Summer League Rules

We are excited to announce the return of our Seattle Summer League! This is a short season league that runs for approximately 9 weeks throughout the summer. 

Detailed Rules

Registration

Registrations are on a first-come-first-serve basis. We are expecting high demand, so please sign up quickly to make sure you get to play.

 

Disclaimer on competitive teams: While we don't expect this to happen, we are trying to make this a competitive league for all matches and so we do need a good cross-section of playing abilities to make that happen. At the League Administrator's discretion, player entries may be added to the sub list to ensure proper leveling of all teams. We thank you in advance for your understanding.

Player Eligibility

  • All players must be current US Squash members with a US Squash rating.

  • Players must be an active member of a club in the Seattle region that is listed on our court finder (http://www.seattlesquash.com/w/club-finder).

  • The minimum age to play in the league is 13 years old. The maximum junior entries that will be accepted is 8.

Team Players vs. Floating Subs

Team Players are a member of a team and are assigned a team position (see below). Team players must play a minimum of 3 matches for their team to qualify for the playoff.

Floating Subs are players that are unable to commit to play each week but would like to play in the league and can be picked up as needed by any team in the league. These subs can be called upon if a team is short players for a match. The sub cannot hold a higher US Squash rating than the person they are replacing. For example, if the sub is playing the #3 position, then they cannot be rated higher than the regular #3 player's rating on that team.

Team Format

This is very different to our Winter League, so please familiarize yourself with the format below.

  • We are using a draft format for this league. Teams are not "club" based, so you may be on a team with people from any of the clubs in the Seattle region.

  • Teams will comprise of 5 people. Each person on the team will have an assigned position (#1, #2, #3, #4 & #5).

  • There are 4 playing positions for each match.

Venues

All matches will be played at either the PRO Club or SAC Downtown.

Start times:

  • SAC Downtown: 7.30pm

  • PRO Club: 7.30pm

We've limited matches to these two venues to help create a good atmosphere for the league. There should be a minimum of 16 people each week at each venue, so we hope you'll be able to socialize together during and after the matches.

League matches must be played on the specified league night - no rescheduling.

Team Selection Process

  • After entries close, the League Administrator will order players in US Squash rated order. The top 8 players will be assigned as the #1 players on each team and will initially be selected as captains of their teams.

  • The League Administrator will coordinate a time & venue when the draft will take place and will communicate this with the captains. Should a captain not be able to make this event, they can nominate another captain or an SSRA Board Member as their proxy.

  • The general concept is that the captains will pick the #2s, #3s, #4s & #5s for their teams.

  • In order to create balanced teams, the following format will be used:

    • The captain with the lowest ranking will get the first pick of their #2 position from the list of available players. The captain with the 2nd lowest ranking will get the second pick of their #2 position and so forth.

    • For the #3 position, the captain with the highest ranking will pick first. The captain with the 2nd highest ranking will choose second, and so forth.

    • For the #4 position, the lowest ranked captain will go first. The captain with the 2nd lowest ranking will get the second pick and so forth.

    • For the #5 position, all captain's names will be put into a hat and drawn at random. This will determine the order in which captains will get to choose their #5 player.

After the draft is concluded, the League Administrator will email all players letting them know which team they are on and introducing them to their captain.

League T-Shirt

  • To give our league and sponsors maximum exposure, we ask that you wear your summer league t-shirt for all of your matches. We'd really appreciate the support. We're going to try and have the t-shirts ready for round 1.

Scoring and Points

  • Par 11 is to be used for all matches.

  • Team standings are determined by Club Locker.

  • Scores must be entered into the US Squash platform by 12 pm on the Thursday following the match.

  • The SSRA will send league results to US Squash on a regular basis to count towards US Squash ratings.

Playing Order

  • Teams must put players in playing position order, based on the draft. A player may play up, but never down. Players cannot play above a higher positioned player either. For example:

    • Team Smith

      • #1 John Smith

      • #2 Sally Doe

      • #3 Kerry Lee

      • #4 Mike Wild

      • #5 Jerry Smiles

    • Sally can play her #2 spot and can play the #1 spot if John is unavailable.

    • If Kerry can't play, then Mike would play #3 and Jerry would play #4.

    • The team can collectively move up, but no player can leapfrog another player to play in a higher position. For example, if John were away, but Sally & Kerry were available, Kerry could not play #1 and Sally remain at #2.

    • A floating sub can be used at any position, but please refer to the information on rating requirements above.

    • Playing twice in the same night is not allowed unless no floating sub is available and you have received permission from the League Administrator in advance for an exception to this rule.

Refereeing

  • Every match MUST have a referee.

  • Preferred method: 1 marker & 1 referee.

  • Minimum required method: 1 person who will mark & referee.

  • Each week the "Home" team (i.e. the team listed first on the schedule) bears the ultimate responsibility for ensuring every match has a referee, but the away team should be willing to assist.

  • Failure to referee a match will result in a 1 point penalty to the home team.

Safety

  • Eye guards must be worn for all matches. We are a US Squash sanctioned league and this is one of their requirements.

  • Players must conduct themselves safely on the court and call lets whenever there is interference or a danger of injuring their opponent.

Code of Conduct

  • All league players are expected to play fairly, adhere to the US Squash rules, accept decisions by the referee without arguing, and be respectful of their opponent.

  • If there are any incidents or disputes during a match, a complaint may be filed in writing (email OK) with the squash league administrator (league@seattlesquash.com) within one week of such incident or dispute.

  • The league’s exceptions committee will then conduct an investigation and will inform the affected parties within a reasonable period of time of its decision. All decisions by the league’s exceptions committee shall be final and binding on all players.

Exceptions

  • Any team or individual may request an exception to any rule by emailing league@seattlesquash.com. Exceptions may be granted at the sole discretion of the squash league administrator.

Sponsorship

  • If you're interested in sponsoring our Summer League 2.0, please contact league@seattlesquash.com. We have our title sponsorship available as well as regular sponsorships.

Prizes

  • Details of prizes are still being worked out, but we anticipate being able to offer club services, such as lessons, spa treatments and so forth as part of our prize giveaway to the winning team. Details to follow.