FORTH VALLEY FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION – CONSTITUTION.
1. NAME:
The Association shall be called ‘Forth Valley Football Development Association’ hereafter referred to as ‘F.V.F.D.A.’
2. OBJECTIVES:
To promote the enjoyment of football for boys and girls, through the playing of small-sided games at age groups U9’s/U10’s/U11’s and U12’s; and eleven-a-side games at U13’s and beyond as detailed within these rules, in an environment that fosters fair play and participation for all, irrespective of race, colour, religion or ability and shall encourage co-operation, respect for others, loyalty, acceptance of rules and decisions, personal responsibility, self-discipline and the need for teamwork.
The Association shall endeavour to promote these values and will work closely with any other allied professions or agencies that have similar aims.
3. DEFINITIONS:
Constitutional Club - A “Constitutional Club” as mentioned in the F.V.F.D.A. Constitution refers to a group of teams who are registered at the same or different age groups and who operate under the same Constitution.
Club - A “Club” as mentioned in the F.V.F.D.A. Constitution refers to a single team registered to play under the auspices of the F.V.F.D.A. at one particular age group.
4. MANAGEMENT;
4.1; The F.V.F.D.A. shall be managed by an Executive Committee elected at an A.G.M. each year by the delegates in attendance. The following officials will be nominated each year; President, Secretary, Treasurer, F.V.F.D.A. Co-ordinator, an Age Group Representative for each age group within the Association, a Disciplinary Committee and any other post deemed necessary by a majority of Executive members.
4.2; No more than 2 members from the same Constitutional Club can serve on the Executive Committee.
4.3; Members of the Disciplinary Committee are not automatically members of the Executive Committee.
4.4; The Executive Committee of the F.V.F.D.A. shall have the power to deal with all matters affecting the administration, development and general well-being of the F.V.F.D.A.
4.5; Executive Committee meetings shall be held once per calendar month or as necessary but the Secretary shall have the authority to convene meetings as required.
4.6; The F.V.F.D.A. shall consider annual ‘Fair Play’ awards in recognition of the contribution of Clubs, players, officials and supporters in conjunction with F.V.F.D.A. Constitution, Code of Conduct and Policies.
5. MEETINGS;
5.1; Annual General Meeting (A.G.M.);
The Association shall hold an A.G.M. in the month of June to:
approve the minutes of the previous year’s A.G.M.
receive a report from the President and Secretary,
receive a financial report from the Treasurer,
approve the annual accounts,
set the annual subscription fee for the forthcoming season,
consider changes to the Constitution,
elect all office bearers (as listed at 4.1) for the new season,
deal with any other business.
Notice for an A.G.M. shall be a minimum of 21 days.
No apologies will be accepted for the A.G.M. Failure to attend will result in the Club being fined £20. Delegates in attendance must be a registered official of the Club he or she represents.
5.2; Extraordinary General Meeting (E.G.M.);
An E.G.M. shall be called by an application in writing to the Secretary supported by the majority of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall also have the power to call an E.G.M. by decision of a simple majority of Executive members. Notice for an E.G.M. shall be 14 days stating the business to be discussed and any resolutions proposed. Delegates in attendance must be a registered official of the Club he or she represents.
5.3; Executive/Club/Disciplinary Meetings;
Executive and Disciplinary meetings shall be held once per calendar month or as necessary but the Secretary shall have the authority to convene meetings as required. The Executive Committee shall have the power to co-opt non-executive members to aid the running of the Association throughout the season. All Clubs must have a delegate at each quarterly Club meeting whether or not their fixture list has been completed. Delegates must be a registered official of the Club he/she represents. Two apologies for absence per Club are allowed during the season. Clubs tendering their apologies for attendance at meetings must do so at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting to the F.V.F.D.A. President, Secretary or Co-ordinator, preferably in writing.
Each delegate will sign the appropriate meeting register on entering the meeting. The F.V.F.D.A. Secretary shall manage the attendance register. Clubs leaving the meeting after signing in or shortly thereafter may be deemed not to have attended and the appropriate fine for non-attendance applied. If this occurs due to extenuating circumstances the fine may be waived at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
Clubs failing to adhere to rule 5.3 may be fined £10.
5.4; Notices;
At least seven days notice and the agenda shall be made available to all voting members of any Executive, Club or Disciplinary meeting.
5.5; Voting;
With the exception of changes to the Constitution, decisions put to a vote shall be resolved by a simple majority at General Meetings. There shall be one vote per Club. The President of the F.V.F.D.A. shall hold a deliberative as well as casting vote.
5.6; Quorum;
The quorum at Executive and Disciplinary meetings shall be 4 members.
5.7; Changes To The Constitution;
Any changes to the Constitution can only be passed by a majority of members present and entitled to vote at an A.G.M. or E.G.M. A proposal to change the Constitution must be submitted in writing by recorded delivery by the proposer and seconder in separate envelopes signed by the respective secretary of each member Club to the association Secretary no later than 30 days before the A.G.M. who shall circulate to all members and allow 7 days for submission of any amendments before calling a meeting in accordance with rules 5.1 or 5.2 above.
6. FINANCE;
6.1; All expenses shall be passed by the Executive Committee prior to payment and all cheques shall bear 2 signatures. The President, Treasurer plus one other nominated Committee member shall be authorised signatories to sign cheques on behalf of the Association.
6.2; The Treasurer shall effect all money transactions and shall make a financial statement at all meetings.
6.3; The Treasurer shall make the F.V.F.D.A. bank book and all accounts available for inspection at every meeting.
6.4; The Treasurer shall produce a written statement of the audited accounts for the A.G.M. and from time to time as required by the local group.
6.5; In the event of a new Treasurer being appointed before the date of the local A.G.M., the books must be audited and approved before being handed over to the new Treasurer.
6.6; An independent auditor shall be appointed at the A.G.M.
7. MEMBERSHIP:
7.1; The main criterion for membership is a willingness to uphold the spirit of the game in the best interests of the youngsters involved. Membership shall be open to all interested parties who wish to participate in the promotion of the small-sided game at the younger age groups for development into eleven-a-side at the relevant age group and uphold the objectives of the F.V.F.D.A. Clubs seeking membership should be fully constituted, have a Player Protection Policy and will have a signed F.V.F.D.A. Code of Conduct promoting the objectives of the Association. Each F.V.F.D.A. member Club must also be in membership of the S.Y.F.A. Clubs under 12 years should register with the S.Y.F.A. as ‘Associate Members’. Clubs playing at age 13’s and above should be registered as ‘Full Members’ of the S.Y.F.A.
7.2; All Clubs shall be bound by the rules of the S.Y.F.A. that will be applied at all times unless defined otherwise herein. Membership of the Association implies adoption and compliance with the F.V.F.D.A. Code of Conduct for Clubs, Officials, Players and Supporters and of any amendments thereafter. These documents will be available as a download from the official association website (if applicable) or on request to the Association Secretary – a small administration charge may apply.
7.3; The Association actively encourages all members to strive to attain the S.F.A. Quality Mark.
7.4; All member Clubs will be liable to a fixture/behaviour bond not exceeding £50, returnable after completion of all league and cup fixtures. This will normally be in the form of an undated signed cheque presented to the Association along with membership fees. If this cheque is dated it will be presented to the bank and the monies held by the Association until the Club fixtures have been fulfilled.
7.5; Each member Club will have 1 vote at Association meetings.
7.6; Age groupings must be adhered to at the eleven-a-side game with the eligibility date being; players must be born on or after 1st January of the respective year. However, for the small-sided game, in the interest of safety and in an effort to prevent mismatched games, coaches should adhere as close as possible to a 1st January eligibility date. Coaches should inform the other Club if players are ‘over-age’ as at 1st January. In the event of an obvious mismatch, such players should be substituted and replaced by appropriate players or if the other Club does not agree to this then the ‘over-age’ player should not start the game.
7.7; The Association seeks to attract coaches who have the children’s best interests at heart and who are committed to the objectives of the F.V.F.D.A. It shall be incumbent upon at least one leader/coach per Club to have completed the S.F.A. Level One Children’s Certificate course (Early Touches) for the younger age groups (5 – 11 years) and the S.F.A. Level One Youth Certificate course (Development Activities) for the youth age groups (12 – 18 years) and to have completed a basic first aid course. All Club leaders joining the Association shall be required to attend these courses within the first 12 months of membership. All Clubs must then provide completed Club and player registration forms and photocopies of coaching certificates along with membership fees prior to the start of each subsequent season.
7.8; Coaches are encouraged to develop their own standards through attendance at S.F.A. Coach Development courses, or the like, in accordance with the age group they are responsible for and must attain level 3 within 3 years of joining the Association.
7.9; Where coach in service days are arranged attendance will be mandatory for at least one coach from each Club.
7.10; F.V.F.D.A. recognises that every child or young person who plays or participates in the game of football should be able to take part in an enjoyable and safe environment and be protected from abuse. The Association is a member of the Scottish Youth Football Association and is bound by its Constitution, Rules and Player Protection Policy. All committee members, coaching staff and helpers over the age of 16 years working with children and/or youths must complete an S.Y.F.A. self-declaration form and will be the subject of an S.Y.F.A. Enhanced Disclosure Scotland check. This vetting procedure is mandatory and must be carried out on initial application to join the Association or any Club already in membership of F.V.F.D.A. and thereafter as required.
7.11; A qualified first aider with relevant first aid material must be available at each activity session.
7.12; Club members who suffer an injury should only be treated by a qualified first aider. Where the Club is of mixed gender, a first aider of both genders should be present at all Club activities.
7.13; A qualified first aider who has a personal relationship with any player(s) should inform the referee as such before the game commences and exceptionally would then be allowed to treat the injured player(s).
7.14; If Rule 7.12 or 7.13 are not been met and if the first aider is of the opposite gender to the player(s) being treated they must be accompanied while administering first aid by a Club official of the same gender as the player(s) being treated.
7.15; Any breaches of Rule 7.11 – 7.14 will be reported to the Executive and Disciplinary Committee where further action may be taken and a report sent to the S.Y.F.A.
7.16; Failure to provide the relevant membership documentation (refer to 7.7 and 7.10 above) may result in the Club being refused entry into the F.V.F.D.A.
7.17; Clubs must have the minimum insurance cover as determined by the S.Y.F.A.
7.18; One of the key elements crucial to the success of the F.V.F.D.A.’s leagues and festivals is the conduct of players, coaches, adults and others associated with the Clubs. Players are accustomed to playing in a non-threatening environment therefore it is essential that there is no complacency. Registered officials are instructed to ensure that all individuals associated with their Clubs are aware of the high expectations of the Association in terms of personal conduct. This league is about the education of all players, coaches and adults in football development. Please be patient.
8. RULES AND GUIDELINES:
GENERAL;
8.1; Home Clubs are responsible for ensuring pitch markings are clear, corner flags and goal nets are used (where appropriate).
8.2; The protest rule (S.Y.F.A. Rule 149) will apply if games are called off under this rule which may result in the loss of points or cup tie.
8.3; Both Clubs shall carry 2 match balls in playable condition, the home Club balls will be used first. If in the opinion of the match referee both home Club balls are unplayable, the away Club shall provide the match ball.
The recommended ball size for each age group is;
U9 - Developmental 4s - - size 3
U10/11/12 - Soccer 7s - size 4
U13 - 11-a-side - size 4
U14 & beyond - 11-a-side - size 5
8.4; Where league or cup games are played under the auspices of the F.V.F.D.A.:
If Club colours clash the ‘away’ Club will have first option to change strip. If this Club does not have a change, the ‘home’ Club will change strip. Where no alternate strips are available the ‘away’ Club will wear bibs or the like to distinguish Clubs. The referee or match official will have the final decision in the event of a dispute.
For all matches played at a neutral venue both Clubs must bring the change of colours that are registered. Failure to do so may result in a fine of £25 and possible forfeit of the match.
8.5; League games may be played without a referee in extenuating circumstances with the consent of both Clubs who should referee one half of the game each and endorse and sign the team sheets accordingly prior to the start of the game. (May not apply if red/yellow card incidents cannot be upheld.)
8.6; Payment for the referee will be split between both Clubs taking part in the match.
8.7; Kick off times will be adhered to as much as possible. Referee’s and/or match officials are to allow 20 minutes grace after the official start time. Clubs reported for lateness may be fined £25 although extenuating circumstances will be considered.
8.8; Clubs found by the F.V.F.D.A. of failing to fulfil any league or cup fixture will forfeit the points for league games, will lose the tie 1 – 0 for cup games, may be fined and will forfeit the fixture bond. The fine imposed will not exceed £150.
8.9; All Cup matches within the F.V.F.D.A. will be played to a finish in the first game. In the event of a tie after full time, 10 minutes extra time each way will be played at age groups 13 – 16 years with all older age groups playing 15 minutes extra time. If the result is still a tie, 5 penalty kicks will be taken with sudden death penalties taken thereafter to determine a winner.
8.10; All cup competition games must be played with an official referee.
8.11; Only players who were eligible to play in the semi-final will be allowed to play in the relevant final.
8.12; The season shall commence in August, running through to the end of May/June. Dependant on the number of Clubs in each age group there may be a break in league fixtures from December to the end of February.
8.13; Seven-a-side festivals should operate on a non-competitive basis and should neither allocate points for a win nor award cups or trophies to winners. A medal to commemorate the event may be given to all participating players but no distinction should be made because of match results. A certificate of participation is a preferred option.
8.14; The Committee and/or F.V.F.D.A. co-ordinator has the responsibility for arranging venues and fixtures for the small-sided game section and arranging fixture lists and referees for all other Clubs in the Association.
8.15; The F.V.F.D.A. co-ordinator will endeavour to inform the home Club of their fixture and appointed referee no later than 4 days prior to the event. The home Club should make contact with their opponents on Monday but if no contact has been made by Wednesday evening to confirm referee, time of match and venue the home Club should notify their age group rep. The away Club has a duty to contact their age group rep if the home team has not been in touch by Wednesday evening.
8.16; Any cancellation due to inclement weather or pitches being unplayable should be agreed between Clubs no later than 7.30am on the day of the fixture. Where matches have been called off, the home Club should notify the referee as soon as possible and the age group representative by the end of the day the match was scheduled, stating the reason for the postponement.
8.17; The home Club will be responsible for reporting the result of the game to the designated age group contact.
8.18; No games should be played in seriously inclement weather.
8.19; All requests for relief of fixtures (free week) must be lodged 14 days before the fixture date with the F.V.F.D.A. Co-ordinator. The F.V.F.D.A. Co-ordinator will be the sole arbitrator for such requests and his or her decision is final. Clubs can apply for a maximum of 3 free weeks per season. For guidance, no relief of fixtures will normally be granted after 1st May in any current season.
8.20; Where teams are involved in competitions out with the control of the F.V.F.D.A. their scheduled F.V.F.D.A. opponents should make themselves available for an alternate fixture. The F.V.F.D.A. Co-ordinator will endeavour to arrange an alternate fixture unless teams have applied for a free week.
8.21; All other Cup competitions at regional or national level e.g. the Scottish Youth Football Association Challenge Cup or the Midland Regional Cup will be played in accordance with the rules of the competition.
9. 9.1; RULES; Except as otherwise provided within these rules, the Laws of the Game as stated by F.I.F.A. and the International F.A. Board shall apply.
9.2; SMALL SIDED GAME;
The rules for small-sided games should be kept to a minimum. No scores should be published in the media or on official or unofficial Club websites. In an effort to educate the children with regard to fair play, the recommendation is that activity sessions shall be played without a referee. The responsibility for ambiguous decisions regarding play shall be made by a nominated member of each Club, known as the ‘Match Supervisor’, who may officiate on a one half each basis or as agreed between the two clubs.
9.3; The duration of the activity shall be as follows;
U9’s - 5 – 7 minutes each way determined by the venue co-ordinator and number of teams attending,
U10’s - 20 minutes each way,
U11’s/U12’s - 25 minutes each way,
with a 5 minute interval. Flexibility should prevail. Club officials have joint discretion to alter this in the event of poor weather conditions, pitch conditions or an obvious mismatch of teams.
9.4; Goalkeepers may kick the ball from hand or throw the ball out as preferred however in an effort to prevent long passes prevailing, they are restricted to ‘passes’ within their own half of the pitch.
9.5; Goalkeepers attempting to gather the ball by hand may not be challenged.
9.6; The offside rule shall not apply.
9.7; Should the ball exit the field of play via the sidelines at U9’s kick-ins will be used to restart the game.
9.8; On all occasions when the game is started or restarted, opposing players shall be at least 10 metres away from the ball.
9.9; Penalty kicks shall be taken from 7 metres away from the goal line.
9.10; Play shall be re-centred after a goal has been scored.
9.11; Substitutions may be made at any time in the match. Players can be substituted more than once. In the event of an obvious mismatch, an extra player may be fielded by the weaker Club as jointly agreed by the respective Club leaders. If an extra player is not available the stronger team should remove a player.
9.12; Clubs are encouraged to ensure that players are given equal opportunity to play and substitutions at the end of the game or half, giving players only a minimum amount of playing time, must be avoided.
9.13; Modified goals and pitch dimensions shall be applied in accordance with local circumstances. The S.F.A. junior goalposts should be used wherever possible (4.9 metres x 1.8 metres) with a pitch size recommended at 55 metres x 36 metres by all age groups except the U9’s who should use a pitch of half of this size and a goal size of 2.4 metres x 1.2 metres.
9.14; YOUTH AGE GROUP;
Each game shall consist of;
at 13’s & 14’s - 3 x 25 minute periods
at 15’s & 16’s - 2 x 40 minute periods
at 17’s and beyond - 2 x 45 minute periods.
At 13’s & 14’s the 3rd period will be split each way. The supervisors/referees decision is final.
9.15; In the event of a significant deterioration of conditions during a match the supervisor/referee will make a decision on how many periods should be played. His or her decision is final.
9.16; At age 13’s and 14’s all Club squad members must be involved at some stage for at least 1 period. Each player should receive equal playing time over the course of a season.
9.17; The matches will normally be played on a Saturday morning and must start at the times given on the fixture list. Only in exceptional circumstances and with the agreement of both coaches will matches take place at any other time.
9.18; The only adult permitted on the pitch will be the match supervisor/referee except when first aid assistance is being administered.
9.19; At 13’s no challenge is allowed on the goalkeeper.
9.20; At the 13’s age group a retreating line will be in use for the first half of the season. This line will be indicated by the use of colour markers or cones placed at each side of the pitch, 10 metres from the penalty box. When the goalkeeper has the ball, opposition players must retreat beyond the retreating line and no opposition players are allowed into this area until the goalkeeper has made a pass and the receiving player has the ball under control. Clubs are encouraged to play out from defence. If the goalkeeper distributes the ball further than this retreating line opposition players can intercept the pass as normal.
9.21; Offside Rule;
At 13’s the retreating line will be used as the offside line for the first half of the season.
9.22; Match supervisors/referees should not be too harsh on throw-in errors at 13’s age group.
9.23; Club coaches will substitute players demonstrating unacceptable behaviour.
9.24; Substitutions;
Substitutions can be made at any time with the permission of the referee/match official. A player may be substituted more than once. At 19’s age group rolling substitutions can only be used in F.V.F.D.A. fixtures. Fixtures out with the F.V.F.D.A. will revert to 3 from 5 subs with no rolling of subs allowed in these fixtures.
9.25; A player who has been sent from the field of play by an official shall not play any further part in the game. The Executive Committee will deal with any serious incidents of foul play. All disciplinary matters will be dealt with in accordance with S.Y.F.A. disciplinary procedures.
9.26; Players and coaching staff of both Clubs will line up in the centre of the pitch and shake hands with each other after the game. Coaches, players and parents of both Clubs will stand on the same side of the pitch with the exception of those nominated to act as assistant referee.
9.27; During competition phases the points awarded will be as follows:
WIN - 3 points
DRAW - 1 point
LOSS - 0 points
9.28; Where the winners of the league are level on points, the following rule will apply to determine a winner;
The results of mutual matches played in the current season (I.E. the team with the most head to head victories).
Should this not prove conclusive, a play-off will be arranged by the Executive Committee/F.V.F.D.A. Co-ordinator.
10. REGISTRATION OF PLAYERS;
All players should be registered with the F.V.F.D.A. before the first game of the season using the appropriate F.V.F.D.A. form. Once a player is registered with a Club, approaches from another F.V.F.D.A. Club will not be acceptable and any breach of this rule will be treated as a disciplinary issue.
10.1; A maximum of 22 players can be registered to a Club at any one time.
10.2; All players at youth level (13’s and above) must also be individually registered with the S.Y.F.A. using the appropriate form.
10.3; If Clubs wish to play a trialist, this players status should be clearly marked as such on the team line. Players can only play as a trialist for the same Club on four occasions. Clubs can play a maximum of 4 trialists at any one league game. Trialists are not permitted to play in any game other than a league fixture.
10.4; Players signed after 31st March in the current season are only permitted to play in league fixtures and cannot participate in any F.V.F.D.A. cup, regional or national final competition.
10.5; Players should only train with the Club they are registered to play for.
10.6; Team Lines;
Team lines (2 copies) duly completed by each coach/manager must be submitted to the referee before the game kicks off.
10.7; The coach/manager will sign the team lines at the match before kick off and inform the referee that they are the person responsible for the Club.
10.8; Photocopied signatures are not acceptable.
10.8; If the coach/manager is unavailable the Club must advise the referee of a stand in who must then sign the sheet and include their full address and postcode on the reverse of the form.
10.10; Team lines must follow the standard format issued by the Association – the only permitted alteration to this format is the addition of a Club logo and name on the form.
10.11; Team lines must be properly completed clearly showing the shirt number of each player taking part, if they are a substitute or trialist and include all relevant information as requested on the form.
10.12; If a player is serving a match suspension this should be clearly marked on the team sheet with the letter ‘B’ in place of the shirt number and this should be pointed out to the referee or match official.
10.13; The space on the team lines for the subs used/not used will be completed by the referee on the copy returned to the F.V.F.D.A. Co-ordinator.
10.14; It is acceptable to use pre-printed/computer produced team lines and to clearly score out any player(s) not available (except those under suspension).
10.15; Team lines must be legible and completed in ink – any lines which, in the opinion of the F.V.F.D.A. Co-ordinator are illegible will be shown to the next Disciplinary Committee meeting and the Club will be fined accordingly if the Committee so agrees.
10.16; Scottish Cup and Regional Cup team lines must be used in each appropriate competition.
10.17; All breaches of Rule 10 - 10.16 may render the Club liable to a minimum fine of £12. Repeat offenders will be brought to the attention of the Disciplinary Committee who may impose further penalties on the Club.
11. RESPONSIBILITY;
It is the responsibility of all member Constituted Clubs of the F.V.F.D.A. to promote the objectives of the Association within their own Clubs. Any observed breaches of the spirit of the game should, in the first instance, be brought to the attention of the appropriate age group representative who will in turn notify the F.V. Co-ordinator and the Committee at the next available meeting. Subsequent breaches may then be reported to the S.Y.F.A. disciplinary committee. Clubs will be responsible for individual members of their Club who allow unfavourable comments to be left on official or unofficial web sites.
12. DISCIPLINE;
The basis of all discipline within the Association shall be founded on the principles of self-regulation. Members in dispute over any incident, on or off the field of play, shall endeavour to reach a mutually agreeable outcome embracing the spirit of fair play where possible. Only if this cannot be achieved or the incident is repeated, shall the matter be reported to the F.V.F.D.A. Secretary who will refer the matter to the Disciplinary Committee who will decide how to resolve the dispute in line with the S.Y.F.A. disciplinary procedures and report back to the Executive Committee at the next available committee meeting. A report shall then be sent to all Clubs involved informing them of the decision.
12.1; Monitoring;
Inherent to the success of the F.V.F.D.A. is the philosophy that the game is played for the intrinsic pleasure it can bring to young players. In an effort to protect this philosophy and to maintain the highest possible standards, a form of monitoring shall be carried out on a weekly basis. Monitoring forms are available on request to the F.V.F.D.A. Co-ordinator or available for download on the official Association website. The focus of the monitoring process will be centred largely on the spirit in which the activity sessions have been played. In cases where repeated failure to achieve acceptable standards are reported, the F.V.F.D.A. Secretary is empowered to question further and, if necessary, raise the item at the next meeting. All Clubs are expected to co-operate fully with any subsequent investigation.
12.2; All protests and claims etc. must be sent by recorded, special or registered delivery to the F.V.F.D.A. Secretary accompanied by a £20 fee not later than 3 days after the game. Sundays are excluded in accordance with the S.Y.F.A. Constitution and rules. A recorded, special or registered delivery verbatim copy must be sent to the other Club secretary within the same time period. The protesting Club should retain proof of postage.
12.3; The Disciplinary Committee will meet once per calendar month or as necessary. The quorum for disciplinary meetings will be as laid down in the current S.Y.F.A. handbook.
12.4; Any member of the Disciplinary Committee who is related to or has any other personal or business connection with complainants should declare it from the outset.
12.5; All Disciplinary meetings will be conducted in accordance with the current S.Y.F.A. Constitution and rules.
12.6; Any suspension imposed on players by the Committee will be carried over to the start of the next season if the term of suspension cannot be completed in the current season. These suspensions will recommence on the first match day of the following season.
12.7; If a player with an unspent ban moves to a new Club, the player must inform the new Club’s secretary of the ban and any outstanding suspension however it will be the Clubs responsibility to check whether any suspension is either in place or has lapsed.
12.8; Referees will report all field offences in detail on the S.F.A. Misconduct Form within 3 days of the match to the F.V.F.D.A. Co-ordinator who will bring this matter to the next suitable Disciplinary Committee meeting.
12.9; The Disciplinary Committee may, if it feels a Club has been advantaged by playing a player(s) contrary to the rules in the current S.Y.F.A. handbook, deduct points from that Club for games in which that player(s) took part.
12.10; Any Club whose players amass 10 cautions, and each subsequent 10 cautions, or 5 ordering-offs and each subsequent 5 ordering-off offences within a season will be cited to appear before the Disciplinary Committee to answer a call of ‘Bringing the Game into Disrepute’. The Committee may impose fines on Clubs repeatedly being brought forward under this section and may increase these for each repeat offence.
12.11; The Disciplinary Committee may seek advice on serious matters regarding Clubs or Club officials from the S.Y.F.A.
12.12; Member Clubs who wish to lodge an appeal against any decision made by the respective Association must lodge their appeal in accordance with the S.Y.F.A. Constitution and rules.
13. NATIONAL EVENTS;
National events will adhere strictly to the philosophy outlined, i.e. one that promotes an ethos that caters for the needs of the children in a friendly non-competitive environment. Excessive time spent travelling should be avoided.
14. INTERNATIONAL EVENTS;
While recognising the possible personal development considerations, trips abroad should be limited.
15. SOCIAL EDUCATION;
Intrinsic to the aim of the F.V.F.D.A. is the education of young people in a genetic sense, not simply in the realm of football. Leaders should be acutely aware of the positive influence they can exert on young lives with regard to important issues such as drug or alcohol abuse, personal hygiene, diet, relationships with others, the importance of fair play, personal responsibility, respect for others, loyalty and the importance of co-operation. This vital contribution is inherent to the rationale for establishing this Association.
16. DISSOLUTION;
Any resolution to dissolve the Association may be passed at any General Meeting provided that;
16.1; The terms of the proposed resolution are received by the Secretary at least forty-nine days before the meeting at which the resolution is to be brought forward and that;
16.2; At least twenty-eight days notice of the proposed resolution shall be given in writing by the Secretary to all members, and that;
16.3; Such a resolution shall receive the approval of two thirds of those present and entitled to vote.
16.4; Upon dissolution of the Association, after all Association and Trustee liabilities have been cleared, all remaining financial and material assets may be given or transferred to local governing bodies, other local football associations or leagues as determined by the meeting, to be employed for the development of football in the Forth Valley and surrounding areas.
This Constitution was adopted by the Forth Valley Football Development Association at an Extraordinary General Meeting held on 27.11.07.
Signed……………………………………. Signed…………………………………….
Robert McMinn John Stevenson
President. Secretary.
Date……………………………………. Date…………………………………….
