WELCOME LETTER
Ultimate, Beach Volleyball, Grass Volleyball, Soccer, Slo-Pitch, Flag Football

LEAGUE FEES

All Teams, Groups and Individuals MUST PAY ONLINE in order to register. If you cannot pay online, registrations must be submitted and paid IN PERSON at the Edmonton Sport & Social Club office, located at Suite 200– 5110 97A Street. Office hours are Monday to Thursday, 9 AM to 5:30 PM & Friday 9am - 4:30 (please call before coming down).

Cancellations: Cancellations on or prior to the registration deadline will be charged a $10 administration fee. No refunds will be provided for cancellations after the registration deadline.  

In all leagues, the ESSC reserves the right to move teams to a division better suited to their level of play, regardless of whether the team has registered early. 

SPORTSMANSHIP:  “The ESSC is a ‘FUN FIRST’ organization”

The ESSC expects all players who choose to play with us to exhibit 'ESSC Spirit'.  'Spirit of the Game' means coming out each week with a 'fun first, winning second' attitude. The ESSC believes that encouraging good sporting behaviour is why players join and remain in our leagues. There is no tolerance for players who do not respect ESSC sportsmanship policy. There are 3 points to being a 'good sport':

1. Good sporting behaviour means treating all opponents with fairness, generosity, courtesy and respect.

2. Good sporting behaviour is not retaliating or reacting in a negative way to any situation or person in any circumstance. Any players who are retaliatory or display revengeful types of behaviours will be subject to the same warnings/suspensions/ejections as an instigator.

3. Challenges during the game: DO NOT IGNORE ISSUES -- GIVE YOUR OPPONENT A CHANCE TO MAKE AMENDS. Each player is responsible to address any concerns with their captain DURING the game so the problem can be addressed IMMEDIATELY captain to captain and with a GC present (if applicable). Feedback should be given in a constructive way and received with an open mind. Have your team make any necessary adjustments to keep the game fun for everyone. Any conflicts should be resolved quickly and without argument. 

In most leagues, teams rate their opponents based on their ability to play by the rules and their ‘fun factor’ before, during and after the games.  These ratings affect each teams’ standings in the league!!   Please see your rules for how to rate sportsmanship.

Played a GREAT team?  Let the ESSC know that your opponent was EXCEPTIONAL by filling out the Lady Bing nomination form online under SCORES in you sport!   

If you are registering a team, small group or friends to play with you – it is your responsibility to make sure these players are willing to play with ESSC spirit.  

WAIVERS

Waiver:  All players must submit a waiver prior to playing in the ESSC leagues.  http://www.edmontonsportsclub.com/register/waivers.shtml

WHAT ABOUT MY SCHEDULE?

Schedules will be posted online ~48 hours prior to the first games scheduled. If the schedules are not posted you may assume the schedule has not been completed.  Please do not contact the ESSC regarding your schedule until after it has been posted.
Spring/Summer leagues are 9 playing weeks, exclusive of byes – Sunday leagues in the summer are only 8 weeks.
Outdoor Spring leagues start the week of April 20th, 2008

WEATHER  POLICY

Weather Policy:  Below is a summary of the ESSC weather policy, to access the complete ESSC Weather Policy before you play please go to:  http://www.edmontonsportsclub.com/leagues/weather-policy.shtml.

Overview:  Living in Alberta means that we will have some unpleasant evenings and there will be some nights when we have to play sports even though we might prefer not to.  Dress warmly and get out there and have some fun!

The ESSC hosts hundreds of teams each season and this requires a lot of playing fields. Re-scheduling games is extremely difficult (we can’t always book enough fields to replay all the games), so we strongly prefer to see the games get played whenever possible.

The weather conditions can vary significantly from one field to another or from one area of the city to another.  This often contributes to our reluctance to do a city-wide cancellation – if we know that some areas of the city are playable, we will ask all teams to report to their fields to decide for themselves.  If half or more of the teams can play, that makes rescheduling the other games a lot easier.

In very extreme circumstances the ESSC will cancel (and reschedule) games. If this happens, the games will be cancelled prior to 5 PM on game day.   The cancellation notice will be posted on the website and emailed to all leagues that are affected.  If we have not cancelled the games, then that means we have received no indication from the City, the facility, or our field staff that our fields are unplayable. If the ESSC has not cancelled the games then the ‘Rain or Shine’ Policy is in effect.

* Note:  the ESSC is not open on weekends so all Sunday games are subject to the rain or shine policy!

Rain or Shine Policy:  Teams must report to their field regardless of weather conditions, or be subject to default rules.  

If it is 'raining' at game time, the ESSC requires teams to wait it out for at least 20 minutes before deciding to call the game.  If poor weather or slippery field conditions are still a factor after 20 minutes, you must discuss rescheduling options with your opponent prior to leaving the field.  The ESSC will help with rescheduling but you must provide 1 or 2 potential dates that both teams can play on.

* Note:  We may not always be able to reschedule the games (due to field availability and amount of notice time) – so you are canceling at your own risk.

EQUIPMENT

The ESSC provides equipment for each of the Outdoor sports.  For Flag Football, Ultimate, Grass Volleyball and Beach Volleyball an Event Coordinator (EC) will bring the equipment required for each game (balls, field markers, flags,..etc.) Players are only responsible for bringing the proper attire (dark and white t-shirt) and footwear.  For Soccer and Slo-Pitch each team must pick up the required equipment from the ESSC Office.  A deposit is required to pick up the equipment.  For Soccer, each team will pick up a soccer ball and field markers, the deposit is $20.  For Recreational Slo-Pitch, each team will get 3 bases, safety base, home plate and field markers, the deposit is $40.  Recreational Plus and Experienced level teams will get a strike mat besides the above listed equipment and the deposit will be $80.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR GROUPS OR SINGLES

If I registered on the same form with a friend or on a small group, do I get to play with them? Yes.  

How do I get put on a team? The first and most likely team placement will be with other individuals, friends or small group registrants for the same sport/night/division. Occasionally, a team will request additional players. Lastly, if we are not able to accommodate you in your first choice, we will use your back-up option, if you selected one.

When do I find out if I am on a team?  If you registered as a group or an individual, rosters will be emailed to you within 96 hours of your first scheduled league night.  You will not receive them before this time because of changes that occur regularly.  These rosters may change during the first few weeks of play as players are added to each team.

What should I do between now and the start of the league? Submit a waiver, familiarize yourself with the league rules and get ready to have FUN!!

What happens if you are unable to place me on team? You will be issued a full refund.  

What happens at the first game?  The ESSC provides basic playing equipment so you will just need to bring yourself and be dressed appropriately for playing your sport and the weather. Some sports require each player to bring a light and dark colored shirt to each game.  The rules for your sport will let you know what is applicable for you.   Since you will likely not have met your teammates, find them!!   They will also be the players looking for other players!  

What happens if I can't make it to a game? Once you have received your roster you can contact your teammates directly to determine if you need to find a sub.   The ESSC generally will put enough players on your team that if 1-2 people miss each week there will still be enough players (i.e. 2 full lines). With enough notice the ESSC can provide a sub list and/or you can post a sub request on this player forum.

What happens if I want to cancel my registration? If you cancel on or before your registration deadline, you will be refunded your fees minus a $10 cancellation fee. If you cancel anytime after that date, no refund is guaranteed.  If the ESSC is able to replace you with another player, a refund amount would be pro-rated on what week the season is in and the $10 cancellation fee also applies.   Contact the ESSC for your registration deadline as it often varies by sport.

IT’S A WRAP!

Thank you for reading this important pre-season information!   All players are required to read the welcome letter so please ensure anyone you have registered will do so.  
ESSC Communications: There are 2 main mediums the ESSC uses to keep you in the loop!

1. SCOREBOARD: This is a periodic email newsletter put together by the ESSC. This will contain information regarding your leagues (for example, schedule changes), upcoming events, contests, a word from our sponsors, etc).

2. SPECIFIC EMAILS: From time to time the ESSC will also issue emails that are for specific purposes:  additional advertising for an event, an important league update, etc.

 Please keep in mind that if you choose not to read the information sent to you from the ESSC, you could be missing some important information!!!!

 If you have a second email address you would like information sent to please contact the ESSC at 429-4263 or info@edmontonsportsclub.com with your full name/sport/night/division.   If you would like an email address removed or changed to another address, please let us know.