(B) Home Clubs shall telephone the result of each match to the Results Secretary by 5.15pm on the day of the match. For Senior League fixtures the names of the goal scorers and the times of the goals shall be given. Any team playing in an outside Competition (i.e. FA, County or Local Area Division Cup) whether home or away shall telephone the result as directed above. For matches with midweek and evening kick off both Clubs shall telephone the result of the match to the Results Secretary by 10.00pm following the match. Clubs in breach of this requirement shall be fined the sum of £20.00 or otherwise dealt with by the Management Committee.
(C) The match result notification, correctly completed, shall be signed by a responsible member of the Club. Failure to do so will result in a fine of £20.00.

DETERMINING CHAMPIONSHIP

12. (A) Team rankings within the Competition will be decided by points with three (3) points to be awarded for a win and one (1) point for a drawn match. The teams gaining the highest number of points in their respective Divisions at the conclusion shall be adjudged the winners. Matches must not be played for double points.

In the event of two (2) or more teams being equal on points team rankings may be decided in any one or more of the following ways:-

(i) goal difference
(ii) goals scored

(B) Automatic promotion and relegation shall be applied for the first two (2) and last two (2) teams in each Division except as provided for hereunder, subject to the provisions of Rule 1(b).

(i) Should one (1) or more teams withdraw from any one (1) Division after the fixtures have commenced an equal number of teams to those withdrawing in that Division shall not be automatically relegated.
(ii) Vacancies occurring after the conclusion of the season may be filled on any of the following ways:

(a) retention of otherwise relegated team(s)
(b) additional promotion of the next ranked team(s) from the Division below
(c) election

(iii) The last two (2) teams in the lowest Division shall retire, but be eligible for re-election except as below, and be subject to the conditions of paragraph (B)(1) above.

(C) In the event of a team not completing 75% of its fixtures for the season all points obtained by or recorded against such defaulting team shall be expunged from the Competition table.

(D) Where a promotion and/or relegation link exists between Competitions, two (2) Clubs, providing they meet the appropriate grading criteria, will be eligible to make application to the Sydenhams Football League (Wessex) and send a copy of the application to The Football Association before 31st December. Should the Champion / Second placed Club not wish for promotion or, alternatively, not have the necessary grading criteria, then the third placed Club will be eligible under the same conditions.

The bottom two (2) Clubs in this Competition will be relegated. Each relegated Club will be allocated either to the appropriate Divisional Association Competition or to the Competition recommended as most appropriate by the Joint Liaison Committee. Two (2) Clubs will be promoted to this Competition from the Competitions as deemed most appropriate by the Joint Liaison Committee, but only one (1) Club shall be promoted from any one (1) Competition providing that each Club is either the Champion Club or Runner-up or and has the necessary grading criteria.

In the event of there being no eligible Club wishing promotion or not having the necessary grading criteria from any of the Competitions, this will reduce the number of Clubs to be relegated from the Competition.

If only one (1) Club is eligible or wishes promotion, only the bottom Club in this Competition will be relegated.

If no Clubs are eligible, or wish for promotion, no Clubs will be relegated from this Competition.

In the event of a Competition Club not being placed in the bottom two (2) Clubs at the end of the season, wishing to resign from the Competition at the end of the season, or having been excluded under League Rule 17 only one (1) Club will be relegated at the end of the season.

In the event of two (2) Competition Clubs opting to be relegated or being relegated under League Rule 17 such Club or Clubs will replace the Club or Clubs otherwise due for relegation.

REFEREES

13. (A) Registered Referees (and Assistant Referees where approved by the FA or County FA) for all matches shall be appointed in a manner approved by the Management Committee and by the sanctioning Association(s).

(B) In the event of the non-appearance of the appointed Referee the appointed senior Assistant Referee shall take charge and a substitute Assistant Referee appointed by the competing Teams. In cases where there are no officially appointed Assistant Referees, the Clubs shall agree upon a Referee. A Referee thus agreed upon shall, for that game, have the full powers, status and authority of a registered Referee.

(C) Where Assistant Referees are not appointed each Team shall provide a Club Assistant Referee who shall report to the Referee before the scheduled time kick off.
Failure to do so will result in a fine of £20.00 being imposed on the defaulting Team.
Assistant Referees appointed by the Club cannot be used as ‘substitutes’. The Management Committee may, if they consider it desirable or on such application by the two (2) competing Clubs appoint Assistant Referees if available to any match.

(D) The appointed Referee shall have power to decide as to the fitness of the ground in all matches and the decision shall be final subject to either in the case of a ground of a Local Authority or the owners of a ground, the Representative of that body is the sole arbitor and whose decision must be accepted unless the ground is declared fit for play.

If it is anticipated, no later than the preceding day, that the match cannot be played then a third party Referee shall be invited to inspect the pitch. Clubs are to arrange such inspection by a Level 5 Referee or higher and inform the Competition Secretary of the circumstances and the referees decision.

(E) Match Officials appointed under this Rule shall be entitled to the following match fees:-
Referee £23.00, Assistant Referees £19.00 plus travel expenses or private car expenses as stipulated by the Hampshire FA Ltd. and any other permitted expenses actually incurred subject to any limits laid down by the sanctioning Association(s).

The Home Club shall pay the Officials their fees and expenses immediately after the match.

(F) (i)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 match fee plus expenses to be paid by the home Club. 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 and expenses.

(ii) Where a match is re-arranged or cancelled and the Match Officials have been appointed, it is the duty of the home Club to notify the Match Officials of the cancellation of their appointments immediately. If because of the Home Club’s failure to comply with this Rule the Match Officials attend the ground they shall be entitled to their full match fee and expenses to be paid by the home Club.

(G) A Referee not keeping his or her engagement, and failing to give a satisfactory explanation as to their non-appearance, may be reported to the Association with which he or she is registered.

(H) Each Club shall, in a manner prescribed from time to time by The Football Association, award marks to the Referee for each match and the name of the Referee and the marks awarded shall be submitted to the Competition on the prescribed Form provided. Clubs failing to comply with this Rule shall be liable to be fined or dealt with as the Management Committee shall determine.

(I) The Competition shall keep a record of the markings and, on the Form provided by the prescribed date each season, shall submit a summary to The Football Association/County Association.

A Club giving a referee a mark of less than fifty (50) must send an explanation to the Registration Secretary with the Match Result Card.
(J) The Referee shall submit a Report Form, supplied by the Home Team Secretary with a return envelope giving the result of the match, the number of players in each team, the time of kick off and the names of any players that the Referee takes disciplinary action against stating the nature of the offence (e.g. caution or send off) to the Registration Secretary within two (2) days of the match. Each team shall collect a copy of this form from the Referee within fifteen (15) minutes of the end of the match.

(K) Referees and Assistant Referees shall be supplied, each Season, with a copy of the Competition Rules free of charge.

(L) Referees and Assistant Referees shall have undertaken a Respect briefing offered by the FA/County FA or the League.

(M) Referees and Assistant referees, when appointed, should be at the venue a minimum of sixty (60) minutes before kick off time.