The Pope Gregory IX’s Charity All Comers Football League

Incorporating

the Trappist’s Celebration Challenge Rosewater Dish

As from Monday the 13th December 1999, the normally friendly Monday night kick-about will evolve into something far more sophisticated, competitive, and worthwhile. Regulars of Monday nights will be encouraged to form teams of 6 players and compete against new faces for the coveted Pope Gregory IX’s Charity All Comers Football League Championship Trophy and the Knock-out cup competition – The Trappists' Celebration Challenge Rosewater Dish.

THE LEAGUE

The League will be made from 6 teams of 6 players. Every team will play every other team twice, to determine the overall champions of champions and carry away the League Trophy. The games will be of 30 minutes duration between 8pm and 10pm on Monday evenings.

The Rules

  1. Each team will consist of 1 goalkeeper and 5 outfield players.
  2. If a team only fields 4 or 5 players, the fixture will still be played and the score counted accordingly.
  3. If a team fields 3 or less players, they automatically lose 3-nil.
  4. There will be 3 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.
  5. The game will consist of 2 halves of 15 minutes.
  6. The ball can travel over head height.
  7. Only the goalkeeper is allowed in his area. If an outfield player enters his area a penalty will be awarded to the opposing team. If an outfield player enters his opponent’s area, a free kick will be awarded. Conversely, the keeper is not allowed outside his area.
  8. If a player kicks the ball outside the pitch, a goal kick is awarded to the opposing team.
  9. The game will be played in the spirit of fair play; any challenges regarded as illegal in regulation FA rules will be dealt with accordingly. A player adopting such methods will first receive a warning, thereafter if that same player commits other illegal acts he will be sent from the pitch for a period of 5 minutes. The game will then be re-started with a free kick to the relevant team.
  10. The League will be won by the team who has acquired the most points across the whole season. In the event of two or more teams finishing on the same points, the winners will be determined on goal difference. If this is still the same, then the most goals scored will determine the winner. If the teams are still drawn, then it will be decided on whomever has the better goal difference across the two games played by the teams involved.
  11. Each team will elect a club secretary. It will be their responsibility to collect their team's match fees and pay the league organiser. Each team will have to pay £12 before the start of their fixture. NO PAY, NO PLAY - and the game will be awarded to the opposition as a 3-nil win.

THE CUP

Scattered throughout the season will be the Trappists' Celebration Challenge Rosewater Dish. There will be three separate rounds. A draw of all the teams will be made to determine the first round.

Round 1

The first round will be played over two legs. The team with the greatest aggregate score over both legs will go through to the next round. If it is a draw after both legs, 5 penalties will be taken by each team, thereafter sudden death penalties.

Round 2 – Semi Finals – Incorporating the Wooden Spoon Game

The three winners from the first round automatically qualify for the semis. They will be joined by the team with the greatest goal difference from round 1. Goal difference will be across both legs in normal time. If there is a tie, then it will be on goals scored, then decided on the team with the best league position.

A draw will decide which teams will play each other. The two winning teams qualify for the final. If a fixture is a draw, after normal time, the game will be decided on penalties.

Before the semi-finals are played, the two sides who didn’t qualify will play in order to spare themselves the embarrassment of picking up the Wooden Spoon. The losing side will be awarded the aforementioned kitchen utensil. In the event of a draw, the Wooden Spoon will be shared, and with it the humiliation.

Round 3 – The final – Incorporating the Mickey Mouse Cup

The two winning semi-finalists will play for the right to become the holders of the Trappists' Celebration Challenge Rosewater Dish. If the game is a draw after normal time, penalties will decide the winner.

The remaining teams will compete for the aptly named Mickey Mouse Cup. A one-off, knockout competition, the Mickey Mouse Cup is played over 2 rounds. Each game will be of 10 minutes a half and drawn games will be decided on penalties.

There will also be a Golden Boot award for the player scoring the most goals across the league and cup as well as a Player of the Season award.

There will be 10 weeks of league fixtures and 4 weeks of cup games. Balls, bibs, fixture lists and weekly league and goal scoring tables will be supplied, as well as 3 trophies and 2 player awards, not to mention the Wooden Spoon. The first fixtures will be played on Monday 13th December 1999.

Yours in Sport