RULES AND REGULATIONS 2023/24 LEAGUE SEASON
1. REGISTRATION/PAYMENTS
1.1. Every league player will complete annually the online league registration form no later than 3 weeks prior to the league season commencing. This will include agreeing to the Stirlingshire Code of Conduct for members and the conditions contained within.
1.2. All league members must be affiliated to Table Tennis Scotland. The league secretary will register all players with Table Tennis Scotland at the start of the season following completion of the league registration form. Once players are registered, they will receive notification of their licence/affiliation number from Table Tennis Scotland
1.3. All league fees should be paid by bank transfer (preferred) or in-person/online card payment no later than 5 days prior to the start date of the relevant league season. Failure to pay league fees by this point will result in withdrawal from the league.
2. PLAYERS/POSTPONEMENTS
2.1. Each team will consist of a minimum of two players
2.2. If a team is unable to field two players for a scheduled match this should be communicated to the Match Secretary via Spond or phone
2.3. Teams are permitted to postpone a maximum of three fixtures per season. These should be communicated to the Match Secretary by the Thursday evening prior to the match night they are unable to make or preferably earlier. Team should also be prepared to play on multiple nights within a short period to catch up with any postponed fixtures.
Note: A “postponed” fixture is defined as one which is unable to be played on any date within a given match week (Sunday – Wednesday). Where enough notice is given and an alternative evening can be found in the same match week, or an earlier match week, this will not qualify as a postponement use.
2.4. One postponement per season (included in the limit stated in 2.3) will be permitted to breach the Thursday evening cut of rule to allow for emergency/last minute situation arising. Players should use this rule responsibility.
2.5. Any breaches of the Thursday cut off outside of the exception in 2.4 or any additional postponement requests following the maximum postponement allowance for a team stated in 2.3 being reached, will result in a reserve player being brought in to cover the match.
2.6. Where teams or players do not present for scheduled fixtures on the night without prior communication to the Match Secretary or postpone at very short notice (< 1 hour prior to fixture) on more than 2 occasions in a season then that team or player shall be suspended from the league.
2.7. In cases where fixtures are unable to be postponed/rearranged, a player from a lower Division or a non-league player may be used as a reserve to cover the match.
2.8. Any reserve players called up for a team should have a Ratings Central rating no greater than +100 points compared to the player they are replacing, at the time of selection. Where a player is a new player, who does not yet have a Ratings Central rating, at least two members of the committee should approve the use of the player.
2.9. If a reserve plays more than three games for a team, they will be deemed members of that team and cannot play for any other team as a reserve during the course of the season
3. DIVISIONS
3.1. The desired league structure for any season will be four Divisions containing 8 teams each playing each other 3 times. If entry numbers do not allow for this exact structure in any given season this may be flexed, but Division size should not exceed 12 teams without the implementation of a mid-season split.
3.2. General promotion and relegation rules will allow for 1 team being promoted and 1 being relegated from each Division following the end of a season. In cases of a league restructure this may vary but no team should have their promotion cancelled.
3.3. If a winning team or part of a winning team withdraws from the league the following season, then these promotion places should instead be offered to the highest ranked players from the individual standings in ranking order who wish to take up the places.
3.4. Only the lowest ranked player of a winning team is permitted to decline their promotion place, should they wish to. In this case the spare promotion place will also be offered to the next eligible player in line with rule 3.3.
3.5. If any “odd” places remain in teams in the Division above after the process in 3.2, 3.3, and 3.4 then these spare promotion places should also be offered to players in individual ranking order.
3.6. For those who are new to the league and have no previous participation record, they will be placed in a division deemed suitable by their national Ratings Central rating if an up to date one exists. If their national rating is above that of the highest rated player in the league currently, they will be placed directly into the Premier League, otherwise division allocation will be at the discretion of the committee.
3.7. For any returning players from previous seasons who do not have a significantly updated national rating they will be allocated a division today which is reflective of their playing level at their last season of participation.
4. MATCHES
4.1. Matches will consist of five games – four singles and a doubles match each played to the best of 5 ends.
4.2. Points will be awarded for each individual game won as opposed to the match result, i.e., in a 3-2 win, the winning team gains 3 points and the losing team gains 2.
4.3. Weekly fixtures will be notified via Spond at least 48 hours before the match. Players should RSVP to these match invitations promptly.
4.4. Matches will be played primarily at the Bowhouse Community Centre. Other venues can be used, provided this has the agreement of both teams involved and the Match Secretary has also been made aware. All other rules on postponements stated above must also be adhered to. The alternative venue utilised should be restricted to venues where affiliated club sessions take place.
4.5. While some deviation from the TT365 fixture list will be permitted, Home/Away allocation of teams for fixtures should follow those from the TT365 fixture generator to enable fair allocation of playing orders over the season.
4.6. Premier League match night is Wednesdays from 7.30pm, Division 1 Tuesdays from 8pm, Division 2 Sundays from 7.30pm, and Division 3 Sundays from 6pm
4.7. Matches may occasionally be played on other evenings outside normal match nights should the need arise for extra table space
4.8. Teams can request a different preferred match night from the above however the default match night will be as stated in 4.6. This will only be able to be changed if table/venue space allows and with the agreement of both the Match Secretary and opponents. Postponement rules in Section 2 must also be followed in all cases.
Note: In cases where one team can only play on the default night and their opponents can only play on a non-standard night then the default night will take precedence
4.9. All matches must be played using an ITTF approved plastic (poly) ball. These are indicated by the ‘40+’ branding. Three match balls will be provided to each league team at the start of the season. Following this, players are responsible for purchasing any further (approved) match balls.
4.10. League tables and match results will be updated throughout the season on the SMCTTA website (www.tabletennis365.com/SMC) and Ratings Central. Updates may also be posted on our social media sites.
5. FEES
Player fees for the 2023/24 season are as follows:
Teams
Junior Players (born 2005 or later)/Full Time Students: £65 per player
Senior Players: £75 per player
Additional team players above the minimum of two can be registered at an additional cost of £20 per player (Seniors) & £10 (Juniors/Full Time Students).
Reserves
Any reserve players joining after the start of the season will be charged fees when they participate in at least 3 fixtures.
Fees will be charged on a rolling basis at £3 per fixture played (excluding the first two fixtures) and billed twice yearly – once at mid-season and once at season end. Any reserves who do not pay the appropriate fees due when billed will not be permitted to participate in any future matches until this is received.
Withdrawals
Should any player be unable to complete at least 50% of matches, having paid the appropriate full season fee at the season outset, they will be entitled to apply to the committee to receive a pro-rated refund of any league fees paid at the start of the season less TTS Affiliation fee amounts. Refunds will not apply where players have been suspended from league participation due to rule or code of conduct breaches.
