Borrowing Players

The borrowing rules are one of the most important points for Managers and Coaches to fully understand. You should read the SSFA’s rule book (Rule 16 – page 24) very carefully and if in any doubt contact the Club Secretary. In brief, if for a match you have less than the required number of players available for a team, you may borrow a player/s from another division or age group. Generally the player/s borrowed must come from a lower grade or age group i.e. the 12B team can borrow a player/s from the 12C or 12D or 11B or 11C teams. A team can borrow up to a maximum of four (4) players for any one match . For teams U11 and above “A” grade players can only play “A” grade, thus in the example above a player from the 11A team cannot play for the 12B team.

For competition teams U11 and above, with the exception of “A” grade players who must play in “A” grade teams, a player may play in a higher age group but one lower division than that in which he or she is graded e.g. 14B to 15C to 16C . No more than two (2) players in this category can play in any one game.

 Borrowing players between teams in the same grade of any age division IS NOT PERMITTED.

A player in any team in the U6 to U10 years teams may be borrowed up and down within their own age division without restriction. A player may be borrowed in accordance with the Rules for Borrowing a MAXIMUM OF THREE (3) TIMES by any one team. After playing as a borrowed player three (3) times in any one team the player becomes ineligible to play with the same team again during the season unless the player has been officially transferred to that team. IF A PLAYER IS BORROWED INTO ANY ONE TEAMMORE THAN THREE (3) TIMES WITHOUT BEING TRANSFERRED, THE MATCH SHALL BE LOST BY FORFEIT. Under no circumstances should another Coach or Manager approach the parents of any player or the player/s themselves direct. Coaches/Managers should arrange the borrowing of players between themselves and then seek permission of the player/parents. A borrowed player will need to have his or her ID card at the game and it is the responsibility of the Coach/Manager borrowing the player to pick up the ID card and return it to the care of the Manager of the team the player is borrowed from. It is not to be left with the player.

Any player borrowed should have their name/age/grade shown on the match card in the appropriate place.

It is a Club rule that if you request a player from another team to come along to your game that player must be given half a game, unless they are specifically told that they are going along as a standby only. If there is some doubt that the player will play, do not put their name on the match card until they take the field. If the name is on the match card they are deemed to have played in that game whether they did or did not.

It is a Club rule that you must play your own players in preference to the borrowed player i.e., a borrowed player should not take the field if there is a player registered with your team available to take the field.

If a player is intentionally "played up" for the third time or you become aware that a player has unintentionally "played up" three times, the Secretary should be advised immediately so that the grading can be changed with the Association.