Revised May 2009

I MEMBERSHIP FEES

a) The entry fee shall be determined by the Executive by August 1st of each year.  League registration will begin on August 1st of each year.  Entries received prior to that date will not be accepted.

b) A completed League Application Form (which includes the second contact person's information and a list of expected team players listed with their contact phone number) accompanied by a certified cheque or money order must be received in the league mailbox no later than the last Friday in August.  The form MUST be accompanied by a certified cheque or money order.

II SIGNING OF PLAYERS

a) All players must sign a roster, submitted by their team, and it must be in the league mailbox no later than the last Friday in October. Any team not handing in this final roster by this date will immediately lose 2 points, plus an additional 2 points for every match played without a properly submitted final roster. Player's names must be printed on the left and this roster must be signed and dated.

b) A player meeting league requirements and not previously signed on a roster may spare twice for any given team. When a spare is used, they must sign the score sheet as well as print their name legibly and add the word SPARE beside the signature.

c) The addition of two players, who meet league requirements, may be made up until the second Friday in January. Written, signed, and dated notification to the league executive must be received in the league mailbox by this date. The names, phone numbers, and signatures of the additional players must be included.

d) After the second Friday in January, a team may pick up no more than two non-roster players due to: serious illness or injury, pregnancy, or team members moving out of town. A signed and dated letter must be submitted to the Executive via the league mailbox, stating the reason for adding a replacement player and must include the players name, contact number and signature. The team submitting the request so the Executive can make a timely decision on approval must advise their division Vice President. After receiving a letter of request, a decision will be made within one week and the captain will be notified of the decision.

e) Prior to the deadline date of the first roster, a player may only play for one team per week. Once a player has signed on a roster and it has been submitted to the Executive, she may not play for any other teams unless a written, signed, dated request is submitted by the player to their division Vice President via the league mailbox. Approval must be given by the Executive. A decision must be made within one week upon receipt of the letter and the player and team will be notified of the decision.

f) Teams who use ineligible (illegal) players will receive defaults for any matches in which the ineligible players participated if the ineligible (illegal) player was their 6th player. If there were more than 6 players the team will receive a forfeit. The Executive withholds the option to further penalize said teams.

III SCHEDULE

The league opening dates and schedules of games shall be directed by the Executive using, as a guide, the standardized schedules for seasonal play as they appear in the constitution. The Executive will assign a number to each team for this purpose.
 

Routine Schedule for 8 Teams

Play each team 3 times
84 games in season (21 weeks)
21 games for each team

Time Slot	Week 1	Week 2	Week 3	Week 4	Week 5	Week 6	Week 7
1	1 vs 2	2 vs 6	3 vs 5	4 vs 7	5 vs 7	7 vs 8	3 vs 8
2	5 vs 8	3 vs 7	4 vs 6	1 vs 8	2 vs 4	3 vs 6	2 vs 7
3	6 vs 7	4 vs 8	2 vs 8	5 vs 6	1 vs 3	1 vs 4	4 vs 5
4	3 vs 4	1 vs 5	1 vs 7	2 vs 3	6 vs 8	2 vs 5	1 vs 6

Time Slot	Week 8	Week 9	Week 10	Week 11	Week 12	Week 13	Week 14
1	3 vs 4	1 vs 5	1 vs 7	2 vs 3	6 vs 8	2 vs 5	1 vs 6
2	1 vs 2	2 vs 6	3 vs 5	4 vs7	5 vs 7	1 vs 4	3 vs 8
3	5 vs 8	3 vs 7	4 vs 6	1 vs 8	2 vs 4	3 vs 6	2 vs 7
4	6 vs 7	4 vs 8	2 vs 8	5 vs 6	1 vs 3	7 vs 8	4 vs 5

Time Slot	Week 15	Week 16	Week 17	Week 18	Week 19	Week 20	Week 21
1	5 vs 8	3 vs 7	4 vs 6	1 vs 8	2 vs 4	3 vs 6	2 vs 7
2	1 vs 2	2 vs 6	3 vs 5	4 vs 7	5 vs 7	7 vs 8	3 vs 8
3	3 vs 4	1 vs 5	1 vs 7	2 vs 3	6 vs 8	2 vs 5	1 vs 6
4	6 vs 7	4 vs 8	2 vs 8	5 vs 6	1 vs 3	1 vs 4	4 vs 5

Each team plays average of 5 games per time slot over 21 week period.

Routine Schedule for 10 Teams

Play each team 2 times
90 games in season (18 weeks)
18 games for each team
b) The league shall consist of six divisions:
Competitive (A)
Advanced (B)
Intermediate (C)
Intermediate (D)
Recreational (E)
Super-recreational (F)

c) After regular season play, the top team of B,C and D will move up one division.  The bottom team of A, B, and C will move down one division.  The top two teams of E and F division will move up one division.  The bottom two teams of D and E will move down one division.

IV DISCIPLINE

Any person associated with the league as a player, coach, or manager, and whom an official penalizes in any way, may be subject to further penalty in accordance with O.V.A. rules and regulations. Written reports of all such incidents shall be given to the Officials Coordinator by the official involved, and shall be passed on to the Secretary.

V PLAYING RULES

a) O.V.A. Volleyball rules will apply with the exceptions noted below.

b) If a team defaults a total of three times in a schedule (includes league play and playoffs), they will not be eligible to participate in any further games. Three points will be awarded to the team scheduled to play the expelled team. Any expelled team is not entitled to any refund in monies paid for entry or default fees.

c) Each team will be required to submit a default holding fee of $50.00. If a team defaults once, half the default fee is forfeited, a second default will result in a loss of the entire fee. A default is an entire match. A forfeit is being late for the first game of the match. Complete loss of the default fee will also occur as a result of a team having no representation present at the final season general meeting. The default fee will be returned to a team representative. It will be written to the designated name and/or company on the team's annual registration form. If the cheque is not cashed within six months it will be declared stale dated and will no longer be negotiable. The N.B.L.V.L. will not issue a compensatory cheque.

d) The best two out of three sets will win a match. The first two sets will be rally point to 25 with a 2-point spread required to win. If a third set is necessary, it will be rally point to 15, and the team must win by two points. There is no cap on any of these sets.

e) Substitutions may be made in two ways: i) rotation into the sixth position ii) substitution, position for position. Twelve substitutions per set will be permitted if using ii).

The official must be advised before beginning the first game, as to which method the team chooses. This cannot be changed during the match. In case of injury, method ii) may be used.

f) i) Each team must have six (6) players on the court in order to play a match. If there are not six players at the start of each match, the first game is forfeited. If there are not six players for the second game, ten minutes after the scheduled starting time, the match is defaulted. If both teams are late, it is considered a forfeit/default for each team. If there are 5 players present at game time, the team must play, unless the 5 player matches have already been used.

Each team will be permitted two 5 player matches in one season, including play-offs. At any point during a match, a team playing with 5 players will be credited with a 5 player match. After that point, f) i) above is in effect.

g) On a serve, any overhanging obstacles above the court area, excluding the ceiling and its permanent fixtures, will be considered a re-serve.

h) Once the ball is in play, all obstacles are out of bounds and a loss of serve will apply.

i) The Executive shall decide how score sheets are to be handed in.

j) Should any member of the league be found smoking, drinking, stealing or littering on school property by a League Committee member, school official, or by the official in charge of the match, she will be suspended for the remainder of the season.

k) NO CHILD UNDER 12 YEARS OF AGE IS ALLOWED IN THE SCHOOL. Should a child be present, the match will not begin until the child is removed. Default and forfeit rules will apply.

l) Only in Super-recreational (“F” Division), a player is only allowed to serve five consecutive serves, then she must rotate and allow the next person to serve.

m) Spectator noise level must be kept to a minimum. Anyone not complying with this rule will be asked to leave the school.

VI PLAYOFFS

All teams (excluding defaulted teams) shall participate in the playoffs. Optional formats to follow.

Division A, B, C, and D Playoffs Format

Based on final standings, two pools will be established:

Pool A	Pool B
1st Place	2nd Place
4th Place	3rd Place
5th Place	6th Place
8th Place	7th Place

Championship Final:     1st Pool A vs. 1st Pool B (one night required)

Third Place Final:     2nd Pool A vs. 2nd Pool B (if desired)

Fifth Place Final:     3rd Pool A vs. 3rd Pool B (if desired)

Seventh Place Final:     4th Pool A vs. 4th Pool B (if desired)

If more time is available, semi-finals can be added: (1 additional night)
1st Pool A vs.    2nd Pool B

2nd Pool A vs.    1st Pool B

3rd Pool A vs.    4th Pool B

4th Pool A vs.    3rd Pool B

Championship Final: Top two teams from semi-finals
Consolation Final: Bottom two teams from semi-finals

Playoff Format for divisions E and F.

Based on final standings, two pools will be established:

Pool A 1st place 4th place 5th place 8th place 9th place

Pool B 2nd place 3rd place 6th place 7th place 10th place

Round Robin within each pool as follows: 6 nights required

VII AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS

The By-Laws of the league may be amended at any General Meeting, after notice of motion, in writing, has been received in the league mailbox one week prior to the consideration of the amendment. A majority vote of the membership present shall be required to sustain an amendment to the By-Laws.

VIII SCORING

a) A point system will be implemented in the following manner:

i) in the event of a split, each team will be awarded one point per set.
ii) in the event of a two set sweep, the winning team will awarded three points.

b) Final standings, in case of a tie:

the head to head record between those two teams determines the higher ranking
ii) The team with the most matches won will be the team with the higher ranking.
iii) if a tie still exists, the team with the most three point matches won will be the team with the higher ranking

IX INSURANCE

The Insurance Policy purchased each season by the North Bay Ladies Volleyball League shall only cover league sponsored activities - regular season, playoffs, and any league organized tournaments.