Transfer of players:

Clubs are reminded of the provisions of paragraph 12.0 of Appendix A.

12.0 An individual must be a bona fide member of the Club for whom he plays and no individual may play for more than one Club in the League or any competition organised by the League in any season without the consent of the Committee. Further, no player who has played in a competitive match for any Premier League Club can play in the League except for that particular club. 'Premier League Club' means any club in a Premier League irrespective of the Division(s) in which that club plays. No approval can be given after 31st July in any year.

The Hon. Sec. has been given authority to act on behalf of the Committee and is prepared to deal with such requests on the phone. The onus is on the 'new' club and before approaching the Hon. Sec. they should contact the 'old' club to ascertain if they have any objection to the 'Transfer' and if so the reason and also whether there are any complaints about the player's behaviour (including failure to pay subscription and/or match fees) A memorandum setting out the guidelines was circulated with the minutes of the Committee meeting of May 2nd 2002, and is printed below for your convenience.

TRANSFER OF PLAYERS

1. In common with most, if not all Leagues our regulations
provide that no person may play for more than one club without the consent of the Committee and it was felt that the Committee should lay down guidelines as to the procedure to be adopted if permission is sought under this requirement.

2. The Committee wishes to keep this as simple as possible
and therefore any request can be made either in writing, email or by phone.

3. However any such request must be made by a CLUB and not by an individual. Before getting in touch with me the "new" club must first contact the "old" club to ascertain whether they have any objection and if so what it is.

4. The "new" club should then approach me with the relevant
details e.g. name of player, approximate age, his ability, the number of games played and reason for the proposed move; also that he is not leaving his former club by reason of misbehaviour or because he has failed to fulfil his obligations (e.g. not paying his sub) .

5. I am authorised by the Committee to deal with any such request on their behalf; if there seems to me to be no reason to refuse the request I will give the necessary approval but if
there is any doubt I would refer it to the Chairman.

6. Factors to be taken into consideration will be the reasons for the player's proposed move, the number of games played and the number of games left (i.e. the more games played and the less games left the less likely a change of clubs will be approved), the respective divisions of the two clubs and their positions (e.g. it is more likely a change will be approved if the two clubs are in different divisions and also if promotion or relegation is not affected).

7. Each request will be decided on the individual facts of the case but examples where approval will be readily given are

a. moving house or change in work arrangements
b. player who is not playing regularly especially a junior.

8. Examples when permission is likely to be refused are

a. "star" players especially in the latter part of the season or there is an element of "pot hunting"
b. where a player is leaving his former club by reason of any form of misconduct or failure to meet his financial obligations c. where there appears to be any form of "poaching" by the requesting clubs.

9. It is incumbent on clubs to be open and honest as I am sure they all are with each other and normally a decision will be made on the information supplied by the "new" club. Any mis-statement would be considered to be a serious breach of their obligations to the League.

Kenneth Jeffery, Hon. Sec.
February 2008