BRITISH ATHLETICS LEAGUE
RULES OF COMPETITION 2018
Adopted 28th November 1987
With amendments up to and including 5th November 2017
And Guest Protocol 23rd January 2016
Issued 15th January 2018
PART 1: GENERAL
Competitions
1. The BAL will promote the following competitions each year – 1.1. A Divisional League Competition for Club teams of male athletes.
1.2. A Cup competition for Club teams. (Club Super8) a
1.3. The Jo Smith Cup Competition b
1.4. Such other competitions as are decided upon by General Meeting.
a At the Annual General Meeting held on 4th November 2017 it was agreed that there would not be a Cup Competition in 2018.
b At the Annual General Meeting held on 4th November 2017 it was agreed that there would not be a Jo Smith competition in 2018. The 2014 AGM decided that in years when there was not a separate Jo Smith Competition the Jo Smith Bowl would be awarded to the club with the highest combined position in the BAL and the UKWL
Governing Rules
2. All BAL competitions shall be held under the Rules of United Kingdom Athletics (“UKA”)
Guest Competitors
3. Except as provided in Rules 4 and 5, no guest competitor shall be allowed in BAL competition.
4. Finance & General Purposes Committee (F&GP) may agree to incorporate any other event in any BAL event forming part of the competition if F&GP are satisfied that it is in the interests of BAL competition so to do and that facilities are available for it to be done.
5. F&GP may invite an individual athlete to take part in an event forming part of the BAL competition and may fix a fee to be paid by an athlete who is not a member of a BAL club who accepts such invitation. F&GP may delegate their powers under this rule to the Promotions Officer (or in the case of the Cup, the Cup Secretary).
NOTE F&GP has adopted a protocol giving guidance on when such an invitation may be issued.
Club Vests
6. Club vests as registered for men or women as appropriate must be worn in all BAL competitions unless the Finance and General Purposes (F & G P) Committee or the Referee of an individual competition decides that such vests are not clearly distinguishable in which case the Committee or the Referee shall make such provisions as are thought fit.
NOTE: This means that in the Cup or Jo Smith competition a club may have different vests for its mens and womens teams provided that each vest is registered. However, where separate designs are registered for the mens and womens teams, men may NOT compete in vest design of the womens team or vice versa.
Eligibility of Clubs
7. BAL competitions shall be confined to open amateur athletic clubs in the United Kingdom, membership of which is not confined to persons in a particular occupation, business organisation or educational establishment. In case of doubt, the F & G P Committee shall decide whether a club is an open club for the purposes of this rule. For the avoidance of doubt, a composite club as defined by UKA Rule 3(14) is not eligible to take part in BAL competitions
Eligibility of Athletes
Definitions
8. A Foreign Athlete shall mean any athlete required to be registered with UKA pursuant to UKA Rules until F&GP resolves that a Foreign Athlete shall mean any athlete who is not eligible to represent the United Kingdom under IAAF Rules but who complies with the rules of eligibility of UKA
9. A UK Athlete shall mean any athlete who is not a Foreign Athlete.
10. A Foreign Athlete being an athlete who is not a UK Athlete must comply with the rules of eligibility of the National Association of the club of which he or she is a member.
11. A Higher Competition Athlete shall be an athlete who is a Higher Competition Club Member as defined by UKA Rules
12. The Eligibility Criteria shall mean the eligibility criteria set out in rule 15.
13. First Claim shall not include athletes who are secondary first claim members of the club they are representing.
Eligibility Criteria
14. The Eligibility Criteria are: 14.1. that on the date of the competition the athlete is either: 14.1.1. a first claim member of the club he or she is representing or
14.1.2. in the case of a League competition only, is a Higher Competition Member of the club he is representing
14.2. That the athlete has not competed as a first claim member for any other club in any BAL competition in the current season.
14.3. In League competitions the athlete must be registered in accordance with the BAL rules on registration.
And in both cases is eligible to compete for that club under the laws of UKA.
Eligibility
15. All athletes taking part in any BAL competition must comply with the Eligibility Criteria.
Limitation on Use of Non UK First claim Athletes
16. In BAL competition no team at any meeting shall use more than five non first claim UK athletes (as defined in these Rules) in total.
Exclusion of First Claims of Closed Clubs
17. First claim membership of a club other than an open club shall be disregarded.
Failure to Complete a Match
18. In the event of failure to complete all events in a match, the result of the match will stand if at least 75% of the events have been completed. If not the whole match shall be re-arranged at a date and place determined by the F & G P Committee in default of agreement between the clubs taking part in that match.
Events abandoned
19. If an event at a match is not completed 19.1. If the event does not start, or in the case of a track event the race is abandoned before all competitors have finished or withdrawn and is not re-run or in the case of long and triple jump and the throws is abandoned before a full round is completed then no points will be awarded.
19.2. In the case of long and triple jumps and the throws where at least one full round of the competition has been completed before the competition is abandoned then the points will be awarded on the positions at the end of the last full completed round.
19.3. In the case of the high jump and (except when the pole vault in the Premiership is operating under Rule 27) the pole vault: 19.3.1. Any competitor who has taken part and been eliminated by the time the event is abandoned shall be credited with the height that he actually achieved;
19.3.2. If the circumstances allow, all those competitors remaining in the competition shall be invited to clear the height at which the competition was abandoned and all those who clear the bar at the first attempt shall be treated as sharing first place, those who clear it at the second attempt as sharing second place and those who clear it at third attempt as sharing third place and the whole match scored accordingly. The shared places shall not be adjusted for count back and there will be no jump off for first place.
19.3.3. If the circumstances do not allow competitors to attempt the height at which the competition is abandoned then the available points for all the competitors not eliminated shall be divided equally between them.
20. If no member of a club shall take part in a match then unless the club shall produce an explanation for such non-appearance acceptable to Finance & General Purposes Committee the club shall, if a member of the League be deemed to have resigned from the League with effect from the date of the match.
21. If a Club does not appear at a match with a team which covers at least half the events (“the Defaulting Club”) without an explanation acceptable to the Principal Officers (acting if necessary by a majority) the Defaulting Club concerned shall forfeit all match points at that match. If the Defaulting Club does not appear at a subsequent match in the same season with a team which covers at least half the events without an explanation acceptable to the Principal Officers (acting if necessary by a majority) the Defaulting Club shall be deemed to have resigned from the BAL at the date of the second match. If at the end of the season the Defaulting Club falls to be relegated from that division (or the BAL) it shall (if it is in the bottom two divisions) be relegated out of the BAL and shall not be eligible to compete in the Qualifying Match that year and if it is in any of the higher divisions it shall be relegated two divisions. In this rule A and B string competitions shall be considered as separate events. Where a club is relegated two divisions three clubs from the division into which it is relegated shall be promoted.
Drugs Testing
22. To be eligible for participation in athletic competitions organised by the British Athletics League, all the athletes must comply with the requirement of the UKA rules relating to drug testing in force from time to time. It is the responsibility of the meeting organisers to make the necessary arrangements to enable the relevant Sports Council Doping Control Sampling Team to carry out their functions.
Starting Heights
23. In the high jump the competition shall start at the lowest height requested by any competitor or the lowest height to which the stands will go (if higher). Unless the referee decides otherwise the second height shall be no lower than 1.50m (men) or 1.30m (women) The third height shall be no lower than 1.60m (men) or 1.40m (women)
24. In the pole vault the competition shall start at the lowest height requested by any competitor or the lowest height to which the apparatus will go (if higher). Unless the referee decides otherwise
The second height shall be no lower than 2.20m (men) or 1.90m (women)
The third height shall be no lower than 2.60m (men) or 2.10m (women)
The fourth height shall be no lower than 3.00m (men) or 2.30m (women)
And proceed at 20 cm increments up to 4.40m (men) and 2.90m (women). If at 4.40m (men) or 2.90m (women) there are still more than 5 competitors left in, then the competition will continue to progress in 20cm intervals until there 5 or fewer competitors remaining. Thereafter the increments shall be 10cm. If a single competitor is left the height may be raised as agreed with the referee.
25. Pole Vault competitions in the Premiership may be split into two separate pools at single fixtures. Pool A will have a minimum starting height of 4m40cm and any athlete can opt to compete in this pool. All other athletes will compete in Pool B. Pool B will compete first with the first to fourth heights as set out in Rule 27. It will progress in 20cm intervals until all the competitors in Pool B have been eliminated. Pool A will compete second with the progression in such increments as set out in rule 27. The results of both competitions will be collated and positions and points decided according to heights cleared, regardless of whether the performance is achieved in Pool A or B. Once an athlete has decided which pool he wishes to compete in, he may not change to the other pool at that match. 25.1. If a pole vault event in the premiership has to be abandoned then if it is abandoned before the start of the Pool A competition then any competitor who has taken part and been eliminated by the time the event is abandoned shall be credited with the height that he actually achieved. All the available points for all the competitors in both Pools A and B not eliminated shall be divided equally between them.
Electronic measuring equipment
26. If F&GP is satisfied that any device for measuring distance is satisfactory and accurate, it may resolve that distances measured using such a device shall be acceptable for results in BAL competitions. Until the device is approved by UKA, this is without prejudice to the right of any competitor to require at the time that any measurement falls to be made that such measurement be taken or confirmed using a method or device approved by UKA at the time. In the event that there is a discrepancy between the measurement shown on the device and the measurement taken using a method or device approved by UKA, the measurement taken using a method or device approved by UKA shall prevail.
Team Declarations
27. Clubs shall declare their teams on the prescribed Team Declaration Form not later than 30 minutes before the start of the meeting. However, if the field events start more than 30 minutes before the track events a club may declare its team for those field events not later than the start of those events and the remainder of its team not later than 30 minutes after the scheduled start of the first field events. Late changes shall be advised to the Chief Recorder (or to the person designated to receive them by the Divisional Secretary) before the start of the event to which they relate. If a late change is not notified in accordance with this rule, then: 27.1. the offence may be noted and no further action taken; or
27.2. the team may be warned as to its future conduct; or
27.3. The change may be disallowed and the athletes concerned dealt with under Rule 30 (ringing).
NOTE 1 – Team managers should ensure that wherever possible the announcers are informed of changes (whether by the team concerned or the recorders) so that correct information is given to spectators
NOTE 2 – Team managers may be asked by the promoting club to provide an early indication of their teams to assist the recorders loading information into the results programmes in advance of the match. F&GP encourages teams to assist in this way. This does not prevent team managers changing their teams without formality up to the times set out above.
Ringing
28. Any club may not use an athlete under the name of another. A club who does so may be: 28.1. warned as to its future conduct; or
28.2. Have the athlete who is used under the name of another disqualified from the events in which the substitution took place.
Disqualification
29. Any athlete who is disqualified after he has completed the match should be scored as though he had not taken part.
Decisions and Appeals
30. The BAL representative shall be entitled to decide any question of breach of the BAL rules arising during the course of a meeting. He may adjourn his decision for a period not exceeding fourteen days in order for evidence to be obtained.
31. Any appeal shall be made in writing and received by the General Secretary of the BAL within fourteen days of the decision appealed against. The appeal shall contain all information on which the appellant relies in support of the appeal. The appeal shall be accompanied by a fee of £100 which shall be dealt with as the F & G P Committee shall direct. If the appeal is dismissed the F & G P Committee may order the appellant to pay all or some part of the costs incurred by the League in investigating the appeal or in the hearing of the appeal. If such sums are not paid within such period as the F & G P Committee may resolve, the F & G P Committee may suspend the appellant from further competition in the League until such time as such sums are paid.
32. Upon receipt of an appeal or complaint (other than in relation to poaching which is dealt with in rule 96 onwards), the General Secretary may refer it for investigation to a single member of the F & G P Committee who shall usually be the Promotions Officer unless he or his club is involved in or likely to be affected by the appeal or complaint. The single member shall make such enquiries into the facts as seem to him appropriate and shall report such facts to the F & G P Committee when it considers the appeal or complaint. Any such appeal or complaint shall be dealt with by the F & G P Committee. In any debate or vote on the matter in F & G P Committee any member of the club making the protest and who is a member of the Committee shall not take part.
NOTE: This rule relates only to the application of BAL Rules of Competition. Matters which fall to be dealt with under UKA’s Rules of Competition must be dealt with in accordance with those rules. The BAL F & G P Committee cannot consider appeals properly belonging to UKA
33. A club against whom a complaint is made shall be entitled on their expense to make reasonable representations to the F & G P Committee.
NOTE: There is no formal appeal from a decision of the F & G P Committee but it is open to a club to put a motion before a General Meeting of the BAL to vary the decision.
34. In rule 32 ‘The BAL Representative’ shall mean: 34.1. in the case of a League Match the Divisional Secretary or the person discharging the functions of the Divisional Secretary at that meeting
34.2. in the case of the Cup or Plate Final or the Jo Smith Cup the Cup Secretary
34.3. in the case of the Qualifying match the Promotions Officer
34.4. in the case of any other meeting under BAL rules at which an officer or a member of the F & G P Committee is in attendance such officer or member and, if more than one, the most senior in standing
34.5. if there is no BAL Representative present the appropriate referee may, if he is willing to do so, exercise the powers given by these rules to the BAL Representative but if he is not the matter shall be referred to F & G P Committee.
Conflicts of Sponsorships
35. Any club that is sponsored by an organisation that in the opinion of the F & G P Committee may conflict with the sponsorship of the League shall in relation to BAL competitions abide by such directions that the F & G P Committee consider to be reasonably necessary to secure a proper balance between the interests of the BAL, the club concerned and their respective sponsors
PART II: LEAGUE RULES
The League Structure and Meetings
36. The League shall consist of five Divisions the top four divisions each of eight clubs and the lowest division of six clubs…
37. The clubs in each division shall meet on four occasions each season, the dates and venues to be decided by the F & G P Committee.
38. Save as provided in the rules relating to resignation from the BAL, the bottom two clubs in each division other than the lowest division after the season’s competition (or if there are only seven clubs in that division the bottom club and if there are six or fewer clubs no clubs) shall be relegated and the top clubs in the order in which they finished in the next lower division shall be promoted to bring the higher division up to eight clubs. The bottom two clubs in the lowest division (or if there are only five clubs in that division the bottom club and if there are four or fewer clubs in that division no clubs) shall cease to be members of the BAL subject to the provision of Rule 42. The clubs in the qualifying competition shall be invited to fill the vacant places to bring Division 4 up to six clubs in the order in which they finished in the qualifying competition.
39. At each Annual General Meeting one of the Principal Officers shall report on the composition of division for the following season. Unless the AGM shall determine otherwise, the compositions of the divisions as so reported shall stand for the following season
40. The Qualifying Competition shall be held between not more than eight teams. Any club including the relegated BAL teams may apply to take part. Clubs to take part in the Qualifying Competition shall be chosen on the basis of their placings in a paper match carried out by one or more independent assessors. Only athletes who on the closing date for entries into the paper match are first claim members of the club applying for the qualifying match shall be included in the paper match but non B.A.L clubs can use athletes who have been HCA to a B.A.L club. The Promotions Officer may decline to include a club in the paper match if he considers that on the performances supplied they will not qualify for the Qualifying Competition. He may also decline to accept the application if the club had in any of the previous three seasons been selected for the Qualifying Competition and had not appeared at the match or had appeared at the match with a team that did not complete more than half of the events and no explanation satisfactory to F&GP (or if they did not consider the matter, the Promotions Officer) had been produced for such absence or performance. The Promotions Officer may reject an entry to the Qualifying Competition if he is satisfied that the applicant would not be able to meet its obligations as a member of the BAL.
41. In the Qualifying Match only first claim members may compete
NOTE: This means that a club cannot use HCAs registered to it in the Qualifying Match.
42. The teams from each club included in the paper match shall only include the performances in actual League competitions or cup competitions organised by the BAL or any National/Regional League by male athletes who under these rules would be eligible to compete for that club in the qualifying competition. The BAL Rules which relate to registration of athletes with the BAL shall not apply to the paper match or the qualifying competition.
43. The teams from each club included in the paper match may only include the performances from up to four foreign athletes registered with UKA under UKA rules. In the event that there are more than four foreign athletes included in the team for the paper meeting the assessors shall treat the events as being contested in the order in which they appear in the Qualifying Programme and disregard performances of all foreign athletes who would have competed for the first time after the fourth foreign athlete would have begun his first event.
44. No club shall be invited to the Qualifying Competition which is not eligible to compete in the BAL under Rule 7.
45. No club shall be entitled to enter the Qualifying Competition which is already a member of the BAL.
NOTE: This means no ‘B’ teams of existing members of the BAL can take part in the Qualifying Competition.
Events
46 In each competition, there will be the following events:-
100 metres; 200 metres; 400 metres; 800 metres; either 1500 metres or one mile; either 3000 metres or 5000 metres or 10,000 metres; 110m Hurdles; 400m Hurdles; 3000 Steeplechase; High Jump; Long Jump; Triple Jump; Shot Putt; Pole Vault; Discus Throw; Hammer Throw; Javelin Throw; 4 x 100m Relay; 4 x 400m Relay.
The Promotions Officer shall indicate before the start of the season in respect of each match whether there is to be (a) a 1500 metres or a mile event and (b) a 3000 metres or 5000 metres event. If he shall not give any such indication, the events shall be 1500 metres and 5000 metres.
NOTE F&GP has determined that if an event cannot be held outside but there are facilities for it to be held indoors, the inside event should count as part of the BAL match and be scored accordingly. It was also agreed that if an event moved indoors after it started, it should be restarted and the scores whilst outside disregarded.
Timetables
47 F&GP shall from time to time approve a standard timetable for League matches which shall apply unless alternative arrangements as set out below are adopted.
48 F&GP may approve alternative timetables either for a specified match or matches, or for a specified division and May make any consequential changes to the rules as are necessary to accommodate such timetable.
- 49 The Promotions Officer may approve deviations from the standard timetable or any alternative timetable approved by F&GP if he is satisfied a. That such deviations are reasonably required to enable the match to be undertaken conveniently and safely; and
- b. That such deviations do not unreasonably favour or disadvantage any of the competing clubs; and
- c. That such deviations do not require any other amendment to the Rules of the BAL in order to work.
Teams
50 There will be 2 competitors per club in each individual event and one team per club in each relay.
51 An athlete may compete in a maximum of seven (7) events in both League and qualifier competitions – for this purpose competing in a relay is regarded as an event.
‘A’ & ‘B’ Strings
52 In events where there are separate competitions for ‘A’ and ‘B’ string competitors, the club shall in its team declaration nominate one competitor as the ‘A’ string and the other as the ‘B’ string.
NOTE: The attention of team managers is drawn to Rule 31 (Ringing) which may be broken by the unauthorised changing of ‘A’ and ‘B’ string runners.
53 All track events from and including 1500 metres upwards shall be run as one competition for both ‘A’ and ‘B’ string competitors..
54 If a separate competition is not held for ‘A’ and ‘B’ string competitors the club shall in its team declaration nominate one competitor as the ‘A’ string and the other as the ‘B’ string but for the purpose of the result the better placed of a club’s representatives shall be considered the ‘A’ string.
55 An athlete cannot compete in the A and B string competitions of the same event at the same meeting. If he does he shall be disqualified from both competitions.
56 If a club uses an athlete who has not been registered with UKA in any event neither athlete from that club used in that event shall score. The event shall be scored as though they had not taken part. An athlete who is so treated who was registered shall be treated as though he were a guest. 57.1 . Be satisfied with the explanation offered by the club; or
NOTE: This rule applies to athletes who have not been registered with the BAL at all. Where an athlete has been registered but with qualifications (eg “CA”) the other rules eg Rule 88 will apply.
57. Where separate competitions are held for ‘A’ and ‘B’ string competitors, clubs are expected to put in the ‘A’ string competition the athlete who is expected to produce the better performance. If the performance by the ‘B’ string competitor is better than that of the ‘A’ string competitor, the club may expect to have to explain their decision to the Divisional Secretary. The Divisional Secretary shall consider the matter and may:
57.2. Note the matter and take no further action; or
57.3. Warn the club as to their future conduct; or
57.4. Deduct from the match score of the club concerned the points advantage that they obtained by using the better performer in the B competition; or
57.5. Order the event to be rescored as though the better performer had taken part in the A competition; or
57.6. Direct that one or both athletes should not score in that event…
In considering whether an explanation is satisfactory, any previous warning given to the Club under this rule in the current or the two preceding seasons may be taken into account by those deciding the matter.
If the Divisional Secretary so decides he may refer the matter to F&GP who shall have the same powers as the Divisional Secretary in determining the issue
Event Scoring
58. The score for each event shall be:
In the Premiership and National 1 2 and 3
‘A’ strings and relays – 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4,
‘B’ strings 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1
In National 4
‘A’ strings and relays – 12, 10, 8, 6, 5, 4
‘B’ strings – 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1
In the event of there being a tie, the total points for the places involved shall be shared between those tying.
NOTE: This means that for example if two competitors are placed third in the A event, they each receive 11 points (being the total of third and fourth places divided between them)
59 If there is a tie for first place in any of the vertical jumps there will not be a jump off and the points for the first and other places (as relevant) will be shared
60 At the conclusion of each League Meeting, points shall be allocated as follows:-
In the Premiership and National 1 2 and 3
1st team 8 points; 2nd team 7 points; 3rd team 6 points; 4th team 5 points; 5th team 4 points; 6th team 3 points; 7th team 2 points; 8th team 1 point
In National 4
1st team 6 points; 2nd team 5 points; 3rd team 4 points; 4th team 3 points; 5th team 2 points; 6th team 1 point
61 In the case of clubs tying any match, the total points for the places involved shall be shared.
NOTE: This means that if, for example, two clubs finish in third place they each receive 5.5 points (being the total of the third and fourth places added and divided between them).
62 The team with the highest number of points in each Division shall be deemed the winner of that Division at the end of the season.
63 In the event of Clubs tying on match points, the teams with the highest total team score calculated in accordance with Rule 60 will be the winner. In the event that Clubs are still tying then the placing shall be determined by the number of first places gained in the meetings and if there is still a tie the placing shall be determined by the number of second places and so on. If one of the teams tying is a Defaulting Team as defined by Rule 24 they shall be considered the lowest of those tied
64 Placings in the Qualifying Competition shall be by team score calculated in accordance with Rule 60. If there is a tie for any place it shall be determined by the number of first places gained in the meeting and if there is still a tie by the number of second places etc.
Registration of Athletes
General
65 No foreign athlete or higher competition athlete may take part in a League competition who is not registered with UKA in accordance with this Rule by 1st May in the year of competition
66. In exceptional circumstances the F & GP Committee may alter the dates in Rules 65 by giving not less than 28 days’ notice to the clubs affected.
67. Only athletes who are eligible to compete under Rule 15 may be registered.
68. A foreign athlete once registered May, subject to meeting the Eligibility criteria set out in Rule 14, have his registration transferred to another BAL club. For the avoidance of doubt a Higher Competition Athlete may not have his registration changed to another BAL club during the current season
Registration Procedure
69. B.A.L Clubs are required to register their Foreign Athletes in line with current U.K.A procedures and they must appear on the U.K.A published FA list by the 1st May in the year of competition. No Foreign Athlete`s will be allowed to compete in B.A.L competitions if they appear on any latter lists that may be published by U.K.A. If a 1st claim athlete decides to change his country of allegiance after the 1st May deadline then his New FA Status will be deemed to be from 1st May in the year of competition.
Splitting of BAL Member Club
70 If a BAL club shall split, then if the two resulting clubs shall agree on which of them shall continue with the BAL membership, such club shall continue the BAL membership of the old unsplit club. If the two resulting clubs cannot agree on which of them shall continue with the BAL membership, F&GP may determine which (if either) shall continue or if F&GP is not satisfied that either of the resulting clubs represents substantially the BAL interest of the old unsplit club may treat the split as termination of the membership of the BAL of the original unsplit club and of the resulting clubs. Nothing in such a decision shall prevent either of the resulting clubs from entering the Qualifying competition
Amalgamation of BAL Clubs
71 If two or more BAL Clubs shall amalgamate, the amalgamated Club shall be entitled to continue as a member of the BAL in the position of the higher of the constituent clubs. The lower placed of the constituent clubs shall, for the purposes of these Rules, be deemed to have resigned from the League on the date of the amalgamation.
72 If a BAL club shall amalgamate with a non-BAL Club this shall not affect its BAL membership.
Poaching
73 No BAL Club shall recruit or attempt to recruit a male athlete registered as a member of another club affiliated to UKAthletics by the offer of a material inducement. Material inducement shall include any gift, loan, fee, reward, consideration or advantage.
74 Any complaint under Rule 96 will be referred to the F & G P Committee who shall appoint an Independent Investigating Officer. All these appointments shall be of independent people as defined in Rule 102
75 The Independent Investigating Officer shall conduct a preliminary review of the complaint and if the complaint is not withdrawn refer the complaint to the Appeal Committee.
76 Any complaint referred to the Appeal Committee under Rule 98 will be heard by that Committee who shall, if satisfied that the club has breached Rule 97 subject to a negative vote at a General Meeting either: 76.1. Note the offence and take no further action; or
76.2. Warn the club as to its future conduct and take no further action; or
76.3. Nullify all the points scored by the athlete the subject of the complaint in either the League or the Cup or both in the year of competition; or
76.4. Cancel the registration of the athlete the subject of the complaint for such number of seasons as the Appeal Committee think just; or
76.5. Deduct such number of event points under Rule 59 for that year as the Appeal Committee think just; or
76.6. Nullify all the points scored by the offending club in the League competition for that year and/or disqualify the offending club from the Cup Competition for that year.
77. The Appeal Committee shall consist of three independent people appointed by the F & G P Committee. One member of the Appeal Committee shall, if he is independent as defined in this rule, be the Legal Adviser and if he is not independent be another legally qualified person.
78. A person shall be considered independent for the purpose of this rule who: 78.1. does not belong to the club against whom the complaint is made or the club making the complaint; and
78.2. does not belong to a club in the same division as the club against whom the complaint is made; and
78.3. Does not belong to a club whose position may be affected by the outcome of the appeal.
79. The Appeal Committee shall, at a reasonable time and place and upon reasonable notice to all concerned (being not less than seven days unless otherwise agreed by all concerned) hear any appeals under this rule
.
80. The club shall be entitled to be present at the hearing of the case and to be heard and to give evidence. The Appeals Committee shall be entitled to hear or call such other evidence as they consider to be relevant
81. The Appeal Committee shall decide matters referred to it by a majority.
82. The parties before it may be legally represented if they wish provided they have sought permission to do so in writing from the Chairman of the Appeal Committee.
NOTE: The General Committee of the League adopted a set of Procedural Rules for such appeals to which reference should be made for details. A copy can be obtained from the General Secretary on request.
Equalisation of costs
83. The purpose of Rules 96 to 108 is within the limits set out in those rules to endeavour to ensure that all cost to all the Clubs in the BAL of taking part in the League competition is equal.
84. Each season by 1st April (or 14 days after the Half Yearly Meeting in that year if later) the Finance Officer shall prepare an Equalisation Budget. That Budget shall be calculated on the basis of: 84.1. The venues in the form that they exist at the end of the Half Yearly meeting;
84.2. The Equalisation Tariff as defined in Rule 106 as in force at that time;
85. The Finance Officer shall divide the total costs of all the League Clubs calculated in accordance with the Equalisation Budget by the number of clubs in the League and the figure so produced shall be called the Mean Cost.
86. Any Club whose costs as shown on the Equalisation Budget are less than the Mean Cost shall be liable to pay the difference between its costs as shown on the Equalisation Budget and the Mean Cost to the BAL accordance with this rule subject to any cap included in the Tariff.
87. The BAL shall subject to these rules and any provisions in the Tariff pay to any club whose costs as shown on the Equalisation Budget as being more than the Mean Cost the difference between its costs as shown on the Equalisation Budget and the Mean Cost in accordance with this rule.
88. The Finance Officer shall send a copy of the Equalisation Budget to each club in the BAL
89. If the Equalisation Budget shows that a club is liable to pay money to the BAL then 89.1. If the amount due to the BAL is less than £1,000, the Club shall make such payment in full not less than seven days before the first match (or such other date as F&GP shall decide);
89.2. If the amount due to the BAL is £1,000 or more, the Club may divide the amount due by four and pay one quarter of the amount due not less than seven days before each match
90. If the Equalisation Budget shows that a club is liable to receive money from the BAL then 90.1. If the amount due from the BAL is £1,000 or more the BAL shall pay one quarter of the amount due within 10 days after each match;
90.2. If the amount due from the BAL is less than £1,000 the BAL shall make such payment within 10 days of the last match of the season.
91. Notwithstanding Rule 90, the BAL shall not be liable to make any payment under those rules if it has not received sufficient funds under Rule 89 to cover that payment. In the event that the BAL has received insufficient funds from clubs liable to make payments under Rule 89 to meet the full payments due under Rule 90, the payments due under Rule 90 shall be reduced in proportion.
92. Any club liable to make a payment to the BAL under Rule 90 who has not done so by the due date without an explanation approved by F&GP may be disqualified by F&GP from taking part in any further League matches that season until all sums due have been paid.
93. From time to time in general meeting the BAL shall approve the Equalisation Tariff which shall establish the amount to be taken into the Equalisation Budget for the various matters set out in the Tariff. A Tariff shall remain in force until it is amended in General Meeting
94. If it appears to F&GP that the application of the Tariff or the dates for payment of sums due to or by the BAL are working an injustice, they may make such alterations to the application of the Tariff or the dates for payment of sums due to or by the BAL as seem to them reasonable to avoid such injustice. F&GP shall report such alterations to the next General Meeting of the BAL which may by a simple majority resolve to set aside such alteration.
95. Clubs must take proper steps to ensure that home meeting costs are kept under proper control and use their best endeavours to secure for the BAL matches the best prices reasonably obtainable for the service. If after giving the club the opportunity to justify the charge F&GP considers that an actual charge is unreasonable they may substitute for such charge the sum that they consider reasonable.
Resignation from the League
96. If a Club shall by notice in writing to the General Secretary resign from the League or shall be deemed under Rules to have resigned from the League then 96.1. If such resignation shall occur between 1st March and the end of the season, all future matches shall be scored in the normal manner. Matches prior to the resignation shall not be re-scored to exclude the club that resigned and at the end of the season, one club from the
division to which the club that resigned belonged and all lower divisions shall be relegated but two clubs shall be promoted and only one club shall leave the League.
96.2. If such resignation shall take place between the end of the season and 31st December following, one further club shall be promoted from the division immediately beneath the division in which the resignation took place and so on in lower divisions. The League shall invite the next highest club in the Qualifier who had not been offered membership to join the League and if they decline the next highest and so on until either one of the clubs in the Qualifier has accepted or all the clubs in the Qualifier have rejected the invitation. In the latter case, Division 4 will consist of five clubs.
96.3. If such resignation shall take place between 1st January and the last day of February in any year, one further club shall be promoted from the division immediately beneath the division in which the resignation took place and so on in lower divisions… After consultation with the Area League concerned, and subject to the approval of F&GP (or if it is not reasonably possible to convene a meeting of F&GP within the time available, with the approval of all the Principal Officers) the League shall invite the next highest club in the Qualifier who had not been offered membership to join Division 4 of the League and if they decline the next highest and so on until either one of the clubs in the Qualifier has accepted or all the clubs in the Qualifier have rejected the invitation. In the latter case, Division 4 will consist of less than five clubs.
NOTE This means that in that division there will be a large number of unused scores.
PART 111: CHANGES TO RULES ETC.
Changes to Rules
97. The Rules of Competition may be altered at any time by a vote at a General Meeting at which two thirds of those voting approve or by F&GP in respect of any matter in relation to the rules which have been delegated to it by a General Meeting at which two thirds of those voting approved of such delegation. When acting under such delegated powers, no alteration to the Rules shall be made unless two thirds of those voting at F&GP approve…
Safety
98. The BAL recognises that the organisation responsible for setting safety standards at athletics meetings is UKA. Accordingly the BAL requires all its meeting to be conducted in accordance with the safety standards laid down from time to time by UKA. It is the responsibility of the organising club at any BAL match to ensure that this is done.
Power of F&GP Committee to Delegate
99. Where in these Rules a matter is to be determined by the F & G P Committee other than any matter relating to the rules delegated to F&GP by a general meeting pursuant to Rule 164 the F & G P Committee may delegate that determination to one or more of its members. Any Club aggrieved by a decision of any such delegated authority may refer the matter to the full F & G P Committee for consideration.
Data Protection
100. The BAL obtains data in respect of all those athletes who are registered with it in order to compete in BAL competition. The data sought is the minimum that is required for the BAL to be satisfied that the athlete is eligible for registration and to identify the athlete and avoid confusion with other athletes with, for example, similar names. The data is shared with the officers of the BAL for the proper management of the BAL and with the teams in the division in which the athlete is competing to enable any objections to the athlete’s eligibility to be raised within the time limits set down in the BAL rules. It may also be shared with other athletic organisations for the purposes of athletic competition or the sport in general. The data is kept for as long as the athlete is registered and thereafter until the end of the current season and, if for any reason at that point, the athlete is under investigation, until those investigations have been completed. Data in the public domain (such as records) will be kept indefinitely
.
U17 Athletes
Eligibility – Use of Under 17 Athletes
UNDER 17 ATHLETES
Circular of 28th April 2012 as amended following 2013 AGM
During the winter UKA have reviewed the position of under 17s in senior competition and working with UKA, BAL is accordingly amending its position to reflect that review.
Members will recall that under current BAL rules, u17s can only be used in Club Super8 and the Jo Smith if they meet current AAA Senior Grade 3 standards a copy of which is attached to this note. That position is likely to change with the new format for Club Super8.
So far as the League is concerned, the rules traditionally included a note as follows:
NOTE: In League competition there are no formal rules about use of under 17s. However, team managers should expect to justify their inclusion of under 17s in their team who are outclassed or who find the competition embarrassing
That has generally been taken to mean that an u17 who is competing in a BAL match should be capable of coming in the top third of the A string of that event or have the current AAA senior Grade 3 standard for that event. That broadly remains the position.
F&GP wish to repeat that the arrangements for u17s to take part in BAL matches is designed to allow teams to use u17s of exceptional talent who cannot get proper competition elsewhere. It must not be used as a method of filling out senior teams.
In principle and subject to the qualifications set out below u17s should only take part in the event(s) for which they can come within the top third of the A competition plus in either case possibly a relay. The AAA Senior Grade 3 standard would in most divisions be a useful indicator of the u17’s ability to achieve such a position. It is recognised that in the Premiership a rigid application of the Senior Grade 3 standard may not be high enough and in the bottom divisions it may be too high.
Where events are run as separate A and B events, the Divisional Secretary should challenge why an u17 is taking part in the B event and satisfy himself that the u17 would meet the standard set out above..
Divisional Secretaries are asked to review the use of all u17 athletes and to report to the Promotions Officer the performance of any u17 where the performance of an u17 athlete is outside the top third of the A string and which falls outside the AAA Senior Grade 3 standard for the event r and for which no explanation that the Divisional Secretary finds satisfactory is forthcoming.
The Promotions Officer will report to F&GP as appropriate.
F&GP will also not expect u17s to do events above 1500m, nor throw senior weights or do senior high hurdles.
A team that wants an u17 to do any such event must obtain clearance well in advance and will be expected to demonstrate that this is a wholly exceptional case and that it is in the athlete’s interest that he should be allowed to compete. Initially such a request should be made to the Promotions Officer who may consult the other Principal Officers or refer the request to F&GP. It must be supported with evidence of the athlete’s performance in the event concerned to show consistency, support from the athlete’s coach and from his parents.
Such requests will be looked into with great care by the BAL and clubs must not expect a favourable response to be given quickly.
If before the match an u17 is an established multi-eventer then he can do up to three events plus (if he wishes) the relay. A team manager asserting that an u17 is an established multi eventer must be prepared to satisfy the Promotions Officer that the athlete has completed at least one multi-event in the 12 months prior to the BAL match.
Whilst competing at BAL will give an u17 experience of competing at a higher level in his own event, it is not intended that it should be used as a method of giving an u17 experience of new events. That is properly the role of his own age group competition.
F&GP will not allow u17s to be used to bolster an otherwise weak team.
If the use of u17s is abused in any way, F&GP will use the power given to them to call up and cancel the registration of the athletes concerned.
AAA GRADE 3 SENIOR STANDARDS 2015-2016
Event
100 metres 11.1 sec
200 metres 22.4 sec
400 metres 50.5 sec
800 metres 1 min 56.4 sec
1,500 metres 4 min 00.7 sec
3,000 metres 8 min 45.0 sec
5,000 metres 15 min 15.5 sec
10,000metres 31m 55.5sec
110 metres Hurdles 15.3 sec
400 metres Hurdles 56.5 sec
3000 metres Steeplechase 9 min 52.0 sec
High Jump 1.90 metres
Pole Vault 4.00 metres
Long Jump 6.40 metres
Triple Jump 13.05 metres
Shot 12.45 metres
Discus 37.50 metres
Javelin 47.35 metres
Hammer 43.15 metres
GUESTS AND NON-SCORING EVENTS 2018
There have been substantial changes to the arrangements for guests and non-scoring events for 2018 which are summarised as follows:
GUESTS
Anyone who meets the performance criteria set out below can apply to be a guest at a BAL match. Athletes who are members of BAL clubs must apply through their BAL team manager. Athletes who belong to non-BAL clubs must apply using the application form on the website. Whichever route is applicable, requests must be received by the Promotions Officer, Steve Garrett, (steven@stevengarrett.co.uk) by noon on the Sunday before the match. The Promotions Officer will then decide who is to be invited and will advise the team managers (for athletes in BAL clubs) and the athlete directly by email as soon as possible thereafter. The names of those invited will be put on the BAL website and notified to the meeting organisers. In making his decision the Promotions Officer will pay particular attention to the performances of those seeking places.
Only athletes whose name is on that list will be able to take part as a guest.
If an athlete from a BAL club is invited as a guest he will not be allowed to take part in the scoring match in that event unless he has notified the Promotions Officer that he is not guesting by 23:59 on the Thursday before the match.
Whilst the BAL will try and accommodate as many guests as it can who meet the performance criteria it does not undertake to invite as guests everyone who applies. Track athletes in laned events will appreciate that the BAL must assume that all eight clubs at an eight club fixture will have both A and B string competitors in all laned events.
NON-SCORING EVENTS
Non-scoring events are open ONLY to members of BAL clubs competing at that meeting.
In 2018 there will be up to four 100m non-scoring events and one 200m non-scoring event and one 400m non-scoring event at all matches. The 100m will be before the start of the programme and the 200m and 400m will be immediately after the last scoring 200m and 400m respectively.
Competing clubs may nominate as of right up to four 100m competitors and one each 200m and 400m competitor for the non-scoring races. If they have further athletes who want to compete in the 200m and 400m non-scoring races, they may be put on a waiting list which will close at the start of the track timetable and the divisional secretary or the meeting manager will use that list to fill up any vacant spaces fairly. It will not necessarily be on a first come first served basis.
Divisional Secretaries and meeting organisers are asked to check how many athletes apply for the non-scoring events so we can be certain that they are meeting a need.
| Event | Premiership | Division One | Division Two | Division Three | Division Four |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 | 10.73 | 10.75 | 10.94 | 10.98 | 11.1 |
| 200 | 21.63 | 21.73 | 21.85 | 22.34 | 22.45 |
| 400 | 47.89 | 48.45 | 48.88 | 49.98 | 50.42 |
| 800 | 1.53.63 | 1.54.34 | 1.55.22 | 1.56.22 | 1.57.23 |
| 1500 | 3.52.89 | 3.59.92 | 04:00.9 | 4.05.00 | 4.11.47 |
| 3000 | 8.32.59 | 8.32.83 | 8.46.45 | 8.51.65 | 8.55.19 |
| 5000 | 14.54.23 | 14.58.77 | 15.21.85 | 15:34.9 | 16.08.70 |
| 3000s/c | 9.26.65 | 9.53.00 | 10.04.90 | 10.17.80 | 10.28.77 |
| 110h | 14.43 | 15.13 | 15.58 | 15.73 | 16.72 |
| 400h | 53.54 | 54.22 | 55.7 | 55.95 | 59.38 |
| Long jump | 6.96 | 6.84 | 6.51 | 6.35 | 6.35 |
| Triple Jump | 14.22 | 13.92 | 13.14 | 13.03 | 12.54 |
| Pole Vault | 4.8 | 4.4 | 3.63 | 3.63 | 3.23 |
| High Jump | 2.1 | 1.95 | 1.83 | 1.83 | 1.8 |
| Shot | 16.67 | 13.26 | 12.63 | 12.37 | 11.61 |
| Discus | 52.73 | 42.18 | 40.96 | 39.75 | 37.04 |
| Hammer | 66.13 | 52 | 49.61 | 40.83 | 39.7 |
| Javelin | 62.9 | 54.14 | 52.34 | 52.34 | 51.29 |
