The League Rules for season 2009/2010 can be downloaded here via Microsoft Word which will allow you to print them off (16 pages).

League Rules 2009/2010

Membership of the League   £40.00
Deposit (new clubs only)      £50.00
Player Registration                £3.00
Player Transfer                     £6.00
Emergency Registration         £6.00
Referees Fee                      £25.00
Assistant Referees Fee          £9.00
Protest to TSFL                   £10.00
Protest to KCFA                   £20.00

2E Failure to Affiliate to KCFA and notify League Secretary of details        £10.00
5M Fixtures suspended                                                                      £20.00
5O Failure to reply to League correspondence                                       £10.00
5O Failure to reply to within further 14 days                                          £10.00
5P Bringing the League into disrepute                                          up to £50.00
5Q Poor administration deposit                                                           £50.00
6H Failure to attend AGM                                                                    £20.00
8E Failure to register 12 players by the allotted date                              £25.00
8G Signing for more than one club without transfer                                £10.00
8N Playing an unregistered or ineligible player                                      £20.00
(further penalties will be incurred and match points deducted)
9A Not having change of kit colour when required to do so                     £10.00
10B Late kick-off                                                                              £10.00
10D Playing with less than 11 players - fine per player                          £10.00
10E Failing to notify of cancellation as per the rules                              £25.00
10E Failing to fulfil a fixture                                                       up to £50.00
(further penalties will be incurred and match points deducted)
10J Failure to pay pitch fees                                                      up to £50.00
11A Error on result card - various and by item                                      £10.00
11B Failure to report match results                                                     £10.00
11C Falsifying a result card                                                                £30.00
11E Failure to submit result card                                                         £10.00
11G Failure to explain a Referees mark under 50                                 £10.00
13C Failure to supply Assistant Referee when asked to do so                 £10.00
13E Failure to pay Match Officials                                                        £10.00
14A Withdrawal from the League prior to completion of fixtures              £50.00
18B Failure to return League Trophies                                                 £20.00
19 Failure to attend special meeting when called upon to do so              £20.00

Legend:
Normal text - existing FA rule
Italics - existing TSFL rule
Bold and Underlined - new FA rule
Bold, Italics and Underlined - new TSFL rule

NOMENCLATURE AND CONSTITUTION
1. (A) This Competition shall be designated the Thanet Sunday Football League and known as the Thanet Sunday Football League and shall consist of not more than 44 Clubs who shall be Full Member Clubs and not more than 16 Clubs who shall be Associate Member Clubs.

All such Member Clubs must be affiliated to an Affiliated County Football Association and their names and particulars shall be returned annually by the appointed date on the Form D to the Kent County Football Association Ltd. The area covered by the Competition membership shall be the County of Kent.

This Competition shall apply annually for sanction to the Kent County Football Association Ltd and the constituent teams of Member Clubs may be grouped in divisions, each not exceeding 12 in number.

Member Clubs shall not enter any of their teams playing in the Competition in any other Competitions (with the exception of F.A. and County F.A. Competitions) except with the written consent of the Management Committee of the Competition. No teams will be allowed to enter their reserve team in the league.

(B) At the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting called for the purpose, a majority of the delegates present shall have power to decide or adjust the compilation of the divisions at their discretion. When necessary this Rule shall take precedence over Rule 12.

ENTRY FEE, SUBSCRIPTION, DEPOSIT
2. (A) Applications by Clubs for admission to this Competition must be made in writing to the Secretary and must be accompanied by an Entry Fee of £40.00 per team, which shall be returned in the event of non-election.

At the discretion of a majority of the accredited voting members present, applications of which due notice has been given, may be received at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting. The Entry Fee shall apply.

When Rule 12(B) is applied and a team seeks a transfer or is compulsorily transferred to another division no Entry Fee shall apply.

(B) The Annual Subscription shall be £40.00 per Club payable 7 days before the date of the AGM in each year.

(C) Each new member club shall upon election pay a deposit of £50.00, which shall be returnable to Clubs on leaving the Competition provided they have fulfilled their fixtures and complied with all orders of the Management Committee.

(D) A Club shall not participate in this Competition until the Entry Fee, Annual Subscription and Deposit have been paid.

(E) Clubs must advise annually to the Secretary in writing by 31st July of its Kent County Football Association Ltd affiliation number for the forthcoming season, failing which they shall be fined £10.00. Clubs must advise the Secretary in writing, or on the prescribed form, of details of its Headquarters, Officers and any other information required by the Competition.

The majority of league correspondence will be administered via email. Each member and associate member club must supply a club email address but this does not have to be that of the designated club secretary.

(F) Each Club affiliated to the league will receive copies of the League Handbook. 10% of each Registration Fee will be donated to the League Support Fund.

(G) The League will not chase player debts for its member clubs. However, the KCFA operates a debt collecting service for the benefit of affiliated clubs. Full details are set out in the KCFA Handbook.

(H) With regard to the League's allocation of FA Cup Final tickets the following procedure will be followed. Two tickets will be assigned to League Officers and Council Members. All Clubs affiliated to the League shall have their names placed in a draw for the remaining tickets that will be drawn in lots of two where possible. Two extra names should be drawn to cover the eventuality of clubs not wishing to take up the offer of tickets. Those clubs or council members awarded tickets are then removed from any future draws until all clubs have been successful.

OFFICERS
3. (A) The Officers of the Competition shall be the President, Vice-Presidents, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Registration Secretary, Referees Secretary, Fixtures Secretary, Assistant Fixtures Secretary, IT/Press Secretary/Webmaster, Council Liaison Officer, Disciplinary Committee Chairman and Minute Secretary to be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting. (N.B. Auditors are not Officers).

(B) The Management of the League shall be vested in the Management Committee which shall consist of the Officers and three Independent Members, all of whom shall be elected annually, and five Club Representatives as elected at the AGM.

(C) In the case of a member of the Management Committee absenting himself from two consecutive meetings without giving satisfactory reasons in writing within seven days, his election will be annulled and the vacancy filled by the League Council.

(D) Each Officer, Official, Member of the Management Committee or Member of the League shall be entitled to be indemnified and reimbursed by the League and its members for any liability incurred in respect of any act carried out with the authority of the League relating to the proper conduct of the affairs and management of the League. This indemnity relates to any liability including any compensation or damages awarded and legal costs and other costs in the defence of any action.

MANAGEMENT, NOMINATION, ELECTION
4. (A) The Competition shall be governed in accordance with the Rules and Regulations of the Football Association by a Management Committee comprised of the Officers and elected Club Representatives and Independent Members who shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting.

(B) Retiring Officers shall be eligible to become candidates for re-election without nomination. All other candidates for election as Officers or Members of the Management Committee shall be nominated to the Secretary in writing, signed by the Secretaries of two Member Clubs, not later than twenty-one days prior to the AGM in each year. Names of the candidates for election shall be circulated with the notice of the Annual General Meeting. In the event of there being no nomination in accordance with the foregoing for any office, nominations may be received at the Annual General Meeting.

(C) The Management Committee shall meet monthly or as often as is necessary to deal with business as it arises. On receiving a requisition signed by two-thirds of the Members of the Management Committee the Secretary shall convene a meeting of the Committee.

(D) Except where otherwise mentioned all communications shall be addressed to the Secretary who shall conduct the correspondence of the Competition and keep a record of its proceedings.

(E) All communications received from Clubs must be conducted through their nominated Officers.

POWERS OF MANAGEMENT
5. (A) The Management Committee may appoint sub-committees and delegate such of their powers as they deem necessary. The decisions of all sub- committees shall be reported to the Management Committee for ratification. The Management Committee shall have power to deal only with matters within the Competition and not for any matters of misconduct that are under the jurisdiction of the Football Association or affiliated Association.

(B) Subject to the permission of the Kent County Football Association Ltd having been obtained, the Management Committee may order a match or matches to be played each season, the proceeds to be devoted to the funds of the Competition, and, if necessary, may call upon each Club (including any Club which may have withdrawn during the season) to contribute equally such sums as may be necessary to meet any deficiency at the end of the season. (See Rule 6(E)).

(C) Each Member of the Management Committee shall have the right to attend and vote at all Management Committee Meetings and have one vote thereat, but no Member shall be allowed to vote on any matters directly appertaining to such Member or to the Club so represented. (This shall apply to the procedure of any sub-committee). In the event of the voting being equal on any matter, the Chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

(D) The Management Committee shall have powers to apply, act upon and enforce the Rules of the Competition and shall also have jurisdiction over all matters affecting the Competition, including any not provided for in the Rules. Except where these Rules provide for the imposition of a set penalty any Club, Club Official (limited to Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer) or Player alleged to be in breach of a Competition Rule must be formally charged in writing and given the opportunity to present their case before the Management Committee. Financial penalties can only be imposed if included within the set penalties for breaches of Competition Rules. All breaches of the Laws of the Game, Rules and Regulations of The Football Association shall be dealt with in accordance with F.A. Rules by the appropriate Association.

(E) All decisions of the Management Committee shall be binding subject to the right of appeal to the Board of Appeal in accordance with Rule 16. Decisions of the Management Committee must be notified in writing to those concerned within ten days.

(F) Three Members of the Management Committee shall constitute a quorum for the transition of business of the Management Committee and three Members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business by any sub-committee of the Competition.

(G) The Management Committee, as it may deem necessary, shall have power to fill in an acting capacity, any vacancies that may occur amongst their number.

(H) A Club having failed to comply with an order or instruction of the Management Committee, or failing to satisfactorily attend to the business and/or the correspondence of the Competition shall be liable to be fined or otherwise penalised at the discretion of the Management Committee.

(I) All fines must be paid within 14 days of receipt. Failure to pay fines by the due date will result in the fine being re-issued by the designated League Officer, doubled and falling due in a further 7 days. Should the fine remain unpaid after the additional seven day period, the Club's fixtures will be immediately withdrawn until the full amount is paid. The Club will be liable to the full consequences of failing to fulfil any fixtures as detailed in rule 10(E). This fine should be paid direct to the designated League Officer. Clubs, Officials or individuals committing a breach of this rule shall be liable to such further penalties as the League Management Committee thinks fit to impose.

(J) A member of the Management Committee appointed by the Competition to attend a meeting or match may have any expenses incurred refunded by the Competition.

(K) The Management Committee shall have the power to fill any vacancy that may occur in the membership of the Competition between the Annual General or Special General Meeting called to decide the constitution and the commencement of the Competition season.

(L) The Committee shall have the power to recover any monies owing to the League from Clubs ceasing to be in membership of the League, on a proportional basis, from the players so registered with the Club, excluding those under the statutory school leaving age, at the time of its withdrawal or expulsion from the League.

(M) Any Club that has its fixtures suspended by the TSFL, KCFA or Thanet Leisure Force shall be fined £20.00.

(N) Clubs found guilty of second and third repeats of the same offence shall be liable to have the amount of the fine doubled on each occasion. Clubs found guilty of a third repeat of the same offence will have their fixtures suspended immediately until the said club can prove to the disciplinary committee that their administrational issues have been resolved. Clubs would also be fined for failing to fulfil fixtures.

(O) Clubs failing to answer within fourteen days any League correspondence they receive, will be fined £10.00 to which a further £10.00 fine will be added every fourteen days without further correspondence from the League.

(P) Any Clubs found guilty of bringing the League into disrepute will be fined up to a maximum of £50.00

(Q) Clubs with poor administration from the previous season will be required to pay an additional fine
deposit of £50.00 for the forthcoming season. If this amount is used up throughout the season for the incurrence of fines, then an additional sum shall be required to be paid to the League. Any monies not used will be deducted from the registration fee for the next season as long as the respective Club has satisfied the League that it's administration is to the standard required.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
6. (A) The Annual General Meeting shall be held not later than 30th June in each year. At this meeting the following business shall be transacted provided that at least 50% of Members are present and entitled to vote:-

(i) To receive and confirm the Minutes of the preceding Annual General Meeting.
(ii) To consider any business arising there from.
(iii) To elect two scrutineers.
(iv) Presentation and adoption of the Hon. Secretary's Report.
(v) To receive and adopt the Annual Report, Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts.
(vi) Election of Officers and Management Committee.
(vii) Constitution of the Competition for the ensuing season.
(viii) Election of Clubs to fill vacancies (as recommended by the Management Committee).
(ix) Appointment of Auditors.
(x) Alteration of Rules, if any (of which notice has been given).
(xi) Other business of which due notice shall have been given and accepted as being relevant to an Annual General Meeting. Any other business that is requested to be raised must be received in writing seven days before the date of the AGM.

(B) A copy of the duly audited Balance Sheet, Statement of Accounts and Agenda shall be forwarded to each Club at least fourteen days prior to the Meeting, and to the Kent County Football Association Ltd.

(C) A signed copy of the duly audited Balance Sheet and Statement of Accounts shall be sent to the Kent County Football Association Ltd within fourteen days of its adoption by the Annual General Meeting.

(D) Each Member Club shall be empowered to send two delegates to an Annual General Meeting. Each Club shall be entitled to one vote only. Not less than seven days' notice shall be given of any Meeting.

(E) Clubs who have withdrawn their Membership of the Competition during the season being concluded or who are not continuing Membership shall be entitled to attend but shall vote only on matters relating to the season being concluded.

(F) All voting shall be conducted by a show of voting cards unless a ballot be demanded by at least a majority of the delegates qualified to vote or the Chairman so decides.

(G) No individual shall be entitled to vote on behalf of more than one Full Member Club unless the individual is also appointed to vote as a representative of a group of Associate Member Clubs.

(H) Any continuing Member Club failing to be represented at the Annual General Meeting without satisfactory reason being given shall be fined £20.00.

(I) Officers and Management Committee Members shall be entitled to attend and vote at an Annual General Meeting.

AGREEMENT TO BE SIGNED
7. (A) The Chairman and the Secretary of each Club shall complete and sign the following agreement which shall be deposited with the Competition together with the Application for Membership for the coming season, or upon indicating that the Club intends to compete. We, A, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Chairman) and
B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Secretary) of the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Football Club have been provided with a copy of the Rules and Regulations of the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Competition and do hereby agree for and on behalf of the said Club, if elected or accepted into Membership to conform to those Rules and Regulations and to accept, abide by and implement the decisions of the Management Committee of the Competition, subject to the right of appeal in accordance with Rule 16. Any alteration of the Chairman and or Secretary on the above Agreement must be notified to the Kent County Football Association Ltd to which the Club is affiliated and to the Secretary of the Competition. (Note: The spaces overleaf are intended for the inclusion of the signatures and addresses of Officers and Members).

(B) All Clubs will be subject to League Rules once elected at the AGM inclusive of any friendlies or charity matches played.
(C) Each Club shall be deemed to have given its assent to the foregoing and following rules and to abide by the decisions of the League Council, subject to rule 15(E).
(D) In all circumstances payment by cheque to the League will only have been deemed to have been made after the cheque has been cleared at the bank. All bank charges incurred by the League if cheques are not met will be passed on to the defaulting Club.
(E) All cheques must be made payable to TSFL. Cheques with incorrect payee's names will be returned.

QUALIFICATION OF PLAYERS
8 (A) (i) Contract players, as defined in Football Association Rules, are not permitted in this Competition. This includes any player who is currently out of contract but previously contracted during that same football season.
(ii) Any player who registers with this League and who subsequently is registered by a Club under a written contract shall have his registration with this League automatically cancelled. Failure to report changes of circumstances will result in the matter being reported to the appropriate authority.

(B) A registered playing member of a Club is one who has achieved the age of 16 years and who, being in all other respect eligible, has: -
Signed a fully and correctly completed Competition Registration Form in ink, countersigned by an Officer of the Club, and who has been registered with the Registrations Secretary by 7pm on the day prior to playing. All registration forms must be accompanied by a registration fee. Any person found guilty of signing a Registration Form on behalf of a player shall be liable, at the discretion of the Management Committee, to suspension from any activities with the League. A list of each Clubs registered players is available upon request to the Registrations Secretary.

(i) Upon payment of a registration fee of double the standard prevailing charge, Clubs may also sign players on the day of the match by using the Emergency Registration Form (available from the league website). The completed Emergency Registration Form and the relevant fee, by cheque, must be delivered to the Registration Secretary no later than 7pm on the date of the match, FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN A FINE. Should it transpire that a player signed in this manner is ineligible for any reason then the Club concerned will be considered to be in breach of league rules. It is the responsibility of the Club secretary to ensure that the player is qualified by virtue of Rule 8 to register for his Club.

(C) A player having taken part in matches for any Club affiliated to any County Football Association shall not be allowed to join, be transferred to, or sign for a Club in the Competition without first providing to the officials of the intended Club that the player has discharged all reasonable financial liabilities to the previous Club or Clubs, and a Club official may not accept such player's signature without first ascertaining whether such claims have been discharged to the satisfaction of the Club, or Clubs, for which the player last played.

(D) Written notification of the cancellation (de-registration) of a players registration must be received by the League Registration Secretary and if confirmation is required then a stamped addressed envelope must be enclosed. Five days clearance of the players registration form will be necessary before a player can play for a new club.

(E) (i) Each club must register players with the League's Registration Secretary in the proper manner and a minimum of 12 players must be registered with the League by the 14th of August. Clubs failing to comply will be fined £25.00. Registrations are valid for one season only.

(F) A fee of £3.00 shall be paid for each player registered. Registration forms are available on the league website. In the event of a player signing a registration form or having a registration submitted for more than one Club, priority of registration shall decide for which Club the player shall be registered. The Registrations Secretary shall notify the Club last applying to register the player of the fact of the previous registration.

(G) It shall be deemed misconduct for a player to:-

(i) Play for more than one Club in the Competition in the same season without first being transferred.
(ii) Having signed for one Club in the Competition, sign for another Club in the Competition in that season except for the purpose of a transfer. Any player found guilty of this rule shall be fined £10 and will be suspended from playing in the League until the matter has been dealt with by the League Disciplinary Committee.
(iii) Submit a signed registration form for registration that the player had wilfully neglected to accurately or fully complete.

(H) (i) The Management Committee shall have power to accept the registration of any player.

(ii) The Management Committee shall have power to refuse, cancel or suspend the registration
of any player or may fine any player, except those under 18 years of age, at their discretion who has been charged and found guilty of registration irregularities. (Subject to Rule 16).

(iii) The Management Committee shall have power to make application to refuse or cancel the registration of any player charged and found guilty of undesirable conduct (subject to Rule 16) subject to the right of appeal to the FA or the relevant County Football Association.
Undesirable conduct shall mean an incident of repeated conduct, which may deter a participant from being involved in this Competition. Application should be made to the parent County of the Club the player is registered with.

(Note: Action under Clause (iii) shall not be taken against a player for misconduct until the matter has been dealt with by the appropriate Association, and then only in cases of the player bringing the Competition into disrepute and will in any case be subject to an Appeal to the Football Association.) For the purpose of this Rule, bringing the competition into disrepute can only be considered where the player has received in excess of 112 days' suspension, or 10 matches in match based discipline, in a period of two years or less from the date of the first offence.

(I) Subject to The Football Association Rules dealing with players without a written contract when a player desires a transfer, the Club the player wishes to transfer to shall submit a transfer form, available on the league website, to the Registrations Secretary accompanied by a fee of £6.00, payable by cheque, for each player transferred by the standard one player per form method. Such transfers shall be referred by the Registrations Secretary to the Club for which the player is registered. Should this Club object to the transfer it should state its objections in writing to the Registrations Secretary and to the player concerned within five days of receipt of the transfer form. In the event of an objection to a transfer the matter shall be referred to the Management Committee for a decision.

(J) A player may not be transferred to another Club in the Competition after 1st March except by special permission of the Management Committee.

(K) A Club shall keep a list of the players it registers and a record of the games in which they have played, and shall produce such records upon demand by the Management Committee. Failure to supply shall result in a fine of £20.

(L) A register containing the names of all players registered for each Club, with the date of registration, shall be kept by the Registrations Secretary and available on the Leagues website and shall be open to the inspection of any duly appointed Member Club representative at all Management Committee meetings or at other times mutually arranged. Registrations are valid for one Season only.

In the event of a player without a written contract changing his status to that of a contract player with the same Club, another Club in the Competition or with a Club in another Competition his registration as a player without a written contract will automatically be cancelled and declared void. In order to play in the League again either for his original Club or for another Club it will be necessary for him to be re-registered as required by this Rule.

(M) A player shall not be eligible to play for a team in any special championship, promotion or relegation deciding match (as specified in Rule 12(A)) unless the player has played a minimum of three games for that team in this Competition in the current season.

(N) (i) Any team playing an unregistered or otherwise ineligible player or players shall have the points gained in the match deducted from its total and shall be fined up to £20.00 per player and/or otherwise dealt with at the discretion of the Management Committee, and shall be ordered to replay the match at their own expense.
(ii) In addition the team shall have up to three points deducted from its total at the discretion of the Management Committee and may be dealt with in any further manner which is thought to be fit.

(iii) The Management Committee in exceptional circumstances may, at its discretion, award any points deducted from a Club under this Rule to the opponents in the match in question, subject to the match not being ordered to be replayed. (The following Clause applies to Competitions involving players in full-time secondary education):-

(O) (i) Priority must be given at all times to school and school organisations activities.

(ii) The availability of children must be cleared with the Head Teachers (except for Sunday Leagues).

(iii) Children under 14 shall not play in a team involving players who are more than 2 years older. (Note: For players under the age of 18 the provisions contained in Football Association Rules will apply).

CLUB COLOURS, CLUB NAME
9. (A) Every Club must register the colour of its shirts, shorts and socks with the League Secretary by the 31st July who shall decide as to their suitability.

Goalkeepers must wear colours which distinguish them from other players and the Referee.

No player, including the goalkeeper, shall be permitted to wear black or very dark shirts.

Any team not being able to play in its normal colours as registered with the Competition shall notify the colours in which they will play to its opponents at least two days before the match. If, as in the opinion of the Referee, two Clubs have the same or similar colours, the AWAY team shall make the change. Any team not having a change of colours or delaying the kick-off by not having a change shall be fined £10.00.

The Secretary of the Competition may request shirts to be submitted if complaints are received as to lack of distinguishing colours, and the Management Committee may refuse to permit any shirts or shorts as they think fit. Shirts must be numbered.

(B) Any Club wishing to change its name and/or colours must seek permission from its affiliated County association and from the Management Committee.

PLAYING SEASON, CONDITIONS OF PLAY, TIMES OF KICK-OFF, POSTPONEMENTS, SUBSTITUTES
10. (A) The commencing and concluding dates for the ensuing season, shall be in accordance with Football Association Rules. No Club shall be compelled to play after the concluding date. Original fixtures arranged by the Fixture Secretary must not be arranged for a date later than seven days preceding the concluding date determined by the Annual General Meeting.

(B) All matches shall be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game as determined by the International Football Association Board.

Clubs must take all reasonable precautions to keep their grounds in a playable condition. All matches shall be played on pitches deemed suitable by the Management Committee. If through any fault of the home team a match has to be replayed, the Management Committee shall have power to order the venue to be changed.

The Management Committee shall have power to decide whether a pitch and/or facilities are suitable for matches in the Competition and to order the Club concerned to play its fixtures on another ground.

All matches shall have a duration of 90 minutes unless a shorter time (not less than 70 minutes) is mutually arranged by the two captains in consultation with the Referee prior to the commencement of the match, and in any event shall be of equal halves.

The Management Committee shall fix the times of kick-off. Any Club failing to commence at the appointed time shall be fined a sum not exceeding £10.00 or be otherwise dealt with as the Management Committee may determine.

Referees must order matches to commence at the appointed time and must report all late starts to the Competition.

The home team must provide at least two footballs fit for play and the Referee shall make a report to the Competition if the footballs are unsuitable. Goal nets must be used.

(C) Except by permission of the Management Committee all matches must be played on the dates originally fixed but priority shall be given to The Football Association and all relevant County Association Cup Competitions. All other matches must be considered secondary. Clubs may mutually agree to bring forward a match with the consent of the Fixtures Secretary.

(D) Every Club shall play its best available qualified team in all matches in the Competition. In the event of a Club playing in any match with less than eleven players they may be fined £10.00 for each missing player. A minimum of seven players will constitute a team for a Competition match.

(E) Home and away matches shall be played. In the event of a Club failing to keep its engagement, the Management Committee shall have power to inflict a fine, deduct points from the defaulting Club, award the points to the opponents, order the defaulting Club to pay any expenses incurred by the opponents or otherwise deal with them except the award of goals.

Notice of postponement of any match must be given without delay by the postponing Club to the Fixtures Secretary, the Competition Referees Appointments Secretary, the Webmaster/Press Secretary, the Secretary of the opposing Club and the match officials. Any Club failing to comply shall be dealt with by the Management Committee who may inflict any penalty it may deem suitable.

Notice of cancelled matches must be sent without delay by the defaulting Club in all cases to the Fixtures Secretary, Referees Secretary and the Secretary of the opposing Club. Any Club failing to notify these officials will be fined £25.00. In addition, the Club in default will be fined up to £50.00 and 3 points will be deducted from the offending team and the match arranged for a later date.

If an unreasonable cancellation should occur on more than one occasion by the same Club in any season, then the Club in default will apply for re-election to the League at the next AGM in addition to any penalties imposed. In the event of a match being cancelled, the defaulting Club shall be charged with failure to fulfil a fixture.

In the event of a match not being played or abandoned owing to causes over which neither Club has control, it shall be played in its entirety on a date arranged by the Fixtures Secretary.

The Management Committee shall review all matches abandoned in cases where it is consequent upon the conduct of either or both Teams. Where it is to the advantage of the Competition and does no injustice to either Club, the Management Committee shall be empowered to order the score at the time of the abandonment to stand. In all cases where the Management Committee are satisfied that a match was abandoned owing to the conduct of one team or its Club member(s) they shall be empowered to award the points for the match to the opponent. In cases where a match has been abandoned owing to the conduct of both teams or their Club member(s), the Management Committee shall rule all points for the match as void. No fine(s) can be applied by the Management Committee for an abandoned match.

(F) A Club may at its discretion and in accordance with the Laws of the Game use three substitute players in any match in this Competition who may be selected from five players. The Referee shall be informed of the names of the substitutes before the start of the match. A player who has been selected, appointed or named as a substitute before the start of the match but does not actually play in the game shall not be considered to have been a player in that game within the meaning of Rule 8 of this Competition.

(G) The half time interval shall be of five minutes duration. The half time interval may only be altered with the consent of the Referee.

(H) All matches will be arranged by the League Fixture Secretary. Fixtures will primarily be arranged for Sundays but in emergencies caused by fixture congestion, etc, will be arranged for weekdays. Any Club requesting not to be fixtured with a match must notify the Fixture Secretary 56 days prior to the relevant date, this would then be considered by the Management Committee.

(I) Where Council pitches are used, the fee shall be the responsibility of the home team. Payment for the pitch must be made at the ground by cheque on the date of the match or by the following Wednesday. Any Club failing to observe this rule shall be fined £10.00 with persistent offenders being otherwise dealt with as the Management Committee may determine. (See rule 5 (N).

(J) Any club being charged by the League with failing to pay for its pitch fees will be fined up to £50.00 at the discretion of the League Management Committee.

REPORTING RESULTS
11. (A) The Registrations Secretary must receive within two days of the date played the result card of each Competition match in the prescribed manner. This must include:-

1. Name of Home and Away Teams
2. Match result
3. Referees name
4. Referees mark (see Rule 11(G))
5. Forename(s) and surname of the team players (in block letters)
6. Clearly indicate whether substitutes played or not. Member clubs must in addition to meeting relevant KCFA instructions also complete a result card containing the above information for all County Cup Competitions.

Failure to do so will incur a fine of £10.00 and/or the Club being dealt with as the Management Committee decides.

The home team must fill in the result card, which will be shown to the away team, who will then fill in their
section and return it to the home team for posting.

(B) (i) The Home Club shall telephone or text the result of each match along with it's goalscorers to the Webmaster/Press Secretary by 5pm on the day of the match and within 24 hours of the result of midweek fixtures. Clubs failing to comply will be fined £10.00.

(ii) The Away Club shall telephone or text it's goalscorers to the Webmaster/Press Secretary by 5pm on the day of the match and within 24 hours of the result of midweek fixtures. Clubs failing to comply will be fined £10.00.

(iii) All clubs competing in County Cup Competitions whether home or away shall telephone or text the result of each match along with it's goalscorers to the Webmaster/Press Secretary by 5pm of Sunday fixtures. Clubs failing to comply will be fined £10.00.

(C) Any club found guilty of intentionally falsifying a result card with an incorrect players name shall be fined £30

(D) The only result card that will be accepted by the Registration Secretary is the official one, which must be filled in by both sides on the day of the fixture.

(E) The result card must be forwarded by the home club to the Registration Secretary, so as to arrive by 7pm Tuesday following the Sunday fixture and within two days after the date of the mid-week fixture. Clubs failing to comply will be fined £10.00. The postmark shall be the deciding factor in any dispute arising from Rule 11(A).

(F) The match result notification, correctly completed, shall be signed by a responsible member of the Club. The Management Committee shall have power to take such action as they deem suitable against a club which submits an incomplete form or incorrect information.

(G) Home and away Clubs must mark the results card with their markings of the Referee from 1-100 together with the officiating Referee's name. Any Club awarding a Referee under 50 must send a letter of explanation to the League Referee's Secretary within two days of the match. Any Club failing to comply with this rule shall be fined £10.00

DETERMINING CHAMPIONSHIP
12. (A) Team rankings within the Competition will be decided by points with three points to be awarded for a win and one point for a drawn match. The teams gaining the highest number of points in their respective Divisions at the conclusion shall be adjudged the winners. Matches must not be played for double points.

(B) In the event of two or more Clubs being equal on points, the Club with the best goal difference shall be judged the winners. If Clubs have identical goal difference then Clubs scoring most goals shall be declared the winners.

(C) Automatic promotion and relegation shall be applied for the first two and last two teams in each Division except as provided for hereunder, subject to the provisions of Rule 1(b).

(i) Should one or more teams withdraw from any one Division after the fixtures have commenced an equal number of teams to those withdrawing in that Division shall not be automatically relegated.

(ii) Vacancies occurring after the conclusion of the season may be filled in any of the following ways:-

(a) Retention of otherwise relegated team(s)
(b) Additional promotion of the next ranked team(s) from the Division below
(c) Election

(iii) The last two teams in the lowest Division shall retire, but be eligible for re-election except as below, and be subject to the conditions of paragraph (C)(i) above.

(D) In the event of a team not completing 75% of its fixtures for the season all points obtained by or recorded against such defaulting team shall be expunged from the Competition table.

REFEREES
13. (A) Registered Referees for all matches shall be appointed in a manner approved by the Management Committee and by the sanctioning Association(s).

(B) In the event of the non-appearance of the appointed Referee the appointed senior Assistant Referee shall take charge and a substitute Assistant Referee appointed by the competing Teams. In cases where there are no officially appointed Assistant Referees, the Clubs shall agree upon a Referee. A Referee thus agreed upon shall, for that game, have the full powers, status and authority of a registered Referee.

(C) The Management Committee may, if they consider it desirable, or upon application by the two competing Clubs, appoint Assistant Referees, if available, to any match with expenses to be shared by both home and away clubs. Where Assistant Referees are not appointed each Team shall provide a Club Assistant Referee. Failure to do so will result in a fine of £10.00 being imposed on the defaulting Team.

(D) The appointed Referee shall have power to decide as to the fitness of the ground in all matches and the decision shall be final subject to either in the case of a ground of a Local Authority or the owners of a ground, the Representative of that body is the sole arbiter and whose decision must be accepted unless the ground is declared fit for play.

(E) Match Officials appointed under this Rule shall be entitled to charge the following match fees: -

Referee £25.00, Registered Referees appointed by the Management Committee as Assistant Referees £9.00 subject to any limits laid down by the sanctioning Association.

Referees with a match that involves travelling into or out of Thanet shall be entitled to charge up to £5.00 travelling expenses and the Home club shall pay the official fee. Assistant Referees appointed under this rule shall receive expenses of up to £5.00.

The Home Club shall pay the Officials their fees and expenses immediately after the match. Teams failing to do so without a reasonable explanation will be fined £10.00.

(F) In the event of a match not being played because of circumstances over which the Clubs have no control, the match Officials, if present, shall be entitled to half fee. Where a match is not played owing to one Club being in default, that Club shall be ordered to pay the Officials, if they attend the ground, their full fee and expenses.

(G) A Referee not keeping his engagement, and failing to give a satisfactory explanation as to his non-appearance, may have his name removed from the list of Referees and the fact reported to the Association with which he is registered.

(H) Each Club shall, in a manner prescribed from time to time by the Football Association, award marks to the Referee for each match and the name of the Referee and the marks awarded shall be submitted to the Competition on the prescribed Form provided. Clubs failing to comply with this Rule shall be liable to be fined or dealt with as the Management Committee shall determine. (See Rule 11(c))

The Competition shall keep a record of the markings and, on the Form provided by the prescribed date each season, shall submit a summary to The Football Association/County Association.

(I) Referees shall be supplied, each season, with a copy of the Competition Rules free of charge.

CONTINUATION OF MEMBERSHIP OR WITHDRAWAL OF A CLUB
14. (A) Any Club desiring to withdraw from the Competition at the end of the season must notify the Hon. Secretary at least 14 days before the date of the AGM, or be liable to a fine of £50.00.

(B) A Club shall not be allowed to withdraw any or all of it's teams from the Competition after the Annual General Meeting for the following season. Any Club infringing this rule shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £50.00 per team and shall also be liable for its share of any call which may be made under Rule 5(B).

(C) In the event of a Member Club, which is an un-incorporated association, withdrawing and/or disbanding it shall be immediately liable to discharge all of its financial and other obligations to the Competition. In the event that any such obligation remains undischarged after a period of twenty-one (21) days then such an obligation shall be met by the then current Club Members, excluding those under the statutory school leaving age. Until a Member's pro rata obligation is discharged in full the Member shall not be allowed to participate in the Competition, which may apply to the Club's Parent County Association for a suspension order.

(D) In the event of a Club withdrawing from the League at any time during the season or at its close ALL the players registered to that Club at the time of its withdrawal shall be restricted from signing for any other Club until such time as the League is satisfied that the defaulting Club are clear of any financial liability to the League or any other creditor.

(E) In the event of a club withdrawing from the competition, whether prior to the AGM or during the season then no team may register more than 4 players from the withdrawn team unless that team plays in an equivalent or higher division.

(F) In the event of a club being excluded from further participation in the TSFL, or any other Sunday League,
then no more than 2 players registered with the club at the time of its exclusion may register for any single club within the League for a period of not less than one football season.

(G) Registered players of clubs withdrawing from the league after 1st March will be ineligible to sign for any other club for the remainder of that season.

PROTESTS AND APPEALS
15. (A)
(i) All questions of eligibility, qualifications of players or interpretations of the Rules shall be referred to the Management Committee.

(ii) Objections relevant to the dimensions of the pitch, goals, flag posts or other facilities of the venue will not be entertained by the Management Committee unless a protest is lodged with the Referee before the commencement of the match. Any Club lodging such protest and not proceeding with it shall be deemed guilty of a breach of this Rule and shall be dealt with by the Management Committee.

(B) Except in cases where the Management Committee decide that there are special circumstances, protests and complaints (which must contain full particulars of the grounds upon which they are founded) must be lodged in duplicate with the Secretary within seven days (excluding Sundays) of the match or occurrence to which they refer. A protest or complaint shall not be withdrawn except by permission of the Management Committee. A Member of the Management Committee who is a member of any Club involved shall not be present (except as a witness or representative of his Club) when such protest or complaint is being determined.

(C) Any dispute occurring between Clubs in the Competition shall be referred for determination by the Management Committee whose decision shall be binding upon all parties subject to Rule 16.

(D) No protest of whatever kind shall be considered by the Management Committee unless the complaining Club shall have deposited with the Secretary a sum of £10.00. This may be forfeited in whole or in part in the event of the complaining or protesting Club losing its case. The Competition shall have power to order the defaulting Club or the Club making a losing or frivolous protest or complaint to pay the expenses of the enquiry or to order that the costs to be shared by the parties.

(E) All parties to a protest or complaint must be afforded an opportunity to make a statement when the protest or complaint is being heard and must have received seven days notice of the hearing, together with a copy of the submission. When dealing with a protest or complaint the Management Committee shall take into consideration the possession by the protesting or complaining Club of any information which, if properly used, might have avoided the protest or complaint.

BOARD OF APPEAL
16. Within 14 days of the posting of written notification of any decision of the Management Committee or the Competition a Club, Official or Player against whom action is taken may appeal against such decision by lodging particulars in duplicate with the Chief Executive of the Kent Football Association Ltd, including a fee of £20.00, for adjudication of a Board of Appeal. The grounds of appeal shall be in accordance with FA Rules. The Board of Appeal may order the appeal fee to be forfeited and shall decide by whom the costs of the Appeal shall be borne. The decision of the Board of Appeal is final and binding on all parties concerned.

EXCLUSION OF CLUBS, OR MISCONDUCT OF TEAMS CLUBS, OFFICIALS OR PLAYERS.
17. (A) At the Annual General Meeting, or Special General Meeting called for the purpose, Notice of Motion having been duly circulated on the Agenda, the accredited delegates present shall have the power to exclude any Club or Team from further membership upon a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast. Voting on this point shall be conducted by ballot. (B) At the Annual General Meeting, or at a Special General Meeting called for the purpose, in accordance with the provisions of Rule 19, the accredited delegates present shall have the power to exclude from further participation in the Competition any Club whose conduct has, in their opinion, been undesirable upon a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast. Voting on this point shall be conducted by ballot. A Club whose conduct is the subject of the vote being taken shall be excluded from voting.

(C) Any official or member of a Club proved guilty of either misconduct, other than field offences, or of inducing or attempting to induce a player or players of another Club in the Competition to join them shall be liable to expulsion or such penalty as a General Meeting or Management Committee may decide, and their Club shall also be liable to expulsion in accordance with the provisions of Clauses (A) and (B) of this Rule.

(D) Any Club or Team failing to complete all of its fixtures in any season shall (unless the conditions are beyond their control, or the accredited delegates present at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting decide otherwise by a majority of two-thirds of the votes cast) be debarred from membership the following season.

(E) Any player or Club official dismissed from the field of play whilst participating in any Competition in which the Clubs within the League participate and subsequently found guilty of the offence or offences of assault on a player, match official, club official, or spectator or of serious foul play, violent conduct and abuse of match officials with which he is charged on more than one occasion may have his registration cancelled for the remainder of the season or be otherwise dealt with at the discretion of the Management Committee. Any player who persistently offends against the Laws of Association Football or of this League in particular may have his registration for the remainder of the current season and further seasons refused. Any player dealt with under this Rule will have the right of appeal to the KCFA against such a decision. (Rule 16).

(F) Respect is the FA's direct response to the clear message from the grassroots game that standards of behaviour must improve both on and off the field and at all levels of the game.

This League will address abuse and intimidation of referees.

This League supports the objectives of the Respect programme and will promote and implement the Respect measures to its member clubs and associate member clubs to bring about a more enjoyable playing environment for all.

TROPHIES:- LEGAL OWNERS, CONDITIONS OF TAKING OVER, AGREEMENT TO BE SIGNED, AWARDS
18. (A) A Competition Cup or Trophy shall be vested in the Association sanctioning the Competition as Trustees. If a Competition be discontinued for any cause the Cup or Trophy shall be returned to the Donor, if the conditions attached to it so provide, or otherwise dealt with as the Association may decide. At the close of each Competition awards may be made to the winners and runners-up if the funds of the Competition permit. The following agreement shall be signed on behalf of the winners of the Cup or Trophy:- We A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .and B . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ., The Chairman and Secretary of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FC, members of and representing the Club, having been declared winners of . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cup or Trophy, and it having been delivered to us by the Competition, do hereby on behalf of the Club jointly and severally agree to return the Cup or Trophy to the Competition Secretary on or before 31st March. If the Cup or Trophy is lost or damaged whilst under our care we agree to refund to the Competition the amount of its current value or the cost of its thorough repair. Failure to return the Cup or Trophy to the Competition Secretary will incur a fine of £20.00.

(B) All Clubs presented with Trophies at Cup Finals must return them to the League Secretary within two days. Any club failing to observe this date will be fined £15.00.

SPECIAL GENERAL MEETINGS
19. Upon receiving a requisition signed by two thirds of the Clubs in membership the Secretary shall call a Special General Meeting. The Management Committee may call a Special General Meeting at any time. At least seven days notice shall be given of either Meeting under this Rule, together with an agenda of the business to be transacted at such Meeting. Each Full Member Club shall be empowered to send two delegates to all Special General Meetings. Each Club shall be entitled to one vote only. Not less than seven days' notice shall be given of any such Meeting. Any continuing Member Club failing to be represented at a Special General Meeting without satisfactory reason being given shall be fined £20.00. Officers and Management Committee members shall be entitled to attend and vote at all Special General Meetings.

ALTERATION TO RULES
20. Alterations shall be made to these Rules only at the Annual General Meeting or at a Special General Meeting specially convened for the purpose called in accordance with Rule 19.

Any alteration made during the playing season to the Rule relating to the qualification of players shall not take effect until the following season.

Notice of proposed alterations to be considered at the Annual General Meeting shall be submitted to the Secretary by 31st March in each year. The proposals, together with any proposals by the Management Committee, shall be circulated to the Clubs by 30th April and any amendments thereto shall be submitted to the Secretary by 31st May. The proposals and proposed amendments thereto shall be circulated to Clubs with the notice of the Annual General Meeting. A proposal to change a Rule shall be carried if a majority of those present and entitled to vote are in favour.

A copy of the proposed alterations to Rules to be considered at the Annual General Meeting or Special General Meeting shall be submitted to the sanctioning Football Association fourteen days prior to the date of the meeting.

Any alterations or additions decided upon at any meeting shall not become operative until the approval of the Association issuing sanction shall have been obtained.

RULES BINDING ON CLUBS
21. Each Member Club shall be deemed to have given its assent to the foregoing Rules and agreed to abide by the decisions of the Management Committee subject to Rule 16. Each Member Club must abide by any issued Football Association Code of Conduct.

FINANCE
22. (A) The Management Committee shall determine with which bank or other financial institution the funds of the Competition will be lodged.

(B) The Management Committee shall approve all expenditure. Cheques shall be signed by at least two officers nominated by the Management Committee.

(C) The financial year of the Competition will end on 30th April.

(D) The books, or a certified balance sheet, of the Competition shall be prepared and shall be audited annually by some suitable person(s) who shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting.

RULES FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE THANET SUNDAY FOOTBALL LEAGUE CHALLENGE COMPETITIONS.
23. (A) The Competition shall be called the Thanet Sunday Football League Cups (Premier Division, Divisions 1, 2, 3 and 4; the Challenge Cup; and any other Cup Competitions sanctioned by the Committee, and shall be restricted to Clubs competing in the League. The Competitions shall be normally conducted on Cup Tie principles, but it shall be competent for the Committee at its discretion, to run the Competitions on a league basis, coupled with such Final match or matches that may be deemed necessary.

(B) The Competition may run in sections or divisions as the Council shall decide and shall be played on such dates as designated by the League Fixture Secretary. The latter shall have the absolute discretion to order a Cup Tie to have precedence over a league fixture, if circumstances make this necessary, providing at least five clear days notice is given.

(C) (i) In the Preliminary rounds of the Competitions all players shall be eligible to play for the Club for which they have been registered in the League. Special dispensation can be applied for, but only to enable a Club to field eleven players (no substitutes).
(ii) Prior to him taking part in the semi-final or final tie of the competition, a player must have played in any three matches, League or Cup Competitions under TSFL jurisdiction to be included; provided, written team sheets have been supplied to the League Registration Secretary as stated in League rule 11(B).
(iii) Apart from Divisional Cup Competitions, no player may play for more than one Club in any one Cup Competition in the same season.

(D) In Divisional Cup Competitions a player who has appeared in the Divisional Cup, and subsequently changes Clubs during the season, will only be qualified to play for his new Club in its Divisional Cup Competition if his new Club is in a higher division.

(E) Should a club infringe the rules of the competition where the offending club won the match, then the League Management Committee shall dis-qualify the offending club. The League Management Committee may at its discretion reinstate the non-offending team in the competition. In the event of both teams, in one match, committing a similar offence then the result can stand.

(F) In all rounds of TSFL Cup Competitions, expenses shall be shared, and the first named Club shall be deemed responsible for payment, this is to include Assistant Referees fees. Match fees to be paid on the day of the match. In Semi- Finals and Finals, both Clubs shall provide a match ball to the Referee.

(G) The net proceeds of all Cup Finals, whether by way of gate or collection, shall be paid to the League Funds.

(H) All Cup fees are included in the League fees, entrance to the League's Invitation Cups are at the invitation of the League Management Committee at no extra fee.

(I) Extra time will be played in all Cup matches the scores of which are level after 90 minutes. In the event of a drawn Cup match after extra time, penalty kicks as per the Referee's charter will decide the match.

(J) In the event of two Clubs having the same or similar colours, in all rounds, including the Semi-Finals, the away team shall change colours. In the event of both Final teams having the same colours or similar, both of the Final teams shall change their colours.

(K) In the event that a Cup match is cancelled owing to a Club not fulfilling the fixture, the defaulting Club shall be liable for payment of the pitch fee and official's fee and be disqualified from the Cup Competition in question. Refer to Rule 23(E).

(L) With the above exceptions, the Rules of the League shall apply. Official Assistant Referees will be appointed at the discretion of the League Referees' Secretary. Both teams shall present a match ball to the Referee before the match commences. Both teams shall provide a Club Assistant Referee where Official Assistant Referees have not been appointed by the League. Any Club failing to supply an Assistant Referee will be reported as in Rule 13(c).

FA RULE C2
Players without Written Contracts.

(A) Regulations re Approach

A player who does not hold a written contract with his Club shall not be approached except during the period from first (1st) May to fifteenth (15th) July inclusive by any Club or person attempting to induce such player to play for another Club or Clubs without at least seven days' notice in writing to the Secretary of the Club for which the player was last known to have played (subject to sub-paragraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) of the Rule) and the negotiations with the player must cease at the expiration of twenty one (21) days from the date of such notice being given. The notice must be forwarded by registered post, recorded delivery or a written acknowledgement otherwise obtained. A second notice shall not be given by the same Club in respect of the same player during the current season. When a player is concurrently a playing member of a Saturday Club and/or a Sunday Club and/or a Mid-week Club the following procedure shall apply:

(i) Formal notice of approach by a Saturday club need only be given to the Saturday Club or Clubs for which the player is a playing member.

(ii) Formal notice of approach by a Sunday Club need only be given to the Sunday Club or Clubs for which the player is a playing member.

(iii) Formal notice of approach by a Mid-Week Club need only be given to the Mid-Week Club or Clubs for which the player is a playing member. The approaching Club or person shall not give notice of intention to approach more than one (1) player of a Club at the same time and shall not give notice of intention to approach another player of the same Club within twenty eight (28) days of a prior notice. Except with the written consent of the Club, if the first approach is made by the player at least seven (7) days notice of approach is necessary from the Club he wishes to join. This consent shall not be unreasonably withheld where circumstances of a special character exist, e.g. change of residence or non-election for any team of the Club for three (3) consecutive weeks. Any dispute as to whether a consent has been unreasonably withheld may be referred to The Association or The affiliated Association as the case may be. In addition to any other penalty imposed under Rule 26 for a breach of this Rule, the registration of the player shall be cancelled and he shall not be eligible to play for the offending Club except with the permission of the appropriate Association.

(B) Conditions.

No player having taken part in matches for an affiliated Club shall be allowed to join another Club without first satisfying the Officials of his intended Club that he has discharged his reasonable financial and other liabilities to the Club or Clubs for which he is, or was a playing member.

A player approached between 1st May and 15th July inclusive shall not play for the Club making approach in competitive Football in the then current season.

Clubs shall submit to The Association at the end of each playing season a list of players without written contracts to whom payments have been made in excess of actual out-of pocket expenses.

FA RULE E21.

(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 it is involved, whether on its ground or elsewhere; and

(B) that no spectators or unauthorised persons are permitted to encroach onto the pitch area, save for reasons of crowd safety, or to throw missiles, bottles or other potentially harmful or dangerous objects at or on to the pitch.