All participants in the British Columbia Masters Soccer League (BCMSL) agree to exhibit fair play and honesty while respecting the rules and policies. Once the registration has been reviewed and accepted, all participants of the (BCMSL) are expected to behave in a respectful and appropriate manner while engaged in BCMSL activities. All participants agree to abide by all BCMSL rules and policies. All participants are encouraged to exercise respectful judgment regarding the safety of all members as well as others.

As a member of BCMSL you are expected to:

a)     Have read the policies and rules and agree to compete/participate within the rules and policies

b)     Play within the spirit of the league which is to have fun and be social in a sport setting

c)     To participate for your own enjoyment and benefit

d)     Treat all participants respectfully without discrimination.

e)     Compete / participate in the spirit of fair play and honesty

f)      Refrain from verbal and or physical abuse of game officials and other players

g)     Refrain from deliberately distracting or provoking an opponent

h)     Refrain from using profane, insulting, harassing or otherwise offensive language in the context of BCMSL activities

i)      Put the good of the game and your fellow participants safety and enjoyment above the desire to win at all cost

j)      Accolade with the opposing team at the end of the game (Optional)

k)     Act in a manner that will bring credit to yourself and to the league within and outside the competition area

BCMSL Standard of Conduct include but not limited to:

 1.     Aggressive Behavior:

a)     No participants may promote or engage in physical abuse, verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, harassment, coercion and or other negative conduct, which threatens or endanger the health and safety of any person.

b)     No participants may use aggressive words to harass the referees in or outside the field of play.

c)     Any participants disregarding the “NON-CONTACT” rule is considered to be behaving aggressively

2.     Disorderly Conduct:

a)     No participants may engage in disorderly conduct associated with the consumption of alcohol and or illegal substances while engaged in BCMSL activities.

Any violation of the Standard of Conduct may result in penalties, suspension or loss of membership in the league

No refund will be provided for loss of membership privileges due to the breach of the Code of Conduct.

BCMSL ADMINISTRATION

BCMSL for fairness, shall be administered through a steering committee consisting of 5 appointed members from the league registered teams, the league coordinator and the league scheduler.

The President / Owner of the league

A.    Has the right to nominate/appoint/remove a Vice President (Non- Voting) and any non-elected member or members to the steering committee as needed.

B.    Shall preside over all BCMSL meetings unless otherwise delegated.  

C.    Has the right to approve or veto any recommendation made by the steering committee.

D.    Is solely responsible for all financial matters of BCMSL.

E.    Is the sole signing authority for BCMSL.

F.    Is the representative of BCMSL, unless otherwise delegated  

G.    Is solely responsible for all external correspondence unless otherwise delegated.

THE STEERING COMMITTEE

The steering committee’s role is to promote, expand and manage the BCMSL Vision, Code of Conduct and Policies & Rules.

The Steering Committee shall:

a)     Consist of 7 members, 5 appointed volunteer members from the league, the league coordinator, and the scheduler.

b)     Achieve consensus through a majority vote

c)     Alternate members of the steering committee shall be appointed by the President / Owner for the purpose of a quorum

MEETING

a)     A quorum is required for each meeting to be consolidated (no less than 3 appointed members)

b)     Meetings will be scheduled as needed 

BCMSL LEAGUE SEASONS

BCMSL will have two (2) Seasons’ Participation Yearly

A.     Winter Season League

B.     Summer Season League

PARTICIPATION FEE

A.     All team fees must be paid by the deadline set up by the League (please see BCMSL website)

B.     Any payment made after the deadline will be assessed an additional fee of $100 for administration purposes.

C.    If the team payment and additional assessment as per section B above has not been received by the second (2) week of the league start, the team will be removed from the schedule   

All players must be in the age group of their Division on the day the game is played. There are to be no exceptions to this rule except for the underage player prevision.

UNDERAGE PLAYER

A.     All teams in all divisions are allowed a maximum of two (2) underage players per Team & per Roster

B.     The underage players must be born in the following year with no exception:

1.     Over 40 the player must be 38 years of age or older (On the day the game is played)

2.     Over 50 the player must be 48 years of age or older (On the day the game is played)

3.     Over 55 the player must be 53 years of age or older (On the day the game is played)

4.     Over 60 the player must be 58 years of age or older

5.     Over 65 the player must be 63 years of age or older

(The League will exercise their discretion when applying the underage policies for the Over 60 and Over 65)    

Underage Player Violation:

A.     First Violation: Any team found playing an underage player will automatically be fined $100.00 and have 3 points deducted from their standing (The opponent will be awarded a 1 goal win)

B.     Second Violation: Any team found playing an underage player for a second time will automatically be fined $300.00 and have 6 points deducted from their standing (The opponent will be awarded a 1 goal win)

C.    Third Violation: Any team found playing an underage player will automatically be suspended from the league.

UNREGISTERED PLAYER 

Any team found playing an unregistered player will be assessed the following penalties:

A.     The Team will be suspended for a minimum of one (1) Game

B.     Three (3) Points will be deducted from the team standing

C.    The team will be assessed Three (3) Goals against

D.    Repeated violation of the Policies will result in the indefinite suspension of the team

The opponent will be awarded the following:

A.     A win with Three (3) Points

B.     One (1) Goal for

Coach / Manager shall:

A.     Be responsible for their team

B.     Make team members aware of the BCMSL Rules & Policies

C.    Exercise control of their players during a game in and outside the field of play

D.    Be the team representative when dealing with BCMSL representative on all matters

E.     Be responsible to enforce disciplinary action such as player’s suspension taken by BCMSL

F.     Be responsible for the team to have a set of COORDINATED UNIFORM (Minimum a set of Jersey, Shorts & Socks) with numbers

G.    Be responsible in ensuring that there are no uniform numbers duplication

H.    Ensure that the team has a change of jerseys in case of colour clash when playing away games

I.      Ensure that the field of play is properly marked prior to a game

J.      Ensure that a linesperson is available at all time during the game and that the linesperson exchange side at halftime

K.    Be responsible for ensuring that all players are registered (may do so themselves)

L.     Be responsible for producing acceptable ID for their players upon request by the referee or the opposing team

M.   Be responsible to provide 2 copies of the BCMSL printed roster to the referee and the opposing team

N.    Be responsible to ensure that player’s whose name is not on the Team Roster is not available to play 

O.    Be responsible for providing the name of a player upon request by the referee

P.     Be responsible to instruct the team players to complete the registration without misleading information 

Team Manager’s Complaint about a game officiating will only be considered in writing

NOTE: Any team found providing player’s misleading information during registration will automatically be fined a minimum of $100 per player, and BCMSL may consider further action.

The Head Referee:

a)     Is responsible for providing game officials with all scheduled games

b)     Must ensure that all referees are qualified to the satisfaction of the league

The Referee:

(The Referee’s Registration Fee is set at $25 per season)

(The Referee’s Game Fee is set at $80 per game)

a)     Is individually responsible for their application and registration with BCMSL

b)     Is solely responsible for the Registration Fee as above

c)     Must ensure that the field is properly marked to his/her satisfaction prior to the start of a game  

d)     Is the sole controller of the game in the absence of linespersons

e)     Must obtained a copy of the teams’ rosters prior to the game

f)      Shall not proceed with a game when the official BCMSL Team Roster is not available from any one team   

g)     Must ensure that all players in the field of play are wearing protective game equipment

h)     Must ensure that all players in the field of play are free of jewelry (Exception Wedding Band)

i)      Must submit a Game Report via the website, including the match result (Team Score/s & Scorer/s) including disciplinary cards within 24 hours.

j)      Must complete an Incident Report via website in case of a red card arising from other than a professional foul such as inside or outside the field of play

k)     At the referee’s discretion, will immediately stop a game in case of a player appears to be injured

l)      If a game become uncontrollable the referee can stop the game at anytime at his discretion 

m)   Must be paid the full game fee if a game is started later than 15 minutes past the scheduled time, the referee is not obligated to play the full 90 minutes (Referee’s Discretion)

n)     Will be paid half the game fee when attending a game where both teams and the referee agree that the field is not playable

o)     Will allow the maximum time of 15 minutes past the scheduled time if either team is waiting for the minimum number of players

NOTE GAME REPORT:

First Infraction:

A referee’s failure to submit a game report as per Section (g) above will result in a warning

Second Infraction:

BCMSL endorse the F.I.F.A. rules except for the following amendments:

Player’s Registration

A.     Player can only be registered for one (1) Team during one Season 

Player Personal Attire

A.     All players in the field of play must wear game equipment 

B.    All players in the field of play must remove all jewellery

Sliding and Tackling

A.     No Slide Tackling is permitted

B.     Sliding is permitted by a Goalkeeper for a save

C.      Sliding is permitted by a player to save a ball without an opponent contest

Injury

A.     (At the referee’s discretion), the referee will immediately stop a game if a player appears to be injured

B.     The referee will immediately stop a game if a player appears to be critically injured

      and outside assistance is required.

Substitution

A.     Substitutions are allowed at anytime on a dead ball situation as per FIFA rules

B.     Over 40’s, 50’s substitution is not allowed when a player is ejected for a Red Card.

C.    Over 55’s, 60’s and 65’s Substitution is allowed when a player is ejected from the game for a justified foul or misconduct

D.    Fair Play - Over 55’s, 60’s and 65’s when players from both teams are ejected from a game for a Red Card infraction and one of the teams does not have a substitute for the team complement, the game must carry on with an equal number of players from both teams.

Team Complement:

Team short of players’ complement may invite players from:

A.     Other teams from the same age group or higher age group

B.     Teams are prohibited from inviting underage player/s for a team complement as the Underage Clause is not applicable in this circumstance

There will be no game cancellation except for the following:

A.     Field closure as per the Parks & Recreations and School Boards

B.     Field is not playable as per both teams’ and the referee’s assessments

C.    Field is not properly marked to the satisfaction of the official (Game Forfeit)

D.    If any cancellation is required by a team due to Special Circumstances, the league must be notified 72hrs in advance (Not having a team complement is not considered a Special Circumstances)

Forfeited Game Cancellation Team Discipline:

First Infraction:

A.     The forfeited team will be assessed the field and full referee’s fees

B.     The team will have 3 points deducted from their standing (The opponent will be declared the winner)

C.    The team will be assessed three (3) goals against (The opponent will receive three (3) goals for the win)

Second Infraction:

A.     The forfeited team will be assessed the field and full referee’s fees

B.     The team will be assessed a league fine of $200 and be put on probation for a year as of the date of the infraction

C.    The team will have 6 points deducted from their standing (The opponent will be declared the winner)

D.    The team will be assessed six (6) goals against (The opponent will receive three (3) goals for the win)

Third Infraction:

The team will be suspended from the league

Disciplinary Committee Duties

1.     The disciplinary committee shall:

a)     Consist of no less than 3 members

b)     appoint one of their members as a secretary for the purpose of correspondence  

c)     review all disciplinary reports within 7 days of reception of all documents

d)     review all disciplinary appeals within 7 days of reception of all documents submitted.

e)     apply any sanction or dismissal once the review has been completed

f)      after review, shall forward their final assessment to the individual or parties involved in writing within the time limit.

2.     The President / Owner shall appoint / volunteer, three (3) or more members from the league to the disciplinary committee.

3.     Each disciplinary matter will be reviewed by a group of three (3) members of the disciplinary committee together with the Referees Coordinator. (The Referees; Coordinator is included to advise the committee but does not have a vote in the adjudication.

4.     A disciplinary committee member must recluse himself/herself from any disciplinary review if the player in question is a member on the member’s team or club and/or if the incident occurred in a game including the member’s team. 

5.     Final assessments of the Disciplinary Committee are not appealable.  

Player’s Suspension

A.     The Referee will be notified of any player’s suspension through the Website Notification System

B.     Team caught playing a suspended player will be fined $100 on the First Offence, $200 on the Second Offence and Suspended for the Third Offence

Appeal

A.     A player has the right to appeal a suspension to the Disciplinary Committee

B.     A response to the player’s appeal will be rendered within 7 days of the appeal.

C.    A player will automatically sit out his next game if the appeal is delayed due to insufficient information while his appeal is under review. 

Yellow Cards

A.     All yellow cards are recorded

B.     Accumulation of three (3) yellow cards in a season will command a one (1) game suspension (The Next Game), after the third (3) yellow card is issued

C.    Two (2) yellow cards in a game command a red card and a one game suspension (The Next Game)

D.    Slide Tackling (At the referee’s discretion) will command at a minimum a Yellow Card

E.     A Yellow Card (At the referee’s discretion) will be issued for a cooling off period of 10 minutes for the following infractions for the following:

a)     Tendency to rough play

b)     Persistent verbal, harassment of opponents or fellow team member

c)     Verbal abuse or indecent gesture towards the referee will command at a minimum a Yellow Card

d)     Charging of the Goalkeeper

e)     Managers / Assistant Managers using persistent verbal abuse and or indecent gesture towards the referee will command at a minimum a Yellow Card

f)      Over 60’s & 65’s: A Yellow Card (At the referee’s discretion) will be issued for a cooling off period of 10 minutes for any offence of Section E above.

BCMSL endorses the Parks & School Boards policies such as:           

A.     Field Closure

B.     “Zero Alcohol Tolerance”

C.    Use of foul Language

D.    Indiscrete Urinating

E.     Use of illegal Substances

If the use of a Parks / School Boards field is withdrawn due to the violation of the Parks / School Boards Policies, the team responsible for the violation will be suspended. 

All Complaints:

a)     forms are available on the BCMSL web page

b)     regardless of the nature of the complaint a Compliant Form must be completed and submitted within 48 hours of the completion of a game.

c)     submissions must be in writing and forwarded in due time

d)     will be investigated, and a response will be forwarded to the complainant within 7 days of the date of submission

All Incident Reports: (Beside Professional Foul in the filed of play)

a)     must be completed individually by the referee / both teams

b)     must be completed and submitted to the Disciplinary Committee within 48 hours after the game.

In the event you witness or experience threatening or inappropriate behavior by any individual, please

report the incident immediately to the team manager or the league so that appropriate action can be taken.