1. Attend mandatory captains’ meetings when scheduled.
2. Be fully conversant with the Intramural processes and rules and ensure team members are informed of these expectations.
3. Inform team members of the league schedule and rules.
4. Check team standings and report any inaccuracies to intramurals@mcmaster.ca.

1. All participants: Must have an active Athletics & Recreation membership.
   • Students: All full and part-time students are members.
   • Alumni, faculty and staff: Guest passes are available and are subject to the discretion of the Intramural Coordinator. The cost of the pass is dependent on fees set by Athletics & Recreation.
   • Community members: All participants not included in the above groups must hold a valid membership for the duration of their league.
2. Student/member cards: All participants must present their Student/Member Card to their scorekeeper/official/convener prior to the game starting. Players failing to present their card will be allowed to participate, but they must present their card at the Intramural office (DBAC/WG101) by 4:00 p.m. of the next business day.
3. Alumni participants: Unlimited alumni may participate provided they have a valid membership.
4. Marauder Maroon and Grey-tiered varsity athletes are not permitted to play on an Intramural team in a related sport (e.g., a student-athlete listed on the Marauder soccer roster on Marauders.ca is welcome to play volleyball, basketball and floorball, but not in any of our soccer leagues, regardless of PlayStyle).
   • Exception: Women-identifying Marauder varsity athletes may play in a related sport as long as their team is in the most competitive available PlayStyle. Why an exception? We’re working hard to increase participation among women at McMaster, and removing the restriction on varsity players for women means more players, more teams, and more fun in our women’s leagues.
5. Professional athletes: Professional athletes are prohibited from competing in McMaster Intramural athletics in related sports.
6. Playing on multiple teams: An individual may represent only one team within a sport league. Teams using players from other teams to avoid forfeiting must gain approval from the opposition in the presence of the game official/league convener.
   1. Ice hockey goaltenders are an exception to this rule, and may play on multiple teams
   2. This rule is designed to avoid forfeits; a team may not repeatedly use the same individual.
7. Team roster: All participants must register and be added to the team roster on IMLeagues.com. All currently registered participants will appear on printed game sheets. New additions are welcome to manually add themselves to the game sheet, but they must be added to the team roster on IMLeagues.com within 48 hours, or the game will be recorded as a default loss.
8. Playoff eligibility: Players must sign in at all games, and must play at least 50% of the regular season contests to be eligible for playoffs:
   • Most regular seasons are 5 games. Players must participate in the next “whole number” games above 50% (e.g., In the McMaster Intramural Program, a 5-game season requires participation at a minimum of 2 games).
   • Injured players must participate in a minimum of 50% of the games in which they are physically able to play.

1. Sport-specific rules: Individual sports rules can be found online on the various sports pages. Any clarifications should be made with the Intramural office area
2. Cheating: Any person found cheating will be disqualified from Intramural activities for a defined period of time. Teams who have cheated will forfeit all points accumulated during the time cheating occurred and are subject to removal from play, and/or loss of Performance Bond.
3. Fighting: Any person who fights and/or directs abuse toward officials or fellow participants during an Intramural activity will be immediately suspended from all Intramural activities and referred to the Student Case Management Office. Technical rules of each sport apply when sanctioning a fighting violation during the contest (e.g., red card in soccer; team plays short a player).
4. Postponements:
   • Inclement weather: On days when the status of play is questioned, contestants should contact the Intramural office for a decision at 3:00 p.m. on the day in question. Outdoor sports will not be played in lightning/thunder conditions.
   • University closure: In the event of a university-wide closure, all Intramural activities are postponed. Participants should consult the McMaster Daily News to confirm a closure.
5. No officials: If no officials are present for a game, teams should mutually agree to play it using one player from each team as an official; if agreed, this game shall count as a legal game and will be included in the league standings.
6. Rescheduling: Postponements due to weather, facility-booking conflicts, etc., will be handled by the Intramural office staff. Captains will be notified of the postponement and advised of the rescheduling of the missed games.
   1. Note: Due to limited facility space, rescheduling to accommodate team/player conflicts is not an option — see Section E, Part 1: Defaults.
7. Standings: All league standings are posted on the IMLeagues.
   • Errors in standings: Teams are responsible for reporting any errors in standings.
   • Please report the game date/time, teams involved and correct score.
   • Office staff will confirm with our original game sheets and will consult the opposing captain and/or convener if there is any discrepancy.
   • Missed games: Postponed games, which cannot be rescheduled, will not unfairly affect team records. Team standings will be calculated based on winning percentage and points for/against.
8. Play-off competition: The structure of the playoffs shall always consider the skill level of the participants.

1. Defaults:
   • Minimum 24-hour notice: A default is recorded any time a team is unable to play at the scheduled time but has given a minimum of 24 hours’ notice to:
     • Opposition’s Captain
     • Intramural Sports Office: intramurals@mcmaster.ca
   • Second default: Two defaults, regardless of notification may result in suspension from further competition.
2. Forfeits:
   • No-show: If a team fails to appear and make themselves known at the appointed play location within 5 minutes of the scheduled start time of a game, the official in charge shall declare the contest forfeited to the team/contestant ready to play. The game clock begins at the scheduled start time.
     • If neither team appears with the minimum required number of players then a double forfeit is declared.
   • Short players: A team may be required to forfeit a game if it has fewer than the minimum number of players following the 5-minute grace period.
     • Two shorthanded teams may agree to play the game with equal number of players. If the game is played, then it will count toward the final standings.
     • Unless otherwise stated in the sport-specific rules, the minimum number of players is:
       • One less than regulation for sports requiring six (6) or fewer regulation players per team.
       • Two less than regulation for sports requiring more than six (6) regulation players per team.
   • Ineligible players: A team shall forfeit any contest in which it uses an ineligible player (see Section B: Player Eligibility).
   • Unsporting behaviour: A contest shall be declared a forfeit by the official in charge when a team/competitor displays flagrantly poor sporting behaviour or leaves from the playing area prior to the completion of the contest.
   • Forfeiting team repercussions:
     • Loss of game
     • May be excluded from the playoffs
     • Loss of Performance Bond (Ice Hockey only)
   • Default/forfeit game scores: Defaulted/forfeited games will be scored as a loss for the defaulting/forfeiting team, with the winning team being awarded a predetermined number of points for/against.

Overview of Appeals

We are committed to procedural fairness in decision-making within the Intramurals Program. Participants have the right to appeal formal sanctions under certain circumstances. The following outlines the appeal process for those who believe a decision was made in error or was unjust.

What can be appealed?

Please note that only formal sanctions (e.g., suspensions, game bans) may be appealed. Informal warnings or automatic penalties are not eligible for appeal (e.g. Protests of a game official’s judgment will not be considered)

Grounds for Appeal 

• New information not available at the time of the decision
• Belief that the policy was applied unfairly or incorrectly
• Procedural error in the original decision

How to submit an appeal: Within 3 days of receiving the sanction, submit a written appeal to the Intramurals Office at intramurals@mcmaster.ca. Include your name, contact information, details of the sanction and the reasons you believe the decision should be reconsidered.

Who reviews the appeal: Appeals are reviewed by Intramurals Appeals Committee. The Appeals Committee is comprised of a member of the department Senior Leadership Team, an Intramural Sport Supervisor not involved in the incident, and a student representative. They will evaluate the evidence and circumstances surrounding your case.

Decision timeline and outcome: The Appeals Committee will make a decision within 10 days of the appeal being submitted. You will be notified of the outcome in writing. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final. If your appeal is successful, the sanction will be lifted or modified accordingly. If the appeal is denied, the original sanction will remain in effect.

Items of Protest:

1. Rule interpretation: All rule interpretations (NB: difference between “rule interpretation” and “official’s judgment”) must be made by the team captain/representative at the time of the dispute; the official must provide a rule interpretation and explain it to both captains before play continues.
2. Opposition player eligibility: If the eligibility of your opposition is in question, notify the game official/league convener of your concerns; the game is to be played under protest.

Protest Procedure:

1. Inform the game official/league convener that the game is under protest;
2. Game sheet: Note the protest/appeal on the game sheet;
3. Written report: All protests must be made in writing and submitted within 24 hours of the game in question to the Intramural Sports Program Coordinator.
4. Unless these procedures have been followed the protest will not be considered.

1. Good sporting behaviour: Teams and associated parties are required to show good sporting behaviour on and off the playing area, before, during and after games.
2. Spirit of competition: Means respecting the rules, respecting the officials and their decisions, respecting your opponents and maintaining your self-control at all times.

• Who Awards Points?
  • During the regular season, captains rate opponents, referees and game-day supervisors rate both teams. At the beginning of each game team ratings will start at “0” and stay at “0” on average, go up for positive and down for negative sporting behaviour. All scores will be added up throughout the regular season and this will give a team its final Spirit of Competition rating total.
• Who is involved?
  • Every participant, official and game-day supervisor will have an active part in upholding these principles. A team’s sporting behaviour will be measured through a rating structure of 1 to 5, called Spirit of Competition ratings (S.O.C.). These scores are an indication of how well a team has upheld their positive sporting behaviour in a game.
• Regular Season
  • Teams must have an average Spirit of Competition rating of 3 at the end of regular season or they may be removed from the league and will not continue to the playoff season.
• Spirit of Competition Rating Scale
  • 5 Excellent
    • Excellent team sporting behaviour towards opponents and officials (e.g.,  team always maintains an outstanding attitude, captains always question officials in a respectful manner and entire team shakes hands at the end of the game).
    • Entire team maintains self-control at all times.
    • No major penalties/incidents.
    • Penalties are next to none.
  • 4 Good
    • Good team sporting behaviour towards opponents and officials (e.g., team always maintains a good attitude most of the game, no conflicts).
    • Entire team maintains self-control at all times.
    • No major penalties/incidents.
    • Penalties are very few.
  • 3 Average (starting point for rating teams)
    • Good team sporting behaviour towards opponents and officials (e.g., negative attitudes are limited to an individual rather than the entire team).
    • Lack of self-control is limited to an individual, not the entire team.
    • No major penalties/incidents.
    • Few penalties.
  • 2 Poor
    • Poor team sporting behaviour towards opponents and officials. Lack of respect shown towards opponents and officials. Use of profane and/or vulgar language.
    • More than one team member shows a lack of self-control.
    • Major penalty(ies) have been awarded.
    • More than average number of penalties.
    • If a team has an ejection, the team will automatically receive a 2 rating.
  • 1 Not Acceptable
    • Terrible team sporting behaviour toward opponents and officials. Frequent use of profane and/or vulgar language, acts of verbal or physical intimidation.
    • The majority of the team shows a lack of self-control and respect for opponents and/or officials.
    • Major penalties have been awarded.
    • Numerous penalties.
    • If a fight occurs, the team will automatically receive a 1 rating.

Drugs and alcohol: Playing under the influence of drugs or alcohol is strictly prohibited. Any violation of this rule will result in a suspension and referral to the Student Case Management office for any further actions.

Unsporting behaviour: Abuse of any kind directed at any Intramural participant(s) — staff, opposition, teammates, etc. — will not be tolerated and has no place in Intramural activities.

• Incidents of unsporting behaviour by any party affiliated with the team (players, managers, coaches, fans, etc.) will be addressed by game staff and may result in forfeiture of the game.
• In all incidents of unsporting behaviour, all involved parties will be immediately suspended from all Intramural activities and referral to the Student Case Management office for any further actions. Suspensions will stand until notified otherwise by the Intramural Coordinator. A response from the Intramural office following the incident(s) will indicate appeal procedures, etc., if applicable.
• Unidentified Players: If there is uncertainty about the identity of any involved parties, the team(s) involved may be suspended until further review.