Austin Sports and Social Club :: Co-Ed Softball, Football, Kickball, Soccer,and Volleyball

AUSTIN SSC DODGEBALL RULES

ROSTER:
There are no maximum number of players allowed on your roster. Players will not be allowed to participate without signing the Austin SSC roster/waiver form. Players may be added after the registration deadline only if the league has their t-shirt in inventory. New shirts cannot be ordered. Otherwise, the only way to add a new player to your roster after the registration deadline is by first dropping another player. Teams have up until the third week of the season to do so. After that, rosters are frozen. The additional player must obtain the t-shirt from the dropped player in order to play. If a team wishes to add a player only after the registration deadline, this can only be done if the league has the t-shirts in stock.

WAIVERS:
In order to participate in the league, each participant must sign the team waiver. Waivers will be e-mailed to all team captains, which need to be printed out, and turned in no later then the first night of play. Players not present the first week of play will still be required to sign a waiver with our staff before participating. An Austin SSC staff member will keep your team waiver at the field, or a new one can be printed out. Players who sign up as individuals, sign the waiver online when they register.

PLAYER RESTRICTIONS:
All Austin SSC participants must be at least 21 years old before the season starts.

Players that have participated in Division 1 sports must be 2 years removed from Division 1 participation if they wish to play in a similar Austin SSC sport.

Austin SSC will have the right to request ID from any player. Any player in the super social league who is determined a social player by the Austin SSC will have their league fee credited towards a future season. If more than one player fits in the category, the Austin SSC has the option to move the team to the social division.

Players may only play for one team and be on one roster, regardless of if multiple divisions are offered. One can play, for example, softball on Tuesday's & softball on Thursday's, but not for two teams in the same day or night. Any player that break this rule will cause both of their teams to forfeit games played on that day.

SPORTSMANSHIP:
We are all adults, and the Austin SSC expects all participants to act like it. Unsportsmanlike behavior may result in that player or team being suspended from participating in all Austin SSC sports. Being ejected from a game carriers a minimum one game suspension.

GAME UNIFORMS:
Austin SSC t-shirts are your team's uniforms. All players must wear their current Austin SSC uniform (past season's uniforms are not permitted) to participate and any player not wearing his/her uniform will be will be sidelined for that game. If this sidelined player will cause the team to forfeit, he/she will be allowed to play in the game provided he/she is on the original roster. Missing or swapped uniform players' names will be taken and if they are not on your roster, a loss will be assessed for that game.

UNIFORM ALTERATIONS:
Names on uniforms, numbers, cut-off sleeves, corporate logos, etc, are permitted, as long as they do not cover any logos originally printed on the shirts.

TIME LIMIT:
All dodgeball matches are "best of 7" series. All games have a 5 minute time limit. After 5 minutes, if the game has not concluded, the team with the most number of players remaining gets the win. Same number on both sides equals a tie. Teams will change sides half way through the match. Teams will play two matches each night.

GAME TIME:
All games must start on time, no exceptions. Two points are awarded for a win and one for a tie.

FORFEITS:

If a team does not have the minimum number of players by game time (6, at least 2 must be girls), they must still start the game, as long as at least two girls are present. If the minimum number of players does not show up 5 minutes after game time, a forfeit will be called.

FORFEIT FINES:
If a team does not have the minimum number of players by game time, a $50 forfeit fine will be assessed. Teams that receive a forfeit fine must use it the following week or lose it (unless the forfeiting team has not paid up). If a team e-mails the Austin SSC by 4pm of the preceding day, no fine will be assessed. This will allow the opposing coach to inform his team of the impending forfeit. All fines must be paid before your next scheduled game. Teams not paying the above fines the following week may play that game, however it is officially ruled a forfeit. After the 2nd week the team can be removed from the league.

DODGEBALL EQUIPMENT:
The Austin SSC will supply dodgeballs for each court

BEER IS NOT ALLOWED IN THE GYM—So we will have a great post game happy hour after each and every game!

DODGEBALL GAME RULES

PLAYERS ON THE COURT:
The maximum numbers of players on the field is 8 (5 men, 3 women); minimum number of players is 6 (4 men, 2 women). There are no limits to the number of females allowed on the court at one time. However, there cannot be more than 5 men on the field under any circumstance. Players that arrive late must wait until the next game begins to enter. Substitutions can only be made after the completion of a game, or in the case of injury. The first player out of that game would be the substitute. Teams may not substitute male for female.

COURT:
The playing boundaries are a volleyball court, marked with sidelines, end-lines, and a center hash mark.

BEGINNING THE GAME:
Prior to beginning a game, two 8" dodgeballs are placed along the center line on each side of the center hash mark. One 7" ball is given to each team. A standard game consists of two 7" and two 8" Gator Skin balls.

Players then take a position behind their end line and wait for the official's whistle to begin play.

Following the whistle by the official, players are allowed approach the center line to retrieve the balls located on the center line. They are also fair game to be hit by their opponent who already has one ball in hand.

FALSE START:
Will be called if players cross their end line prior to the official's signal to start the game. Result: Play will be stopped and one ball from the middle will be given to the opponent. Repeat for each infraction.

BOUNDARIES:
During play, all players must remain within the boundary lines. A player may be tossed a stray ball from out of bounds by a sidelined teammate, provided the player receiving the ball remains completely within his/her team's field boundaries. A stray ball is one that has not been picked up and is lying on the ground. Players that are playing in the game may not retrieve a ball that is out of bounds, unless no one has gotten out and they have no substitutions. The ball becomes dead when it hits any wall, curtain, or basketball hoop.

PLAYER "OUT" SIGNAL:
Every player who is out (see "player out") and is still inbounds will raise their hand over their head as they are exiting the playing field so that they are not targeted by the opposing team. Once a player is OUT, they must drop any balls in hand and exit the playing field at the nearest sideline. If an OUT player intentionally contacts a live ball before exiting the playing field, he/she will sit out the next game.

PLAYERS "OUT":
An OUT is scored by:
a. Attacking player hitting an opposing player in the head with a high velocity ball.
If a player ducks or takes a position with their head below where their shoulders would normally be when standing, i.e. crouching, kneeling, sitting, diving, rolling or laying, and this clearly is the cause for the player being hit in the head, the player is out and the throw is considered legal.
b. Catching a ball thrown by your opponent (opponent is out). Please note that a player DOES NOT come back in when this occurs.

c. If a thrown ball deflects off the defender and is caught in bounds by a teammate, the defender is saved and the thrower is out.
d. If a thrown ball hits multiple players before contacting the ground, they are all out.
e. Causing an opponent to drop a held ball as a result of contact by a thrown LIVE ball (usually occurs when a ball is being used to block a thrown ball). A player may block a thrown ball with a ball being held, provided the held ball is not dropped as a result of the contact with the thrown ball.
f. An opposing player stepping out of bounds

NOTE: A ball deflecting off a held ball and striking the holder is no longer a LIVE ball.

A PLAYER SHALL NOT: (Player will be declared out)
a. Hit an opposing player in the head, unless the player is ducking, bending down, or it contacts another part of their body first.
b. Hit an opposing player while they are using the "player out" signal.
c. Have any part of their body contact the playing surface over a sideline or the center line.
d. Stand behind the end line if they are out. One must stay to the sides.
e. Leave the playing field to retrieve an errant ball, avoid being hit by, or attempt to catch a ball.

f. Kick the ball

g. Excessively squeeze or compact the ball while attempting a throw

STALLING AND 5-SECOND VIOLATION:
The following procedure will be used to prevent "stalling":

After a catch, players must release their ball within 5 seconds. Players are not allowed to catch and release to reset the 5 second clock.

It is illegal for the leading team to control all the balls for more than five (5) seconds also. If the leading team controls all the balls--i.e.., all balls are located on their side of the center line--they must make a legitimate effort to get at least one ball across the attack line and into the opponent's backfield. If this is not done within 5 seconds, a "5-second violation" will be called. A team may avoid a 5-second violation by throwing or rolling a ball into the opponent's backfield. A 5 second violation results in the ball being given to the opponent. If multiple warnings are given, the player will be called out.

If the balls leave the playing court, the substitutions or teammates must immediately place the balls back on the court. Players are not permitted to hold the balls out of bounds until their teammate is ready to receive it.

OFFICIALS:
The Austin SSC will provide an official at each court. Arguing with the official call will get one removed from the game. No exceptions or warnings.

UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT:
The Austin SSC will not tolerate any unsportsmanlike conduct by ANY player in the league. A player that is ejected twice during the season will be removed from the league.

OVERTIME (GAME ENDING ON DOUBLE VIOLATION):
The overtime period of any game will begin with a minimum of three (3) players from each team (at least one girl). All overtime periods begin with each team having 2 "balls in hand." The first team to eliminate any ONE opposing player will be declared the winner.

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Questions about the league?
Email austinssc@gmail.com