League Rules
CALGARY INTERCLUB SQUASH ASSOCIATION RULES
Last Updated September 2023
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PURPOSE
The intent of the Calgary Interclub Squash Association (CISA) is to promote competitive squash and sportsmanship within a social framework.
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EXCEPTIONS:
The CISA rules are provided as a framework within which the Association shall be governed. All CISA members agree to follow the rules. If an appeal, change, clarification, exception or objection arises then a written notice must be forwarded to the Rules Committee. A written recommendation will be forwarded to the Board for ratification.
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DEFINITIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS:
AGM: The Annual General Meeting of CISA generally held during the month of August.
Board: The group of Calgary Squash Club Representatives who are responsible for the day to day operation of the CISA. The Board consists of the elected Executive positions as well as other club appointed members at large.
CISA: Calgary Interclub Squash Association.
CISA Member: Anyone who plays a match sanctioned and organized by CISA and is a current member of Squash Alberta.
Default: A default results in a loss of the match by a game score of 3-0 and a point score of 45-0 (33-0 in the case of Men's Level One or Two).
Executive: The executive of CISA shall be deemed to include the following elected positions, the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary and the Treasurer.
Junior Player: Any player under the age of 19 years.
Level: The Men's and Ladies' Divisions are divided into groups of teams which are roughly equivalent in skills. The highest level, or Level One (1), is that in which the most skilled players compete.
Official Ball: the Dunlop Pro double yellow dot.
Squash Alberta Member: Anyone who is a current paid-up member of Squash Alberta (requires an annual fee).
Team Selection Committee: The CISA committee responsible for the placement of the squash teams within the levels of CISA. The committee shall be composed of at least three (3) members from the CISA Board.
Rules Committee: The CISA committee responsible for the interpretation of the CISA rules and player conduct. The committee shall be composed of at least three (3) members from the CISA Board.
Season: July 1st to June 30th of the following year.
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CLUB MEMBERSHIP
4.1. Clubs participating in the CISA must be members of Squash Alberta.
4.2. Member clubs must have one representative at 70% of the CISA scheduled monthly meetings.
4.3. Each member club representative must fill at least one (1) volunteer position on a sub- committee, as defined by the Committee.
4.4. Each club has one (1) vote at CISA meetings.
4.5. Member clubs may be subject to penalties for non-compliance with Rules 4.2, 4.3 and 5.3, including (but not limited to) a financial penalty equal to 100% of that club's annual team fees in the year of the infraction; a rebate of 50% of this penalty may be granted at the end of the following season if participation is satisfactory, all at the discretion of the Committee.
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TEAM MEMBERSHIP
5.1. Teams in all men’s and women's divisions will be comprised of at least four (4) named players with the appropriate skill levels.
5.2. A maximum of three (3) teams per club per division is allowed.
5.3. Each team (the collective members of the team) is required to pay a team fee to CISA, due upon invoice; such fee to be determined at the discretion of the Board and reviewed on an annual basis. Any team that has not paid their CISL team fees by January 1 will be penalized 1 point per match during the period that their dues remain outstanding.
5.4. No team shall field more than two (2) players per match under the age of 19, during the regular Interclub season, except for Women’s level one and Men’s level one teams whose limit will be three (3) players under the age of 19.
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GENERAL RULES
6.1. International scoring and rules apply Scoring is Point-A-Rally as per rule 11.1.
6.2. Players are required to follow the dress code and equipment requirements acceptable to the host club (i.e. whites only at Glencoe).
6.3. All matches will be played on the designated night, beginning no earlier than 6:00 P.M. and no later than 8:30 P.M. A match can be rescheduled (to other date / time) with the consent of both team captains (prior to the match) and followed by a notification to the CISA statistician. The Final Playoff matches are not to be rescheduled and should be played on the Interclub Finals Date.
6.4. CISA strongly recommends the use of suitable eye protection for all members. Junior players must wear polycarbonate lens protective eyewear.
6.5. Any appeals regarding a game or a match shall be directed, in writing, to the Rules Committee. Appeals must include all pertinent information such as date, place, participants and a brief description of the situation. A written recommendation from the Committee will be forwarded to the Board for ratification.
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HOME TEAM DUTIES
The home team shall provide:
7.1. Two (2) clean courts,
7.2. Two (2) new official balls,
7.3. Marking materials: a) two (2) score-sheet summaries (one (1) for each team captain) and b) four (4) individual score-sheets, or preferably two mobile devices from which the ScoreSquash App can be used to capture and upload scores.
7.4. Refreshments.
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TEAM CAPTAIN DUTIES
Each team captain and more generally each team must:
8.1. Appoint another member of the team to act as captain if unable to attend any duty.
8.2. Input and maintain player list on the website.
8.3. Ensure each player is an eligible player (see Section 9 - Player Eligibility).
8.4. Ensure that a full team is ready and able to play for each match.
8.5. Rank players in order of ability at the commencement of the evening’s matches, and play players in positions in order of their ability. Teams violating this rule will be subject to Eligibility Rule 9.1.6.
8.6. Ensure all matches start on time.
8.7. Provide a referee or marker for each match.
8.8. The winning team is responsible for entering results into SportyHQ website within 48 hours of the match. The losing team is responsible for checking the results for accuracy and resolving any errors or disputes with winning captain, and if not resolved with the winning captain, notifying CISA of the unresolved issue.
8.9. Verify the published team standing against their own results and report any discrepancies to club CISA representative.
8.10. Notice to team captain’s reference to juniors: Team captains should inform one another when a junior will be playing any particular match, prior to that match. At that time it can be discussed as to whether or not the junior can be included in the social activities following or if other arrangements need to be made.
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PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
9.1. To maintain eligibility CISA players must:
9.1.1. Become a Squash Alberta member prior to playing their first match.
9.1.2. Play for only one (1) club in a season or receive prior permission from the Board to play for another club.
9.1.3. Not play for a lower level team after having played four (4) or more matches at higher levels.
9.1.4.Play two (2) or more matches to be eligible to participate in any playoffs match for that team.
9.1.5.Play in a division / level appropriate for their ability.
9.1.6.Play the position on their team where they are ranked in order of ability for that evening.
9.2. In the event a club has two (2) or more teams in the same level the following conditions shall apply:
9.2.1.A player shall play on a specific team during the season and can play three (3) times for the other team or each of the other teams as a substitute. The fourth (4) time a player plays for a specific team determines the player’s team for the playoffs.
9.2.2.The rules of Section 9.1 also apply.
9.3. Each season, men wishing to play in the women’s division and women wishing to play in the men’s division shall, before playing, apply for and obtain approval from the Board.
9.4. Each season, as an exception to 9.1.2, women playing on a Level 1 women’s team shall be eligible to play as subs for other women’s level 1 teams or men’s teams in levels 1 and 2 within their own or other clubs, without seeking approval as in 9.3.
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DEFAULTS
10.1. Unless otherwise agreed by both team captains any player more that fifteen (15) minutes late shall default that particular match.
10.2. Any team with fewer than three (3) eligible players shall default all of their matches for that evening, unless caused by Squash Alberta membership registration ineligibility (See Rule 9.1.1). It is the intent that all players be available at the beginning of the evening to play, mark or ref. There may be fewer than 3 members of a team present at the beginning of the evening, as long as there is an understanding that the other players will be on time for the later match(es).
10.3. In the event of a team (with only three (3) players) defaults, the missing player will be deemed to be the fourth position player and the remaining three players will be ranked in positions one (1) through three (3), in order of ability. If a player is expected to turn up to play but is late, the team can opt to forfeit the missing player's match deeming it to be position four or with the opposing team's consent, to play the other matches at the usual positions in anticipation of the missing player's arrival. However if he/she does not show up, the defaulting team will be deemed to have lost the defaulting player's match as well as all those lower.
10.4. No player from a team with only three (3) players may play twice and have both results count. The match for the number four (4) position must be defaulted in all cases.
10.5. In the event of an ineligible player playing on a team, that team shall be considered to have defaulted at that position as well as all those lower. An exception to this rule will be granted in the event the player ineligibility is due to Squash Alberta membership registration ineligibility (See Rule 9.1.1), in which case the offending team will default the offending player’s match and be penalized 1 point.
10.6. In the event a match cannot be finished due to a late start, the home team shall default the unfinished match(es), unless the late start is caused by the visiting team, in which case the visiting team shall default the matches.
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SCORING AND RESULTS
11.1. Scoring of games will be Point-A-Rally to 15 (PAR-15), with the exception of Men's Level 1 and 2, which is Point-A-Rally to 11 (PAR-11). For both PAR-15 and PAR-11 scoring, the player must win by two clear points.
11.2. Scoring of matches in all divisions will be the best of three out of five games; each match won being worth one (1) match point. Winning teams will receive one (1) bonus match point.
11.3. In the event of a tie in matches won, the tie will be broken by first comparing the total games won and then, if required, the total points won. If a tie still exists each team shall be awarded 2.5 match points.
11.4. The Board appointed statistician(s) will tabulate Association results.
11.5. In the event of results not being entered into SportyHQ within the prescribed time and format (see 8.8), the match bonus point will not be awarded.
11.6. Any match points deducted from a team for whatever reason shall be given to their opponents, with the exception of the 1 point penalties applied to Squash Alberta membership registration ineligibility.
11.7. One half bonus point (maximum two points per team per season) are given to each player completing (1) the Squash Alberta Club Referee Certification Program at any time in the past, (2) the Squash Alberta Rules Clinic within the current season or (3) the Squash Canada online Club Referee Certification Course and Exam at any time in the past. Players must play a minimum of 4 matches during the season to earn the bonus half point for the team for which the player has played the most matches.
11.8. In the event of a tie in team points at the end of the regular season, the tie will be broken by completing a head to head comparison between the tied teams; firstly comparing the total matches won, secondly the total games won and last (if required) the total points won. If a tie still exists a ruling by the Rules Committee shall be considered final.
11.9. The final standings and points awarded shall be considered as correct at midnight of the specified date as determined and documented by the Board. Typically this is the Friday following the last regularly scheduled match.
11.10. CISA club representatives shall ensure all teams are aware of the requirements for match result submissions and shall assist as required.
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PLAYOFFS
12.1. Playoffs will be held between the top four (4) teams in each division at the completion of the schedule. Players will be eligible as per Rule 9.1.
12.2. The first place team shall playoff against the fourth place team. The second and third teams shall playoff against each other. The winners of the above matches shall compete to decide the playoff winner.
12.3. In the event of a 2 - 2 tie in the semi-final or final playoffs, after totalling matches, games and points, the two players ranked # one (1) on their teams shall play one (1) additional game to determine the outcome.
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TEAM PLACEMENT
13.1. Team placement for the next year will be determined at the end of the current season.
13.2. The Team Selection Committee will decide preliminary team placement based on the results from the previous year. At the discretion of the Committee up to two (2) teams from each level will be moved up and two (2) teams will be moved down.
13.3. Clubs will review the proposed team selections. Clubs will submit their preliminary acceptance of the offered team selections or a revision, before the June meeting.
13.4. The Team Selection Committee will determine the revised team placement and will provide the revised positioning to the clubs by August 1st. Any openings in the levels will be highlighted.
13.5. Clubs will be given a final opportunity to add or drop teams. The Committee must receive submissions by the date of the August meeting. The submissions must include the total number of teams requested, the specific levels requested, the start times available, and the number of courts available.
13.6. The Team Selection Committee will determine the revised team placement and will provide the final positioning to the clubs by September 1st.
13.7. The priority for placing new teams will be: a) new clubs, b) clubs with fewer teams and c) clubs with more teams.
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CONDUCT
14.1. CISA reserves the right to discipline any player, team or club for conduct considered outside the intent and interests of the Association. The Board decision, which may affect the player, the team or the club membership eligibility, shall be considered final.
14.2. Neither opponents nor teammates enjoy an evening which is marred by inappropriate behavior, and it is clearly against the spirit of Interclub. In the event of on-court inappropriate behavior, the match referee should issue progressive warnings, including Conduct Warning, Conduct Stroke, Conduct Game, Conduct Match, as per the rules of squash.
14.3. In the spirit of Interclub, for sportsmanship in a social framework, Captains should report violations of player ineligibility rules and inappropriate behavior during the matches and subsequent social event.