IFA Challenge Cup season 2009/10 Rules

1. The IFA Challenge Cup rules are the same as for the IFA League
   
   
2. The final will held be at WorldNET 2010 on Friday the 23rd July 2010 at the University Of Leeds' Bodington Hall. Kick off will be 6.00pm and finalists agree to be on site by 5.30pm.  There will be a formal presentation at 8pm, immediately after the final, in the upstairs Hall of the Main Building.  Winners and Runners Up are expected to attend this presentation.
   
   
3. The initial draw will be on a regional basis with the option to opt out of a regional game in round one and to take pot luck (this could mean a trip to The Granite City or Sarfend)  All subsequent draws will be random so teams may have to travel long distances.
   
   
4. The 5 options for regions in the initial draw are:  Scotland, North of England, The Midlands, South and Random.  If you do not state an option on your entry form you will be placed in the random pot.
   
   
5. All semi finals will be played on neutral ground by arrangement between both teams.  Failure to agree dates, times and venues will be scrutinised by the IFA Committee and the match will be forfeited if one or other team has not co-operated fully in agreeing match arrangements.
   
   
6. Match results will be available on the IFA Stats website
   
   
7. Match deadlines are as follows:
   
   First Round: December 31^st 2009
   Second Round: February 28^th 2010
   Quarter Finals: April 30^th 2010
   Semi Finals: July 1^st 2010
   
   
8. The home team must provide a qualified referee
   
   
9. All teams shall complete an entry form and pay the entry fee of £20.  The entry form and these rules will be available as word documents and PDFs file on the Yahoo Group website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IFAworldNET/. Entry Fees are not refundable under any circumstances.
   
   
10. The games must be played on grass (an end of season dispensation for the use of artificial pitches will be considered by the IFA Committee) unless both teams agree otherwise.
    
    
11. With consent of both teams, the away team can act as the home team - this is to allow those who like to travel to do so.
    
    
12. The minimum number of players is eight to qualify as a game. Any team turning up with less than 8 (or indeed not turning up), 30 minutes after the tie is due to start, will automatically forfeit the tie. You can then play a mixed friendly.
13. The game must be the full 90 minutes, unless both teams agree. We would say minimum is 35 minutes each way with both teams agreeing.
    
    
14. No extra-time will be played – matches drawn at the final whistle go straight to penalties. This applies for the whole tournament. This is to ensure that the teams have time to get to senior matches after the games.
    
    
15. Games will be played on a weekend, unless both teams agree.
    
    
16. Anyone failing to complete their fixtures runs the risk of being excluded from the following years' competition in the scenario that we have odd numbers of entrants.
    
    
17. All teams are expected to resolve their disputes amicably and in a grown-up manner. Should this not be the case, reluctantly the Rules Committee will step in. The Rules Committee decisions on disputes are final – i.e. not up for debate!