BCMSL ADMINISTRATION

BCMSL strives to serve the sporting needs of its participants and shall be administered through an Executive Committee. The League may appoint/create additional roles within the Administration as required.

The President / Owner of the league

• a.   Has the right to nominate, appoint, or remove any member or members of the Executive Committee and Disciplinary Committee
• b.  Shall preside over all BCMSL meetings unless otherwise delegated
• c.   Has the right to approve or veto any recommendation made by the standing committees
• d.  Is solely responsible for all financial matters of BCMSL
• e.   Is the sole signing authority for BCMSL
• f.     Is the legal representative of BCMSL, unless otherwise delegated
• g.   Is solely responsible for all external correspondence unless otherwise delegated

The Executive Committee

The Executive committee’s role is to promote, expand and guide the BCMSL in alignment with the leagues Vision, Code of Conduct, and Rules & Policies

The Executive Committee shall:

• a)     Consist of the President, the Head Referee, the League Scheduler, the League Game Supervisor, the Discipline Committee members and any at large members appointed by the President.
• b)     Achieve consensus through a majority vote when necessary
• c)      Alternate members of the Executive Committee shall be appointed by the President / Owner for the purpose of creating a quorum

The Disciplinary Committee

• a)     The Disciplinary Committee shall consist of three (3) members (plus one alternate)
• b)     The members shall be players or team officials registered with the BCMSL
• c)      The Disciplinary Committee shall review all game reports in which referee’s indicate disciplinary issues arose, and all Red Card events generated by the League software.
• d)     The Disciplinary Committee shall apply the Rules & Policies of BCMSL and may issue penalties greater than the minimum penalties prescribed by the BCMSL rules and regulations.
• e)      The Disciplinary Committee may apply sanctions to players, team officials, and teams or clubs.
• f)  The Disciplinary Committee's penalties and sanctions may be appealed ONLY if they are greater than the league minimum prescribed penalty.   

TEAM COACH’S & MANAGER’S RESPONSIBILITIES

The Coach / Manager shall:

a.   Be responsible for their team understanding and adhering to the BCMSL Rules & Regulations, shall be the primary contact point for the League, and will attend all league Managers meetings (or arrange for alternate representation at league meetings)

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

c.   Prior to registering a player, ensure that the player is qualified to join the team (meets the age restriction) and is not registered with another team in the BCMSL (Double Registered) 

d.  Control their players in and around the field of play before, during, and after every game

e.   Be responsible to enforce disciplinary action related to their team - such as player’s suspensions

f.     Will ensure the team has a complete set of COORDINATED UNIFORMS (Jersey, Shorts & Socks) with unique numbers

g.   Ensure that as the HOME team, they have an alternate set of jerseys in case of colour clash with the visiting team

h.   Ensure that the field of play is properly marked prior to a game (If a game is cancelled due to failure of having the field properly marked is considered as a Forfeited Game by the home Team)  

i.     Ensure that a linesperson is available during the game and that the linespersons alternate sides at halftime 

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

k.   Be responsible to provide 2 copies of the BCMSL Official Printed Roster (from the BCMSL website) to the referee before the game begins

l.     Be responsible to ensure that players whose names are not on the Team Roster or are suspended do not play in a match 

m.   Be responsible for providing identification and the name of a player upon request by the referee or opposing team manager/coach

n.   Ensure their team players to complete the registration with accurate information (correct birthdate, name, phone number, and address)

Team Manager’s Complaints about game officiating will only be considered when received by the League in writing

AGE PARTICIPATION & UNDERAGE PLAYER

All players must be of the age of the minimum age of the division in which they are playing. (i.e. a player must be 50 years of age to play in the Over 50’s division of BCMSL.)

A players age is the oldest age of the player during the season in which they are participating.  (i.e. a player who is 49 and turns 50 on June 1^st would be considered to be 50 years old during the summer season, and therefore eligible to play in the Over 50’s Division of BCMSL)

Exceptions:

Teams that move up an age group may ‘grandfather’ all players who were registered on their team in the previous season (Winter or Summer) and do not currently meet the minimum age requirement of the division in which the team is now registered.

The team must ‘normalize’ their roster within two years of moving up into a new division. This means that by the start of year three the team has no players that are more than two years under the minimum age to participate in the division.

Grandfathered players are only eligible to play on the team that ‘grandfathered’ them into the age group and may not transfer to another team in the age group.

All teams may register underage players on their team so long as the players are within two years of the minimum age of the division in which the team is playing.

At no time shall a team have more than three underage players on the field of play. Violation of this rule will result in the forfeit of the match.

Each team is responsible for tracking the activity of the opposing teams’ underage players and shall notify the referee if more than three underage players are on the field at same time.  

Underage Player Violation

Any team found playing an underage player that is not properly registered as an underage player will be assessed the following penalties:

a.   First Violation: The Team will be assessed a fine of $200, the player will be banned from the League for not less than 1 year, and the team Manager / Coach will be assessed a one (1) game suspension  

b.  Second Violation: The Team will be assessed a fine of $300, the player banned from the League for not less than one year, and the team Manager / Coach will be assessed a 2-game suspension  

c.   Third Violation: The Team will be dismissed from the League.

The Team will also be assessed the following:

d.  In each instance the offending team will be assessed a loss and three (3) goals against      

REGISTRATION & UNREGISTERED PLAYER'S POLICIES

All Players must be registered with the League to participate in the BCMSL 

Players must:

a)   Register before playing any game in BCMSL

b)  Register on one (1) team only

c)   Themselves complete fully and accurately the registration form

d)  Acknowledge and accept the BCMSL Participation Waiver

e)   Upload a recent picture (headshot only – the face must be clearly visible and not obscured in any way - no glasses, sunglasses, or hats)

f)     Present government issued identification (physical copy – not a photograph of the ID) upon request from the League, Referee, or opposing team officials.

Registration Violations

First Infraction

Any Player or Manager found to be intentionally not complying with the Registration Rules & Policies will be suspended for a minimum of one (1) year and their team fined $200. The fine must be paid before the player or manager may be reinstated and before the team plays its’ next match.

Second Infraction

TEAM ROSTER, SUBSTITUTION & CALL UP POLICIES 

The following Rules & Policies will apply:

a)   The Official Game Roster from both teams must be presented to the game Official prior to the start of the game

b)  The Team Game Roster is valid only if it is printed from the BCMSL website (2 copies)

c)   Any Team who provides a Non-Official Team Game Roster will be assessed a loss in case of a win and the opponent will be awarded a three (3) goal win for the game 

d)  Handwritten name of player/s can be added on any Official Team Game Roster and MUST be reported to both the referee and the opposing manager. The referee will submit the forms to the league per the league Referee policies. Government issued identification must be provided to validate all players manually added to a roster (handwritten).

e)   Handwritten Players Uniform Numbers are permitted

f)     Players who arrive to match after the Referee has checked the teams roster MAY NOT enter the game until half-time when the referee can conduct an ID check for those players and validate their uniform numbers on the roster.

g)   Any player that enters the game without having been checked by the referee shall be issued a Yellow Card for an illegal substitution

Team Roster Violations

a.   The Team Official Game Roster from both teams must be presented to the game official prior to the start of the game

b.  If neither team provides an Official Team Game Roster form, the referee shall cancel the game

c.   Any Team who failed to abide by Section A and B, resulting in the cancellation of the game will be assessed a ‘forfeit’ and loss of the game.

d.  Cancelled and forfeited games will NOT be re-scheduled

Player Substitution 

a.   Player substitutions are allowed at anytime on a dead ball situation as per FIFA rules. Player substitutions are unlimited, and players may re-enter the game. 

b.  A player on the field receiving a Red card may not be replaced by a substitute

c.   Fair Play - 60’s and 65’s when players from both teams are ejected from a game for a Red Card infraction the teams may continue to field 11 players per side UNLESS one of the teams does not have a substitute available in which case the game must carry on with an equal number of players from both teams. 

Team Complement (Guest Player/s Call Up), and Club Rules & Policies 

Team Complement

A team in BCMSL must have at least 18 registered players to be considered a viable team. This threshold is to protect players and ensure teams can field a full squad for every scheduled match. Teams with less than 18 players may be denied further participation in the BCMSL. The league recommends at least 20 players per team and notes the average number of players per team is currently more than 22.

Club Concept Definition:

All Teams belonging to an organization or association participating in multiple divisions may operate as a single ‘Club’.

Each Team belonging to a "Club" must have a minimum of 16 registered players. The Club average team roster size must be not less than 18 players per team.

Inter Club Call UP (ICP)

Teams may ‘call up’ a maximum of 5 players per game.

a)   The BCMSL CALL UP System is designed to assist teams who temporarily need players to field a full complement of players for a game, not to increase the talent of the squad

b)  A Team can CALL UP player/s from any division so long as the player/s are of the minimum age of the division in which they will be playing.  

c)   A Team can not CALL UP any underage player/s from the same division

d)  In the spirit of fun and fitness and respectful competition, a team may ‘borrow’ players from the opposing team so long as the borrowed player'/s name appear on the roster. The Referee shall note the transfer of the player(s) in the match report.  The game shall be played as a normal game and the result will be recorded as such. 

GAME RULES

BCMSL follows the F.I.F.A. Laws of the Game with minor exceptions.

Player Substitution 

a.   Teams are allowed unlimited substitutions - substituted players may re-enter the game

Player’s Personal Attire 

a.   All players must wear game safety gear (shin guards, shoes)

b.  All players must remove all jewellery (wedding bands excepted)

c.   Wear matching, numbered uniforms and must NOT share or change their uniform during the match.   

Sliding and Tackling

a.   Slide Tackling is not permitted. A Slide Tackle shall result in the award of a direct free kick against the offending player's team. 

b.  Sliding is permitted by a Goalkeeper for a save within the penalty area

c.   Sliding is permitted by a player to save a ball or score into an open net ONLY when an opponent is not in close proximity, as assessed by the Referee (approximately 2-3 metres)

d.  Players on the ground are not allowed to contest for the ball

Injury

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

GAME CANCELLATION POLICIES

Teams may ONLY cancel games under the following circumstances:

a.   Field closure - per the fields’ governing agency (i.e. municipality)

b.  Field is not playable - per the referee’s assessment

c.   Field is not properly marked to the satisfaction of the referee (forfeit by home team)

d.  Special Circumstance - If any cancellation is required by a team due to Special Circumstances, the Cancel Game Form must be completed as soon as practicable and ideally more than 48hrs prior to the game. The League must be notified of the Special Circumstances BEFORE the game is cancelled.

e.   All cancelled games (for reasons other than A or B) are considered forfeits by the team who cancels the match. The League will determine if the Forfeiture policy applies to games cancelled for special circumstances.

(Lacking sufficient players is not a Special Circumstance) 

f.     The BCMSL follows the field closure policies of the agencies that provide the fields to the league.  Home teams are responsible for ensuring games are cancelled when the field is closed by the municipality – and will ensure the field is inspected and assessed for playability in those jurisdictions that allow fields to be used at the discretion of the teams (League). A game day inspection should be conducted not less than 2 hours before the scheduled start time so the visiting team may be alerted to a closure before they begin travel to the match.

Game Cancellation Team Discipline: 

The Cancel Game Form must be completed when a game is cancelled, failure to do so is an administrative violation – directly notifying the League (Scheduler or GM), or other team, is not an acceptable alternative to the Cancel Game Form.

In the case where a field inspection is required before a game, Section E above is applicable.

First Infraction:

A.   A team correctly cancelling the game but failing to provide the proper period of notice shall be fined $50

Second Infraction:

B.  A team correctly cancelling the game but failing to provide the proper period of notice a second time shall be fined $100

Third Infraction:

C. A team correctly cancelling the game but failing to provide the proper period of notice a third time shall be fined $250

Forfeited / Cancelled Game: (The 48 hours minimum notice is applicable)

If a team must cancel a game due to lack of players, or for other reasons of convenience, the game is a forfeit and the league rules regarding forfeiting games apply.

Referee's compensation

1. Should a game be cancelled with more than 48hrs notice there will not be any Referee's Compensation

2. Should a game be cancelled within the 48hrs notice, the Scheduled Referee will be paid their full fee – notwithstanding the conditions described in the Referee Section of the BCMSL Rules and Regulations

For all cancelled games, the team that cancelled the game is responsible for the costs associated with the scheduled match – including Referee fees and field rental charges. This shall be assessed as not less than $150 in costs and may be adjusted to reflect any costs in excess of this amount.

A team that forfeits a game is subject to $100 penalty for the first forfeiture of the season.

If a team forfeits a second game in a season the team is subject to a $200 penalty.

DISCIPLINARY RULES, POLICIES & PROCEDURES

The League President / Owner shall appoint three (3) or more members from the league to the disciplinary committee. The Committee shall make recommendations to the Executive as needed.

All disciplinary actions shall be reviewed by the Disciplinary Committee

The disciplinary committee shall:

• a)     consist of no less than 3 members (and an alternate)
• b)     shall have a Chairperson appointed by the League President
• c)      appoint one of their members as a secretary for the purpose of correspondence 
• d)     review all disciplinary reports within 7 days of reception of all documents submitted
• e)      review all disciplinary appeals within 7 days of reception of all documents submitted
• f)        apply any sanction or dismissal once the review has been completed
• g)      after review, shall forward their final assessment to the individual or parties involved in writing within the time limit
• h)      shall report all extraordinary discipline to the Executive

At the discretion of the committee the Head Referee may be consulted on disciplinary matters. 

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

Disciplinary Committee rulings are not appealable unless the imposed penalty is in excess of a league minimum prescribed penalty. 

DISCIPLINARY CARD ISSUANCE 

Yellow Cards 

All yellow cards are recorded

a.   Player Accumulation:
- Accumulation of three (3) yellow cards in a season will command a one (1) game suspension - to be served at the next scheduled game.
- Accumulation of five (5) yellow cards in a season will command a one (1) game suspension – to be served at the next scheduled game.
Accumulation of seven (6) yellow cards in a season will command a two (2) game suspension – to be served over the next 2 scheduled games.  
Accumulation of 7 yellow cards in a season will result in suspension for the balance of the season and require a hearing before the Discipline Committee prior to the player being allowed to resume play in the league.

b.  Two (2) yellow cards in a game shall trigger issuance of a red card and a minimum of a one game suspension. 

c.   Slide Tackling will warrant a Yellow Card - (At the referee’s discretion)

d.  A Yellow Card may be issued for the following infractions:

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

b)  Verbal harassment or indecent gesture towards a match official

c)   Charging of the Goalkeeper – Incidental contact with the goalkeeper.

d)  A player who is unable to produce a physical government issued ID to confirm his identity and age when requested by the referee shall be issued a yellow card

e)   Accumulated Yellow cards do not carry over to the following season however receiving a suspension for yellow card accumulation prior to the end of the season will carry over

Red Card

All Red Cards are recorded, and any direct Red Card shall trigger a $50 fine, payable by the player to the league prior to that player becoming eligible to resume play. A second direct Red Card in the same season shall trigger a $100 fine payable by the player to the league prior to that player becoming eligible to resume play.

a.   A player receiving a red card is automatically suspended for the next game.

b.  A player receiving two (2) Red Cards in a season will automatically be suspended for two (2) games, in addition to any other suspension determined by the disciplinary committee.

c.   A player who has been ejected from the game and while outside the field of play proceeds to harass or insult the referee or other players will be assessed an additional three (3) game suspension.

d.  A player who in a season receives a second (2) red card for foul and abusive language and persistent criticism of referee’s calls will be assessed a four (4) game suspension.

e.   A player who receives a third (3) red card for foul and abusive language and persistent criticism of referee’s calls will be assessed an indefinite suspension. Re-instatement must by approved by the League President.  

f.     A player receiving three (3) Red Cards in a season will be suspended indefinitely and must appeal to the Discipline Committee for re-instatement to the league. Re-instatement must by approved by the League President.  

g.   A red card is issued for any physical altercation including but not limited to; kicking, punching, fighting, elbowing, head-butting, grappling, physical contact of a game official, or inciting fighting, will result in a Minimum five (5) game suspension.

h.   A player who is identified by the referee as the one initiating or provoking a fight or violent incident involving multiple players shall receive an additional three (3) game suspension in addition to any other suspension assessed.

i.     A red card issued for any Professional Foul, such as preventing a scoring opportunity, shall trigger a Minimum one (1) game suspension.

j.     A player found and confirmed by the Referee to be playing in a game who is unregistered, or underaged, or under the identity of another player, shall receive a red card and an indefinite suspension from the league and must appeal to the Discipline Committee for re-instatement to the league. Re-instatement must be approved by the League President.

k.   Any team manager found to be playing an unregistered or underaged player will receive Red Card and a minimum three (3) game suspension for any activity (playing, managing, coaching) within the league.

Red card mandatory minimum discipline:

Players receiving a red card for any of the following

a)   Intentional tripping of an opponent - Minimum of three (3) game suspension 

b)  Persistent harassments, abusive language, improper gestures or threats towards game or BCMSL officials - Minimum of three (3) game suspension

c)   Kicking an opponent or teammate with intent - Minimum of five (5) games suspension

d)  Punching an opponent or teammate - Minimum of five (5) game suspension

e)   Headbutting an opponent or teammate - Minimum of five (5) game suspension

f)     Elbowing an opponent or teammate with intent - Minimum of five (5) game suspension

g)   Tackling an opponent recklessly or without regard for injury (Serious Foul Play) - Minimum of three (3) game suspension

h)   Spitting on an opponent or teammate - Minimum of five (5) game suspension

i)     Fighting or participating in a fight with an opponent or teammate - Minimum of five (5) game suspension

j)     Entering the field of play to engage an opposing player or game official in a verbal or physical confrontation - Minimum of three (3) game suspension.

League Minimum penalties are not subject to appeal. The Disciplinary Committee may issue penalties in excess of the League minimum penalties when they determine such penalties are appropriate. The League President reserves the right to issue extraordinary discipline (up to and including dismissal of players, teams and clubs) as needed to protect the interests of the league and its’ participants.

PARKS & RECREATIONS and SCHOOL BOARD POLICIES

BCMSL has agreed to and will enforce the Parks & School Boards policies of our providing agencies such as:

a.      Field Closure (No Game or Practice)

b.     “Zero Alcohol Tolerance”

c.      Use of foul Language

d.     Indiscrete Urinating

e.      Neighbourhood Littering

f.        Use of illegal Substances

All Incident Reports: (Beside Professional Foul in the field 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 of the game end.

Playoffs - Divisional Recognition

BCMSL offers the opportunity to for respectful competition and will provide a competitive tournament during the season in all divisions except the Over 60 and Over 65 age groups. This may be a Playoff held at the end of the season OR a Cup Tournament run throughout the season.    

The Playoff:

The top four teams in each age division will be invited to participate in the playoff.  For any division with two pools of teams, the top two teams from each pool will be play in a crossover playoff format (1v2 & 2v1). For any division with a single pool the top four teams will playoff (1v4 & 2v3). 

Standings for each division will be determined after the designated number of weeks of competition and will be based on average points per game ranking. If tied, head-to-head results and then goals for will be the tie breakers.

The playoff games will be held in final weeks of the season in place of the regular season games – dates and venues TBD. (Teams not in the playoffs will play their regular scheduled matches in those weeks)

If a team opts not to participate in the playoff the league will appoint a replacement team based on standings.

Any team that has forfeited more than 1 game during the season is not eligible for the playoffs.

 Cup Tournament: 

 BCMSL may opt to run a Cup Tournament throughout the season of play. 

a)      All teams in the age group are eligible to join the tournament

b)     Teams may opt out of the tournament

c)      The League Scheduler will use a random draw to determine the initial Cup brackets

d)     The league will designate Cup weekends on which the Cup ties will be played

e)     The Cup draw will be from the entire age group and not restricted to divisions

f)       The tournament will use a single elimination knock-out format

Fines & Outstanding Balance Rules & Policies 

• a)     All Fines and Outstanding Balances must be paid within 7 days of being issued to the team.
• b)     Any team owing monies for more than seven days shall be deemed to be ‘not in good standing’ with the League.
• c)      The League reserves the right to cancel games for indebtedness. Games cancelled for this reason shall be classified as a ‘forfeit’ and the forfeit rules and penalties shall apply.