ESBFL – IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND REMINDERS

Just a couple of notes and reminders for you as the full league kicks off this weekend.  Everyone has the handbook (unless you have not collected your copy which is now available from Brian Reed).  It has the league’s rules as well as information about clubs and referees.  There is also useful information from page 155 – dates and reminders.  There is a guide to sin bins and much more useful information.  The debt recovery guidelines and information about respect is also included.  Please make sure you refer to it regularly; the current version is now live on our website!

There have been some questions about playing games with it being so dry and hard.  The league committee are of the view that games should go ahead unless the referee deems the pitch dangerous.  Each pitch will have different conditions and this is the only safe and fair way to proceed.  Referees have been given advice from the FA and ECFA.  Of course, if it is a council pitch and they are not permitting play then we have to abide by their decision.  Please assume your game is on until or unless it is postponed on the full-time system.  We have been trying to reverse or rearrange fixtures wherever possible so teams get a game.  We will be looking at the fixtures for 10 September in the next day or so.

If you want to change or rearrange a fixture, this MUST be done through the fixtures secretary, Mick Willmore.  Any change of kick off time (from the published time will need to be agreed by the opposition).  Changes generally cannot/will not be made except in exceptional circumstances (with our agreement).

If the hot weather continues referees have been advised to have water breaks during each half. Just make sure you have a plentiful supply of water for everyone.

The new rule regarding substitutes passed at the AGM is the ability to use 5 substitutes from 5 named subs. Note not RORO.  And there is no limit to the number of times a substitution can be made – so you could bring 5 on all at the same time or bring one on, on 5 separate occasions.

I keep up to date with registrations and currently look at them daily. You can register players and they can play as long as you have submitted them to the league an hour before kick off on the day of the match. So no forms and no emails. I can see the date and time they are submitted so will know of any late registrations.  BUT please remember they must be eligible to sign on and they MUST have given online consent.  Any who are submitted with off line consent who play will be treated as an ineligible player.

There a number of transfers pending and it seems to me that clubs are not following the protocol.  You should, as a matter of course, make an approach to the club to say that you wish to approach the player to join your club.  You should do this by phone, text or other messaging or email and there should be evidence of the approach.  You will need to have evidence of a waiver from the other team.  Please email it to me. If you don’t approve of a transfer – for instance the player owes you money then please also let me know this and the reason.  Remember you can transfer one player with a 7 day NOA if a second is requested from the same club you will have to wait 28 days.

In relation to monies owed, as clubs you should keep on top of players who owe money and follow the debt recovery guidance from ECFA.  This is on Page 150 of the handbook.  If you don’t follow it up straight away it cannot be resurrected the following season. There are time limitations.  Remember it is your responsibility to follow up and make every effort to recover the debt, and then get ECFA involved if you have no luck in recovering the money from the player.  Don’t leave it!!

The league collects a large amount of income from fines.  Most are as a result of poor administration.  The reminders will help.  Get into good habits and do what is needed and you won’t have fines.  There are some clubs/teams who go through the whole season with no fines so it is possible and we don’t want to fine, but we do want an efficient and effective league.  In the past couple of years, because of the issues with COVID we have been more relaxed about timescales for paying fines.  There was an issue at the end of last season with a few clubs having large outstanding bills to the league.  We will not allow this to happen this year.  Rule 6J requires that fines are paid in 14 days – late fines can and will incur that fine being doubled.  Should the outstanding monies not be paid in a further 14 days fixtures can be withdrawn.  So try not to get fines in the first place and if you do make sure they are paid promptly.

There are still (full time) team administrators who have not verified their email addresses.  Until this is done you won’t get notifications through full time.  Please check that colleagues are receiving the notifications.  I may be able to advise if there are issues but clubs have to get the information correct on WGS in relation to administration.

Correspondence (including posting team sheets) must be done via FIRST CLASS post. (Rule 21A).  We have had some sent second class and they are coming in late.

Where a player received a ban for a sending off or other offence you will need to check if it is an all football and all also a ground ban.  If a ground ban is imposed the person may not even attend the ground (any ground) and watch the (any) game.  Essex County hand out further bans for people who breach this.  You also need to record the games for which a player serves a ban through the WGS portal or they continue to show as suspended even though the ban may have been served.  You can check players status on the ECFA website for discipline at Suspensions – Essex FA  There is no excuse for playing a banned player.

All rules are in the handbook there will only be a few mentioned in this correspondence.  But please don’t forget to notify the opposition of the details when you are hosting a game (Rule 20C), texting the result in, putting your team on the system (use full time and not the matchday app) and sending the team sheet (Rule 21) in.  Include the referees mark and report where there is a low mark.  Make sure you have identified where players receive a sin bin, yellow/red cards and goal scorers.  You need to complete the team sheet the requisite time before kick off.  There are 2 copies one for the club and one for the league (the one you need to post).  BUT don’t forget that you MUST also exchange team sheets with the opposition and the referee (this can be done by email, text or other messaging) (Rule 20J).

Although the season is less than a month old there have been reports of poor team and spectator behaviour.  Please can I remind you of the Respect Campaign – this can be found on page 141 of the handbook at Appendix 2.  It is well worth reminding your players, officials and supporters of it.  Clubs can (and will) be held responsible for the behaviour of their supporters and players.  I know in addition that Brian has already found it necessary to email clubs with details or the unacceptable number of discipline points received already so early in the season.

Rules are in the hand book but if you are unsure of something please call and ask. And do that rather than ask on twitter or Facebook!  It is best to contact me in the evenings or on a Friday or email me.

So here is looking forward to a complete and great season ahead!!

Alison Stanford

Chelmsford City Racecourse, Essex and Suffolk Border Football League Secretary

Home 01255433737

Mobile 07375394773

Email: esblsec@icloud.com