EAST LEAGUE RULES: SUMMARY OF DEADLINES AND PENALTIES
This note summarises some
of the Rules. It is recommended that you
read the Rules in full.
The Season
·
Pay league fees and outstanding fines by start of
league season or lose all matches 0-3 until paid.
·
EHL clubs nominate10 starred players by start of
season or lose matches 0-3 until players nominated.
·
EML Prem A and EWL Prem teams to register all players
before season. Only two overseas players
allowed in season.
·
Submit Captains’ details before first league Saturday
to all League Managers responsible for a division in which your club plays – or
£20 fine for each team.
·
Send fixture cards to the East League Secretary by 31
Oct - or £20 fine.
·
Player transfers in only before first East League
Saturday in Jan. - for using ineligible player, lose 0-3
·
Last season’s divisional cup winners return trophies
by 30th March - or £50 fine.
· Division winners attend
Presentation Day – or £100 fine
Matches
·
Telephone results for EML Prem A and B and Div 1 to
Results Co-ordinator within 15 min of match end. Telephone results for all other Men’s
Divisions to League Manager By 6 p.m. on match day. Add EWL results to East website by 8pm on day
of match (Prem) or by noon the following
day (all other divisions)
·
Home team to send Teamsheets to League Manager by 1st
class post to arrive by Wednesday after match.
·
For failing any telephone or postal results deadline:
£10 fine in EWL and point deduction in EML
·
Start match within 15 min of agreed time or when pitch
becomes free – lose 0-3 if not ready by then.
·
Fail to honour a fixture: Lose 0-3. May have to pay opposition costs. May be removed from league.
·
Agree within 2 weeks on a new date for postponed
matches – or £20 fines for both clubs
Umpires
·
Clubs with teams in EML Prem A, Prem B, 1, 2N, 2S and
EWL Prem, 1N and 1S must provide umpires to East and/or County Pools weekly
from the start of season. Failure may
lead to loss of matches 0-3.
·
Clubs in these divisions must put details of match
venues and times on the East Hockey website by start of the season for all
games up to Christmas, and by Nov 30th for all other games. Failure to do so
may lead to withdrawal of pool umpires and consequent awarding of matches 0-3
to opponents.
·
A clubs must send a list of all its Level 1 and
probationer Level 1 umpires to its County Pool Secretary before start of the
season, including contact details. Club umpires must be L1 (probationer L1 in
specified lower divisions) and must be CHUA members. Use an unlisted or
unqualified umpire - lose match 0 – 3.
GENERAL GUIDANCE TO CLUBS
These Guidelines are not Rules, but Clubs are advised
to follow them– and should also read Rule 7.2.
All Clubs:
·
are responsible for the actions of their players, officials,
members and supporters, and must ensure that all players and officials are
fully conversant with the League Rules by the start of the season.
·
must comply with League rules and abide by the
intended spirit of how the game should be played
·
must observe EHA guidelines and procedures for player
discipline and pitch-side conduct
·
must ensure that all players, officials and spectators
treat umpires with respect at all times, before, during and after matches. The Leagues will apply severe penalties in
cases of umpire abuse.
Home Clubs:
·
must ensure that pitch, pitch markings, goals, lights,
etc are adequate. Umpires may cancel the
game if this is not the case and the home club will be fined £20.
·
must ensure that visiting clubs are given two clear
weeks notice of the venue, push back time and any relevant details relating to
the match including confirmation of club colours.
·
must consider the distance the away side has to travel
when setting start times for matches, and must ensure that an adequate warm up
period on the playing surface is available to the visiting side.
·
must always provide acceptable post-match hospitality
to visiting teams, officials and umpires
Away Clubs:
·
should if necessary be proactive in contacting home
clubs for match details
Umpires
·
Match umpires must not adjudicate on league rules
(unless they are also East League officials). Any dispute as to the
interpretation of league rules should be referred to the relevant League
Secretary.
·
The Leagues will not adjudicate on match decisions
made by umpires
Fixture Cards
A fixture card is a paper or electronic
document intended for use by club members and including details of all
fixtures, club officers, and home venues.
Clubs that play in the East Leagues should ensure that:
·
East League fixtures are
clearly identified as such, using a title such as “East Men’s Hockey League
Division …”, preceded by the name of the ERHA sponsor (if any) with the
sponsor’s logo displayed prominently
·
the address of the East
Hockey website is included in the card under the heading “East Region HA and
East Leagues information, including contacts and results, can be found at: www.east-hockey.co.uk”
·
An electronic card should
be an rtf or pdf file or a single section of a club
website downloadable in such a format.
As cards are a
valid means of promoting the interests of the East Region HA, The East Leagues,
and any East sponsor, the Leagues will treat the complete absence of a card due
to club policy as a failure to supply under rule 8.5.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. CONSTITUTION AND MANAGEMENT OF
THE EAST LEAGUES
1.1
Name
The Leagues shall be known as the East
Men’s League (EML), the East Men’s Veteran’s League (EMVL), and
the East Women’s League (EWL) preceded by the name of the East Region Hockey
Association’s current main sponsor if applicable, and shall be named as such in
all publicity material issued by the Leagues or their constituent clubs.
However, in the event that the East Leagues become part of any England Hockey
League structure, grouping, or federation, the England league title shall be
adopted by the East Leagues.
1.2 Management
Committees and Officers
The Leagues
shall be managed by an East League Management Committee consisting of the
Officers of the two Leagues and a Representative of the East Region Hockey
Umpires Association. The Officers shall be a Chairman, a
Budgets Officer, and a Secretary and the League Managers and Results
Coordinators of the Leagues,
and all shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting. Their periods of office
shall commence at the end of the AGM and run until the end of the next
AGM. All Officers shall be eligible for re‑election annually.
Nominations
for Officer appointments may be made by the League Committee, or by a Club
participating in the League. Nominations shall be submitted in writing to the
Leagues no later than 30 April and must include the written consent of the
nominee. Nominations by a participating Club must be seconded by another
participating Club. Officers may only be nominated/seconded by a Club of
the gender corresponding to that of the Officer’s post. No nominations
will be accepted after 30 April, nor accepted at the meeting.
League
Managers elected by an AGM must be of the same gender as the League in which
they operate, and only clubs playing in the EWL may vote on League Manager and
Results Coordinator nominations for the EWL, and likewise only clubs playing in
the EML for the EML Managers and Coordinator, and in the EMVL for the EMVL
League Manager..
The Committee shall meet at least four times in each year, and a quorum
shall be four members at least one of whom shall be the Chairman or Secretary
of the Committee. Proposals shall be passed by a majority of those present and voting, with the
Chairman having a casting vote. In the absence of the Chairman, the Committee
shall elect a Chairman for the meeting from the members present.
The Committee shall fill any
vacancies arising within its membership, by vote if necessary.
1.3 Annual
General Meeting
1.3.1
Organisation of the meeting
The
Annual General Meeting shall be held in each year by 30 June on a date and at a
venue to be decided by the League Committees. Notice of the Annual General
Meeting, a list of nominations for Officers, a copy of the agenda, the annual
accounts and minutes of the previous AGM shall be sent to each participating
club at least 14 days before the date of such meeting.
Business
to be transacted:
Those entitled to attend a General Meeting and to vote:
A
Quorum shall be a total of 25 votes present (as defined in 1.3.5)
The chair shall be taken
jointly throughout the meeting by the Chairman of the League Committee.
In the absence of this Officers, the meeting shall elect a member of a League
Committee to the chair.
Proposals from Clubs to make amendments to
League Rules can be submitted at any time during the season to League Chairmen,
East League Secretaries, or League Managers, but in any case no later than
31 March. All proposals will be reviewed at the April meeting of the
League Management Committees along with rule changes proposed by the
Committees, and a composite draft Rules Proposal will be prepared and posted
for comment on the East website as much in advance of the AGM as possible,
amended as necessary, and a final version circulated with the AGM papers.
Agreed rule changes will usually be implemented in the season following, but
with the agreement of the AGM major changes may be implemented in the season
after that.
Other motions may be submitted to
the Annual General Meeting by a League Committee or by a Club participating in
the League. Such proposals must be received by the East League
Secretary nominated to oversee the organisation of
the AGM no later than 30 April and shall be accompanied by the names of the
proposing and seconding Clubs. Proposals from a League Committee shall not
require a seconder. No Proposals will be
accepted after 30 April, nor accepted at the meeting. Proposals will be
posted on the East website as much in advance of the AGM as possible, and
circulated with the AGM papers.
To
maintain the validity of postal votes no amendments to proposals will be
allowed. However, the meeting may agree minor changes to wording that do
not substantially change the intent of the proposal and do not invalidate the
basis on which postal votes were cast. The Chairman of the meeting shall be the
sole arbiter of what constitutes such acceptable changes.
Original proposals may also include
alternatives, on each of which postal votes may be cast.
To
be passed, proposals require a simple majority of those voting, except for
proposals for changes in Rule 1, which require a majority of 75% of those
voting.
Votes
may be cast at the meeting or by post. Postal voting papers will be
circulated with the Notice of the AGM, and must be completed, duly authorised
and returned in time to be received by the East League Secretary nominated to
oversee the organisation of the AGM at least 3 days before the date of the
meeting.
Voting will be organised so that clubs not
playing in a particular League do not vote on matters affecting only that
league.
1.4 Special General
Meetings
A
Special General Meeting may be called at any time by order of a League
Committee, or upon receipt of a requisition signed by the Chairmen of no fewer
than 25 participating clubs (Men’s, Women’s and Joint Clubs being counted
each as one club), such requisition clearly stating the reasons for calling the
meeting.
An SGM shall be held as soon as possible,
and in any event within 1 month of the receipt of a Clubs’ requisition or
Committee order. At least 14 days notice of a Special General Meeting,
and of all resolutions to be proposed, shall he given to all those entitled to
vote. No other business shall be conducted at the meeting. All the
requirements of an AGM specified in Section 1.3 shall apply to an SGM.
1.5 Financial Policies
The
financial policies of the Leagues shall be:
·
money from fines not to be treated as income for budget purposes,
but to be used in the following season as directed by the AGM.
1.6 Management of the
Leagues
1.6.1
League Management Committees
At its
regular meetings the Committee shall review League performance, resolve
problems, and adjudicate on any unresolved matters arising from the
implementation of the League Rules, and will also adjudicate on any matter not
covered by the Rules. The Committee will endeavour to operate by consensus, but
in the event of a vote Men’s League Managers and the Men’s Results Coordinator
will not vote on Women’s League business, and vice versa, but all will vote on
joint business. The Chairman, Secretary
and Budgets Officer may vote on any business.
.
The
Committees may revise the structure of the EML or EWL from time to time in the
interest of all clubs and for the benefit of hockey in the East, consulting
with clubs and submitting any league structure revision to a League AGM or
SGM. The Committees shall also organise the AGM, any SGM, and the annual
joint Presentation Day for the awarding of League trophies.
A League Management Committee
is solely responsible for making decisions and imposing penalties under the
following rules: discretion on deadlines
(Rule 3.5), pool umpires (5.1),
promotions and relegations (6), and discipline and penalties (7).
1.6.2
League Managers
Each
Division of the League shall be administered by its League Manager, whose
duties will include the monitoring and keeping of accurate records of all
results and disciplinary cards, advising Clubs on matters that arise during the
season, ensuring that Clubs observe the Rules of the League, applying penalties
as appropriate, making other rulings and decisions as are required to ensure
the smooth running of the League, and attending League Management Committee
Meetings.
EML and EWL League Managers are solely
responsible for making decisions and imposing penalties under the following
rules: player eligibility (rules 3.1 –
3.3), matches (4.1 – 4.6), club umpires (5.2 – 5.5), press reports (8.4), and
team information (8.5). The EMVL
League Manager is solely responsible for making decisions and imposing
penalties under Rule 12 except club affiliation.
1.6.3
East League Secretaries
Each
League shall be administered in its entirety by its East League Secretary
(ELS), whose duties include ensuring that all Divisions are efficiently
administered in accordance with the East League rules, administering League
Club affiliations, producing the League section of the ERHA Handbook, ensuring
that League results and tables are passed to the media and the East Hockey
website, liaising with the East sponsors through the ERHA Public Relations and
Sponsorship Officer, calling meetings of the League Management Committee on a
regular basis with a minimum of four per year and circulating the minutes, and
publishing Newsletters and/or submitting relevant news and information to the
East Hockey website to ensure that Clubs are kept informed of relevant matters
and are prompted to provide opinions on East League issues.
East
League Secretaries are solely responsible for making decisions and imposing
penalties under the following rules:
club eligibility (rules 2 and 12) and club administration (8.1 -
8.6, except 8.4).
1.6.4
Relationship to the East Region Hockey Association
The
Chairman of each League Management Committee is a member of the ERHA Management
Committee and submits reports on League matters to all meetings of that
Committee and to the ERHA AGM.
1.6.5 Layout of the East League Rules
Rules
2 - 11 apply solely to the East Men’s League and East Women’s League.
Rule 12 applies solely to the East Veterans League
2. CLUB ELIGIBILITY
Men’s or joint clubs from Bedfordshire,
Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk are
eligible to play in the EML, with no limitation on numbers of teams. Women’s or
joint clubs from Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk,
Suffolk, or Kent are eligible to play in the EWL, but with no more than one
team in a Division. Other clubs of an
appropriate location may be invited to join an East League at the discretion of
the League Management Committee.
A club shall not be eligible to play in a
League unless its league fees to the EML and/or EWL, as appropriate, have been
paid before the start of the league season. Clubs with overdue financial
payments of any sort outstanding to an East League, the ERHA, or the ERHUA at
the start of, or arising during, the league season shall not be eligible to
play or continue playing in the League if the payment is not made within a week
of the Club being notified of the overdue payment. (See also Rule 7). Any
league matches due to be played on the dates when a club is not eligible to
participate in a League shall be irrevocably awarded to the intended opposition
3-0.
3. PLAYER ELIGIBILITY All players must
be bone fide, fully paid-up members of their clubs, and must be male to
participate in the EML and female in the EWL.
3.1 East EHL Clubs A club having a
squad in the English Hockey League (EHL) must nominate before the first
Saturday of the East League season ten of their EHL players who will not be
eligible to play in subsequent East League matches. Clubs may change the lists
of nominated players twice in a season if they wish to do so, in November and
January, and revised lists must be sent to the League Managers before the end
of those months.
Nominated players must be regular 1st Team
players An EHL nominated player will be allowed to return after injury to play
2nd team East League hockey provided the injury prevented participation in the
three immediately preceding EHL games. The Club must provide the appropriate
League Manager with copies of the three EHL teamsheets covering the injury
period, and the player may not participate in the East League game until the
League Secretary has confirmed acceptance to the Club.
Once named again on an EHL teamsheet, the
player is no longer eligible for East League matches.
3.2 Premier Division registration and
eligibility
A team playing in EML Premier A or EWL Premier must register all its players with the appropriate