STAFFORD & STONE YOUTH & COMMUNITY COUNCIL NETBALL LEAGUE
RULES
1) The League shall be called the “Stafford and Stone Youth and Community Council
Netball League’, or “Stafford & District YLC Netball League” which shall comprise of
two sections: (a)
(b)
‘Y’ – Bona-fide club members between the ages of 12 and 16 years.
‘A’ – All players over 14 years of age.
PLEASE NOTE: In the following rules any passages marked ‘Y’ applies to the youth
section and any passage marked ‘A’ applies to the adult section. Passages
unmarked apply to both.
2)
League Management
1. The Officers of the League shall be a Chairman, Vice-Chairman,
Secretary, Treasurer and Umpiring Secretary.
2. The Executive Committee, which shall consist of the Officers plus four
representatives of the League, two from each division, shall be responsible for the
Management of the League with powers to co-opt as necessary.
3. The General Committee shall consist of the officers plus a representative of each
team in the League.
4. Members of the Executive Committee reserve the right to decide on any matters
concerning the League during the season.
3)
Applications
1. Applications will be received at any time and shall be dependent upon
representation at the Annual General Meeting.
2. Applications will be considered from organisations within the area covered by the
Stafford and District catchment area.
3. Applications will be considered from organisations outside this area at the
discretion of the Executive committee.
4)
Fees
1. An annual fee shall be paid to the League to cover the running costs of the
League and hire of halls, the amount to be decided yearly by the Executive
Committee.
2. All fees must be paid in full by first matches of the current League season or
participation in League fixtures will be suspended until all monies have been
received. No missed matches may be played.
3. All teams must be affiliated to England Netball, the affiliation covers the
players’ insurance when playing.
4. Teams must provide the League Secretary with a list of players’ names and
affiliation numbers. Every player must be affiliated before the start of the season
or participation in the League fixtures will be suspended and no missed matches
may be played.
5)
Registrations With The League
1. All players must be affiliated with England Netball and registered with the League
Secretary.
2. Players must be affiliated with All England and registration details passed onto
the League Secretary before the player is eligible to play.
3. Affiliation numbers and names of players joining during the season, must be
given to the League Secretary on the Sunday prior to playing.
4. If players compete without being registered then both teams insurance is
invalid.
5. ‘Y’ only bona-fide club members are allowed to compete. A bone-fide club
member is a person between the ages of 12 and 16 years who has elected to play
for a given club and been registered for that club before the commencement of
the League.
6. Registered players, having played in one match for a club, cannot play for any
other club in the League during the season, except by written permission of the
League Executive Committee.
The Youth and Community Council ruling on transfers shall apply. In the event of
two or more teams being entered from one club the regular team members
shall be registered separately but the reserves en bloc. However, once a
reserve has played twice for one of these teams she must then be
considered a member of that team.
6)
Matches
1. ‘Y’ players shall be 12 year of age before playing in the League and under 16
years on the 1st September prior to the date of commencement of the League.
2. The League shall comprise of as many divisions as is deemed necessary at the
AGM.
3. All matches shall be played in accordance with the England Netball Association
Rules.
4. All matches shall be played at the times and on the dates stated.
5.
‘Y’ and ‘A’ All timings shall be at the discretion of the League Secretary. The
interval between matches shall be no longer than 5 minutes.
6. ‘Y’ and ‘A’ A minimum of 5 players shall be considered eligible for match
play. Teams of less than 5 players, or teams which are more than 5 minutes late,
shall forfeit the match.
7. If a team arrives with 5 or more players the game must commence on time. If a
player arrives late they may enter the court after a goal in the available position
8. Any person disclosing a pregnancy will not be permitted to play. All players who
continue to play knowing they are pregnant DO SO ENTIRELY AT THEIR OWN
RISK WITH INVALID INSURANCE
9. Matches are 4 x 12 minutes with 1 minute at end of each quarter and 2 minutes
at half time. The bell is to be rung 30 seconds prior to the start of each quarter
for players to get onto court. The timer starts on the second bell regardless.
7)
Cancellations
1. If for any reason a team cannot fulfil a fixture, the team must contact the League
Secretary by Sunday evening so that the opposing team and umpires can be
informed.
2. If a team’s game is cancelled the League will try to arrange a friendly.
3. The League Secretary needs to be informed of any cancelled games by Sunday
evening to enable a friendly to be arranged.
4. If a team has 4 or less players, these players are able to go along to the fixture
and play a friendly.
8)
Stoppages
1. After a call for time by an on court player, play may be stopped for injury or
illness, although the decision to stop play shall be at the discretion of the umpire
– unless there is a head or blood injury where the umpire has the right to call
time.
2. When a player is ill or injured a stoppage of up to 2 minutes is allowed to decide
whether the injured player is fit to continue to play.
3. Where possible the injured players should be removed from the court within the
stoppage time to let play resume.
However, where the injured player or team or League officials feel the
player should not be moved the following actions should be taken.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
court.
9)
Ambulance/paramedics be called
First aid assistance is offered where appropriate.
Accident report to be completed by responsibility team
The game is suspended until the player has been safely removed from
Suspended Matches
Suspended matches may subsequently be abandoned due to serious illness.
10)
Abandoned Matches
1. Abandoned winter League matches shall be cancelled and re-arranged at a later
date at the discretion of the League and the teams involved.
2. Abandoned Summer League matches will be re-arranged if possible.
3. Matches, which cannot be re-arranged, will be declared void and 3 points and 5
goals awarded to each team.
11)
Umpires
1. ‘Y’ Each team should, if possible, provide an umpire who may be connected with
the team.
2. ‘A’ For League fixtures only recognised umpires will be used. They will be paid a
fee of £10 by either of the teams participating in the match.
12)
Ball
1. The League shall supply the match ball
13)
Uniform
1. Each team to declare its strip of skirt/skorts and top or dress, and bibs lettered on
both sides at the beginning of each season.
2. Club to ensure that players wear appropriate footwear and only their strip during
matches (the colour of long socks should also be in keeping with kit colours).
3. Jewellery – no item of jewellery except a wedding band and / or a medical
bracelet shall be worn, if either are worn they shall be taped or covered
appropriately.
4. Fingernails – shall be short and smooth – which will then be checked by the
umpire prior to the start of the game. If a players nails are deemed too long, they
will not be allowed to enter the court until they are deemed short enough by the
umpire and a goal has been scored – to ensure that games are not delayed
starting.
5. Fitted cycling shorts/fitted gym knickers under skirts are allowed, however they
will worn above the knee, and no tracksuits are to be worn.
6. The wearing of long sleeved tops under a kit top may only be worn for medical or
religious reason, however they must be fitted and in keeping with the team’s
colour scheme.
14)
Results
1. Result forms, shall be signed by the umpires and team captains at the end of
each match. Both team captains are also signing a declaration stating that all
players have been affiliated.
2. Points will be awarded as follows:
Win - 5, draw – 3, lose by one goal - 2, losing team scoring half or more of their
opponents total – 1, lose – 0, walk over – 4, team cancels – 5 points and 20
goals to opponents, cancellation of whole nights fixtures, games will be declared
void – 3 points and 5 goals to each team.
3. The team gaining the most points after the completion of the fixtures will be
deemed the Divisional Champions. In the event of teams scoring the same
number of points the championship shall be decided on goal difference. If goal
difference is the same for both teams the championship shall be decided by a
play-off.
4. Where a team fails to arrive within 5 minutes of the starting time or with less
than 5 players, a walk over will be declared. The team that arrived on time and
has more than 5 players will be awarded 5 points and a score of 20 – 0 to
compensate for the goals lost from the match play.
5. If a team is found to field an ineligible player (i.e. not affiliated to England
netball). The game will be forfeited and the opposition team will be awarded 5
points and 20 goals.
6. Any team that fails to complete a season’s fixtures will have their points allocated
as follows:
If they have played all teams in their division once and some teams twice, points
and goals gained will remain in the divisional table. The teams not played will be
awarded walkovers.
Should one round be incomplete, all goals and points gained for that round will be
removed from the table and the team will automatically finish bottom and be
relegated.
7. Where there is more than 1 division in the League a system of promotion and
relegation will apply.
In 2 divisions, the bottom 2 teams in Division 1 will be relegated and the top 2
teams in Division 2 will be promoted.
In 3 divisions, only 1 team from divisions 1 and 2 will be relegated and one team
from divisions 2 and 3 will be promoted.
In exceptional circumstances a winning team may apply to the League and
withdraw from being promoted. In this event the second placed team will be
promoted. The circumstances will be considered and a decision made by the
Executive committee.
15)
Objections and Grievances
Notice of an objection to be made to the League Chair within 24 hours of the
match being played (either via phone or email). The formal letter of complaint
outlining all the details must be received by the League Chair within 7 days –
Incident Report Forms can be found in the kit bag.
16)
Disciplinary Code
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly apparent that some players do not
behave in a disciplined and responsible manner on court. We will not allow such
behaviour within the Leagues and in response to this the Executive Committee
has decided to set up a disciplinary code.
1.2 The code is not intended to interfere with the existing powers that umpires
have under Section V of England netball Rules to deal with misconduct on court.
However, when necessary the following procedures can be used in addition to
these powers.
2. THE CODE
2.1 This code applies to all players, registered with Stafford & District YLC Netball
League.
3. STATEMENT OF DISCIPLINARY POLICY
3.1 The purpose of the code is to make players aware of the standard of conduct
required by the Executive Committee and to indicate the likely consequences of a
breach of these rules. Where an initial breach of discipline is sufficiently serious or
where progressively more severe disciplinary action fails to effect the required
improvement, a panel of 2 Executive Committee members will have the power to
recommend to the full Executive Committee that they ban a player from playing
within the Stafford & District YLC Netball League for a specified period.
4. DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE
4.1 All complaints should be notified to the League Chair by phone or email
within 24 hours of the incident.
4.2 An incident report should be completed and sent to the Chair by email or
post by the Sunday following the incident (these can be found in the
responsibility folder in the kit bag).
4.3 The Chair will pass the complaint to the relevant committee members to be
investigated. These are as follows:
Division 1 complaints – to be dealt with by Division 2 representatives,
Division 2 complaints – to be dealt with by Division 1 representatives
If either of the representatives has personal links to the team/player being
investigated alternative arrangements will be made.
4.4 The reps will contact the team captain/player concerned to inform them of
the complaint and ask them for their opinion on the incident which is in
question.
4.5 The reps will then contact umpires/witnesses/responsibility team as necessary
to investigate the complaint.
4.6 When sufficient evidence has been sought the reps will report back to the
committee with their findings and decision.
4.7 The Chair will contact the team/captain involved with the outcome of the
complaint
5. SERIOUS MISCONDUCT - DISCIPLINARY RULES
5.1 Serious misconduct is defined as misconduct for which the penalty of a
playing ban may be justified as the first offence. Players should be clear that the
actions listed from 5.1.1 to 5.1.6 below, will be considered as serious misconduct.
5.1.1 Intentionally hitting a player or official during a match.
5.1.2 Intentionally hitting a player or official before, after or during any breaks in
a match.
5.1.3 Serious verbal abuse of an umpire, other official, or player.
5.1.4 Refusal to obey legitimate instructions given by an umpire or other official.
5.1.5 Endangering other player(s) by deliberately indulging in dangerous play.
5.1.6 Any other misconduct of a similar gravity not listed above.
5.2. Other Misconduct
5.2.1 Some instances of misconduct reported to the Executive Committee will not
be sufficiently serious to warrant action under Section 5.1 of the code. However,
disciplinary action of a lesser nature may be warranted.
5.2.2. Although it may not be necessary or relevant to call a disciplinary
interview, some action may need to be taken. In these circumstances a formal
record of the incident will be kept by the League Secretary, who will notify the
person concerned of the action taken. After three such reports a disciplinary
interview will be called.
6. EXTENSION OF POLICY
6.1 The Executive may from time to time amend the list at 5.1 above. The
membership will be informed of any such changes.
7. DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES
7.1 The Executive consider that any breach of discipline under section 5.1 will be
serious enough to merit the holding of a disciplinary interview.
7.2 The interview will be held because the Executive believe that players should
be given the opportunity to explain in person the alleged breach of discipline. It
will be used to establish the facts of the incident and where appropriate to
determine an appropriate penalty.
7.3 In order to establish the facts of the incident the panel will have the authority
to request written statements and/or the personal attendance of any relevant
witnesses.
8 CONDUCT OF THE DISCIPLINARY INTERVIEW
8.1 Where a disciplinary interview is required by the Executive the player will be
instructed in writing to attend. The notification must give a minimum of 7 days
notice from the date of the letter and specify the allegation(s) made against the
player. If the interview is postponed for any reason a further 7 days' written
notice of the reconvened interview must be given.
8.2 If the player fails to attend the interview the case may be heard in her
absence.
8.3 The panel will open the proceedings with a brief summary of the alleged
misconduct and will ask the player if she admits or denies it.
8.4 Where the player admits the alleged misconduct she will be asked for an
explanation.
8.5 Where the player denies the alleged misconduct the panel will read any
written statements it may have in its possession, and where witnesses attend in
person the panel will question them.
8.6 The player may question the witness(es) through the Chairman and examine
any written statements produced.
8.7. The player may present any written statements and call witness(es) in her
support. The panel will consider this information and may question the player and
her witness(es).
8.8 The panel will ask the player to leave and will consider what recommendation
to make to the Executive. The panel will consider any mitigating circumstance and
any previous disciplinary record before deciding on the appropriate
recommendation.
8.9 The decision of the Executive will be confirmed to the player in writing and
where formal disciplinary action is taken, a record will be held by the League
Secretary. If no action is taken by the Executive this will be confirmed to the
player in writing and a record of the decision held by the League Secretary.
9. TYPES OF DISCIPLINARY ACTION TO BE TAKEN
9.1 Written reprimand.
9.2 Playing ban for a specified period.
N.B. Disciplinary action need not be progressive: either of the above actions can
be applied. There is no right of appeal against the decision taken by the
Executive.
10. USE OF THE CODE
10.1 The Executive reserve the right to use this disciplinary code in response to
any formal complaint made to them.
10.2 Any formal complaint should be addressed to the League Chair.
Revised by Deborah Bagnall – (Chair Person)
And Sarah Lakin – (League Secretary)
August 2014