TDWSA RULES
A. GENERAL
1/ The Toronto & District Squash Association (hereafter called “TDWSA”), shall consist of female players who are members of local Clubs (unless they are participating as a substitute player only) and which Clubs shall be members of Squash Ontario.
2/ The TDWSA is sanctioned by Squash Ontario, the provincial squash association recognized by the Government of Ontario through the Ministry of Health Promotion & Sport. As such, we abide by the policies of the association, one of which is the TDWSA Regional League Code of Conduct.
3/ The TDWSA shall have an Executive Committee, which shall be made up of the TDWSA Chair, Treasurer, Division Convenors, and other positions as determined.
a) Members of the Executive Committee are volunteers who are generally recruited.
b) Any player interested in being a part of the Executive Committee is encouraged to review the TDWSA Constitution and Bylaws and notify the TDWSA Chair at info@tdwsa.com of their interest.
4/ Leagues, Divisions, and Zones
a) The TDWSA offers the following seasonal Leagues:– Winter League– Summer League
b) The Winter League is comprised of teams in up to five divisions: “A”, “B”, ‘C”, “D” and “E”.- "A" through "D" Divisions generally have between 5 and 10 teams. When a sufficient number of teams register in any one division, that division may be divided into zones (usually assigned geographically).- The format for "E" varies.
d) The Summer League consists of an A/B division for individuals and a C/D division for teams.
5/ BoundariesThe boundaries of the TDWSA encompass the Metropolitan Toronto area, and include outside boundaries of Oakville, Georgetown, Brampton, Newmarket, Markham, Richmond Hill, Pickering, Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa. Clubs located outside these designated boundaries may make an application to the TDWSA before the start of the season for consideration to play in the League. Applications should be submitted in writing to the TDWSA Chair at info@tdwsa.com.
6/ Schedule
a) The Winter League schedule runs from approximately the 1st week in October to approximately the 2nd week in December, and resumes the 2nd week of January to March/April. The week immediately following the end of regularly scheduled matches is left open to allow teams to schedule “make-up” matches (where time permits). The greatest effort is made to avoid scheduling any matches during March break. Immediately after the end of the regular scheduled season, playoffs will commence. Games are held on non-observed holidays such as Halloween and Valentine’s Day.
b) The Summer League schedule runs from approximately the 3rd week in May to July. Divisions and playoffs will be formed based on the number of team registrations.
7/ Social
One of the goals of the TDWSA is to foster camaraderie among women in squash and teams are strongly encouraged to participate in a post-match social experience. Please refer to the Captain’s Responsibilities for more information about the social component of League participation.
8/ BallsTeams are required to provide squash balls for the season. The official ball for the league is the Dunlop Pro double yellow dot ball, which must be used for all matches. The home team provides balls for the evening and may use each ball for up to two home nights on one court (maximum of 4 matches), provided the logo is still visible on the ball.
9/ Safety
a) The safety of all players is of utmost importance and all players are required to abide by the World Squash Singles Rules as laid out by the World Squash Federation. The main difference being that, in the TDWSA, C & D division games are scored to 15 points and, in the event the score reaches 14-all, the game continues until one player leads by 2 points.
b) Junior players MUST wear appropriate eye guards for all League matches, and it is recommended that all players wear eye protection during League matches.
10/ Courts In the case where a club has North American, Racquetball converted courts, or has unusual court construction, their use is permitted for regular season play only. An alternate location will be arranged for playoff play.
B. TEAM AND PLAYER REGISTRATION
1/ Clubs shall register via email. At the time of registration, the team Captain must be designated. Co-captains may be designated at this time or introduced at a later time.
2/ Entry Fee
a) The Winter League entry fee is $140.00/team.
b) The Summer C/D League entry fee is $60.00/team.
c) The Summer A/B League entry fee is $30/person.
3/ Initial Team RosterPrior to or at the Captain’s Meeting, each Captain must input a team roster on Club Locker. Teams must register a minimum of 4 players. Captains cannot register/add players when entering the scores. Players MUST be entered in advance through the methods outlined in Rules B.3/ and B.4/. The exception to team registry applies only to players who are planning to register as substitute players.
4/ Player Registration
a) All players, including substitute players, must be pre-registered in order to participate in the TDWSA League. There are 3 ways to register a player:
1) Be listed on an initial team roster as outlined above.
2) Captain contacts the Division Convenor in advance of play to add and/or approve player to the team roster.
3) Register yourself as a substitute player here. A person who has not played on a regular team can register for the sub pool mid-season but must be approved by the division convenor before they play for a team.
b) The Division Convenor will review all rosters and requests to register players in order to ensure that players are playing in a division appropriate to their skill level.
c) Captains can manage player approvals and removals from their team rosters through Club Locker. Captains will be notified by the Division Convenor of any players who are not approved for play.
5/ If a player changes clubs in mid-season, she can also change teams, even though the new team may be in a different division.
6/ Junior ParticipationFemale junior players are encouraged to play in the TDWSA League and there shall be no limit of junior players per team, except that an adult must accompany the team. Clubs that have age restriction policies should be aware that, as a Squash Ontario sanctioned league, TDWSA junior players are covered by Squash Ontario’s insurance policy and therefore may be admitted to clubs to participate in League play.
7/ Substitution
a) At the start of the season a player can only be registered for one team. If the player is expected to play in one division and substitute in a higher division, she must be registered on a team in the lower of the two divisions.
b) A registered player cannot substitute in a lower division, but shall be allowed to substitute in a higher division to an unlimited number of times without forfeiting her eligibility to play for the lower division during the regular season.
c) Once a player, who is not part of the sub pool but is a player on a registered team, has subbed for a team at a higher division, she may only sub for that team for the remainder of the season.
d) In the event a Club has entered more than one team in the same division, there shall be no exchange of players among these teams.
e) Any player who is not registered for a TDWSA team for the upcoming season is eligible to register for the sub pool. If the player is not already registered with Squash Ontario or a member of a Squash Ontario club, there will be a fee of $15 to play as part of the sub pool. This will be payable to the TDWSA treasurer after playing for the first time.
Teams must have four committed, regular players in order to register as a team, and as such, captains must not enter a team with the intent of using a player from the sub pool every week.
If you commit to the sub pool at the beginning of the season, whether or not you play for any team(s), you cannot then play as a regular member of a team for the remainder of the season, unless exceptional circumstances should arise which would require Executive review.
Captains must field a team with club members whenever possible and club pros are to be informed or consulted when subs from the pool are being pulled, as a courtesy or as required by club policy. Pros would have the option to say no if pulling in a sub is not in the best interest of the club and its players.
A player can play for only one team in any given division, unless they are part of the substitute pool of players as indicated at registration.
Subs should register at the level that is most appropriate to their skill level. For example, a player who would like the opportunity to play in both A and B divisions, but who is technically a B level player, would register in B and be able to sub for both A and B. A player wishing to play B and C, would register at C and so on. Players should also identify available date(s) of play and preferred geographic location on Club Locker to facilitate captains needing players at a moment’s notice.
Substitute players may play for multiple teams in a maximum of 2 divisions given the movement rules related to Illegal Players in section 4a.
Substitute players cannot qualify to play in the playoffs.
8/ Player Rankings
a) Each team shall consist of 4 players, ranked in order of playing level. When planning a team, the Captain should be sure to distinguish the level of all team players in relation to each other. Captains shall prepare, prior to the evening’s matches, a list of players in order of ranking and ensure that all players are aware of the position they are playing before arriving for the match.
Play shall commence with the lowest ranked players, unless the teams agree otherwise. (e.g.: No. 4s play and matches proceed numerically to No. 1s). If refereeing confidence is a concern, consider an alternative playing order (e.g. No. 3s and 4s ref each other, with play beginning with No. 4’s and 2’s). Players are strongly encouraged to take the online refereeing course offered on the Squash Canada website to become Club Referees.
b) If your team has players of a similar ability and player positions are likely to change over the season, please notify your Division Convenor. Captains/teams are expected to demonstrate fair play in their ranking of players and not play players out of order in order to gain points.
c) Substitute players will also be ranked according to their play and tracked in Club Locker.
C. PLAYING RULES
1/ Matches shall be the best 3 out of 5 games, using the International rules and method of scoring: PAR to 15 points (rather than 11). See the World Squash Singles Rules for reference.
2/ All matches should be MARKED AND REFEREED. All referees should be Club-Certified. Two matches must be officiated by the home team and two by the visiting team. Marking and refereeing may be done by one person or two. If two people are performing the duty they should be one from each team. The individual (s) performing these duties must be impartial (e.g. calls made without team bias; use neutral tone of voice, no cheering or coaching either player while players are on court). All players are encouraged to referee.Note: Players are encouraged to become well versed with the rules of squash, attend or host rules clinics. Markers, referees, players, and spectators are expected to adhere to the appropriate Code of Conduct at all times (both on and off court).
3/ In the event a Captain is not able to field a complete team, even after accessing the substitute pool of players if applicable, the opposing Captain should be notified as early as possible. The opposing team wins the match at the No. 4 position. Defaults shall always be at the No. 4 position, and the remaining three players shall play in position 1 to 3.
a) If there are 3 players available, the teams should play according to the schedule. The opposing team wins the match at the No. 4 position, and the remaining 3 players shall play in positions 1 to 3.
b) If there are 2 players available, the decision to play or not will be left to the non-defaulting team with encouragement from the TDWSA Executive Committee to play if possible. The opposing team wins the matches at the No. 3 & 4 positions. The remaining 2 players shall play in positions 1 and 2.
c) If there is only 1 player available to play, then the team unable to field more than 1 player shall default the night.
4/ Illegal PlayersUse of non-registered players, improper substitutions or player rankings and no-shows are considered “illegal players” and shall be scored as a default. If the illegal player is at the number four position, the offending team will default at number four. If the illegal player is at any other number, all matches below and including that position will be defaulted.
a) A player may only move 1 position up or down from the position played on their last league appearance. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a default at the position played. Exception: Should 2 or more higher level players be unavailable, a lower level player may move up more than 1 position and down more than 1 position upon the higher level player's return to consecutive appearances.
b) This movement will be tracked via Club Locker to which all Division Convenors have access.
c) In the rare circumstance where a player qualifies to play in the playoffs for two divisions, the captains and player in question will decide before the playoffs begin which level is most appropriate to play at. The convenor MUST be notified prior to the beginning of the playoffs. If the convenor is not notified prior to commencement of playoffs, the player will be treated as an ineligible player.
d) When deciding which team the player should play for in ALL rounds of the playoffs, the following should be considered in this order:
Need: The player from the lower division can only play at the higher division IF there is a need, meaning other players from that division are injured/unavailable.
Skill/Ability: If the need is equal, a team must discuss appropriate placement by consulting the club pro and the division convenors, taking into consideration the player’s performance stats and any additional relevant circumstances.
e) No new players shall be added to a team's roster within the last 3 matches of regular season prior to the playoffs, except where the use of substitute players is required.
5/ Published Schedule
a) The published schedule should be adhered to under all circumstances, with the only exceptions being inclement weather or other unexpected or grave events, such as facility issues or accidents. The Division Convenor MUST be informed IMMEDIATELY of all such postponements. The rescheduling of these matches will be done through the Division Convenor and MUST be played by December 31 in the first half of the season and by the end of the regular scheduled season in the second half.
b) Information to be provided to the Division Convenor, with opposing team Captain copied on email, is as follows:
1) Date upon which reschedule is initially requested
2) Team that initiated the request reschedule
3) Purpose of request for rescheduling of matches
4) Date upon which it is proposed to reschedule matches
c) In the event that rescheduled match play is approved, scores for rescheduled match play will need to be entered in Club Locker.
d) The times posted on Club Locker are the scheduled court times when players are expected to be on court beginning to warm up for match play. Captains are responsible for notifying their players ahead of time of their playing order and ensuring timely arrival at the scheduled venue so that they are ready to warm up at the scheduled start time.
e) If there is a 20-minute or greater delay between the scheduled start time and the time at which the first players begin warming up on court, or if there is a 20-minute or greater delay starting any of the matches, then the team causing the delay without reason will default the night.
6/ Match results shall be entered online within 48 hours by the home team Captain and confirmed within 48 hours by the visiting team Captain. Where results are not received within the time limit, a penalty point shall be deducted.7/ In the event of a complaint or dispute, the team Captain(s) must send a written protest to the Division Convenor within 48 hours of the occurrence.The TDWSA Executive shall confer to decide if action should be taken. Acknowledgement of the protest will be sent within 48 hours to the team captain. Every effort will be made to expedite a decision, however in the event the Executive is not available to meet immediately; it may take up to 3 weeks to respond. The team captain will receive a written response from the Division Convenor.D. LEAGUE STANDINGS1/ Standings are determined based on matcheswon then games won then points won.2/ Standings & results are posted on Club Locker.3/ If there is a tie for playoff positions, the process of elimination shall be as follows:
- Total number of games won by each team; if tied, then...- Total number of games lost by each team; if tied, then...- Total number of points won by each team; if tied, then...- Total number of points lost by each team; if tied, then...- Head to head comparison of results each night the two teams played each other; if tied, then...- Play off against each other, or, as a last resort, flip a coin.
E. PLAYOFFS
1/ Playoffs are held at the end of regular season play. Divisions with a sufficient number of teams or with zones may have quarter finals, schedule permitting. All Divisions will have semi-finals where the 1st place team hosts the 4th place team and the 2nd place team hosts the 3rd place team. The winners of the semi-finals play in the finals.
a) In the Winter League, the finals for all divisions are held on the same night at the same location.
b) In the Summer League, the C/D Division holds semi-finals and finals, depending on participation rates. The A/B Division does not hold semi-finals or finals.
2/ Qualification for PlayoffsPlayers are required to play one third of the scheduled matches in the regular season in order to be qualified for playoff action. In the case where the number of seasonal games is not equally divisible by 3, round off to the nearest number. (e.g. If the season has 14 games, one cannot play 4.666 times. In order to qualify, round up to 5 games. Rounding up occurs at x.5 or higher, while rounding down occurs at x.4 or lower.)Substitute players cannot play in the playoffs.
3/ Player Order: Player order for the playoffs, including quarter finals and semi-finals, is determined by the average playing position of each player. Teams in the finals must also play in this order. Where 2 players on a team have equal average playing positions, the player with the higher winning percentage shall play at the higher position.For example: If Player A plays position #1 4 times during the season and position #2 4 times, their average playing position is 1.5. If Player B on the same team plays #1 3 times and #2 twice, they will have an average playing position of 1.4. Player B must play above Player A in the finals regardless of win/loss record.
4/ All playoff matches must be played on regulation International courts.A club that has no International courts and is scheduled to host a playoff match must select a club with International courts where the playoff match can be played. The team still maintains host team status.
5/ Every effort will be made to hire referees certified by the CRSA for the Winter league finals matches. In the absence of CRSA certified referees, individuals who have experience refereeing and who are not affiliated with the teams competing will be asked to referee.
F. TEAM MOVEMENT/ NEW TEAM
1/ Upon completion of the season, the results of the playoff finals will determine which teams will be consulted about moving divisions.
a) Teams finishing in 1st place in their division will be consulted about moving up to the next division. In divisions with 10 teams or more, teams finishing in 2nd place will also be consulted about moving up to the next division if they meet the following criteria:– The team must consist of the same players and/or stronger players as the previous year– Results of the final standings of the regular season of both 1st and 2nd place teams are close.
2/ Relief from the above rules may be granted on request to the Executive Committee. Should a team wish to request relief, the Captain must notify the TDWSA Chair one month prior to the registration deadline.5/ Newly formed teams applying for entry into the league should consult with the TDWSA Chair regarding appropriate division placement
Last updated 12/04/2024