DISCIPLINARY GUIDELINES
 
The Department of Athletics and Recreation believes in the benefits of physical activity and participation in intramural activities and embraces the values of York University. Engagement in these activities benefits all those involved and is expected to be conducted in a safe and welcoming space for all. Any behaviour that contravenes sports rules, behaviour expectations, or these values will not be tolerated, and disciplinary action will be taken related to misconduct on and off the field of play.
 
Any incident where a student exhibits behavior that is inconsistent with the values of civility, equity, and respect in their interactions with others as expressed in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities may be reported to the Office of Student Community Relations.

 

Discipline

1. Any actions deemed to be unsporting-like taking place in the IMS program is a great concern to the department and department staff will take the necessary steps to protect the individuals involved in the IMS program.
   1. Disciplinary action can be taken against an individual, team, or others associated with the team.
   2. Levels of action can be referenced in Appendix A - Behavioural Expectations and Actions
   3. Warnings and suspension are per calendar year, are cumulative, apply across the IMS program, and may affect access to Athletics and Recreation Facilities and the ability to take part in other A&R activities/committees.

 

Suspensions

1. All suspensions in Classes 1-3 are administered by the Coordinator, Intramural Sports. Classes 4-5 are determined by the Manager, Intramural Sports, and the Coordinator, Intramural Sports.
   1. Suspensions apply to all Intramural events.
   2. Individuals will be ineligible to take part in any Intramural event until the suspension expires, including during the appeals process.
   3. The suspension notice will include:
   1. Name(s) of individuals involved.
   2. Team(s) involved
   3. Summary of actions leading to suspension.
   4. Suspension issued, including duration
2. Any specified probationary period shall begin upon completion of the suspension period. ?

Appeals

1. An appeal is an opportunity for the suspended individual and their captain (if applicable) to provide new information indicating why the original suspension was incorrect/inappropriate. It is not a second opportunity to repeat the information already considered.

1. Appeals must be submitted by the captain of the team, or the individual suspended using the “Appeals Form” within 48 hours of the emailed suspension notification.
2. The player’s suspension shall be upheld until an Appeals Committee convened by the Manager hears the case.
3. If during a probation/suspension period an additional misconduct offense occurs, suspension for life from all intramurals may be applied.
4. The Appeals Committee decision is final.
5. All individuals referred to the Manager for major suspension review shall be suspended from all IMS activity and may have A&R membership privileges suspended until a decision is made, and an official suspension notice is issued.
6. The Committee has the authority to
   1. Overturn the original decision.
   2. Support the original decision.
   3. Increase the original suspension.

Add/declare forfeits or forfeits in the case of proven ineligibility
 


SUSPENSION GUIDELINES
 
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION GUIDELINES
Class 1 – Less egregious, however warrants disciplinary action.
Class 2 - Inappropriate behaviour and warrants disciplinary action; limited to the immediate activity.
Class 3 - More serious incident with longer lasting consequences; limited to the immediate activity.
Class 4 - Profoundly serious; warrants major consequences regarding participation in other Intramural and department activities.
Class 5 - Extreme; actions will result in Intramural and department consequences and may be referred to other York University disciplinary systems. Incidents may be reported to York Security.
 
Note: Each Class has a minimum suspension but does not have a maximum. Lifetime bans can be imposed if deemed necessary. All prior disciplinary action will play a role in decisions.
 

CLASS 1	Minimum 1 game suspension. Including but not limited to:
C1A	Excessive arguing with any individual, officials, or A&R staff
C1B	Unsporting-like/disruptive conduct
C1C	2 yellow cards or a red card in one game
C1D	2 technical fouls in one game
C1E	Minor penalties for checking from behind (all forms of hockey/ice sports)
C1F	Ejection from any sport
CLASS 2	Minimum of 2 game suspension. Including but not limited to:
C2A	Excessive arguing with aggressive behaviour, profanity, or intimidation directed at any individual, official, or A&R staff
C2B	Intentional striking of an individual (not to the head)
C2C	Throwing debris onto playing surface
C2D	Leaving the sideline with the purpose of getting involved in an altercation
C2E	Individuals associated with a team getting involved in a physical altercation
C2F	Participant getting involved in a non-physical altercation with individuals associated with the event
C2G	Major penalties for checking from behind (ball hockey and ice hockey)
CLASS 3	Minimum of 6 game suspension. Including but not limited to:
C3A	Getting involved in a physical altercation with individuals, official, A&R staff or others associated with the event
C3B	Illegal participant - playing on a team without being on the roster (team penalties may apply)
C3C	Squirting a water bottle or throwing an object at a participant, official, A&R staff, or others associated with the event
C3D	Violating a probationary measure
C3E	Fraudulent act - i.e., intentional misrepresentation
C3F	Travesty to the game
C3G	Incident instigator
C3H	Major penalties for checking from behind
C3I	Providing false information to an official or any A&R staff
CLASS 4	Minimum of 12 game suspension. Including but not limited to:
C4A	Intentional striking the head of an individual
C4B	Intent to injure another individual
C4C	Abuse of staff or officials – includes verbal and/or physical
C4D	Fighting
C4E	Using racial, sexual, or other derogatory language or gestures
C4F	Getting involved in a physical altercation with an individual at the event
C4G	Playing while suspended
C4H	Leaving the penalty box/activity space/field of play or returning after being ejected
C4I	Vandalism, destructiveness, or abuse of equipment and/or facility
C4J	Intoxicated at game (team penalties may apply)
C4K	Open alcohol and/or drug use at an event (team penalties may apply)
CLASS 5	Minimum 365-day suspension; Served during terms academically registered. Including but not limited to:
C5A	Any activity in C1-C4 may be classified as a Class 5 depending on the severity of the incident

 


MINIMUM PLAYING COMPLIMENT
 
Roster Sizes

1. For the safety of all involved, a minimum number of players is required to field a team to avoid a forfeit and start a game.
2. Team captains ensure enough players can attend each team’s regularly scheduled game.
3. Roster Maximums
   • Team sports have roster maximums to:
     • Encourage the creation of multiple/separate teams by group members to increase participation opportunities.
     • Allow for playing time for all players involved.

Sport	Maximum	Sport	Maximum	Sport	Maximum
Basketball – 3v3	5	Futsal	16	Soccer – 7v7	14
Basketball – 5v5	5	Ice Hockey – 3v3	14	Soccer – 11v11	20
Ball Hockey	12	Ice Hockey – 5v5	20	Softball	16
Broomball	16	Kickball	16	Spikeball	5
Cricket	20	RAGE Dodgeball	8	Ultimate	16
Dodgeball	12	RAGE Volleyball	6	Volleyball – 4v4	12
Flag Football	16	Soccer – 2v2	5	Volleyball – 6v6	16

 

Minimum Playing Numbers
Each sport has a minimum playing complement that must be dressed and ready to play before the end of the forfeit grace period.
 

SPORT	MINIMUM COMPLIMENT	FORFEIT SCORE
Ball Hockey	Three (3) Players + one (1) Goalie	1-0
Basketball	Four (4) Players (M/W); Co-ed: two (2) male-identifying, two (2) female-identifying	1-0
Basketball 3X3	Two (2) Players	1-0
Broomball	Four (4) Players + one (1) Goalie	1-0
Cricket	Seven (7) Players	1-0
Dodgeball	Six (6) Players	1-0
Flag Football	Six (6) Players Co-ed: 3 male-identifying, three (3) female-identifying	1-0
Futsal	Three (3) Players + one (1) Goalie Co-ed: Two (2) Male-identifying, Two (2) Female-identifying	1-0
Handball	Three (3) Players + one (1) Goalie Co-ed: Min. two (2) male-identifying, two (2) female-identifying)	1-0
Ice Hockey	Five (4) Players + one (1) Goalie	1-0
Ice Hockey 3V3	Two (2) Players + one (1) Goalie	1-0
Innertube Waterpolo	Four (4) Players + one (1) Goalie	1-0
Innertube Basketball	Four (4) Players + one (1) Goalie	1-0
Rugby (Touch)	Five (5) Players	1-0
Soccer	2v2 – two (2) players 5v5 – three (3) players + one (1) goalie 7v7 – four (4) players + one (1) goalie 11v11 – six (6) players + one (1) goalie	1-0
Slo-Pitch	Seven (7) Players	1-0
Ultimate	Five (5) Players	1-0
Volleyball	6v6 – five (5) players Co-ed: Min. Two (2) Male-identifying, Two (2) Female-identifying) 4v4 – Three (3) Players	1-0
Water Volleyball	Four (4) Players	1-0

 


PLAYER ELIGIBILITY
 
To be eligible to participate in the York Intramural program they must be apart of one of the following categories:
Current York University Student

• York Undergraduate and Graduate students currently enrolled in courses
• Students may play for their affiliated College/Association or participate as an independent team with other participants from other colleges/Associations, or with other unaffiliated individuals.
• Students taking a semester off academically are categorized as non-student and must purchase a non-student pass to participate.

Non-York Participants

• These include York University Alumni, Employees of the University, Tait McKenzie Centre Members, and members of the Community
• Individuals aged 18 + with no affiliation to the York University community can participate in Intramural activities with the purchase of a non-student Intramural Membership available on RecOnline
• Memberships can be purchased for 1, 2, or 3 semesters.
• Participants will be able to participate in as many Intramural offerings as they wish during that semester of purchased membership

Varsity and Competitive Sport Clubs Athletes

• Varsity athletes are not eligible to participate in the corresponding intramural sport or variant of it – York students on a current OUA (Ontario University Athletics) roster and have appeared on a game sheet or OUA Roster.
  1. Varsity athletes who have not appeared on an OUA Roster are eligible for IMS play with no restrictions.

• Sports Club Athletes - compete in the competitive division of their club or OUA play.
  • Sport Clubs individuals who have not appeared on an OUA Roster are eligible for IMS play with no restrictions.

• Restriction is in place for the full academic year, regardless of varsity season.
• Exception: IMS Tournaments. Teams are allowed one (1) varsity athlete/team in the same sport/variant.

Varsity Sport	Sports Deemed an Advantage	Term(s) Ineligible to Play
Basketball (M & W)	Basketball	Fall, Winter, Spring
Baseball/Softball (M & W)	Softball/Fastball	Fall, Spring
Football	Flag Football	Fall, Winter, Spring
Ice Hockey (M & W)	Ice Hockey, Ball Hockey	Fall, Winter
Soccer (M & W)	11v11 Soccer, 7v7 Soccer, 6v6 Soccer, Futsal	Fall, Winter, Spring
Volleyball (M & W)	Indoor Volleyball, Beach Volleyball,	Fall, Winter, Spring

 


PLAYOFFS

Player Eligibility

Leagues

• Players must have played in at least 50% of the games for the team that they are playing in the playoffs.
• If a player’s team forfeits out of the league and the player joins another team, they still must play in at least 50% of the new team’s games (from the start of the season) and games with the previous forfeited team will not count towards their final player eligibility for playoffs.
• If a league has an uneven number of games, eligibility for playoffs will be 50% less of half for participants. i.e., if a league has seven (7) games, participants will only need three (3) games to be eligible for playoffs.

 
Tournaments and Special Events

• Must play in at least one preliminary round game with the same team to be eligible for playoff play.

 
Tie Breaking Procedure
In the case of a tie after a tournament round-robin or a league’s regular season the following procedure will be used in order:

• Any team(s) with a loss by forfeit will be ranked lower than any team with which they are tied that has few or no losses by forfeit.
• Head-to-head match/ games scores
• Total plus/ minus
• Points For
• Points Against
• Coin Toss

 
Team Qualification
The number of teams to qualify for any playoff series will be based on the number of divisions available.
 
When possible, at least four teams per division will qualify with a maximum of eight teams in Competitive and 16 teams in Semi-competitive.
 
Competitive

# Teams	# Teams Advancing	# Teams	# Teams Advancing
4-8	4	17-24	8
9-16	6	25-36	12

 
Semi-Competitive

# Teams	# Teams Advancing	# Teams	# Teams Advancing
4-8	4	17-24	12
9-16	8	25-36	16

 


GAME SUSPENSIONS AND CANCELLATIONS
 
Postponements/Cancellations
Intramural activities may be postponed for the safety and security of individuals if. facilities become unplayable or unsafe or inclement weather conditions.
The Coordinator, Intramural Sports or designate on site will decide to cancel play.
 
Inclement Weather

• The department follows the department-approved Environment Canada guidelines.
• In case of inclement weather, Intramural staff will notify team captains via FusionPlay of game postponement or cancellations. All participants are encouraged to sign up for the York U Rec app and push notifications.
• It is the responsibility of team captains/participants to make sure that their contact information and email addresses listed on FusionPlay are current and active.
• The captain is responsible for ensuring all team members know of cancellations or postponements.
• Regular Season—Any scheduled activity that is canceled due to inclement weather or unsafe conditions may or may not be rescheduled.
• Playoffs—Any scheduled activity cancelled due to inclement weather or unsafe conditions will either be rescheduled for the next available date or the playoff schedule modified to finish within the remaining allocated time.
• The decision to reschedule canceled games is the sole responsibility of the Manager or Coordinator of Intramural Sports.

 

Lightning and Thunder during Matches

• Games in progress will be stopped and cancelled (unless they have reached the official game point of conclusion).
• Participants and staff will be immediately cleared from the field into the nearest building for safety precautions.
• If lightning prediction systems have not cleared play by the start of the next game or if, after 30 minutes, there is still lighting in the sky or thunder can be heard, all remaining games for the night will be canceled.
• Intramural Staff will contact teams via FusionPlay to update the situation.

 

Suspension of Operations

• If at any time York University or A&R suspends operations (cancels day/evening classes) and shuts down the university, all in-person Intramural activities will be cancelled for the duration of the suspension.
• This includes any Intramural activities located in Canlan Sports – York.
• If the University is closed in the morning but reopens for afternoon and evening operations, updates will be provided via the Rec App.
• Games that are cancelled due to university closure may be rescheduled at the next available night(s) of play for that league if possible.
• All cancellation messages will be sent out through FusionPlay and through the Rec App. All players are encouraged to sign up for push notifications in the York U Rec app to receive push notifications.
• If you are unsure if Intramural activities are canceled, check messages in FusionPlay or call the Tait Client Services desk at – 416-736-2100 x 55185.
• These are the only platforms for official announcements.

 
 
DEFAULTS AND FORFEITS
 
Forfeit Times

• A standard grace period of ten (10) minutes will be in effect for each league offered in the intramural program. Time starts at the scheduled start time.
• A game is considered a forfeit if the team does not have the minimum number of players on the field of play ready to play by the forfeit time.
• no grace period for any sport(s) is time restricted.
• Tournaments and special events will have a grace period of five minutes (5).
• In case of a tie between two teams in league or tournament standings, any team that has been assessed a forfeit will automatically be ranked the lower of the two teams.
• Game end times will not be extended to accommodate a late start.

 

Sport-Specific Forfeit Times

• Ice Hockey
  • The clock will be allowed to run for the first period.
  • If a team is not on the ice ready to play with the required number of skaters before the clock expires, it will be declared a forfeit.
  • A player cannot be substituted for the goalie to start.

 
FORFEIT FINES

• Team Sports
  • First Forfeit – The first forfeit will be assessed as a $30 forfeit fine, payable before the team’s next game.
  • Second Forfeit – A second forfeit will result in an additional $30 forfeit fine and elimination from the tournament or league.
• Individual Sports
  • First Forfeit – The first forfeit will be assessed a $10 forfeit fine, payable before the team’s next game.
  • Second Forfeit – A second forfeit will result in an additional $10 forfeit fine and elimination from the tournament or league.
• Teams that forfeit two games on the same night during league play will only be assessed a single forfeit fine and allowed to continue in the league. They will be eliminated from the league when that team is evaluated for a third forfeit.
• The fee must be paid before any other IMS program starts.
• Teams and players are not eligible to participate in any Intramural program until all fines are cleared.

 

REFUND POLICY

• Individual/Dual Sport Registrations
  • Refund
    • 75% after the registration period closes and before schedules are released
    • 50% after the first scheduled match
    • No refund after the second scheduled match
  • Transfers
    • Can transfer between divisions within a sports league before the second scheduled match
    • Can only perform transfer once per season
• Team Registrations
  • Refund
    • 75% after the registration period closes and before schedules are released
    • 60% after the first scheduled match
    • No refund after the second scheduled match
  • Transfers
    • Can transfer between divisions within a sports league before the second scheduled match
    • Can only perform transfer once per season