We are communicating with you on a few important matters and would be obliged if you could share within your club to all concerned.

Registrations

Thank you for your assistance in the completion of registrations of players which has resulted more than 43,000 players registered as of today which is way ahead of this time last season. We expect ,based on team registrations that a further 5/6000 player will continue to register over the coming weeks.

We have dealt with a very small number of games with unregistered players ,players not on panels and feel it is Important to remind clubs of the rules governing unregistered players are

RULE 5. REGISTRATION PLAYER \ CLUB SANCTIONS

1. All players must be registered to play in the league, teams found playing an:
2. Unregistered player
3. Improperly registered player
4. Ineligible player

Will face the loss of the game (s) the player played in, plus a further deduction of 6 points and a fine of €100.

We ask all clubs to ensure all their players are registered and eligible to play on panels as a matter of urgency.

Team Panels

We are now asking all clubs to ensure all team panels are created and players allocated to each team to ensure every player is eligible to player and be insured of course.

As of now over 90% of clubs have completed team panels and is important to conclude asap, as the league starts its auditing on team sheets/match cards over the coming months.

Again, we are pointing out below the rules that apply in this regard

RULE 1. PLAYER REGISTRATIONS

1. Players must be registered to the league via the Leagues on-line system league, The Online form must be completed and processed to ensure the player has been registered correctly with the League.
2. Once a player is successfully registered with the League and Club, he/she is required to be allocated by the club to their appropriate team. Players not allocated to teams will be deemed ineligible to play.

Disciplinary

After 4 weeks, we have dealt with over 32 cases which have been heard and actioned upon in relation to this season’s rule book. The main issues have been sideline behaviour by officials and spectators, referee abuse and racist remarks.

The DCU have applied the maximum sanctions to stamp out this unacceptable behaviour with the sanctions of up to 12 months having been imposed. We have also stood down teams until behaviour/welfare training has been undertaken by clubs/teams and are establishing anger management training options should the need arise. In Addition, over 65 red cards (platers & Coaches)have been issued this month along with 26 plus fines for walkovers.

Requests for games off

All requests must be sent to requests@ddsl.ie only. Once received these are validated and sent to fixture secretaries. We have seen a massive reduction in requests, as reasons must be given and deemed acceptable by the league.

To date over 60% of requests have been declined which has resulted in keeping the kids playing. Most requests have been declined on the basis of the procedure not being followed. In view of this please see the rules governing requests.

 

RULE 5. POSTPONEMENT OF FIXTURES
1. Postponements where players are involved with the league or international duty will only be granted when any single team has a minimum of two (2) outfield players or
its goalkeeper on duty. Player(s) placed on standby will not be considered for the purpose of this rule.
2. The league will only allow postponements if requested in accordance with the league’s procedures issued every season in exceptional circumstances.
a. The relevant fixture secretary has received a minimum of 21 days’ notice and confirmed the postponement to the club in writing.
b. Six weeks’ notice will be required should the team be going on a trip/tournament for a postponement.
c. Club’s may be, at the league’s discretion, asked to provide additional information for postponements.
Contact to the league for these requests must be made in writing torequests@ddsl.ie  by the club secretary of applying club only with a detailed reason to be considered.

Christmas Closedown dates

 

Monday 16^th December 2024 to Friday the 10^th January 2025 to allow for Santa to do his work !

• All SSG games i.e. u8’s to u11’s will finish on the weekend 7^th/8^th Dec
• All 9-a-side & 11-a-side games will finish on the weekend of 14^th/15^th of December (weather permitting).
• All SSG will commence on the weekend of the 18^th/19^th of January.
• All 9-a-side & 11-a-side games will commence on 11^th/12^th of January (weather permitting)

Clubs may play games during the break on all weathers in agreement with the fixture’s secretaries only.

Again, a reminder of our Secretaries meeting on Thursday 24^th October at 7.15pm in the Sports Conference Room and all clubs are required to attend as a lot of information will be given on football matters.

 

In the coming weeks our team will be engaging with all stakeholders, on one of our 11 priority actions, ‘The role of the Head of Football in every league and club’. Please see the attached letter.

The team will be consulting with those who are currently working as the Head of Football in their respective league or club to come and attend their regional workshop. We would also like to mention that if you do not have someone in this role currently, that you can nominate someone who could be in this role in the future. 

All are encouraged to attend their regional consultation workshop and share their thoughts and insights. We want to get as much feedback as possible and welcome all involved in football to be part of the conversation 

For Dublin there are two dates that you can attend:

• Thursday, September 26^th 7-10pm Clayton Hotel Leopardstown
• Thursday, November 7^th 7-10pm Carlton Hotel Dublin Airport

We want as many people across all leagues and clubs to contribute and be part of the discussion. 

Please RSVP for a consultation workshop that suits you. There’s also the link in the letter for your convenience.

Thank you,

We are delighted to have a Nutritional Workshop in Abbotstown Conference Centre on the 30th September 7pm-9pm aimed at parents of players within the DDSL. Please could you send this out to your parent groups within your club.

Children participate in various sports and we can sometimes overlook the crucial role that nutrition plays in helping performance and recovery.

As your child progress from grassroots football to older age groups, many changes will occur within the body and these changes are influenced nutritional requirements.

If your child fails to meet their energy requirements with an appropriate energy intake it can have a negative effect on their health and performance.

This workshop is for parents who are interested in understanding more about the role nutrition plays in the health, performance and recovery of their child.

If you would like to attend this workshop please click on the link below.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6GH63FB