Constitution

Sussex Schools Football Association

Constitution

1       Name
The Association shall be called “Sussex Schools’ Football Association” (SSFA) and shall be affiliated to the English Schools’ F.A. (ESFA) and to the South East England Schools Football Advisory Council (SEESFA)
Development links with the SUSSEX COUNTY FA (SCFA)  will also be encouraged

2       Objects
The object of the Association will be the physical, mental and social development of school children through the medium of Association Football.

3       Affiliation
Membership of this Association shall be open to Education Establishments in the County of Sussex.
These Education Establishments shall pay an annual affiliation fee as determined by the SSFA Executive Committee. All individual schools participating in SSFA competitions will be deemed, by virtue of their participation, to be affiliated directly to the SSFA.
All member Schools Football District Associations must affiliate to the English Schools F.A.

Scale of Charges

The annual affiliation fee for each affiliated District Association and individually affiliated School shall be determined by the Executive Committee and shall be payable on or before the AGM for the forthcoming season.
4       Executive Committee
An Executive Committee will consist of the Chairman, Vice Chairman, County Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant County Secretary, Referees Secretary, U19 Competitions Secretary, U16 Competitions Secretary.  Only past and present members of the Education Service are eligible to serve as Chairman. Where practical, all officers should be past or present members of the Education Service.  The Executive Committee shall have the power to co-opt other members as required.
5       Life Membership
Life Membership of the Association may, by resolution passed at a General Meeting, be conferred on any member who has retired from the teaching profession and who has rendered long and outstanding service to the Association. A Vice-Presidency of the Association may, by similar resolution be conferred on any member of the teaching profession who has rendered meritorious service to the Association.  An Honorary vice- Presidency of the Association may, by similar resolution be conferred on any person outside the teaching profession who has rendered equally meritorious service to the Association.

6       Officers
The Officers of the Association shall be a Chairman, Vice Chairman, County Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretary, Referees Secretary, U19 coordinators, U16 coordinator who shall be elected annually at the AGM. Nominations for these Officers and Committee members, must be made in writing and whose consent shall first be obtained, may be named by an Affiliated District Association or individually affiliated School to the General Secretary not later than 28 days before the published date of the AGM.

At the AGM there shall be elected : (currently held)

President  (Brian Brigden)

Chairman (Ross Maryan)

Vice Chairman (Aran Hawkins)

County Secretary (Ross Maryan – ‘acting’)

Treasurer (Bruce Aitken)

Assistant County Secretary (Vacant)

Referees Secretary (Pete Lindsey)

U19 Mens Competitions Secretary ()

U19 Ladies Competitions Secretary (Joe McTiffen)

U16 Competitions Secretary. (Steve Brook)

7       Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting shall be held in May and the date shall be published no later than 31st December of the preceding year. The General Secretary shall give 14 clear days notice to all affiliated District Associations and individually affiliated Schools of the place, day and hour of such meeting and other General Meetings.

An agenda, specifying the nature of the business to be transacted shall also be sent.

The following business shall be transacted:

  • Apologies for Absence
  • The minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting.
  • Matters arising from previous minutes
  • Chairman’s report

– Competitions Report

– Representative teams report

– Future Proposals

  • Treasurers report – Annual report and financial statements
  • Constitution changes as required
  • The election of officers.
  • The election of representative staff U13-U18 (To be appointed by executive committee)
  • Alterations to competitions (rules and structure)
  • Special matters arriving by correspondence to the executive committee of which 28 days’ notice has been given and particulars of which appear on the agenda.
  • Any other business as admitted by the Chairman

At any General Meeting one vote for each District Association and individually affiliated School shall be allowed.  Members of the Executive Committee will have one vote each.

Notice of any business or proposition, other than those proposed by the Executive Committee shall be submitted to the AGM and given to the General Secretary no later than 28 days before the published date of the AGM.

Each affiliated school who sends a representative to the AGM shall receive 10% deduction on affiliation costs.

 

8       Special General Meeting

The General Secretary shall convene a Special General Meeting at any time upon receiving a request stating the objects of the meeting and signed by the representative of not less than four affiliated District Associations or Schools.  The General Secretary shall convene a Special General Meeting should it be deemed necessary and desirable by the Executive Committee. Such meetings shall be held within 28 days of the Secretary receiving the signed request.  The voting rights for a Special General Meeting shall be the same as those for the Annual General Meeting

9       Emergency Committees

Matters of urgency may be dealt with and determined by Emergency Committees consisting of a Vice Chairman, County Secretary, Treasurer, Competitions Secretary and the Chairman and secretary of the sub-committee concerned, with the power to co-opt.

 

10     Discipline Procedures

All matter of ‘on the field’ issues and or discipline shall be dealt with by the ESFA.

Issues relating to misconduct or discipline issues ‘off the field’ shall           first be discussed with the discipline officer and followed by a written report to be dealt with by the SSFA.

This may result in one or more of the following:
i) being reported to the ESFA for appropriate action,
ii) expulsion from the competition             or

iii) fines.

Schools are responsible to ensure their player is eligible to play. Any school playing a player who is banned from playing by the Local FA shall be fined and all points deducted from the games when the illegible player played. In cup games the school shall be removed from the competition and the opponents shall pass to the next round.

Any school playing illegible players shall forfeit any final.

 

11     Competitions

The closing date for entries to all competitions shall be on the day of the Annual General meeting and must be presented at the AGM. Entries will continue to be received up to one month from the date of the AGM but will incur an administrative charge of £25 per school/college.

The rules and format of all competitions arranged by the Association shall be published and each competition shall be registered with the ESFA.

No School shall be registered with more than one District Association. All affiliated District Associations and Schools must abide by the rules of the ESFA and SSFA. Sussex Schools FA will have the right to redefine district areas and the schools that compile a district.

Players, Officials, spectators of all affiliated bodies are required to observe and enforce the rules, regulations and laws of Association Football and Code of Conduct that may be issued from time to time by the ESFA and SSFA

All District Associations and Schools affiliated to the SSFA shall make their players available for County selections and, if possible, their pitches and other facilities available to the SSFA on request.

District Associations or Schools that fail to satisfactorily attend to the business and/or the correspondence of the SSFA shall be dealt with under the discretionary powers of the Executive, which may include a fine not exceeding £10.

12           County Trophies

County Schools and District Associations winning County Competitions shall be entitled to hold the respective trophy up to the agreed yearly deadline. It will be the responsibility of the trophy holder to:
a) Sign as having received the trophy in good condition.

  1. b) Each winning Schools is to have the name and year of the winners engraved on the trophy. Expenses for this may be claimed up to the value of £5
    c) To ensure that the trophy is kept in good condition and to bear the cost of any damage sustained to the trophy and the rectifying of any error made in the engraving.
    d) To bear the cost of replacing the trophy if lost whilst in their possession.
  2. e) To return the trophy to the County Secretary or other designated person no later than the 28th February in the season following the award of the trophy.

13           County Medals
County Medals or certificates shall be awarded to players of the winning and runner-up teams in all competitions as follows:

  • 11 A-Side competitions       16 Medals
  • 9 A-Side competitions           16 Medals
  • 7 A-Side competitions         10 Medals
  • 6 A-Side competitions           9 Medals
  • 5 A-Side competitions           7 Medals

Additional medals can be obtained at the discretion of the SSFA and schools will incur any additional costs.

 

14           Precedence of Matches

The order of precedence shall be:

International Matches

International Trials

National competition matches – including matches which act as the           preliminary sections of the National Schools’ Championship.

County Matches

County Trials

County Competition Matches

Inter-District competitions

Inter-School competition – cup

Inter-School competition – league

 

15           Expenditure of Association Funds

Any single item of expenditure of £50.00+ must be sanctioned by the finance sub-committee.

16           Late Entries to Association Competitions

The Association reserves the right to refuse entries to competitions             received after the Annual General meeting. If accepted then a late entry fee of £25.00 per school will be applied.

17           Alteration to Rules

These rules shall not be altered except at an Exec Meeting and then only by resolution carried by a majority of those present and voting. Notice of any proposal or any amendment or alteration in these rules shall be given in writing to the General Secretary at least 28 days before the date of the Exec Meeting.

 

No alteration of the rules shall be made except at the Annual General Meeting or at an Exec Meeting convened for that purpose. For the Annual General Meeting notice must be sent to the General Secretary, in writing at least 28 days prior to the meeting. Amendments to the alterations require at least 7 days notice in writing.

 

18           Appeals against decisions of the Association

Any appeal against the decision of the SSFA must be lodged in writing with the discipline secretary of the association within 14 days of the decision.  The SSFA will convene a panel to adjudicate over the appeal

 

The appeal panel shall consist of 3 panel members

  • Chairman of SSFA
  • A representative from another relevant football related bodies which may include the Sussex County Football Association
  • ESFA representative

 

(A minimum of 3 people shall be present on the Panel and shall hear the appeal,           which must be in person by the school representing the appeal.  The discipline secretary of the Association shall convene a meeting within 28 days.  The decision of the panel is final

 

Cost of the Appeal are to be met by the Appellant but will be returned if the appeal is successful. A £25 deposit will be required when lodging an appeal.

 

19     Dissolution

The Association may be dissolved by resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of those present and voting at a General Meeting convened for the purpose, of which at least 14 days notice has been given.  Such resolution may give instruction for the disposal of assets held by or in the name of the Association, provided that if any property remains after the satisfaction of all debts and liabilities such property shall not be paid to or distributed among members of the Association, but shall become the property of the ESFA.

 

20     Financial Year

The financial year of the Association shall be from 1st May to 30th April.

 

21     Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall have the power to apply, act upon and enforce the Rules of the Competition and shall also have the jurisdiction over all matters affecting the Competition including those not provided for in the Rules.

 

The Executive shall be empowered to appoint and employ such professional expertise as they deem necessary.

 

22     Representative Matches

All schools/colleges playing in the competition shall be bound to place their players at the disposal of the Competition for representative matches, but should more than two players from any one team be claimed for a match, then the school/college shall not be required to play a Competition fixture on that day.  A player selected to play for the Competition and unable to accept the invitation, will only in exceptional circumstances be allowed to play for his school/college on the date of the representative match.  Written consent from the County Secretary must first be obtained.

 

23     Failure to Comply with Rules

Any school or college failing to comply with the Constitution or the Competition Rules may result in a fine and/or suspension at the discretion of the Executive Committee.

 

Where not provided for in these rules, the rules of the English Schools Football Association shall apply.