Information

Listed below is a reminder of certain important tasks that Club Secretaries need
to complete each week during a season to avoid their club being Fined by the League.
This checklist can now be downloaded and printed off by clicking here or on the link in the table at the top of this page.

EARLY IN THE WEEK

	CONFIRM YOUR NEXT MATCH WITH YOUR OPPONENTS If you are at Home in your next match, you MUST contact your opponents by 9.00.p.m. on the Monday evening preceding the match and confirm the Colours you will be playing in, Directions to the Venue and the Referee's Name. CLICK HERE to view the Club Directory for your opponents contact details. If you decide to e-mail your opponents to confirm matches, it is advisable to do this on the Sunday preceding a match and ask them to send a reply to confirm that they have received the message. If they have not replied by Monday evening, then you MUST phone them immediately to confirm the match. Away clubs must acknowledge receipt to the Home Club when phone messages have been left.
	CONFIRM YOUR NEXT MATCH WITH THE REFEREE If you are at Home in your next match, you MUST contact your appointed Referee by 9.00.p.m. on the Monday evening preceding the match and confirm the Directions to the Venue. CLICK HERE to view the League Referees List for your Referee's contact details. If the Referee is not in when you phone and you have to leave a message, it is advisable that you ask for the Referee to phone you back so that you know he has received the message. If your appointed Referee informs you that he is unavailable for the match, you must contact League Referees Secretary Gary Bailey on the following WEDNESDAY evening (or after) to find out who your replacement Referee is, then contact the replacement Referee yourself as soon as possible.
	REGISTER NEW PLAYERS BEFORE WEDNESDAY EVENINGS Once the season starts, the deadline for registering new players to play in your next match is 8.00.p.m. on the Wednesday evening preceding the fixture. However, no registrations are allowed after 1st March. CLICK HERE for full details regarding registering players to play for your club in the Mercury Waltham Sunday League.

SUNDAY MORNINGS

	ALL LEAGUE & LEAGUE CUP MATCHES KICK-OFF AT 10.30.a.m. All players (and the Referee) are expected to arrive at the venue for matches at 10.00.a.m. at the latest (in time for a 10.30.a.m. Kick-Off).
	REMEMBER TO BRING THE FOLLOWING ITEMS TO MATCHES All Teams must remember to bring: A CAPTAIN'S ARMBAND, Properly NUMBERED SHIRTS as part of your kit & a DIFFERENT COLOURED GOALKEEPER'S TOP to the colours your opponents are wearing. Home Teams must additionally bring: GOAL NETS, CORNER FLAGS, TWO MATCH BALLS...and a pump to inflate them with !!
	IF YOU ARE THE HOME TEAM AND YOUR PITCH IS DECLARED UNFIT BY THE LOCAL COUNCIL, THE REFEREE OR YOUR OWN GROUNDSMAN ON THE MORNING OF THE MATCH: You MUST phone your Opponents and the Referee IMMEDIATELY (if they are not already at the venue). Also, in the afternoon (between 2.30.p.m. & 3.30.p.m.) you must phone the League Officer that you normally phone Results in to (see below) and inform them that your match was postponed because of the weather. (This also applies to postponements where your opponents or the referee have failed to turn up on the day of the match). IF YOU ARE THE HOME TEAM AND YOUR PITCH IS DECLARED UNFIT BY THE LOCAL COUNCIL, THE REFEREE OR YOUR OWN GROUNDSMAN BEFORE THE MORNING OF THE MATCH (e.g. on a Friday or a Saturday): You must phone your Opponents and the Referee immediately and also the League Competitions Secretary (David Smith) and the League Referees Secretary (Gary Bailey). Home Teams must also (between 2.30.p.m. & 3.30.p.m. on the Sunday that the match was due to be played) phone the League Officer that they normally phone Results in to in order to inform them of the reason that their match was postponed. (This also applies to postponements where your opponents or the referee have cried off before the day of the match). Club Secretaries may or may not be aware that BROXBOURNE COUNCIL and WALTHAM ABBEY COUNCIL PITCHES are inspected by their groundsmen on a Thursday or a Friday preceding a match and are often deemed unplayable at that time, even if the pitch is in perfectly playable condition by the following Sunday morning. If Broxbourne or Waltham Abbey Council pitches are deemed playable on a Thursday or Friday but the weather worsens during the weekend, then it is left up to the referee to decide whether the pitch is playable or not. If Broxbourne Council pitches are deemed playable for a Sunday, but a groundsman fails to turn up to open the changing rooms, please phone 01992 639561 (a Broxbourne Council number) and they will send somebody along to do so. Teams that use ENFIELD COUNCIL PITCHES however, often have the benefit of Council groundsmen inspecting their pitches at around 8.30.a.m. every Sunday morning, although that sometimes results in all Enfield Council pitches being deemed unplayable whenever it rains heavily on a Saturday night/Sunday morning but numerous Broxbourne or Waltham Abbey Council matches still going ahead. (It is therefore a matter of opinion which Council operates the best policy). In the case of frozen pitches, Enfield Council's groundsmen do not call the games off and leave it up to the referee to make a decision. Home teams using an Enfield Council pitch can phone 020 8363 7398 on the morning of the match (any time after 8.30.a.m.) to find out if their pitch is playable or not. This applies whether the pitch has been hired directly from the Council or via the League. Although that number is for Enfield Playing Fields, the groundsman there will also advise you as to whether the pitches at other Enfield Council pitches are playable or not. CLUB SECRETARIES SHOULD NOTE THAT YOU DO NOT SEND IN A RESULT CARD WHEN A GAME IS POSTPONED.
	THREE SUBSTITUTES ARE ALLOWED TO BE USED FROM FIVE NAMED This applies to all Mercury Waltham League & Cup matches. The names of all substitutes must be given to Referees before a game commences.
	EACH CLUB MUST SUPPLY A LINESMAN The top Club Linesman for each Division (from marks given by the referee) is awarded with a Trophy at the end of each season.
	IF YOU ARE THE AWAY TEAM, CHECK THE REFEREE'S NAME SO THAT IT IS ENTERED CORRECTLY ON YOUR RESULT CARD (There may have been a late change of referee).
	IF A REFEREE FAILS TO TURN UP ON THE MORNING OF A MATCH If this happens, both Clubs should make an effort to agree on a replacement referee, but matches are generally postponed when this situation arises. (Thankfully, this does not happen very often in our League and there is generally a 100% coverage of referees for matches on most Sunday mornings).
	HOME TEAMS MUST PAY THE REFEREE HIS £35.00 MATCH FEE WITHIN 15 MINUTES OF THE MATCH FINISHING If it is a Cup Match, the Away Team pays half of the Referee's fee to the Home Team, who then pay the referee in full.
	IF YOU ARE THE HOME TEAM, OBTAIN THE NAMES OF THE AWAY TEAM'S GOALSCORERS STRAIGHT AFTER THE MATCH You have to supply this information to the League when you phone in the result (see below). If you are the Away Team and you have not given your goalscorers' names to the Home Team Secretary after the game, you can either phone them in yourself or e-mail them through to the League Website Secretary on the day of the match. The goalscorers' names will then appear on the Results Page of this website and in the Mercury Newspaper.

SUNDAY AFTERNOONS/EVENINGS

	PHONE IN YOUR MATCH RESULT See the next section on this page for instructions.
	E-MAIL or PHONE IN A PRESS REPORT FOR THE CHESHUNT & WALTHAM MERCURY (This is optional). CLICK HERE to visit the League Press Secretary's page for full details.
	FILL IN AND SEND OFF YOUR RESULT CARD Result Cards (which are handed out to all Clubs at the start of the season) MUST be posted off as soon as possible after each match to reach the League Result Cards Secretary (Bob Cleary) by the following Thursday. If you prefer to personally deliver your Result Card to Bob Cleary, just put it through his letterbox...do not ring on his door ! When filling in your Result Card, please use Black Ink & write in Block Letters. When filling in your Players' Names, only the surname and the initial of the first name is necessary, although you can fill in the players' full name if you wish. For the Registration Numbers of the Players, you must refer to the list of Registered Players given to you at the start of the season by the League Registration Secretary (Denis Coventry) or any updated list you have received for players you have registered since then. The Registration Numbers start from No.1 for each team. Please list the players used in registration number order on the result card. Please note that you do NOT enter a substitute's name on the card if he was not used in the match. Please ensure you enter your goalscorers on the card, as these are compiled with a view to an Award being presented at the end of the season for the League's Top Goalscorer. If an Own Goal is scored for your team, just write 'O.G.' at the bottom of the column so that the goals tally up with the score you have entered on the card. Referees are now given a mark out of 100 on the Result Cards instead of a mark out of 10. If you award your referee a mark of 50 or less on your result card, you MUST submit a written report of explanation to the League Referees Secretary within 5 days of the match. The League also have a 'Fair Play (Sportsmanship) Award' (sponsored by local Sports Shop Henry Tilly Ltd.) whereby the team adjudged the winners at the end of the season receives a complete set of new kit (i.e. Shirts, Shorts & Socks). The winning team will be announced at the League Annual General Meeting. This award applies to all League & League Cup matches with each team awarding their opponents a mark out of 10 for sportsmanship & fair play. The Result Cards include a space for you to insert your mark out of 10. Referees are also asked to award a separate mark out of 10 for both teams by inserting them on their own Match Report Cards. The eventual winners of the award will be the team with the highest average mark at the end of the season. (i.e. Total number of marks divided by the number of matches played). Henry Tilly Sports' local branch is at 94 Turners Hill, Cheshunt EN8 8LQ (Tel. 01992 623714). CLICK HERE for their website. Please Note: Result Cards must NOT be sent in for County Cup Matches. (You have a different result card/sheet for these, which are sent to your County F.A.) Please CLICK HERE to download a PDF file example of a properly completed Result Card.

OTHER REMINDERS

	ATTEND FULL COUNCIL MEETINGS There are four League Full Council Meetings during the course of a season (including the A.G.M.) at which all Club Secretaries (or any other Club Representative) MUST attend. CLICK HERE for a list of the dates and enter them in your diaries.
	INFORM THE LEAGUE OF YOUR COUNTY F.A. AFFILIATION NUMBER Each team in the League must Affiliate to a County F.A. at the start of each season from whom they will receive an Affiliation number. If you receive your County F.A. Affiliation number after you have already filled in and returned your League Affiliation Form, you must phone or e-mail the number to Denis Coventry (League County Secretary) as soon as you receive it.
	ONLY ONE RELEASE DATE ALLOWED During the course of a season, Teams in the League are only allowed to postpone (be 'released' from) ONE MATCH. When they wish to be released from a Fixture (due to a shortage of players for a particular week), they must give 28 days notice in writing to David Smith (League Competitions Secretary). Clubs are advised that the League Competitions Secretary does not normally arrange any Fixtures during the Christmas period.
	'DOUBLE-HEADERS' & MIDWEEK MATCHES Rules for the playing of 'Double-Header' Fixtures and Midweek Matches will be put on the Forthcoming Fixtures page of this website if they occur (again) at the end of this season.
	ALL LEAGUE CUP MATCHES ARE PLAYED TO A FINISH IN THE FIRST MATCH IF THE SCORES ARE LEVEL AFTER EXTRA-TIME. There will then be Penalties to decide the outcome at the end of the First Match with NO REPLAYS OF LEAGUE CUP MATCHES BEING ARRANGED. The same ruling also applies to all County Cup matches.
	PITCH & REFEREES EXPENSES IN LEAGUE (and County) CUP MATCHES In some County Cup competitions, both Pitch and Referee expenses are shared equally between the two competing clubs, but in Mercury Waltham League Cup Matches only the Referee's expenses (£35.00) are shared.
	IF YOUR CLUB WISHES TO JOIN THE LEAGUE FOR THE 2010/2011 SEASON Please click here to download a PDF file which explains what you need to know (or write to Denis Coventry (League County Secretary)), and then click here to download another PDF file which consists of the actual application form. The deadline for applications for the 2010/2011 Season is the 1st March 2010. Current clubs within the League who wish to enter a Reserve Team/Additional Team have until the 31st March 2010 to apply.

FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THE ABOVE RULES & REGULATIONS MAY RESULT IN YOUR CLUB BEING FINED BY THE LEAGUE.
CLICK HERE to view the List of Fines on the Fines Secretary's Page
This website only gives a brief summary of certain Rules and Regulations of the Mercury Waltham Sunday League.
All Club Secretaries are advised to refer to their copies of the League Handbook for full details of the League Rules.

This award (in memory of a former League Sponsor) is adjudged by the current League Chairman and presented at the League A.G.M. to the club with the best record of administration & discipline throughout the season. The winners of this award so far are listed below with clubs who are still members of the League in bold.
1961/62	Dairglen S & S	1977/78	Tic Tacs	1993/94	Goffs Oak Comrades
1962/63	E.R.D.E.	1978/79	Locomotive	1994/95	UPSHIRE
1963/64	Waltham Cross	1979/80	Electricity	1995/96	Pengelly
1964/65	Gladiators	1980/81	Sheffield House Rangers	1996/97	Eleanor Cross
1965/66	Symonds Engineering	1981/82	High Beech	1997/98	Ninefields Forest
1966/67	Russells Ride	1982/83	Everest	1998/99	Beehive (Wormley)
1967/68	High Beech	1983/84	WORMLEY ROVERS	1999/2000	EDMONTON ROVERS
1968/69	Russells Ride	1984/85	Tunfield	2000/2001	ENFIELD RANGERS
1969/70	Wormley Youth	1885/86	Ambury	2001/2002	The Wheatsheaf
1970/71	Tesco	1986/87	Windmill	2002/2003	Hoddesdon Snooker Club
1971/72	Riverside S & S	1987/88	Old Turnfordians	2003/2004	GREAT EASTERN (As P.T. Rangers)
1972/73	Brimsdown Rovers	1988/89	Claude Lyons	2004/2005	SPENNYTOWN
1973/74	Waltham N.T. (Sunday)	1989/90	Salisbury	2005/2006	ENFIELD RANGERS
1974/75	ROSEMILL	1990/91	St. Josephs	2006/2007	ENFIELD ROYALS
1975/76	Manchester United Supporters Club	1991/92	E.S.A.B. U.K.	2007/2008	*LARSENS*
1976/77	Matthey Sports	1992/93	ABBEY YOUTH OLD BOYS	2008/2009	*ABBEY YOUTH OLD BOYS*