LEAGUE POLICIES

GENERAL
  1. Teams are co-ed, made up of a minimum of six (6) players and maximum of fifteen (15) players.
  2. All players must sign a waiver, and be fifteen (15) years and over, in order to play. If a player is under the age of 18, his or her parent/guardian must sign a waiver.
  3. Teams may borrow additional players in the regular season to a maximum of five (5) players, excluding the female/male player from the original roster.
  4. In playoffs, no team may be allowed to borrow anyone from another team.
  5. Substitutes that are outside of the league must sign a waiver prior to playing.
  6. Illegal substitutes could result in a forfeit of all sets played by the illegal substitute. An illegal substitute is a player that infringes General #3-5.
  7. Only roster players are eligible for Playoffs if they have played a minimum of three (3) weeks prior to Playoffs. Exceptions will be granted on a case by case basis.
  8. Any physical altercations, or serious breaches of spirit and sportsmanship will be automatically met with disciplinary actions which could result in suspensions or expulsion.*
  9. Newcastle Dodgeball League has a zero tolerance policy towards drugs and alcohol. They are prohibited in all gyms and surrounding areas, and within players’ bodies (playing under the influence). Simply put, if a player or a Newcastle Dodgeball League exec. can smell the substances emanating from a player, then the offender will be ejected from the premises immediately and will be subjected to further disciplinary action afterwords, including suspensions and expulsion.
  10. Usage of gym apparatuses during dodgeball play (chin-up bars, climbing walls, ropes) or performing dangerous actions and stunts (backflips off walls and the gym stage) are banned due to safety concerns.
  11. Captains’ handshake: to build trust, goodwill and a better sense of community, captains are to meet with each other at the beginning of the night, before any games are played, and take a minute to introduce themselves, shake hands, and wish each other well. This helps with any conflicts on the courts.
  12. Captains’ Clause: a game may be played under some variation of the rules and policies agreed upon by the captains of the teams involved.**
  13. Newcastle Dodgeball League expects all players to be mature, respectful and sportsmanlike to other participants and to league organizers. In order to protect the community, we reserve the right to refuse service.
  14. If a shoe comes off a player during the course of a game, the game is immediately stopped and acts as a normal referee stoppage. Once the shoe has been put back on, the game will restart with all players back against the wall according to the League Rules.
  15. Head Injury: If a player experiences an action that results in a head injury, per basic concussion symptoms, that player will sit out the remainder of the evening. For said player to be approved to continue playing after the night of the injury, a doctor’s note sent to [email protected] will be required.


* – In order to protect league players, Newcastle Dodgeball League reserves the right to give official warnings and suspensions on any of the above violations, and may ask the instigator to leave the court or premise immediately if the violation is severe. Three official warnings, or a single severe violation will lead to a ban from the league for the rest of the season including playoffs.
** – This rule is only for rare and extenuating circumstances (e.g. permitting a team to play with zero (0) females/males on the court or (0) females/males substitute players at play-offs due to unexpected injury or absence). Both captains must agree on any changes of the rules and policies. In addition, pressuring another captain to change the rules and policies against his/her will is unsportsmanlike.