Please submit your Senior Finals Eligibility requests to HACT. All clubs must ensure the form is verified by a committee representative and supply any medical certificates/additional documentation. Please refer to Section 15 of the Senior Competition Rules and make sure to list the rule the player/s are seeking exemption for;

15. Eligibility for finals

15.1. A Team may not participate in finals matches unless all monies owing to the Association by that Team or that Team’s Club have been paid at the completion of the 13 Hockey ACT Senior Competition Rules 2023 round matches as the Hockey ACT General By-laws.

15.2. No player shall be eligible for finals in more than one Team in the same Grade. 15.3. A player may not play in finals matches for a Team unless he or she has played at least 50% of the round matches played by that Team (or for any lower Graded Team of the same Club) and was eligible to play in the last round match for that Team.

15.3.1. If 50% of round matches is not a whole number, then the number of matches required to be played is rounded downwards to the nearest whole number. For example, in a 21 round competition the required number of games to be eligible is ten (10).

15.3.2. Clubs will not have the ability to retrospectively add players to Team lists in the online system. It is the responsibility of all Clubs to ensure their players are registered and ‘active’ in the system thus allowing them to be selected in Team lists from week to week.

15.3.3. If a player is suspended during the Season, the matches missed through suspension do not count towards the total number of matches that a player is considered to have played in during the Season. The player is to be considered absent for those matches.

15.4. If a player has played fewer than five (5) games throughout the Season, a clearance cannot be sought by the individual or club and they will not be permitted to play in finals matches

15.5. A player shall be deemed to have played games for which they were unavailable solely because of Hockey ACT or Hockey Australia commitments when determining the number of round matches in which a player has played for a Team.

15.6. A player shall be deemed to have played games for which they were unavailable to participate in because of injury or illness if they supply medical certification to the MC. However, where a player has participated in fewer than five (5) matches, Rule 15.4. shall take precedence.

15.7. The CEO may, in exceptional circumstances, on application by a Club or Team, deem a player eligible for a finals match, even if the strict requirements of the above rules have not been met, including permitting a player to play for a lower Graded Team.

15.8. By the date determined by the MC, Clubs must provide to the MC lists of players expected to play for each of that Club’s Teams that have qualified to play finals.

15.9. The captain or Team manager of a Team playing in a finals match must enter a list of the players who are actually going to play in that match into the online system at least 30 minutes before the match is due to start. The player list will be verified by the MC or a member of the SCAC against the list approved for that Team under the competition rules.

15.10. In all circumstances, players who have not registered in the online system cannot apply for exemption to play in any finals games and will not be provided with a clearance to play finals. Any matches that a player is absent from the Team list due to not being registered will not be included in their total number of games played for the Season. It is an expectation that a player is registered before participating in any match. 14 Hockey ACT Senior Competition Rules 2023

15.11. In all finals matches, unless in exceptional circumstances, if a Club is not able to field a Team of 11 players they must notify Hockey ACT at least 48 hours prior to the match. The following will be applied:

15.11.1. In a competition of 13 or fewer Teams, the fifth placed Team will be included in the Finals draw. Any Teams placed below the withdrawn Team will be positioned one place above their original ladder position.

15.11.2. In a competition of 14 or more Teams, the seventh placed Team will be included in the Finals draw. Any Teams placed below the withdrawn Team will be positioned one place above their original ladder position.

15.11.3. Once finals have commenced if a Club cannot field Team the match will be considered a forfeit.

15.11.4. Should a Team be unable to field a Team for a Grand Final match, the opposition will be considered Premiers.