Vancouver Squash League
Please ensure that you have read the rules and don’t hesitate to contact the League Coordinator if you have any questions.
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1 Name and Organization
2 Composition of Divisions
3 Composition of Teams
4 Eligibility
5 Scheduling and Court Usage
6 The Game and Ball
7 Play and Scoring
8 Penalties and Appeals
9 League Results and Playoffs
10 AGM
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Appendix: VSL Junior Guidelines
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1. Name and Organization
1.1 The Vancouver Squash League (the “League”) functions as a non-profit organization which functions as a sanctioned event of the British Columbia Squash Racquets Association (“Squash BC”).
1.2 The League consists of club teams in Open and Women’s divisions.
1.3 The VSL Board will be elected at the Annual General Meeting by club representatives. It shall consist of, but not be limited to, the League Chairperson, Past Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Women’s Representative and Junior Director.
1.4 The VSL Board meets as necessary to effect decisions, actions, and the direction the League is taking.
1.5 The VSL Board will appoint a League Coordinator and other positions as necessary.
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2. Composition of Divisions
2.1 Open and Women’s
2.1.1 The VSL Board shall determine the number of divisions and the number of teams in each division, so that a sensible schedule may be constructed and that matches be balanced competitions.
2.1.2 The VSL Board will use final League points (not playoffs) as the primary basis to determine placement of teams for the following season, i.e, two up/two down (Open) and one up/one down (Women). (Starting in the 2012/2013 season, (beginning with the results of the 2011/2012 season) the process of relegation and promotion between Open Division 1 and Open Division 2 will be one up/one down.) Club Reps may make alternative requests for team placement which will be reveiwed by the VSL Board. These requests must be received in writing, or via email, by the League Coordinator by June 30 of each year.
2.1.3 The VSL Board is responsible for allocating teams to the various levels and shall have the right to allocate any team to any particular division or to refuse participation to any team. (See Rule 2.1.2)
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3. Composition of Teams
3.1 Open and Women’s
3.1.1 Each team shall consist of five (5) players.
3.1.2 All teams of a club shall be selected, at the start of any season, on the basis of the players available and able to play regularly in order of their merit. That is, the best player selected must play position one for the club’s first team, and the sixth ranked player selected must play position one for the club’s second team. If a club chooses to field more than 5 regular players to any team, the players sitting out on any given week can play for a team in a higher division, but cannot play to a team in a lower division (see Rule 4.2.4).
3.1.3 Manipulating the team order to gain an advantage will not be tolerated.
3.1.4 If a club has more than one team in a division it may choose to have a stronger and a weaker team or two teams of equal strength. Clubs must decide the rosters of each of their teams prior to the start of the season and are not allowed to make significant changes without the written permission of the VSL Board.
3.1.5 The composition of teams may change only in the event of a player’s progress (or regression) on the club ladder. Such changes should be minor.
3.1.6 Notwithstanding the above, a team may use the occasional spare, provided that spare plays at the same or a higher level than previously played as a spare or regular player (See Rule 4.2.4). It is the responsibility of the Team Captain to ask, and the spare to provide honest information, regarding this to determine whether the spare is eligible. If it is determined that a spare has previously played for a higher team during the current season, it must be brought to the attention of the opposing Team Captain who then can decide if that spare can play that night.
3.1.7 Spares cannot play for more than one (1) team per division and to a maximum of two (2) teams per club.
3.1.8 Captains should submit their team orders simultaneously before matches start.
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4. Eligibility
4.1 Teams
4.1.1 All clubs which are in good standing with Squash BC may apply for one or more teams to participate. Clubs shall not apply for more teams than they can adequately host (see rule 5.3.1).
4.1.2 Clubs must settle all previous outstanding accounts with Squash BC and the Vancouver Squash League before any team applications will be considered.
4.1.3 (Women’s Divisions Only) A club lacking players to form a team may enter a combined team with another club. A combined team must have League approval and must declare a host club. Note: This rule has been added to promote more play in Women’s Divisions and is unrelated to the “floater” rule (See rule 4.3.1).
4.2 Players
4.2.1 Any member or associated professional of a club in good standing with Squash BC and any current individual member of same, are eligible to play.
4.2.2 A player who, when they play for a team, is a “non-member” (defined as someone without a Squash BC membership), will not be able to record ANY points for a match. This “non-member” will be recorded on the match score as a “Default/Guest” and the team will receive an automatic one point penalty. This penalty will go into effect immediately after the October 31st grace period (for clubs to sign up all players with Squash BC) and is reversible if the player is signed up with Squash BC within one week of playing. (If the “Default/Guest” was used as a result of a missing player, the captain can apply to have the penalty point removed within one week of playing by contacting the League Coordinator. It is expected that captains inform the other team’s captain, in advance, if they will be unable to field a complete roster.)
4.2.3 Players shall play for the club of which they are a member (with the exception of floaters), and only for one team.
4.2.4 When a team has a bye, or when any regular player assigned to that team is sitting out on any given week, the players allocated to that team may play for a higher team at his/her club, but may not play for a lower team. (See Rule 3.1.2)
4.2.5 No player is eligible to play more than one match each week, with the exception of women playing in both Women’s and Open.
4.3 Floaters
4.3.1 If the club does not enter a team at the level that is suitable for an individual, the player may play for another club as a floater.
4.3.2 A club intending to use a floater(s) must inform the VSL Board in writing, indicating for which team the floater will play. The floater becomes a member of that team for the season for the purposes of these rules.
4.4 Transfers
4.4.1 No player may play for more than one club in the same season either as a floater or a regular player without approval of the VSL Board. Application for transfer must be made to the VSL Board if special circumstances should arise.
4.5 Team Applications and Fees
4.5.1 Applications for League teams should be submitted by a date as approved by the VSL Board each year. (See Rule 2.1.2)
4.5.2 Clubs will be informed as to their allocations sometime after the date as set down in 4.5.1. All team fees are due on the date specified on the club invoice which will be forwarded along with divisional allocations.
4.5.3 Clubs may request changes in allocations (excluding withdrawals) without penalty at any time; however, these are subject to the realm of possibility.
4.5.4 Clubs withdrawing teams between August 1 and September 15 will be refunded 50% of the team fee. (See also Rule 4.1.2)
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5. Scheduling and Court Usage
5.1 Start Times
5.1.1 League play is on Mondays for Open Divisions 1-6 and on Tuesdays for Open Division 7 and all Women’s Divisions.
5.1.2 League matches shall start between 6pm and 9pm and be scheduled by the host club. Travel time should be considered, particularly by clubs in more remote locations.
5.2 Rescheduling
5.2.1 A match may start earlier or later by mutual consent. Otherwise, matches are not to be postponed or rescheduled, except for extraordinary circumstances.
5.2.2 Clubs wishing to reschedule a match must inform the VSL Board and arrange a mutually agreeable time with the affected club.
5.2.3 Matches missed for unforeseeable circumstances (i.e., snowstorms) must be rescheduled promptly. A missed match before Christmas must be rescheduled and played either during the Christmas break or in the month of January following. Those missed after Christmas must be rescheduled and played up to and including the last scheduled match in that division.
5.2.4 The rescheduling of an individual match, between two players, will not be allowed unless agreed to by both captains in advance. The rescheduled match must be played BEFORE the date that the two teams are scheduled to meet.
5.3 Court Usage
5.3.1 Clubs must endeavour to utilize at least two courts concurrently for the duration of the match.
5.3.2 Home teams must book courts and control court utilization.
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6. The Game and Ball
6.1 Matches may be played on International, American or converted racquetball courts. The International Game of Squash will be played no matter which type of court is used.
6.2 All matches are to be played according to the laws accepted by Squash Canada.
6.3 Each team player shall play one match consisting of the best of five (5) games.
6.4 The official league ball will be the Dunlop XX Yellow Dot or any WSF approved double yellow dot ball.
6.5 It is the responsibility of the home team to supply a ball in good condition (i.e., the printed logo is still visible on the ball) for each match.
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7. Play and Scoring
7.1 Markers and Referees
The host captain will ensure that a Marker/Referee be assigned to each match to help ensure games are played in a sporting spirit and in accordance with the laws of the game.
7.2 Order of Matches
7.2.1 All players must be available to play at the designated start time. Selecting from the pairings available to play, the visiting captain decides which is to be the first match, while the host decides which is to be second match, and so on alternately.
7.2.2 If the commencement of a match is delayed for more than 10 minutes because of a player’s lateness, then the late player forfeits his/her match.
7.3 Team Points
7.3.1 Each player will score one (1) team point for each individual game won.
7.3.2 The team winning the most individual matches will be awarded five (5) bonus points except in Women’s Division One where the bonus will be one (1) point.
7.3.3 An individual defaulted match is scored 3-0.
7.3.4 In the case of a team defaulting, the winning team will receive the average of their scores in the cycle in which the default occurs.
7.4 Results
7.4.1 Official marking sheets should be used for all matches. Clubs should make a habit of leaving completed marking sheets in a club file.
7.4.2 The home team is responsible for reporting results immediately (by first thing the following morning) online through SportyHQ. Results entered later than Wednesday at noon, for Monday night league, and Thursday at noon, for Tuesday night league, will be subject to a two (2) point penalty.
7.5 Scoring
7.5.1 In the Open Divisions play is PAR (point-a-rally) to 11 points. The player who scores 11 points first wins the game except that if the score reaches 10-all, the game continues until one player leads by two.
7.5.2 In the Open Divisions captains have the option of agreeing to play PAR 15 (where if if the score reaches 14-all, the game continues until one player leads by two.) If they cannot agree, play must be PAR to 11 points (where if the score reaches 10-all, the game continues until one player leads by two.)
7.5.3 The official scoring system of the Women’s Divisions is PAR (point-a-rally) to 15. The player who scores 15 points first wins the game except that if the score reaches 14-all, the game continues until one player leads by two.
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8. Penalties and Appeals
8.1 Correct Placement on Team
8.1.1 Improper placement of any player in a team’s order to gain an advantage, must result in forfeiture of the match at the position of violation and all positions below.
8.1.2. If a match at a position is not played for reasons other than 8.1.1, only that position will be forfeited.
8.1.3 Squash BC / SportyHQ’s rankings are to be used by captains to decide a player’s position on their team roster, unless otherwise agreed before play.
ADVISEMENT TO TEAM CAPTAINS ON RULE 8.1
Team Captains should make every effort to field 5 players each week and play them in the correct order. If only 4 players are available, forfeiting a match at any position 1 through 5 does not constitute a rule violation. However, Team Captains should (i) call the opposing Captain to say only 4 players are available; (ii) get agreement by the Team Captain to default at a position other than #5; (iii) play matches 1 through 4 if there is no agreement by the opposing Team Captain.
8.2 Reporting Results – Please see rule 7.4.2
8.3 Protests and Appeals
8.3.1 A protest of any alleged violation of the rules must be made in writing to the League Coordinator within one week of recognition of the alleged violation, or longer in the case of extenuating circumstances. The VSL Board is responsible for ruling on any protest. Please download the Official Protest Form from the Protest Page.
8.3.2 An appeal of any ruling made by the VSL Board must be received in writing within one week of the VSL Board’s decision. The VSL Board will select three (3) Club Reps from a pool of those Club Reps willing to serve on the Appeal Committee when required. The appeal letter plus any other pertinent documentation will be forwarded to the Appeal Committee members for a decision to be reached by a feasible deadline. The decision will be forwarded to the League Coordinator who will forward to the VSL Board and to the Club Rep and Team Captain of the appealing team, and others where applicable. The decision of the Appeal Committee is final.
8.3.3 Ignorance of any Rule set down or failure to read and understand any Rule will not be accepted as an excuse for any infraction of such rule and any penalty applied thereto.
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9. League Results and Playoffs
9.1 If a team withdraws from a division after the start of any cycle, all points from matches played prior to the withdrawal shall be voided.
9.2 At the end of the regular season, winners will be declared based on total points accumulated (the sum of match points minus penalties).
9.2.1 In the semifinal round of the playoffs, the 1st place team will have home advantage and play the 4th place team. The 2nd place team will have home advantage and play the 3rd place team. The higher ranked of the two semifinal winning teams will have home advantage in the finals except in Division 1 where the finals will be played at the club hosting the Wrap Party.
9.3 The order of regular season play between tied teams will be determined on head-to-head results, and/or on total games/points for and against (depending on number of teams tied).
9.4 At the end of the regular season, the four teams in each division with the highest total points shall enter the playoffs. If a semifinalist forfeits their playoff position for any reason, the opposing team shall move forward directly into the finals.
9.5 For a team to be eligible to enter the playoffs, each player on that team must have played at least 3 matches for that team during the regular season.
9.6 Playoff matches must be played on the international or converted racquetball court. Thus the lower ranked team will become the home team if necessary. The only exception is if both teams’ home courts are North American (hardball) courts.
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10. AGM
10.1.1 The VSL AGM will follow a fixed order of business in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order.
10.1.2 A proxy may be used at the AGM. A proxy form must be signed only by the captain of a team and may be given to anyone of his/her choosing who is attending in person at the AGM. The proxy form will be used for voting on matters that are listed on the AGM agenda only, where the captain has given his/her vote(s) to their proxy on those matters, and not on matters raised for the first time and voted on at the AGM.
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Appendix: VSL Junior Guidelines
Introduction
The Vancouver Squash League (VSL) is an adult squash league that encourages the participation of juniors.
Team Captains should be aware of issues that may need to be addressed when juniors are playing in an adult oriented league. It is the responsibility of the Team Captain to be aware of these issues and to make all expectations known to the junior(s) playing on the team.
Parents should be aware of issues surrounding juniors playing in an adult league and be prepared to assist in avoiding these issues.
Guidelines
The VSL has drafted the following guidelines to assist with the incorporation of juniors. The following are guidelines and do not form part of the VSL Rules.
- Regardless of age, all players in the VSL are held to the same standard of conduct both on and off the court.
- Regardless of age, all players in the VSL are expected to contribute to, and benefit from, the cost of socializing after their matches.
- Team Captains are expected to talk to the junior and parent/guardian and establish whether they have any particular concerns about joining an adult league, including socializing, being in a change room with adults and being transported to and from a match by somebody other than a parent/guardian. Team Captains are also expected to communicate with the junior(s) and parent/guardian during the season to ensure that everybody’s expectations are being met.
- Generally, a Team should not consistently play more than two (2) juniors per week.
- Recognizing that a junior’s ability generally develops at a quicker pace than an adult’s ability, a junior should not begin the season as the top ranked player on a team unless there is no other appropriate division in which the junior can play.
- All junior players are required to wear appropriate eye guards as per Squash Canada’s eye guard policy.
- All players on a Team are expected to assist in refereeing duties.
Questions surrounding the participation of juniors in the VSL and these Guidelines should be directed to the attention of the VSL’s Junior Representative via email to [email protected]
