BOURNEMOUTH DIVISIONAL FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION CUP COMPETITION RULES
2024-2025
1. The following Rules shall apply, except where specified, to all BOURNEMOUTH DIVISIONAL FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION Cup Competitions, which shall be played annually.
BDFA Saturday Senior Cup,
BDFA Camerons (Sunday) Cup,
BDFA Page Croft (Saturday Junior) Cup,
BDFA Women’s Cup
BDFA Veterans Cup
2. The entire control and management of the Competitions shall be vested in the DFA Council of the Association who shall have power to delegate to a Cup Competitions Committee, with power to act. The Divisional Association shall appoint a Cup Competition Secretary who shall conduct the business of all the respective Cup Competitions.
The quorum for the transaction of business shall be as provided in the Divisional Association and all decisions of the DFA Council or Cup Competitions Committee shall be final subject to a member club lodging an appeal in accordance with BDFA Rule 11.
Any Changes or alterations to these Rules must comply with the requirements of Association Rule 15 (a. thru e)
The business of the Competition, as determined by the DFA Council of the
Association or Cup Competitions Committee may be transacted by electronic mail or facsimile.
3. In these Rules the word “Council” shall be construed as meaning “the Council or the Cup Competition Committee”.
4. If any member of DFA Council is an Official, Member or Shareholder of a Club concerning which there is a protest, dispute or question, such member shall not be eligible to vote when such protest, dispute or question is being resolved.
5. To the winners of the Competition there shall be presented a Cup/Trophy which shall be held by that Club for the current season and shall not become the property of any Club.
The Association Officers for the time being shall be regarded as legal holders of the Cups/Trophies.
6. The Club winning the Competition shall be wholly responsible for the Cup, and shall sign a written document to this effect to be handed to the Secretary on receipt of the Cup. The Association shall insure the Cup and arrange for it to be engraved with the winners name and year, the cost of which shall be paid for by the winning Club. The Cup shall be returned in it's box and in good condition to the BDFA Office on or before 5th January the following year. A fine of £200.00 will be imposed in cases of default.. In the event that the Club ceases to exist after winning the competition, the Cup will be immediately returned to the Secretary of the Association.
7. In addition to the Cup/Trophy, 16 medals or other suitable awards shall be presented to the winning Club and, funds permitting, also to the losing finalists. When a player taking part in a final tie of a Competition is ordered to leave the field of play for misconduct, the award to which he/she may be entitled shall be withheld at the discretion of the Council.
8. ENTRIES AND ENTRY FEES.
(a) Applications together with the appropriate fee to enter the Cup Competitions where appropriate must be received on or before the Annual General Meeting in each year. But late entries may be accepted prior to the draw for the first round ties, and in such cases a fine may be imposed on the Club making the application.
Fees:
BDFA Saturday Senior Cup £25
BDFA Camerons (Sunday) Cup, £25
BDFA Page Croft (Saturday Junior) Cup £25
BDFA Women’s Cup £20
BDFA Veterans Cup £20
(b) Bournemouth Saturday Senior Cup Open to all Clubs whose Headquarters are within the defined BDFA area, who are eligible to take part in the Hampshire FA Senior or Intermediate Cup, with the addition of “Border” Clubs at the discretion of the BDFA Council.
(c) BDFA Camerons Challenge Cup Open to all Clubs playing in recognised Sunday competitions at the discretion of the BDFA Council. Only Clubs in membership of the Bournemouth Divisional Football Association shall be eligible to compete in the Competition.
(d) BDFA Page Croft Challenge Cup Open to all Clubs playing in recognised Saturday Junior Competitions at the discretion of Council. Only Clubs in membership of the Bournemouth Divisional Football Association shall be eligible to compete in the Competition.
- e) BDFA Women’s Cup Open to all Clubs whose Headquarters are within the defined Bournemouth Divisional FA area and who are playing in recognised Women’s Competitions, with the addition of “Border” Clubs at the discretion of the BDFA Council.
- f) BDFA Veterans Cup Open to all Clubs whose Headquarters are within the defined Bournemouth Divisional FA area and who are playing in recognised Veterans Competitions, with the addition of “Border” Clubs at the discretion of the BDFA Council.
9 ELIGIBILITY OF PLAYERS
(a) All players must be recognised members of their respective Club and be duly signed and registered by midday on the day before the scheduled date of any Cup Match. No player may be signed on and play on the day of a Cup match.
(b) A bone-fide player is one who has signed a form for his Club on a recognised League registration form and been duly registered by that League’s Registration Secretary.
(c) Whilst it shall be permissible for the constitution of a competing team to be changed during the progress of a Competition, no player shall play for more than one team in the same Competition during the same season.
(d) No Service player can play for a civilian Club against his Service team unless the Service authority has given permission in writing at least seven days prior to the tie.
(e) In the case of a postponed, drawn or replayed match only such players shall be allowed to play as were eligible at the time fixed for playing the round. A player who has been suspended may play in postponed, drawn or replayed ties after the term of suspension has expired.
(f) Protests respecting eligibility of players must be lodged with the Cup Competition Secretary in writing within four days of the game being played, accompanied by a deposit of £25.00 for each protest, i.e. for each player concerned, which shall be retained or otherwise as the Council direct. Where a protest is sustained, or in the absence of a protest the Council discover that any rule has in their opinion, been violated by mutual arrangement or otherwise by any of the Clubs concerned, it shall be in the power of the Council to disqualify one or both from taking any further part in the Competition in accordance with Rule 9(g) below.
In case of a frivolous protest, impose such further penalty as may be warranted by the circumstances reported.
(g) (i) A Club playing an unregistered or otherwise ineligible player and subsequently found guilty of the offence, shall be fined a sum not exceeding £100.00 The Council may take further action against the Club and/or players as it may decide.
(ii) In addition, a Club having played an unregistered or otherwise ineligible player and having been found guilty, shall if having won the match in question, be removed from the competition and their opponents reinstated into the next round of the competition (the Divisional FA Council may only go back one round within the same competition) in the event of the match in question having ended in a draw, the offending Club shall be removed from the Competition and the match awarded to their opposition
(iii) In the event of both teams being in breach of this rule, both will be removed from the Competition.
In the event of a Club/team being removed from a Competition in respect of clause (ii) and (iii) above, after winning the Final Tie, the Council may award the trophy and player awards to the beaten finalists. The Council may also withhold trophy and player awards for the beaten finalists if removed from the Competition or found to have broken the Rules.
10 BOURNEMOUTH SATURDAY SENIOR CHALLENGE CUP
No Club competing in this Competition shall include in its team in any match more than 6 players who have played during the current season in at least 6 Premier Football League matches or in more than a total of 12 matches in the Premier Football League and/or Football Combination. A Club may enter one or two teams in the Competition, but each team must be separately entered, and players who have played in one team shall not be permitted to play for another team in the same competition in the same season.
10a BDFA CAMERONS SUNDAY CHALLENGE CUP
A Club may enter one or more teams in the Competition, but each team must be separately entered, players who have played in one team shall not be permitted to play for another team in the same competition in the same season.
11 BDFA PAGE CROFT CHALLENGE (JUNIOR) CUP
No player who has played 6 games or more during the current season in any Competition from 1-30 in the Saturday precedence list as laid down in the Hampshire FA Handbook or any other recognised Saturday Senior Competition shall be allowed to play in any of the Junior Cups. Any player having played in that season in the Association Saturday Senior Cup shall not be eligible to play the Junior Cup. A Club may enter one or more teams in the Competition, but each team must be separately entered, and players who have played in one team shall not be permitted to play for another team in the same competition in the same season.
12 VETERANS CUP
A player shall be eligible to participate in this competition if he is of 35 years of age or over on 1st September in the current season. A Club may enter one or two teams in the Competition but each team must be separately entered, and players who have played in one team shall not be permitted to play for another team in the same competition in the same season.
13 NUMBER OF PLAYERS/SUBSTITUTES
(a) Each team shall consist of not more than 11 players who shall be the strongest available team in all matches or they shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £15. It shall be the duty of the Referee to report to the Cup Competition Secretary Clubs whose teams do not consist of 11 players.
(b) A player who leaves the field of play for any reason shall not be eligible to take part in another match until that in which he/she commenced playing is completed.
(c) A player sent from the field of play by the Referee must immediately retire to the changing rooms and will not be permitted to remain within the vicinity of the playing area. It shall be the responsibility of the players’ Club as to the conduct of that player thereafter.
(d) A Club may at its discretion and in accordance with the Laws of the Game use five (5) substitute players in a match who may be selected from five (5) nominated substitute players. The Referee shall be informed of the names of the nominated substitute players not later than fifteen minutes before the start of the match.
(e) Veterans Cup Competitions.
A Club may at its discretion and in accordance with the Laws of the Game use 5 substitute players in any match in this Competition who may be selected from 5 nominated players. A player who has been substituted himself becomes a substitute and may replace another player at any time subject to the substitution being carried out in accordance with Law 3 of the Laws of Association Football.
14 ALLOCATION OF GATE MONEY, PAYMENT OF FARES ETC.
(a) Any Club taking part in these Competitions that does not take gate money for its home games shall not be entitled to a refund of travelling expenses incurred by it if drawn away nor be liable to pay the travelling expenses of a visiting team if drawn at home or for replays at home. Nor shall they if drawn away to a gate taking Club be entitled to any share of the gate proceeds (except at the discretion of the home Club).
(b) In the final tie the Association shall take the whole of the proceeds of the match.
(c) The expenses of the pitch, Referee and Assistant Referees shall be borne by the home Club in any Saturday Senior Cup ties before the Final. Travelling expenses are the responsibility of the visiting team. Final ties shall be played on grounds nominated by the Council. In all other BDFA Cup competitions the match expenses will be on a shared costs basis.
15 DRAWING AND PLAYING OF TIES
(a) The ties in the Competition shall be drawn to be played on dates to be decided by the Association Council. Immediately after each draw the Cup Competition Secretary shall advise each competing Club of its opponents and the date and time at which the ties are to be played. Unless circumstances require, no Club shall have more than one bye in any one season, but arrangements shall be made to ensure that four Clubs compete in the Semi-Final ties. Where a Club has had a bye in a previous round, the Council shall decide whether such Club or its opponents shall have choice of ground.
(b) In all rounds, the Club first drawn will be the home Club. Except in the Saturday Senior Cup where a Club having suitable floodlights shall be the home Club and the match may be played on a suitable date mid-week prior to the date when the other matches in the round would normally be played. In the event of their ground not being available the tie will be played on the ground of their opponents. In the event of neither ground being available, the tie will be played on the ground of the first drawn Club the week immediately following or as directed by the Cup Competition Secretary.
(c) In the event of a match in the Competitions not being played because of the precedence list, it shall be played on the next following Saturday/Sunday, unless on some other date arranged or authorised by the Cup Competition Secretary.
(d) In the event of a game being postponed because of the weather on two (2) occasions the tie may, if so directed by the Cup Competition Secretary, be reversed.
(e) If any Club shall refuse or fail to play a match in the Competitions on the date fixed for it (only an exceptional circumstance and the exigencies of the weather alone excepted) it shall be removed from the Competition, and in the Final Tie the Council shall have power to reinstate the Club beaten in the Semi-Final by the defaulting Club. Further, and in addition, a defaulting Club shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £100.00. Any team that cannot fulfil a fixture in the competition due to a Covid related issue will be removed from the competition and their opponents will be awarded the match, In the final tie the competition sub-group shall have the power to re-instate the club beaten in the semi-final by the defaulting club. No further sanction will apply, unless any circumstances warrant further sanctions as determined by the Cup Committee.
(f) The Secretary of the home Club must give notice in writing, or by e-mail, of full particulars of the location of, and access to the ground and time of kick off to the match officials and the Secretary of the opposing Club at least five clear days prior to the playing of the match. The away Club shall seek and acknowledge receipt of such particulars. Any Club failing to comply with this rule shall be fined a sum of £15.00.
(g) Kick-Off times shall be 13.45 in November, December, January and February, and 14.00 at all other times for all Saturday Cup Competitions, except for Final Ties and evening fixtures mutually agreed. Kick Off Times shall be 10.30 am for all Sunday Cup Competitions except for the Final Ties.
(h) Notice of postponement of any matches must be given without delay by the Club postponing, to the Cup Competition Secretary, the Referees Appointment Secretary, the Secretary of the opposing Club and the Referee (and Assistant Referees if appointed). Both Clubs concerned shall send an explanation of circumstances in writing to the Cup Competition Secretary within three days of the fixture, except when the ground has been declared unfit for play. Any Club failing to comply with this Rule shall be fined the sum of £20 and may be further dealt with by the Council who may inflict any penalties they deem suitable.
16 DRAWN TIES, EXTRA TIME, CHOICE OF GROUNDS AND DATES OF REPLAYS, POSTPONED AND ABANDONED GAMES
(a) All BDFA Cup Competitions where the scores are level after 90 minutes play or the agreed time having been played, the match shall be decided by penalty kicks in accordance with the rules of the Hampshire FA Limited. Extra time will not be played in any BDFA Cup Competition match.
(b) A match which is not played owing to reasons over which neither Club has control, or which is abandoned by the Referee during ordinary time for which neither Club is responsible, shall be played on the same ground on the next succeeding Saturday/Sunday as the case may be, or some other date arranged and authorised by the Cup Competition Secretary. A match not played for other reasons will make Clubs liable to a fine not exceeding £100 and removal from the Competition.
(c) The Cup Competitions Committee shall review all abandoned matches and, in cases where it is advantageous to the Competition and does no injustice to any of the Clubs, shall be empowered to order the score at the time of the abandonment to be recorded as the result. In all cases where the Cup Competitions Committee are satisfied that a match has been abandoned owing to the conduct of one team or their members, they shall be empowered to award the match to their opponents and/or take whatever action they deem necessary. In cases where the Cup Competitions Committee are satisfied that a match has been abandoned owing to the conduct of both teams or their Club members, they shall take such action they consider appropriate, including removing both teams from the Competition.
(d) A Club proved to have been responsible for a late start in a tie, without satisfactory reason shall be fined £15, which may be increased for repeat offences and, in the event of a tie being left unfinished either in ordinary or extra time, because of such late start or for any other reason stated in Law 5, the Council shall have power to allow the result at the time of the stoppage to stand, and to take such further action as they deem necessary.
(e) The half time interval shall be of ten (10) minutes duration, but it shall not exceed fifteen (15) minutes. The half time interval may only be altered with the consent of the Referee.
17 CLUB COLOURS
Goalkeepers must wear colours which distinguish them from other players and the referee. No player, including the goalkeeper, shall be permitted to wear black or very dark shirts. In the case of two Clubs having the same or similar registered playing colours the away Club shall play in some different and distinctive colours. In the event of two Clubs, in the opinion of the Referee having the same or similar colours, the home team shall make the change. Any team not having a change of colours or delaying the kick-off by not having a change shall be fined a sum of £15.00.
In the Final tie both teams shall change to distinctive colours. Any dispute over colours will be referred to the Association’s Cup Competition Secretary.
The players’ shirts must be clearly numbered, and there must be no change of numbers. The size of the numbers shall be approximately 10" high. Failure to comply shall result in a fine of £15.00
18 PITCH MEASUREMENTS, ETC.
(a) The grounds on which the Saturday Senior Competition matches are played shall be as near possible, 110 metres (120 yards) long and 75 metres (80 yards) wide, but in no case less than 100 metres (110 yards) long and 64 metres (70 yards) wide, and shall be surrounded by a fixed barrier or rope at least 1 metre away from the touchline. Any Club failing to comply with this rule shall be dealt with by the Cup Committee, who may inflict any penalties that they deem suitable. For Women’s and Junior Competitions the measurements shall not be less than 90 metres (100 yards) long and 55 metres (60 yards) wide, unless the permission of Council be first obtained. Applications to play ties on grounds not of these required measurements, or which have not been registered with the Association, must be made at least seven days prior to the playing of the tie. No such application shall be considered by the Council for the playing of Semi-Final Ties.
(b) Goal nets must be used in all matches of these Competitions.
(c) It shall be the responsibility of the Home Club to ensure the ground is marked out and to provide at least two suitable match balls for the match. Failure to comply will result in a fine of £15
(d) It shall be the responsibility of the Home Club to provide separate dressing room accommodation for the home team, visiting team and match officials. Two Assistant Referee’s flags and a whistle must also be available. Failure to comply will result in a fine of £15
(e) In the event that the Home Club has included in its pitch markings the Dugout/Technical Area, the following shall be strictly adhered to: Only the following shall be allowed to occupy the Dugouts, up to five named substitutes and up to three nominated Club Officials, only the nominated coach/manager may convey tactical instructions to the players during the match and he/she must return to their position immediately after giving these instructions. He/she and other Officials must remain within the confines of the technical area, and they must behave in a responsible manner.
(f) The Cup Competitions Committee shall have power to decide whether a pitch and/or facilities are suitable for matches in the Competition and to order the Club concerned to play its fixture on the opponents ground. Football Turf pitches (3G) are allowed in this Competition providing they meet the required performance standards and are listed on the FA’s Register of Football Turf pitches. For clubs playing at Step 7 and below a pitch must be tested (by a FIFA accredited test institute) every three years and the results passed to the FA. The FA will give a decision on the suitability for use and add the pitch to the Register.The home Club is also responsible for advising participants of footwear requirements when confirming match arrangements in accordance with Rule 15.
- MATCH RESULT/REPORT FORMS
(a) Both teams must hand a correct team sheet of participating players and substitutes, available to download from the BDFA website, to the Honorary Secretary or responsible official of the opposing team and to the match official fifteen minutes prior to the official kick off time. The player’s names entered against the numbers on the team sheet must correspond with the shirt numbers they wear during the game. Failure to comply may result in the teams being fined a sum of not less than £19.00.
(b) Any team failing to be available to kick off at the official time may be fined a sum of not less than £20.00 failing a satisfactory explanation within seven days of the offence. Prior to commencement of the match the Referee shall inform the Captain or another responsible official of a Club that he intends to report a late start.
( c) Particulars of each match, shall be entered on the Full-time result card (starting 11, substitutes used, unused substitutes, goal scorers, captain, any red or yellow cards received during the game, and the mark awarded to the referee, This information shall be submitted by the team administrator within one day of the completion of the match. Failure to do so will incur a fine of £20.00 and £3.00 per day beyond the time allowed for submission and/or the Club being dealt with as the Council decides. Any Club playing in a BDFA Cup whether HOME or AWAY and where scheduled games are not played for whatever reason shall enter the relevant details on the fulltime website by the scheduled time.
(d) Both Clubs shall telephone the result of each match, together with the goal scorers, to the Cup Competition Secretary on the day of the match as follows:
- i) Saturday matches before 5.15pm
- ii) Sunday matches before 2.15 pm
iii) Evening matches before 10.00 pm
Clubs failing to comply shall be fined the sum of £20 and/or otherwise dealt with as the Council decide.
20 OBJECTIONS RELATING TO GROUND, GOAL POSTS ETC.
Any objection relative to the ground, goal posts or bars or other
Appurtenances of the game must be made to those responsible for the match, half an hour before the time fixed for kick off. Any defect shall be remedied, if it is possible, without unduly delaying the game. Failing this, the objection shall be made to the Referee prior to the start of the game and shall not be withdrawn without the consent of the Council. Such objection must be intimated to the Referee at the time the violation takes place, and full particulars of any protest relating must be lodged in writing with the Cup Competition Secretary, within five days thereafter accompanied by a deposit of £20 which shall be retained or otherwise as the Council may direct.
21 WITHDRAWALS
Any Club withdrawing from any Cup Competition may be fined a sum not exceeding £100, or dealt with as Council may decide.
22 APPOINTMENT OF REFEREES ETC.
(a) The Referee shall be appointed by the Local Association Referees Committee (LARC) from the official list of the Hampshire FA Ltd and must be of the level required to officiate in both teams normal Competitions.
(b) Assistant Referees shall be similarly appointed to Semi-Final and Final Ties of the Senior Cup. In all other Cups, Assistant Referees shall be similarly appointed (if available) to Semi-Final and Final Ties. In all rounds unless thought fit by the Council that Assistant Referees are required, each competing Club shall supply an Assistant Referee who shall be properly equipped with a suitable flag and act in accordance with the requirements of the Referee. Clubs failing to do so shall be fined the sum of £15.
(c) In the event of the appointed Referee failing to attend and where Assistant Referees are appointed, the Senior Assistant Referee shall officiate as Referee and another Assistant Referee agreed upon. Where Assistant Referees are not so appointed, the Clubs shall agree upon a Referee in writing, and then the game shall be a Cup tie. The written agreement shall be handed to the substitute Referee before the match commences.
(d) The Referee shall submit a result card giving the result of the match, the number of players used in each team, the time of kick-off plus the team sheets from the match to the Cup Competitions Secretary within three days of the match.
23 REFEREES FEES ETC.
Referees and Assistant Referees match fees (inclusive of travelling expenses) will be as follows.
BDFA Saturday Senior Cup Ref: £45 Asst Ref: £30
BDFA Camerons Sunday Cup Ref: £35 Asst Ref: £25
BDFA Page Croft (Saturday Junior) Cup Ref: £35 Asst Ref: £25
BDFA Women’s Cup Ref: £35 Asst Ref: £25
BDFA Veterans Cup Ref: £35 Asst Ref: £25
(a) The Home/1st named Club shall pay the officials their fees on the day of the match prior to kick off of the match. In the Semi-Final ties of the Saturday Senior Cup and in all rounds except for the final ties of all other BDFA Cup Competitions, Match Officials fees shall be shared equally by the competing Clubs, but it shall remain the duty of the home Club to pay the match Officials their fees on the day of the match prior to kick-off. Referees, Assistant Referees and 4th Officials appointed to Cup Finals will be presented with a suitable memento instead of match fees.
(b) In the event of a match not being played because of circumstances over which the Clubs have no control, the Match Officials, if present, shall be entitled to half fee. Where a match is not played owing to one Club being in default, that Club shall be ordered to pay the Officials, if they attend the ground, their full fee.
(c) Referees should be at the venue a minimum of 60 minutes before kick-off time for Saturday Senior Cup matches and all Cup Finals and a minimum of 30 minutes before kick-off time for all other Cup matches.
24 FINES AND CHARGES
All fines and charges shall be paid within 14 days of the date of notification of imposition (unless otherwise ordered). Clubs, Officials or individuals committing a breach of this Rule will be fined a sum not exceeding £50. Clubs further non-compliance shall result in their membership of this Association being suspended.
A Club failing to reply to correspondence shall be fined £30.00.
25 CLAIMS FOR NON-FULFILMENT OF FIXTURES ETC.
The Council shall not consider any claim by a Club for the reimbursement of expenses incurred in connection with a postponement or non-fulfilment of a fixture until an attempt has been made by the Clubs concerned to mutually settle the dispute.
26 HAMPSHIRE FA LIMITED.
The Rules of the Hampshire FA Limited where applicable shall apply in all cases where not covered by the foregoing Rules.