Back to Umpiring & Discipline Page Back to Leagues Page
7. DISCIPLINE, AND PENALTIES
7.1 General penalties.
If a Rule does not specify penalties, failures to comply will result in warnings and point deductions. For a first offence: a warning to the team with a written confirmation. For a subsequent offence irrespective of the rule broken: a one-point deduction.
7.2 Additional penalties.
The League Management Committee also reserves the right to take whatever action is deemed appropriate against any club, team, or player having a poor disciplinary record, persistently breaking the Rules of the East League, disregarding ERHA or EHA regulations, bringing the East League or hockey into disrepute, treating umpires with disrespect, or behaving in any way contrary to the interests of the East League, the ERHA or hockey generally. Penalties applied in the circumstances may include the deduction of points, the reversal of results, the suspension of players from East League hockey, fines, the relegation of one or more teams, or the expulsion of teams or clubs from the East League.
7.3 Conduct
The Disciplinary Code of the EHA shall be applied at all League matches. All teams are expected to study, and comply with, the “Guidance Notes for Pitch side Conduct”, which are also printed in this handbook.
A player who receives three yellow cards in one season in league matches shall be automatically suspended by the club for the next league day;for a fourth yellow card shall be suspended for the next two league days; for a fifth yellow card shall be suspended for the next three league days; and for a sixth or subsequent yellow card shall be suspended for the next four League days. If the third or subsequent yellow card is received in the last league match of the season, the League Management Committee may determine that the penalty be carried forward to the following season.
(A league day is a Saturday included in the League Fixture List or a day on which the club is playing a slip. If the team for which the player normally plays has no fixture on the next league day, the penalty shall move forward).
7.4 Appeals.
7.4.1 If a club wishes to appeal against a League Manager's or an East League Secretary's decision or penalty, an appeal must be made in writing, by recorded delivery and accompanied by a cheque for £100, to the appropriate East League Secretary, with a copy to the League Manager concerned, all within two weeks of the original decision or penalty being notified to the club. The appeal will be determined by the League Management Committee through a specially appointed sub-committee comprising three committee members including the appropriate League Chairman and/or Secretary.
7.4.2 If a club wishes to appeal against a League Management Committee's decision or penalty, an appeal must be made in writing, by recorded delivery and accompanied by a cheque for £100, to the Hon Secretary of the ERHA within two weeks of the original decision or penalty being notified to the club. NB: The only role of the ERHA Secretary is to receive appeals and to decide that they are in order, i.e. that the appeal is correctly submitted by recorded delivery with the correct deposit and within the timescale allowable.
7.4.3 Clubs raising or considering raising an appeal must not contact or enter into correspondence with any member of the Committee to hear the appeal except at the instigation of the latter. The suspension of any penalty pending appeal is at the discretion of the Committee hearing the appeal. If an appeal is successful the £100 deposit will be returned, but in the event of an unsuccessful appeal, the Committee hearing the appeal will decide whether the deposit is to be forfeited in full or in part.
