LOCAL BYLAWS

Published 1st.August 1999

Revised Edition (Alterations + Additions) 29th August 2006

Please read in conjunction with IIHF Inline Rule Book 2005-2007

Changes from previous revision shaded in grey

Section 1 ~ League Rules

a. On acceptance to the FSHA, each club will provide the following before the start of the season.

1. Completed registrations for every player.

2. Completed registrations for every participating adult.

3. Completed registrations for at least one First Aider to include an original current Certificate.

4. Payment of Affiliation fees.

5. Details of management structure within club.

6. Copy of local venue rules and contact list of names and numbers.

b. At the start of the season and after all interested clubs are affiliated, the Executive sub committee will compile a fixture list. Once the fixtures are distributed, a period of 14 days will be allowed for clubs to re-arrange their dates by mutual consent. These new dates must be conveyed to the Executive Members by letter before the end of this period and include both clubs signatories. If any dates cannot be re-assigned by mutual consent for whatever reason, then it is the responsibility of the club who cannot honour the date, to inform the Executive Members of its failure to re-assign prior to the end of the 14 days. The Executive Members will thereafter attempt to re-assign during the term of the season.

Should any club find it necessary to cancel a game after the season has started, the following procedure must be strictly adhered to. An application to cancel must be made at the earliest opportunity in writing or by e-mail to the executive, along with a full viable reason. The executive will decide if the cancellation will be upheld.

If a club fails to carry out this procedure or fails to play a game (including notified forfeits), the club will be fined £20 by the F.S.H.A per game. All fines are to be paid within 2 weeks of notification, failure to do so will result in suspension of that clubs fixtures.

Clubs who have a fixture clashing with a FSHA Conference event and who have two or more players on Conference duty may apply for a rescheduling of the fixture for the particular age group only. The executive will consider this request however, note for the avoidance of doubt, automatic rearrangement is not guaranteed and teams concerned should plan to play the fixture as scheduled.

If a club feels that they have incurred costs due to the cancellation of a game, they may apply to the F.S.H.A for reimbursement.

IN OTHER WORDS, IF A CLUB HAS NOT HAD OFFICIAL NOTIFICATION OF A CANCELLATION FROM THE FSHA 8 DAYS PRIOR TO A FIXTURE, THEN THAT CLUB CAN RIGHTLY ASSUME THE GAME IS ON.

On no account should any application to cancel be made directly or indirectly to any opposing club.

c. Home clubs must inform visitors of game times and order of play no later than 8 days prior to fixture. Failure to receive notification from the home club is not grounds for cancellation or claiming forfeit, however “serial offenders” who fail to notify visiting teams of match times/schedules may lose their right to decide scheduling of future home fixtures.

Clubs must provide to the F.S.H.A, a copy of local venue rules and a list of contact names and numbers so that each club knows who to contact and also provide information to their members regarding any venue rules.

d. The league season will provisionally commence 10^th September 2006 and terminate when all games have been played as per the fixture list or when any re-arranged games have been fulfilled. The Executive prior to the opening league fixture will confirm the final date for completion of fixtures. Any club that has been offered to play their away game by this date and has failed to do so will automatically forfeit the game by a score of 5-0. Similarly, any club that has failed to offer their home venue for a home game by this date will also forfeit their game by a score of 5-0.

e. All participating teams will, at 10^th September 2006 and/or at the face-off of their first game of the season, have a sufficient number of their participating players registered to conform to the minimum bench level required within FSHA and these players registration cards should be on the Time-keepers bench. Thereafter, all players playing in any match will have their registration cards on the Time-keepers bench prior to the face-off.

f. Subsequent applications for membership will be accepted up to 8.00pm on the cut-off date which will be 31st December 2006 Applications will be processed at the end of each month. Such applications should be sent by POST to the registration Executive, who will collate them and return them to the sender by RECORDED DELIVERY not less than 14 working days into the next month

All applications to register must include the following: -

1. A correctly completed application form.

2. Two recent passport photographs.

3. A registration fee.

4. A copy of a relevant Birth Certificate. (First time applicants only)

5. In the case of an adult, a DISCLOSURE SCOTLAND FORM number.

g. No player will play in a game unless his registration card is produced at the Time bench as specified in Section 1a. There is no allowance for the late arrival of a registration card after the player has started in the game.

NO CARD = NO GAME

h. No adult will officiate or be behind the bench or Time bench of any FSHA league game unless they are registered with FSHA AND DISPLAYING an official’s registration card.

i. No person other than the referee and the players will be permitted to be on the playing surface unless told to do so by the referee. Any official stepping onto the playing surface without the express permission of the Referee will be issued an automatic 10-minute misconduct penalty at the discretion of the referee, which will be served by a nominated player from that Officials relevant team. Any repeat of this action will result in an immediate gross misconduct and that Official will be suspended until dealt with by the Disciplinary Committee. In the case of a spectator stepping onto the rink, the referee will issue an official warning to the home club at his discretion, via the time bench, regarding their venue security. Any further occurrence will incur the same penalty as above.

MATCH DAY PROTOCOL AND CONDUCT

No one will go onto the rink until the referee appears at the start of the day.

When the Referee appears on the rink and is ready, he will signal the away team onto the pad followed by the home team.

NO OFFICIALS WILL ENTER THE RINK AT ANY TIME DURING THE WHOLE DAY, UNLESS THE REFEREE REQUESTS THEIR ATTENDANCE.

At period breaks, players will retreat to the bench and meet their coach for discussion, the coach and staff will remain off the rink.

At the final whistle the players only will have a hand shake and disperse to the dressing rooms. If the coach wants to shake hands with a player or visa versa, he must do so only from the confines of his bench.

When the rink is clear, and at the refs signal when he is ready, the next away team will be summoned onto the rink and then the home.

No team will enter the rink at any time during the day unless signalled to do so by the ref.

Coaching staff will operate from the confines of their bench only.

If there is an injury AND if the Referee sees fit, he will summon the TEAM FIRST AIDER ONLY onto the rink. Clubs must have the minimum of a basic First Aid Kit at their Time bench and an identifiable first aider at all matches.

ANY REQUEST FROM THE BENCH, TO DISCUSS MATTERS WITH THE REFEREE, SHOULD ONLY BE MADE VIA THE CAPTAIN OR ASS. CAPTAIN. THE COACHING STAFF HAVE NO RIGHT TO SUMMON THE REFEREE FOR ANY MATTER WHATSOEVER.

THE REFEREE IS NOT OBLIGED TO DISCUSS ANYTHING WITH THE COACHING STAFF UNLESS HE FEELS IT IS APPROPRIATE

j. Once registered, any player or Official will be allowed to transfer to another club ONCE in a season. This transfer must take place before the cut-off date as referred to in Section 1f. The method of transfer will be strictly adhered to, and is as follows.

All applications for transfer FSHA/GBHI TRANSFER FORM, must be sent by REGISTERED POST to the Executive Members, along with a fee of £25. The Executive Members will then seek details from both the clubs in question and if in their opinion, the application is genuine, then the transfer will be granted. Should the transfer be requested on grounds of any disciplinary action taken by the existing club, or for any reason that may affect the new club or the FSHA in general, then the Executive Members reserve the right to refuse such an application.

On no account may any official from another club, approach or entice any player away from their existing club. Should a player approach any official from another club, they should not engage in any discussions whatsoever and report the matter to the relevant coach from the other club as a matter of urgency.

k. On no account will any official allow any player registered with another FSHA club to attend training sessions with that officials club. Should any player turn up at such a training session, he/she should be politely asked to leave by the relevant Coach at the training session. This is the sole responsibility of the coach and it his duty to act in accordance with this rule. The guilty players coach must be informed at the first opportunity.

l. The Leagues will operate by awarding two points to a winner and no points to a loser. In the event of a draw, each participating team will be awarded one point each.

The league winner at the end of the season will be the team with the most points. Should there be two or more teams with an equal amount of points, then the following process will apply.

1. Two tying teams. A league deciding game will take place at a time & venue decided by the league executive. Standard league rules will apply. In the event of a tie after regulation time, the silver goal rule and penalty shots will apply.

2. More than two teams tying. A Round Robin set of games will apply at a time and venue decided by the league executive. The format will be published prior to the event.

Key Positions i.e. Nationals – In the event that teams tie on points for the key finishing positions for National qualification, the team with fewest average penalty minutes will precede the other team(s).

NOTE: For the avoidance of doubt, Goal difference will not be a factor in deciding the league winners or key finishing positions

Forfeits – Should a team forfeit a game for any reason they will be deducted one point from their points tally. Should a team forfeit any further games, 2 points per occurrence will be deducted from their league point’s tally. Teams forfeited against will be awarded two points as a standard win.

League winning trophies shall be awarded to the winning team players that have played a minimum of 50% of league matches actually played by that team.

m. For league results, a maximum of 10 goals difference will be recorded as the result on completion of the game; individual stats will not be affected.

n. WITHDRAWN

o. The Registrar of Births and Marriages have informed us that it is possible for members of the public to request verification of Birth Certificate details from the relevant Registrar. They require the certificate number and details and they will only verify details given. The Executive Members reserve the right to utilise this facility to the full should they see fit and without prejudice.

p. All enquiries, suggestions, complaints etc etc should be dealt with by the Executive Members.

q. The Executive Members will collect and process all Registrations. The Executives will bank the money. The money will be kept for running courses, providing referees travel expenses, buying Fife Select strips, organising the play-offs, having funds available should the Executive require it. The Executive will keep full accounts

r. Prior to the commencement of the game, the game sheet requires to be checked and signed by a team official. It will be the duty of all clubs to ensure that the Match Report is filled in properly and clearly for every game.  A designated team official, the referee and the timekeeper(s) should check the sheet. All these officials should sign the sheet as being correct and accurate at the end of the game. There will no recourse once this sheet has been signed.

Signing the sheet is an acceptance of everything being in order. Should there be a dispute, then the person disputing the report should not sign the sheet but write on the bottom, why and give full details. The referee will witness this. Any grievances require be detailed and submitting in writing within 72 hours of the game completion. The home club must ensure one copy of the Match Report is handed to the opposing coach, the home team keeps one copy, one copy is provided to the Discipline coordinator (Gordon Ross, 152 Park Road Kirkcaldy KY1 3EP) one copy is provided to the fixtures & results secretary (Ruth Milne, 2 Coul Steadings, Glenrothes, Fife, KY7 6QL). Clubs must provide all relevant copies of the game sheets to the appropriate personnel with 72 hours from completion of the match.

s. Players must play in at least 50% of league games actually played by their team to be eligible to play in the play-offs. Forfeits and suspensions will not count towards actual totals

DISCIPLINARY

PENALTY POINTS

1.Each and every penalty will be recorded in the players Personal Discipline Record. If a player reaches 12 penalties, that player will have his record investigated by the Discipline Panel. Depending on the outcome of the investigations, that player may or may not receive further discipline. This procedure will also take place if a player reaches 18 penalties and again at 21 penalties.

2.If during a game a player reaches his third penalty, he will be ejected from the game. In addition to this player being ejected, another player will be selected by the coach to serve this third penalty for the ejected player. This process will be referred to as ‘Three Strikes and Out Rule‘. This rule will only apply to a specific game and will not deter the player from taking part in other games that day. If the player is ejected under this rule, one point will be added to his Personal Discipline Record.

3.If any player is ejected from a game for the second time in succession – by game and/or fixture - that player will be suspended immediately from playing until the Discipline Panel has met and reviewed his Personal Discipline Record. It is the responsibility of the club to “police” this rule. If it is found that an Illegal player has been fielded in subsequent games to this breach, the executive will review the circumstances and consider taking action against the club as appropriate.

10 MINUTE MISCONDUCT (All Offences) 1 point

GAME MISCONDUCT (Verbal Abuse) 2 points

5 PLUS GAME 3 points (All Offences of serious nature or resulting in injury)

When a player receives 10 points or more, that player will be suspended for 1 game

MATCH PENALTY (All Offences) Automatic Game Suspension 4 points

GROSS MISCONDUCT (Obscene Gestures) (See S2 below) 4 points

GROSS MISCONDUCT (Verbal Abuse) 4 points

GROSS MISCONDUCT (Physical Abuse) 4 points

The Disciplinary Board will consist of Three Officials APPOINTED BY THE EXECUTIVE AND MAY INCLUDE THE EXECUTIVE

Any player who has committed an offence, which necessitates a suspension, must be made to realise his/her mistake. The only way to do this is to deprive the player of hockey for a period. To this end we are issuing the following directive.

1. Any player who receives a penalty and is dismissed from the game as a result, will not partake in any game at any age level for the remainder of that day NOR ARE THEY ALLOWED TO BE ON THE BENCH OR INVOLVED ON THE RINK AT ANY LEVEL. In effect, that player is sent home. Coaches and Timekeepers take note!

2. Any player who receives GROSS MISCONDUCT will not take part in any hockey at games or at training, until the respective coach receives a decision from the disciplinary committee. Any decision will have effect from the date of the incident and any interim period will be taken into account. The resulting suspension will be effective for a period of time as opposed to a number of games, and will be effective in all age groups. The committee will refer to the relevant clubs fixtures to determine a suitable length of suspension. The player will not take any part on game days either on the bench or involved on the rink at any level.

Players suspended for any reason must serve their suspension in games actually played, forfeited games will not count towards the suspension.

IF A PLAYER IS DISMISSED FROM A GAME (with the exception of the 3 Strikes and Out Rule), HE/SHE IS NOT ALLOWED TO PLAY IN OTHER AGE GROUPS THAT DAY or be in attendance at the bench.

The Executive Members reserve the right to intervene in any decisions made by the Disciplinary Committee only in an extreme instance, should they consider such decisions to be detrimental to the long-term interests of the FSHA.

The Executive Members reserve the right to issue directives to the Disciplinary Committee. These directives will be for the good of the FSHA and should be acted on as instructed.

If a player reaches 10 points or more, that player will be suspended until a review of their discipline record is made.

3. Supplementary Discipline

a. In addition to the suspensions assessed under these rules, the F.S.H.A may, at the conclusion of the game, at their discretion, investigate any incident that occurs in connection with any game and may assess additional suspensions for any offence committed before, during or after any game by a player, team official or spectator, whether or not such offence had been penalised by the referee.

Playing Rules

The game will be played according to the IIHF inline hockey official rulebook 2005-2007.

The F.S.H.A will play non-intentional body contact as detailed within this rulebook.

The following are local additions or deletions.

Team Rosters                          Min 6 outfield and 1 net minder.

12s, 14s and 16s                    Max 12 outfield and 2 net minder.

10s                                          Have no min or max but must have a net minder

10s                                          The referee will call High Sticks if a player raises their stick above waist height and then hits the ball/puck.

Home clubs must provide an assistant for the official referee to assist on the playing pad; the assistant will have only restricted duties to perform. It is the responsibility of the home club to ensure that person is adequately kitted to carry out the duties.

F.S.H.A will run continuous clock time for 10s – 3 x 12 min, 12s, 14s, and 16s – 3 x 15 min.

Minor Penalties

F.S.H.A will reduce to not less than two plus the net minder.

Rule 502 (addition)

The referee will also oversee spectators, if a spectator is causing a disturbance by being abusive toward the referee or player of official, and that spectator can be identified as coming from a specific club, then the referee will approach the offending teams coach and issue a warning to control the spectator, any other disturbance by spectators will incur a 2 min penalty. The referee, at their discretion, may issue a penalty without warning.

Protective Equipment

All players must wear their protective equipment for all games and warm ups.

Mandatory Equipment – All Players

Helmet designed for hockey with helmet strap properly fastened, full face mask designed for hockey, elbow pads, gloves designed for hockey, knee and shin protection, hip pads, padded hockey pants, groin protector and upper body protection.

The F.S.H.A would also recommend that players wear a throat guard and mouth guard.

All equipment must be to the manufacturers original design and specification and not altered in anyway.

Goalkeepers

It is mandatory for all goalkeepers to wear a helmet designed for hockey with helmet strap properly fastened and a full-face mask designed for hockey with a chin cup. Facemasks must be designed and constructed in such a way that neither the ball/puck might get through. Throat protection is mandatory (a helmet with built in throat protection is considered acceptable), chest protection, and blocker glove and leg guards.