1. Interpretation

1.1 Day to day interpretation of these By-laws shall be at the responsibility of the most senior official present at the time (for example Centre Manager, Stadium Manager, Duty Manager or Umpire). 1.2 Players participate in sports competitions at their own risk. 1.3 Appeals against interpretation must be lodged in writing to the Stadium Manager. 1.4 BlueFit reserves the right to change or amend the By-laws at any time without prior notice. BlueFit will inform teams of changes and it is the teams’ responsibility to remain up-to-date with the rules of the game. 1.5 Please refer to the sport specific rules relating to each particular sport.

2. Nomination

2.1 The nomination form is to be submitted online to the BlueFit. Payment of the nomination fee is required upon submission. 2.2 This is an application to join one of the competitions at a BlueFit Managed venue and no guarantee is given that this application will be successful. Where teams cannot be included they will be notified and a refund will be provided. 2.3 Nomination forms must be fully completed. This includes full names and contact numbers for all players, as well as the school year for each player in the junior competition. 2.4 Registration ceases at the end of any one season. 2.5 Teams withdrawing from a competition, who paid their fees upfront, are subject to the fair cancellation criteria. If a team does not meet the criteria, it will be refunded 90% of the remaining games, less the nomination fee payment. 2.6 A team will not be considered to have withdrawn until all outstanding fees have been paid.

3. Registration

3.1 Teams are to register all players as per 2.3 above. Failure to do so may result in team members not being notified of any competition changes.

3.2 New teams joining after the start of the season can be introduced into the competition and be eligible to play in the finals provided they play a minimum of three quarters of the season.

4. Game Fees

4.1 All teams must pay their season fees before round 1.

4.2 Any forfeits will incur a forfeit fee. Refer to Section 18.

4.3 At the end of the season if a team has any credits remaining on their account the amount will either be:

• Transferred to the following season if the team has re-nominated.
• Sent out as a cheque/EFT refund to the team organiser who is then responsible as to how this is returned to the team members.

5. Transfers

5.1 A player may transfer from one team to another team once during the season provided that:

• Such a player is financial with and does not possess any assets of the team from which the player is transferring.
• Transfers are presented to the Stadium Manager in writing before the game that the new player plays for the team.
• Once the transfer is confirmed, players will be unable to fill in for their original team if doing so exceeds the maximum number of games a player is allowed to fill in for (refer to 5.2 below).

5.2 A player may only play a maximum of three games (PM competitions) or two games (Junior competitions) for another team during the season. Qualification for finals for any player in two different teams in the same competition is not permitted; players are required to choose one team only in which to qualify for finals. A player found to have played more than the maximum number of games for another team during the season, will result in an immediate forfeit of any game they played in.

5.3 Disputes on clearances will be heard upon request by the Management of BlueFit.

6. Eligibility

6.1 The penalty for including the names of players who are not present and ready for play in the match will result in the loss of all points accrued for that match.

6.2 Any players arriving after half time will be unable to take the court. Players arriving late can still have their name included on the official score sheet before half time without penalty. Should it be discovered during the course of a match that the name of an on-court player does not appear on the score sheet, this player’s name may be added without penalty. Please refer to sport specific rules.

6.3 Any illegal players found on court will result in the immediate forfeit of the game as per section 12 below.

6.4 To be eligible for the finals, players must play a minimum of 50% of games within the season’s fixtured games. (Byes, forfeits and/or grading does not count towards player eligibility for finals.)

7. To Play

7.1 Prior to the game commencing, all teams must have paid their game fee and must present proof if requested.
The team sheet must also be filled out in full. Failure to do so will result in late penalties being applied and in cases where teams are not up to date with payments, will not be permitted to take the court.

7.2 Participants must accept the umpire/referee’s decision with sportsmanlike conduct. Players who dispute calls during match play may have penalties awarded against them and their teams. Umpires/referees may send players off the court.

7.3 In case of doubt, clarification may be requested only through the team captain, at half time or immediately after the match.

7.4 Participants and spectators must follow all reasonable direction from umpires and staff members. Failure to do so may result in a suspension or ban from the facility.

8. Team Responsibilities

8.1 All teams must provide their own scorer/timekeeper for the duration of the match. Teams are therefore responsible for keeping a “check” on the scores during the game. Failure to provide a scorer will leave the team no recourse to challenge the score. The score on the score sheet will be the official result.

8.2 The team will be held responsible for the conduct of its members and spectators. Furthermore, teams are expected to conduct themselves in keeping with the ethos of participation, enjoyment and healthy competition.

8.3 No participants can wear jewellery, watches, pins, or other dangerous items. Fingernails may be taped, cut or gloved at the discretion of the umpires/referee. See the sports specific rules for further information.

8.4 Any player deemed under the influence of drugs/alcohol (other than prescribed medication) shall be denied entry to the facility.

8.5 Whilst management recognises the need for teams to introduce new players during the season, they reserve the right not to allow teams to increase their playing strength beyond the compatibility of the grade in which they play, by the introduction of such players.

8.6 Any disputes to decisions made on-court can be made to the referee/umpire or Sports Supervisor at half time, or upon conclusion of the match by the team captain. Any appeals can be made by the team captain in writing to the Stadium Manager.

8.7 Fixtures are subject to change up to 24 hours prior to the commencement of the fixtured game. It is the team organiser’s responsibility to check these fixtures.

9. Umpires

9.1 The Centre will provide experienced or qualified umpires/referees (minimum of one per court) and ensure the delivery of quality umpiring at each match played.

9.2 Responsibilities of the umpire/referee

9.2.1 Prior to the match:

• To collect receipts/payment cards from both teams
• To inspect the condition of playing area, ball and equipment
• To ensure both teams prior to start of the game correctly complete the score sheet
• To ensure all players are wearing the correct uniform
• To check all players’ nails and jewellery

9.2.2 At all times:

• To apply the Centre’s By-laws and sport specific rules to all matches, and
• To provide the highest customer service to all players and patrons.

9.3 During play, the umpire/referees’ decision is final. He/she shall not permit any discussion about the umpire/referees’ decision. However, at the request of the team organiser, umpire/referees will give an explanation on the interpretation of the rules. This explanation shall be given at half or full time. Refer to section 19 below should the matter not be resolved.

10. Team Organiser

10.1 Responsibilities of the team organiser are:

10.1.1 Prior to the match:

• To complete the score sheet (full names), and
• To hand receipt/payment card to the umpire/referee.

10.1.2 During the match:

• To ensure all team members behave in a sportsmanlike way, and
• To ask for an explanation or interpretation of rules during interval breaks only.

10.1.3 After the match:

• Thank umpires,
• Sign score sheet to ratify outcome, and
• Fill out comments/evaluation section if required.

11. Team Uniforms

11.1 All players in each team are required to present themselves in shirts of the same colour and shade. See sports specific rules for more detail.

11.2 Three weeks’ grace will be allowed from the commencement of the season for teams to be in conforming uniforms.

11.3 Failure to comply will result in goals awarded to the opposing team. Refer to sports specific rules for penalty amounts. The umpires/referees will use their own discretion with regards to suitability.

11.4 New teams joining the competition during the course of a season will be given three weeks to conform to correct uniform.

11.5 Fill-ins and substitutes must be in correct uniform or the team will be penalised as per the sports specific rules.

12. Illegal Players

12.1 The penalty for playing illegal players is automatic forfeiture of the match in which the offence occurred.

12.2 Illegal players will be defined as follows:

• Players under suspension.
• Players participating under an assumed name.
• Non observance of transfer regulations.
• Non observance of qualification criteria for finals matches.
• A player under the age of 16 years playing in a senior competition (without parental consent).

12.3 A player knowingly playing under an assumed name or a coach playing a player under an assumed name may be reported for misconduct to Management.

13. Timing

13.1 Game times vary and you’ll be notified of the fixture at least 48 hours before the game.

13.2 Times for all games will commence on the stated time according to the Centre’s clock. Games may commence a maximum of ten minutes after the timer has started.

13.3 The clock will not be stopped during fixtured matches. In the case of injury, a team is awarded two minutes (time will be taken from the umpire’s watch) to either:

1. Seek treatment and continue;
2. Continue or seek assistance; and
3. Come off the court. Any player who cannot move from the court should not do so.

14. Premiership Points

14.1 Premiership points are as such:

• Win – 3 points
• Draw – 1 point
• Loss – 0 points
• Forfeit – 0 points
• Bye – 0 points

Teams with a forfeit against them will receive a win and shall receive goals according to the sports specific rules. Forfeited matches will be counted as a game, only when players are actually in attendance at the centre and have been marked off on the score sheet.

15. Substitutes

15.1 Each team shall be permitted to have an unlimited number of substitute players, provided all players are registered.

16. Abandoned Games

16.1 A game may be abandoned in the following situations: major injury causing immobilisation, inappropriate behaviour or conduct, when Centre operating standards are compromised (for example, power failure or storm damage).

16.2 The final outcome of abandoned games will be decided upon by sports management. If games are abandoned after half time, the scores shall remain final with no opportunity to replay.

17. Finals

17.1 Semi finals will be played as 1st v 4th and 2nd v 3rd.

17.2 Grand finals will be played between the winners of 17.1.

17.3 In the event that there is a draw at the end of a finals match, the teams will play two rounds of five minutes without one-minute half time. If a draw still occurs after extra time, a further period will be played until a minimum margin of three points/goals exists with the winner being the team ahead. This will be for Basketball and Netball only. Soccer will then go to a penalty shootout with 5 kicks per team until one team is declared the winner, or sudden death penalties until one team is declared the winner.

17.4 Any team with money outstanding at the end of the fixtured season will be ineligible to play finals.

17.5 In the event that a team who finishes in the top four at the end of the fixtured season informs the Stadium Manager that they are unable to play in the finals prior to the finals fixtures being produced, the team who finishes fifth will be brought into fourth position.

17.6 If a team cannot field enough eligible players for a finals match they can still play the match, however they will forfeit the game and be ineligible for any finals prizes. If they choose not to play the match they will accrue forfeit fees as per section 18.

18. Forfeits

18.1 If you provide more than 48 hours’ notice (business days only) of a forfeit before your fixture, you are required to pay your standard game fee (one game). If you provide less than 48 hours’ notice (business days only) of a forfeit before your fixture, or you fail to attend your fixture, you will be required to pay your standard game fee plus the opposition’s standard game fee (two games in total).

18.2 Forfeit fees must be paid within 7 days of the forfeit date. A maximum of three consecutive forfeits are allowed before the team may be suspended from the competition. Suspensions shall remain until all monies are paid in full.

18.2.1 If forfeits are not paid within 7 days of the forfeit date, there will be no game points allocated to the offending team.

18.3 In the event of a forfeit, if the non-offending team has made payment, they shall receive a credit unless they take part in a scratch match or practice session. If both teams play a scratch match, the score will reflect a forfeit; however, each team will be required to pay their own game fee and no forfeit fees will apply.

18.4 The non-offending team of a forfeit will receive the following score:

• Netball: 20–0
• Basketball: 20–0
• Soccer: 10–0

18.5 If both teams agree to play a scratch match, the score will reflect a forfeit; however, each team will be required to pay their own game fee and no forfeit fees will apply.

19. Protests

19.1 All protests are to be lodged in writing to the Stadium Manager within 48 hours of the incident.

20. Player Reports

20.1 Players and spectators shall be subject to report by the umpires/referees or Management for any form of misconduct.

20.2 Misconduct shall include, but is not limited to, abusive language, unsporting conduct, undue rough play, resisting, striking and attempted striking.

20.3 Player or spectator reports in clear breach of section 20.2 (misconduct) will be reviewed by Management who reserves the right to place immediate suspension or exclusion of a player, team or spectator.

20.4 Reported players or spectators who are suspended will be advised in writing (where possible) or by team organiser. Details will include the date and nature of the incident reported and penalty applied.

20.5 Any suspension or penalty may be appealed by the team organiser in writing to the Stadium Manager within seven days of being notified of the suspension. Should the appeal be forwarded to the tribunal, a cost of $100.00 will be applied.

20.6 Centre Management reserves the right to suspend or expel players or teams from the competition. Refer to section 21.

21. Player Suspension

21.1 If a player is expelled from a fixtured game, the offending player may be suspended from the competition on evaluation of the incident by Management.

21.2 If a player is expelled from a fixtured game more than three times throughout the season, they may be prevented from playing in any future competitions.

21.3 If a team has been involved in a serious case or multiple cases of misconduct, the whole team may be suspended from the competition, with all players subject to suspension guidelines.

22. Renomination

22.1 Existing teams will be given the option to re-nominate before the next season is open to the public. Teams who fail to re-nominate during this period will forfeit all guarantees of a position in the next season.

22.2 Vacancies in the competition will be filled by the first paid priority.

22.3 Management reserves the right to not accept teams re-nominating based upon sections 20 and 21.

23. Insurance

23.1 All players are responsible for their own insurance.

23.2 All players play at their own risk.

23.3 When ambulance assistance is deemed necessary by the Stadium Manager, the costs associated with this service will be the responsibility of the injured player. If a player declines ambulance assistance, Management accepts no liability for any further injury or damages arising.

24. Medical Conditions

24.1 BlueFit recommends that all participants check with their doctor before playing or partaking in any physical activity.

25. Outstanding Debts

25.1 Forfeiting teams must pay any due fees within 7 days of the forfeit date.

25.2 Any teams with outstanding money will be contacted as per BlueFit debt collection procedure, which may include engaging with a debt collection agency.

26. Commencement of Matches

26.1 If a team has less than the minimum required players to start the match, and play commences late, the opposing team will be awarded points/goals according to the sports specific rules, up until the ten minutes has expired.

26.2 If a team does not have the minimum required players on court and ready to play within ten minutes of the scheduled starting time, they shall lose the match on a forfeit and be required to pay the forfeit fee detailed in section 18, unless a scratch match is organised between that team and the opposing team.