Each Division will compromise a maximum of sixteen (16) member Clubs in each playing season, unless expressly directed by the FAW. Each Club will be allocated to the more geographically appropriate Division, as determined and approved by the FAW directors prior to the start of the relevant playing season. The Committee shall determine annually the date on which Matches shall commence. The Committee shall fix the date in the following year on which the normal playing season of the Divisions shall terminate.

15.2. A Club may not enter its first team in any other competition except the Welsh Premier League Cup, the Welsh Cup, the Welsh Trophy, UEFA club competitions and any invitational competition approved in writing in advance by the Committee. The General Secretary must be promptly informed by the relevant Club in advance of all proposed fixtures to be played (and afterwards all results of fixtures played) by its first team in any competition other than the League.

15.3. In each playing season, the Clubs in each Division will play Matches against each other on a home and away basis, giving a maximum total of thirty (30) Matches per Club.

15.4. All Matches shall be of ninety (90) minutes’ duration. Three (3) points will be awarded to a Club for a win in a Match at home or away, and one (1) point for a drawn Match at home or away. At the end of each playing season’s League competition, the Club scoring the largest number of total points in a Division shall be declared the Division champion Club for that playing season..

15.5. Where two or more Clubs in a Division possess the same number of points, the following criteria will be applied in the order given to determine their rankings:

15.5.1. Superior goal difference obtained in all Matches;

15.5.2. Higher or highest number of goals scored in all Matches;

15.5.3. Higher or highest number of points obtained in all Matches played among the Clubs in question;

15.5.4. Superior goal difference obtained in all Matches played among the Clubs in question;

15.5.5. higher or highest number of goals scored in all Matches played among the Clubs in question;

15.5.6. higher or highest number of goals scored away from home in all Matches played among the Clubs in question;

15.5.7. higher or highest number of wins in all Matches;

15.5.8. higher or highest number of away wins in all Matches;

15.5.9. lower or lowest disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards received in all Matches; and

15.5.10. the Clubs concerned shall play-off, in a format as directed by the Committee.

15.6. The Division champion Club shall hold the Division trophy for approximately one year and will be responsible for the engraving of the trophy prior to its return to the FAW. The Cup must be returned not later than 1st March in the following season. In addition to the Division trophy, the League shall present twenty five (25) souvenirs to the Division champion Club, twenty (20) for the Players and five (5) for the Officials of the Club.

16. PROMOTION AND RELEGATION

16.1. Clubs shall be promoted to and relegated from the League in accordance with the FAW Regulations for the Pyramid League System (which include provisions covering Play-Off Matches for promotion and relegation between Tiers 2 and 3) and the FAW Rules.

16.2. If any Club ceases to operate between the Annual General Meeting and the commencement of the following season, no adjustments to the number of Clubs in membership of the League will be made. The remaining Clubs shall constitute the members of the League for that playing season.

16.3. A Club which for any reason ceases to operate at any time during the playing season shall have its playing record expunged. Any monies due to it from the FAW funds shall be withheld and from the date of the withdrawal no further payments shall become due to it.

16.4. A Club that enters into administration at any time during the playing season shall have ten (10) points deducted from its record, and any monies due to it from FAW funds shall be withheld. A Club that enters into administration outside of the playing season shall have ten (10) points deducted from its record in the playing season following the date on which it entered administration, and any monies due to it from the FAW funds shall be withheld unless and until the Club exits administration on a solvent basis.

17. SCHEDULING OF MATCHES AND KICK-OFF TIMES

17.1. The Committee shall determine how the Matches shall be arranged and rearranged over the playing season. The Committee may change the schedule of Matches during the playing season to suit the overall interests of the League. The Matches shall take precedence over all competitions in which a Club may engage, with the exception of the Welsh Cup, the Welsh Trophy, the Welsh Premier League Cup, UEFA club competitions and any invitational competition as agreed by the Committee.

17.2. The schedule of Matches shall be issued by the General Secretary after consultation with the Clubs. The Home Club for each Match shall have the right to determine whether a weekend Match is to be played on a Friday evening or a Saturday or Sunday save that all weekday (Monday to Friday) evening fixtures when the distance between the Home Club and the Visiting Club is more than forty (40) miles shall only take place with the consent of both Clubs, unless chosen as a live televised Match as determined by the Committee.

17.3. At least two (2) weeks’ prior notice is required from Clubs wishing to re-arrange a Saturday Match to Friday evening or Sunday. A request made in less than this period of time will only be considered by the Committee in exceptional circumstances.

17.4. Clubs shall not be required to play a Match within seventy (72) hours prior to, or within seventy (72) hours after playing another fixture, unless agreed by both Clubs and the League.

17.4.1. Clubs can (with agreement of the league) mutually agree to reschedule a fixture.

17.4.2. Home club stewards must escort the match officials to their changing room at half and full time.

17.5. The time of kick-off shall normally be:

17.5.1 for Saturday and Sunday Matches: 2.30pm in the months of August, September, October, March and April and 2.00pm in the months of November, December, January and February; and

17.5.2 for Evening Matches: 7.45pm for Clubs with floodlights or as mutually agreed between the two Clubs; and for Clubs without floodlights: 6.30pm. However, if Clubs are unable to mutually agree, the General Secretary shall have the discretion to fix the kick-off time.

17.6. If the Home Club wishes to request a change to any of the normal Match kick-off times stated in Rule 17.5 above, an application must be submitted in writing to the General Secretary, detailing the reasons for the request, at least 14 days before the date of the Match. The Committee shall have the discretion as to whether to accept or refuse the request.

17.7. In all Matches, the half-time interval shall not exceed fifteen (15) minutes. For Matches that kick-off at 6.30pm without floodlights, the half-time interval shall not exceed ten (10) minutes.

17.8. All agreed changes to time of kick-off shall be notified to the General Secretary by the Home Club immediately for confirmation at least two (2) weeks prior to the date of the Match.

17.9. Clubs shall adhere to any additional requirements agreed by the Committee and contained in the League broadcasters’ protocol to be provided to the Clubs by the General Secretary at least two (2) weeks prior to the commencement of the playing season.

17.10. Each Home Club shall re-confirm to the Visiting Club, and Match Officials, the date and time of kick off via FAW COMET in accordance with the FAW COMET Regulations or any other systems and procedures set by the FAW from time to time, to be received at least five (5) days prior to the Match. The Visiting Club, Referee and Assistant Referees must acknowledge receipt via the same method at least three (3) days before the Match. Visual images of full kits for the Match (including goalkeeper) must be sent to the Match Referee with such Match re-confirmation. The Match Referee must confirm approval of both Clubs’ proposed kits with both Clubs and the General Secretary via the same method at least forty eight (48) hours prior to kick off.

17.11. Visiting Clubs shall also confirm in such Match correspondence to Home Clubs if they will be attending post-Match hospitality or not.

17.12. Where a Match is re-arranged or cancelled after the Match Officials have been appointed, it is the duty of the Home Club to notify the Match Officials and the General Manager of the cancellation of their appointments immediately.

17.13. Any Club found guilty of causing delay to the kick-off time of any Match, will be fined on the scale of one pound (£1) per minute and dealt with by the Committee.

18. GATE RECEIPTS

18.1. Save as expressly stated in these Rules, the Home Club shall retain all gate receipts generated from each Match.

19. CONDITION OF GROUNDS AND POSTPONEMENTS

19.1. Any Match not completed may be ordered to stand as a completed Match or replayed for the full period of ninety (90) minutes, as the Committee may direct. In the event of a Match not being played to a finish owing to fog or other causes over which neither Club has control, the Home Club shall take its own gate receipts of such uncompleted Match and the gate receipts of the replayed Match shall be divided on Welsh Cup tie terms, except that season ticket holders of the Home Club shall be admitted on producing their cards of membership.

19.2. In the event of a Match having to be postponed for any reason due to problems arising from one of the Clubs involved, their prospective opponents shall be compensated by them/or the League at the discretion of the Committee.

19.3. Details of the compensation claim by either/both Clubs shall be placed before the Committee, with all the details clearly itemised.

19.4. When a Match is postponed, both Clubs are to agree an alternative date and notify the General Secretary within fourteen (14) days of the revised date. If the Clubs fail to agree, the General Secretary is to impose a date without right of appeal by either Club.

19.5. The postponement of a Match due to ground conditions must be carried out in accordance with this Rule. No Club shall postpone the playing of a Match on account of apparent unfitness of its ground, the Referee being the sole person to decide as to the fitness after inspection. In bad weather, or where it seems apparent that there is not a possibility of the Match being played, it shall be obligatory for the Home Club to call in the most senior FAW qualified match official available, to give a ruling as to the fitness after consultation with the General Secretary. The time of any inspection shall be by mutual agreement between the two Clubs taking into account the travelling time of the Visiting Club. In case of dispute, the General Secretary shall decide the time of any inspection.

19.6. In the event of the available referee declaring the ground unfit, the Home Club shall notify the Visiting Club and the Match Officials forthwith by email and telephone call to avoid all unnecessary expense in travelling. The Visiting Club shall forthwith acknowledge receipt of such notice. If the Home Club does not receive an acknowledgement promptly, the Home Club shall forthwith notify the General Secretary.

19.7. If the available referee does not declare the ground unfit, a final decision shall be made by the Match Referee upon his arrival at the ground (each such Referee taking into account that Referees should not hastily postpone or abandon Matches).

19.8. When a Club obtains the approval of the Committee to postpone a Match because of an epidemic or similar affecting the availability of its Players, that Club shall be liable to pay any direct expenses (if any) incurred by the opposing Club as a result of the postponement.

19.9. Requests for the postponement of a Match for any reason will not be considered more than forty-eight (48) hours before the scheduled time of kick-off.

19.10. Medical Certificates for those Players affected sent signed by the Player’s own doctor must be forwarded to the General Secretary within fourteen (14) days of the postponement, along with the full list of Professional Players and Amateur Players currently engaged by the Club during the playing season, giving full reasons against each name for that Player’s unavailability.

20. TEAM SHEETS AND STRENGTH OF TEAMS

20.1. Each Club competing in a Match must complete and submit a Team Sheet using FAW COMET in accordance with the FAW COMET Regulations or any other systems and procedures set by the FAW from time to time, at least forty five (45) minutes before kick-off of each Match.

20.2. Any Club altering its team selection or numbering after Team Sheets have been submitted will be subject to any action decided upon by the Committee. After the validated Team Sheets have been submitted by both Clubs, and if the Match has not yet kicked off, no replacement is allowed except in the following cases:

20.2.1. If any of the 11 Players indicated on the Team Sheet as forming the starting 11 are not able to start the match due to physical incapacity, they may only be replaced by any of the substitutes listed on the initial Team Sheet. The substitute(s) in question may then only be replaced by a registered player (players) not listed on the initial Team Sheet, so that the quota of substitutes is not reduced. During the match, three (3) Players may still be substituted.

20.2.2. If any of the substitutes listed on the Team Sheet are not able to be fielded due to physical incapacity, they may only be replaced by a registered Player not listed on the initial Team Sheet.

20.2.3. If none of the goalkeepers listed on the Team Sheet are able to be fielded due to physical incapacity, they may be replaced by registered goalkeeper Player not listed on the initial Team Sheet.

20.2.4. The Club concerned must, upon request, provide the Committee with the necessary medical certificates.

20.3. Each Club shall play its full strength team in all Matches and shall be prepared to kick off at the advertised time unless an explanation is offered which is deemed satisfactory by the Committee.

21. MATCH-DAY PASSES

21.1. The League will issue to each Club passes to give access to the Match ground and the directors’ boardroom for three (3) directors on Match day for Matches in which their Club is the Visiting Club.

22. SUBSTITUTES BENCHES AND TECHINCAL AREAS

22.1. At each Match:

22.1.1. up to eleven (11) Players and Officials in total (of which no more than five (5) may be the substitutes nominated in accordance with Rule 12.1 above, or the Players they have replaced on the field of play) may sit on the substitutes’ bench of the relevant Club in the designated technical area. The full name of each person and their function must be listed on the Team Sheet. If the designated technical area has less than eleven seats, the Home Club must provide additional technical seats, which must be located at least 5 metres to the outside of the marked technical area.

22.1.2. Only one (1) person at a time from the relevant Club may stand in the designated technical area. Only one (1) person at a time from the relevant Club may convey tactic instructions from the designated technical area.

22.1.3. The First Aid Officer role is as defined in the FAW’s Tier 3 Club Licensing Regulations. The person on duty as First Aid Officer shall be either the Club’s incumbent First Aid Officer in accordance with the Club’s Tier 3 Certification or, in exceptional circumstances, a replacement who is appropriately qualified in accordance with the FAW’s Tier 3 Club Licensing Regulations.

22.1.4. During the Match, substitutes are allowed to leave the designed technical area to warm up. The Referee may determine exactly where they may warm up (behind the first Assistant Referee or behind the goal) and how many substitutes are allowed to warm up simultaneously but in any event, no more than three (3) in total from each Club. A Club Official (as indicated on the Team Sheet) may join the substitutes warming up and, if so, is responsible for compliance with the Referee’s instructions. Each Club participating in a Match must have two (2) sets of warm up bibs available to present to the Referee before the Match. The Referee will decide which bibs the substitutes must wear during their warm ups.

22.1.5. Smoking (including the use of e-cigarettes) is not allowed in the technical area during Matches.

23. RESULT/REPORT FORMS

23.1. Each Club competing in a Match shall send the completed standard electronic Result Form to the General Secretary within thirty (30) minutes of the final whistle, using FAW COMET in accordance with the FAW COMET Regulations or any other systems and procedures set by the FAW from time to time. The Referee shall send the completed standard Referee’s Report Form to the General Secretary within sixty (60) minutes of the final whistle, using the systems and procedures set by the FAW from time to time. The Referee’s Report Form must be complete in all details, including the result of the Match, the full names of the Players taking part in the Match, the names of the substitutes and details of any substitutions made (including the Match time when the substitution was made), and details of any yellow cards and red cards issued (including the Match time when the card was issued).

23.2. The referees report form must be completed and sent to the referee’s officer within three days of the match, the form MUST include the travel expenses for all match officials.

24. MATCH OFFICIALS

24.1. The FAW shall decide on the appointments of Match Officials.

24.2. In the event of the Match Officials not being in attendance at the Match in accordance with Rule 24.3 below, the two (2) Clubs must agree to a substitute on the ground and such substitute shall be considered a Match Official for the time being.

24.3. Match Officials should be present at the appointment at least forty-five (45) minutes prior to the advertised time of kick-off. The appointed Referee may be required to visit the ground earlier if requested to do so by the Home Club. If any Match Official becomes aware that they are likely to arrive late, they must immediately notify the participating Clubs, other Match Officials and the General Secretary via telephone calls.

24.4. In cases where it is considered necessary to stop playing a Match owing to adverse weather or another cause, the Referee must wait a reasonable length of time before deciding on abandonment.

24.5. Should the appointed Referee fail to appear, the senior Assistant Referee shall take charge. The senior Assistant Referee is the Assistant Referee with the longer service on the League.

24.6. Referees must report to the General Secretary all cases where Clubs commence a Match late, or without eleven (11) Players on the field and also in case of their own or any Assistant Referee’s or the Fourth Official’s late arrival for any Match as soon as possible after the Match. Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials must also send an explanation of their late arrival to the General Secretary as soon as possible after the Match.

24.7. The Home Club must pay the Match Officials their fee and/or expenses on the date of the Match, in their dressing room, within a reasonable time after the conclusion of the Match.

24.8. The football(s) proposed to be used in a Match must be the applicable official Match ball type as determined by the Committee and notified to the Clubs by the General Secretary from time to time. The Home Club must ensure that the proposed Match balls are in good condition and without any writing or extra marking on them. The proposed Match ball(s) (comprising a minimum number of four (4)) shall be submitted by the Home Club to the Referee for his approval before commencement of the Match.

24.9. The scale of payments for Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials shall be determined by the FAW and notified to the Clubs by the General Secretary prior to the commencement of the playing season.

24.10. All Match Officials shall be entitled to claim the cheapest form of rail travel available on the day of the Match or motoring expenses determined from time to time by the FAW when travelling by car.

24.11. Referees, Assistant Referees and Fourth Officials must travel together to and from a Match ground at all times, where practicable.

24.12. Home Clubs must provide adequate refreshments to the Match Officials in their dressing room at least thirty (30) minutes prior to kick-off.

24.13. In the case of postponed Matches where gate money is not taken, the Match Officials shall be paid their travelling expenses and half their ordinary fee.

24.14. Referees must report any late presentation or non-presentation of Team Sheets or alteration of teams after presentation of Team Sheets in accordance with Rule 23 above.

24.15. Referees must ensure that Clubs play Matches in the correct Authorised Kit as defined in Rule 14 above. Any breach of this Rule must be reported to the General Secretary.

24.16. The kit worn by Match Officials at Matches shall be approved by the FAW Referees Committee.

25. WITHDRAWAL OF CLUBS

25.1. A Club shall not resign from the League after being accepted at the Annual General Meeting and before completing all of its Matches in the relevant playing season.

25.2. If a Club wishes to resign from the League at the end of the playing season, it must do so by giving notice by 1st April.

26. EXCLUSION OF CLUBS – MISCONDUCT BY CLUB, THEIR OFFICIALS, PLAYERS OR OTHERS

26.1. At the Annual General Meeting or at an Extraordinary General Meeting called for the purpose in accordance with the provisions of Rule 4 above, a seventy five per cent (75%) majority of the accredited Club representatives present and eligible to vote shall have power to exclude from further participation in the League any Club whose conduct has in their opinion been objectionable and detrimental to the good conduct of the name of the League.

26.2. It is the responsibility of all Clubs to ensure that their Officials, Players or other members of the Club do not, by their written or spoken words or actions, bring the League or any other Club into disrepute.

27. MATCH PROGRAMME DETAILS

27.1. The Visiting Club must send the Home Club a brief history of the Club, details of its Club first team squad list together with Players’ pen pictures and which Authorised Kit it intends to wear in time to be received by the Home Club at least five (5) days prior to the scheduled date of the Match. If as a result of exceptional circumstances, a Match is re-arranged with less than five (5) days’ notice, the details must be forwarded to the Home Club as soon as reasonably practicable after notification of the re-arrangement. All Clubs must publish a minimum eight (8)-page programme for all Matches, which may be in hard copy and/or digital format. The programme must contain all League sponsors adverts, as provided by the General Secretary from time to time, pen pictures of the Visiting Club, referee details and the Visiting Club History.

27.2. If requested by the General Secretary, the Home Club shall forward to the General Secretary a copy of the Match programme within three (3) days of his request.

28. PUBLIC LIABILITY AND PLAYERS INSURANCE

28.1. All Clubs must have and maintain Public Liability Insurance in the minimum sum determined from time to time by the Committee, evidence of such cover having to be provided to the General Secretary at least fourteen (14) days before the start of the playing season and as otherwise requested by the Committee. In the event of the FAW arranging block cover for Public Liability Insurance, all Clubs will be required to participate on such terms as the Committee shall decide.

29. REGISTRATION OF GROUNDS AND GROUND SHARING

29.1. Each Club must register its ground for Home Matches with the General Secretary by the Annual General Meeting prior to the start of each playing season and the Club may not use any other ground for Home Matches without the Committee’s prior written approval.

29.2. Any Club which intends entering a ground sharing agreement either by sharing its own ground with another club, irrespective of whether the other club is from within or outside the League must initially submit in writing to the General Secretary full details of the agreement which must then be approved by the Committee before it can be accepted. Details of ground sharing agreements must be submitted in writing to the General Secretary by 1st March to be effective for the following season. In all cases where grounds are shared, the Club is to have priority of use at all times unless there are exceptional circumstances approved in writing in advance by the Committee. Failure to maintain priority use will render the ground unacceptable under these Rules and in addition not capable of obtaining a Tier 3 Club Licence.

29.3. The League can provide a template ground sharing agreement if requested by any League Club.

30. TRANSMISSION OF LEAGUE MATCHES

30.1. The League and the Clubs each acknowledge and agree that the FAW shall have the sole and exclusive right to exercise the Transmission Rights and enter into Transmission Contracts and/or authorise others to do so. The League and the Clubs shall do nothing to infringe such rights and shall at their own cost do all such things and sign all such documents as are necessary to facilitate the exercise of the Transmission Rights and enable the FAW, its agents and licensees to comply with the terms of Transmission Contracts, including the provision of access, facilities and services and the right to use Club, Official and Player names, logos, images and biographies.

31. SPONSORSHIP

31.1. The League shall have the sole and exclusive right to exercise the Sponsorship Rights and to enter into Sponsorship Contracts and/or authorise others to do so. The Clubs shall do nothing to infringe such rights and shall at their own cost do all such things and sign all such documents as are necessary to facilitate the exercise of the Sponsorship Rights and enable the FAW, its agents and licensees to comply with the terms of Sponsorship Contracts, including the provision of access, facilities and services and the right to use Club, Official and Player names, logos, images and biographies.

32. MEDICAL COVER

32.1. At all Matches, medical cover to at least FAW FASE 1 level must be provided by the Home Club for Players, Officials, Match Officials and spectators.

33. SCALE OF FINES AND PAYMENT OF FINES

33.1. The Scale of Fines to be imposed by the Committee for a failure to comply with specified Rules (assuming the relevant failure is a first offence) shall be determined by the Committee from time to time and notified to the Clubs by the General Secretary at least two (2) weeks prior to the commencement of the League playing season.

33.2. All fines imposed by the Committee under these Rules must be paid to the League within fourteen (14) days of notice being given by the Committee.

THE Ardal Leagues Northern League Cup Rules

1. The competition shall be called The Ardal Leagues Northern League Cup (the “Competition” or the “League Cup”), as such name may be amended from time to time by the Committee with the approval of the FAW to include the name of a title sponsor.

2. The Competition trophy (the “Cup”) is the property of the League and any insurance premium for the Cup to be paid by the League.

3. The League shall have entire control of the Competition and shall have power to deal with any matter for which no provision is made.

4. The Competition shall be organised each playing season by the Committee.

5. The Ardal Leagues Northern Rules shall apply to this Competition, save as amended (where necessary) to refer to the Competition instead of the League and save as otherwise amended by these rules (the “League Cup Rules”).

6. The Competition shall observe the FAW Rules and FAW Regulations and all Matches shall be played under the Laws of the Game. In the event that any of the League Cup Rules conflicts with the FAW Rules or the FAW Regulations, the FAW Rules or FAW Regulations shall prevail.

7. In all Matches leading up to the final, the gate receipts shall be allocated to the Home Club.

8. The appointment of Match Officials shall be made by the League. Match Fees and expenses shall be paid as for League Matches.

9. When a Match has been postponed through causes over which neither Club has any control, the expenses shall be paid out of receipts for the Match when it is played, or by the League at the discretion of the Committee.

10. When a Match has been postponed or abandoned before its completion on two occasions, the fixture shall be reversed, with home advantage beinhg awarded to the visiting team. When a fixture has been postponed by the Committee 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 income and expenses.

11. All Clubs which are currently members of the League must compete in the Competition.

12. The draw for all rounds will be arranged by the Committee and all Matches will be played on a knockout basis over one leg, with the Club drawn first for each Match being the Home Club.

13. The final will take place at a neutral ground, to be decided by the Panel.

14. Extra Time and Penalties

a. In each Match, if the result is a draw at the end of normal playing time, the winner is determined by kicks from the penalty mark. There is no extra-time.

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

15. The dates of all Matches and the conference date for each round (“Conference Date”) of the Competition shall be decided by the Committee.

16. A Player shall be considered bona-fide if he is registered by his Club with the FAW, in accordance with the provisions of the Ardal Leagues Northern Rules. Each Club shall play its full available strength team in all League Cup ties unless some satisfactory reason is given. In the event of the explanation not being deemed satisfactory, the League shall have the power to impose such penalties as they think fit.

17. In all rounds of the Competition, a Player must have been a registered for the Club with the FAW by 5:00pm on the last Business Day before the applicable Conference Date. In the case of postponed or abandoned Matches, only those Players shall be allowed to play who were eligible at the applicable Conference Date.

18. For any Match ordered to be replayed in consequence of a breach of these League Cup Rules, the Club in default shall not receive any share of the proceeds of the replayed Match without the consent of the FAW and such consent shall only be given in special circumstances. If consent is not given the share shall be retained by the League.

19. The winning Club shall hold the Cup for approximately one year and will be responsible for the engraving of the Cup prior to its return to the League. The Cup must be returned by not later than 1st March in the following season.

20. In addition to the Cup, the League shall present souvenirs to the Competition winners and to the runners-up. The Match Officials for the final shall receive a memento in addition to their normal fee and expenses. Additional souvenirs may be presented only by consent of the League.

THE ARDAL LEAGUES SOUTHERN

1. DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION

1.1. In these Rules, the following words and expressions have the following meanings:

1.1.1. ‘Authorised Kit’ means each Match playing kit approved by the Committee in accordance with Rule 14 below;

1.1.2. ‘Business Day’ means a day that is not a Saturday or Sunday or a public or bank holiday in Wales.

1.1.4. ‘Club’ means an association football club which is for the time being a member of the League or (where the context requires) a prospective member or a former member of the League.

1.1.5. ‘Chairman’ means the Chairman of the Committee, appointed from time to time by the Directors with the approval of the FAW.

1.1.7. ‘Directors’ means the directors of the League duly appointed from time to time with the approval of the FAW.

1.1.8. ‘Divisions’ means each of the two (2) divisions of the League, currently known as ‘Ardal South East and Ardal South West’, as such names may be amended from time to time by the League with the approval of the FAW (for example) to include the name of a title sponsor.

1.1.9. ‘FAW’ means the Football Association of Wales Ltd.

1.1.10. ‘FAW COMET’ is as defined in the FAW COMET Regulations, as amended from time to time by the FAW.

1.1.11. ‘FAW Regulations’ means the regulations, standing orders, byelaws, orders, codes, policies, procedures, directives and instructions for the time being of the FAW.

1.1.12. ‘FAW Rules’ means the Rules for the time being of the FAW.

1.1.14. ‘General Meeting’ means any meeting of the Clubs and shall include the Annual General Meeting and any Extraordinary General Meetings called in accordance with Rule 4 below.

1.1.16. ‘League’ means Ardal Leagues Southern Ltd, the organisation which currently arranges and runs the Divisions and the League Cup, as such company name may be amended from time to time by the League with the approval of the FAW.

1.1.17. ‘League Cup’ means the FAW Tier 3 league knockout cup currently known as the ‘Ardal Leagues Southern League Cup’, as such name may be amended from time to time by the League with the approval of the FAW (for example) to include the name of a title sponsor.