O35 General Rules 2024

General

This is a summer competition as defined by the FAI fai-handbook
Teams must have at least 14 properly registered players on the FAIConnect national database with a status of ACTIVE on the O35 Team Roster no later than 7 days before the first fixture. Otherwise, they may FORFIT the first game. If the team does not have 14 players for the next fixture, they may be removed from the competition. Action is at the discretion of the GFA O35 sub-committee.
Primary contact for O35s/O42 is Martin Hughes • Mobile 083-101 9778

4 Divisions

Over 35s Premier Junior
Over 35s Non-Junior Division 1
Over 35s Non-Junior Division 2
Over 42s Premier

Default KO Days

8. Tue = O42 Premier and O35 Junior Premier
9. Wed = O35 Non-Junior Division 1
10. Thu = O35 Non-Junior Division 2

Dates

11. The O35s/O42s leagues and semi-finals must finish by the end of August at the latest.
12. The dates for finals are subject to venue availability.

FAIConnect Registration & Transfers

13. Players who currently are NOT Registered at a Club or if the Confirmed Status is Terminated; can be registered for any club in any competition completing the normal registration process (requiring Photo ID, signed FAI form etc).
14. Players who are currently Registered with a Club status of Confirmed but have never been assigned to a panel for Winter Leagues 2023/24 and wishing to transfer to another club for O35/O42. An email has to be sent to registration@galwayfa.ie outlining the players FAI ID and the reason for the transfer. These will be reviewed individually and approved where appropriate.
15. Players who have been Registered to a Club for winter season and assigned to a panel for Winter Leagues 2023/24 are tied to that club until the 1st July 2024.
16. Players can transfer to another club during July. After July 2024, the next transfer window is January 2025

Players

17. O35s Players must be aged 35 on or before 1st June 2024.
18. O42s Players must be aged 42 on or before 1st June 2024.
19. Players must be registered on the FAIConnect national database with a status of ACTIVE on the O35 Team Roster no later than 48 hours before a fixture.

20. Over 42s get a “Golden Ticket”.
a. O42 can be added to one O42 panel and multiple O35 panels for the same club, with only 1 registration fee of €15.
a. Players age 42 and over will be allowed to backfill any O35s teams within the same club regardless if they signed junior in the previous winter season.

b. Older players are encouraged to:
1) primarily play Over 42s,
2) followed by Over 35s, and
3) occasionally play in junior or reserve teams

c. Over 42 players will be in high demand, encouraging clubs to actively recruit within this age profile, aiming to boost overall participation numbers.
d. While most Over 42 players may not be available or able for two games per week, the focus is on providing flexibility rather than frequency.
21. For the avoidance of doubt, if a player is aged 42+ and is correctly on the O42 roster for a club, they do not have the right to play in the same clubs O35 team(s) until they have been added to the O35 team roster and approved with status Active.
22. For the avoidance of doubt, if a player is aged 35+ and is under 42 they can only play on ONE O35 team.

Junior Players (active on any junior panel for the season 2023-2024)

23. Players who already have an Active status for an adult team in any Junior league for the season 2023-2024 will not be allowed to play in any of the non-Junior O35s leagues in 2024 (*Exception below). The O35 Junior league is an option for those players if their club has an o35 team (If not, a transfer is required).
24. *Except for O42 players, they will be eligible to play in any or all of the O35s/O42s competitions in 2024, even if they were registered junior for the season 2023-2024.

Junior players who do not have an O35s team in their club.

Difficulties occur for these players as there are now only 2 transfer periods defined by the FAI (July and January).
A few scenarios are listed below:
I. Junior registered player wishes to play O35s now for new-club and go back playing junior next season for old-club. In this scenario, players will most likely not want to transfer to new-club for the purposes of playing O35s for the summer as they will not be able to return back to old-club for the start of the next Junior season.
II. Junior registered player wishes to play O35s only for the new-club and does not want to register junior next year for any club. In this scenario, this player has stopped playing Junior football, simply transfer to your new club on 1st July to play O35s and stay with that club. There is no transfer option available prior to 1st July.

Fees

25. Player registration fee is €15, payable to the GFA
26. Team affiliation fee is €50, payable to the GFA

Referees

27. GFA will appoint a referee to all games
28. The home team will pay the referee €50 fee before the match starts.
29. 3 officials to be appointed to semi-finals and finals if available. Fee to be covered by teams 50/50. Except all finals played in EDP, the referees are paid by the GFA.
30. Match cards must be completed by both teams. Max of 18 players per team.

Fixtures

31. All matches are mid-week, every week
32. League games are set for 7.30pm KO on the Default day.
33. Fixtures can be changed by the GFA due to referee availability.
34. If a game is not played prior to the next round, the GFA will make a decision how to award the points based on all available data.
35. Roll-on, roll-off, unlimited substitutions,
36. Duration of match is default 45 minutes a side.
37. The match duration can be changed, once agreed by both clubs in advance and notified to the referee prior to kick-off.

Results

38. Home fixtures secretary to submit result via sportsmanager app; and Home coach to put result on coaches whatsapp.

Change of fixtures

Note:
A. Referees are assigned on Friday for all O35s games to be played the following week.
B. The GFA office need Thursday to process all requests 1-by-1 and reply to them.
C. Deadline of Wednesday 5pm is required. Any later deadlines just did not work for O35/O42.
D. For the avoidance of doubt, a fixture request will not be changed under any circumstances if the referee has already been assigned

Rule 39. Change of fixtures.
a) Fixtures can be moved once the game is still played that week.

b) Coach must get agreement with the other coach, and post to the coaches whatsapp;
and

c) Home Club secretary must email the GFA to officeadmin@galwayfa.ie
and copy the opponent club secretary
and copy info@galwayover35s.com

d) Deadline is Wednesday 5pm the previous week.

e) For the avoidance of doubt, fixture requests on Friday/Saturday/Sunday for that upcoming week all be rejected automatically.

Players Conduct

40. We remind all clubs that your player's behaviour must follow acceptable standards and both teams must follow all instructions and accept all decisions of the referee on the night of a game.
41. Any bad conduct will be treated as a serious matter requiring a proper disciplinary procedure, which may result in sanctions to the player and/or club involved.
42. The referee should always use the Yellow Card and Red Card as normal.
43. Players should be sent off if there is any violent conduct and reported to Martin Hughes

Team Photos

44. Team photos should be taken by the opposite managers of both teams before KO of each game. They must be submitted to the group WhatsApp.
(a) was the photo sent? yes/no (b) can you clearly see everyone? yes/no
45. Random checks against registered players will be conducted by the GFA.
46. If a manager suspects a player has arrived late to avoid the team photo, that manager may ask the referee to instruct the opposition team to stand for a subsequent team-photo to be taken by the requesting manager either at half-time or just after the match finishes, at the referee discretion. Failure to comply with the referee request must be noted in the match card and will be considered an attempt to conceal an illegal player.

Seeding for Semi-finals

47. The table at the end of group games decides the seeding for the semi-finals.
48. Tier A, Group finish position 1v3 and 2v4. 1 and 2 have home advantage.
49. Tier B, Group finish position 5v7 and 6v8. 5 and 6 have home advantage.
50. This gives 4th and 8th team a chance to reach final - not 1v4 or 5v8
51. If teams are level on points, goal difference is taken into consideration.

Dates for Semi-finals & Finals

52. The dates for semi-finals and finals are locked once published to coaches.

Finals

53. Maximum of 1 final per O35/O42 league can be played in EDP, that is max of 4 in total.
54. EDP is subject to availability.
55. All other finals will be played at the venue of the home team.

Max of 4 Finals in EDP

56. EDP is subject to availability.
57. Entry fee is €5 per adult, U16s free admission.
58. Coaches foc, when accompany their team.
59. Live Video Streaming if clubs want to cover costs.
60. Parents and spectators not allowed inside the match perimeter wall.

Medals COUNTY MEDALS

61. Teams who win their final, shall receive a trophy plus 18 gold medals.
62. Runners up will receive 18 silver medals.
63. Extra medals can be ordered directly by the club from https://galwaytrophycentre.ie/

Located above “The Framemaker” at 59 Dominic Street, Galway, Ireland.

Eircode: H91 K7E8

Ph: +353 85 735 0606 Jason

Search Process, Protest, Fines etc

64. All rules as per GFA rulebook for 23/24 season plus FAI rules have effect. We do not need to copy paste every external single rule into this O35 document.

65. Clubs can request a “team roster search” as per section CR15 in the GFA main rulebook for 23/24 season (some rules copied below - fyi). Note the time-limit of 4 days for a protest.

15.5 Club secretaries from a club affiliated to Galway Football League will be provided by GFL on request and following payment of search fee, a copy of all details contained on team roster used to register any team within its jurisdiction, verified by league registrar, of each document and containing all details excluding DOB of player. If this request is in relation to a potential protest regarding a specific match, the GFL will verify the status on the date of that fixture.
15.6 A search fee of €75 will apply to each team registration status application.
15.7 A club that fields a player in a competition who is not correctly registered, and/or has not been made status “Active” by Galway FA to a given team registered to compete in said competition will lose the game, and be dealt with accordingly by the Committee. The fine for this offence is €200. This player is therefore considered an illegal player for the purpose of CR15.8

66. Clubs wishing to lodge a formal protest
a. Must follow CR13 as per the GFA main rulebook for 23/24 season, which also has rules on obtaining names and DOB via the referee on the day (some rules copied below - fyi).
b. In this O35s rulebook, we have a rule that team photos are to be taken for all games; to help stop cheating.

13.1 All protests must be received by the Honorary Secretary per registered post or electronic mail within 4 days (Sundays and Bank Holidays excluded) after the cause of the protest.
13.2 The protest must be accompanied by a deposit of €200 which shall be refunded in the event of the protest being upheld.
13.6 Any club in doubt as to the eligibility of its opponents can make representations to the referee at half time, be at liberty to obtain the signature, and dates of birth of any three opposition players.
13.10 Protests can only be lodged and dealt with by the GFL where they emanate from a game played by the protesting club against their opponents. No third-party protests will be dealt with by the GFL.

"Sin Bin" (Temporary Dismissals)

Sin Bin is used in lieu or in addition to a yellow card. Players do not have to receive a sin bin for every yellow. The sin bin is used by the referee to de-escalate a situation or in addition to dissent.
Referees should use the “Sin Bin” to deal with matters of dissent and in support of the Respect programme.
The match official may impose a sin bin in addition to a yellow card if warranted.
The Player sanctioned by the referee will be off the pitch for 10 minutes.
Team will be down by 1 player (substitute not allowed to replace the player that is in the bin; but can choose to put another player on after the 10 minutes is up).

Sin Bins (Temporary Dismissals) were brought in to O35s in Galway at the request of referees to improve the match experience for everyone involved with the game.

What is the purpose of Sin Bins?

Sin Bins are all about changing behaviour and making the game more enjoyable for everyone. They are designed to deal with a particular type of misconduct on the day.

Sin Bins: The scheme

The International Football Association Board (IFAB) is the organisation that serves the world of football as the independent guardian of the Laws of the Game.
In March 2017, IFAB approved in principle the Temporary Dismissals scheme, which included the use of so-called ‘Sin Bins’. This gave National Associations the authority to implement Sin Bins for dissent.

See https://www.fareferees.co.uk/sin-bins

O35 General Rules 2023 (last years for reference)

General
1. This is a summer competition as defined by the FAI fai-handbook
2. Teams must have at least 14 properly registered players on the FAIConnect national database with a status of ACTIVE on the O35 Team Roster no later than 7 days before the first fixture. Otherwise, they may FORFIT the first game. If the team does not have 14 players for the next fixture, they may be removed from the competition. Action is at the discretion of the GFA O35 sub-committee.

Players
3. Players must be aged 35 before the competition starts.
4. Players must be registered on the FAIConnect national database with a status of ACTIVE on the O35 Team Roster no later than 48 hours before a fixture.

Fees
5. Player registration fee is €15, payable to the GFA
6. Team affiliation fee is €50, payable to the GFA

Referees
7. GFA will appoint a referee to all games
8. The home team will pay the referee €50 fee before the match starts
9. Match cards will be completed by both teams. Max of 18 players per team.

Junior Players
10. Players who already have an Active status for an adult team in any league for the season 2022-2023 will not be allowed to play in any of the non-Junior O35s leagues in 2023. The O35 Junior league is an option for those players.

Transfers
11. Re-Registration rules (a player registered with a Club is re-registering with a different Club for O35s) will be governed by the FAI rulebook fai-handbook
12. Players may transfer up to and including the third round of scheduled games. This includes transfer between divisions and transfer to other Clubs.

Fixtures
13. All matches are mid-week, every week, normally Wednesdays, but can be changed by the GFA due to referee availability.
14. League games are set for Wednesday evenings at 7pm KO but can be moved once game is played that week and both teams agree, good notice is given to the GFA and a referee is available.
15. If a game is not played prior to the next round, the GFA will make a decision how to award the points based on all available data.
16. Home team to submit result via sportsmanager
17. Roll-on, roll-off, unlimited substitutions, 45 minutes a side.
18. The match duration can be changed, once agreed by both clubs in advance and notified to the referee prior to kick-off

Players Conduct
19. We remind all clubs that your player's behaviour must follow acceptable standards and both teams must follow all instructions and accept all decisions of the referee on the night of a game.
20. Any bad conduct will be treated as a serious matter requiring a proper disciplinary procedure, which may result in sanctions to the player and/or club involved.
21. The referee should always use the Yellow Card and Red Card as normal.
22. Players should be sent off if there is any violent conduct and reported to Ger Ryan.

Team Photos
23. Team photos should be taken by both managers of both teams before KO of each game, and they should be submitted by whatsapp to Ger Ryan.
24. Random checks against registered players will be conducted by the GFA.
25. If a manager suspects a player has arrived late to avoid the team photo, that manager may ask the referee to instruct the opposition team to stand for a subsequent team-photo to be taken by the requesting manager either at half-time or just after the match finishes, at the referee discretion. Failure to comply with the referee request must be noted in the match card and will be considered an attempt to conceal an illegal player.

"Sin Bin" (Temporary Dismissals) – see below for more info

26. Sin Bin is used in leui or in addition to a yellow card. Players do not have to receive a sin bin for every yellow. The sin bin is used by the referee to de-escalate a situation or in addition to dissent.
27. Referees should use the “Sin Bin” to deal with matters of dissent and in support of the Respect programme.
28. The match official may impose a sin bin in addition to a yellow card if warranted.
29. The Player sanctioned by the referee will be off the pitch for 10 minutes.
30. Team will be down by 1 player (substitute not allowed to replace the player that is in the bin; but can choose to put another player on after the 10 minutes is up).

Next Year 2024
i. GFA will focus on the continued expansion of recreational football at the non-junior level.
ii. GFA will not be running a Junior O34 competition in 2024. When it comes to August-23, players will make a clear choice “I want to either play junior football or O35s this season coming (not both)”.

"Sin Bin"
Sin Bins (Temporary Dismissals) were brought in to O35s in Galway at the request of referees to improve the match experience for everyone involved with the game.

Referees should use the “Sin Bin” to deal with matters of dissent and in support of the Respect programme. It should not be used in place of a yellow card or red card.

See https://www.fareferees.co.uk/sin-bins

FYI - O35 General Rules 2022

Player Registration & age

Players must already be aged 35 before being added to any team on FAI.NET
First issues require photo ID and DOB official paperwork
FAInet Registration document containing the Signature of any player/players two days (one calendar day in-between upload date and fixture date) in advance of any game
Players must be approved to play O35s on FAInet at least 24 hours prior to the match.
A player must not be banned from all football activities (i.e., a serious ban).

Rules specific to O35s Junior

Current junior Players can play in the same club for o35s but still require their name added to the o35 teamsheet, signature and eligibility date must be granted.
FAInet transfer from 1 club at Junior to another club for o35s can only happen from 1-June
Players can transfer back to Junior winter league after the finals and will still be eligible for O35s Junior next summer 2023.

Rules specific to O35s Non-Junior

Current junior Players cannot play in Non-Junior o35s, no exceptions will be allowed.
For the avoidance of doubt and the sob story requests for exemptions for fellas who signed junior this season but didn't play, or only signed to give the reserves a dig out the odd time, or played only a bit of junior, and now want to play o35s Non-Junior.
1. The short answer is NO
2. The long answer is "N O"; they are welcome to play O35s in the Junior O35s competition.
Players can transfer to Junior winter league after the finals, but will then not be eligible for Non-Junior O35s next year in 2023.

Official O35s Referee List 2022

Brian Lynch 086 364 6912
Danny Corbett 087 243 5233
Joe Hession 085 131 1127
Lukasz Szkwarek 085 198 8519
Mick Walsh 085 883 6286
Mike Cubbard 087 415 5391
Mike Shaughnessy 087 322 3526
Ned Ward 087 933 4461
Niall Crosby 086 059 8574
Paul Healy 085 191 9863

Fixtures and Appoint Referee

Fixture
1. All matches are mid-week, every week, normally Wednesdays.
2. League games are set for Wednesday evenings 7pm KO but can be moved once game is played that week and both teams agree.
3. If both teams come to an agreement for every group game, that can be accommodated as long as they are played that week and referee is available.
4. If both teams don't agree a fixture; then it defaults back to Wednesday evening.
5. If a game is not played in the week, the GFA will make a decision how to award the points based on all available data.
6. The appointed O35s Coach must post the agreed date and time to the coaches whatsapp group for transparency.
7. Any request to postpone/or move a fixture past that week must be submitted to Ger Ryan and confirmation received in writing.
8. Semi finals and finals dates will be set and cannot be moved.
Appoint Referee
1. It is up to the home team to appoint and pay referee a set fee of €50 for all league matches.
2. The GFA will be appointing 3 officials for all semi finals and finals; split 50/50 between home&away clubs.
3. Home team arranges time and day of match with away manager, and then appoints official referee from one of the official list only.
The home team can only appoint a referee from the Official Referee list - see section above

General Rules

Competition is run by the Galway FA
O35s competition is a summer league
Match Cards to be Completed by both teams and the referee.
The home team to send result via the home club secretary on evening of fixture. This is using sportsmanager software
Roll-on, roll-off, unlimited substitutions, 45 minutes a side.
Players Conduct
1. We remind all clubs that your player's behaviour must follow acceptable standards and both teams must follow all instructions and accept all decisions of the referee on the night of a game.
2. As organisers of this competition, the GFA wish to assure you that any bad conduct will be treated as a serious matter requiring a proper disciplinary procedure, which may result in sanctions to the player and/or club involved.
3. Red cards will have 1 match automatic ban.
4. More serious bans for more serious bad conduct, which may also include points reduction for the team.
"Sin Bin".
1. 10 minutes.
2. Team will be down by 1 player (substitute not allowed to replace the player that is in the bin; but can choose to put another player on after the 10 minutes is up)
3. It is designed to allow a referee to get a player to leave the field having done something stupid; to cool down.
4. The referee should always use the Yellow Card and Red Card as normal. Players should be sent off if there is any violent conduct and reported to me.
Covid-19
1. Hopefully this is behind us

Yours in Sport,

Contact Details

Ger Ryan • 087 9823033

GFA Registrar / FAInet • Jamie Warrick • 083 470 8251

Galway Football Association