Soccer Charter - Read Entire Thread Before Posting - updated 10/09/24

Frisbee

The Soccer Board is a restricted access board. Your access here is a privilege, not a right and can be withdrawn if you do not adhere to the rules outlined below.

When posting, please be aware of these rules:

• NEW USERS: New users will have to be members of boards.ie for 1 Week and also require at least 50 posts before receiving access automatically. O
  
• TROLLING: Posting provocative or controversial opinions with the intention of winding up other posters will not be tolerated. The moderators reserve the right to make a judgement call on a poster's intent, and issue warnings/infractions/bans as necessary. For more detail on mod policy on trolling, see below.
  
• THREADSPOILING: If you do not like a thread topic do not post in it. Suggesting a thread is boring or pointless is considered threadspoiling, this includes the use of pictures to derail a thread. The basic rule is if you post in a thread ensure you are adding to the debate and not commenting on it's validity. If you believe a post/thread is in breach of this charter then you should report the post and allow the mods deal with it. Crossthread baiting/flaming is regarded as an attempt at threadspoiling across a number of threads and will be treated as such.
  
• BACK SEAT MODDING: The mods of the forum are listed, no other user (bar ADMINS) has moderation rights in the forum. As such we view interference in moderation as a breach of rules. If you have an issue with a post in this forum, the correct procedure is to use the report post function on the left of the post. This is a boards-wide policy. For more detail on mod policy on back seat modding, see below.
  
• RULE DISCUSSION: We do not tolerate discussion of moderation, moderation of posts or reportable posts in thread. If you have a problem with the forum rules, PM the mods or message the Cat Mod.
  
• TAGGING: Threads may be tagged to help search functionality. Anyone abusing the tagging system will receive a red card infraction.
  
• MODERATOR WARNINGS: On occasion, a mod may choose to remind users of forum rules with a general post on-thread. We will endeavour to highlight these warnings by amending thread titles to include reference to the warning, but please remember: warnings are based on the forum charter, which all users should be aware of.
  
• BAN PROCEDURE: If you are considered a disruptive influence by the moderators or the Admins your access to this board may be removed. A detailed policy on our banning procedure is outlined below.
  
• THREAD BANS: Thread bans are going to be used more frequently now. These are separate from the forum bans, and will be used to keep posters out of threads that they are only going in to wind people up. 1 month ban for 1st offence, 3 months for 2nd, 6 months for 3rd. Mods will review your access after that, and it will be at their discretion to allow you back in the thread.
  
• UNBANNINGS: Banned users will automatically be unnbanned upon completion of their ban.
  
• SCORES & SPOILERS: No posting of any scores in the thread subject lines. Such posts will be deleted as soon as they are seen. Remember some people still record matches to watch later. Also please user a spoiler tag to indicate the thread contains scores. Observe the same rule for score updates in unrelated match threads. See below for details.
  
• SPECIAL THREADS: Some threads serve a specific purpose (big match discussion/ match week discussion / team gossip) please follow the guidelines outlined by the moderators on these threads. For policy on these threads, see below.
  
• OFF TOPIC: There is an Off Topic thread for off topic posting, use it. Off topic posts in soccer discussion threads will be edited, closed or moved to the Recycle Bin without warning.
  
• NO ADVERTISING: No commercial posts unless they are sanctioned by the admins. Posts will be removed and users banned if these occur.
  
• RULE CHANGES: It is your obligation to keep abreast of the rules of the forum. By posting here we assume you accept the rules, as such we do not view ignorance of the rules as a valid excuse for breaking them. If the rules change and you feel you no longer wish to comply with the charter, please inform the mods and your access can be removed.
  
• PRIVATE MESSAGES By agreeing to this charter, you agree that any PMs to a soccer mod relating to moderation of the forum may be shared with the other soccer mods.
  
• SOCCER ONLY: Posts relating to other sports should be directed to the specific relevant board or if one doesn’t exist, the Sport board.
  
• Online Streams: The posting or requesting of online streams is not allowed be it in the open forum or via PM.
  
  
• The Moderators' decisions are final. The moderators reserve the right to make a judgement call on a poster's intent, and issue warnings/infractions/bans as necessary. The moderators will not only be looking at the word of the charter when reviewing posts but at the spirit in which a post or a number of posts are made.

Access to the Soccer forum is based on the notion that you, the user, are an upstanding member of the community who wishes to discuss soccer and not cause trouble. Those wishing to cause trouble by taking advantage of loopholes, such as editing quotes, thanking abuse, changing tags or using signatures to upset other members, will no longer be considered upstanding members of the boards.ie community and will have their access removed until the situation is resolved to the satisfaction of the moderators.

Frisbee

The rules on abuse apply to more than just boards users, and cover players/managers/fans/clubs/sports personalities as well. You may consider certain terms to be a bit of banter, but any nickname or phrase that is even vaguely derogatory may be considered as abuse for the purpose of the charter.

Abusing a player for missing a chance of giving away a penalty is no longer tolerated. "How did you miss that you f***ing c**nt" etc... is not tolerated and will be carded.

Calling a team Manure, Liverpoo, Chelski, Spuds, redsh1te, bluesh1te, the Scum, the Hun, SEVCO (for the purpose of winding up Rangers fans) or any other variant is abuse.

Nicknames like whisky nose, fat Spanish waiter, Fat Sam, Fat Frank, Maureen, and similar is abuse.

Calling Andy Gray or Pat Dolan names is abuse.

This list is not intended to be exhaustive, but it is common for users to misinterpret this rule and assume that language like the above is OK. Please think carefully before posting anything like the above..

However, emotional language is not in itself a problem. It is ok to deliver a point passionately, to swear if you so choose, though you can make a point solidly without having to call people / teams / etc names.

The mod team reserve the right to apply their judgement as to a users intent when posting, and issue bans and/or infractions for abuse as neccesary.

Frisbee

There is a misconception that posters who post unpopular or uncomplimentary opinions are trolling this forum. On its own, that behaviour is not a problem. When it is done to deliberately rile an individual or group on the forum then it becomes trolling.

If you want to post controversial opinion then you should be prepared to argue cogently and coherently in support of your argument. Repeating the same point over and over again without addressing counter arguments is not advisable. It is your responsibility to ensure that you contribute in a positive manner, that does not mean you have to agree with everyone else but you must avoid deliberate disruption of the forum.

Cross thread baiting/flaming may also be regarded as a form of trolling as well as being an attempt to threadspoil.

The mod team reserve the right to apply their judgement as to a users intent when posting, and issue bans and/or infractions for trolling as necessary.

Frisbee

If you believe a post is in breach of the charter then you should report it, and move on. If you engage the poster on his/her breach of the charter you risk infraction for back-seat modding.

Examples of back-seat modding include:

• Calling someone a troll.
• Telling a poster not to post in a thread, or they should post elsewhere
• Telling a poster you have reported their post (effectively accusing them of a breach of the charter)
• Commenting on a breach of charter
• Informing a user that you have/will be putting them on your ignore list. Advising others to do the same.

This list is not exhaustive, and mod discretion may be applied in cases where the intent is judged to be helpful (for example, telling another user they should use spoiler tags for score updates, and showing them how to do so).

The rule of thumb should always be to leave moderation to the mods.

Frisbee

Superthreads are threads designed for discussion of a specific team or in some cases a specific league.

They are NOT solely for the fans of that team/league and any suggestion otherwise will not be tolerated.

Following recent feedback, match discussion may take place in a superthread especially where no matchthread exists already and the moderators' decision will be final. Where match discussion takes place in a superthread, all forum members can discuss the match equally in that clubs' thread, whether they are fans of the club or not. However, please note that the guidelines at the bottom of this post apply.

The moderators will try to keep the threads streamed and move posts to/and from superthreads where required. PLEASE help us to do this by following the superthread guidelines. Those who act in contempt of these guidelines will be sanctioned.

If you wish to post on a Superthread, please note the following:

1. Respect the thread subject, respect the supporters - You are posting on a thread where the majority of people who read the thread support the team or follow the league. If you post something inflammatory, you will be held accountable.

2. If you have a problem with a post, report the post. Abusing other posters, telling posters not to post or any other "moderation" of the threads will not be tolerated, no matter how inflammatory. If you aren't discussing the points of a post, don't reply.

3. If you do reply to debate a post attack the post and not the poster, the team or the supporters.

4. Thread spoiling - that is, any action or post made to derail a thread and trolling is prohibited.

Frisbee

1. Minor offence (See list) will result in a yellow card infraction and may incur a ban. Repeat offences may result in a red card infraction and/or a ban of increasing length.

2. Major Offence (see list) will result in a red card infraction. A red card infraction will count as two yellow cards for the purpose of point 3 below.

3. Those receiving a total of four yellow card infractions will be banned for 3 months.

3b. 5th offence will be a 6 month ban and the poster will be required to reapply for access to the forum.

4. 6th offence will be a permanent ban.

5. In extreme cases, the moderators may deem offences to exceed the scope of the an/infraction system. In these events, the moderators reserve the right to issue a ban of any duration including a permanent ban.

6. Should an infraction be removed or overturned, it will not count towards the banning procedure.

7. Ban lengths for yellow card infractions are at the discretion of the moderator. Even where no ban occurs, the yellow card still counts.

8. Ban lengths for red card infractions are a minimum of 2 weeks at the discretion of the moderator.

9. In the case of abuse, should the abuse be a result of provocation, no matter how mild, the initiator will receive a yellow card infraction. Should the initiator be deemed to have purposefully provoked a user in order to report them, the mod may issue a red card infraction (ie. we will examine abuse and if the abuse was provoked, both parties will be sanctioned).

Soccer Forum warnings will be counted on a 2 year rolling basis within the forum: Following feedback from forum members and admins, warnings will be counted towards the totting up process on a Rolling 2 year period. If a poster received a warning on the 1/07/23, only warnings as far back as 1/07/21 would be counted towards any possible ban.

Please note, where a warning given in the soccer forum shows as expired on your boards profile it does not mean the warning is excluded from the soccer forum totting up/count back process.

Previously, when a post was warned, a yellow or red card would appear on the post as an indication. Since the move to Vanilla, this is no longer the case. In the absence of this functionality, the Mod may edit the post with a note to indicate the breach of the charter. Should the poster re-edit the post to remove this note, the poster will be immediately banned for an indefinite period, and will need to reapply for access at the Mod's discretion.

Minor Offences (including but not limited to):
Abuse of players.
Threadspoiling
Flamebaiting in threads.
Debating moderation in threads.
Mild flaming or trolling.
Provocation.
Derailing or off topic posting in super threads.
Accusing a member of trolling/being a troll
Misuse of the Reported Post system
Back-seat moderation

Major Offences (including but not limited to):
Blatant or deliberate breach of charter.
Misuse of tagging system
Abuse of users.
Flaming
Trolling
Breaking a boards.ie rule

Thanx 4 The Fish

Updates to charter as a result of forum feedback. These will be kept here and also implemented into the charter in the relevant sections.

Anybody that starts a "Are Manager X & Team Y Done" will receive a 2 week ban, these threads are nothing but baiting and serve no other purpose than to wind up fans of whatever team they are aimed at.

Yid is an offensive term and users will be infracted as per the abuse section of the charter where it is used.

Gifs that only serve a purpose to inflame or drag a thread off topic or otherwise do not contribute to a thread will be removed, if it is considered that the only purpose of that gif was to further inflame an argument, then the poster may receive a warning for it. (ie Michael Jackson/Popcorn gif/pictures)

A user who wishes to come back to the forum after a 6 infraction ban.


1) User applies through the soccer access forum with a special application (to be confirmed in the near future, before anyone who is due to come back is up for re-admittance).
2) Forum mods (and Cmods where the mods request it) will discuss the request and a response will be written on the application thread.
3) If the user is re-admitted, it is under the condition that if they get one forum warning they will be permanently banned.

Speculation about whether a user is a re-reg is a yellow card offence. If you think there is an issue with someone being a re-reg then report it to a mod and if action need be taken it will be. Otherwise, keep your speculation to yourself.

Note: updated 21/07/22 to align with removal of season reset of cards.

Thanx 4 The Fish

Warnings and the sanctions that they receive.
Yellow means a warning. An infraction is the same as red (or two yellows). Where yellows are discussed, a red counts for two.

• 1st yellow - Warning
• 2nd yellow / 1 red - 2 week ban
• 3rd yellow - 1 month ban
• 4th yellow - 3 month ban
• 5th yellow - 6 month ban, and reapply
• 6th yellow - Permanent ban

Kiith

Updated forum rules as per the last feedback thread.

• Thread bans are going to be used more frequently now. These are separate from the forum bans, and will be used to keep posters out of threads that they are only going in to wind people up. 1 month ban for first offence, 3 months for 2nd, 6 months for 3rd. Mods will review your access after that, and it will be at their discretion to allow you back in the thread.
• These bans will also carry over to any new threads that are created (i.e. new versions of superthreads). Anyone posting in a thread that they are banned in will get an immediate red card, which will be applied to the forum totting up system.
• So, if for example you get a yellow in the United thread, you'll receive a warning on the forum and a 1 month thread ban. Next offence will be a 2 week forum ban, and if it's in the United thread, a 3 month thread ban. If it was in the Liverpool thread, you get a 2 week forum ban and that's it. This is all assuming it is your first offence.

• Anyone saying "I know i'll get a card for this" or declaring that they are going to another thread to wind up the opposition (even if thinly veiled) will be given an immediate 1 month ban. If you know you shouldn't say something, don't.
• The rule against abusing players will have to be tightened. We originally allowed some leeway for heat of the moment type comments (i.e. "How did you miss that you ****ing idiot!"), but that led to mods being accused of inconsistencies and bias. So from now on, any abusive language directed towards a player/manager/ref, regardless of what they just did (or how justified it is), will be carded.
• Offending posts will not be deleted from now on, but the text will be replaced with a mod note. This is to clear up any question of if there is anything being done on offending posts. As per the charter, there is to be no discussion of mod decisions in-thread - take it to PM if you have any questions.