Christian Points
Games are to be played with a Christian spirit. Competitive sports are physical by their very nature, and we all know we can get a little hot under the collar when out on the pitch. It’s how we deal with these situations and our attitude when we’re faced with them that really counts.
To encourage players to maintain a friendly Christian spirit when on the field we run a Christian Points table along side the competitive league. When organisers are phoning in their results, they must allocate Christian Points to the other team for their attitude on the pitch. Christian Points are confidential and will not be published. At the end of the season the team with the most CP are awarded the Sportsmanship Trophy. Points are awarded out of six and the guide below can be used when choosing how to award the other team.
- Six: It wasn’t just a great game, it was much more than just win or lose and the opposing team were a real pleasure to play with
- Five: A good and friendly, competitive match
- Four: There were a few niggles and some players in the opposing team could work on improving their attitude
- Three: There was a problem where the team was acting in an unsportsmanlike manner
- Two: Aggressive or violent behaviour from the other team (the league organisers will follow this up and discuss the match with both team captains)
- One: The opposition exhibited an attitude that wouldn’t be tolerated in any organised sports league (a one can result in the suspension of players, or a team from the league)
There are no half points issued. Please remember that when considering Christian Points you are looking at the whole of the game rather than one or two minor incidents.
In the interests of fairness, if a team fails to advise CP its results, then that team will be penalised one Christian point while the opposing team will automatically receive five Christian points.
At the end of the season all teams are ranked according the total Christian Points in their division. If a team falls more than 15% below the average score for their division then they will receive a call and are invited to improve that score.
Teams
Christian Affiliation
All teams must be affiliated with a Christian church or organisation. Each team must comprise of players from your own church, or who have a close connection to your church. A combination of several churches forming a team is also acceptable.
There is opportunity to invite non-Christian friends to play on your team. However we ask that you do not abuse this opportunity. The majority of each team should always be made up of Christian players.
Kit
Teams must be dressed in identical, numbered shirts. Player’s shorts and socks should be of a similar colour. If a player is not in the field of play (i.e. a substitute) then they must cover their shirt with different coloured clothing so as to not confuse the other team as to the positioning of your players.
Shin guards and soccer boots are mandatory. Touch shoes may be used in the early part of the season while the ground is still hard.
Each team should supply a match ball, a whistle for the referee and a goal net.
Basic Rules of the Game
Tackles
Tackles from behind are illegal and a sending off offence after the first caution. This also applies to any tackle deemed dangerous by the referee including some styles of sliding tackles or tackling with two feet. A note to referees; please use common sense and realistic judgement in these situations.
Keepers & Throw Ins
The keeper may not pick up the ball outside of the goal box. This is a professional foul and a sending off offence.
The throw in after the ball has crossed the sideline must be performed correctly: the ball should be held in two hands and drawn behind the player’s head and thrown in one swift motion. The player’s feet must both remain on the ground during the throw. You cannot dummy or fake a throw in.
Offside
A player is in an offside position if three conditions are met: first, the player must be on the opposing team’s half of the field. Second, the player must be in front of the ball. And third, there must be fewer than two opposing players between him and the opposing goal line, with the goalkeeper counting as an opposing player for these purposes. Any attacker that is level with or behind the ball is not in an offside position and may never be sanctioned for an offside offence.
Playing Fields
All teams are expected to look after the grounds they use and take home all rubbish including tape, plastic bags and water containers. Do not leave mud on concrete paths. If it’s raining and teams seek cover under covered walk ways, ensure that players clean it up any mess before they leave the field.
In the event of wet weather if there is no cancellation posted on the website, please use your own judgement on whether your ground is too wet or not.
Be considerate when parking your vehicles. Do not block access to driveways and garages and do not park on the grass where your vehicle will leave marks.
Assigned grounds may be changed subject to discussions with Mainland Soccer. Please check the draw on the website the day before you are scheduled to play to ensure you are traveling to the correct pitch.
Kick off
Unless otherwise specified, matches start at 12:30pm with 45 minute halves. If only one team is ready to play at 12:30 then the referee is obliged to start the match irrespective of whether the other team is on the field or not. Goals scored will be credited to the team scoring them and against the team that is not on the field. The half time break is 5 minutes unless agreed otherwise.
Referees
Each team will supply a referee for half a game unless both captains agree to one referee for the whole game. If there is a player shortage then running referees may be used provided both captains agree. THIS IS THE EXCEPTION RATHER THAN THE NORM.
Referees should have a good knowledge of soccer and soccer rules, so please do not use your inexperienced players to referee. An inexperienced referee is not fair for either team nor is it fair to that chosen referee.
Each team should supply its own whistle.
The referee’s decision is final. Verbal or physical abuse of a referee will not be tolerated and is a sending off offence. In the event of a referee needing to caution a player, the captain of the offending player is to be present also.
If a decision requires clarification, the captain should be the sole person to discuss this with the referee.
In the interests of promoting sportsmanship, the referee is encouraged to give a 10 minute sin-bin to players who repeatedly complain, argue or show dissent towards a referee’s decisions. A player sent to the sin-bin for a second time during a match shall not return to the field for the remainder of the match.
Player Conduct
All players are expected to abide by the Christian spirit that the league represents. Verbal and physical abuse towards another player or the referee will not be tolerated. Any player that receives a red card shall have their name recorded. Repeat offenders will be asked to remove themselves from the league.
Any player that physically assaults another player on or off the field will be immediately ejected from the league for the remainder of the current season. Their future participation in the competition will be at the discretion of the league organisers.
Substitutes
Substitutes should be limited to a maximum of three. More may be used subject to an agreement between both of the teams (it is not considered sporting to have more than 6 substitutes per team). Substitutes must remain off the field for a minimum of 15 minutes (except in the case of injury), and must come on from the halfway line when the ball is out of play. The referee must be notified when a substitution occurs.
Substitutes not playing on the field must cover their shirt with different coloured clothing so as to not confuse the other team as to the positioning of your players.
Results
Results must be phoned, emailed or sent in by txt by 5pm the following day of play. If your match is postponed for whatever reason you must still notify that this is the case, either beforehand or on the day. Both teams need to phone in the results to avoid mistakes.
Postponements
In the event of wet weather check the website after 8am for news of postponement. If you do not see any update then please use your own judgement on whether your ground is too wet or not.
Matches postponed due to bad weather will be played on the next available Saturday. Matches can be postponed due to bad weather for a maximum of 3 weekends. After this the organisers will announce the match has been cancelled via the website. Previously scheduled matches will not be moved for postponed games (i.e. If round 3 is postponed two weeks in a row, then round 4 will be played the following week and the round 3 match will be played the weekend after. If round 3 cannot be played that on that final weekend then it will be abandoned).
Occasionally a team may have to postpone a match due to another commitment. They should give as much notice as possible to the opposing team and the organisers. When this happens please try to play at the next available non-scheduled date. Both teams must do their best to be available as soon as possible following a postponement.
If you are the team contemplating a postponement, please ensure that it is for a valid reason and contact your opposite team organiser as soon as possible. If there are any serious concerns in this area please contact the organisers so that we can resolve it quickly.
Competition
The league is run in accordance with Mainland footballs guidelines. Competition points are awarded for wins and draws. At the end of the season the two teams with the most points will play off in a finals game to decide the winner and the runner up. If there is an equal amount of points the team to go through to the finals will be decided by goal difference. If this is still the same it will be decided by goals for. In the event that the final cannot go ahead the winner will be decided by competition points, this is at the discretion of the league organizer and all efforts possible will be made to have a finals game go ahead.