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Rule change proposals for the 2008 AGM agreed by the League Management Committee, 17^th April.

Proposals are in black italics. Explanatory comments are in blue italics.

Since first publication, an additional rule change has been added to Rule 6.4, concerning teams in the East League with higher teams playing in the London League,  plus a change in Rule4.4 relating to EHL teamsheets..

1.2 Management Committees and Officers

Delete the following:

"Officers may only be nominated/seconded by a Club of the gender corresponding to that of the Officer’s post". 

"League Managers elected by an AGM must be of the same gender as the League in which they operate"

[These changes mean that a woman can be appointed as a League Manager in the Men’s League and vice versa]

2. CLUB ELIGIBILITY

…… Women’s or joint clubs from Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, or Kent are eligible to play in the EWL.

(delete: " but with no more than one team in a Division")

[Reflects the actual position in the EWL for several seasons]

3. PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

Replace 3.1, EHL Club starred players by a new section on team selection by EHL Clubs

3.1 East EHL Clubs Team Selection

EHL Clubs may not play 12 of the 1st team players listed on an EHL Teamsheet (including all 11 starting players) in an East League match in the same weekend. If there is no EHL match in a particular weekend the restriction must be based on the teamsheet for the last EHL match played, except that during the Dec-Jan break in the EHL, none of the starting players on the last two EHL Teamsheets in November may play in the East League. League Managers will monitor compliance by checking weekly EHL Teamsheets.
Notes: (1) When EHL matches are played on a Sunday, the Saturday team selection must anticipate the Sunday EHL Teamsheet; (2) 1st team players allowed under this rule to play for a lower team may only do so subject to Rule 3.3.2.

[The starred player rule is difficult to manage by both Clubs and League, particularly in updating lists to reflect changes in player availability and selection. Five EHL Clubs were found to be inadvertently in breach of the starred player rule this season. The new rule is effectively a starred player system that is automatically updated every week.]

3.3.2 A regular bench player in Division 2 or above who does not usually have significant pitch time may play for a lower team in the same weekend. This is only to allow the player necessary match practice.

[Clarifies the existing rule]

4.4 Teamsheets and Results Notifications ......  Both completed Teamsheets shall then be sent by the Home Club to the League Manager to arrive by the Wednesday following the match.   EHL Clubs must additionally send the 1st team EHL Teamsheet from the same weekend to the League Manager responsible for the East League division in which their 2nd team plays to arrive by the same deadline..

4.5 Postponements and Abandonments.

Replace the final paragraph with:

Indoor postponements
A Club entering the East Indoor Qualifying Tournament or playing by right in the East Indoor Championship or playing by right in the EH Indoor League may postpone its 1st team match in the East League on the same date, and the match will be played on a slip date as follows:

· either East Indoor competition -1st slip in January

· the EH Indoor – 1st slip after the end of the season

The Club must notify the other Club, the League Manager, the League Results Coordinator, and the relevant Umpiring Pool Secretary and must include the change in the League website venues & times section, all before the start of the East League season. Failure to fully and promptly notify the change will be penalised by the deduction of one point.

If a Club playing in an East or England Indoor competition qualifies for a later round of competition, it may postpone at short notice its 1st team East League match on the date of the next round. The cancellation must be notified to the other Club, the League Manager, the League Results Coordinator, and the relevant Umpiring Pool Secretary by the day after qualifying. Failure to fully and promptly notify the change will be penalised by the deduction of one point. The match must be rearranged to the next slip date free of East League commitments for both Clubs.

Note: Club 2nd teams, including EHL Club 2nd teams, have no right of postponement because of senior indoor commitments. However, at the discretion of the League Manager postponements may be given to the 2nd teams of Clubs playing in EH Indoor Junior Finals, if the East League 2nd team normally includes a significant number of the junior players.

[Establishes fixed slip dates for most teams playing in the midwinter East and EH indoor competitions – entrants for which are known before the League season starts.  The present rule leaves these slip dates uncertain, and there were siginificant problems because of this last season.]

5.2 Club appointed umpires.

Amend final two sentences of the second paragraph to: Using a club umpire that has not been listed will result in the match being awarded to the opposing side. All such umpires should be paid-up members of their CHUA.

[The League cannot police the previous requirement of mandatory Association membership]

6.3 East Women’s League

Amend to:

The East Women’s League is structured as shown below, including end of season promotions and relegations. This is based on the assumption that there is a relegation of one team from the EHL back into the East League. Divisions will normally consist of 12 teams.

Division	Promotion	Relegation
Premier	1	4
Divisions 1N, 1S	2	4
Divisions 2E, 2N, 2S, 2W	2	7 (all in 12th place plus lowest 3 in 11th)

If there is no relegation from the EHL, there will be one extra promotion from Divs 1 (the better of the two third-placed teams), one similar extra promotion from Divs 2, and only six relegations from Divs 2 (all in 12th plus the lowest 2 of the 11th placed teams) .

If there are two relegations from the EHL, there will be one extra relegation from Premier and  one extra from Divs 1 (the worse of the two 10th-placed teams) and one similar extra relegation from Divs 2 (and so on if there are more than two EHL relegations).

The seven champion teams from the East County Women’s Leagues and the Five Counties League will be promoted into the East Women’s League. If a champion team is ineligible or is unwilling to accept promotion, a lower team may be promoted by applying the procedures given in the first paragraph of 6.2.

Following promotions and relegations from and into Divisions 1N and 1S, and from and into 2E, 2N, 2S, and 2W, the clubs will be arranged between the divisions to minimise travel.  This may mean a club being switched from one division to another.

[Following the EHL restructuring, the likeliest scenario is a relegation each season from EHL to East. A structure reflecting that minimises the frequency with which extra relegations or promotions are needed]

[Divisions 2 may be alternatively labelled 2NE, 2NW, 2SE, 2SW in the final version]

6.4  East Men's league

The East Men’s League is structured as shown below, including end of season promotions and relegations. . This is based on the assumption that there is a relegation of one team from the EHL back into the East League. Divisions will normally consist of 12 teams ….

Division	Promotion	Relegation
Premier A	1	2
Premier B	2	2
Division 1	2	4

[Comment as above]

Add to end of Rule:

Teams from Clubs playing in the London League may be admitted to the East League at League Management Committee discretion, but other than 1st teams may not play higher than Division 3.

[Prevents selection control problems when a higher team plays in the LL while a lower team plays in East - the two leagues have very different rules on team selection ]

3.3.3c Rule change suggested by March HC: not adopted

Proposal to change Rule 3.3.3(c) which allows "the bottom team of a club to include up to four players from other teams to make up 11 players provided it and the other teams are not more than two teams apart in club ranking, and providing approval is obtained ......" Proposal was to replace “two teams apart” by “… divisions apart”

[The League Committee did not wish to adopt this. Whilst there are anomalies in the present rule (clubs with teams in widely spread divisions) the proposal would set up different anomalies.].

Rule change suggested by Chelmsford HC: not adopted

Proposal to change Rule 4.4 Team Sheets and Results Notification by adding:

"Warnings will be given by email or phone call to the East League Club Liaison Officer. The preferred communication method will be email"

[The League Committee did not wish to adopt this, as it reduces flexibility in communications. League Managers wish to be able to select the most appropriate route of communication depending on circumstances.]