Social Competition Policies

SOCIAL COMPETITION NIGHTS

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COMPETITION STRUCTURE

There are 3 seasons per year.  The seasons will run for either 16 or 17 weeks of preliminary round matches followed by The Semi & Grand Final Carnival which is held on the Saturday following the last round of games.

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SEASON FIXTURING

Teams will be given game times on a weekly basis for the frist 5 to 6 weeks for the season.  This allows for grading changes and for any new teams to be added to the competition.  Thereafter fixture lists are prepared at least two weeks in advance for the remainder of the season.  Please note that game times are always subject to change so check the website for your latest scehduled time.

All teams should expect an even spread of time slots over the season.  Generally teams not able to play early games tend to get more late games (and vice versa). If you have difficulty with a particular game time contact the Competition Manager.  We will endeavour to help you whereever possible within the limitations of the fixturing.

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PUBLIC HOLIDAYS

Games are played on all public holidays except for Good Friday unless otherwise indicated on the season draw and website. There is a 3 week break over the Christmas / New Year period.

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GRADINGS

Teams will be graded in the first 5 weeks of competition. Competition points will be awarded during grading. Every game you play counts! You take your points with you should you move grades.

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GAME TIMES

Games begin at 6.00pm every night and are scheduled up to 10.30pm. The staff at Sandstorm will work hard try and accommodate your game preferences but teams need be available for a minimum of two matches at each time slot  during the season.

Game times are posted on our website at least 7 days in advance. The link to  game times can be found on our website.   

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POINTS & LADDERS

Teams receive the following points towards the ladder:

• Winning a game: 2 ladder points
• Losing a game: 1 ladder point
• Winning a set: 1 ladder point
• Win on forfeit (forfeit for): 5 ladder points
• Lose on forfeit (forfeit against): -5 ladder points
• Volleyball bonus: 1 ladder point for every 20 game points
• Touch/Netball/Soccer bonus: 1 ladder point for every 5 game points

Example: Team “Fantastic Four” win their first volleyball game 16-12 28-30 18-14.  They would receive 7 points on the ladder: 2 pts for the match win plus 2 points for winning 2 out of 3 sets.  They would also receive 3 bonus points for accumulating a total of 62 points in the game.

So even if you’re winning, keep up the competitive spirit as bonus points may well decide if you make the Grand Final Carnival!

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MATCH FORMAT

All matches at Sandstorm are time based.

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MULITPLE GRADE POLICY (BEACH VOLLEYBALL)

With the consent of the Competition Manager, players may nominate in different teams in different grades on the same night of play. A player cannot compete in two (2) teams of the same grade on the same night.

Penalties will be placed on the player when playing in the lower of the two (2) nominated grades. These are: -3pts in the first set, -2 pts in the second set and -1pt in the third every time they play in the lower grade.

The player who is playing in the two nominated grades may only fill in the higher of the grades. You may not fill in any other team in the lower grade.

Example: Billy plays in “Drongos” Men’s 2B & also in “Galahs” Men’s 2A, both on Mondays.  When playing for “Galahs” in M2B, Billy will incur a point deduction of -3 first set, -2 second set & -1 third set.  However when playing for “Drongos” in M2A, no loss of points will be deducted.  Billy may NOT fill in for another Men’s 2B team.

This rule is designed so players can play multiple games on the same night whilst keeping the grades fair.  For safety reasons and the spirit of the game, please be mindful of the level of play when competing in a lower grade.

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PLAYER FILL INS:

A ‘fill in player’ is a player who is not on your team roster after the end of grading in round 5.  In fairness to other teams in your grade, please be aware that:

• A player may not fill in a lower grade.
• A player may fill in a higher grade without penalty.
• A player may fill in the same grade although a penalty of -5 points (first set only) will apply.  This rule is designed to limit ‘stacking’, e.g. filling your team with strong players for just a few games attempting to make finals.
• A player from a different competition may fill in.  Please see the Competition Manager BEFORE you do this.
• A player nominated in more than one grade may only fill in in the higher of his/her nominated grades with the approval of the Competition Manager.
• Female players may fill in on men’s competitions.  Please see the Competition Manager before you do this. Males MAY NOT fill in on ladies competitions unless it is a forfeited match.

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START TIMES

Teams must be ready to take the court 5 minutes prior to the start time of the match. You may ‘warm up’ before you play on free courts or on the grass area. For safety reasons, players cannot warm up between courts/fields.

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LATE START POLICY

Teams will be penalised if they delay the start of the game in any way (i.e. the team is incomplete or running late).  In fairness to your opposition, you need to have a minimum number of players in order to start a game.  Please see section on Match Format for the minimum number of players to take to the court/field.

If a team fails to take to the court at the allocated start time of the match, two (2) points per minute will be allocated to the opposition.

For Beach Volleyball and BeachMinton: if a team has failed to take the court after 3 mins, the end remaining time may be played but the first set will be awarded to the opposition. If a team has failed to take the court after three 3 mins in the second set, the match will be declared a forfeit.

For Beach Netball, Beach Soccer, and Beach Touch: If a team has failed to take the court/field after 10 mins, the game will be declared a forfeit. However, the end of the game can be played but the team delaying the start of the game will not accumulate ladder points.

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GAME FEES

All game fees should be paid 10 minutes prior to a team’s scheduled game time and this fee must be paid regardless of the number of team players you have.  Please, no individual payments.  Full game fees must be paid each week. If your complete team does not take the court, full team fees must still be paid. It is the captain’s responsibility to collect all fees.

Teams have the option of prepaying game fees for the season.  This often makes it a lot easier for teams not having to worry about game fees every week.  In addition, with the Player Login System to check your team in, it means less time at the kiosk and more time enjoying yourself out on the courts.

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MEMBERSHIP FEES

All team players are required to become Sandstorm Beach Club members after their third (3) match. Players who still have not paid their membership by their fourth game may cause their team to forfeit all points for that game.  After the fourth game, players that have not paid their membership in full will not be eligible to continue to play in our social competitions until payment for the membership has been received. Any person who is not financial member will not be eligible for finals.

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NOMINATION

Nominations are accepted at any time throughout the season. A nomination form must be completed and a bond must be paid to secure your team into the competition draw. Teams must complete their nomination the week prior to their first game. Nomination forms can be downloaded from our website.

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BOND

The bond equals one (1) match fee* and secures your team into the competition. It is paid when nominating a team and should be current at all times.  Once a team completes all its scheduled games, the bond will be refunded after the completion of the season. The bond can be rolled to the next season if a team decides to nominate for it. Should a team withdraws from the competition before the conclusion of the nominated season your bond will forfeited.

*Teams competing in the Beach Volleyball 3’s competition are required to pay a bond of two (2) match fees.

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FORFEITS

If a team decides to forfeit, it will lose 5 competition points for the game forfeited and therefore reduce its chances to make it to the finals.  You are also required to pay that game fee.  It is always a better option for a team to organise fill-in players or to reschedule the game.

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RESCHEDULES

Where a team is unable to play a scheduled game, you may, with the consent of the opposing team captain, organise a reschedule. Here’s how it’s done:
 
1.       You call Sandstorm at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled game time.  Or, if you play on a Monday, before 12pm.
2.       Sandstorm will give you the opposing team captain’s contact details along with a proposed new game time.
3.       You call the opposing team captain with the proposed new game time and offer your eternal gratitude.
4.       If the opposition team captain agrees to the reschedule, call Sandstorm back to confirm the change.
 
Should the opposing team be unable to reschedule to any of the options provided, the requesting team must play this game or will record a forfeit.
 
Remember, if your team is ever short of players, please call us and we may be able to help out (given sufficient notice).  It’s always better to get fill-ins and play rather than forfeit the match!

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OVERFLOW GAMES

All teams may be required to play one or more overflow games during the season (i.e. on a night that is not your scheduled night). Overflow games may be played on another night to complete a round or other special requirement.

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SEMI & GRAND FINAL CARNIVAL

Grand-finals will be held on the Saturday following the final round. To be eligible to play semi and grand finals players must have played for that team 5 times and be current financial members with no monies owing.  Due to the complexity of the day and the number of teams competing, times and dates during  final series cannot be altered at the request of players under any circumstances. Should heavy rain, hail or lightening intervene these matches will be rescheduled to the earliest possible date (at the discretion of the Competition Manager only).  Game fees for the Semi & Grand Final Carnival are the same as normal rounds.

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PLAYER UNIFORMS

Players must be in identical tops of design and colour.  I.e. any prints or patterns on the tops must be the same.  An exception to this rule is players may compete in any Sandstorm singlet of any colour or design and are considered to be in uniform. Numbered tops and tops with player’s names are also permissible.  Please note that styles of tops may vary.  E.g. A crop top and singlet of the same design and colour are allowed. 

Uniform penalties commence from Round 5 of competition. Points will be deducted at the rate of - 2 competition points per player per set not in uniform for beach volleyball.  There are no uniform penalties for beach touch and beach netball, though uniforms are encouraged.

For safety reasons, players may only play in barefoot, wet suit socks, sand-socks or socks. Shoes are not permitted.   It is forbidden to wear any object that may cause an injury to a player, such as pins, jewellery, casts, etc. Players may wear glasses at their own risk.
 

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WET WEATHER POLICY

As our sport is sometimes at the mercy of the weather, games may be called off at short notice. Please call the Sandstorm Beach Hut 60 minutes prior to your game time, to confirm that your match is on/off.  Games will be played wherever possible. Just because it may rain doesn’t mean we are not playing.  Games will only be called off (at the discretion of the Competition Manager) if lightning is about or forecast, or if rain is torrential in nature. These games will generally be rescheduled to the earliest available Friday, Saturday or Sunday according to the wet weather contingency schedule posted on the website and on the ladder notice board in the Beach Hut.

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TEAM CAPTAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

It is the team captain’s responsibility to:

• Complete the team nomination sheet providing all relevant information
• Ensure all membership fees are paid
• Know when your team is scheduled to play
• Collect and pay game fees 10 mins prior to the commencement a match
• Ensure your team is ready to take the court prior to your match.
• Sign in all competing players using the Player Login System.

In the case of changes to any game times, it is the team captain who will be contacted by Sandstorm staff. It is then the responsibility of the captain to let all team members know of the change.

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PLAYER CODE OF CONDUCT:

This code of conduct has been developed by the Sandstorm team to help everyone get maximum enjoyment from their involvement in our social beach sport competitions . Enjoy!

Play fair and be a good sport
Winning is without value if victory has been achieved unfairly or dishonestly. Fair play also has its reward, even when the game is lost. Acknowledge all good plays whether they are by your team or the other team.

Observe the laws of the game
Understanding and playing by the rules is your responsibility. By adhering to the rules everyone will enjoy the game more.

Respect opponents, team mates and spectators
Follow the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. Your opponents have the same rights as you have, including the right to be respected.

Respect referees and officials
Referees are there to maintain fair play and to enforce the rules of the game. They may not always be right, but their decision is final. Always accept decisions with grace and respect.

Avoid anti-social and inappropriate behaviour
Abuse of officials or other players, deliberately distracting or provoking an   opponent is not acceptable behaviour. Avoid use of bad language and or gestures. Treat all players and everyone else equally, respectfully and courteously in the spirit of fair play regardless of their gender, ability, cultural background, religion or other factor irrelevant to the game.
Sandstorm Beach Club is a Family Environment.

Respect the facilities and equipment provided
Facilities and equipment cost money and will only function properly if kept in good condition. Ensure that you do not abuse anything provided for use. Not only can equipment be damaged but serious injury can occur.

Respect our occupational health and safety standards
Please respect that Sandstorm Beach Club is a smoke free environment.  There is a designated smoking area next to the staff parking lot.

Responsible use of alcohol
Sandstorm Beach Club is a licensed venue practising ‘Responsible Service of Alcohol’. Please refrain from bringing alcohol into or taking alcohol out of the venue.

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