Football Rules and Guidelines

FOOTBALL RULES AND GUIDELINES (Revised 2023 August 14)

A. GENERAL

2. 1. Home teams are named first in the fixture. All matches begin at the time indicated on the fixtures unless otherwise advised in writing by ISSA.
      
      
   2. All players must be duly registered in the school before they can participate and must be registered in the school by September 30, 2023, this year.
      
      
   3. If ISSA believes a player’s eligibility is in question, ISSA reserves the right to consider the said player ineligible to participate, until the player’s eligibility status is confirmed, in accordance with the applicable regulations.
      
      
   4. All players (except the Goalkeeper) from any one team must wear similar jerseys while on the field of play.
      
      
   5. All players are required to have their jerseys tucked in their shorts while entering the field of play.
      
      
   6. Teams are requested to wear their registered colours. Whenever there is a “clash” of colours between two competing teams, the visiting team is required to change (providing the home team is in its registered colours).
      
      
   7. The numbers on the players’ shirts must correspond with the numbers indicated on the start list (numbers 1-40 only). All goalkeepers and the captain must be identified as such; the number 1 shirt must be reserved for one of the goalkeepers.
      
      
   8. Teams must print their Start Lists from the ISSA Portal. This also includes the pictures of the players on the start list.
      
      
   9. Writing in the name(s) of the players on the Start List is not allowed.
      
      
   10. After the start lists have been completed, signed by the head coach, and given to the referee, and if the match has not yet started, the following will apply:
       
       
       • If any of the starting 1 players listed on the start list are not able to start the match for any reason, he/they may be replaced by any of the 11 substitutes. The replaced player(s) may no longer take part in the match, and the quota of substitute players shall be reduced accordingly. During the match, seven players may still be substituted.
         
         
       • If any of the 11 substitutes listed on the start list are not able to play for any reason, the player(s) concerned may not be replaced on the bench by an additional player, which means that the quota of substitutes shall be reduced accordingly. During the match, seven players may still be substituted.
         
         
       • Although no longer eligible to play as a substitute, the injured or ill players) who was removed from the start list may be seated on the substitutes’ bench.
         
         
       • No more than eighteen (18) persons (11 players and 7 officials) shall be allowed to sit in the technical area. The names of these officials must be indicated on the start list. A suspended player or official will not be allowed in the Competitions Area (locker room), field of play or to sit on the substitutes’ bench.
   11. All teams MUST be attired in uniforms which conform to the branding plan for the competition’s gear issued by ISSA. Schools are not allowed to alter in ANY WAY, the branding of team uniforms.
       
       Additionally, schools are not allowed to wear non-sponsoring competing brands during warm-up at the venue or on bibs in the designated team areas.Where schools are found to have breached the branding arrangements for uniforms or match venues, the teams will lose all points earned for the related game(s), and a score of negative three (-3) goal difference recorded.
       
       Further disciplinary actions including suspension from the competitions may also be taken against the school.
       
       
   12. Two (2) or less yellow cards will get eliminated at the end of the Preliminary Round and not carried over to the 2″‘ Round.
       
       
   13. If a player receives 3 yellow cards in the preliminary round, he will automatically be suspended from his team’s next match.
       
       
   14. Red card (direct or indirect) suspensions shall be served regardless of the stage of the competition.
       
       
   15. Unserved suspensions will be carried over to the player’s next match, inclusive of the following year.
       
       
   16. Coaches, Sports Masters, and Team Officials are subject to the same
       discipline as the players. In keeping with the 2019 amendment of the FIFA rules, coaches/match officials may also be issued yellow/red cards.
       
       The same rule applicable to players in (Rules 13 – 16) above will apply to coaches/team officials excepting that the receipt of TWO (2) yellow cards in the preliminary round will result in suspension of the coach /team official.
       
       
   17. The second round commences with the final sixteen (16) teams for Manning Cup and the final thirty-two (32) teams for the Dacosta Cup.
       
       
   18. The issuance of 3 yellow cards (Dacosta Cup) or 2 yellow cards (Manning Cup) between the second round and semi-finals will result in the player missing the next scheduled match, in which he is eligible.
       
       
   19. Cautions will not be carried over to the semi-finals.
       
       
   20. Yellow Cards in the Dacosta and Manning Cups does NOT apply for the KO Competitions.
       
       
   21. Red Card carries across ALL ISSA Competitions.
       
       
   22. A suspended player or officials will not be allowed in locker room field of play or on the substitutes’ bench.
       
       
   23. Team officials and substitutes shall remain within the technical area
       during the match except in special circumstances, e.g., a physiotherapist/doctor entering the field of play, with referee’s permission, to assess an injured player. Team officials and substitutes who fail to abide by the aforementioned provision can be sanctioned and reported to the Disciplinary Committee.
       
       
   24. Only the following category of officials will be permitted on “the team bench” during a match:-
       
       
       1. The Coaches
       2. Head of Sports Departments
       3. Manager(s)
       4. Medical Personnel
       5. Principal
          
          
   25. All protests must be lodged, in writing, within 48 hours of the incident. If made after this time, the protest will be investigated, however, it will not affect the match result.
       
       
   26. The names of all players, coaches, managers, and sportsmasters must be registered with the Managing Committee prior to being involved in the competition.
       
       
   27. The Managing Committee reserves the right to decide on the format to be used in each competition.
       
       
   28. A maximum of twenty-two (22) players for each game (up to 40 players may be registered for the competition) may be registered with the Managing Committee, these players will be posted on the ISSA website. Substitutes or new registrations may be made throughout the season.
       
       
       1. All substitutions to the list of twenty-two (22) registered players must be done prior to involvement in the competition.
          
          
       2. In the case of new registration after the start of competition, the relevant documents must be submitted to ISSA’s office for approval prior to involvement in the competition.
   29. Points System: Three (3) points for a win, one (1) pointfor a draw, 0 point for a loss. “Should a team fail to honour a fixture without a valid excuse acceptable to the Managing Committee, said team will forfeit the match, and the opponent awarded three points and a score of three (3) nil.”
       
       
   30. Any team which fails to arrive earlier than thirty (30) minutes BEFORE the scheduled start without the consent of the Managing Committee will forfeit the match. If a team fails to honour two (2) fixtures in a season
       that team will be scratched from the competition and may be omitted from the next competition.
       
       
   31. If a team does not report for a match, except in cases of force majeure, or refuses to continue to play, or leaves the pitch before the end of the match, the mentioned team shall be considered to have lost the match 3-0 and three points shall be awarded to its opponent. If in the case of an abandoned match, the winning team had already reached a higher score at the time the team in question left the field, then the higher score shall remain. The offending team may also be referred to the ISSA Disciplinary Committee for further action.
       
       
   32. Further to the above provision, in the case of a match being abandoned as a result of force majeure after it has already kicked off, the following principles will apply:
       
       
       • 29.1: The match shall recommence at the minute at which play was
         interrupted rather than being replayed in full and with the same scoreline;
         
         
       • 29.2: The match shall recommence with the same players on the pitch and substitutes available as when the match was abandoned;
         
         
       • 29.3: No additional substitutes may be added to the list of players on the team sheet;
         
         
       • 29.4: The teams can make only the number of substitutions to which they were still entitled when the match was abandoned;
         
         
       • 29.5: Players sent off during the abandoned match cannot be replaced;
         
         
       • 29.6: Any sanctions imposed before the match was abandoned remain valid for the remainder of the match;
         
         
       • 29.7: The match shall restart at the place where play was stopped when the match was abandoned (i.e., with a free kick, throw-in, goal kick, corner kick, penalty kick, etc.). If the match was abandoned while the ball was still in play, it shall restart with a dropped ball from the position of the ball when play was stopped.
         
         
   33. Should there be a tie for any place the winner is decided in the following order:
       
       
       • Goal difference
       • Most goals scored
       • Least goals conceded
       • Head-to-head results
       • Fair Play Record (The lowest number of points based on the number of yellow and red cards in all group matches is considered according to the following additions:
         
         
         • Yellow card: 1 point
         • Indirect red card: 3 points
         • Direct red card: 4 points
         • Yellow card and direct red card: 5 points
           
           
   34. In the DaCosta Cup/Manning Cup, if the number of teams in each Zone differs, the best 3” place and the next best 3rd place teams will be determined by the number of points earned divided by the number of matches played. The team with the higher points per game will be deemed the higher-ranked team.

B. MANNING AND DACOSTA CUP COMPETITIONS

1. ISSA reserves the right to decide on all venues, dates, and times for the start of the matches throughout the competition.
   
   
2. Schools are responsible for ensuring that medical support is provided throughout the entire competition for their individual team.
   
   
3. All players must be under nineteen (19) years old on August 31 preceding start of the school year.
   
   
4. A Match Day Activity Countdown is provided as a guide for teams to adhere to on each Match Day. TEAMS are expected to strictly abide by the times allocated for these activities.

    

5. Home teams MUST provide at least THREE MATCH BALLS for their home games.
   
   
6. Duration of matches: Two halves of forty-five (45) minutes each, with an interval of ten to fifteen minutes.
   
   
7. Depending on the current weather conditions, the referee may implement “waterbreaks” during both halves of the match.
   
   
8. Substitutions. SEVEN (7) substitutions are allowed per team per match. However, ONLY a maximum of FOUR (4) substitution windows are allowed for these.
   
   
9. Home teams shall provide refreshments in the Preliminary Round, whilst each team is responsible for their own refreshments after the Preliminary Round.
   
   
10. Any match which is “unplayed” will be rescheduled for the next playing, providing that there is a minimum of forty-eight (48) hours before the next scheduled game on the fixtures for both teams.
    
    
11. Withdrawal of Team Before End of Season: If a team does not
    complete its Preliminary Round schedule, the following rules shall take effect:
    
    
    • If 66% of the scheduled games have been played, all scores shall stand. The points of the remaining games shall be credited to the opponents.
      
      
    • If less than 66% of the scheduled games are played, all games played shall be considered void.
      
      
12. The Association is responsible for the supervision of all matches in conjunction with the Principals involved and the appointed Venue Operations Team.

MANNING CUP

1. The FIRST and SECOND place teams from each group along with the FOUR BEST THIRD Placed teams (16 teams) in the Manning Cup First Round will advance to the second round of the Manning Cup.
   
   
2. These games will be played on a home and away basis as follows:
   
   a. 1vs 16, 2vs 15, 3vs 14, 4vs 13, 5vs 12, 6vs 11, 7vs 10 &8vs 9.
   
   
3. The eight (8) winners on aggregate will then advance to the Quarter- Finals, with 2 Zones of 4 teams.
   
   
4. The FIRST and second-placed teams (4 teams) will advance to the Semi- Final-Final.
   
   
5. The winners will then play the Final.

DACOSTA CUP

1. Zones C, E & I (Zones with 8 teams) will play each other once (home or away). After these 7 matches, the teams will be ranked (based on (1) Points Earned, (2) Goal Difference and (3) Goals Scored) and split into 2 Groups, 1-4 &5- 8. The teams in the Groups will play each other once, hence, completing a total of ten matches. Only the teams ranked 1- 4 after the first 7 games will have a chance to qualify as one of two automatic qualifiers or one of the best third-place teams to advance. For the final three games in the zone, teams will play their games at the opposition venues where they hosted the opposition in the first seven games.
   
   
2. Thirty-two (32) teams from the First Round will advance to the second round of the Dacosta Cup.
   
   The FIRST and SECOND placed teams from each group will automatically qualify. In addition, Zone C will have a 3rd automatic qualifier. The three (3) qualifiers from Zone C must include the highest-placed team from the previously established Trelawny Zone.
   
   

   The Three (3) BEST THIRD placed teams from the remaining Zones will be determined as follows:

   1. POOL 1-ZonesA,F,J,K,L&N(1team)
      
      
   2. POOL 2- Zones B, D, E, G, H, I&M(2 teams)
      
      
3. These games will be played on a home and away basis as follows:
   
   
   1. 1vs 32, 2vs 31, 3vs 30, 4vs 29, 5vs 28, 6vs 27, 7vs 26, 8vs 25, 9vS 2 4 , 10 v s 2 3 , 1 1 v s 2 2 , 12 v s 2 1 , 13 v s 2 0 , 14 v s 1 9 , 15 v s 18 8 1 6 v s 17
4. The sixteen (16) winners on aggregate will then advance to the Round of 16, with 4 Zones of 4 teams.
   
   
5. The FIRST and second-placed teams from each Zone (8 teams) will then advance to the Quarter-Final, with 2 Zones of 4 teams.
   
   
6. The FIRST and second-placed teams (4 teams) will advance to the Semi-Final.
   
   
7. The winners will then play the Final.

C. WALKER CUP COMPETITION

1. The competition will be played on a KNOCK-OUT BASIS.
   
   
2. The eight (8) teams that did not advance from the Round of 16 of the Manning Cup will contest the *1 Round of the WALKER CUP.
   
   
3. The Quarter-finals will be contested by the four winners from the first round and the other 4 teams that did not advance from the Manning Cup Quarter-Finals.
   
   
4. The winners will then advance to the semi-finals.
   
   
5. The winners will then contest the Final.
   
   
6. All matches which end in a draw at the end of regulation time will be decided by “KICKS FROM THE PENALTY MARK” (Penalty Shoot Out). There will be NO EXTRA TIME.
   
   
7. All other rules of the Manning Cup competition apply.

D. BEN FRANCIS CUP COMPETITION

1. The competition will be played on a KNOCK-OUT BASIS.
   
   
2. The eight (8) teams that did not advance from the Round of 16 of the Manning Cup will contest the *1 Round of the WALKER CUP.
   
   
3. The Quarter-finals will be contested by the four winners from the first round and the other 4 teams that did not advance from the DaCosta Cup Quarter-Finals.
   
   
4. The winners will then advance to the semi-finals.
   
   
5. The winners will then contest the Final.
   
   
6. All matches which end in a draw at the end of regulation time will be decided by “KICKS FROM THE PENALTY MARK” (Penalty Shoot Out). There will be NO EXTRA TIME.
   
   
7. All other rules of the DaCosta Cup competition apply.

E.  CHAMPIONS CUP

1. The FOUR TEAMS in both the Manning and Dacosta Cup Semi-Finals will contest the ALL ISLAND KO Competition.
   
   
2. The Competition will be played on a KNOCK-OUT basis.
   
   
3. The details for the ALL ISLAND KO will be provided after the start of the Manning and Dacosta Cups.
   
   

   SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES
   Any matters not provided for in these Regulations and any cases of force majeure shall be decided by ISSA Organizing Committee. All decisions shall be final and binding and not subject to appeal