TVVA League Rules
- applicable for 2007/8 Season (to be ratified)
1.
Before competing in any TVVA
League or Competition the club must both be affiliated to the EVA
and have paid required TVVA League and Competition fees.
2.
Teams are required to enter the
League each season. Entry forms and fees are to be submitted to the
TVVA League Secretary by the specified closing date. The TVVA will
decide which Division new teams can enter.
3.
The playing
rules that are applied will be those currently endorsed by the
EVA.
4.
All
players must be registered with
the League Secretary prior to playing in any league or competition
(each player will be assigned a TVVA Registration Number).
a.
One registration
covers all competitions.
b.
For each team
entered, at least 6 players must be registered for the entered team
(i.e. a full squad).
c.
A player may
only be registered for one club team but
may, if attending a school/college on a nominal full time
basis (i.e. the school/college is their primary place of study
or work) , also be registered and play for the attended
school/college team registered with the TVVA (no such
restrictions apply outside the TVVA). However, where
match/tournament conflicts exist, the club team representation will
have priority.
d.
For all league
matches a minimum of 4 members of the registered team must be on
court at all times.
e.
Tournaments/competitions - players may play for only one team in
each tournament/competition category. After their first match, a
player becomes cup-tied.
5.
League Matches:
a.
Team
Captain’s/Coaches must include their team players full name and/or
their TVVA Player Registration Number on the match score card prior
to the match commencing.
b.
All players’
names and/or TVVA Registration Number recorded as per Rule 5a must
be included when sending league match results to the Fixtures
Secretary.
c.
No player may
play for more than one club within the TVVA Leagues with the
exception stated in Rule 4c.
d.
Referees
- for Premier League matches the Referee must be independent
see the published rota.
e.
A Premier
Division registered player may not play in the 2nd or lower
Divisions. There is no
restriction on players playing above their registered Division.
However, within these limitations, players can only sub down a
maximum of 3 matches per
season.
f.
It is desirable
for Players to display a visible shirt number in all league matches
Division 2 and higher and in all competition matches.
g.
All league
matches shall be of 5 sets duration using the ‘rally point’ in all
sets up to 25 points (15 points for 5th set), with a 2 point lead
and no cut off apart from the 5th set which will end at 17 points.
h.
All league
matches must be played on the pre-arranged date specified by the
TVVA League Secretary. Any changes to the fixture dates, with new
suggested dates (agreed by both teams) must be made to the TVVA
League Secretary within 2 weeks of publication for the first draft,
then 1 week for the final draft.
i.
League matches
can only be postponed
in the event of exceptional circumstances. Notification of the
postponement and reason must be sent to the League Secretary within
two weeks of the fixture date. Otherwise the match will be
cancelled (see
Rule 5m) and neither team will gain any points. Subsequently, a
rescheduled fixture date has to be arranged and notified according
to Rule 6a, ii.
j.
Unless both
teams agree, matches shall not be scheduled to start before 6 pm.
k.
Any team
arriving late &
not on court ready to play 10 minutes later than the scheduled start
time shall forfeit the 1st set. After a further 15 and 30 minutes
the 2nd and 3rd set will also be forfeited. This applies to all TVVA
League Matches.
l.
Warm
- up time is a minimum of 10
minutes, provided the visiting team arrives on time.
m.
Cancellation - matches can only
be cancelled by teams due to exceptional circumstances. The
Fixtures Secretary
will cancel
fixtures in accordance with the
TVVA League Rules.
In these cases neither team
will score any points for the cancelled fixture.
6.
Home
team responsibilities are:
a.
Confirming the fixture to the
match opponents no later than 8 days prior to the specified date,
which must include date, venue, warm-up time, start time and when
requested, travel directions.
i.
All fixtures are
to be played in the week they are scheduled unless the TVVA is
advised of the postponement fixture within two weeks of the
scheduled fixture date (use any contact method listed on this site).
ii.
Following
postponement of a fixture, a rescheduled date has to be arranged by
the home team and agreed by the away team. The Fixtures Secretary
must also be notified of the rescheduled date by the following cut
of dates:
Fixtures scheduled Sept to December – second Sunday of the New Year.
Fixtures scheduled Jan to March – the longer of; within one week of
the scheduled fixture date or by the Easter Sunday (this is to
ensure all fixtures are scheduled before the ‘mop-up’ period after
the last scheduled fixture.
Failure to notify by theses dates will result in the fixture being
declared a Cancellation
(see Rule 5m) and neither team will gain any points.
b.
Ensuring that
equipment is checked and playable prior to the fixture.
c.
Providing the
venue, suitable equipment and officials.
d.
Providing
Officials which will consist of a Referee (also see Rule 5d) and
Scorer as a basic minimum for any League match.
e.
Providing a
visible score-board.
f.
Completing the
Score Card (see Rule 8a regarding submission of results).
7.
Fixture Claims:
a.
If the
home team fails to
contact the away team to
confirm a fixture in accordance with
Rule 6a, the away
team may claim the
fixture.
b.
If the
home team makes
reasonable efforts but is unable to contact the away team to
confirm the fixture, the home team may claim the fixture provided
the details of the attempts are forwarded to the TVVA.
c.
In the event of
a default to attend a fixture by either team, the fixture may be
claimed against the defaulter.
d.
Failure to
notify the opponents of the inability to play a confirmed fixture at
least three days (72 hours) prior to the fixture date may be treated
as a 'default' by the opponents and
claimed
accordingly.
8.
League Points:
a.
It is the
responsibility of the winning team to obtain the completed
Score Card and submit the results to the TVVA Fixtures Secretary
within 5 days of match. The preferred results submission method is
via the TVVA website but if unable to use the website, email, post
or phone may be used as an alternative.
b.
If submitted
Score Card information is missing, the Fixtures Secretary will
assume matches/sets are won by the minimum margin. For example, if
no set scores are provided, a 25-23 win will be assumed.
c.
Three points
will be awarded for every match played and won.
d.
One point will
be awarded for every match played but lost.
e.
Zero points will
be received by both teams for a
cancelled fixture
whether or not the fixture is played.
f.
Un-played
fixtures will be recorded as a default for both teams and they will
both score zero points.
g.
If a fixture is
defaulted on and claimed,
the defaulting team will gain no points and will be recorded as
losing the match 3-0 with each set lost 25-0. The claimant will be
awarded 3 points, the match won 3-0 and sets won 25-0.
h.
League ranking
will be in points order followed by sets won/lost difference and
points won/lost difference.
i.
Promotion - the
winning team of Div 1, 2 and Div 3 shall be eligible for promotion.
The bottom team of Premier, Div 1 and Div 2 shall be eligible for
relegation. The final decision regarding promotion/relegation shall
be decided at the AGM of the TVVA Executive in consultation with the
affected team’s club committees.
j.
Play off’s - In
the event of two or more teams being equal on completion of fixtures
the Fixtures Secretary will arrange a play off if the affected teams
so desire.
k.
Between seasons
the TVVA Executive may need to adjust the Divisions to achieve a
balance in the number of teams.
This may involve forced promotions or relegations.
9.
Discipline
- Any club
/team failing to conform to the rules of the association, league
competition, or being consistently unreasonable shall forfeit league
points, or even be expelled from the association and/or league, at
the discretion of the TVVA Executive. In all cases the club or team
concerned has the right to appeal in writing to the TVVA Chairman
within 7 days of being notified of expulsion.
10.
Disputes
a.
Disputes - Teams
are urged to make every effort to resolve and settle disputes
between themselves at the time of the dispute.
b.
Both teams must
inform the referee immediately after the match, that there is a
dispute.
c.
If not resolved
at the time, then the dispute must be referred to the TVVA Fixtures
Secretary within 7 days of the disputed match date.
d.
A copy of the
dispute will then be sent by the TVVA Fixtures Secretary to the
opponents who then have a further 7 days to reply in writing to the
TVVA Fixtures Secretary. A
copy will also be sent to the TVVA committee for consideration.
e.
The TVVA
Executive has the right to settle all disputes subject to any appeal
and including those not in the rules.
f.
Teams wishing to
appeal must do so in writing to the TVVA Chairman within 7 days of
being notified by the TVVA Fixtures Secretary of the decision.
g.
The TVVA
Chairman will then convene a TVVA Appeals Meeting to resolve the
appeal. This meeting will also include a representative from each
club/team concerned.
h.
The TVVA
Executive’s decision is final.
