The Football Association
&
Norfolk County
Football Association
This
page will be updated with information considered of interest and relevant to,
BADSFL members.
Referees
Laws – Clarification
Jewellery
The recent letter sent to Contributory
and Supply Leagues concerning players’ Equipment (Law 4) has resulted in a
number of questions relating to grass roots football.
Whilst I am mindful that the Laws of the Game cover the whole of
football there needs to be a degree of understanding and common sense when
referees manage a local game of football. With this in mind I have offered
advice and guidance below for all concerned which I hope clarifies the position
of referees operating in the National Game (Grass roots football). Can I stress
this is only advice and guidance to County FA Chief Executive Officers, County
Secretaries, Referee Development Officers and other county personnel to assist
with questions they may be asked. Of course we need to be abiding with the Laws
of the Game. At a senior level I believe it is very easy to implement the
removal of all jewellery however at local level I do fell we need to extol an
element of common sense.
In respect of anyone wearing any item of jewellery the advice must and
always will be to remove the article.
The main responsibility of a referee operating at grass roots level is
to ensure that the game takes place and that it is safe to do so. Before the
game referees should carry out an inspection of all players’ equipment. If a
player is unable to remove, say a plain wedding ring, then the referee should
apply a practical approach to the management of the situation. Participation
and the opportunity to play football at grass roots level, is a fundamental of
the referee. We do not want to place our referees in a potential confrontation
situation prior to the game starting over the issue of a plain wedding ring.
The issue of wearing jewellery and head coverings, as part of someone’s
religion, has been highlighted before and we offer advice on our website.
Ian Blanchard
Head of National Referee
Development
August 2008
Headguards
The FA has approved the use of
the head guard worn by Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
An inspection was carried out by a Premiership referee, appointed by The
FA, in consultation with Chelsea’s club doctor. The FA’s Head of Senior Referee
Development Neale Barry said, “As head guards are not part of the players
‘basic compulsory equipment’ as set out in the laws of the game, it is
essential that they are safe to wear.” “This head guard is soft construction
with padded areas of dense foam all over to protect the head of the wearer. It
covers the ears but there’s a hole on each side to afford hearing”. “ The helmet could cause no risk to the safety of either the
wearer or any colleague or opponent of his whilst being worn. It has a Velcro
under chin strap and no extraordinary areas on the helmet that could cause
unnatural deviation of the ball if it were to either strik
the helmet or if the wearer were to head the ball.”
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FA’s Respect Programme
Code of Conduct: Coaches, Team
Managers and Club Officials
On and off
the field, I will:
* Show respect to others involved in the game including match officials,
opposition players, coaches, managers, officials and spectators
* Adhere to the laws and spirit of the game
* Promote Fair Play and high standards of behaviour
* Always respect the match official’s decision
* Never enter the field of play without the referee’s permission
* Never engage in public criticism of the match officials
* Never engage in, or tolerate, offensive, insulting or abusive language
or behaviour.
Code of Conduct: Adult Players
On and
off the field, I will:
* Adhere to the Laws of the Game
* Display and promote high standards of behaviour
* Promote fair play and behave within the spirit of the Laws of the Game
* Always respect the match officials’ decisions
* Never engage in public criticism of the match officials
* Never engage in offensive, insulting or abusive language and behaviour
* Avoid bullying, intimidation and poor behaviour
* Speak to my team-mates, the opposition and my manager/coach with
respect
* Ask my referee to talk to the referee if I have a problem relating to
the game
* Remember we all make mistakes
* Shake hands with the opposing team and the match officials at the end
of every game.
Failure to follow the above Codes
may result in action being by the Club, League, County FA or The FA
Captain taking responsibility
As a captain, you have no special status or privileges under the Laws of
the Game, but you do have a degree of responsibility for the behaviour of your
team. To promote Respect the referee will work with you, as the team captain,
to manage the game and the players effectively. Even if you are some way from
an incident when the referee feels he/she needs you involved in discussion with
a player with a player, the referee will call you over. This will ensure that,
as the team captain, you remain the point of contact for the referee.
How Captains can help install
Respect:
* Ensure you wear a Respect captain’s armband – these will be provided
by your league to your club
* Together with your opposition captain, make yourself
known to the referee before the game. He/she will as ask if you are clear about
your responsibilities
* Ensure all your players what the can/cannot do in relation to the
referee and what is meant by ‘unwanted behaviour’. No-ones
trying to curb enthusiasm – just instil more discipline. This can only benefit
your match – and football as a whole.
* Ensure your vice-captain (appoint one if you haven’t got one) is aware
of these rules, in case you are unavailable for a game, or have to leave the
field.
* Ensure every player in your team has signed the Respect Code of
Conduct.
Working with the ref
Given you, as the captain, is the main point of contact for the referee
under Respect, it’s important you understand what referees have been asked to
do: Firstly, the referee has been requested to work with you to manage the
players and the game effectively. However, in his/her own right, the referee
must control the game by applying the Laws of the Game. This includes dealing
firmly with any show dissent by players (e.g. not to move away from the
incident, but stay and deal with it).
The type of behaviour which often gives rise to problems in matches, and
where captains and referees need to work together, can be described as
‘harassment’ and ‘challenging behaviour’ towards the referee.
Here are some examples of each:
Harassment:
* Running towards the referee in an aggressive manner
* Players surrounding the referee to protest a decision
* Repeatedly asking questions about decisions in an attempt to influence
the referee or ‘undermine his/her responsibilities
Challenging:
* Continually asking the referee questions about decisions about
decisions made obviously in an attempt to undermine his/her position
* Passing comment to other players about a referee’s decision-making
* Aggressively running at a referee to object decisions
* Repeatedly moaning at the referee about decisions
* Gestures that obviously are made in a derogatory manner, such as a
shaking of the head or waving the hand
BADSFL’s Codes of Conduct
BADSFL Code of Conduct for
Football
* A Participant shows understanding of and respect of the Laws of the
Game
* A Participant supports the belief that the game should be played in an
entertaining and positive way
* A Participant behaves on and off the field of play in a sporting
manner towards all others involved, be the players, officials or spectators,
irrespective of results
* A Participant shall at all times act in the best interests of the game
and shall not act in a manner which is improper or brings the game into disrepute
or use any one, or combination of violent conduct, serious foul play,
threatening, abusive, indecent or insulting words or behaviour
* A Participant shall not carry out any act which is discriminatory by
reason of ethnic, colour, race, nationality, religion, sex, sexual orientation
or disability
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Football Debt Recovery Rules
1: Associations are required to operate a system to collect football
debts on behalf of Affiliated Clubs, Affiliated Leagues and Other Associations.
2: Football debts are defined as those costs arising directly from
football activity, and as such would include
disciplinary costs (e.g. fines), match costs (e.g. match fees), and playing
expenses (e.g. pitch hire). Incidental costs (e.g. fund raising activities,
club subscriptions) do not fall within the scope of Football Debt Recovery.
3: Associations may take action against individuals or groups of
individuals. Individuals may be pursued where they are refusing to reimburse an
individual club for a qualifying debt. Where a club has folded its qualifying
debts may be apportioned against its registered members and officers, and
action taken against them individually to recover the club’s debt.
4: Where a club’s debts are apportioned to individuals they must then be
treated as individuals, and any disciplinary action must not be linked to the
recovery of the total debt.
5: It is incumbent on the creditor to take reasonable steps to recover
the debt before asking their parent Association to take action. This would
normally include approaching the debtor personally as well as contacting them
in writing to seek payment.
6: The Parent Association should be approached as soon as it is clear
there is a problem. In all cases this should be within 28 days of formal
payment being requested, and 56 days of the debt being incurred.
7: Upon receipt the Association must immediately take steps to verify
whether the debt is valid and notify the creditor and debtor of its decision.
8: Upon being satisfied that a qualifying debt exists the Association
must apportion the debt on a pro-rata basis and notify the individual or
individuals concerned. The Association may add an Administration Fee (not
exceeding £8) to each individual’s pro-rata debt.
9: Upon being notified, an individual must pay the debt within 21 days
of the issue of the notification letter or appeal in accordance with the appeal
procedures. If payment or appeal is not received the individual will be fined
an additional sum, currently £20, be suspended sine die until the debt and fine
is paid and he is notified that the suspension has been lifted. This suspension
will commence from (and include) the 22nd day after the date the notification
was issued.
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FA Rule 21
(a) Each Affiliated Association, Competition and Club shall be
responsible for ensuring that its Directors, Players, Officials, Employers,
Servants, Representatives, Spectators and all persons purporting to be its
supporters or followers, conduct themselves in an orderly fashion and refrain
from violent, threatening, abusive, obscene or provocative behaviour, conduct or language whilst attending at or taking part in a
Match in which its involved, whether on its ground or elsewhere; and
(b) that no spectators or unauthorized persons
are permitted to encroach onto the pitch area, save for reasons of crowd
safety, or to throw missiles, bottles or other potential harmful or dangerous
objects at or on to the pitch.
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Recommended “First Aid Kit”
BADSFL Rule 9 (d)
1: Minimum
of two pairs Latex Surgical Gloves
2: 20
Adhesive Dressings (Plasters Assorted Sizes)
3: 3
Medium Non - Adhesive Dressing
4: 3
Large Non - Adhesive Dressings
5: 3
Extra Large Non - Adhesive Dressings
6: 4
Tri - Angular Bandages
7: 1
Pkt of 5 Sterile Eye Pads
8: 2
Pks 10cm x 10cm Melolin Dressings/Gauze Pads
9: 2
Crepe Roller Bandage (7.5cm)
10: 1
Eye Wash & Solution
11: 2
Rolls Micro - Pore Tape
12: 1
Pair Bandage Scissors
13: 1
Pkt Safety Pins
14: Hot/Cold
Compress (A Freezer Cube Pack will suffice
The above is by no means exhaustive and you
should seriously consider having blankets available.
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When is
a card red or yellow?
The
different fouls that make the referee get out a red or
yellow
card.
There are seven different offences that can get
you a yellow card.
A player is cautioned and shown a yellow card
if he commits any of the seven following offences:
* Anything that can be deemed as unsporting
behaviour
* Shows dissent by word or action
* Persistent infringement of the laws of the
game, for example a series of fouls
* Delaying the restart of play
* Not retreating the required distance when
play is restarted with a corner kick, free kick OR AT A THROW IN
* Entering or re-entering the pitch without the
referee’s permission
* Deliberately leaving the pitch without the
referee’s permission
A
substitute or substituted player is cautioned and shown a yellow card if he
commits any of the following three offences:
* Is
guilty of unsporting behaviour
* Shows
dissent by word or action
*
Delays the restart of play
There are seven different offences that can get you a
red card.
A
player, substitute or substituted player is sent off and shown a red card if he
commits any of the following seven offences.
* Is guilty of serious foul play
* Is guilty of violent conduct, such as
throwing a punch
* Spitting at an opponent or another person
* A player other than the goalkeeper denying an
obvious goal scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does
not apply to a goalkeeper within his own penalty area).
* Denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity
to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a
free-kick or a penalty kick
* Uses offensive or insulting or abusive
language and/or gestures
* Receiving a second caution in the same match
A
player, substitute or substituted player who has been sent off and shown the
red card must leave the vicinity of the field of play and technical area
Delaying the start of play (one of
the cautionable offences)
Referees MUST
caution players who delay the restart of play by tactics such as:
* taking a free kick
from the wrong position with the sole intention of forcing the referee to order
a retake
* appearing to take a throw-in but suddenly
leaving it to one of his team mates to throw in
* kicking the ball away or carrying it away
with the hands after the referee has stopped play
* excessively delaying
the taking of a throw-in or free kick
* delaying leaving the field of play when being
substituted
* provoking
a confrontation by deliberately touching the ball after the referee has stopped
play
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