TIME LIMIT:
All dodgeball matches are “best of 9″ series. All games have a 5 minute time limit. After 5 minutes, if the game has not concluded, the team with the most number of players remaining gets the win. Same number on both sides equals a tie. Teams will change sides half way through the match.
FORFEITS:
If a team does not have the minimum number of players by game time (6, at least 2 must be girls), they must still start the game, as long as at least two girls are present. If the minimum number of players does not show up 5 minutes after game time, a forfeit will be called.
PLAYERS ON THE COURT:
The maximum numbers of players on the field is 8 (4 men, 4 women); minimum number of players is 6 (4 men, 2 women). There are no limits to the number of females allowed on the court at one time. However, there cannot be more than 4 men on the court under any circumstance. Players that arrive late must wait until the next game begins to enter. Substitutions can only be made after the completion of a game, or in the case of injury. The first player out of that game would be the substitute. Teams may not substitute male for female.
COURT:
The playing boundaries are a volleyball court, marked with sidelines, end-lines, and a center hash mark.
BEGINNING THE GAME:
Prior to beginning a game, two 8″ dodgeballs are placed along the center line on each side of the center hash mark. One 7″ ball is given to each team. A standard game consists of two 7″ and two 8″ Gator Skin balls.
Players then take a position behind their end line and wait for the official’s whistle to begin play.
Following the whistle by the official, players are allowed approach the center line to retrieve the balls located on the center line. They are also fair game to be hit by their opponent who already has one ball in hand.
FALSE START:
Will be called if players cross their end line prior to the official’s signal to start the game. Result: Play will be stopped and one ball from the middle will be given to the opponent. Repeat for each infraction.
BOUNDARIES:
During play, all players must remain within the boundary lines. A player may be tossed a stray ball from out of bounds by a sidelined teammate, provided the player receiving the ball remains completely within his/her team’s field boundaries. A stray ball is one that has not been picked up and is lying on the ground. Players that are playing in the game may not retrieve a ball that is out of bounds, unless no one has gotten out and they have no substitutions. The ball becomes dead when it hits any wall, curtain, or basketball hoop.
PLAYER “OUT” SIGNAL:
Every player who is out (see “player out”) and is still inbounds will raise their hand over their head as they are exiting the playing field so that they are not targeted by the opposing team. Once a player is OUT, they must drop any balls in hand and exit the playing field at the nearest sideline. If an OUT player intentionally contacts a live ball before exiting the playing field, he/she will sit out the next game.
PLAYERS “OUT”: (An OUT is scored by:)
a. Attacking player hitting an opposing player in the head with a high velocity ball.
**If a player ducks or takes a position with their head below where their shoulders would normally be when standing, i.e. crouching, kneeling, sitting, diving, rolling or laying, and this clearly is the cause for the player being hit in the head, the player is out and the throw is considered legal.
b. Catching a ball thrown by your opponent (opponent is out). Please note that a player DOES NOT come back in when this occurs.
c. If a thrown ball deflects off the defender and is caught in bounds by a teammate, the defender is saved and the thrower is out.
d. If a thrown ball hits multiple players before contacting the ground, they are all out.
e. Causing an opponent to drop a held ball as a result of contact by a thrown LIVE ball (usually occurs when a ball is being used to block a thrown ball). A player may block a thrown ball with a ball being held, provided the held ball is not dropped as a result of the contact with the thrown ball.
f. An opposing player stepping out of bounds
NOTE: A ball deflecting off a held ball and striking the holder is no longer a LIVE ball.
A PLAYER SHALL NOT: (Player will be declared out)
a. Hit an opposing player in the head, unless the player is ducking, bending down, or it contacts another part of their body first.
b. Hit an opposing player while they are using the “player out” signal.
c. Have any part of their body contact the playing surface over a sideline or the center line.
d. Stand behind the end line if they are out. One must stay to the sides.
e. Leave the playing field to retrieve an errant ball, avoid being hit by, or attempt to catch a ball.
f. Kick the ball
g. Excessively squeeze or compact the ball while attempting a throw
STALLING AND 5-SECOND VIOLATION:
The following procedure will be used to prevent “stalling”:
After a catch, players must release their ball within 5 seconds. Players are not allowed to catch and release to reset the 5 second clock.
It is illegal for the leading team to control all the balls for more than five (5) seconds also. If the leading team controls all the balls–i.e.., all balls are located on their side of the center line–they must make a legitimate effort to get at least one ball across the attack line and into the opponent’s backfield. If this is not done within 5 seconds, a “5-second violation” will be called. A team may avoid a 5-second violation by throwing or rolling a ball into the opponent’s backfield. A 5 second violation results in the ball being given to the opponent. If multiple warnings are given, the player will be called out.
If the balls leave the playing court, the substitutions or teammates must immediately place the balls back on the court. Players are not permitted to hold the balls out of bounds until their teammate is ready to receive it.
OFFICIALS:
The Austin SSC will provide an official at each court. Arguing with the official call will get one removed from the game. No exceptions or warnings.
UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT:
The Austin SSC will not tolerate any unsportsmanlike conduct by ANY player in the league. A player that is ejected twice during the season will be removed from the league.
OVERTIME (GAME ENDING ON DOUBLE VIOLATION):
The overtime period of any game will begin with a minimum of three (3) players from each team (at least one girl). All overtime periods begin with each team having 2 “balls in hand.” The first team to eliminate any ONE opposing player will be declared the winner.
LEAGUE POLICIES
GAMES:
During the regular season games are to be played within time allotted (warm up time is included).
UMPS:
An umpire will be provided by the Sport & Social Clubs to supervise the game. It will be the umpire’s responsibility to coordinate and run the games, which include the following tasks:
• Starting games on time.
• Calling outs, making final calls on any disputed balls or strikes.
• Settling all disputes or disputed calls.
It is understood that umps will assist in the tracking of the score (i.e. Announcing it between innings) and assist in any discrepancies with regards to the coed line-up ratios. However, it is the responsibility of both teams to maintain their respective line-ups and scores each inning.
FORFEITS:
If your team forfeits a game during the season, the following rules apply:
First Offense: Loss of game and warning issued.
Second Offense: Loss of game and staff reserves the right to remove team from playoffs.
Third Offense: Removal from the league.
If you know in advance that your team is going to forfeit a game, we encourage you to call our office so as to help us schedule your opponent a game. This will still be considered a forfeit, but is a courtesy to your opponent.
Teams have until ten minutes past the designated start time to field a full squad (minimum numbers of players required to play according to the rules). Refer to rules regarding the guy/girl batting ratio. Anything less then the minimum must be approved by the staff and opposing team.
STANDINGS:
The updated standings will be posted weekly, displaying each teams rank within its skill level. Rank is based on winning percentage.
POINTS AWARDED:
Win – 2 points…Tie – 1 point… Loss – 0 points
PLAYOFFS:
All eligible teams make the playoffs (teams that have not abused any policies or forfeits are eligible).
In certain situations teams at or near the bottom of the standings may not advance to the playoffs. Check with RGVSSC league coordinator to see if this applies to your league.
Playoffs are single elimination.
Seeding: Teams are seeded according to winning percentage and strength of schedule.
Teams may be dropped from their regular season level based on the above criteria. Teams may be moved to a higher division during the playoffs only if permission is granted.
Skill levels may be divided into separate divisions based upon size of level.
Teams may play more than one game per day.
Any questions regarding rules, policies, or eligibility must be addressed before the start of the game. RGVSSC reserves the right to schedule playoff games on days other than your regularly scheduled league night.
WAIVERS:
In order to participate in the league, each participant must sign the team waiver. Waivers are provided and must be completed and handed in no later than the first night of play. Players not present the first week of play will still be required to sign a waiver with our staff before participating.
PLAYER ELIGIBILITY:
A formal protest may be filed before a game if an opposing player’s eligibility is in question. The player in question will be required to provide his/her player information (name, address, phone #, signature) in writing to a RGVSSC staff member prior to the start of the game. This qualifies as an official protest. The game will then be played in its entirety as scheduled. Teams will be notified of all rulings on the identified eligibility discrepancy by the following business day – decisions will not be made on site. If the protest is proven to be legitimate, it will result in the forfeiture of the game in question. Games subsequent to the protested game may be rescheduled.
The above procedure will also apply for any other “logged” protests. All rulings by RGVSSC staff are considered final.
SPORTSMANSHIP:
The purpose of RGV Sports and Social Club is to have fun. We hope that all participants keep that in mind when becoming involved. Although the games may become intense, you still can be competitive while maintaining good sportsmanship. With this said, any behavior deemed unacceptable by staff may result in suspension and/or ejection from a game or the league.
STAFF:
To coordinate and run the league, our refs and/or staff will be available at all times to help the league run as smoothly as possible. If you have questions regarding schedules, policies, rule interpretations, directions to the bar, etc. please ask.
LEAGUE CANCELLATION/RAINOUT:
Leagues may be cancelled due to existing weather conditions, dangerous or unplayable field conditions, facility constraints, etc. RGVSSC staff makes every effort to play all scheduled games, thus we will not cancel games until absolutely necessary. Therefore, if you are calling concerning a decision on a cancellation, remember we will not have an answer until close to the start of the league.
If the league is cancelled, RGVSSC staff will change the voicemail immediately. RGVSSC will then call all of the captains. If a league is cancelled on site, RGVSSC staff will attempt to contact those teams still scheduled to play the remainder of the league day/night. Depending on the time of cancellation, some teams will have to be notified on site. If we do cancel, follow next week’s schedule (ex. If April 13 is cancelled teams should follow the April 20 schedule for their next game). The games that are cancelled will be made up at the end of the season if time allows. In extreme circumstances, RGVSSC reserves the right to run a shortened season without a refund of schedule matches on days other than our regularly scheduled league day/night.
PRIZES/ T-SHIRTS:
Each team will receive one shirt for every paid player on the roster.  Rosters will be considered final by the second week of the league and used for distribution of T-shirts. The shirts will be handed out at the sponsor bar during the season. Please look for the announcement at the league designating which nights the shirts will dispensed. Those teams unable to pick up their T-shirts at the sponsor bar must call the office to make arrangements to pick them up at the office. Unfortunately, T-shirts cannot be brought out to the leagues. The RGVSSC cannot guarantee the availability of T-shirts after the last week of regular season, so please pick them up at “T-shirt night” or soon after.
The top teams in each division will receive a prize of great emotional, spiritual, and most importantly, social value.
These policies are designed to make the league run as smoothly and safely as possible, and provide continuity for its participants. Each player in the league is responsible for this information: please advise your team of these rules and thanks for playing.
