Rule 8 - Professional Players

Except to the extent provided for by 8.2 and 8.3 a player directly or indirectly receiving any monetary consideration or any form of financial advantage for or in any manner in connection with coaching or playing cricket for a CV club of which he is a player shall be deemed to be a professional cricketer.

8.1.2

For the purpose of Rule 8.1.1 "player" where first appearing extends to and includes members of the player's family and any company or trust or any other form of legal structure in which the player or his family have any interest whatsoever.
However, any member of a player's family who is also a player shall not be included in the above.

8.2

EXEMPTION : PRIZE MONEY
The foregoing provisions shall not apply to any player who receives any monetary consideration or any form of financial advantage solely in respect of a distribution of prize money made available by CV or a sponsor of CV in relation to a club's performance in any competition conducted by CV provided that, firstly, the prize money distributed does not exceed 50% of the prize money awarded and, secondly, any such distribution is made on a pro-rata basis relative to the number of matches played by each player participating in that club's team.

8.3 

EXEMPTION OF APPROVED AWARDS
The foregoing provisions of 8.1 and 8.2 shall not apply to any player who receives any monetary consideration or financial advantage in respect of an award arranged and provided by, or authorised by CV, or an award arranged and provided by, or in connection with his club and approved by CV.

8.4

TRAVELLING EXPENSES : COUNTRY PLAYERS 
The legitimate travelling expenses of any Victorian country players may be reimbursed by Clubs without any violation of the provisions of the Rule.

8.5

APPROVAL OF CLUB AWARDS

8.5.1

Full details of any such awards, whether presented on a match, seasonal or other basis, are to be submitted by the relevant club for the prior approval of the Pennant Committee.

8.5.2

Each club is required to forward a statement detailing the recipients and the monetary consideration or financial advantage received by the recipients of all such awards, to the Premier Cricket Manager not later than 30 April.

8.6

APPROVAL OF PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS

8.6.1

Application for Approval 
A professional cricketer must have the approval of the Pennant Committee before representing a Premier Club.
An application for approval shall be made each season not later than seven days prior to the first match for which his services are required in that season. An application received after 30 November shall not be approved except in the circumstances provided for in 8.7.5.

8.6.2 

Existing Contracts 
The Pennant Committee shall not grant its consent to a professional cricketer in circumstances where a professional cricketer would thereby be in breach of a contract which he had entered into in respect of playing cricket.

8.7

REGISTRATION OF PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS

8.7.1 

If the Pennant Committee consents to a professional cricketer participating in matches under CV control and consents to him representing a club the Pennant Committee shall register that player as a professional cricketer for that club.

8.7.2 

No Professional Cricketer shall participate in matches under CV control unless he is registered with the Pennant Committee.

8.7.3 

In any season a CV Club shall not be permitted to have more than two First Eleven professional cricketers registered with the Pennant Committee.

The number (none, one or two) and names of these First Eleven professionals shall be registered with the Pennant Committee before the start of the season as per Rule 8.6.1 and such number and names may not be altered thereafter except with the Pennant Committee's permission which must be obtained before any such alteration comes into effect.

8.7.5 

Notwithstanding Rule 8.7.3, if a Club satisfies the Pennant Committee that extraordinary circumstances have arisen or that the club would suffer hardship from the operation of that rule due to death, illness or incapacity of one or both of its registered professional cricketers

8.8

TRANSFERS BETWEEN CLUBS
The Pennant Committee may remove a club's professional cricketer from the register of professional cricketers and substitute another player.

8.8.1

A professional cricketer shall be entitled to play for only one CV club in any season unless the Pennant Committee has consented otherwise.

8.8.2 

The provisions of 7.1.2 and 7.5 do not apply to professional cricketers for as long as they have that status, provided that the players involved are bona fide professional cricketers and that such status is not being used as a device for avoiding the application of the said rules. In determining whether or not a professional cricketer is a bona fide professional cricketer the Pennant Committee shall take into account the form and amount of monetary consideration or financial advantage and any other matters which it considers to be relevant.

8.9 

OVERSEAS PLAYERS

8.9.1

Definition of Overseas Player
An overseas player shall be defined as any player entering Australia on a Temporary Entrance Visa in the past three years and/or any player who is not eligible to play for Australia.

8.9.2
(a)

(b)

Overseas Players - First Eleven Competition
(a) Each club shall be permitted to play a maximum of two overseas players in the First Eleven Competition in any season. Such players must be nominated to and approved by the Pennant Committee prior to the start of each season.
(b) An overseas player who has played first class cricket in a country other than Australia within two years preceding the date of his application, shall
(i) be nominated and registered as a professional player;
(ii) be regarded as one of the two professionals as permitted in Rule
8.7;
(iii) be bound by the conditions applying to professional players in these rules; and
(iv) cease to be bound at the conclusion of any season to the club for which he participated unless bound by a contractual agreement with the club.

8.9.3

Overseas Players - Second Third Fourth Elevens
Any player defined as an overseas player in Rule 8.9.1 shall require the consent of the Pennant Committee prior to participating in any match.

8.9.4

Overseas Players: Dual Passport and Dual Residency
Overseas players of dual passport and dual residency status shall be eligible to play with CV clubs on the following conditions.
(a) A player who has represented another country at Test cricket must be nominated as a professional player.
(b) A player who has played first class cricket in another country may play with the club with which he previously played but if not previously with the club he must be nominated as a professional player.
(c) A player who has not played first class cricket in another country may play with any club and need not be a nominated professional player.

8.10

PROFESSIONAL CAPTAINS: SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH ELEVENS

8.10.1
 

A club shall be permitted to appoint a professional player as captain of each of the Second, Third and Fourth Elevens. Such players shall be known as professional captains.

8.10.2

Such professional captains shall be additional to the two First Eleven professional players and shall be regulated by other provisions of Rule 8.

8.10.3

A Professional Captain shall be registered prior to the 31st October in the current season.

8.10.4

Only one Professional Captain shall be approved for each grade in any season.

8.10.5 

A Professional Captain must be eligible to play for the Club under Rule 7.

8.10.6

8.10.6 Professional captains must be registered and approved each season and will be automatically reinstated as amateurs at the completion of each season.

8.11

CLUB COACH PLAYING IN LOWER ELEVENS
A club coach who is a professional player as defined in Rule 8.1, may play in the Second, Third or Fourth Eleven in any match prior to the Final Series providing that
(a) not more than one other professional player is in the eleven for the same match unless there are special circumstances to warrant the inclusion of another such player; and
(b) the Pennant Committee approves the inclusion of the coach and additional professional player prior to the start of the match.

8.12

DISCLOSURE OF CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENTS
The Pennant Committee shall be entitled to request, and a professional cricketer and a CV club which plays or proposes to play him as a player shall be obliged to supply full details of the monetary consideration or other form of financial advantage, referred to in 8.1, which makes the player a professional cricketer. If such details are not supplied then the Pennant Committee may refuse its consent to a professional cricketer representing his CV Club or revoke any such consent which it may have granted and cancel any registration of the professional cricketer.

8.13

RE-INSTATEMENT AS AMATEUR PLAYER

8.13.1 

The Pennant Committee may reinstate as an amateur a player who has ceased to be a professional cricketer if it is satisfied that such player is, and intends for the foreseeable future to be, a bona fide amateur.

8.13.2

If the Pennant Committee reinstates a Player as an amateur he shall thereupon be removed from the register of Professional Cricketers.

8.13.3

A professional cricketer who has played for a CV club for five successive seasons and thereafter is reinstated as an amateur becomes qualified to play as a player of that club unless and until he plays for another competing club.

8.13.4

Unless otherwise qualified under Rule 8.12.3, a player reinstated as an amateur is bound to the club for which he last played before being approved as a professional cricketer and must obtain a clearance from that club and the consent of the Pennant Committee should he wish to play for any other club.

8.14

PENALTIES FOR BREACH OF RULE
Any club playing a player in respect of whom there has been a breach of Rule 8 shall, subject to the discretion of the Pennant Committee, lose the match or matches in which such player took part and shall be dealt with as a CV majority may decide. The Pennant Committee will also determine the penalty for the offending player.

WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL PLAYERS
Women's Premier Clubs may pay only a playing coach or a non-playing coach.