Please note: REG 10 applies to the Team Championships conducted as part of the National, Premier and Conference League/Knockout programme.
REG 10.1 Match officials requirements for each sport can be found in Appendix 5 (‘BUCS Match Officials Requirements’).
REG 10.2 It is the responsibility of the first named (home) institution/Playing Entity to arrange all appropriate match officials, except for:
- National Championship/Vase/Trophy Finals, for which the BUCS Executive shall be responsible for arranging officials;
- Conference Finals which are being hosted as part of a centralised Conference Finals event, for which the host(s) shall be responsible for arranging officials;
- Fixtures in leagues where, as per REG 9.2.4, the league has been agreed to be hosted in a central venue/tournament format, for which the host(s) shall be responsible for arranging officials.
REG 10.3 An institution/Playing Entity cannot appeal against a decision made by an official appropriate for the match.
REG 10.4 It is the responsibility of the first named (home) institution/Playing Entity to ensure that all match officials are aware of the BUCS general and sport specific regulations, especially where these differ from International/National Governing Body regulations.
REG 10.5 Neutrality
REG 10.5.1 Neutral in Appendix 5 (‘BUCS Match Officials Requirements’) shall be taken to mean not being a current student, a member of staff (full-time or part-time), a member of the team, club* or Athletic Union (or equivalent) of the institution/Playing Entity concerned, or, being closely related to any member of the club. *A member of the club shall be taken to mean any player, coach, elected officer or team official.
REG 10.5.2 Internationally qualified match officials Notwithstanding REG 10.5.1, where a match official is qualified to officiate to Senior International Level by the appropriate International Federation (IF), they shall be considered neutral.
REG 10.5.3 Governing Body appointed match officials Notwithstanding REG 10.5.1, where a match official is appointed by an appropriate Governing Body regional or national official's appointment board, they shall be considered neutral, except for National Championship/Vase/Trophy finals unless REG 10.5.2 is applicable. In the case of National Championship/Vase/Trophy finals, agreement in writing to the appointment of a match official not considered neutral under REG 10.5.1 or REG 10.5.2 shall be required from the institutions/Playing Entities involved.
REG 10.6 Failure to provide the appropriate match officials
REG 10.6.1 Where, under REG 10.2 it is the responsibility of the first named (home) institution/Playing Entity to arrange the appropriate match officials, REG 10.6.2–REG 10.6.5 shall apply in relation to a failure to provide the appropriate match officials.
REG 10.6.2 If an institution/Playing Entity informs their opposition of a lack of appointed/booked officials in writing at least 48 hours (outside of weekends and bank holidays) before the fixture start time, then if agreement cannot be reached between the institutions/Playing Entities for a rescheduling, or to the provision of match officials who do not meet the requirements, the matter shall be referred to the BUCS Executive to determine if the match should be awarded as a walkover, or rescheduled, with the date and host determined by the BUCS Executive.
REG 10.6.3 Where an appointed/booked appropriate match official withdraws from a fixture within 48 hours (outside of weekends and bank holidays) of the fixture start time:
REG 10.6.3.1 If the away team has not yet started travelling to the fixture, and the first named (home) institution/Playing Entity notifies them that an appointed/booked appropriate match official has withdrawn past the deadline of 48 hours (outside of weekends and bank holidays) before the fixture start time, then the match shall be rearranged in line with REG 14.3/REG 14.4/REG 14.5 with the first named (home) institution/Playing Entity remaining as host, unless otherwise agreed between the institutions/Playing Entities.
REG 10.6.3.2 If the away team has started travelling to the fixture or arrived at the venue and the first named (home) institution/Playing Entity notifies them that an appointed/booked appropriate match official has withdrawn past the deadline of 48 hours (outside of weekends and bank holidays) before the fixture start time, or an appointed/booked appropriate match official does not turn up, then the match shall be rearranged in line with REG 14.3/REG 14.4/REG 14.5 with the opposition (away) institution/Playing Entity as host, unless otherwise agreed between the institutions/Playing Entities.
REG 10.6.3.3 Where, under REG 10.6.3.2, the away team has started travelling to the fixture or arrived at the venue prior to being made aware of the appropriate match officials not being provided, they may choose to 'play under protest' in accordance with REG 12 if the first named (home) institution/Playing Entity is able to provide match officials who do not meet the requirements. Should they do so, then their institution/Playing Entity shall have the right to appeal the result in accordance with REG 15. If they proceed with the match without playing under protest in accordance with REG 12, then they shall be deemed to have accepted the conditions and can therefore not later ‘play under protest’ regarding them, nor submit a match appeal (REG 15) based on those grounds.
REG 10.6.4 Where REG 10.6.3 is not applicable and the first named (home) institution/Playing Entity has failed to provide the appropriate match officials and has not notified the opposition (away) institution/Playing Entity of a lack of appointed/booked officials at least 48 hours (outside of weekends and bank holidays) before the fixture start time, unless otherwise agreed between the institutions/Playing Entities:
REG 10.6.4.1 In the case of a league match: If a breach of REG 10.2 has been reported by the opposition (away) institution/Playing Entity, and confirmed by the BUCS Executive, before the relevant league deadline date as identified in Appendix 2 (‘BUCS Leagues and Knockouts – Dates and Deadlines’) for the fixture for which there was a breach, the fixture shall be conceded as a walkover win to the opposition (away) institution/Playing Entity.
REG 10.6.4.2 In the case of a knockout competition match: If a breach of REG 10.2 been reported by the opposition (away) institution/Playing Entity, and confirmed by the BUCS Executive, before the following round, the fixture shall be conceded as a walkover win to the opposition (away) institution/Playing Entity. If, due to the proximity to the following round of the breach being identified, the team awarded the walkover win cannot fulfil the following round fixture, this shall be recorded as an involuntary walkover win to the opposition, unless both teams agree to reschedule the fixture.
REG 10.6.4.3 In the case of ‘round robin’/’mini league’ format playoff matches, REG 10.6.5.1 shall apply with references to the “league deadline date” replaced with “playoff deadline date”. In the case of ‘knockout’ format playoff matches, REG 10.6.5.2 shall apply, except for any playoff ‘final’ matches for which REG 10.6.5.1 shall apply with references to the “league deadline date” replaced with “playoff deadline date”
REG 10.6.4.4 An institution/Playing Entity wishing to report a potential breach of REG 10.2 to the BUCS Executive should do so via email to [email protected] and will be expected to ensure that there is validity to any claims before they make their report. As such, the Match Appeals process (REG 15) does not have to be used to raise such breaches. Reports deemed to be frivolous, vexatious or not containing adequate information to justify why it is considered a breach of REG 10.2 may result in a charge of misconduct being raised in accordance with REG 5.
