General conditions – league and knockout competitions
1 . Entries close to the Water Polo Secretary on or before 1st February each year. They shall be made in writing and will not be accepted unless accompanied by the entry fee.
2. Each Club must submit to the Water Polo Secretary, not later than 1st February each year, a list of members for registration, registration is subject to compliance with Rule 19 of the County Associations Rules..
3 . Registration fees are to be paid at the time of registration and no registration shall be accepted unless accompanied by a registration fee.
4. New members must be registered under the same conditions not less than seven clear days before he or she may play in a League or Cup match.
5. No player other than those registered with the Association and holding a current ASA registration shall be allowed to compete.
6. No player may play for more than one Club in any one season.
7. Juniors under 19 on the 31st December in the year of the competition may play in the Senior League Competition.
8. Juniors must be U19 on the 31st December in the year of the competition to play in the Junior League and Junior Knock Out Competition.
9. Each player must be a bona-fide member of the Club he or she represents.
Once a player has played for another County in an Inter-County Championship, he or she becomes ineligible to play in the Sussex League or Knock-Out Competition from that point onwards and the following season.
10. There may be a Ladies League and a Ladies Knock-Out Competition.
11. No match shall commence more than 15 minutes after the agreed starting time unless an Inter-Club Gala in which the clubs of both teams are competing or a Sussex A.S.A. Gala over-runs.
12. Before the commencement of each match, the captains of competing teams shall enter the names of their players on the match form. The Secretary of the Home Club should send the completed match form to the County Water Polo Secretary within three days of the match being played.
13. Each team shall meet their own expenses in accordance with ASA Laws.
14. By the 1st March, the County Water Polo Secretary shall produce a fixture list of all League and Knock Out games to include venues, dates, start times and the name and address of the appointed referee. Seven days before each match, the home team secretary should contact his or her opposition secretary and the referee to confirm the match.
15 . All Senior matches in the County League and Knock-Out Competition should have two appointed referees. One referee is required for a Junior match.
16. The home team is responsible for table officials.
17. The County Water Polo Secretary shall appoint all referees, who shall be registered on the panel of the Regional Association Referees. Any referee unable to officiate at the appointed game must arrange for a substitute referee from the panel.
18. A club committing a breach of the rules shall be liable to a fine. Any Club failing to pay the fine within three calendar months shall be suspended sine die subject to rule 8 of the Association.
19. All questions of construction of these rules and all questions of any matters not provided in these rules shall be decided by the Water Polo Committee, and shall be subjected to confirmation by the Sussex County Management Committee.
20. There shall be the following Leagues:-
a) Senior Men’s League
b) Junior Men’s League – U19 on the 31st December of the current year
c) Ladies’ League
21. The season runs from 1st March until 30th November.
22 . Entries shall close on the 1st March and must be accompanied by an entry fee.
23. In the event of a Club playing an unregistered player, they shall forfeit the points of thegame in which he or she plays. Should both teams play an unqualified player, then both teams shall lose the points.
24 . Each team shall meet in home and away matches on a league principle.
25. Two points for a win and one point for a draw.
26. If one of the competing teams cannot play on a given date, fixtures may be re-arranged by ‘mutual agreement’ subject to seven days’ notice being given to both the Referees and the County Water Polo Secretary.
27. Clubs not playing their matches by the 30th November will be subjected to a fine and the points will be awarded to their opponents. The defaulting Club may be ordered to pay all reasonable expenses incurred by its opponents in connection with such a match.
28 League positions will be decided by:-
a) The winners are the team with most points
b) A play-off home and away if two or more teams finish level on points.
c) If both teams win one match, then goal difference will decide the winner.
29. The winners of each League will hold the trophy for one year.
30. Thirteen medals struck from the Association die shall be awarded to the respective winning sides in each League. If a team has less than 13 registered players, the number of medals awarded will correspond to the number of players.
31. The home team pays the expenses of the referee and table officials on the night of the match.
Special conditions – Knockout competitions
32. The home team shall bear the expenses of the referee, table officials and pool hire, payable on the night of the match.
33 .Round 1 to be completed by 1st June; round 2 to be completed by 1st July; semi-finals to be completed by 1st September; final to be played in a neutral pool by 30th November.
34. Any team failing to play their match by the required date shall be fined, eliminated from the tournament and the match awarded to its opponents. All expenses occurred by opponents will be paid by the offending Club.
35. Each Club shall be handicapped according to their position in the League the previous season. For Seniors, two goals per position shall be given to their opponents and for Juniors one goal. New teams in the League shall be deemed to have finished bottom of their League the previous season.
36. The draw shall be made by the President of Sussex A.S.A. at the February meeting. The team drawn out first shall be deemed the home team.
37. Clubs playing an unregistered player shall be eliminated from the Tournament and their opponents given a bye. If both teams play an unregistered player, then both teams will be eliminated.
38. The final shall be played in a neutral pool decided by the County Water Polo Secretary. Pool hire, Referee and Table expenses to be paid by the County.
General conditions – under 16 and under 19 water polo tournaments
The tournaments shall be run in accordance with the Water Polo Rules of the A.S.A. except that matches shall be of two periods of five minutes play, and under the following conditions:
39 .Players to be U16 on the 31st December in the year of competition. Each player must be a bona fide member of the Club he/she represents and be eligible to represent the Association.
40. Entries to close on the 1st February each year and be accompanied by an entry fee to be proposed by the Water Polo Committee.
41. Team lists, including dates of birth, shall be with the Tournament Referee 15 minutes before the commencement of the tournament.
42. The Appeal Panel will consist of the Tournament Referee and all competing Managers.
43 .The Water Polo Hon. Secretary shall appoint all officials.
44. Two points are awarded for a win and one point for a draw.
45. A.S.A. Water Polo Tournament Conditions shall apply (Rule 9).
