This information is applicable to anyone participating in the Central Coast Cup.

WHO CAN ENTER THE CENTRAL COAST CUP?

All clubs, academies, schools and teams are welcome to participate in the Central Coast Cup. 

WHAT'S THE ADDRESS FOR THE TOURNAMENT ON THE CENTRAL COAST?

Central Coast Regional Sporting and Recreation Complex in Tuggerah. Address is 20 Lake Rd Tuggerah.

DOES THE TOURNAMENT HAVE INSURANCE FOR PLAYERS IF INJURED?

The tournament currently has a sanctioning request pending with Football New South Wales. Should the request be granted then FNSW registered players will be covered under the FNSW Insurance Program

Click on the link below for details.

FOOTBALL NSW Insurance Program

The event organisers also hold Public Liability and Professional indemnity insurance.

WHAT IS REQUIRED BY TEAM MANAGER OR REP TO DO BEFORE THE EVENT?

• ✓ Register the team online and provide all details required
• ✓ Accept the terms & conditions
• ✓ Ensure players are registered via the Football NSW MyFootball System.
• ✓ Collect 100-point ID check for all your players and bring copies to the tournament (refer to Proof of Age Policy)
• ✓ Like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram to stay updated

WHAT IS THE PROOF OF AGE POLICY?

Each coach/team manager will be required to collect 100 points of ID for every one of their participating players and have copies of these documents at the tournament. If you are asked to provide proof of a player’s age you must do so with appropriate documentation that can be in the form of any of the following:

• Passport (100 points)
• Driving licence or Leaner’s Permit (100 points)
• Birth certificate (50 points) plus any of the following:
•    > Student card with photo ID issued by the school (50 points)
•    > A recent school photograph with the name clearly shown (50 points)
•    > Current library card with a photo (50 points)

Team Managers are entitled to submit ID checks for individual players on opposition teams. Any requests must be done with Event Staff and not directly with the opposition team. Please try to notify event staff before kick-off where possible.

The procedure for ID Checks that  must be followed is:

1.     The Team Manager is to approach the nearest event staff member and notify them that you would like to formally request an ID Check on a particular player(s).

2.     An official ID Check form will need to be completed. A $50 admin fee will be charged

3.     Once the payment has been made, the Team Manager shows the receipt to the staff member. Event staff will conduct the ID check with the team in question.

4.     If the player in question provides all necessary documentation, and is found to be of the correct age, the $50 will not be refunded and proceeds will be donated to charity.

5.     Should the player in question not provide the necessary documentation, or is found to be overage, the $50 will be refunded and that player will either not be allowed to play if the game has not started, or your team will be provided with the points if it is deemed as a forfeit.

Digital or printed copies of the required documents will be accepted provided they are in colour, clear and legible. Please ensure a team official has this available at each match if requested by tournament staff.

Any teams that are found to be providing incorrect documentation or purposely playing older players to gain an unfair advantage will receive a 0-3 loss for any games the older players participated in. The ineligible players will also be disqualified from the tournament and offending teams may be disqualified from the tournament and other affiliated events. These actions may also jeopardise the participation of other teams from the same club at future affiliated events at the discretion of Tournament Management.

ARE TEAMS ALLOWED TO REGISTER OVERAGE PLAYERS?

For the 2024 Tournament, overage players will only be allowed in limited circumstances. Please see the table below outlining which age categories will permit overage players.

Girls are allowed to play in boys’ age groups one year younger than the age cut off without dispensation. The application will still need to be completed online however will be approved.

U7 Mixed  division will permit one (1) player who is 12 months older than the permitted age cut off (i.e. the player can be born in 2016). 

U13, U14, U15, U16, U17 and U18 Boys  divisions will not cater for overage players. 

*Where a player has been granted dispensation from Football NSW or the local federation we may consider the request at our discretion.

U8, U9, U10, U11 Mixed and U12 Boys  divisions will be able to apply for a maximum of (2) dispensations per team as follows:

1. One (1) player who is born no earlier than 1 November of the previous year for their respective age group (for example if the player is born on 1 November 2012, they can apply to play in the U11 competition)

2. One (1) player who is 12 months older than then permitted age cut-off (for example if the player is born in 2015 they can apply to play in the U8 competition)

It is important to note that in both of the cases above the following conditions must apply for a dispensation to be considered:

• The player must have been registered in the 2024 winter season with the team that’s making the dispensation request and have played the majority of games with that team
• A note attesting this is the case on official club letterhead signed by the President or Technical Director will need to be submitted via email to registrations@footballskool.com.au

All other Girls divisions  can have more than one (1) dispensation for all age groups; these will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, all requests must be completed online and any supportive documentation must be submitted by email to  registrations@footballskool.com.au

Any age dispensation requests need to be submitted at least 10 days before the tournament once all players in the team are registered. Each application will be treated on a case-by-case basis and approval received via Cup Manager. Overage players cannot play until they have been officially approved in the Cup Manager portal. Tournament Management reserves the right to apply any conditions it deems reasonable.

Team managers and coaches must ensure all players are the correct age for their age group and have the necessary documentation in case they are required to provide it to prove a player’s age. Please refer to section 3.1 for more details.

Players are allowed to participate in more than one team, as long as they are not in the same age group and they meet the necessary age requirements. i.e. an U12 player can play in an U13 and U12 comp but not in two U12 teams.

Girls teams are eligible to play in a younger boys’ age group at the discretion of Tournament Management. For example, an U14 girls team can play in an U13 boys’ age group, where a suitable girls competition is not available. If the next available age group in the boys’ competition is not offered, the team may be placed in an alternative category in order to provide the most appropriate level of competition to the teams involved.

ARE YOU HAVING GRADINGS WITHIN EACH AGE GROUP THIS YEAR?

Teams will be required to select their level of competition player in the Winter 2024 season. If there is sufficient registrations in a particular age group then a competition may be split into two categories based on ability.

CAN I BRING MY OWN MARQUEE FOR MY TEAM?

Yes you can bring marquees to the event. They can only be set up at the Central Park area next to the Pavilion.

No marquees can be set up outside of these areas. 

Please ensure all marquees are safely and strongly secured to the ground. The venue is quite open and high winds are common. The tournament will not be responsible for damaged, lost or stolen marquees.

Please remember to SLIP, SLOP, SLAP and keep hydrated.

WILL MY TEAM GET A REFUND IF WE NEED TO WITHDRAW FROM THE COMPETITION?

Before the event

As a general rule, we don’t provide refunds for teams who withdraw from the competition unless a replacement team is confirmed. If there are extenuating circumstances, please contact us as soon as possible so we can try to work out a solution.

During or after the event

Refunds will not be provided for matters concerning referee's decisions or any other similar matters. Refunds will not be provided to teams that are expelled from the competition due to a breach of the code of conduct.

WHAT HAPPENS IF THE TOURNAMENT IS POSTPONED OR CANCELLED. WILL OUR TEAM GET A REFUND?

Under these circumstances, the tournament organisers reserve the right to either retain the registration fee for the revised dates or to refund the registration fee after deducting an administration fee for costs already incurred for the organisation of the tournament which could not be recovered from third parties.

Should this occur teams will be contacted directly.

***The tournament organisers are in no way responsible for injury or economic loss which may arise in the case of acts of terror, war, warlike events, civil war, revolution, pandemic, disease outbreaks or civil disturbances or because of the actions of the authorities, strikes, lockouts, blockades or similar events.**

DO TEAMS NEED TO CHECK-IN AT THE INFORMATION DESK?

All teams need to send a team official representative to check-in at the Information Desk, at least 45 minutes prior to your first game. This is in order and for you to collect your pack with the official lanyards and other important info. 

CAN WE BRING ALCOHOL OR A BBQ TO THE VENUE?

The event will be fully catered. Full canteen services will be operational near all the fields serving delicious hot food and drinks (hot and cold), as well as yummy treats for those with a sweet tooth. Please support the local caterers.

THIS IS STRICTLY A NON-ALCOHOL EVENT. Anyone found to be consuming alcohol will be asked to leave the venue.

BBQs will NOT be allowed in the venue.

CAN WE BRING PETS TO THE EVENT?

Due to council regulations, pets cannot be brought onto the event site during the event. Only official service animals can enter the event site.

ARE THE REFEREES FULLY ACCREDITED?

All referees will be fully accredited for all official games. 

Accredited referees may be used as lines people for Grand Final matches if available.

WHO DO I CONTACT FOR HELP?

You can contact us via email registrations@footballskool.com.au or our social media channels any time and we will respond to you within 24 hours. 

For urgent enquiries you can contact us via phone 1300 436 682 during business hours Monday- Friday 9 am – 5 pm.

WHAT IS THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF PLAYERS PER TEAM ALLOWED?

U7-U9: 12 players - 7 players on the field plus up to 5 players on the bench.
U10-U12: 14 Players - 9 players on the field plus up to 5 players on the bench.
U13-U18: 18 Players - 11 players on the field plus up to 7 players on the bench.

Please note this is the maximum amount of players you will be able to register online. 

WHAT IS CUP AND PLATE?

Following the round games, some divisions will be divided into Cup and Plate finals competitions.  

The Cup competition will cater for the teams that finish in the top positions in their respective pools.
The Plate competitions will cater for the teams that finish in the lower positions of their respective pools.

This is a model that works well with other tournaments, whilst the pool games may not be as evenly matched, the Cup and Plate play-offs provide meaningful games for teams of more even level.

Winners and Runners Up of Cup and Plate competitions will receive awards at the end of the competition which will be presented at the main stage at following the finish of the final match.

CANCELLATION OF THE TOURNAMENT DUE TO FORCE MAJEURE*

In the event that the tournament can’t be held or is postponed due to events beyond the control of the tournament organisers (force majeure*) or due to events that are not attributable to wrongful intent or gross negligence or the tournament organisers, the tournament organisers cannot be held liable by the delegations for any damages, costs or losses incurred, such as transportation costs, accommodation costs, costs for additional orders, financial losses etc. Under these circumstances, the tournament organisers reserve the right to either retain the entire registration fee for the revised dates or to reimburse the delegations after deducting costs already incurred for the organisation of the tournament and which could not be recovered from third parties.

**The tournament organisers are in no way responsible for injury or economic loss which may arise in the case of acts of terror, war, warlike events, civil war, revolution, pandemic, disease outbreaks or civil disturbances or because of the actions of the authorities, strikes, lockouts, blockades or similar events.**