Discipline
Players should be familiar with the fact that they must abide by the Laws of Association Football and that the Match Officials enforce these Laws.
The consequences of breaches of the Laws of Association Football are cautions, dismissal from the field of play and possible charges from the Surrey FA.
Participants are likely to be less familiar with the wide range of disciplinary procedures and to assist this The FA has developed guidance to summarise the County Disciplinary Procedures at Step 5 and below.
The Discipline Handbook 2023-24
You can access The 2023-24 Discipline Handbook is available by clicking on the following link: The FA Discipline Handbook.
The handbook will be a useful guide to explain the disciplinary process and details the changes that have taken place over the last few years – including match based discipline, sanction guidelines, the whole game system and changes to handling discrimination. This year’s guide also includes videos and resources that will go into greater depth to explain the disciplinary process.
Videos Included
- Eligibility of Players in Fixtures
- Who is responsible for ensuring Players are not suspended before they play?
- Wrongful Dismissals
- Why have the new RESPECT sanctions been introduced?
- Player Insurance
- What to expect when attending a County FA hearing
- Whole Game System
- What steps are The FA Taking to improve the handling of discrimination cases?
- Reporting Discrimination - Grassroots Players and Supporters
- Why do County FA's issue fines in youth football?
- Sharing your ideas to improve grassroots football
Resources
- Caution Paperwork
- Sending Off Paperwork
- Board of Appeal
- Guide to the Appeals process
- Standard Code of Rules Template
- Standard Code of Rules Youth
- Reporting Discrimination booklets for grassroots players and supporters
- Sanction Guidelines
There is also a Leagues section to provide guidance for administrators regarding the Powers and Duties of the League.
Written Reasons
Surrey FA Written Reasons
Procedures
Tackling Discrimination
The Chairmans checklist is a useful aid for County FA Commission Chairman to ensure that all the necessary processes have been correctly followed. It can also help Participants understand the general format of their hearing.
It should be noted that this document is just a guide and not compulsory so Commissions may adopt varying approaches. You can download this from the documents section below.
There may be occasions when are you are asked to attend to a County Disciplinary Hearing – either as a Player charged with misconduct, or attending as a witness to misconduct, or as a Match Official giving evidence.
The FA has produced a series of guides to help prepare you for the Hearing and let you know what to expect covering topics such as:
- What should I bring with to the hearing?
- What should I wear?
- Can I bring witnesses with me?
- How long do Personal Hearings normally last?
- What happens if I am not happy with the result of my Hearing?
- Procedures for young people
These can be downloaded from the resources section below.
Our principle is that the sporting sanction should be consistent across ALL levels of the game and the fluctuating element would be the monetary sanction imposed to reflect the level of the game.
The Sanction Guidelines document enables clubs and players to be aware of the guidance given to County Associations and Disciplinary Commissions for when assessing and deciding on disciplinary cases.
This document will serve as a useful guide for Participants to have an awareness of likely sanction should the case against them be found proven. You can download this from the resources section below.
Step 5
Stage 1 (accumulation of six offences): Warning as to future conduct
Stage 2 (accumulation of 10 offences): £150
Stage 3 (accumulation of 15 offences): £300
Stage 4 (accumulation of 20 offences): Charge under FA rule E20 - Failure to control players
Step 6 & 7
Stage 1 (accumulation of six offences): Warning as to future conduct
Stage 2 (accumulation of 10 offences): £75
Stage 3 (accumulation of 15 offences): £150
Stage 4 (accumulation of 20 offences): Charge under FA rule E20 - Failure to control players
Outside National League System (including youth)
Stage 1 (accumulation of six offences): Warning as to future conduct
Stage 2 (accumulation of 10 offences): £50
Stage 3 (accumulation of 15 offences): £100
Stage 4 (accumulation of 20 offences): Charge under FA rule E20 - Failure to control players
The deadlines for appeal and submitting evidence have also been amended to be more beneficial for Clubs operating at Steps 5 to 7 and below – appeals will still be heard before any suspension is due to commence.
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