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Welcome to the official site of the South Wales Football Association.

We hope you will find this site informative and make it your first port of call if you want to find out anything about how we work.

On the site you will find details of our cup competitions, both current and historic, a copy of our Rules and Regulations, Disciplinary information and links to other sources of information. We also publish the weekly list of disciplinary decisions and suspensions along with results of appeals by clubs to the Association. In addition, we have added and 'FAQ' section where we will publish general questions we have been asked and we think the replies may be of interest to all clubs and/or referees.

Constructive feedback about the site is always welcomed and should be directed to the Association Assistant Secretary(Discipline), Mark Adams, at assistant@southwalesfa.co.uk

Claims from clubs who allege ex-players owe them money

(This note was originally published at the end of the 2009/10 season) but it was felt appropriate to move it up to greater prominence again)

The Association regularly receives claims from clubs to pursue ex-players for sums it is claimed are owed to them. Whilst we endeavour to assist, we expect the club to have taken reasonable steps to recover sums due before contacting the Association. Any requests must be in writing and include the following detail:
* The player's full name and last known address
* Details of action taken by the club to recover the sums - please advise dates of requests and how these were made (telephone, club meeting etc)
* The amounts claimed and the purpose (e.g. reimbursement of disciplinary administration charges) PLEASE NOTE - WE CANNOT CHASE FOR ITEMS SUCH AS CLUB SUBSCRIPTIONS BUT MAY BE ABLE TO CHASE FOR SOUTH WALES FA IMPOSED FINES IF CLUBS CAN PRODUCE A WRITTEN AGREEMENT FROM THE PLAYER TO REIMBURSE THE CLUB.
* As a minimum, we expect that clubs will have written to the player formally requesting the repayment and advising that the club will be referring the matter to the Association and giving the player seven days to response - A COPY OF THIS LETTER MUST BE ENCLOSED

FAW C Coaching Certificate (Women's Game Only)

  The FAW are running a C Coaching certificate applicable to the Women's Game Only. This comprises twelve     sessions and will be run through the season from August to May 2014. More details from the Welsh Football Trust on http://www.welshfootballtrust.org.uk

FAW Deaf Futsal trials

Trials will take place during June 2013 to form a new Welsh Deaf National Futsal Squad. In order to qualify for the squad participants must be at least 16 years old, have Welsh heritage and meet the eligibility criteria set by the International Committee of Deaf Sport who define Deaf as being a hearing loss of at least 55dB in the better ear (3 tone frequency average of 500, 1,000 & 2,000 Hertz, ANSI 1969 standard).

More details are on the attached flyer and anyone interested in applying should complete the attached application form.

USE OF WEBSITES AND SOCIAL MEDIA

The Association is becoming increasingly concerned about the use of insulting abusive and offensive comments made on websites and social media networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Will all please note that comments in the names of clubs, officials and players that are considered such will be dealt with as misconduct and the perpetrators liable to disciplinary charges.

UEFA REGIONS CUP SQUAD (and FIXTURES) 2013-14

The programme of fixtures for this season's UEFA Regions Cup has now been arranged. With only four of the six areas of Wales entering the competition, the 2013-14 competition will be a round robin event with everyone playing the other three entrants both home and away. South Wales fixtures are:

Wednesday March 6 - Gwent County FA 0 South Wales FA 0 at Newport Stadium, kick-off 7.30.p.m
Wednesday March 13 - South Wales FA 2 West Wales FA 2 at Port Talbot Town FC, kick-off 7.30.p.m
Sunday 17 March - North Wales Coast FA 5 South Wales FA 3 played at Newtown FC, kick-off 2.30.p.m

NATIONAL DISABILITY FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

Sunday March 24th 2013 - Registration between 9.30am – 10.00am. The conference will conclude at 5.00pm.
Venue - Catrin Finch Centre, Glyndwr University, Mold Road, Wrexham , LL11 2AW. For directions please visit: http://www.conferencevenues.glyndwr.ac.uk/Wrexham/FindUs/
Course Fee - Free, Candidates will need to bring their own pack lunch and refreshments.

Content
The day will include a mix of guest speakers, interactive practical sessions, an overview of the FAW Disability Strategy and a chance to meet and hear from programme Ambassadors.

Revalidation - Full attendance at the conference will revalidate valid FAW Football Leaders Awards for a further 3 seasons.
Eligibility - The conference is available to all regardless of existing involvement in disability football or coaching qualifications. Candidates must be at least 16 years of age.
Closing date - Closing date for applications is Friday March 15th 2013; applications received after this date will be dealt with subject to availability.
For more information contact Rob Franklin
(01443 844113 / rob.franklin@welshfootballtrust.org.uk)

SOUTH WALES FA 125th ANNIVERSARY

The 2014-2015 season wil mark the 125th anniversary of the South Wales Football Association and we are planning a series of events to mark the occasion including special matches and a gala dinner. We are also hoping to published a book on the history of football within the area . The publication is intended to be a showcase of football in South Wales 1890-2015 and not just a history of the Association. and to this end we are asking if anyone has any items or memorabilia such as old photographs, programmes etc that they would be interested in allowing to be used in the publication, please contact Association Disciplinary Mark Adams at assistant@southwalesfa.co.uk.

Football Association of Wales - Accredited Coaches Programme
2013 Grassroots Coaching& Revalidation Conference, South Wales FA
“Tika-Taka – The Barcelona Way”
Sunday 21 April 2013, Glamorgan Sports Park


This seminar has been organised to support the continual professional development of coaches
in Wales as part of the National Coaches Association to support coaches at all levels.


For whom?

For coaches working throughout Wales at all levels.


Particularly for coaches wishing to revalidate their :
FAW ‘C’ Certificate
FAW ‘C’ Certificate – Youth
FAW ‘C’ Certificate – Senior
Football Leaders Award.

Cost - Free of charge, will include supporting resources

Places will be limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

You must include copies of your current certificate and a current 1st Aid qualification if you wish
to revalidate. (Applications cannot be processed unless these are included) Please note: If you receieved your “FAW C Certificate” prior to 2010 please read the notes below.


How do I gain a Youth qualification or Senior qualification if I gained the FAW C
Certificate before 2010?

Any coach who holds a FAW C Certificate prior to 2010 will gain a Youth and Senior
certificate when attending the grass roots coaching conference.
Youth Certificate


This pathway is designed for coaches working with youth players focusing on the
individual development of players aged 5 – 21 within a technical, tactical,
physical, mental, and a social context.


Senior Certificate

This pathway is designed for coaches working with senior players focusing on the
individual development within a technical, tactical, physical, mental and a social
context.


NOTE: If a candidate achieved their FAW C Certificate after 2010, they will
revalidate the pathway they selected when commencing the course

NEW CHANGES TO THE ASSOCIATION DISCIPLINARY PROCESSES

 

At our Council meeting on Monday 10 December, the Association have agreed to start work on      implementing a new automated disciplinary process. This is likely to be launched on a trial basis at the start of the new season, initially in the Youth League for testing and then for rolling out to other leagues. Participation will be on a voluntary basis initially and clubs and referees will still have the option of using manual paper-based reports. Amongst other features, the changes will allow the following:

  • Cautions, sending-off and other misconduct reports will be able to be sent via computer by match officials. In the longer term, it is hoped to be able to offer a mobile phone app that will allow immediate transmission of reports at the end of a game.
  • Reports will be able to be sent to clubs by email
  • Clubs will be able to respond by email and pay admin charges on line
  • Eventually, this will be expanded to allow on-line affiliation for clubs and referees.

We will keep you advised of developments as work progresses.

DISCIPLINARY PROCESS CHANGES

A reminder to all affected (this message has been previously circulated via all leagues)

The Association has implemented a new policy with effect from 1 September that all those (players and club officials) who receive fines along with touchline or match suspensions will be considered to be under suspension from all aspects of football if the fine is not paid by the expiry of the suspension.

The following are examples of people who may be affected by this policy.

A coach or other club official who has received a fine and touchline suspension and does not pay the fine by the end of the suspension period will be considered to be suspensded from all aspects of football until the Monday after the fine is paid.

A player who receives a match suspension with a Sunday league team but is not suspended with an other day team but does not pay the fine is suspended from all aspects of football (including any other teams he may be registered with) until the Monday after the fine is eventually paid.

Whilst these are the most common examples, they are not the only situations. If in doubt, please contact the Association Disciplinary section to check.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR CLUBS SEEKING PROMOTION TO THE SOUTH WALES AMATEUR AND SENIOR LEAGUES AT THE END OF 2012-13.

The Association has now issued criteria for clubs who wish to apply for promotion to the next level of the pyramid from their local leagues if they are successful in their league campaign this season. These are folund in the attached document (click on this link) and will be enforced strictly.

SOUTH WALES FA IS NOW ON TWITTER

As part of our aims to be more accessible, the South Wales FA now has an active twitter account @SouthWalesFA . We will use this to publish news, updates and reminders to all users. Please be aware that clubs should not use this medium to contact individual officers of the Association.

THE REDUCED PENALTY SCHEME

At the Association AGM on Monday, it was agreed that the Reduced Penalty Scheme, already in operation by the FA of Wales, would be implemented for all matches under South Wales FA jurisdiction with immediate effect.

In certain circumstances, a Party charged with a Disciplinary Offence may be offered a reduced penalty for the alleged offence committed. The purpose of the Reduced Penalty Regulations is to give credit, in the form of a reduced penalty, to the Party charged who admits to a charge of a Disciplinary Offence and to the timely disposal of such matters. 

Should a part charged choose to reject the Reduced Penalty offered, the following options are available :-

1.         Deny the charge and request a personal hearing. A Disciplinary Panel will be convened and the party will be invited to attend to present the case. Written reasons for the denial must be advised immediately.

2.         Accept the charge and submit evidence in mitigation to be presented in person to a Disciplinary Panel.  A Panel will be convened and the party will be invited to attend to present any mitigating evidence only.  Written details of the evidence in mitigation must accompany the acceptance.

  • Where the charge is found PROVEN, the ‘Standard Minimum Penalty’ detailed will be applied by the Disciplinary Panel as a minimum of any final penalty decided. Should a Disciplinary Panel find the charge NOT PROVEN, no penalty or costs will be applied.    
  • These proposals will take effect immediately. Reports will be sent to club secretaries and can be against players, officials or clubs (in the event of multiple player misconduct) & spectators/supporters.
  • Report numbers will be in sequence, the addition of an ‘R’ at the end of the reference number will indicate the case has been dealt with under the RPS.
  • The Association has produced a table of offences, the standard penalty to be offered and the proposed reduced penalty. This table will is published in the attached link and may be added to or amended during the season.
  • Any suspension will be set to start within two weeks of the game in which the incident occurred. Where the charge is against a player who was also sent off in the game, the suspension will be timed as far as practical to begin after the suspension for the sending-off has been served. Where a charge is against a named individual, they MUST sign the relevant section on page two of the report indicating their response.
  • No individual will be given more than one offer under the RPS per season.
  • Clubs will (at the discretion of the Association) be offered a maximum of one offer PER TEAM per season.
  • As a matter of policy, all cases dealt with under the RPS for players in a Sunday league will not prevent players who play in other day leagues. Cases dealt with by disciplinary commissions will still be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Notice to all Leagues and Club Secretaries

It has been brought to the attention of the Association that individuals are still active in football despite having unpaid fines owed to the Association. These situations predominantly relate to two types of cases

  • Club officials under touchline suspensions
  • Players under suspensions from Sunday league clubs where the suspension has not been extended to all aspects of football and they continue to play in other leagues

In both cases, suspensions may have been served in respect of missing the requisite number of matches but fines have not been paid.

Please be advised that with effect from 1 September 2012, all individuals who have not paid fines by the expiry of their suspension will be considered to be suspended from all aspects of football suspension until the fine is paid. Any individual who then has any involvement in football (e.g. club secretary dealing with correspondence) will then be charged with misconduct for being involved in football while under suspension by the Association. This action will be applied to all existing cases as well as any new reports dealt with.

Claims from clubs who allege ex-players owe them money

(This note was originally published at the end of the 2009/10 season) but it was felt appropriate to move it up to greater prominence again)

The Association regularly receives claims from clubs to pursue ex-players for sums it is claimed are owed to them. Whilst we endeavour to assist, we expect the club to have taklen reasonable steps to recover sums due before contacting the Association. Any requests must be in writing and include the following detail:
* The player's full name and last known address
* Details of action taken by the club to recover the sums - please advise dates of requests and how these were made (telephone, club meeting etc)
* The amounts claimed and the purpose (e.g. reimbursement of disciplinary administration charges) PLEASE NOTE - WE CANNOT CHASE FOR ITEMS SUCH AS CLUB SUBSCRIPTIONS BUT MAY BE ABLE TO CHASE FOR SOUTH WALES FA IMPOSED FINES IF CLUBS CAN PRODUCE A WRITTEN AGREEMENT FROM THE PLAYER TO REIMBURSE THE CLUB.
* As a minimum, we expect that clubs will have written to the player formally requesting the repayment and advising that the club will be referring the matter to the Association and giving the player seven days to response - A COPY OF THIS LETTER MUST BE ENCLOSED

DISCIPLINARY PROCESSES - IMPORTANT

The disciplinary list detailing all outstanding fines since 2006 has been published - copies have been sent to every affiliated club via their leagues and is also published on the website Discipline section.

If a player informs a club that he has paid his fine, ask him to produce a receipt as proof. For every fine paid a receipt is issued – either to the player if the fine is paid by him, or to the Club through which it is paid. In addition, a clearance note is sent to the League concerned when the fine is paid.

In the event of any query, clubs must contact the Association Assistant Secretary (Discipline) for guidance.

There is no doubt that many of the players on this list will endeavour to play for another club, probably where they are not known. This list has been produced for the assistance of all Leagues and Clubs and accordingly, NO EXCUSES WILL BE ACCEPTED FROM ANY CLUB FOUND TO HAVE PLAYED A SUSPENDED PLAYER. In all such cases, both club and player will be severely dealt with.

Please note that under the revised procedures in force since 2006, it is possible that players will have outstanding games of suspensions even if no fines are shown. Please therefore check previous lists carefully – it is club’s responsibility to ensure that players are eligible to play. If a player has an outstanding suspension he/she must be registered to allow him/her to serve the suspension. Suspensions can only be transferred from one club to another with the prior written permission of the Association. Until a player is registered, he or she cannot commence an outstanding period of suspension until they have been registered. IF IN DOUBT – CHECK.

Disciplinary Correspondence (07.03.2010)

We are receiving an increasing number of reports from clubs claiming not to have received disciplinary correspondence. Can we draw all clubs' attention to the Disciplinary Section of the handbook which states

"Clubs who have not been notified within 10 days of any player dismissal/caution must contact the Association Assistant Secretary (Discipline) for advice."

Failure to respond to correspondence can cause a club to be suspended from fixtures.

USE OF E-MAIL IN COMMUNICATIONS WITH CLUBS AND LEAGUES (08.12.2010)

The Association has made great strides at modernisation in the last few years and we have now formulated our policy with regard to e-mail communications which has been approved by Council and will take effect from January 1, 2011.

“The Association will accept communication by e-mail in all cases, except where communication is expressly requested under signature, subject to any one of the following criteria being adhered to:-

  • Where the communication originates from an e-mail address bearing the domain name of the club or league
  • Where the e-mail address is listed on the club or league affiliation form lodged with the Association
  • Where an attachment to an e-mail is on club or league headed notepaper and includes a scanned copy of the club or league secretary’s signature”

It is anticipated this will include most routine correspondence such as matters of misconduct where no personal hearing is requested, requests to transfer suspension etc but not to include items which require fee payment (e.g fines, cup entries, affiliations etc)

Important message to all referees (28.02.2010)

The Association is receiving an increasing number of queries regarding possible claims of incorrect names of players being recorded when cautions and dismissals are issued. Will all referees please ensure that they retain match record pads for a minimum of 21 days after games to assist investigations into reports.

End of season tournaments (06.02.2010)

We are already starting to get requests for clubs who wish to enter and/or host end of season events. Can we take this opportunity to remind all clubs that permission is required to host or take part in such events, especially if it involves travelling outside Wales. Permission should be sought via the Association Assistant Secretary, Emma Bennett, e-mail is acceptable (admin@southwalesfa.co.uk) in the first instance. Clubs wishing to host tournaments must include a copy of the rules of their event and details of all prospective invitees. Clubs wishing to take part in events outside the South Wales FA area must also seek permission - your attention is drawn to the stipulation that teams playing mini-football cannot take part in competition events.

Message to all club secretaries (10.10.09)

Please will all club secretaries advise the Association if they are to be away on holidays and provide an alternative contact to receive disciplinary and other correspondence.  Clubs not complying are running a risk of sanctions for delaying responses to correspondence including fixtures being suspended.

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL PLAYERS AND CLUB OFFICIALS
5th September 2008

Law 12 - Use of offensive, insulting or abusive language

The situation regarding the above during matches under the jurisdiction of the FAW was recently considered by the FAW 's Referees Committee. The Committee recommended and it was approved by FAW Council that from the start of the 2008/09 season strong action should be taken by referees in all matches when players were guilty of using offensive, insulting or abusive language or gestures in accordance with Law 12.

The South Wales FA has been asked to make all players, clubs and leagues aware of this decision. The Association has advised ALL Clubs, Secretaries and Leagues of this position and that referees have now been instructed to ensure that they apply this Law of the Game correctly and with common sense.

The South Wales FA has received numerous complaints over the use of offensive, insulting and abusive language in particular on public parks where foul language is shouted across the field of play and can be clearly heard by everyone within the vicinity. All parties must now stamp out this behaviour. Continuation will result in offenders being severely dealt with.

 

We will publish information on this page detailing events that affect clubs, Leagues and referees. Some items will be held at the top of the list where we consider they are likely to be referred to by readers during the season – others will be replaced by more recent content as it is added.

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