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RULES GOVERNING THE LEAGUE
TORONTO & DISTRICT
WOMEN'S SQUASH ASSOCIATION
A. GENERAL
1. The Toronto & District Squash Association, Women's League, (hereafter called "T & D"), shall consist of female players who are bona fide members of local and regional Clubs and which Clubs shall be members of Squash Ontario. The League shall be divided into the following sections:
- Winter League - October to April
- Summer League - May to August
2. The Winter League shall comprise of teams in five divisions: "A", "B", 'C", "D" and "E". Each division shall have a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10 teams. In the event that more than 10 teams register for any one Division, that Division will be geographically divided into Sub-Divisions (i.e.: East & West). If those divisions should become full, and no other solution is possible, then the registration(s) postmarked last, will be turned down.
3. The boundaries of T & D shall consist of all clubs located in the Metropolitan Toronto area, and shall include outside boundaries of Oakville, Georgetown, Brampton, Newmarket, Markham, Richmond Hill, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa. Clubs located outside these designated boundaries must make an application to the T & D before the Start of the season for consideration to play in the League.
4. The Winter League schedule shall run approximately the 2nd week in October to approximately the 2nd week In December,
and shall resume the 1st week of January to approximately the 1st week in March. The week immediately following the end of regularly scheduled matches shall be left open to allow teams to schedule "make-up" matches (where time permits). The greatest effort will be made to avoid scheduling any matches during March break. Immediately after the end of the regular scheduled season, playoffs shall commence.
5. The Summer League schedule shall run approximately the 3rd week in May to approximately the middle of August. Divisions and playoffs will be formed based on the number of team registrations.
6. The T & D shall have a Board of Reference, which shall be made up of the President of the League, and the Division Convenors. When a written protest is received within 48 hours of a disputed occurrence, this Board shall meet to decide what action should be taken. The protest shall be accompanied by a $10.00 fee which shall be refunded should the Board decide in the complainant's favor.
7. The tradition within the league (Summer & Winter) is for the home team to provide refreshments and a light dinner for both teams after the completion of the evening's matches. For quarter-finals, semi-finals and third round match-ups in the regular season (if applicable), these hospitality costs will be split equally between both teams.
B. REGISTRATION
1. In order to qualify for entry in the League, each team shall pay a set fee, to be submitted upon registration, and shall register a minimum of five players (exception would be “A” division if designated as a 4 player team prior to onset of the season). A late entry fee shall be charged for teams who have not submitted their entry fee by the date specified on the registration form.
2. As the season commences, all players on the team MUST be registered with the Division Convenor. If a new player is asked to play on more than one occasion for the same team, she MUST then be registered as a member of that team.
3. If a player is added to a team just prior to the start of the match, and there is insufficient time to pre-register this player, the Team Captain must notify her Division Convenor to register that player within 24 hours.
4. Any registered player who has already played one match on her team cannot substitute on a lower Division, but shall be allowed to substitute at the higher Division to a maximum of 3 times during the entire season. If she plays more than 3 times, she shall then complete the remainder of the season on the higher level team. A player can substitute for only one team in each divison. A player cannot substitute in the same Division she is playing in.
C. PLAYING RULES
1. Prior to the onset of the season, it is decided by the Executive what playing ball will be designated as the official ball of the T & D league. For A division Home team MUST supply NEW balls each week for league play. Other divisions may use balls for a second week, provided you can still see the logo on the ball.
2. Matches shall be the best 3 out of 5 games, using the International rules and method of scoring, to 9 points (see International Rules book for reference)
3. All matches should have a MARKER AND A REFEREE, to be shared by both Clubs, and both Clubs shall take turns being Markers and Referees. Both Marker and Referee shall display extreme fairness in awarding points and shall consult the CRSA International Rules book in case of a controversial call. 'The Referee's decision shall not be overruled.
4. Each team shall consist of 5 players, ranked 1 through 5, in order of merit (the current exception is “A” and “E” divisions with 4 players each). When planning a team, the Captain should be sure to distinguish the level of all team players in relation to each other. Team Captains shall prepare prior to the evening's matches, a list of players in order of ranking and ensure that all players are aware of the position they are playing before arriving for the match. Play shall commence with the lowest ranked players, unless the teams agree otherwise. (i.e.: No. 5 plays and proceeds numerically to No. 1).
5. The entire playing team is expected to be at the club at the published starting time. A 10 minute default rule shall be in effect for players arriving late for their match, after which the player shall concede the game to her opponent. This rule shall be strictly implemented, unless a change is mutually agreed upon.
6. In the event a team has to suddenly play with only 4 players, the opposing team Captain must be informed immediately and the opposition wins the match at the No. 5 position. Defaults shall always be at the No. 5 position, and the remaining four players shall play in position 1 to 4. Teams risk losing match points by playing out of order.
7. In the event a Club has entered two teams in the same Division, there shall be no exchange of players.
8. The published schedule should be adhered to under all circumstances, with the only exception being inclement weather. Any other rescheduling must be agreed to by the two teams involved. The Division Convenor MUST be informed IMMEDIATELY of all defaults and postponements of matches for any reason.
The rescheduling of these matches will be done through the Division Convenor and MUST be played by December 31 in the first half of the season and by the end of the regular schedule season in the second half.
9. If a player changes clubs in mid-season, she can also change teams, even though one team may be in a lower division.
If a player belongs to more than one club, she can play for only one team. A player can only substitute for one team at any given level.
10. Match results shall be e-mailed/faxed within 48 hours (or if phoned in, score cards MUST be e-mailed/faxed within 48 hours) by the home team Captain. If results are not received within 1 week of the match date, the team Captain shall be warned only once. Any subsequent late results shall be penalized by awarding match points to the visiting team. This rule shall be strictly implemented.
11. Junior players MUST wear appropriate eye guards for all league matches, and it is recommended that all players wear eye protection during league matches.
12. Female junior players shall be allowed to play in the T & D league and there shall be no limit of junior players per team.
13. Women professional players are allowed to participate in the T & D league, but only in the "A" Division.
D. LEAGUE STANDINGS
1. Teams will earn 1 point per match won, either by playing the match or by default, with a total of 5 points being awarded each evening. The “A” Division with 4 players will also award 5 points each evening, with the 5th point going to the winner of the most matches – or if tied to the team that won the most games in the evening (go to points if games are tied).
Notice of results shall be e-mailed to Team Captains 2 times during the regular season's play, with the final standings at the end of the season. If there is a tie for playoff positions, the process of elimination shall be as follows:
Total number of games won by each team; if tied, then
- Total number of games lost by each team; if tied, then
- Total number of points won by each team; if tied, then
- Total number of points lost by each team, if tied, then,
play off against each other, or, as a last resort, flip a coin.
E. MOVEMENT OF PLAYERS
1. Team players playing in positions #1, #2, and #3, are not allowed to play together in a lower division the season immediately following the one in which they played in these positions. Clarification: These members are allowed to sub on a team, but cannot, together, be part of a team.
F. TEAM MOVEMENT/ NEW TEAM
1. At the end of the season, the results of the Playoff finals will determine which teams may move up or down (unless otherwise changed at the Spring Captains' Meeting).
The team finishing in last place in Division "A" may move to Division "B" (effective only when the "A" Division expands to a minimum of 8 teams).
Teams finishing in 1st place in their Division may move up to the next Division.
Teams finishing in 2nd place in their Division can move up to the next division if they qualify, i.e.:
- The team must consist of the same players
- (and/or stronger players) as the previous year
- If results of the final standing's of the
- regular season of both 1st and 2nd place teams are close.
The team finishing in last place in their Division can move down to the lower Division.
If a Division is divided into East/West, then 1st and 2nd place teams in the Division may move up to the next Division (this can be two teams from the East or two teams from the West, or one team from the East and one from the West). The teams finishing last in both East and West can move down to the lower Division.
2. If a team requests a move into a higher division, the following criteria shall be considered:
a) To move to "C" - team must consist of 2 or more T & D "C" classified players, or two or more players with previous experience in the "C" league or higher, or Ontario "D" rankings.
b) To move to "B" - team must consist of 2 or more T & D "B" classified players, or two or more players with previous experience in the "B" league or higher, or Ontario "C" rankings.
c) To move to "A" - team must consist of 2 or more T & D "A" classified players, or one "A" or two "B" classified players with previous experience in the "A" league, or Ontario "B" rankings.
3. Should a team meet the above qualifications, and wish to challenge into a higher Division, the Captain must notify the League Coordinator one month before the start of the new season.
4. Newly formed teams applying for entry into the league in a Division other than "D", shall make application to the T & D, through the League Coordinator. The team shall consist of at least three players who have had played in the league at a higher level, Rule 2, a), b) and c) above, shall also apply to this rule and the decision shall then be made by the Board. The Board must be given ample time to make their decision.
G. PLAYOFFS
Players are required to play one third of the scheduled matches in the season in order to be qualified for playoff action. In the case of the number of seasonal games not being equally divisible by 3, round up. E.g. IF the season has 14 games, one cannot play 4.666 games. In order to qualify round up to 5 games
Referees certified by the CRSA shall referee all league final matches. They may be either female or male.
CAPTAIN'S RESPONSIBILITIES
LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Captains are required to attend T & D League Meetings (one in October and one in April).
At the October Captains' Meeting:
- Captains meet their Division Convenor;
- Schedules are handed out;
- New clubs are introduced;
- Changes are made to the schedule, if
necessary;
- Notice of date/time/place are given for
League Playoffs and Finals.
At the Spring Captains' Meeting:
- Past season is reviewed;
- Rules are reviewed, and, if necessary,
changes made for the following season;
- Summer league schedules are handed out;
- Captains meet their Summer Division Convenor
HOME/AWAY MATCHES:
Captains must ensure that players are assigned for all matches. Court bookings and refreshments are arranged by the Captain and court bookings should be double-checked prior to arrival of visiting team. Team Captain should make her team aware of the default rule and should ensure that players arrive on time for matches. The responsibility lies with the visiting team to ensure exact location of Club and starting time of matches.
RESULTS:
After home matches, ensure that Both Captains sign the score card. E-Mail/ Fax within 48 hours of match date to your Division Convenor. Score cards should be properly filled out (see example), and score sheets should be kept until the end of the season. Read and understand the rule regarding penalty for late match results. Post league standings and T & D notice on Club notice boards.
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