If you have a question relating to a discipline issue, please contact Gloucestershire FA on 01454 615888, selecting option 4. Alternatively, your question can be emailed to info@gloucestershirefa.com.
Can I pay fines over the telephone?
Gloucestershire FA can accept payments by credit and debit card by telephone. Caution fines can be paid this way over the telephone. Payment of standard and misconduct fines cannot be processed without the return of completed forms and so request to pay for these over the telephone is likely to be refused.
I have submitted discipline reply forms but they have now been returned?
In order to process the forms, the following details are required in response; player's name, address, date of birth, and confirmation of football clubs and schools he/she currently plays for. If a misconduct charge has been raised, then a response must be indicated on the form and signed by both the player and the club secretary before being returned to Gloucestershire FA with the appropriate payment and any additional correspondence for review. If any of these details are missing then the form cannot be processed and will be returned requesting the missing information.
I am unable to get the player to sign the form. What should I do?
If the player is absent due to holiday or business reasons and will not return until after the due date of response, contact Gloucestershire FA as soon as this problem is known. By prior arrangement, response times can be reasonably extended without incurring late fines.
If the player has left the club and cannot be contacted, then the forms should be completed as much as possible and returned to Gloucestershire FA accompanied by a cover letter explaining the reasons for the incomplete sections of the form. The association still reserves the right to refuse to accept incomplete forms without valid reason.
My club has paid fines on players' behalf and they are now refusing to repay the money. What can my club do?
Football clubs can ask for assistance through the debt recovery scheme that Gloucestershire FA operates. For more information, please click on 'Debt Recovery' (see left hand menu). The recovery of debts is limited to those incurred between the previous 28 and 56 days and only applies to debts incurred directly through football activity. Evidence is required that effort has been made to recover the debts prior to contacting the Gloucestershire FA. Please not that debts cannot be recovered from players signed for youth clubs, as FA Rules state that cubs are responsible for paying fines for players.
A player was sent off 2 weeks ago and I haven't received any paperwork. Will my club be fined?
Contact the Gloucestershire FA with details so that records can be checked to see if the sending-off has been reported. The charge may not have been generated because the match referee has not submitted a report or an error has occurred causing a delay in the process of the charge. Post does go missing or get delayed. If the sending-off charge has been generated, it can be re-issued and re-sent to your club.
I am on going on holiday for 2 weeks, can I redirect my post?
Yes. Gloucestershire FA can set up a temporary secretary to receive letters in your absence. All you need to do is provide the name, address and telephone numbers of the person acting as club secretary in your absence with the dates that you will be away.
The name on the charge form is incorrect. Can I change it?
The name listed on the charge, if not previously known to Gloucestershire FA, is that provided in the referee's report. Clubs are permitted to amend names if mis-spelt. If the wrong name has been recorded, please call the office to discuss the issue.
I have received a late fine of £20 for a case that has already been returned!
This is a common question received from clubs who return forms just before the expiry of the 14 day response period. It is likely that both letters have crossed in the post. Please contact Gloucestershire FA to check that forms and payments have been received.
A player has been requested to attend a discipline hearing on a date which is not convenient. Can he/she request a new date?
If the date issued is not practical to your player and/or club and witnesses, a postponement can be requested. A new date will then be offered usually based on the player's availibility. If the second date is not convenient, then a final date will be arranged. The hearing will go ahead on this final date irrespective of whether the player, club or witnesses are available. Notice of non-attendance at a hearing in order to request a postponement must be made as soon as possible. If a player gives Gloucestershire FA less than 1 working days notice that he/she is not available to attend then the hearing with proceed in their absence.
My club has received a fine for 'Exceeding First Offence Threshold'. What does this mean?
The Football Association use a penalty point system to punish clubs whose misconduct is deemed excessive. Every caution, standard and misconduct punishment if accepted or proved incurs penalty points in addition to any fine, costs and suspension. When clubs accumulate points that reach or pass set thresholds (of which there are three) fines are issued. The number of points allowed for each threshold is related to the number of teams a club operates so that clubs with more teams accumulate more discipline poits before being fined. These points work on a seasonal basis and are not carried forward from one season to the next.