|
Name |
Description |
|
|---|---|---|
| Team Eligibility | Information regarding: roster, enrollment and coach requirements. | |
|
Individual player transfer between two different teams. |
||
|
Individual player, in the collegiate division, transfer between two different teams at the same institution. |
||
| Joint Team & Foster Program | Two groups of players combining to become one team. | |
| Affiliated/Integrated University Program | Institutions are separate academically but have the same sports/club system; students at either of the institutions can only outwardly represent one institution within our league | |
|
Issue with the conduct with a player as it relates to the USQ Code of Conduct or the rules of the game. |
||
|
The set of circumstances that allow for an adjustment in the results of the game. |
||
|
Policies to prevent the external impact of game and preserve league legitimacy. |
||
|
Procedures to end a game prior to its normal or natural completion. |
||
|
Policies which dictate the ways ties will be broken at USQ hosted events. |
||
|
Rules which govern the use of personal equipment by players within games. |
||
| The official field equipment of USQ hosted events. | ||
| Policy which determines the valid and allowable jersey numbers. | ||
| Information regarding: event requirements, officials payment etc... | ||
| USQ league policies and resources to protect player safety. | ||
| 3 Max | Three max (or 3 max) refers to the Gender Maximum Rule where a maximum of three players of a single gender are allowed on pitch during the seeker floor. | |
| Concession Policy | Info on how a team can concede a game. |
Click the name of the policy to go to the full text.
There is no limit on the number of players who can belong to a Quadball team; however, no more than 21 players can be on a team's tournament or game roster for any particular event. Each team’s roster of up to 21 players must be submitted through the USQ submission process by the Wednesday before the start of the game. Changes to the submitted roster may be made up until 24 hours before the start of the event as listed on the event information page.
If the initial roster is not submitted 24 hours prior to the tournament, no games played by that team at that tournament may be counted as official. Any game played under an ineligible roster will not be counted as official and will not be included in the rankings. Any games that are later discovered to have been played with an illegal roster will be removed from the rankings and the team captain will be subject to the disciplinary policy.
Submitted team rosters will be publicly available for every tournament. Rosters will be displayed with the player’s first initial and full last name, as listed on their individual membership.
Rosters must be made up of members who have met all requirements and have been verified as a member in good standing with USQ. This includes enrollment verification (for collegiate athletes) and any certifications.
Players may only play official games for one team at a time per season (unless if you are approved for a player transfer, see below).
All players on a collegiate team must attend the same school, unless they are participating in the joint team development program. Current graduate students will be permitted to play on their school’s collegiate team. Faculty, staff, and community members who are not enrolled in classes will not be permitted to play on a school’s collegiate team. A student from a college with an unofficial or club team may not compete with a college team from another school.
Teams must have their coach fully certified by the roster deadline, 24 hours before the start of the first event they are competing in officially this season.
In the case of a medical or personal emergency that arises during an event that causes a team’s certified coach to need to leave the event site, the team may continue to play without being required to forfeit their remaining games in the tournament, given the following:
All players are allowed one transfer between teams that may be requested at any time. Players may apply for additional transfers based on the same criteria used for out-of-window transfers in prior seasons.
For all transfers, players must fill out the Player Transfer Form.
A player wishing to do an additional transfer between official teams outside of their one allotted transfer must also fill out the above form and meet at least one of three exceptions:
USQ reserves the right to reject a transfer under the above listed exceptions based on the specific circumstances of a transfer request.
Players wishing to transfer between NGBs, particularly due to a change in residency, must also fill out the transfer form.
Players are considered bound to a team when they are listed on a team’s final roster for an event during which that team then plays an official game (including games that are later invalidated for violations of USQ policy), regardless of whether or not they end up competing at that event.
Players who transfer are immediately eligible to count as a referee toward their new team's season requirements. Teams which have an incomplete referee crew due to a player transferring from their team are given two weeks from the date of the transfer to replace the transferred referee.
Collegiate players at a university with more than one team (Varsity/JV style) may transfer between the teams under the following conditions:
Before qualifiers- Players may transfer freely between teams at their university without limit. To compete in USQ official games, a player must be on the team's roster before the final roster submission deadline. You must fill out the Player Transfer Form to transfer between teams.
After qualifiers- If the team(s) have earned bids for the same division at US Quadball Cup, they may continue to freely transfer players between the two teams. If the team(s) have not earned bids for the same division at US Quadball Cup, they may only use the free transfer period to transfer to a new team. You must fill out the Player Transfer Form to transfer between teams.
The USQ Gameplay Team reserves the right to deny transfers if this policy is abused in such a way that impacts competitive balance in the league.
This joint team development program is intended to help new teams develop. The plan has two main components:
Click here to fill out the Joint Team/Foster Program application form.
USQ will use the following definitions to evaluate eligibility for the two programs in the joint team development plan.
SQUAD
A squad is defined as a set of players who currently attend a single school as students.
NEW SQUAD
A new squad is defined as a squad composed of students attending a school that did not have an official team during the previous season. A new squad may not participate in this program if there is already an existing squad at the school.
ESTABLISHED CLUB
An established club is defined as a squad comprised of students attending a school that had an official team during the previous season.
ESTABLISHED VS NEW
A squad that was a member of a joint team or was fostered by an established club during the previous season is still considered to be a new squad. An established club that fostered a team the previous season is still considered to be an established club. If a school that had an official team the previous season gains a second squad, both squads will be considered established clubs.
For both the foster program and the joint team program, the goal is for each participating new squad to end up with at least 14 players each. Once that happens, the squads will have to split off from each other and form independent teams in order to compete within USQ. However, barring violations of these programs’ policies, squads will not be separated mid-season.
Two squads may join at any time if both teams are at or below 14 playing members (defined by USQ Player Membership). Teams may not form a joint team after obtaining a bid to USQ Cup.
An established club may foster one new squad. By entering into the foster program, an established club and a new squad will be permitted to compete as one single college team.
New squads may not foster another squad.
A new squad may not be fostered by an established club during a season if the new squad has at least 14 eligible players as determined when the baseline roster numbers are locked, as described in the application process below.
An established club may foster a new squad for up to two consecutive seasons. Regardless of whether the foster program runs for one season or two, an established club must have at least one full season off between fostering different new squads.
All players from the fostered squad must be included on a gameday roster for at least one tournament during the season.
An established club may not foster a new squad if another established club of students attending the same school is either fostering a new squad or had done so the previous season.
Up to three new squads may join together to form a joint team. A joint team may not be made up of students from more than three colleges.
A new squad may not join a joint team if the new squad has 14 or more players prior to when the baseline roster numbers are locked, as described in the application process below.
A new squad may continue to be part of the same joint team for a second season, despite attaining 14 players, if other squads in their joint team still have not attained 14 players, and no additional squads are added to the joint team for the new season.
Joint teams may add or release involved new squads between years. However, each new squad is limited to two consecutive years in the joint team program.
New squads may not be fostered or be members of a joint team for more than two consecutive seasons. In addition, new squads may be part of a joint team in one season and fostered in the next or vice versa, but together this time must not add up to more than two consecutive seasons.
Exceptions to the requirements and restrictions of these programs will only be made for schools that require their squads to accept students from another school. Squads in that situation will then be allowed to continue to run as a joint team with that other school indefinitely, provided they re-acknowledge their status as a joint team every season. Please note that a squad must be recognized by its school, either as a club sport or recognized student organization, in order to be eligible for this exception. A squad that is not officially recognized by its school, and is thus not subject to the policies of that school, may not gain an exception in this manner.
To qualify for a second season in the joint team development plan, each new squad must apply for a joint team and will be expected to demonstrate attempts to increase membership size of each “new squad” to at least 14 members.
If a new squad fails to exhibit attempts to attain the necessary number of players to be a sole team, they may not be allowed to be a part of a joint team or be fostered for a second season.
If a new squad reaches its two season limit, or fails to qualify for a second season, all squads from that school must apply for a waiver by emailing gameplay@usquadball.org to continue existing as a joint team.
Please note that if a new squad is dissolved and another new squad is formed at the same college the second new squad shall be treated as though they are an extension of the first for the purposes of the requirements and restrictions of these programs, including but not limited to the two season participation maximum.
All proposals for joint development teams must be submitted to and approved by USQ prior to any of the involved squads participating in an official match during that season.
If USQ determines that any squads in the joint team development program intentionally waited to sign up players until after their baseline rosters were locked, signed up fake players, or signed up players who had no intention of playing, so as to circumvent any of the above standards, their leadership will be subject to discipline. The offending squad may also be eliminated from the program and be prohibited from competing with the other squads with whom they had a partnership.
USQ reserves the right to end a joint team during or after any season at its discretion, after a conversation with joint team leadership.
If institutions are separate academically but have the same sports/club system; students at either of the institutions can only outwardly represent one institution within our league, this would fall under a 'affiliate/integrated university program' category. Schools who fall in this category do not need to apply for joint/foster team status and are automatically able to compete as one team.
A team formed under the joint team development plan, either as part of the foster program or joint squad program, will only have to pay a single team registration fee after they have been approved, if they have not yet bought a team account on the USQ website. If two separate teams have each paid their team fee and registered on the USQ website, their team accounts will be suspended for the season and they will have a new team account created for them. Please contact membership@usquadball.org with any questions related to team registration once you've been approved by the gameplay department.
Applications are open now (see below). Interested teams must submit one application. They will need the following information for both the foster program and the joint squad program:
Name of all participating squads
Contact information for all participating squads
School name for all participating squads
Status within their school for all participating squads (I.E. club sport, recognized student organization, grant recipient, not recognized by the school)
Location of all participating squads
There is currently no specific maximum distance between squads who wish to participate in the program. However, USQ reserves the right to reject an application if it appears that the participating squads are so far away from each other that development benefits won’t apply (I.E. too far apart to regularly compete or practice together).
A joint team may be comprised of squads from more than one region. Teams in a joint team program will be assigned a region after their application has been approved, essentially going through the regional transfer waiver process. They may submit a request for a particular region within their application.
The established club must include an essay of at least 500 words that speaks to why they are a good candidate to help develop another squad. The new squad must include an essay of at least 250 words that describes how they will attempt to grow the quadball program at their own school.
The new squads must include an essay that is at least 250 words describing:
How they plan to grow the Quadball program at their own schools.
How they expect to divide leadership in the joint program.
Who will have admin access to the new team for event and roster submission.
Timeline of their season (including events and potential joint practices).
Practices do not need specific dates and can be a general schedule (Ex: once a month).
Successful applicants will demonstrate a commitment to growing quadball at their school. They will clearly articulate how being a part of the foster program or the joint team program will lead to a successful USQ season. Applications that do not sufficiently demonstrate these qualities may not be approved.
Teams that register on the USQ website prior to their application approval are still required to wait for such approval before competing officially. USQ encourages teams and players to have funds available for these fees prior to approval, though, as everyone needs to be registered with the league before they may compete officially.
Click here to fill out the Joint Team/Foster Program application form.
Applications will be reviewed as they are submitted and will be rejected or provisionally approved on a rolling basis. Provisional approval does not mean a team may compete officially. Rather, it means that the application has been reviewed and will be fully approved pending final evaluation of the baseline roster numbers. Official approval will come after the baseline roster numbers have been submitted and approved.
Teams with pending applications and provisionally approved teams must submit their current rosters, including the school that each player attends, 1 week before an official match. On that date, each squad must provide an up to date list of their players to the USQ Gameplay Team by emailing gameplay@usquadball.org. Squads may submit their rosters slightly earlier than required if they do not anticipate any changes, but must update the list with membership if new players are confirmed before their deadline.
Submitted rosters will be reviewed by 72 hours after submission. At that point, the baseline roster numbers will lock. Once final approval is granted, the team must register with USQ immediately and all of the submitted players must be fully registered in time for the event roster submission deadline of their first event, which is 24 hours before that event.
For questions, please email gameplay@usquadball.org .
The disciplinary policy applies to official games, sanctioned events, and USQ-hosted events. It applies to incidents on or off the field, including at event-related activities. USQ members are expected to abide also by the member code of conduct and the unlawful harassment policy, as well as all USQ gameplay policies. Offenses which involve tournament staff, personnel, or volunteers will be given additional scrutiny.
Please note that for USQ to act on an incident it must be reported to us. At USQ regional and national championships, potential disciplinary incidents may be reported directly to tournament staff, and action may be taken immediately. For those who chose not to report on site or for those attending non-USQ hosted events, attendees are encouraged to report any potential disciplinary incidents via this form within one week after the event or game takes place.
After a report is filed, the gameplay team will reach out to the involved parties to gather information. After reviewing all statements and evidence, the gameplay team will make their decision. Please note that if the gameplay team fails to receive a response within one week of first contact by the gameplay team, they will proceed with the report based on available evidence.
In addition, USQ has implemented multiple offense modifiers for repeat offenders of a specific policy. For a second offense the suspension range will increase by 50% of the original range, and for a third offense the suspension range will increase by 100% of the original range. Please note that modifiers apply only to one offense, not two separate offenses. Modifiers will be in effect for 12 months (one calendar year) after the initial (or subsequent) offense occurred.
The USQ Gameplay Department reserves the right to issue a 0 game suspension for any of the listed categories. A 0 game suspension will count towards a player’s history for the multiple offense modifiers for repeat offenders of a specific policy.
The categories listed below are not an exhaustive list of all potential categories of disciplinary infractions.
Two straight red cards at an event*
1 to 1 games
Two straight red cards in consecutive matches*
1 to 2 games
*Note: suspensions may be increased if the given straight red card falls into an additional suspension category, as listed below. As applicable, players may be be given multiple suspensions both under the multiple red card category as well as a verbal, physical, or policy offense.
Directed violent, discriminatory or abusive language or obscene gestures
1 to 5 games
Verbal tirade involving violent, discriminatory, or abusive language or obscene gestures
3 to 6 games
Threatening another person (in game/at event)
3 to 6 games
Sexual harassment (in game/at event)**
Minimum of 5 games
**Note: please see USQ’s Unlawful Harassment Policy here.
Recklessly endangering spectators or other tournament attendees
1 to 6 games
Attempting to injure another person
2 to 8 games
Instigating or attempting to instigate a fight
2 to 9 games
Participation in a fight or brawl beyond self defense or attempting to break up the fight or brawl
1 to 8 games
Acting with intent to damage tournament property
1 to 6 games
Flagrantly Illegal Contact
1 to 4 games
Groping**
Minimum of 5 games
**Note: please see USQ’s Unlawful Harassment Policy here.
Presiding over a roster infraction
2 to 6 games plus game invalidation
Covering up a suspendable offense from the league ***
4 to 10 games plus game invalidation
Intentional Cheating
4 to 10 games plus game invalidation
Match Fixing
4 to 10 games plus game invalidation
*** Note: this suspension is in addition to the suspension for the original offense as well. As applicable, the game(s) may be invalidated.
At the game, no action needs to be made by a reporting party, but that person should attempt to record and remember the pertinent details of the incident. This includes what game the incident occurred in as well as the names of any involved parties. However, at USQ regional and national championships, potential disciplinary incidents may be reported directly to tournament staff, and action may be taken immediately.
Within one (1) week after the event occurs, the reporting party must fill out a disciplinary conduct review form. If the form is not filled out in time, the conduct cannot be reviewed. That form is also available online.
The appeal process exists in order to fix correctable mistakes when the result of a game was impacted.
For USQ-hosted events, only limited circumstances will be eligible for appeal. The normal post-event USQ appeals process may still be pursued under any of those applicable situations.
An appeal may be submitted if all of the following are true:
One of these circumstances has occurred:
A straight red card has been issued which the team believes is not a valid card
The appeal is submitted during a stoppage of play.
To submit an appeal:
The possible outcomes of an appeal may include replaying a portion of a game, disregarding a straight red card for the purposes of tournament red card accumulation leading to suspensions, or no action, among other things.
Within one week after the game occurred, the appealing team must fill out the appeals form. Appeals are for unusual and extreme cases, and we encourage teams not to submit them unless there are clear grounds for appeal. The only practical effect an appeal can have is the removal of an official game from USQ rankings. Appeals which do not qualify under the grounds for appeal will automatically be dismissed. Here are the grounds for an appeal: “A clearly incorrect implementation of the rules that played a direct role in determining the outcome of the game. Judgment calls and missed calls do not apply.”
A team need not take any action during or immediately following the game. If a team intends to file an appeal, they should note the teams playing and the name of the head referee.
Within one (1) week after the game occurs, the appealing team must fill out the appeal form. If the form is not filled out in time, the appeal cannot be considered.
The gameplay coordinators make an initial determination whether the situation described by a team is eligible for appeal. If it is not, the appeal is immediately dismissed.
If the appeal goes forward, a gameplay coordinator will gather information on the situation from the head referee. USQ may also seek information from assistant referees, team captains, and anyone else who has further information on the appealed game.
Once the final decision is made, the involved teams will receive an email with that decision as well as the reason behind the decision. If an appeal succeeds, the appealed game is struck from the record and excluded from the rankings.
One of the three pillars of USQ is competition. As such, it is essential that USQ sponsors official competitions that are fun, fair, and competitive. The Fair Play policy has been put in place to ensure the authenticity of USQ contests.
In the case of a breach of the Fair Play policy, USQ may choose to invalidate any games involved in the breach, removing them from the standings and season play requirements for the teams involved. Anyone intentionally breaching the Fair Play policy will also be subject to USQ Player Disciplinary policy.
A team which does not appear at the time and location of a game it is scheduled to play shall receive a forfeit. For the purpose of any tournament seeding, a forfeit is counted as a 75-0 loss for the forfeiting team. If both teams forfeit, both teams shall receive a 75-0 loss.
Forfeits do not count for the purpose of the official USQ rankings except under extreme or unusual circumstances. Starting a game with the intent of forfeiting once it has started is considered match fixing. However, a forfeit in any game that teams have started playing will usually be included in the rankings, except in cases of match fixing. Any games forfeited during a regional championship or the US Quadball Cup will be included in the rankings.
In the case of any forfeits, the tournament director must email gameplay@usquadball.org with a description of the circumstances of the forfeit.
In situations where a forfeit would cause a team to fail to reach the gameplay requirements for the season, the team affected can fill out this form with the exceptional circumstances of the forfeit. The gameplay team will rule on the forfeit.
A team receives a forfeit for any of the following reasons:
A team will never receive a forfeit for a game that it never agreed to attend, was not informed it was scheduled to attend or had the date and time changed without agreement from both teams. However, in spite of that, a team must complete any game it has started playing or it will receive a forfeit.
A team that maliciously or repeatedly forfeits games will be subject to various penalties by USQ, including suspension. In extreme or unusual circumstances, USQ may choose to include a forfeited game in the official rankings for either or both of the teams.
Attempting to exploit USQ policies by intentionally forfeiting a game or games may result in forfeits of all future games in the same tournament. Offenders will be subject to the disciplinary policies.
The following uniform tiebreakers will be used at USQ-hosted events:
In any other situation where teams are tied, skip this tiebreaker and proceed to the Score Differential Tiebreaker.
Average Score Differential In Games Between Tied Teams: The average of the difference between the team's total points scored and the opposing teams’ points for only the games contested by the tied teams.
Average Score Differential In All Games: The average of the difference between the team's total points scored and the opposing teams’ points for all games.
Flag Catch Percentage: The team’s total flag catches divided by its flag catch opportunities (total number of times the flag was on the field). If a team has caught 5 flags in 8 games, its total flag catch percentage would be 5/8 = 0.625 or 62.5%. No rounding is needed, direct comparison of the fractions will suffice to determine if one team has an advantage in snitch catch percentage.
Total Quadball Point Differential: The team's total points scored minus the team's total points allowed.
Coin Flip/Random Selection: If all tiebreakers have failed to distinguish one team’s record from another, one team will randomly be selected by coin flip virtually on a live call attended by a representative of each team. Whichever team’s ranking was lower entering the event, or whichever team won a game (between the tied teams) most recently will have the ability to call heads or tails. Coin flips should be recorded and a record should be emailed to gameplay@usquadball.org.
There will not be a change to the rankings algorithm for the 2022-2023 season. While the algorithm will stay the same, only games played between teams of the same division will count toward the ranking algorithm. Games played between teams of different divisions (club vs. collegiate) may be used for season play requirements, but will not count toward rankings.
Consistent enforcement of equipment policies will help in three ways. First, it will help ensure that referees do not accidentally allow equipment that may be dangerous. Second, a consistent policy will ensure that gameplay is standardized for everyone, no matter their referees or location. Third, having consistent rules with help with the expectations of players: when you show up to a tournament, you will have a better idea whether or not a particular piece of equipment will be allowed.
Note that any equipment that a player brings into a game may be destroyed due to the physical nature of the game. USQ is not liable for any broken equipment, so exercise caution and good judgment before you bring a valuable item into a game.
Here are the specific provisions:
1. Padding - Padding can be used to protect an injury from further harm, but we do not want players using excessive padding in an attempt to alter the game (imagine a player wearing pillows). Thus, all padding must meet the following standards:
2. Braces - Athletic braces are allowed but must generally meet the standards of padding above. A brace may include a hard element; however, any hard plastic or metal in a brace must be covered at all times during a game. If any hard plastic or metal becomes exposed, the player must leave play and fix the problem per the defective equipment rules. Referees reserve the right to refuse any brace that they believe presents a danger to players.
3. Athletic supporters - Athletic supporters, or cups (used to protect the groin), are allowed in spite of the above padding rule.
4. Glasses and eyewear - Glasses are not generally dangerous, but the potential for broken glass in a game is worrisome. Thus, players are allowed to wear glasses or other eyewear, but no eyewear actually made of glass will be allowed, unless it is worn underneath goggles so that glass is not exposed.
5. Lacrosse goggles - Lacrosse "cage" goggles will not be allowed.
6. "Scrum helmets" - Rugby "scrum helmets" are considered padding, and thus must pass the padding tests if they are to be worn.
7. Other equipment - Any equipment other than clothing that is not mentioned here or in the rulebook will not be allowed. The head referee may only make very minor exceptions to this rule, such as for athletic tape or a small towel used to wipe off one’s hands (not to be used in play).
Individuals with disabilities or conditions that may require other specific equipment may fill out this waiver form. Such equipment will be approved if it does not present a danger to anyone or a competitive advantage. This waiver must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the event at which the equipment would be used. It is best to submit your waiver by the Tuesday before the event. Waivers submitted after this point may not be able to be processed by the event. Please note that equipment waivers allow the use of additional equipment in specific situations; the waiver should not be used as an attempt to avoid utilizing required safety equipment. For example, USQ will not approve equipment waivers requesting permission to not wear a mouthguard while participating in an official USQ game.
If your equipment waiver is approved, you will receive an email from gameplay@usquadball.org. Please have this email available for any referees or tournament directors to inform them of your equipment waiver for all your games.
For USQ-hosted events, the official quadball is the Baden Matchpoint size five. This quadball is not required to be used for other official games throughout the season, but any quadball used must follow the quadball regulations outlined in the rulebook.
The dodgeballs that will be primarily used at USQ-hosted events are the Champion PG 8.5, the Franklin 8.5, and the Mikasa 8.5. These dodgeballs are not required to be used for other official games throughout the season, but any dodgeball used must follow the dodgeball regulations outlined in the rulebook.
Players are restricted in what numbers they may wear on the back of their jerseys during official matches. This is to ensure that referees can recognize a player’s number and communicate it easily to other referees and players during games.
Any integer between 00-99. Please note that for the purposes of player identification, a leading zero does not count.
For a game to be considered official (i.e. fulfilling seasonal requirements and to be included in the rankings), it must be between two official member teams and meet the following criteria:
Teams may only compete officially in one event per day. The USQ Gameplay Department reserves the right to combine two events on the same day into one event if it is determined that it is truly one event
For any tournament to have ranked games, all games in the tournament between two USQ official teams must be ranked, and this must be announced by the organizers before registration. All games as scheduled by the tournament director(s) must be played out unless conditions are unsafe, including travel considerations. This is so a team cannot claim, after the fact, that a game should not be ranked (e.g. after a loss). Rankings provide pool seeding for regional championships and the US Quadball Cup.
TDs do not need to be certified before submitting their official event to the USQ calendar, however TD certification must be completed no later than one week before the event. Failure to become a certified TD before an event with official matches may result in invalidation of all games played at your tournament.
Events with 3 or fewer teams and one pitch, the TD can have another role on-site. For tournaments with four or more teams and have two or fewer pitches, there must be at least one dedicated, certified TD at all times. Events with 9 or more teams and three or more pitches will require one dedicated TD as well as a second, on-site certified TD (second TD does not need to be a dedicated TD). Anyone requiring an exception will need to email TDcertification@usquadball.org.
For a tournament to have USQ official games in the standings, the tournament director must submit the scores to gameplay@usquadball.org. TDs should submit scores within two days of the event using the event report.
If a game is suspended, it must be resumed within 24 hours of the listed end time of the event on the website. If a suspended game is not resumed by that deadline, the game will be considered abandoned. Abandoned games are not submitted to the USQ standings, and will not count towards season play requirements.
Please note that teams must be registered with USQ as a member team in order to officially participate in sanctioned and USQ hosted events.
If a head referee or flag runner is taking a field test under the supervision of a USQ referee/flag runner proctor, that match may be counted as official. Payment for the match must be given to the referee proctor or to the flag runner proctor (at the USQ officials rate), rather than to the individual taking the field test, even if they are a Tier 1 referee being retested for the following season. Lead assistant referees should still be paid directly.
An “international friendly” is a match held on US, Canadian, or Mexican soil between official member teams of more than one of those national governing bodies. Because international friendlies are not played against official USQ teams, they will not be added to USQ’s standings. In the 2022-23 season, International Friendlies will not count for the season play requirements.
For USQ league policies and resources to protect player safety including our concussion policy, mouthguard rule, safety at USQ events, and safety training resources, please see the Safety page linked here.
Three max (or 3 max) refers to change to the Gender Maximum Rule where a maximum of three players of a single gender are allowed on pitch during the seeker floor, and a maximum of four players of a single gender are allowed on pitch with seekers on the field The move to 3 max will be rolled out as follows:
2023-24 Season: USQ Cup Club Competitive Division will require 3 max
2024-25 Season: All club teams are required to play 3 max and College D1 at USQ Cup will require 3 max
2025-26 Season: All teams in all divisions will be required to play 3 max
As part of this change and to allow for the necessary flexibility, the gender maximum rule will now be a gameplay policy instead of a rule in the rulebook. USQ will provide for a waiver process when appropriate to ensure this does not negatively impact the growth of the sport or stunt new team development. For the upcoming season, the waiver will be a part of the registration process for US Quadball Cup 2024.
A team may not have more than four players who identify as the same gender in play at any point during the game.
A player serving penalty time is considered in play.
The gender that a player identifies as is considered to be that player’s gender.
When the above does not apply, the gender maximum rule is as follows:
A team may not have more than four players who identify as the same gender in play at any point during the game.
A player serving penalty time is considered in play.
The gender that a player identifies as is considered to be that player’s gender.
After the 20-minute stoppage, a team can concede the game, causing their opponents' new score to match the set score plus 5 and automatically conclude the match. Note that this is not the same as a forfeit and policies relating to forfeits do not apply to teams that concede.