1. FORMATION AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE LEAGUE
a) The League shall be named The Keighley & District Table Tennis League.
b) The League exists to promote and run League table tennis in Keighley and the surrounding area. Its aim is to enable players of all abilities, age groups and gender to play in a competitive friendly League, run for the benefit and enjoyment of its members. The League will be overseen and managed by an elected Executive Committee and its constitution approved by teams at the A.G.M.
c) An annual general meeting ( A.G.M. ) will be held on or before the 1st August each year. A minimum of 14 days notice will be given to all existing team secretaries notifying them of the time and venue of the A.G.M. A notice will also be posted on the 365 website.
d) It is a requirement for existing League teams wishing to play in the Keighley & District League the following season to be represented at the A.G.M. Prior apologies from a team will be noted but they will not have a proxy vote or qualify for the Fee rebate. All teams and players who are registered and play in the Keighley League are invited to attend the A.G.M. and have one vote per Team on matters put to the membership at the A.G.M. Voting will be on a simple majority basis.
e) No changes in Rules or election of new Executives Officers will be allowed if less than 50% of the Teams within the League are present at the A.G.M. If this situation occurs all rules will remain as previously. All Executive Committee members wishing to continue will be allowed to do so. However if less than 4 executives remain on the Committee, then the election of new Executives will be allowed at the A.G.M.
f) A team represented at the A.G.M. shall have their Registration Fee reduced by £10 for the coming season. All other new teams or non represented teams must pay the full Fee.
g) The Executive Committee will be elected at the A.G.M. to run and manage the League on behalf of all its member Teams. It will have the authority to make any decisions it considers necessary to enable the League to run smoothly during the current League year and function in a manner that allows all members to play team table tennis in a well run League situation. The Executives will adhere to all normal Fiscal Governance so as to sustain the long term survival and expansion of the League.
h) The Executive Committee will consist of an Honorary President and 5 executives:- Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, Fixtures Secretary, and Cup Secretary. Other Officers will be invited onto the Committee to run some functions of the league necessary for its efficient operation. Members attending the A.G.M. shall elect the President and the 5 Executives to organise and run the Committee for the new season. Nominations, plus current Executives willing to continue, are invited from club Secretaries prior to the A.G.M. Apart from the President and the 5 Executive Members of the Committee, other co-opted members may not be required to attend all or any Committee meetings. Any Officers asked to serve on the Committee will have specific tasks and duties.
i) The Executive Committee shall have the responsibility for running all aspects of the League including League Structure and Divisions, Discipline, Tournaments, Cup Events, Handbooks, Sponsorship, Playing venues and conditions, Fixtures, Finance, Team structures, Promoting table tennis, Advertising, additional events that augment the League, appointing members for specific functions deemed necessary by the Executive Committee and any task that will ensure smooth operation of the League throughout the season.
j) A minimum of 4 people must be present at a Executive meeting to effect any decisions. Each of the Executive Committee will have one vote at Committee meetings, ( except the President who does not have a vote ). The Secretary will arrange meetings and set the Agenda, with input from Executive members as appropriate. He/She will give a minimum of 7 days notice of any meeting to the Executive members, and ensure that the minutes of the meeting are distributed within 14 days.
k) The Treasurer will produce Accounts for the A.G.M. and these will be audited. Our financial year will end on 31st of May. Any expenses claimed by Executives, Officers or Organisers that are deemed reasonable by the Executives must be accompanied by receipts and claim form for the records.
l) Any 3 of the 5 Executives may act in the case of any emergency situation and take an immediate decision that must be ratified later by the full Executive Committee.
m) In the event of Keighley & District Table Tennis League being disbanded, the Treasurer and Secretary shall be Joint Trustees for a period of ten years. After this period, all money held in trust shall be donated to a local coaching group. Should the League be reformed during the ten year period all monies and assets held in trust shall be returned to the new league without prejudice.
n) The League will be affiliated to Table Tennis England and by TTE rules to the Yorkshire Table Tennis Association. The League will therefore pay all fees due to these two bodies.
2 LEAGUE TEAM ADMISSION
a) Every team who wishes to enter the Keighley & District Table Tennis League must nominate a Team Secretary. The Secretary must give contact details including a telephone number and e-mail. The team undertakes that they will complete all fixtures and not postpone matches if at all possible.
b) The Team Secretary should fill in the application form giving details of all players registering with the team, including TT England affiliation number and e-mail addresses plus d.o.b. where ever possible. If a player also plays in another league this should be included on the application.
c) All teams applying to the league should make every effort to attend the A.G.M. which will be clearly announced on the 365 website and e-mailed to the known Secretaries.
d) All applications should reach the fixtures secretary by 31st August or earlier to allow time to arrange the league structure and get handbooks printed. Any entries after this time will be at the Fixtures Secretary’s discretion.
e) New players can be registered for a team up to 31st December of the playing season, however in exceptional circumstances players will be allowed to register after that date at the discretion of the Fixtures Secretary. The players must be deemed of a suitable standard for the division concerned.
f) Players may transfer from one team to a second team provided all parties are in agreement.
g) All players playing in the Keighley & District Table Tennis League must have Table Tennis England affiliation and respect the rules of Table Tennis England and the rules of the Keighley & District Table Tennis League.
3 LEAGUE STRUCTURE & OPERATION
a) The League Structure, number of Divisions and playing timetable will be decided by the Executive Committee prior to the handbooks being printed. All information will be sent to the Secretaries and members who have supplied their e-mail contacts. All Information about the League is posted on the 365 Site.
b) Teams may enter as individual teams or as groups of teams e.g. Haworth Hawks or Fastbats etc. Each Team must enter a minimum of 3 players and a maximum of 6 unless agreed with Fixtures Secretary. In teams that are part of a group, the playing strength of each player must be taken into account when placing players in a team.
c) Players may play up from lower teams within a group, but after playing up for 6 matches they will be tied to the higher team; they will not be allowed to play for any lower team. Any single team may play a reserve from a lower division. The reserve may play up as many times as is required without being tied to the higher team provided they are not ranked above the players in the higher team.
d) Players who play in other Leagues must play at least 4 matches for their results to stand at the end of the season.
e) All matches will be played under the Rules of Table Tennis England, see their website for details . All sets will be best of 5 games and each game will be up to 11 with games won by 2 clear points. Please ensure dark tops are worn and observe the service rules with no shielding of the ball with the free arm and a clear throw up of 6 inches from the unclenched hand. Approved 3 star balls must be used and the playing conditions should be suitable for competitive table tennis with good lighting and dark walls. The Home team has a responsibility to ensure their Venue is open and ready to commence the match by 7.30pm at the latest.
f) Teams shall consist of 3 players per team with 9 singles matches and 1 doubles match being played as per the official scorecard. If there is any change to the order this must be agreed by both teams. Players arriving late should be allowed to play with the consent of the opposition captain. Please use common sense and politeness in all matters. If a team knows a Player will be late arriving they should inform the opponents secretary prior to the game if at all possible.
g) All matches should start by 7.30 pm however teams can request an earlier start if the opponents are in agreement. Teams may also request playing on two tables if available provided the opposition agree. All matches SHOULD be played on the scheduled date. Any postponements must be notified to the Fixture Secretary and the opposition team 48 hours in advance, ( clearly really bad weather might mean shorter notice ). Please endeavour to play matches unless absolutely impossible, ( strongest team not being available is not an acceptable excuse to postpone as all teams can select reserves from lower Division teams ).
h) If a team postpones, it is that team's responsibility to contact the Secretary of the opposing team and offer alternative dates and, if necessary, an alternative venue to play the match as soon as possible after the postponement. ( The TT Centre will almost certainly be available and the team who has postponed must pay the cost ). If the match is not arranged within 6 weeks of the postponement the cancelling team shall receive no points and the opposition team an average of their results for a minimum of one third of a season.
i) A Match may be played ahead of schedule if both teams are in agreement. Again the home team must notify the Fixture Secretary.
j) If, for any reason, a player can not complete his games, the un-played sets shall be awarded to the opposing team and recorded as wins to the opposing players. However, if a player injures himself or is ill and does not complete his first full set, his averages will not be affected, but the sets will be awarded to the opposing players and team.
k) Each team shall supply, alternately, an umpire for each match and the Umpire’s decision will be final. Any disputes must be taken up with the fixture secretary within 48 hours of the match being played.
l) Any team fielding an ineligible player will have any wins recorded to that player removed from the statistics and unless the player is simply there to ensure a full team, then the Fixture Secretary should be informed of the reason for playing the ineligible player.
m) If a team has a wheelchair player and the away venue does not have a suitable table to allow the player to compete, the team may request a change of venue giving 48 hours notice prior to the match The opposing team must accept the change of venue or agree with the Fixture Secretary some alternative arrangement. Any cost incurred will be reimbursed by the Keighley & District Table Tennis League. Other hardships incurred by any wheelchair users will be looked at sympathetically by the league.
n) Visiting Captains may measure net height and adjust if required. If the net is unsuitable the match will be played but the away captain can put in a complaint to the fixture secretary.
4 PROMOTION, RELEGATION & FINAL AVERAGES
a) All matches, scores and ranking are carried out by “tabletennis365” which is funded by Table Tennis England. This site produces our League Tables, Player Averages, and League Ranking, for all players in Keighley. If a player plays in more than one league then all his/her results are entered into the ranking Lists. We can’t alter this system. This ranking is used for all of our handicaps and tournament seeding.
b) Each set won during a game earns your team ‘1’ point and at the end of the season the team with the highest points total will be declared “Divisional Champions”, and members will receive a trophy at the A.G.M. If two teams Tie then the team with the most games won will be Champions. If both teams have the same number of wins then a play-off between the teams will decide the Champions.
c) The Champions will normally be promoted to the next highest Division but the Committee always look at the standard of teams, number of teams and structure and number of divisions to give the best competitive situation for all teams. The bottom team in each division will normally be demoted but again the same criteria applies.
d) A player must have played at least 66% of the possible team matches to be eligible to win the Divisional Averages. Playing up as reserve does not count in these statistics. The averages shall be calculated by expressing the number of sets won as a percentage of the sets played.
5 CUP COMPETITIONS AND TOURNAMENTS
a) At the present time the League runs two Cup Tournaments. The Naylor Cup, is open to all League teams. It is based on a Team handicap dependent on League position, squad strength and TT365 rankings, The competition format is 9 singles sets, each set will consists of 4 games played up to 11 with no deuces. The Boothman Plate is for all Divisions below the First Division and is an individual handicap event. This competition has a format of 3 games up to 21 with each player starting on their individual handicap. These events are run by the Cup Secretary who calculates handicaps and cup structures. The Executive Committee will introduce new events if it enhances the League and gives more players a chance to play in more competitive games.
b) The League also holds an Annual Closed Tournament for all Keighley players. This Tournament is usually run towards the end of February and is organised by the Tournament Secretary. There are many events usually including Group Singles, Doubles, Veterans, Juniors, Ladies, Handicap and a Consolation Singles event, however the Tournament Secretary will decide on which events to run depending on the number of entrants. The event is held on a Sunday at the Table Tennis Centre. Hot and cold food and drinks will be available during the Tournament. To enter the Keighley Closed Tournament a player must have played a minimum of 4 games in the Keighley League prior to the start of the Tournament.
c) Individual trophies will be presented to members who win the Following:-
i) All Divisional Team Champions ( 4 trophies only. Additional trophies will be purchased if required but must be paid for by the Team concerned)
ii) Winners of all Cup competitions
iii) Winners of events at the Annual Closed Tournament
iv) The Most Improved Player for the Year if Selected
v) Winner of the Divisional Averages
vi) Any other events selected by the Executive Committee that are deemed appropriate.
d) The League will pay the entry fee for one team to play each of the four English League Cup categories namely Mens, Womens, Boys and Girls cups. If more than one team wishes to enter the cost of one team entry will be split to subsidise these multiple teams rather than the League bearing the full entry cost. At least one player from each team should play in Division 2 or higher. If a team withdraws, the entry fee must be reimbursed to the League unless there are extenuating circumstances that need to be considered at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
6 CONDUCT & DISCIPLINE
a) All players who participate within the Keighley League are required to show good sportsmanship and conduct themselves in a responsible way. All adult players are expected to show respect and set good examples to the younger players and new players. We are endeavouring to be a friendly League with competitive games. Enjoy winning but be magnanimous in defeat. Please note, although we encourage good sportsmanship at all times, it is not a disciplinary matter within Table Tennis England’s rulebook.
b) If a team feels that another team or player has been aggressive, threatening, sworn excessively or broken any table tennis rules then they should contact the League Chairman who will outline the options open to them to complain either officially or just have the situation noted. Should an official complaint be necessary the complaint and a £5 fee must be sent to the League Secretary. Only If the complaint is successful will the £5 will be refunded.
c) When an official complaint is received in writing with full details of the incident then the procedure that takes place will be as follows:- 3 senior Executive members will meet, discuss the Incident and write to the person or team involved and ask for their comments on the alleged incident. They will be sent a copy of the Complaint. The panel will then consider all the information and come to a decision. In a serious incident the parties concerned may be asked to talk to the disciplinary panel. Should the complaint be upheld the Executive Committee will decide on what is the appropriate course of action. This could range from a letter asking for improved behaviour, a formal written warning, up to Suspension from the League.
