SHORT GUIDE TO THE ENGLAND HOCKEY CODE OF DISCIPLINE

(With effect from 1 October 2006).

1. This document is issued to give an outline of the process of administration following the issuing of a Red Card. It is for guidance purposes only and any player / club likely to be affected is advised to read the full Code of Discipline which is available on the England Hockey website and liaise with their Club Disciplinary Officer.

2. Under the Code of Discipline a new offence, Matchday Misconduct Offence (MMO), was introduced in 2005-06. This covers incidents which happen on a match day but outside of the 70 minutes or extra time of a game where the umpire would have shown a red card. For these offences a similar process will be followed.

3. After the game the umpire will complete a Red Card Report Form (RCRF). This form includes details of the offender’s name and club and the match. In addition the umpire gives a description of the incident and classifies it in one of the following categories. The minimum penalty for each category of offence is also shown.

a) where physical violence is not used, attempted or threatened.	16 days
b) where physical violence is attempted or threatened to a player.	30 days
c) where physical violence is attempted or threatened to any other person (i.e. coach, physio, spectator etc.).	30 days
d) where physical violence is used to a player	60 days
e) where physical violence is used to any other person (i.e. coach, physio, spectator etc.).	60 days
f) where physical violence is attempted or threatened to an umpire or properly appointed tournament or match official.	90 days
g) where physical violence is used on an umpire or properly appointed tournament or match official.	180 days

4. The first day of the penalty is the date on which the incident occurred, ie the player is automatically suspended. Whilst serving a period of suspension a player cannot play in an England Hockey recognised hockey match or coach or umpire at a game. A player can attend, to play or coach at, training sessions. When a red card is issued a 16 day suspension, at least, must be served (unless a case of mistaken identity is proven) and there is no right of appeal against this.

5. The umpire sends the RCRF to a Disciplinary Administrator within 72 hours. For a club or school game this will be to the County Disciplinary Administrator of the offender’s club/school unless the offence occurred in an EHL match (including Indoor EHL, Super Cup and Play-offs) or in the latter stages (last 64 onwards) of the England Hockey Cup in which case it is sent to the National Disciplinary Administrator, Stephen Barlow at the England Hockey Offices in Milton Keynes. He will also be sent the form if the game is a Regional or International senior or junior or youth match. If it is a County match it will be sent to a Regional Disciplinary Administrator.

6. If the category of the offence means that penalty of greater than 16 days is to be applied then the Disciplinary Administrator will send a copy of the Red Card Report Form to the club Disciplinary Officer asking if they wish to make any written representation in respect of this. The Disciplinary Administrator will then decide which penalty should be applied. Usually this will be the Mandatory Minimum Penalty as shown above. If the Administrator believes that the incident merits a greater penalty, this can be increased however it may be reduced, following the written representations from the club. The Disciplinary Administrator will then write to the offender’s Club Disciplinary Officer with a Penalty Notification Form (PNF) confirming the category of the offence and the number of days suspension to be served, including a copy of the Red Card Report Form. Two copies of each form will be sent, one for the club and one for the club to pass on to the offender. The first 16 days of any suspension are served from the date the incident took place. The dates of any suspension in addition to 16 days can be set for any period by the Disciplinary Administrator. Usually this will start immediately once the 16 day period has finished however if this would include a period when there is limited or no hockey activity eg Christmas or during the summer then the date of the restart of all or part of the additional suspension can be set to ensure that hockey activity is missed.

For example if an offender receives a red card on the last Saturday of the league season, say 1 April and the penalty for this is 30 days the penalty might be served from 1 April to 16 April and 1 October to 14 October.

7. If an offender receives two red cards or MMOs in any 12 month period then the period of suspension for the second offence is double the relevant mandatory minimum suspension.

8. The PNF will also indicate to whom the offender can appeal if he/she disagrees with the penalty. However as there is no appeal against the first 16 days of any penalty this period of suspension must be served.

9. If an offender wishes to appeal against that part of the penalty which is more than 16 days then he/she will have to write to the relevant Disciplinary Administrator to advise them of this and will also have to send a deposit.

An appeal should be on the basis that the incident did not fall in the category in which it was classified by the umpire or in respect of any additional penalty over and above the minimum penalty for the offence.

If the offender wants his or her penalty to be suspended pending the result of the appeal they should make this request through the Disciplinary Administrator. The Disciplinary Administrator will advise the offender if this request is upheld by the Chairman of the appeal body.

10. An appeal will be to an appeal panel, either in the form of a hearing where the player, witnesses and the umpires will be invited to attend, or on the basis of written submissions. In both cases the decision of the panel is final and there is no further right of appeal to another body.

England Hockey – Updated October 2006

To download the full version of the Code of Discipline of Hockey in England click here