Last Updated

Jan 9, 2009

Recent Changes

There are no major revisions to the sportsmanship policy at this time. The Sport and Social Club (SSC) sent out a sportsmanship feedback survey in November of 2008 and will be analyzing the feedback and improving the sportsmanship system in 2009. Thank you to all players who submitted feedback.   

The SSC promotes sportsmanship above all else. The goal is for players to have fun, regardless of whether they win or lose. All players who choose to play with the SSC are required to bring their good sporting behaviour to the games and to promote and abide by the SSC sportsmanship policies and values.

Good sporting behaviour means:

• Having control over your emotions and actions, recognizing and abiding by the fun-first values of the SSC.
• Treating all opponents, SSC field staff (including GCs and ECs) and facility staff with fairness, courtesy and respect.
• Verbal or physical abuse is not tolerated in SSC leagues.
• Not retaliating or reacting in a negative way to any situation or player regardless of the circumstance. Any players who are retaliatory or display revengeful types of behaviours will be subject to the same consequences as an instigator.
• Being open to receiving feedback from the GC and/or your opponent. Feedback should be given in a constructive way and received with an open mind. Each player is responsible for addressing any concerns with their captain during the game so that the problem can be addressed immediately.
• Treating all facilities with respect - this includes: wearing appropriate footwear, not consuming alcohol on facility property, not littering, not using unauthorized equipment, not urinating in undesignated areas, not entering a facility before the permit time begins and leaving the facility by the end of the permit time.

The SSC will not tolerate players who do not follow the sportsmanship guidelines. Violation of this policy could result in suspension or ejection from the league.
 

In order to promote a safe and sportsmanlike environment for its players, all coordinators and players must understand the expectations for playing in SSC leagues. SSC staff (including Coordinators: ECs, GCs) reserve the right to remove players from a facility or league if they are involved with any of the following acts towards a Coordinator, facility staff, a player or a spectator:
 

• Pushing, shoving or making intentional or dangerous physical contact.
• Instigating an altercation.
• Displaying disrespectful or threatening behaviour.
• Exhibiting an unsportsmanlike attitude.

If a player or a team displays any of the above behaviours, they will be ejected from the facility by the Coordinator. If a player is ejected from a game due to unsportsmanlike play, they must leave the gym immediately. The SSC will follow-up with one of the decisions listed in Section 6 – Sportsmanship Complaints (Warning, Suspension or Ejection).

For further explanations of the items listed above, please refer to Section 14 of the individual rule books. In addition to applying to players, the zero tolerance policy is in effect for all spectators and Coordinators.

Games Coordinators (GCs) are hired to monitor the games with the objective of making them safe and fun. They are not trained referees - they are sports enthusiasts who are familiar with the SSC Rulebooks, as such – do not call them ‘ref’, call them by their name. All players are responsible for calling their own infractions, although there may be times when the GC steps in to make a call. Players must treat each other and the GC with respect

In order to ensure the safety of the GC and the players, the SSC has trained the GCs to address and/or remove players if any behaviour is considered to interfere with the fun and safe environment. Please refer to the ‘Zero Tolerance Policy’ for guidelines that GCs are expected to follow.

If a Team Captain from either team sees any unsporting behaviour from a player, the captain of this player should ask him/her to sit off for 5 minutes (their team is not short-handed) or this player may be ejected from the game by the GC. If that player continues exhibiting unsporting behaviours in subsequent games, they will be ejected from the league.

After each game, team captains are required to submit a sportsmanship rating for their opponent to the Games Coordinator. For more information about how ratings affect standings, see section 5 – Sportsmanship Ratings.

To submit feedback about any of the SSC GCs, please fill out the following form: http://www.edmontonsportsclub.com/register/gcfeedback.php. Forms that are not completed as per the requirements listed will not be reviewed by the SSC.

The sportsmanship rating system was implemented when the SSC first started to ensure that all players maintain a fun and sportsmanlike attitude. The sections below explain the terms associated with sportsmanship ratings as well as break-downs of how many ratings are associated with each sport.

RATING EXPLANATION

The table below outlines the criteria that ratings will be based on, whether the rating is from an opponent or a GC:

 "Accountability" Rating
This rating is based solely on how the opposing team took responsibility for calling their own fouls.  A team that does well on Accountability either: committed few or no fouls so it was not an issue, or committed several fouls and made a genuine attempt to call most of them.

"Spirit of the Game" Rating
This part of the rating is based solely on how Fun the opposing team was. A high rating would be for a team that: appeared to put winning second and fun first and/or encouraged themselves or their opponent in a positive way.

SPORTSMANSHIP IN THE STANDINGS

What follows is information that relates to how sportsmanship ratings are factored into the overall standings (this does not apply to sports where no sportsmanship rating is reported).

REALLY REC Divisions: Wins and losses are not counted, the league champion will be voted on by their opponents. A total of five sportsmanship ratings will be given by the opponent and the GC. These ratings will be for the following categories:

• Accountability
• Fun & Excitement
• Attitude
• Sociability & Friendliness
• Overall Experience Given by the GC

REC Divisions:
The following is an explanation of how teams are ranked in the Rec divisions.

• 1st criteria: Total is derived from 2 points for a win and 1 for a tie. PLS can negatively affect your total (see below for definition). Actual spirit points are then added to your points earned from wins and ties to result in your total points.
• 2nd criteria: Differential of goals/points scored vs. goals/points allowed (Mercy rule in effect in each game).

ALL Other Divisions:
The following is an explanation of how teams are ranked in any division higher than Rec.

• 1st criteria: Total is derived from 2 points for a win and 1 for a tie. PLS can negatively affect your Total (see below for the definition). Actual spirit points are then added to your points earned from wins and ties to result in your Total points.
• 2nd criteria: Actual spirit points earned.
• 3rd criteria: Differential of goals/points scored vs. goals/points allowed (Mercy rule in effect in each game)

Points Lost due to Sportsmanship ratings (PLS)

• Indoor sports with GC’s - each time a team receives two -1’s in a game, they lose 1 point off their Total points earned from wins and ties.
• Outdoor sports with no GC’s – each time a team receives a -1 from two opponents over the season, they lose 1 point off their Total points.

 HOW TO SUBMIT SPIRIT RATINGS AND SCORES

GC Sports - Indoor

• Sports that have a GC present include: Floor Hockey, Basketball, Dodgeball, Indoor/Turf Soccer and Arena Flag Football.
• The opposing team will give one rating to their opponent that will take “Accountability” and “Spirit of the Game” into consideration. The team captain is required to report the spirit rating to the GC at the end of the game.
• The GC will give two ratings at the end of the game, these will include one rating for “Accountability” and one rating for “Spirit of the Game”.
• The GC will submit the scores and sportsmanship rating to the SSC office.

 EC Sports – Indoor

• Indoor sports that have an EC include: Volleyball and Badminton.
• There are no spirit ratings awarded for these sports.

 Team Captain (TC) Sports – Outdoor

• Outdoor sports that have no SSC coordinators present include: Slo-Pitch and Soccer.
• The opposing team will give one rating to their opponent that will take “Accountability” and “Spirit of the Game” into consideration.
• Both team captains are required to report the game score and the spirit rating online.

 EC Sports – Outdoor

• Outdoor sports that have an EC include: Ultimate Frisbee and Flag Football.
• The opposing team will give one rating to their opponent that will take “Accountability” and “Spirit of the Game” into consideration. The team captain is required to report the spirit rating to the EC at the end of the game.
• The EC will submit the scores and sportsmanship rating to the SSC office.

 Coordinator Sports – Outdoor

• Outdoor sports that have a Coordinator (other than and EC or GC) include: Grass Volleyball and Beach Volleyball.
• There are no spirit ratings awarded for these sports.