GENERAL RULES & REGULATIONS OF CUP COMPETITIONS


1. The owners of the Cups, Shields and trophies of this Competition shall be the Reading & District Sunday Football League.

2. The Cup Competition shall be managed by the Management Committee but shall be administered by the Cup Competitions Committee, who shall have jurisdiction over all matters relating to these Competitions including any not provided for in these Rules.

Except where otherwise specified in these Cup Rules, the Competitions shall be subject to the Rules of the League and matches played in conformity.

3. The Entry Fee for each of the Competitions shall be in accordance with the Fees Tariff, payable by 15th August each year.

4. Except for Appeals or Protests, all other correspondence and enquiries relating to the Cup Competitions shall be directed to the Cup Competitions Secretary.

5. QUALIFICATION OF PLAYERS

(i) Players shall be bona fide members of a Club and shall be registered with the league in accordance with League Rule 18.

(ii) After the initial round of matches in the Competition, a player shall be registered fourteen days prior to the date on which the next round is scheduled as listed on the League Website.

(iii)In the event of a Cup match being postponed, abandoned or for whatever reason not played, only those players who were eligible for the scheduled date of the Cup-Tie shall be eligible for any re-arrangement date. If the players sole reason for not being eligible was due to suspension is completed and the players name was included in the “list of players” submitted for the date of the original match.

(iv)A player who has been transferred in the current season and who has played in any Cup Competition of this League may represent his new Club in any Competition of higher status than the category played in, i.e. a player who has during the current season played for a Team in the John Lusted Competition CAN play for his new Club in the Sunday Industrial Cup, and The Tilehurst Charity Cup. Where a Club has more than one Team in the League players who have played in a higher Cup Competition are ineligible to play in any of the lower category Competitions, but a player who has played in one of the lower category Competitions may play in a higher category Competition for his Club.

(v) No player shall compete in the Industrial Cup or John Lusted Cup who was a member of a Team winning one of the FA Sunday Cup, The County Senior Cup, County Sunday Intermediate Cup or the Tilehurst Charity Cup the previous season. No Player shall compete who during the current season, has represented a Club in five or more matches in any of the aforesaid Competitions, one match in either of the Competitions counts towards the five. A player who has been transferred during the current season and who has played in The Tilehurst Charity Cup is not eligible to play in any of the Competitions covered by these Rules during the season.

(vi) To be able to compete in the Semi-Final or Final Ties, where a Club has more than One Team in the League, its players cannot play in a lower Competition in the Semi-Final or Final Ties unless they have played in the lower category Competition in a previous round or played in at least Three matches in a League Fixture for the lower Category Team. To be eligible to compete in the Semi-Final or Final Ties, a player shall have represented his club for a minimum of One round or has been a bona-fide member of his Club(as defined in Rule 18) by the 31st December of each year.

6. LIST OF PLAYERS

(i) For semi-finals and finals only, Club Secretaries shall submit to the Registration Secretary at least FOURTEEN days prior to the fixture being played as published a “list of players” from whom their Team shall be selected. Players not eligible for the original date will not be eligible for any subsequent date. If a Club has asked for a “free date” on the date of the next Round that Club shall nevertheless submit a “list of players”.

(ii) In the event of a Club having more than one Team involved in a Reading & District Cup Competition on the same date, a separate “list of players” shall be submitted for each Team.

(iii)When submitting a “list of players” Failure to comply shall incur a fine in accordance with the Fines Tariff.

(iv)In the event of a player not being eligible, the Registration Secretary shall inform the Club prior to the scheduled match day. Any Team fielding an ineligible player after this advice shall incur a fine in accordance with the Fines Tariff and the match awarded to the opponents. The Registration Secretary can only be responsible for informing Clubs if they submit their list of players in accordance with Rule 6(i) above.

7. CONDITIONS OF PLAY

(i) All matches played under the auspices of the Cup Competitions Committee shall be conducted on a knockout basis.

(ii) Football Association Cups, County Association Cups and other Competitions as decided by and published by the Cup Competitions Committee, take precedence over Reading & District League Cup Competitions.

(iii)The draw for each Competition shall be made by the Cup Competitions Committee and shall be published. The first name Club shall be considered to be the “Home” Club and shall have Home ground advantage in all rounds up to the Semi-Final Ties. However, when a Cup match (excluding the Semi-Finals) has been postponed twice the Fixture Secretary shall have the power to reverse the match so that it is played on the ground of the Away Team.

(iv) All matches shall have duration of ninety minutes (45 minutes each way).In the event of a draw after full-time the result of the match shall be decided by the taking of kicks from the penalty mark in accordance with International Board Recommended Procedures.

(v) In a Semi-Final Tie of any of the Cup Competitions, if the match is played on a neutral ground, the Match Officials fees and the cost of the ground, if any, shall be equally divided between the two competing Clubs.

(vi) Final Ties shall be played on a neutral ground and all costs pertaining to these matches shall be borne by the Reading & District Sunday Football League.

(vii) Semi-Final and Final Ties shall, at the discretion of the Cup Competitions Committee be scheduled for either a.m. or p.m. kick-off times. Notice shall be given to those Clubs concerned and any objections shall be made in writing to the Cup Competition Secretary within seven days of receipt of such notice.

8. RESULTS AND REPORT FORMS

The instructions relating to Results and Report Forms shall be as detailed in League Rule 21 and set out in the “Notes for Club Secretaries” as listed on the League Website.

9. MATCH OFFICIALS

The instructions relating to Referees and Assistant Referees shall be as detailed in Rule 23 of the League Rules and as set out in “Notes for Club Secretaries” on the League Website. The Fees inclusive of expenses for all Cup-Ties shall be: REFEREE: £48-00, ASSISTANT REFEREES (when appointed) £46-00. These fees to be paid as follows: (1) All Cup Ties where the pitch is NOT provided by the League, Match Officials fees are to be paid by the AWAY club. (2) All Cup Ties where the pitch is allocated by the League. Match Officials fees are to be equally shared by BOTH clubs.

10. TROPHIES, AWARDS, AGREEMENT

(i) The presentation of trophies, together with any individual awards, shall be made immediately after the conclusion of the Final Tie.

(ii) Clubs winning a trophy shall sign an Agreement and shall in all respects act in accordance with League Rule 13.

11. The format of the Cup Competition shall be as follows:

CATEGORY (1) THE TILEHURST CHARITY CUP AND SHIELD

A Cup Competition with automatic entry to all Teams competing in The Premier Division and Division One of the Reading & District Sunday Football League. The winners of the Final Tie shall receive THE TILEHURST CHARITY CUP and the runners-up shall receive THE TILEHURST CHARITY SHIELD. Sixteen individual awards to players, to both winners and runners-up shall be presented.

CATEGORY (2) THE SUNDAY INDUSTRIAL CUP AND THE INDUSTRIAL SHIELD

A Cup Competition with automatic entry to all Teams competing in Division Two and Division Three of the Reading &District Sunday Football League. The winners of the Final Tie shall receive THE SUNDAY INDUSTRIAL CUP CUP and the runners-up shall receive THE INDUSTRIAL SHIELD. Sixteen individual awards to players, to both winners and runners-up shall be presented.

CATEGORY (3) THE JOHN LUSTED CUP AND HAROLD LUSTED SHIELD

A Cup Competition with automatic entry to all Teams competing in Division Four of the Reading & District Sunday Football League. The winners of the Final Tie shall receive the THE JOHN LUSTED CUP and the runners-up shall receive THE HAROLD LUSTED SHIELD. Sixteen individual awards to players, to both winners and runners-up shall be presented.