THE FA HANDBOOK Season 2017/18 12480_FA_Handbook_Cover_A5_v4.indd 3 23/05/2017 17:19 Rules and Regulations of The Association Season 2017-2018 CONTENTS 2017-2018 3 page Introduction by the Chairman 5 The Football Association/Council 7 Board and Committee Membership 13 Standing Orders/Powers and Duties 16 Professional Game Board 30 National Game Board 36 Football Regulatory Authority 43 Judicial Panel 50 Articles of Association 57 Rules of The Association 95 Sanction & Control of Competitions 144 Referees 156 Youth Football 179 National League System 180 Areas and Overlapping of Associations 190 Women’s Football Pyramid 192 Kit and Advertising Regulations 201 Equality Policy 209 Safeguarding Children 210 Adults at Risk 221 Anti-Doping 229 Social Drugs 284 Working with Intermediaries 293 Third Party Interest 304 Owners’ and Directors’ Test 310 Disciplinary Regulations Index 321 General Provisions relating to Inquiries, Commissions and Appeal Boards 322 Regulations for Football Association Disciplinary Action 325 Schedule A: Standard Directions 336 Schedule B: Standard Directions 340 Schedule C: Standard Directions 346 Schedule D: Standard Directions 349 Regulations for Football Association Appeals 352 Disciplinary Procedures - Part 1 - First Team Competitive Matches: Premier League, EFL, National League and FA WSL 357 - Part 1A - First Team Competitive Matches: EFL Trophy 371 - Part 2 - Non-First Team Matches: Premier League, EFL, National League and FA WSL 384 - Part 3 - Friendly Matches: Premier League, EFL, National League and FA WSL 395 4 CONTENTS 2017-2018 - Part 4 - teams competing in the National League (North and South Divisions), the Isthmian League, the Northern Premier League and the Southern League. 396 - Part 5 - teams in all divisions of Leagues at Steps 5-7 of the National League System and below, including Youth Football, County Association and League Representative Football 409 Football Debt Recovery Regulations 425 Disciplinary Procedures at Personal Hearings 427 Interim Suspension Order Regulations 430 Regulations Relating to Certain Disciplinary Findings in Other Sports 434 Safeguarding Children in the Disciplinary Process 435 The Football Association Disciplinary Process for Small-Sided Football 438 Small-Sided Football 447 Flexible Football 467 Matches against Foreign Clubs 470 Standard Club Rules 473 Standard Code of Rules 477 Standard Code of Rules for Youth Competitions 495 Standardised Rules 517 Youth Rules 566 Medical Regulations 568 Goalpost Safety Guidelines 584 Goalpost and Pitch Sizes 585 Artificial Grass 587 Line Marking of Pitches 588 Respect 591 Directory of Associations 595 Clubs in Full and Associate Membership 599 INTRODUCTION BY THE CHAIRMAN 2017-2018 5 INTRODUCTION BY THE CHAIRMAN I am very pleased to welcome you to The Football Association Handbook, the essential guide to the rules and regulations of football. The Handbook has been published every year since 1895, excluding the war years, and should again prove an invaluable companion to people involved in football at all levels. The FA has the privilege and the responsibility of overseeing football in England as a whole. It does so in partnership with a powerful professional game and a national game administered locally by dedicated people and played in facilities all over the country. But football is ‘one game’ and we approach it with one set of values. Football has rules to protect those who take part in it and I hope that every recipient of the 2017- 2018 Handbook, whatever his or her involvement in the game, will find it a helpful reference book during what I hope will be another exciting season. GREG CLARKE – CHAIRMAN, THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION 2017-2018 7 THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION Wembley Stadium PO Box 1966 London SW1P 9EQ Tel: 0800 169 1863 www.TheFA.com Patron Her Majesty The Queen President HRH The Duke of Cambridge, KG KT Life/Senior Vice-Presidents T Myatt (1978), Staffordshire FA G Thompson, OBE, JP (1979), Sheffield & Hallamshire FA P Rushton (1974), Worcestershire FA DJ Insole, CBE (1979), Cambridge University FA N White, BEM, FSCA (1976), Liverpool FC L F J Smith (1982), Surrey FA WT Annable (1967), Nottinghamshire FA RG Berridge (1976), Bedfordshire FA RE Barston (1981), Leicestershire & Rutland FA JJ Waterall (1986), Nottinghamshire FA RW Kiddell, OBE, JP, ACII (1980), Norfolk FA CJ Saunders (1982), Independent Schools FA MM Armstrong (1985), Huntingdonshire FA PS Hough (1988), Dorset FA FLJ Hunter (1988), Liverpool FA K Compton (1988), Derbyshire FA D Henson (1986), Devon FA B Walden (1991), Northamptonshire FA CB Taylor (1991), Barnsley FC Sir DG Richards (1994), The Premier League PR Barnes (1997), Dagenham & Redbridge FC Vice-Presidents BJ Adshead (1997), Staffordshire FA BW Bright (1984), Kent FA RF Burden, FCIB, MBCS, FRSA (1995), Gloucestershire FA MR Leggett (1992), Worcestershire FA PJ Clayton (1997), Middlesex FA 8 THE FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION 2017-2018 Honorary Vice-Presidents Rear Admiral C Johnstone, CBE Air Chief Marshal Sir SJ Hillier, KCB, CBE, DFC, MA, RAF Brigadier M Mitchell, MBE Honorary Members Sir Bobby Charlton, CBE (1978-90, 1991) C Jones (1995) Mrs PF Smith, OBE (1998) KW Ridden (2000) Lt Cdr PJW Danks, RN (2001) MR Berry (2002) Gp Capt PW Hilton, RAF (2002) FD Pattison (2004) Sir Doug Ellis, OBE (2004-05, 2006) R Tinkler (2005) IH Stott (2005) DJ Lewin (2006) M Gibson (2006) JW Coad, ACII (2009) ACF Turvey, FCIM (2009) DB Dein (2009) MG Benson (2010) DR Sheepshanks, CBE (2011) DJ Hovard (2011) BW Moore (2011) RD Bayley (2012) P Coates (2013) RJ Howlett JP (2013) D Bernstein, CBE (2013) Lt Cdr Steve Vasey (2014) Sir Trevor Brooking, CBE (2015) M Game (2015) J Perks (2015) T Sharples (2015) Chief Executive Officer M Glenn THE COUNCIL 2017-2018 9 THE COUNCIL FOR 2017-2018 Chairman G Clarke Leader of Council G Clarke Vice-Chairmen National Game: MR Leggett (1992), Worcestershire FA P McCormick (2015), Premier League Life/Senior Vice-Presidents G Thompson, OBE, JP (1979), Sheffield & Hallamshire FA P Rushton (1974), Worcestershire FA N White, BEM, FSCA (1976), Liverpool FC L F J Smith (1982), Surrey FA WT Annable (1967), Nottinghamshire FA RG Berridge (1976), Bedfordshire FA RE Barston (1981), Leicestershire & Rutland FA JJ Waterall (1986), Nottinghamshire FA RW Kiddell, OBE, JP, ACII (1980), Norfolk FA CJ Saunders (1982), Independent Schools FA MM Armstrong (1985), Huntingdonshire FA PS Hough (1988), Dorset FA FLJ Hunter (1988), Liverpool FA K Compton (1988), Derbyshire FA D Henson (1986), Devon FA B Walden (1991), Northamptonshire FA CB Taylor (1991), Barnsley FC Sir DG Richards (1994), The Premier League PR Barnes (1997), Dagenham & Redbridge FC Vice-Presidents BJ Adshead (1997), Staffordshire FA BW Bright (1984), Kent FA RF Burden, FCIB, MBCS, FRSA (1995), Gloucestershire FA MR Leggett (1992), Worcestershire FA PJ Clayton (1997), Middlesex FA Dr J A Little (1999) 10 THE COUNCIL 2017-2018 Divisional Representatives 1. D Robinson (2007), Billingham Synthonia FC 2. R Coar (2001), Blackburn Rovers FC 3. A Shaw (2009, 2012), Altrincham FC 4. F Robinson (2016), Burton Albion FC 5. S Pearce (2016), Derby County FC 6. A Neville (2013), Leicester City FC 7. S Webb (2014), Ipswich Town FC 8. C Reeves (2012), Poole Town FC 9. A Sharpe (2017), Wingate & Finchley FC 10. JD Pearce (2001), Bognor Regis Town FC County Association Representatives Amateur Football Alliance M Brown (2007) Army Major WTE Thomson (2001) Bedfordshire R Everitt (2015) Berks & Bucks E Verrall (2017) Birmingham M J Penn (2013) Cambridgeshire R Pawley (2009) Cambridge University Dr J A Little (1999) Cheshire DD Edmunds (2004) Cornwall G Lee (2005) Cumberland G Turrell (2007) Derbyshire F McArdle (2008) Devon T Sampson (2017) Dorset S Whittle (2009) Durham JC Topping (2007) East Riding J Suddards (2013) English Schools M Spinks (2015) Essex A Berry (2015) Gloucestershire R Schafer (2013) Hampshire N Cassar (2017) Herefordshire P Tompkins (2015) Hertfordshire P Mallett (2016) Huntingdonshire MC Frost (2005) Independent Schools DR Elleray MBE (2002) Kent PCB Smith (2005) Lancashire G Blakeley (2016) Leicestershire & Rutland K Murdoch (2017) Lincolnshire RC Jackson (2005) Liverpool D Horlick (2009) London G Dorling (2015) Manchester C Bridgford (2016) Middlesex JRW Taylor (2015) Norfolk G Lemmon (2017) Northamptonshire R Cotter (2009) THE COUNCIL 2017-2018 11 North Riding WL Scott (2015) Northumberland J Ackerley (2016) Nottinghamshire Ms E Oram (2007) Oxfordshire D Tutton (2011) Oxford University R Tur (2002) Royal Air Force Wing Cdr N Hope MBE (2008) Royal Navy S Johnson (2014) Sheffield & Hallamshire B Jones (2008) Shropshire D Simpson (2007) Somerset & Avon AP Hockley (2005) Staffordshire M Stokes (2013) Suffolk B Badcock (2014) Surrey RS Lewis (2002) Sussex A J Kybett (2013) Westmorland G Aplin (2003) West Riding B Chaplin (2012) Wiltshire RJ Gardiner (2010) Women’s Football Conference Mrs S Hough MBE (2000) TKT Win (2007) Worcestershire R Northall (2011) Representatives of The Premier League D Barnard (2007), Chelsea FC I Gazidis (2012), Arsenal FC P McCormick (2015), Premier League J Mostyn (2012 – 2015, 2016) L Reed (2015), Southampton FC R Caplehorn (2016), Tottenham Hotspur FC Representatives of The English Football League J Moxey (2010, 2013), Burton Albion FC J Rodwell (2014), Scunthorpe Utd FC J Nixon (2013), Carlisle Utd FC S Curwood (2016), Fleetwood Town FC I Lenagan (2013), EFL Chairman K Meire (2016), Charlton Athletic FC 12 THE COUNCIL 2017-2018 Other Representatives The National League M Tattersall