1. LEAGUE

The League shall be subject to the general rules of the LGFA Official Guide 2024

and general rules set down by the Cork County LGFA. Any breach of the rules will

be referred to CODA.

The West Cork Board will organise the following where there are adequate team

numbers:

Games in Under 12 and younger shall be organised on the Go Games Model. Go

Games are modified where results are not formally recorded, and where all

participants get to play during the course of the game. Teams at Under 7 shall be a

maximum of 7-A-Side. Teams at Under 8 and 9 shall be a maximum of 9-A-Side.

Teams of Under 10 and 11 shall be a maximum of 11-A-Side. U12 teams shall be a

maximum of 13-A-Side. Games shall be organised over four quarters, and provision

shall be made for all members of the team panel to participate in a minimum of one

quarter. A breach will be referred to CODA for sanction. (Rule 284 of Official Guide

2023). Silent side-line rules apply for all Go Games – see Appendix 1.

U13, U14, U16 and U18 Leagues

U21 and Junior Leagues.

For competitive leagues there will be 3 groupings within each age group. League

Group 1 (A) and League Group 2 (B) will have 6 teams and remaining teams go into

League Group 3 (C). This will facilitate the County Championship placings which are

based on league results. Semi Finals have been removed from Underage

Divisional Competitions unless needed to decide placings.

2. SUBSTITUTIONS

County Rules 24 & 25 apply

All league games at underage and adult level will be unlimited substitutions,

including semi-finals and finals.

For County Adult Championship games only 5 substitutes will be allowed for semi-

finals and finals from Junior A upwards. From, Junior A down its unlimited

substitutions.

For Adult County Leagues, it is unlimited substitutions for all grades for semi-finals

and finals.

For County Underage Championship unlimited substitutes will be allowed for quarter-

finals, semi-finals and finals.

3. TEAMS

Teams shall be 15-a-side in all league games from U13 upwards.

Each team shall have at least 11 players to commence a match, but a match may be

continued or finished with less than 11 players. The full complement of players may

be added during the course of the game, upon notifying of the referee. (Rule 316 of

Official Guide 2023)

Team sheets, in duplicate, shall be given to the referee for all official games.

4. PLAYERS

At Club level, underage players can only play in their own age group and two grades

above it with grades deemed as Under 12, 14, 16 and 18. All grades Under 10 can

only play one grade above. An Under 8 can play Under 8 and 10. An Under 10 can

play Under 10 and 12. An Under 12 can play Under 12, 14, 16. An Under 14 can

play Under 14, 16 and 18. An Under 16 can play Under 16, 18 and Adult and Under

18 can play Under 18 and Adult. (Rule 273 of Official Guide 2023)

5. 2 nd TEAMS

Clubs with second teams in the league shall nominate their best active 15 players

including one recognised goalkeeper. These named 15 players will only be

permitted to play with their first team. Players not expected to play in the 2024

season shall not be named in a clubs first 15. Players of a lower age group who are

considered better than an older girl shall be named in the best active 15 players. (It

is the responsibility of the club to provide this information before their first fixture,

failure to do so will lead to expulsion from the competition).

The executive of the West Cork Board shall have the right to automatically remove

both teams from a league if it is determined that a team has breached the first 15

rule above.

No club second (‘B’) teams are permitted at underage level in any County League or

Championship. It is proposed run County Blitz’s for 2 nd teams, to run concurrently

with the County Championship Competitions.

Inter County Players can only play on their Club’s first team.

Players named on their Club’s FIRST team at their age, must be on FIRST teams at

all age grades in their Club (e.g. U13 first team player must play on the Under 14 &

U16 first team).

Players who have been chosen for County Trials following the PDP Programme or

having been requested to attend Trials ( e.g. having been on a previous panel or

recommended to trial etc ) for any County A or B Panels must be named on the

Club’s FIRST team panel for that age group and all subsequent age group panels

within the club – this is true for both League and Championship competitions in the

year that the player was sent forward.

Players who have played on a Cork Panel at any time in the previous 2 years must

be named on a Club’s First team.

To reduce the risk of fixtures congestion, underage games involving clubs who have

County Players must go ahead as fixed, unless changed by the CCC.

6. FIXTURES

a) All fixture dates are posted on the West Cork Website prior to the

commencement of each league. An additional week is added to the end of each

league fixture table to cater for unforeseen circumstances – these are the Cut-off

Dates for the respective leagues. First team named has home advantage. The

dates posted mean that the fixture shall be played on or before that date. These

dates are the Default Dates.

b) There will be NO extensions granted for any fixtures outside of the Default Dates

and the Cut-off Dates for that league, unless otherwise agreed by the West Cork

Divisional Board.

c) There shall be no verbal communication to any member of the Committee in

relation to fixtures. All communication shall be emailed to the West Cork

Secretary from the official Club Secretary email.

d) Fixtures shall be played in the order drawn unless otherwise agreed by the West

Cork Divisional Board.

e) Games shall be played on or before the default dates. Exceptions only in the

event of both teams agreeing an alternative date (acceptable to the West Cork

Board), providing this date does not interfere with another fixture. The West Cork

Secretary shall be informed at least 48 hours in advance of the original fixture by

email, from both clubs, of the new date and if accepted by the Fixtures

Committee both clubs will be informed by email.

f) If teams wish to play after the default date, they must email the West Cork

Secretary 48 hours before the original default dates and with the approval of the

Fixtures Committee they can play after the original default date as long as it

doesn’t interfere with another fixture.

g) In the event of both teams being unable to agree a throw in time, the Board will

impose a default time of 3pm for weekend fixtures and 7pm for midweek fixtures.

Where light or referee availability may become an issue this time may be

adjusted by the Board.

h) All games shall be played on or before the default date. Holidays, injuries,

sickness, involvement in other sports, etc. are not reasons for a game not to be

played on time. Only exception is if a game has been fixed by both teams and for

some unforeseen circumstance has to be cancelled last minute (e.g. due to a

bereavement of an immediate family member of a player, coach or club executive

member or due to weather conditions or pitch closure). If this happens the West

Cork Board shall be informed immediately. Within 3 days of the original fixture

both clubs shall email the West Cork Board with details of the agreed date and

time for the rescheduled game, ensuring that the agreed date falls within the cut-

off date for league fixtures and has no impact on the other teams in the group

getting their games played on time. If agreed by the Board this date then

becomes the New Default Date and cannot be changed, unless due to further

unforeseen circumstances and again only by approval of the Fixtures Committee.

i) If the home side cannot provide a pitch within 48 hours of the fixture, they need to

notify the opposition and the fixtures committee to give the opposition a chance to

secure a pitch for the game to go ahead as scheduled. Contact shall be made

with the West Cork Secretary if there is a change of Venue.

7. RESULTS

Results of games shall be sent by text by the secretary of the HOME club to the

secretary’s group chat following each game. (Exception for Go Games, where text

shall state, that the fixture has been played). Results shall be sent on the day of the

fixture. The text shall include the age group of the game and the score for both

teams. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a fine sanction being imposed,

per game, at the end of each league.

8. WALKOVERS

a) Walkovers can only be awarded by the West Cork Divisional Board Fixtures

Committee. Failure to play the fixture may result in a walkover not being awarded

to either team and the fixture declared void, this could lead to disqualification of

both teams.

b) Where a team cannot field on the given fixture date and time and where the

opposition are unable or unwilling to facilitate a change, the West Cork Fixtures

Committee shall have the power to deem the result a walkover.

c) Any team failing to fulfil any fixture will not be permitted to take part in any

divisional final or county championship competition, they will however be required

to play each of their remaining games as scheduled, a fine of €50 applies to each

fixture that isn’t fulfilled.

d) Walkovers may not be taken into account for regrading purposes.

e) Teams who enter a competition and fail to fulfil their fixtures or withdraw from the

competition after the fixtures have been drawn will be subject to a fine of €50.

9. REFEREES

a) The West Cork Board will appoint the referee for finals only.

b) It is the responsibility of the home side to organise a neutral referee and advise

name of referee to their opponents at minimum of 2 days in advance of the

fixture.

c) Whether a referee is booked by a club, divisional fixtures committee member or

county fixtures committee member the onus is on the home club to make contact

with the referee by text 24 hours in advance of any game to confirm the fixture.

(This shall eliminate any no shows from referees). All Coaches/Trainers shall

adapt this procedure. If a referee cancels at the last minute, he/she shall be

asked to put it on the referee WhatsApp group and organise a replacement

referee. Clubs may only use the same neutral referee twice in any league unless

pre-approved by the Board.

d) In the unlikely event of a no show from the referee the club will retain home

advantage for the re-fixture, the date of the re fixture to be determined by the

Fixtures Committee. This date then becomes the New Default Date and cannot

be changed, unless due to unforeseen circumstances and again only by the

Fixtures Committee.

If on the day both clubs are in agreement that the fixture goes ahead if a

replacement referee can sought by either club within a time frame agreed by both

clubs then the game can go ahead. The Fixtures Committee must be notified by

phone call or text that they are in full agreement with this arrangement.

e) In the event of the fixture being cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances it is

the responsibility of the Coaches/Trainers to ensure that the referee is notified of

the cancellation. If the referee is not advised of the cancellation, it is the

responsibility of the home club to pay the referee.

f) All referees for U13 to Adult games inclusive shall be drawn from the Approved

LGFA Published Referee List. Referees for Go Games may be drawn from the

Approved LGFA Published “Grab your Whistle” Referee List. Coaches may

referee at Go Games but it is recommended that they attend the Go Games

referee course as it is a really important time for introducing girls to sport and

ensuring they learn the proper rules.

g) Your appointed referee shall return a completed match report to the West Cork

Secretary within 48 hours of the match. Referees who consistently fail to return

completed reports will be restricted from refereeing in the Division. In the case of

any serious incidents the match report shall be submitted by email within 24hrs to

both the County Secretary and the West Cork Secretary. In this circumstance the

match report shall be emailed in advance of posting. No match reports will be

accepted by text.

h) It is each club’s responsibility to ensure that the referee is paid at each match.

Both teams pay 50% of the Referee Fee.

i) Both clubs shall provide an umpire for league games and semi-finals and two

umpires for finals.

j) The fees for referees are as follows – Go Games – U8, 10 & 12 - €30 and all

other games from under 13 upwards - €50. Where a divisional board takes a gate

for a final, they will pay the referees fees for the final and clubs to pay €40

towards the umpires ( €20 per club )

10. FINAL LEAGUE STANDINGS

a) POINTS AWARDED – 3 points will be awarded for a win and 1 point for a draw

and 0 points for a loss.

b) Shall a team withdraw or be disqualified during the course of the league the

results of games played shall stand. Points from its remaining un-played fixtures

shall be awarded to its nominated opponents in those matches. (Rule 299 of the

Official Guide 2023).

c) In the event of two teams finishing level on league points their head-to-head

record will be taken into account. The winner of the head-to-head match will be

ranked higher.

d) If more than two teams finish on the same points then a playoff may be

necessary, dependant on placing in league.

11. DIVISIONAL FINALS

a) West Cork Finals will be organised for all teams within each age group for U13,

U14 and U16. For Minors if there is an uneven number of teams in a group then

the last team will not be awarded a final.

b) Same rules apply regarding fixture default dates as detailed above.

c) All finals to be played at a neutral venue unless agreed by both team and the

West Cork Board.

d) There will be no conceding of finals. Clubs conceding their final will be levied a

fine of €50 for each final conceded.

e) The Divisional Board will appoint referees for Finals.

f) Both clubs shall provide two umpires for Finals.

g) All finals will be unlimited substitutions.

12. COUNTY QUALIFICATION

There are no County Qualifications for club second (B) teams at underage level.

They will be invited to take part in a County Blitz which will run alongside the main

Championship competition.

In the event of a team being disqualified from their Division for any reason or

withdrawing from County a bye shall be entered in their place for County

Qualification.

The current (2024) County Qualifications are based on league results and are as

follows:

In Group 1(A) only 4 teams (out of 6) will qualify for the County Championship in

County A & B.

In Group 2(B) only 4 teams (out of 6) will qualify for the County Championship in

County C & D.

In Group 3(C) the remaining teams after the first 12 (in Group 1 & 2 that can qualify

for the County Championship) will be placed in County A2, B2, C2, D2 & D3.

13. CHALLENGE GAMES

U8, 10 & 12 Go Games Blitzes need permission, this can be applied for through a

link that Croke Park will send out, only the host team needs to apply for the

permission.

All other challenge games from Under 13 upwards needs to apply to the County

Board for permission to play a challenge, both clubs need to apply stating club

name, age group, date, time, venue and referee at least 48 hours before the game.

Challenge games for outside our county needs to be applied for through Munster,

through a link sent out by the Munster Secretary.

14. GRADINGS, PROMOTIONS AND RELEGATIONS

All clubs in the Division will be emailed by the West Cork Secretary and asked to

submit the number of teams they will be entering in each competition for the coming

season.

The Fixtures Committee, made up of the Chairperson, Fixture Secretary, Assistant

Fixtures Secretary and others, at the executive’s discretion, will grade each team

and these grading’s/groupings will be sent to all clubs in advance of commencement

of each League.

a) Grading’s

In general, grading’s will be based on previous results, however the following factors

may also be used for grading’s - player numbers, transfers in and out, permissions to

play inwards, number of teams entered, ability of a team to compete at a grade and

any other factors or submissions it deems pertinent. Walkovers will not be taken into

consideration for grading’s.

It is the obligation of each club to declare any transfers in or out of its club or

permissions to play received for the coming season prior to the grading’s procedure

commencing each year.

There will be no grading’s in any age group up to and including U12 age group as

they only play non-competitive Go Games.

U13, U14, U16, U18 and Junior - Grading’s are based on factors including results

from 2 years previous.

On receipt of grading’s Clubs will be afforded the right to a review. A request for

Review shall be received by the West Cork Secretary within 3 days of the original

grading being issued. The review request shall contain comprehensive reasons and

be emailed in from Club Secretary. Once the committee has ruled on the review

(within 7 days) the Secretary will notify the Club.

b) Promotions

Adult - Any team that wins a league shall play at the next highest group 1 year later.

Underage - Any team that wins a league will be promoted to next highest group 2

years later. – e.g. Winner of U14 Group 2 will be promoted to U16 Group 1.

The winner of the Under 14 Group 2 County cannot compete at Under 16 Group 2

County- but will be moved up to Group 1 County Grade.

c) Relegations

Junior - Any team who finishes bottom of its league will be relegated to the next

lower group 1 year later. Teams may request not to be relegated if they so choose.

Underage - Any team who finishes bottom of its league will be relegated to the next

lower group 2 years later – e.g. Team at bottom of U14 Group 2 will be relegated to

U16 Group 3. Teams may request not to be relegated if they so choose.

15. CUPS and SHIELDS

All Shields and cups (engraved with winners name and year) shall be returned to a

divisional board member by 1 st April. It is the responsibility of each Club Secretary

to ensure that this happens. The amount of time spent by the Committee on

following up and getting these Shields each year is totally unacceptable. Failure to

return a Shield or Cup by the 1 st April will result in the club being issued with an

invoice for the replacement cost.

16. ANNUAL FEES & FINES/SANCTIONS

Annual LGFA fees – Croke Park Levy, GAA Public Liability Levy, County Board

Levy, County Team Affiliation Fees, West Cork Affiliation Fees and Registration of all

Club members. 2023 Member Registrations must be paid by 1 st April 2024 and are

valid until 31 st March 2025.

All Clubs shall keep true and accurate accounts and records showing their financial

affairs. All financial account documentation shall be retained for a period of at least

5 years.

The Financial Year ends on 31 st October each year. A balance sheet, supported by

bank statements, shall be forwarded to the County Board each year. The West Cork

Treasurer is responsible for ensuring all fees and fines in relation to West Cork are

received from all clubs on time. Updates shall be given at Committee

Meetings.

a) West Cork Affiliation Fees

Annual Affiliation Fees are due from each club to the West Cork Board. These

fees are separate from the County Board Affiliation Fees.

The fees are made up of:

Option A.) €50 per team,

Option B.) €200 per club (€10 per team)

Senior - €25 per team

Intermediate - €25 per team

Junior - €25 per team

Outstanding fines must also be paid each year by 1 st April in order to be eligible to

participate in any West Cork Competitions.

b) Fines and Sanctions

Where a fine is issued for whatever reason it must be paid to the West Cork

Treasurer within 13 weeks. Official Guide Rule No. 42. “Payment of monetary

sanctions shall be made within 13 weeks of notification thereof. Failure to pay

the fine may result in suspension from Association activities”.

Walkovers €50 per walkover

Withdrawing from competition €50 per game not played unless club withdraws

before the start of the competition

Conceding of Final €50 per final

Failure to return a shield is a minimum of €60 per shield

Failure to return a Cup is a minimum of €220 per cup

Failure to text in results €5 per game

17. CLUB COMPLIANCE

It is the Responsibility of each Club to ensure their club is compliant with the

necessary regulations in relation to Child Welfare and Protection.

Risk Assessment and Safety Statement shall be up to date.

All Team Officials, Trainers, Coaches, Selectors, Committee Members and

Volunteers must have completed their Safeguarding course and refresher course as

required.

Initial Safeguarding Course (done in person) is valid for 3 years. It can be renewed

after the 3 years through an online refresher course which is then valid for a further

3 years. Once, expired you must retake the course (in person).

All Team Officials, Trainers, Coaches, Selectors, Committee Members and

Volunteers must be garda vetted.

All Coaches/Trainers must have completed Fundamentals training at a minimum.

The Child Welfare Officer must have completed their Safeguarding 2 course. All

Players, Team Officials, Trainers, Coaches, Selectors and Committee Members

must be registered. Registrations are only valid when processed and completed by

the LFGA Registration System.

All Divisional Committee Members must also be registered.

18. TEAM PHOTOGRAPHS

For all West Cork Games coaches may take pre- or post-match team photos

(ensuring photo consent had been given on Foireann). These photos may be posted

on social media.