Laws/Rules that you didn't know existed until becoming a referee

[Nij]

... Clearly not officially permissible modifications, but they run the league and they make the rules--its a low key we-all-go-to-work-tomorrow league with players from the 20s to the 60s.)

Born 90 years ago and still going to work!? .. oh, in the 20s, not from them.

But also, if none of the people involved are registering with a local association, none of them care what IFAB or FIFA think, because they're not under any such control.

 

[afronaut81]

The FA Standard code of Rules state that games will be played in accordance with the Laws of the Game.
If a Competition wants to change that (or any rule for that matter) they have to notify County FA. If that gets green lit then it goes to the AGM and the members have to approve it before it becomes the Competition's rule.

I have no idea whether County FAs would approve it though!

 

[one]

Actually the golden rules comes in the form of a bank transfer. So long as leagues pay the league registration/sanctioning fees, higher authorities conveniently ignore non-allowable changes they have made.

The other common non-lotg rules many lower leagues have is allowing wedding rings.

 

[Sheffields Finest]

They’ll never write two tier laws, they can’t get the first set right. it too much like hard work. Some parts of them are just pathetic to think that that ethos or standard should be the same from the San Siro to the Dog Inn! its just cloud cuckoo Land.

 

[Peter Grove]

What?! Can competition rules actually override the LOTG?! So a competition could decide they're not playing offside or violent conduct is OK?!

According to what the IFAB says in the "Modifications to the Laws" section - no, there is a strictly limited set of permissible modifications but as others have said, it's hardly unusual to find small independent competitions with non-standard modifications.

Actually, as far as I recall, this competition also didn't have offside in some of the younger age groups either and I've done games in a number of youth leagues which had "small-sided" games with lots of modifications not mentioned by the IFAB. In fact, I think that in general, the full laws and the allowable modifications only usually apply to full, 11-a-side games. Youth categories, especially the younger you go, often have lots of modifications, usually for very logical and sensible reasons.