NHML Play Off Regulations 2014-15
1. Dates & Venue
The Dates and Venue for the play off will be decided by the League Committee. Any teamqualifying for the Play Offs who later withdraws will be deemed to have lost their match.
2. Player Eligibility
Only those players correctly registered in time for the final league match for the team competing in the playoff will be eligible to take part in the play off. A club 2nd XI taking part in the play offs cannot select any Starred Players.
Each team shall complete and sign aNHML away team sheet which should be handed to the match delegate at least 30 minutes before the game.
3. Match Delegate
A match delegate will be appointed by the league and in the event of any dispute his decision will be final. Match Delegates are empowered to interpret these Regulations at their discretion and their ruling on any matter shall be final. If there is a need for a protest to be made, it shall be made in writing to the Match Delegate by the Captain or Manager within fifteen minutes of the final whistle.
The Match Delegate may direct any player or official to be removed from a team bench for indiscipline. This will involve the person concerned leaving the playing area, as directed by the Match Delegate, forthe remainder of the match. The Match Delegate may draw the attention of the Umpires to any incident of indiscipline by any player orofficial from a team bench. The Umpires may then impose such personal penalty as they think fit. Ifthe Umpires permanently (red card) or temporarily (yellow card) suspend a player or official from theteam bench, this will require the relevant team to withdraw a player from the pitch for the duration ofthe suspension.
Each team must carry with it a change of strip.
4. Match Balls
Each team will provide 3 suitable match balls for the game.
5. Draw after 70 minutes
The captains shall toss for ends and, after an interval of 5 minutes, extra time shall be played. Itshall consist of two 7½ minute periods, separated by a 3 minute interval during which the teamsshall change ends. The extra time shall cease once a team has been awarded a goal. That teamshall be the winner of the match.
If the scores are still level after extra time, the outcome of the match shall be determined by aseries of penalty strokes.
If, at the conclusion of any match in a KO Competition, a penalty stroke competition is required the following procedure isto be adopted:
i. The Match Delegate and the Umpires shall together choose the goal to be used and the Captains shall toss todecide which team shall take the first penalty stroke.
ii. Five different players from each of the teams, chosen from the players listed on the teamsheet, but excludingany player who has been permanently suspended from the game (red card), shall take a penalty strokealternately against one and the same goalkeeper of the other team. Only if that goalkeeper is, in the opinion
of the Umpires, incapacitated through injury, or is suspended, shall a team be permitted to substitute thegoalkeeper during the course of a particular series in the stroke competition.
iii. The team which has been awarded the higher number of goals shall be the winner.
iv. In the event of an equal number of goals having been awarded, another series of penalty strokes shall betaken under the above conditions and with the same five players (subject to any incapacitated player beingreplaced or a suspended goalkeeper being substituted) but on a sudden death basis, that is, the team having
been awarded the most goals after an equal number of strokes have been taken shall be the winner.
v. The sequence in which the players take the strokes for their team need not be the same as in the previousseries. The team manager has freedom of choice at the time of each stroke as to which of the five nominatedplayers will take the stroke although must use all five nominated players per round.
vi. The team that has taken the first penalty stroke of a series shall not take the first penalty stroke of thefollowing series (if any).
6. Expenses of Play Offs
The NHML will pay the cost of the pitch hire and umpires expenses , whilst the participating teams will pay for the cost of teas. Any team withdrawing from the Play Offs will meet all the costs incurred in relation to the match theywithdrew from.
Other than variations set out above the League rules shall apply.