Regulations

Team captains are responsible for sharing the following information with all team members.

Eligibility

Each team captain is responsible for verification of their team member’s eligibility as provided in these rules. Whenever a specific case is reported to the division by protest, an investigation is made to determine whether the person in question is eligible. Recreational Services reserves the right to check eligibility of any players or teams at any time. Any teams found to have ineligible players are subject to disciplinary actions including, but not limited to: forfeiture of games, player/team dismissal from the league, etc.

1. Only University of Iowa students, faculty and staff members are eligible for competition in the Intramural Program. Spouses of University of Iowa students, faculty and staff are eligible for competition in the Co-Rec and Open Intramural Program.

2. A player may represent only one team in a sport in a season. After entering one contest with a team, a player may not transfer to another team in that sport. Any eligible individual may participate with an independent group in any sport provided he/she adheres to the rule that requires a person to represent only one team in a sport in a season. When recreational and competitive leagues are offered, a player may play in only one league. Once an individual plays on a second team, they are ineligible for all further competition.

3. In order to compete for a fraternity or sorority, an individual must be an active undergraduate member of that organization. In order to compete for a residence hall team, all team members must live in a residence hall. A pledge living in a residence hall may play for either the residence hall or the fraternity or sorority they are pledging. Each individual fraternity/sorority can only pay the registration fee for a maximum of two teams in each sport.

4. Any male/female student, who was a member of a team in a NCAA Division I sport, shall not be eligible to participate in that related sport in the intramural program for two full semesters following the one in which he/she was a team member. Example: If he/she played for the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2006 fall semester, he/she will not be eligible to play intramurals in that related sport for the 2007 spring semester or 2007 fall semester. The following are considered equivalent sports for former intercollegiate players:

5. Current members of intercollegiate squads are not permitted to take part in the sport or equivalent sport to that in which they are currently participating. The members of an intercollegiate team shall be determined by official athletic department staff and intramural staff. Any individual who retires or drops out of an intercollegiate activity may petition for immediate eligibility to the intramural activity that is equivalent to their intercollegiate sport. Special immediate eligibility must be granted before participating in the sport. The intramural staff will determine eligibility. During scholastic ineligibility, an intercollegiate squad member shall not participate in the equivalent intramural activity.

6. No more than two players in an intramural volleyball, ultimate or soccer match may be a member or coach of a sports club in that particular sport. Listings of individuals considered members or coaches of clubs will be cross referenced with intramural rosters.

7. Any individual who would be ineligible for intercollegiate competition because of professional status shall also be considered ineligible for intramural competition in that equivalent activity. An individual may petition for consideration for eligibility.

8. Special eligibility rules are often printed on the entry form for that sport. These rules must also be followed.

Eligibility Rule Infractions

Any violation of player eligibility rules that is discovered will result in default of the contest(s) involved. This violation must be protested by 1:00 PM of the first work day following the game in question.

Any team found using a player that is playing under a fictitious name or ID may be suspended from intramurals for the remainder of the year. The player and team captain may also be suspended from future Intramural activities.

Entries

1. Tentative entry deadlines for intramural activities are listed at the end of these rules. Check at the Recreational Services Office prior to the deadline to pick up an entry form.

2. Deadline dates may be slightly later than listed on the tentative schedule.

3. Entry fees must accompany the entry form or it will not be accepted.

4. A listing of all entries coming in after the deadline will be kept on file. If sufficient interest exists for additions, they will be accommodated if time and space permits.

TEAM ROSTERS and PICTURE ID REQUIREMENTS

Beginning with the 2006 Fall semester, all Intramural teams will be required to complete a Team Roster form in order to register for an event. Team Roster forms will require the printed name, student ID number, and signature of all players on the team. Team registrations will not be accepted without a completed team roster form. Specific team roster requirements for each sport will be listed on the entry form.

All players participating in any intramural event will be required to show a University of Iowa ID prior to participation in each intramural game/event. Anyone who does not produce a University of Iowa ID will not be allowed to participate. In some cases, the officials or scorekeeper will keep player IDs during the games. NO ID = NO PLAY. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Team rosters for league sports may be updated throughout any sport's regular season. Team captains can add or drop players by using the Roster Addition Form or the Roster Drop Form. In order for the roster additions/drops to take effect, the forms must be turned in at E216 Field House by 8:00 AM on the day of the game for weekday games. For games on Sunday, the deadline is Friday at 5:00 PM. League sports rosters will freeze once the regular season has ended. All players playing for a team in the playoffs must have played at least one regular season game for that team. For tournament only sports, team rosters cannot be changed once the tournament begins.

Individual and Doubles Events

1. For most individual and doubles events, times are set for the first one or two rounds of play. The individual or doubles team needs to be aware of the event schedule.

2. Replacements for a player are allowed before the first round of play for individual and doubles events. Once a player is replaced in an event the replaced player may not re-enter into the event.

3. Upon completion of the first or first and second round of play, it becomes the responsibility of each participant to check the tournament draw sheet posted on the bulletin board outside Recreational Services, contact and play the next opponent before the deadline for the next round of play. Those participants advancing are responsible for seeing that a score card is turned in at Recreational Services before the match deadline.

4. If for any reason a match can not be played by the deadline, see the section on postponements and reschedule procedures.

Team Events

1. Instant scheduling will be implemented in the following team sports: men's and co-rec flag football for men, indoor volleyball and regular season basketball. Teams will sign up for a specific league, day and time at the time of registration.

2. The team captain is responsible for picking up the tournament schedule at the time designated on the entry form.

3. The team captain should note the procedures for game postponement if a schedule conflict exists.

TEAM CAPTAIN’S MEETINGS

For league flag football, volleyball, indoor soccer and basketball, all team captains will be required to attend one of the meetings offered. These meetings are MANDATORY. If a team captain cannot attend either meeting, another team representative can attend in the manager’s place. Failure of a team representative to attend either meeting will result in that team being dropped from the league. The captain’s meetings will cover sport rules, eligibility, schedules, and answer any questions from the captains.

Rule Infractions

Any violation of player eligibility rules that is discovered will result in default of the contest(s) involved. This violation must be protested by 3:00 PM of the first work day following the game in question. Any team found using a player that is playing under a fictitious name may be suspended from intramurals for the reminder of the year. The player may also be suspended for the rest of the year. Any contest they have participated in will be defaulted.

Fighting and Ejections

The University of Iowa Violence Policy prohibits fighting during athletic contests and other recreational events. Any student participating in a campus recreational event who strikes, or attempts to strike, an official, supervisor, or another participant or joins a fight in progress will be suspended automatically from all Recreational Services activities from the time of the incident for one (1) calendar year, and is also subject to criminal charges filed by University Police. In addition, the Division of Recreational Services will forward all complaints of fighting to the Dean of Students, who is authorized to recommend sanctions up to and including suspension or dismissal from the University.

In order to foster a healthy recreational atmosphere where violence is not tolerated, participants are expected to conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner at all times. In cases of verbal threats, verbal abuse, or other forms of conduct constituting harassment, whether directed at an official, staff member or another participant, the Division of Recreational Services will take action to eject the participant from the game and suspend him/her from competition for an appropriate number of games. A second ejection for unsportsmanlike conduct will result in suspension from the time of the incident for one (1) calendar year, and could lead to University sanctions imposed by the Dean of Students.

If the level of sportsmanship and/or dangerous play in a game jeopardizes the safety and well-being of game participants or officials, that game may be terminated by any Intramural Official or Staff Member. In the event a game is terminated due to these reasons; the teams, team captains, and all players may be suspended from future Intramural activities.

Sportmanship

Officials in flag football, soccer and basketball fill out team sportsmanship ratings for each game. Rating categories are from 1 – 5. Teams that receive the lowest rating of 5 in a game will be rated in the next game by the sport supervisor. A second consecutive rating of 5 will result in the team being dropped from the sport. Teams receiving a rating of 4 will be notified by mail. Consecutive ratings of 4 will cause the team to be rated by the sport supervisor for remaining games. Failure to maintain a seasonal average of 3.5 will disqualify the teams from playoff eligibility.

Forfeits/Defaults

Teams not ready to play within ten minutes of the scheduled game time shall forfeit. Intramural supervisors shall declare the contest forfeited to the team that is on hand and ready to play. “Ready to play” means that a team must be at the playing area with at least the minimum number of men and/or women needed to constitute a team.

Teams that postpone games or agree to forfeiture without consulting the Division of Recreational Services are both liable to the penalty of a forfeit.

Any team that forfeits one of its scheduled games in league play or double elimination tournaments will automatically be dropped from the remainder of the schedule. They may apply for reinstatement by paying a forfeit fee within 48 hours of the forfeited contest. The forfeit fee will be refunded if the team completes its schedule, but will be lost if it forfeits a second time. Teams may avoid a forfeit by coming or calling to Recreational Services (E216 FH, 335-9293) by 1:00 PM of the day of the game on weekdays or at least 4 hours prior to a scheduled game time on Saturday and Sunday. A default will allow the team to continue in league play and would avoid the loss of any forfeit fees that would otherwise be lost.

Postponements

Recreational Services is willing to cooperate by allowing an occasional postponement. Due to limited playing facilities, postponements must be agreed upon by both managers and Recreational Services. Arrangements must be completed at least one day prior to the game and by 1:00 PM on Friday for Saturday and Sunday contests.

In individual and doubles matches, postponed contests may be played at a time agreed upon by the participants. If they extend into the time frames of the next round of play, the next round opponent must also agree to play the winner before the next match deadline.

Protests

If a team feels an official has misinterpreted a rule, they must lodge a protest at the time of the ruling. The team must call a timeout at the time of the ruling and inform the official they wish to protest a misapplication or misinterpretation of a rule. The game will be stopped to obtain a ruling from the Intramural Supervisor. Failure to call timeout and obtain an immediate ruling from the Intramural supervisor at the time of the rule in question will void any future right to protest. If the officials' ruling stands, the protesting team will be charged the timeout. If the officials' ruling is changed, the team is not charged a timeout. No protest concerning officials' judgement will be considered.

If the protesting team still feels the ruling is incorrect, it must then lodge a written protest form accompanied by a $2.00 fee to teh Director of Intramural Officials by 1:00 PM of the following the game in question. The protest will be considered and ruled upon.

Playoff Qualification Policy

In order to determine playoff qualification, the Intramural Staff will use the following guidelines in order:

1. Win/loss record will determine final regular season standings. Please see individual sport registration form/rules to determine the number of teams that qualify from each division.

A. Any game that is defaulted by a team will count worse than a loss for that defaulting team’s record.

B. Any game that is forfeited by a team will count worse than a default for that forfeiting team’s record.

2. In the case of a tie between two teams, head-to-head record will be the tie-breaker.

3. In the case of a tie between three or more teams in flag football, indoor soccer, and basketball, point differential in all regular season games will be used. In volleyball, game record differential will be the tie-breaker for three or more teams. For example, a basketball team that has won 3 games by 10 points and lost 1 game by 5 points would have a point differential total of +25. If a team wins (or loses) by forfeit or default, that team will get credit for winning (or losing) by the following amounts in each sport:

a.Football 6-0

b.Volleyball 2-0

c.Indoor Soccer 2-0

d.Basketball 10-0

e.Softball 5-0

Intramural Championship Point System

Points are awarded to each team that participates in intramural sports. Teams are awarded points based upon their finish in a sport with a minimum number of point guaranteed to each participating team. In order to accumulate Intramural Championship points, teams must keep the same team name throughout the year. Intramural Championship teams will be awarded in the Men’s, Women’s, and Co-Rec divisions. Specific rules and regulations for calculating Intramural Championship points are available in the current Intramural Championship Point System handout, available in the Recreational Services office.