Belgian Agency League
ACC supports the Belgian Agency League, an indoor football competition among ACC member agencies, that stands for collegiality and fair-play. For the BAL18-edition, 16 agencies will compete with each other in 2 leagues of 8 agencies. Each agency will play 7 matches and the top 4 agencies in each league will compete with each other in a playoff competition to take the BAL18-Trophy home.
Participating agencies have agreed:
- to play minimum 7 and maximum 10 matches throughout the year
- to play on the move in Brussels or Antwerp
- to pay the fee of €500/agency for the rent of the sports halls + 120€ for team-shirts
- to respect the rules underneath
The BAL Rules:
Players:
- Every agency appoints 12 players; they will be informed by ACC and the BAL-team via mails and via facebook
- Each agency can only select players that are actually working at the agency / doing an internship.
- Freelancers can be selected by only one agency participating in the competition, they are not allowed to switch teams.
- External players are only allowed when a team day doesn’t have enough players for the approaching match. The opponent and the organisation committee has to agree with this. The maximum amount of external players per match is 2.
- A maximum of five players from your team can be on the field. Substitutions can be made by making hand contact on the sideline.
Outfit:
- Field players wear shirts of the same colour.
- The goalkeeper wears a different colour and/or gloves.
- Watches, jewels or plasters are not allowed.
Ball and scoreboard:
The home team brings a ball (size 4, not bouncing) and sets up the scoreboard. The team that scores changes the scoreboard.
Timing:
- Each team has to arrive at the gym 10 minutes before the official start time of the match.
- If a team is late, they will be penalized by a goal for each 10 minutes they’re late.
- The game starts at the latest 10 minutes after the official kick-off time, even if a team is still incomplete.
- The time keeping should be controllable for both teams: sports hall clock, joint chrono, kitchen timer, etc.
- A half time takes 25 minutes and ends when at least one player on the field has heard the final signal.
- A goal is only valid if the ball crosses the goal line before the final signal.
- Afterwards only an eventual penalty can still be taken. Time-outs are not allowed.
During the game:
- If someone reports/claims a foul during the phase in a loud and clear way (not afterwards), the game is stopped. If both teams agree that a claim was not correct, then the team that possessed the ball can resume the game.
- The following fouls lead to a direct free kick (penalty if the foul was inside the goal area):
- making any kind of contact with an opponent (shoulder contact, obstruction, encounter, kicking, pushing or hitting), this also includes making contact with the defender by moving backwards with the ball at your feet;
- stealing the ball from behind (from besides is allowed) or ticking it from between someone's legs;
- as a field player: performing a sliding, even if there is no opponent nearby and even if it is only to pass the ball, shoot or keep inside;
- as goalkeeper: performing a sliding if an opponent possesses or runs towards the ball;
- touching the ball with your hand or arm, except when it's shot at you from close range, of when protecting your face or abdomen;
- kicking the ball when the goalkeeper is holding it in his hands or on the ground.
- A goalkeeper who touches with his hand a deliberate back pass (played with foot/lower leg) in his goal area is penalised by an indirect free kick on the goal circle. You can only score from an indirect free kick if the ball has first been touched by another player.
- If the ball completely crosses the side/back line or touches the ceiling, then the game is stopped until both teams agree on who last touched the ball (sideline or ceiling = kick-in, your back line = goalkeeper throw, opponent's back line = corner).
- A goalkeeper can throw the ball to him/herself or directly in the opposition's goal, except when the ball had crossed the back line.
- Before a kick-off, kick-in, free kick or corner kick, the ball must lie still. Opponents must keep a 3 meter distance, but the team in possession can decide not to wait for this. Direct scoring is allowed from a corner kick or kick-off, but not from a kick-in.
- For a penalty, the ball lies on the goal circle. The goalkeeper must stay on the goal line until the ball is kicked. The penalty taker must not interrupt his run. All other players keep a 3 meter distance and are outside the goal area. In any case of violation, the penalty is retaken.
- A team must replace its player for the rest of the game if that player committed an intentional foul that prevented an open goal opportunity, or commited violence.
- When there is an injured player or strange object on the field, the game is stopped. Afterwards, the goalkeeper of the team that had possession can resume play.
After the game:
Within 24 hours, the Team-managers submit the result in the organizing committee’s Facebook group. The competition ranking will then automatically be updated (by number of points, wins, goal difference, mutual results).
