• Remember, this is a social league. Chill attitudes are always welcomed. So, meet some new people, and have a good time.

• There should be equal playing time for all players, regardless of gender.

• You always need your team T-Shirts. They are our only way of identifying you and not having them hurts your team’s ranking!

• Please treat our referees with respect.

• Any aggressive behavior will not be tolerated and may result in suspension or expulsion from our leagues; let’s avoid that.

• Please be on time. We recommend showing up at least 10 minutes early to avoid any confusion and the chance of Forfeiting.

 

Overly Competitive Players

All Texas Sports & Social Club leagues are intended to be recreational. Any player deemed to be excessively competitive and/or overly aggressive may be removed from competition at the discretion of Texas Sports official or game day coordinator.

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Sportsmanship Rating:

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Teams will be awarded a sportsmanship grade based on their conduct:

 

• A (4.0) - Above and Beyond Conduct and Sportsmanship

• B (3.0) - Good Conduct and Sportsmanship

• C (2.0) - Average Conduct and Sportsmanship

• D (1.0) - Below Average Conduct and Sportsmanship

• F (0.0) - Poor Conduct and Sportsmanship

 

Teams must maintain a 2.5 AVERAGE in order to be ELIGIBLE for the playoffs

Once in playoffs, the team must maintain a 2.5 average in order to remain in playoffs 

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Number of Players

4 Players will play at once; at least 2 of which must be from each gender.

 

A minimum of 3 players from your roster and/or pre-registered substitutes is needed to start or continue a game.

 

If a team is short of the required number of players, they may play down with a minimum of 1 player from each gender and a maximum of 2 players from each gender. The opposing team will play with up to maximum amount of players allowed on the court.

 

Game Length/Structure and Scoring

Each match consists of the best of 3 matches. A set, with the exception of the deciding third set, is won by the team which first scores 21 points with a minimum lead of two points or the team which first scores 25 points. 

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In the case of 1-1 tie, the deciding third set is won by the team which first scores 15 points with a minimum lead of two points or the team which first scores 17.

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Rally scoring rules shall apply to all sets.  A point is scored by successfully grounding the ball on the opponent's court, when the opponent commits a fault, or when the opponent receives a penalty.

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Scores will be entered by the amount of matches that a team wins.

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Beginning the Game/Serving

Service of the first game will be determined by a best of 3 games Rock, Paper, Scissors by the team captain. The team that did not begin serving the first game will begin serving the second game. The winner of the second game will begin serving the third game.

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Females and males must stay caddy corner to each other on the court at all times. ie. 2 males cannot be in the front or back court or 2 females cannot be in the front or back court at the same time.

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The serving player shall not serve until signaled to do so by the referee.

 

Service may be either underhand or overhand with either a closed or open hand. If a player serves before the whistle is blown, the serve shall be replayed.

 

If a player is serving and catches a bad toss, the serve shall be replayed.

 

A served ball must pass over the net (and can hit the net) as long as it lands within the out-of-bounds lines.

 

A served ball may not be blocked or attacked by the receiving team. The server will continue to serve until the referee calls a “side-out”.

 

Playing the Game

• When a team is awarded the serve, the team will rotate one place clockwise.

• A ball hit into the net, other than a serve, may be recovered provided a player does not make contact with the net or cross the centerline.

• A player may not play the ball twice in succession unless the initial contact is a block.

• At least 1 hit must happen by both genders in a 3 hit rally.

• A team must return the ball across the net with three or fewer contacts. A block does not count as contact.

• When the ball lands on the boundary line, it is considered in the court. It is legal for a player to run out of bounds and play the ball; however, a player may not enter another Volleyball court to play the ball.

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Officials (if applicable; see specific league for details.) 

Some leagues are self refereed. For self refereed leagues the League Coordinator will have the last word.

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Texas Sport & Social Club will provide an official for each match. Rules will be enforced primarily by an “honor system”. However, the Texas Sport & Social Club official has final say over all decisions.

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Fouls/Violations

If a foul is committed, penalty will be side-out point (dependent upon scoring structure at the time).

• Contacting the ball in an underhand motion with open hand or hands (slapping or scooping).

• Failure to return ball over the net in three or fewer contacts.

• Serving illegally, or out of turn.

• Touching the net or reaching under the net to interfere with an opponent playing the ball.

• Stepping over the centerline into the opponent’s court, a player may step on the line.

• Spiking or blocking the ball when playing the back row position.

• Contacting the ball twice in succession, unless the first contact is a block.

• Catching or holding the ball while playing it.

 

Timeouts

Each team may call one one-minute timeout per match, if needed.

 

Substitutions

Substitutions can only be made into the server position upon rotation. There is no limit on the number of Substitutions per game. (See Pre-registered players/Substitutes)

 

The Court

No player may have a foot entirely under the net at any point. A partial foot under the net is legal. The court boundary lines are clearly marked
 

Defensive Rotation

There must be a fair rotation of all players through court positions. This means both men and women get time both on the bench and on the court. Referees may require Substitutions to ensure this.

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Equipment

TXSports will provide court lines.

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Balls

Team captains are responsible for bringing a regulation-sized Volleyball 25.6-26.4. 

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Rough Play

Any rough or physical play will result in immediate expulsion from further league play and may result in a lifetime league expulsion. Please see TXSports General Policy for our official guidelines on this subject. It is recognized that incidental contact between players is inevitable; however, all players should go out of their way to avoid creating an unsafe play.  This rule supersedes all others. 

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Please note that on-site staff members have full autonomy when supervising games. Games may be stopped entirely, players may be asked to leave the playing area or be removed from the game entirely under their discretion.

 

Halftime Games and Theme Weeks

Halftime games are judged by the official, and the winning team will be awarded two points towards the Social Cup Champion Award. Ties will result in one points being awarded.

 

Theme weeks are judged by the percentage of the team’s players participating in the theme week, as judged by the ratio of players present and participating to number of players listed on the roster. The winning team will be awarded two points towards the Social Cup Champion Award. Ties will result in one points being awarded.

 

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Forfeits

Teams should report to the sand court at least 10 minutes before their scheduled starting time of the match. A game will be ruled a forfeit if any of the following occur:

• No one from one of the teams is present at game time

• The minimum number of players are not present (3)

• Not enough female players are present (1)

• Improper conduct by one or more players on any team

 

See Forfeit Policy

 

Teams will forfeit the first game of the match if they have not shown up by their scheduled time. After 10 minutes from start time, if the team still cannot meet the minimum requirement, the entire match will be called a forfeit and team will be assessed the forfeit fee. Exceptions can be made if a team is waiting on a couple of players (e.g. transit issues) with the understanding that the delay will cut time from the end of their match, and that the final decision is subject to the Referee’s discretion.

 

Repeat Rule:

Competition is great, but a single team dominating the league consecutive seasons is not cool and not fun.

 

 

A team retaining more than three players that has won two championships seasons for which they have been registered, that team to will have to form two or more separate teams to promote balance in the league or withdraw their registration (no refund will be issued, league credit will be issued). The team will then have the opportunity to divide their roster (with no more than three retaining players) to form two separate teams with each subsequent roster approved by the Texas Sports & Social Club-Waco.

 

Teams that dominate leagues will be moved to a appropriate league or asked to separate if Texas Sports & Social Club staff believe that the team intentionally lost the Playoff or Championship game to circumvent the rules.

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Season Abandonment

Registered teams that miss two weeks of play will be considered to have abandoned their place in the league. Teams in this category will be contacted by a Texas Social Sports Club staff member to confirm their status. Teams failing to respond within two business days will be removed from the Season schedule and will forfeit their registration fees. Teams that do respond will be required to supply reasoning for lack of attendance and petition the league for reinstatement. Season abandonment and reactivation decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of the league management and must be resolved before returning to play in the current Season or in subsequent Seasons.

 

Pre-Registered Player Substitute

A team may pick up a substitute player for regular season games, when the have a roster player that will not be able to attend their scheduled game. The player who is subbing will need to create an account and purchase a game sub pack. 

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• If a team is short the required number of players in a regular season game, they may invite players from other teams within the division. Subs from within the division are subject to the Referee’s discretion. Teams can only invite enough Subs from within the division to meet the maximum number of players allowed on court plus one additional player to rotate in.

• Substitute players from within the division should be the last one to cycle into the game (barring gender requirements). If players from a team’s roster arrive late, the Subs from within the division must rotate out.

• Substitutions from outside the division are allowed. Substitutions during the Playoffs are not permitted. Teams using pre-registered substitutes may not exceed the headcount of their original roster, and individuals may not serve as a pre-registered substitute player more than 3 times during a Season.

• Substitute players must check in with the Host onsite to receive a league issued pinnie to wear in the Game. Substitute players must leave a form of identification with the Host in exchange for the participation pinnie. The ID will be returned to the player when the pinnie is turned in after the Game.

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Team T-Shirts

Teams may purchase TXSportsWaco shirts or design their own.  All teams must bring a light color and dark color shirt.  All official players on the roster must have the same color shirt.

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While shirt customization is allowed, teams/players must abide by the following rules when personalizing shirts:

• No company names or logos

• No offensive language

• No design that obscures or alters the Texas Social Sports Club logo

Names, nicknames, numbers, and team logos are all welcome additions to the Team T-Shirts. Please also feel free to bedazzle, tie-dye, or apply patches to them, if you are so inclined.

 

Alcohol, Controlled Substance, and Safety Policy

Individuals (players, fans, or friends of players) will, at the discretion of Texas Social Sports Club, be ejected immediately if any of the following are true:

• found bringing alcohol, weapons, or controlled substances to any venue or sponsor bar in use by Texas Social Sports Club

• suspected of excessive pre-game alcohol consumption

• suspected of abusing a controlled substance

• deemed unruly or a danger to themselves or others at any time

Anyone who is ejected from one of our venues or sponsor bars will be required to petition the Club for reinstatement before participating in or attending any subsequent Texas Social Sports Club event.

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These policies are in place for the safety, enjoyment, and continued camaraderie of all players, the sponsoring venues, sponsor bars, and the entire Club.

 

Note: Players must wear appropriate colored, league-issued Team T-Shirts during games.

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Sportsmanship

 

Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Any participant that does not conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner will be removed from the game.

 

Types of Illegal Conduct:

 

Unsportsmanlike conduct includes the following:

 

-Arguing with an official or with other players.

-Abusive or insulting language to a player or official.

-Throwing the ball at another player in an unsportsmanlike manner.

-Abuse of the “honor system.”

-Harassing others

-Acting inappropriately when challenging a refs call

-Not maintaining an attitude that is consistent with Texas Sports SC’s core values

 

In the event of unsportsmanlike conduct the following penalties will be sequentially enforced:

 

1st SMH-Team captain has a talk with the individual, notifies the League Coordinator

 

2nd SMH- The League Coordinator has a talk with the individual and suspended for one game

 

3rd SMH-Individual switches to a different team of The League Coordinator’s choosing

 

4th SMH-Removal from league and/or club

 

Fighting: Fighting will result in a player’s permanent suspension from participation in Texas Sport & Social Club

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Ejected Participants

 

Any ejected individual must get approval by Texas Social Sports Club prior to attending or participating in future Club games, leagues, or hosted events, including Post-Game Parties. Attempted participation without approval is subject to further penalties. Rulings may include, but are not limited to, probation, game/league suspension, or permanent expulsion.

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Playoffs & Awards

• Regular season team standings are determined by number of wins, then head to head, then point differential.

• Teams not advancing to the Playoffs will be awarded a Friendly Game if they choose.

• Top teams will advance to the Playoffs.

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MOST IMPORTANTLY!

THIS IS A SOCIAL LEAGUE: Have fun and make new friends. The game may or may not go your way!

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