Cheltenham Association Football League

League Competition Rules

13. Referees.

(A) Registered Referees and Assistant Referees for all matches shall be appointed in a manner approved by the Management Committee and by the sanctioning Association(s)
The Referees' Secretary shall keep a list of Referees whose names have been approved by the Management Committee and who are on an Official County list. In the event of the selected Referee being unable to officiate, the Referees' Secretary shall be empowered to appoint another Referee.

(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 the event of no official Referee being appointed for the fixture or the non-appearance of an appointed Referee, the home club SHALL provide a stand in Referee, in accordance with the requirements of Rule 10(b). The name and other relevant details of the stand in referee shall be communicated by the home team to the away team without delay as soon as possible. Should the Away club disagree with the home club's provision of a stand in referee, they shall provide the League Secretary with their reasons for such disagreement, in writing, within 3 days of the date of the fixture. Should the failure of the away side to agree to the stand-in referee provided by the home club lead to the postponement of the match, the reasons for their disagreement will be reviewed by the Management Committee and may leave the away side liable to be charged with breaking a fixture, in accordance with rule 10(f). A Referee thus mutually agreed upon shall have for that game the full powers, status and authority of a registered referee and shall be entitled to the full match fee as per Rule 13 (e).

(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. Where Assistant Referees are not appointed each Team shall provide a Club linesman for the whole match. Failure to do so will result in a fine of £5.00.

(D) The appointed Referee shall have the power to decide as to the fitness of the ground in all matches and the decision shall be final even if the owners of the ground, whether this is a local authority, Parks committee or private concern, have declared the ground to be fit to play. If the owners of the ground, or their representatives, have decided that the ground is not fit for play, then this decision shall be final and must be accepted.

(E) Match Officials appointed under this rule shall be entitled to charge standard class public transport expenses or private car expenses of 26p per mile. The Home Club shall pay the Referee a fee as per GFA regulations. Where registered Referees are appointed as Assistant Referees under paragraph (d) above they shall each be paid a fee,as per GFA regulations In addition, travelling expenses, as determined in the Regulations of the Gloucestershire Football Association, shall be paid. Both Clubs shall share fees and expenses for registered referees appointed as Assistant Referees.
The Home club shall pay the Officials for each fixture within 15 minutes of the completion of the match or be liable to a fine of £10.

( 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 expenses and half-fee, but where a match is not played, owing to one of the Clubs being in default, that Club shall be ordered to pay the officials, if they attend the ground, their full fee and expenses.

(G) If the Referee is not present at the time fixed for the kick-off, he shall report the fact to the Assistant Secretary and may be dealt with as the League may determine. A Referee not keeping his engagement, and failing to give a satisfactory explanation as to his non-appearance, may be 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. The name of the Referee for each match and the marks awarded shall be submitted to the Registration Secretary on the Result Card provided. Clubs failing to comply with this rule shall be fined £5 for each offence.
A mark of forty or less MUST be accompanied by a full statement giving the reasons for the low mark. Nno half marks are to be allowed. Emphasis should not be given to isolated incidents. This statement MUST accompany the Result Card or the Club shall be fined £5. The Management Committee shall review all markings of forty or less.

(I) The Registration Secretary shall keep a record of these markings and the Referee's Secretary shall, by the prescribed date each season, submit a summary to the Gloucestershire Football Association.

( J ) The referee shall complete an Official Referee's Result Card giving the result of the match, the number of players in each team and the time of kick-off and any other details as required on the card, sign it and hand it to a representative of the home side within 15 minutes of the completion of the match. The Home Club Secretary shall then submit the Official Referee's Result Card and home team's copies of the Team Sheets provided by both teams in the fixture to the League Results Secretary within five days of the match. A fine of £10 shall be imposed on any Club failing to submit the Official Referee's Result Card within this time. A fine of £5 shall be imposed upon the home club for each team sheet that is not submitted within 5 days of the match. The club will then be notified by the Results Secretary that it has a further 5 days to submit the Official Referees Result card.

Any Club that fails to submit a signed Official Referee's Result Card, for any fixture under the League's jurisdiction, to the Results Secretary by the morning of the tenth day after such fixture, SHALL BE SUSPENDED until all outstanding Result Cards are received UNLESS the club concerned has provided the Results Secretary with a satisfactory explanation for the absence of the Card. A further fine of £10 shall also be imposed. Once suspended, should the outstanding Official Referee's Result Cards not be received by 6.00pm on the evening prior to any further League fixture, the fixture(s) shall be postponed and the suspended Club shall be deemed responsible for the postponement. Consequently, they shall be dealt with under paragraph (f) of League Rule 10.

In the absence of an officially appointed referee, the name of the stand in referee, provided and mutually agreed by the two clubs in accordance with League Rules 10(b) and 13(b), shall be entered on a Club Referee's Card before the game. This card must then be signed by representatives of both the home side and the away side before the commencement of the match and completed by the stand in referee after the match. This card then replaces the Official Referees card with regard to the requirements of this rule subsequent to it being handed back to the representative of the home side within 15 minutes of the completion of the match. If the home side submits a Club Referee's card that is wrong or incomplete, it shall be fined £10
Should any club be proven to have altered the information detailed on the Official Referee's result card, they shall be severely dealt with by the League Management Committee and punished at the Management Committee's discretion.
The Referee shall complete an Official Referee's Report Card and shall return it to the Secretary of the Competition, or other designated League official as appropriate, within 5 days of the completion of the match.

(K) Referees and Assistant Referees shall be supplied, each season, with a copy of the competition's Rules free of charge.

(L) Dressing Room accommodation and washing facilities must be provided for Referees, and for 1st Division Clubs the accommodation for Referees shall be separate to the Home and Away teams accommodation for each match played, or a fine of £50 shall be imposed and the club suspended until the adjustments are completed to the satisfaction of the Management Committee.

 

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