League Constitution Rules
1. Name:
The League shall be called ‘
2. Objectives:
a) To
encourage and promote the game of squash in every possible way in the
b) To
promote competitive team squash at all levels for men, ladies and juniors
c) To
conduct an Annual League Competition; and to arrange other Tournaments as
necessary
3. Sponsorship:
Sponsorship of divisions and
competitions within the League shall be encouraged, the name of the sponsor being
incorporated in the title of each division and cup
4. Affiliation:
a) The
League and all club teams competing in the Premier Division shall be encouraged
to be affiliated to the Squash Rackets Association and the Sussex Squash
Rackets Association
b) The
League shall encourage its member clubs to affiliate to the Squash Rackets
Association and the Sussex Squash Rackets Association
5. Membership:
a) Membership shall be open to teams from established squash clubs; organisations; offices; works; pubs, etc. that are primarily located within 30 miles of the Eastbourne Borough Boundary. Any applications from clubs outside this defined limit shall be decided according to the individual merits of each particular case.
b) The
League shall be open to clubs who have their own courts or have access to
private courts or sports centres
c) Clubs
shall be duly elected to the League at the discretion of the Organising
Committee. Teams will not be admitted
after 1st July, unless exceptional circumstances occur.
d) Clubs
may enter further teams in the League in accordance with Rule 5(c)
e) Application
Procedure shall be as follows:
i) Application shall be made to the League
Chairman by completing the standard Membership
Form [A minimum of six players must be registered per team in accordance
with Rule 21(a)(iii)]
ii) Applications
should normally be made by 1st May, prior to the start of the season
iii)
A Membership fee shall be paid in accordance with
Rule 25(a), this will be refunded in the event of the application being
unsuccessful
iv)
The Organising Committee will consider the
application and the applicant will be notified of the decision
f) New
clubs shall normally start in the lowest division unless they make a successful
application to the Organising Committee for commencement in a higher division
g)
By 30th April at the latest, the Membership Form must be completed by
ALL CLUBS and submitted to the League Chairman with the appropriate membership
fee.
h)
The Organising Committee shall have the power to
suspend or cancel membership for failure to comply with Rule 5(g) and
infringement of other League Rules
i)
Any club may resign membership by giving notice to
the Organising Committee to that effect.
If such clubs have not fulfilled all their fixtures their results to
date shall be annulled
6. Organising
Committee:
a) The
affairs of the League shall be managed by an Organising Committee consisting of
a Chairman, Treasurer, Minute Secretary and ordinary members representing Clubs
by area.
b) The
Officers of the Committee shall be elected at the AGM and shall serve for a
period of one year before seeking re-election
c) A
simple majority will decide any issue and the Chairman appointed shall have the
casting vote in the case of equal votes
d) Three
members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum, one of whom must be the
Chairman
e) POWERS: The Committee shall have full power to:
i) Act in all
matters relating to the League and to employ the funds in such a manner as it
shall deem to be in the best interest of the League
ii) Decide on all day-to-day problems of the
League including major policy changes or alterations to the Rules to be
confirmed at the AGM
iii) Fill
any vacancy in their number and to co-opt others, subject to confirmation at
the next AGM
iv) Delegate any of its duties or powers to appropriate
Officers
f) Nominations
for positions on the Committee must be received by the League Chairman at least
fourteen days prior to the AGM and shall be accompanied by a statement signed
by the nominee that he is willing to serve on the Committee. In the event of no nomination being received
for the position of any office the Committee shall fill any such vacancy later
and advise the membership accordingly
7. General
Meetings
Annual
General Meeting:
a) The
AGM shall be held in July each year at a time and place fixed by the Organising
Committee.
b) The
purpose of the AGM shall be:
i) To confirm the Minutes of the previous AGM
ii) To receive and approve an
audited statement of the League’s accounts from the Treasurer
iii) To receive the Annual
Report of the League from the Chairman
iv) To
consider alterations to the League Constitution and Rules
v) To
appoint such number of Vice-Presidents as may be thought necessary
vi) To
elect Officers of the League
vii) To fix any fees due for
membership to the League
vii) To
consider any other business
c) Notice
of the AGM shall be sent in writing to all member clubs at least three weeks in
advance, together with an Agenda containing proposals the Organising Committee
may consider appropriate
d) Items
not on the Agenda sent out to clubs before the AGM may be taken at the
discretion of the Chairman but may not include any proposals for altering the
Constitution and Rules
e) Each
club must be represented by a spokesman at the AGM. Each club shall be entitled to one vote per
team playing in the League. As no person
may have two or more votes, each team should also be represented individually.
f) Every
issue shall be decided by a show of hands unless the Chairman requests a
ballot. A simple majority of members
present will decide any issue and the Chairman appointed shall have the casting
vote in the case of equal votes
g) The
quorum at the AGM shall be representatives of one-third of the member clubs
h) Any
club not represented at the AGM will be fined £5.00 at the discretion of the
Organising Committee
Special
General Meetings
i) A Special General Meeting may be convened
at any other time by the Organising Committee at the request of ten or more
member clubs.
j) Notice
of the Special General Meeting shall be sent in writing three weeks in
advance of the meeting to all member clubs together with an Agenda of the
business to be covered
k) Other
arrangements for the Special General Meeting shall be the same as those laid
down for the AGM [see Rules 7(d), (e), (f), (g), and (h)]
8. Rules
and Administration
a) The
Constitution and Rules of the League shall be decided at the AGM and may be
changed by the Committee, to be ratified at the next AGM or at a Special
General Meeting, convened for that purpose
b) Alterations,
additions and deletions to the Constitution and Rules may be proposed by any
member club, but must be sent in writing to the League Chairman by 1st
June
c) Administration
and interpretation of the Constitution and Rules shall be by the Organising
Committee. The Committee shall have
complete discretion to deal with any points arising out of, or not covered by
the Constitution and Rules
d) An
appointed member of the Committee shall be responsible for organising the
League (in accordance with the Rules contained herein) in the absence of the
League Chairman
9. Competitions
The Organising Committee shall manage
the following competitions:
a) LEAGUE
CHAMPIONSHIP d) KNOCK-OUT CUP COMPETITIONS g) SUMMER
TENNIS LEAGUE
b) LADIES
CHAMPIONSHIP e) INDIVIDUAL COMPETITIONS h) SUMMER GOLF LEAGUE
c) JUNIOR
CHAMPIONSHIP f) SUMMER SQUASH LEAGUE
Note: The Organising Committee will be responsible
for formulating suitable Regulations for (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), and (h)
10. Presentations
a) The
League Trophies and mementoes will be presented to the winning teams and
individual winners at the Presentation Evening
b) All
Championships, Divisional and Tournament trophies must be returned to the
Chairman by 31st March
11. League
Structure
a) Divisions
i) The
League will consist of senior and junior divisions with a maximum of eight
teams in each division (these may be varied by the Organising Committee if the
situation demands), each team playing home and away with each other team in
that division
b) League Championship and Divisional Winners
i) At the end of the season the team in the
Premier Division with the greatest number of League points shall be the winner
of the League Championship.
ii) Teams with the greatest number of League
points in other divisions shall be the Divisional Winners
iii) Ladies Championship shall consist of a final between the highest
placed ladies only team in the most senior two divisions containing Ladies
teams that season
c. Promotion and Relegation
i) The
first two teams in each division, with the exception of the highest division,
will automatically be promoted. The last two teams in each division will automatically
be relegated. [Subject to Rule 11 (c)(ii)].
ii) Necessary
measures will be taken to keep the League at eight teams or less. Should any division(s) start the season with
more or less than eight teams, promotion or relegation of teams will be altered
to suit
iii) In exceptional circumstances teams may be promoted more than one
division at the absolute discretion of the Organising Committee
d) Further Teams
i) Provided
that promotion gained under Rule 11(c)(i) are not disturbed, the Organising Committee shall fill
vacancies and add further divisions
12. Season
a) The
season will be between 1st September and 30th April - extended either way at
the discretion of the Organising Committee
13. Rules
of Play
a) The
rules of play shall be those approved by the International Squash Rackets
Federation
b) An
England Squash approved black non-marking DOUBLE YELLOW DOT squash ball must be
used in all matches. A single yellow dot squash ball can be used if agreed by
both teams
14. Matches
a) Each
team shall play home and away, except when numbers are too large in the
division. The Organising Committee will
decide
b) Matches
will consist of five ties, each best of five games
c) Adequate
court sessions shall be booked to play the match
15. Match
Points
a) Points
will be awarded on the basis of ONE POINT for each game won in each individual tie with FIVE BONUS POINTS for
winning the overall match, i.e. a maximum of 20 points (minimum 14 points)
obtainable per match for the winning team and a maximum of 12 points (minimum 0
points) obtainable per match for the losing team
b) In
the event of the match being conceded by default the bonus will still be
allowed
16. Equal
League Points
In the event of two or more teams at
the end of the season having the same number of points, the teams having won
most matches shall be placed higher. If
the teams have won the same number of matches the order of precedence shall be
decided by the total number of ties won.
If the order is still undecided superior games difference will
decide. If this still results in
equality, superior individual points difference will
determine the order
17. Fixtures
a)
Matches should be
played within the scheduled periods allocated by the Organising Committee, to
avoid fixture congestion
b)Fixture dates
shall be set by the organising committee, in conjuncture with club playing
preference AFIGS form, and may only be altered in accordance with c)
c)
A Fixture Meeting will be held in July each year at
a place and time decided by the Organising Committee. Any Club not represented at the Fixture
Meeting will be fined £5.00 at the
discretion of the Organising Committee.
It is accepted that clubs may need to rearrange fixtures at a later
date, but this should be kept to a minimum
d)
In the event of two teams being unable to agree on a
suitable date the League Chairman shall fix the scheduled match date.
e)
Ties may be arranged on alternative dates if both
clubs mutually agree
f)
A team may relinquish home advantage if the opposing
team is agreeable to the venue being changed
g)
No team may restrict their home games to Saturday
and Sunday without agreement from their opponents
h)
It is the responsibility of the home team to ensure that courts are booked for adequate court time
[in accordance with Rule 14
(d)] on the scheduled match date.
This will normally entail booking two weeks in advance if public courts
are to be used. The away team should help the home team book courts if difficulties
arise.
i)
The home
team shall notify the away team that the courts have been booked, confirming
the date and starting time, and shall give directions if necessary. In the event of any misunderstanding in match
dates, the home team will be
responsible.
j)
Court fees shall be shared between home and away teams
k)
Where match dates have previously been agreed, for
example at the Fixture Meeting, both teams must confirm the fixture 2 to 3
weeks prior to the scheduled match date (with the ultimate responsibility lying
with the home team)
l)
Hospitality is to be strongly encouraged. Captains should decide beforehand whether
refreshment costs should be shared or reciprocated at the return fixture
18. Postponements
and Withdrawals
ii.) 
Matches may be
postponed or rearranged by mutual agreement if courts have yet to be booked
iii.)
Any fixture cancelled within 24 hours of
the match date will be classed as a walkover. The fixture will not be
considered for rearrangement.
iv.) Any
fixture cancelled within 72 hours of the match date, shall be considered as a
walkover, but may be rearranged.
v.) If the opposition
do not agree to a postponement the League Chairman/Committee may be approached
to settle the matter. Clubs will normally be expected to play the fixture on
the scheduled match date or concede the fixture but special consideration shall always be given to those clubs whose
players are engaged in emergency services
or are subject to shift work
vi.) A team withdrawing
from a match after courts have already been booked (for the scheduled match
date) shall forfeit the match and refund out
of pocket court fees incurred by their opponents
vii.)
Any team failing to appear on the night of scheduled
match will forfeit the match and refund ALL out
of pocket expenses incurred by their opponents.
viii.)
Match cards should be returned to the Chairman
within three days of the fixture
ix.) Once a team has
postponed a match 2-3 weeks prior to the date fixed for the match, the
opposition will then choose the next dates to be offered to reorganise the
fixture
19. Match
Walkovers
a) A
match walk-over is defined as a fixture in which one side fails to raise more
than two players on the scheduled match date.
b) Walkover
will be awarded at the discretion of the Organising Committee,
the winning team being awarded 20 points and the defaulting team nil points
c) Clubs
claiming a walkover must put their case in writing to the League
Chairman/Committee within three days
(per postmark) of the scheduled match date
20. Teams
a) Order of Merit
i) Clubs
are required to select and play their teams in strict order of merit. The
Organising Committee shall penalise clubs for breaking this Rule
ii) Captains
should arrive at fixtures (home or away) with their playing order written down
to exchange with the opposition captain prior to the commencement of the match,
and all players being aware of their playing position.
iii) The Organising Committee (or delegated officer on behalf of the
Committee) reserves the right to intervene in any case where a team’s playing
order is open to doubt and if necessary may take appropriate action to amend
that order
b) No
player may play more than once in the same match.
c) No
player may play in more than one team on the same match date.
d) Incomplete Teams
i) If
a team is known to have a missing player(s) before a match starts, or if a
person does not turn up, the remaining players should move up in position in
the playing order and walk-overs shall be awarded in
the lowest position [subject to Rule 20(c)(iii)]
ii) Should
any player not arrive without prior warning, that tie and all ties below his
position shall be conceded. [Subject to
rule 20(c)(iii)]
iii) A special dispensation shall be made for any player who is called
away to perform emergency services (i.e. doctors, Police). Teams will be expected to rearrange such a
tie(s) without delay.
e) Late Arrivals
i) If a
member of a team is not ready to play within 30 minutes of the scheduled start
of the match (or such mutually agreed extension of that period), the opposing
team can claim the tie
ii) If
no member of a team is ready to play within 30 minutes of the scheduled start,
the opposing team can claim the match
f) All
players are expected to arrive punctually
at the time arranged for the match
g) In
the event of a team playing an ineligible
player, that team will forfeit the player’s tie and those of all players
below that player
h) Insufficient Time
i) In
the event of there being insufficient time to complete a match because of the
late arrival of one of the teams or its players, the defaulting team shall
concede the outstanding ties/games
ii) If
insufficient court time has been booked to complete the match, the home team
shall normally concede the outstanding ties/games. However, the away team may agree to the
remaining tie(s) being played on a mutually acceptable date, without delay
iii) There shall be no time-wasting
21 Eligibility
a) Registration
i) Every player competing in the League must
be registered with the League Chairman.
A player not so registered will be ineligible
ii)Each club must register their
players by completing the individual Registration Form. The player’s name,
telephone number, playing standard and position in the club’s general playing
order must be entered on the form. The
player must certify that the information is correct by signing the form. The club secretary must, in turn,
counter-sign the form. All players must
provide their date of birth. After the initial ranking
list of the season, re-nomination can be carried out on a monthly basis.
iii)
Registrations and re-nominations can be
made by email to the League Chairman.
iv)
It is the responsibility of clubs to
maintain there ranking lists and inform the League Chairman of any changes.
v)A minimum of six players must
by registered per team
vi)
Men shall not be eligible to play in ladies teams
vii)
No registration will be accepted after 31st March except in extenuating circumstances at the
discretion of the Organising Committee
b) To
accommodate changes in playing form between re-nominations, the playing order
within a team may be changed providing it conforms to the following:-
i) The change must be between consecutive
strings.
ii)Only one change
per team per match is permitted.
iii)
The change cannot be applied between the
fifth string of one team and the first string of the team below.
c) Clubs With More Than One Team
i) Clubs with more than one team must enter
their top five players per team from Premier to Division 4 inclusive. Players must play in ranked order throughout the league.
Players ranked 1 to 5 are only eligible to play in the first team, players
ranked 6 to 10 are only eligible to play in the second team and above and so
on.
22. Notification
of Results
a) The
winning side must send full details of the match result on the Official Results Card to the League
Chairman within three days (per
postmark) of the match. The card must be
duly signed by the match captains (or club secretaries) from both teams
23. Marking
and Refereeing
All matches must be marked. The HOME team is responsible for supplying
markers for three of the ties and the AWAY team for two ties. Whenever possible teams should designate
referees
24. Appeals
a) All
appeals, disputes or queries shall be notified in writing to the League
Chairman, within seven days, for
consideration by the Organising Committee whose decision thereon shall be final
b) The
decision of the Organising Committee in all matters not covered by the Rules
shall be final
c) The
onus shall always be on the appellant or clubs in dispute to furnish evidence
to support their case
25. Subscriptions
and Fees
a) The
Membership Fee will be a variable membership fee as approved by the AGM payable
by 30th April at the latest (payable on League application in the case of new
clubs). If the fee is not submitted by
the aforementioned date, membership may be suspended or cancelled at the
discretion of the Organising Committee.
The rate of junior teams will be decided accordingly by the Organising
Committee
b) Fees
for other Tournaments and Competitions shall be decided by the Organising
Committee
26 Interference
a) No
club or player shall interfere with or obstruct the League Chairman and other
Officers of the League in the performance of their duties
b) Only
the League Chairman shall forward the League tables to the Eastbourne Gazette
and Herald. All teams are encouraged to
send match reports to their respective local newspapers
27. Club
Records
It is the duty of all club secretaries
to keep accurate records of all their teams’ results during the current season
and to furnish any of these upon request to the League Chairman.
28. Newsletter
A newsletter containing results and
tables will be circulated at monthly intervals by the League Chairman to all
member clubs.
29. Disrepute
Any player, official, team or club
that brings the League into disrepute may be banned and/or fined at the
discretion of the Organising Committee
Final Note: Although there may appear to be a proliferation of rules,
even these may not cover every situation that will arise throughout the
season. It is hoped therefore that clubs
will comply with the ‘spirit of the rules’ where any loopholes may exist