Match Postponement & Cancellation

This is an update to the directives & outcomes covering clubs cancelling games to ensure fixtures are played whenever possible. However, the league appreciates that throughout the season there may be times when a team is unable to fulfil a competition match on the date set by the League. 

As you are aware amending any competition match list(s) can be complex and time consuming; late notice of postponements adversely impacts referees and the opposition (and there may be pitch charges payable); and postponements and cancellations can, on occasion, be the cause of unnecessary friction between teams. This update to the rules is to help teams understand what may happen when they postpone or cancel a competition match – but all teams must remember that ALL postponements and cancellations MUST BE notified to, and approved by, the age group Divisional Secretary. 

APPLIES TO ALL COMPETITIVE GAMES (Including Development Age Group Festival Games

Where possible teams should seek to cancel games 14 days or more ahead of the released competition match however in inside 14 days, clubs must take notice of the penalties that could now get applied for cancelling a game. 

The outcome of any cancellation will include, but will not be limited to, one or more of the following:

a) agreement to rearrange competition match (it would be helpful if both teams have agreed a new competition match date in advance)

b) a charge may be issued to the defaulting club (depending upon circumstances)

c) game awarded to the non-cancelling team

d) warning issued to a club where there are multiple requests by a team to cancel at short notice 

e) a charge is issued to a club for multiple cancellations.

In all cases of cancellations, the League Committee ruling will be final – and will be based upon the recommendation from the Divisional Secretary who will consider the reasons given by the team for cancellation, the number of times a team has cancelled competition match(s), or potentially how difficult a team has made it to rearrange postponed games. 

The full updated policy can be found here and there are plans to introduce a web enabled bespoke notification form to accompany this policy – further detail on both these items will follow in due course.

Please ensure this is cascaded through your club to team managers & administrators and if you have any questions, in the first please contact your age group divisional secretary.