Rules

League Format

SLL Premier Division

  1. All games will be 40 minutes straight with no half time.
  2. Each team will play each other once over the course of the season.
  3. The top 4 will play a 2 legged semi-final and then a final for the SLL Champions Cup. Teams placed 5th to 8th will also play 2 legged semi-final and then a final for the SLL Vase.
  4. The season will take place over the duration of 14-18 weeks

SLL Division One

  1. All games will be 40 minutes straight with no half time.
  2. Each team will play each other twice over the course of the season.
  3. Top team will gain automatic promotion to the Premier Division. Teams placed 2nd to 5th will in a playoff for the 2nd promotion spot.
  4. Top 6 teams after game week 4 will qualify for the SLL Cup.
  5. The season will take place over the duration of 14-18 weeks
 

SLL CUP Format

  1. The SLL Cup competition will consist of 4 rounds. (Round of 16, Quarter Finals, Semi Final, Finals
  2. All teams in the Premier Division and the top 6 teams in Division One after game week 4 will qualify for the competition.
  3. The draw for teams to play each other will be random and live for the round of 16
  4. 4. In the event of a draw a penalty shoot-out of 3 pens will take place, sudden death penalties after if tied.

In-Game Rules

  1. Rolling subs.
  2. No slide tackling.*
  3. No offside rule.
  4. Throw ins
  5. Back-pass rule to goalkeeper is enforced
  6. Penalties are one step only. No retakes if penalty taker takes more steps.
  7. Free-kicks will be awarded for time wasting
  8. All free-kicks are indirect. Opposing player must take 3 steps back from position of the ball.
  9. Slide tackle (anywhere on the pitch) – Yellow card
  10. Preventing a goal scoring opportunity (irrelevant of whether it’s a slide tackle or not) – Yellow card
  11. Dissent or players squaring up with each other etc. – Sin bin for 5 minutes (no subs will be allowed during this period)
  12. It’s the teams responsibility to recover the ball from direct shots at goal which leads to the ball going outside the field of play. Failure to do so will result in a £10 fine.

*Sliding to stop the ball from going out of play, or block a shot with no opponent in clear sight is allowed. However, if an opposition player is within range and the slide is deemed a tackle, this will be penalised. Calls will be at the referee’s discretion.

Squad/Player movement

Each team is allowed to bring a maximum of 11 players per game.

General Player Movement Rule:

  1. A player may only transfer clubs once per season.This applies across all divisions and is tracked via official league registration.

*Special Provision for Dual-Team Clubs:

Clubs fielding two separate teams across South London League divisions (e.g., South London FC A and South London FC B) may share a player pool with the following restrictions:

  1. A maximum of 3 players from the higher division team may appear for the lower division team on any given league match.
  2. These players must be fully registered with the club and declared in advance via the official match-day squad list.
  3. Players between Dual-teams will be Cup tied and cannot feature for both teams in the SLL Cup.
 

Lateness

We operate a tight schedule throughout our leagues, so it’s the team’s responsibility to arrive at the pitch ready to play on time. Penalties and fines are in place for lateness.

  1. 5 minutes late – 1 goal
  2. 10 minutes late – 2 goals and £10 fine.
  3. 15 minutes late – Game awarded but play goes on and £40 fine.

Teams may start playing with a minimum of 6 players.

Teamwear

  1. Only astro-turf boots or moulded studs are allowed. No screw-ins or metal studs
  2. In the event of two teams having similar kits, bibs will be provided to the AWAY team.

Fines and Suspensions

Fairplay is one of the most important aspects of the game to ensure players can enjoy the game safely. To discourage violent or unsporting play, players caught exhibiting such behaviour will be subject to fines payable before the next game.

  1. Normal yellow and red card rules apply.
  2. 2 yellow cards will result in a red card. Player will be sent off for the rest of the game
  3. £10.00 fine for a straight red card
  4. £20.00 fine for a straight red card for violent conduct, + 3 match ban + Team will be issued a warning.
  5. If the warned team displays violent conduct again, the situation will be assessed and the team may be ejected from the league.
  6. £10 fine for failure to recover ball from direct shot at goal or kicking ball out of play on purpose.
  7. 5 minutes late – 1 goal
  8. 10 minutes late – 2 goals and £10 fine.
  9. 15 minutes late – Game awarded but play goes on and £40 fine.