The USQ Gameplay Department conducts an extensive review of all league gameplay policies and programs from April to August each season. The team has evaluated appeals, tiebreakers, transfer policy, and season play requirements.

The complete list of gameplay policies is visible here. Any questions about the structures, policies, or programs in this article can be directed to gameplay@usquidditch.org.

Article contents:

• Nationals Structure will explain regional requirements for teams, how we decide who’s going, and discuss the tournament structure.

• Season Structure details requirements, bid allocation, requirements for regionals seeding, season play, and at large. This section also contains the standings formula and the ongoing evaluation of the current standings formula amidst structure changes.

• Gameplay changes for club and collegiate divisions describe the new transfer policy, attendance of multiple regionals, cross-division games, and enrollment policies. 

• Existing gameplay policies

• Timeline & key dates

• Questions?

 

Nationals Structure

 

QUALIFICATION FOR NATIONALS

At this time, USQ has not decided to cap the number of teams allowed to compete at US Quadball Cup 2023 (USQ Cup), but instead to divide the tournament into the following divisions, each with its own caps:

1. College D1, with 24 teams

2. College D2, with 16 teams

3. College open division, with no cap*

4. Club competitive division, with 20 teams

5. Club lower division, with no cap*

*These divisions will have their own schedule and are subject to capping based on interest during the fall.

USQ Cup bids by division will be given out as follows:

1. College D1: 18 bids will be awarded at regional championships, proportional to the number of teams competing at each regional. In the spring, 6 at-large bids will be awarded based on season rankings.

2. College D2: 12 bids will be awarded at regional championships, proportional to the number of teams competing at each regional. In the spring, at-large bids will be awarded based on season rankings until a 16-team D2 division is reached.

3. Club competitive division: At least 1 bid will be awarded at each regional championship. Any regional with 8 or more teams will get 2 bids. The remaining at-large bids will be awarded based on season rankings in the spring.

If there is any change, an update will be posted no later than 1 week before the first regional championship, currently scheduled for October 29, 2022. If a cap is decided, more information will be released regarding the number of bids and at-large bids. Due to this, the club competition structure for USQ Cup has not yet been finalized. Season play requirements will still need to be completed by March 26, 2023 for all club teams interested in attending.

Season structure

 

For the 2022-23 season, all teams must attend at least one regional championship to qualify for US Quadball Cup 2023. Additional information below outlines the season structure and qualification process. 

Teams will qualify for bids to USQ Cup based on performance at regional championships.

For the 2022-23 season, teams will be allowed to attend any regional championship they wish. To facilitate this process and ensure bids are distributed fairly, college teams will rank their top 3 choices upon team registration. Club teams will rank up to 3 regionals they plan to attend. USQ may take steps to encourage teams to go to different regionals by communicating the number of teams attending regionals. Regional bids will be calculated and publicly announced on October 1, 2022, along with the list of teams attending each regional championship. Regional championships will be awarded bids based on the number of registrants by September 30. The remaining at-large bids will be awarded at the end of March. 

College teams must meet games, opponents, and event attendance requirements. Club teams will not be required to play a minimum number of games before regionals. For regionals, the official USQ standings will be used to seed teams as needed. All teams that have not yet played official games will be counted as unseeded. 

 

SEASON PLAY REQUIREMENTS

To qualify for USQ Cup bids, teams must fulfill season play requirements by March 26, 2023. The season play requirements mandate a minimum number of opponents played during the season, a minimum number of games, and competing at a regional championship.

All teams will be required to:

• Compete in at least 8 USQ official games*.

• Compete against at least 5 different official teams*.

• Attend 3 events, of which one must be a USQ-hosted regional championship 

*Club teams will only be able to fulfill this requirement by competing against other club teams. College teams may use games against club teams to count for these requirements. Cross-division games (college vs. club) will never count for standings.

Teams that do not earn bids for USQ Cup at regional championships must complete expanded season play requirements to earn at-large bids. At-large bid requirements for all teams are listed below.

All teams will be required to:

• Compete in at least 12 USQ official games*.

• Compete against at least 8 different official teams*.

• Attend 4 events, of which one must be a USQ-hosted regional championship.

Alternatively, teams can do the following if they compete against at least one out-of-region opponent:

• Compete in at least 10 USQ official games*.

• Compete against at least 7 different official teams*.

• Attend 3 events, of which one must be a USQ-hosted regional championship.

 

Collegiate Division Structure

 

The overall collegiate season structure for the 2022-23 season will be similar to the 2021-22 season. Teams will compete in regular season matches as well as a regional championship. However, teams are not required to attend their closest geographic championship. Please note that collegiate teams will only be allowed to participate in one regional championship*. There will be opportunities for teams to qualify for the national championship at regional events and through an at-large process. The format for the collegiate division at USQ Cup is being adjusted, as outlined below.

*In cases where a regional championship does not have enough collegiate teams, a team may be allowed to attend another regional championship.

HUNTINGTON-HILL METHOD

Again this season, USQ will use the Huntington-Hill method of apportionment in determining bid allocation, which the United States House of Representatives uses to determine its seats. The Huntington-Hill method ensures each region is represented at the US Quadball Cup according to the size of the region.

Of the 40 collegiate competitive division bids, 30 will be awarded at regional championships. These 30 bids will be distributed to the regions using the Huntington Hill method. The remaining bids will be distributed at large.

Using this method, we first determine a standard divisor by dividing the number of registered teams by the number of available event bids (30). We then calculate a standard quota for each region, representing the number of bids each region would receive if the bids accurately represented the region’s size. Unfortunately, ¼ of a team cannot receive a bid to represent their region at the event so, some rounding must occur, which is why using this mathematical method is necessary.

Suppose a region’s standard quota is less than the geometric mean of the integers between which it is located. In that case, a region is allocated the lower of those integers. Suppose the region’s standard quota is greater than the geometric mean of the integers. In that case, it is allocated to the higher integers.

If the total sum of those initial quotas adds to the total number of bids, the initial quotas are used. Otherwise, a modified divisor is used in place of the standard divisor so that the modified quotas sum correctly, and those modified quotas are then used.

In order to allocate each division’s bids to D1 and D2, each region’s quota will be multiplied by 0.6 and 0.4, respectively, to generate the divisional quota for D1 and D2. If the divisional quotas do not add up to the total number of bids in each division, a modified multiplier is used in place of the standard multiplier so that the modified divisional quotas sum correctly, and those modified divisional quotas are then used.

You can find further reading on the Huntington-Hill method in the Mathematical Association of America.

GAMEPLAY REQUIREMENTS FOR USQ-HOSTED EVENTS

All official teams will be required to:

• Compete in at least 8 USQ official games.

• Compete against 5 different collegiate teams.

• Attend 3 official events, including a USQ regional championship.

Games played at regionals will not count toward season play requirements for collegiate teams. 

Teams must meet these requirements by March 26, 2023. Teams interested in the open division only need to attend one event, and are permitted to use regionals to count for this requirement.

Teams must play a minimum number of official games before regionals, as indicated below. For regionals, the official USQ standings will be used to rank teams as needed. All teams that have not yet played the required number of official games will be counted as unranked. 

2 weeks before fall regionals, all official teams will be required to:

• Compete in at least 3 USQ official games.

• Compete against 2 different teams.

• Attend 1 official event, including a USQ regional championship.

2 weeks before spring regionals, all official teams will be required to:

• Compete in at least 5 USQ official games.

• Compete against 3 different teams.

• Attend 2 official events, including a USQ regional championship.

Additional information on gameplay policies is available here. 

Gameplay Changes for Club and Collegiate Divisions 

 

RANKINGS

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. 

REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

For the 2022-23 season, club and collegiate teams will be allowed to attend any regional championship they wish. Collegiate teams may attend any (1) regional. Club teams may attend multiple regionals. Teams will select their top three preferences when creating their team. Team registration will begin with the regional selection process on October 1 (outlined above). After October 1, club teams that wish to attend more than 3 regionals can email gameplay@usquidditch.org to indicate interest.

USQ requires a minimum regional size for the collegiate division. In the 2022-23 season, the minimum will be five teams. If a regional championship does not have five college teams with indicated interest in attending by the October 1 deadline, or if the number of collegiate teams drops below five after that point, USQ Gameplay and Events Department will determine whether a regional for that collegiate division will happen. Similar to the 2021 USQ Northeast Regional Championships, if a region cannot have regionals, dedicated at-large bids will be established based on the number of teams in that region that indicated an interest in that event by the September 30 deadline.

You can find additional information about regional championship dates and locations below.

Gameplay Policy Changes for 2022-23 Season

 

Policies not listed in this section do not have substantial changes from the 2022-2023 season. The complete list of gameplay policies is visible here. 

COLLEGIATE TRANSFER POLICY (WITHIN SAME UNIVERSITY)

Starting this season, a new type of transfer will be allowed between teams that operate under the same university. Collegiate players at a university with more than one team may transfer between the teams under the following conditions:

Before regionals- 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. 

After regionals- 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. 

 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.

JOINT TEAM DEVELOPMENT POLICY

This joint team development program is intended to help new teams develop. The plan has two main components: a foster program, whereby an established official college club may be permitted to have students from one single other college on its roster, and a joint team program, whereby up to three schools that currently don’t have official teams may compete together as one team. The joint team program has been expanded to allow schools with previously official teams to combine, provided they have evidenced need.

Click here to fill out the application form. Full information on the program can be found here.

USQ TIEBREAKERS

The following uniform tiebreakers will be used at USQ-hosted events:

1. Head-to-head (when applicable between all tied teams)

2. Score differential 

3. Snitch catch percentage

4. Quaffle* point differential

5. Coin flip/random selection

EXPLANATIONS

1. Head-to-Head: This statistic compares teams based on games that they’ve played against each other.

Here are the specifics on how this statistic will work:

• If two teams are tied and one has more wins in head-to-head games than the other, that team wins the tiebreaker.

• If three teams are tied and one team has the best record in games played amongst the three teams, that team is ranked above the other two. In this situation, the lower two teams then begin again in the tiebreaker procedure.

• If three teams are tied and one team has the worst record in games played among the three teams, while the other two teams have identical records in such games, that team is ranked below the other two. In this situation, the two higher teams then begin again in the tiebreaker procedure.

In any other situation where teams are tied, skip this tiebreaker and proceed to the Score Differential Tiebreaker.

2. Average Score Differential: The average of the difference between the team's total points scored and the opposing teams’ points for each game played.

3. Catch Percentage: The team’s total snitch catches divided by its snitch catch opportunities (total number of times the snitch was on the field). If a team has caught 5 snitches in 8 games, its total snitch 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.

4. Quaffle* Point Differential: The team's total points scored minus the team's total points allowed.

5. 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 most recently will have the ability to call heads or tails. Coin flips should be recorded and a record should be emailed to gameplay@usquidditch.org.

*Name to be updated

ENROLLMENT VERIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

All players on a collegiate team must attend the same school unless they participate in the joint team development program. All students, including undergraduate and postgraduate students, of a university are permitted to play on their school’s collegiate team. Faculty, staff, and community members who are not enrolled in classes will not be allowed to play on a school’s collegiate team. A student from a college without an official team may not compete with a college team from another school (unless they have been approved for a joint team).

This season, enrollment will be captured when a member upgrades their membership. Teams may also provide contact info for a collegiate administrator to help with the process. Enrollment will only be required to be submitted once per year. You can find additional information about collegiate player eligibility requirements on our membership team requirements page here.

Existing Gameplay Policies

Please review the full Gameplay Policies and Forms website page for information about key policies that are not changing from the 2021-22 season. This website includes the official game requirements, roster submission requirements, game appeal policy, forfeit procedure, fair play policy, tiebreaker policy, and equipment waiver form. 

Members must also abide by the official member code of conduct and unlawful harassment policy.

The 2022-23 season will be played under USQ Rulebook 2022, which will be released the week of August 30.

Timeline & Key Dates

The following are general deadlines for gameplay policies:

• October 26, 2022, at 11:59 pm ET: fall free player transfer window closes

• January 1, 2023, at 12:01 am ET: spring free player transfer window opens

• February 8, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET: spring free player transfer window closes

• March 12, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET: at-large gameplay requirements deadline

• March 26, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET: season play requirements deadline

The following deadlines apply to an event with official games. All forms referenced live on the Gameplay Policies and Forms page: 

• 1 month before the event: event sanctioning application due (if applicable)

• 2 weeks before the event: USQ calendar submission due (both for sanctioned and unsanctioned events)

• At least 1 week before the event: the game or tournament must be submitted to USQ and TD must be certified 

• 1 week before the event: equipment waiver primary deadline; will be processed before event (if applicable)

• 24 hours before the event: equipment waiver final deadline; may not be processed before the event (if applicable)

• Wednesday evening before the event: participating teams must submit their rosters

• 24 hours before the event: participating teams must submit their final roster

• 24 hours before the event: participating teams must have a fully certified coach 

• 24 hours before the event: team referee and snitch runner requirements due (if not completed by the team’s initial deadline)

• 2 days after the event: scores submitted to USQ standings

• 1 week after the event: forfeits at tournament emailed to gameplay@usquidditch.org (if applicable)

• 1 week after the event: post event forms submitted by tournament director

The deadlines for the team referee and snitch runner requirements vary and are as follows:

• If a team is competing at a USQ fall regional championship, they must complete the team referee and snitch runner requirements by the season play deadline for that specific event.

• If a team is competing at a USQ spring regional championship, they must complete the requirements by either the season play deadline for the final fall regional championship or one month after their team registers for the season, whichever comes later.

 

• Relevant Season Play Deadlines:

  • Great Lakes Regional Championship: Sunday, October 16, 2022

  • Northeast Regional Championship (TBD): Sunday, October 23, 2022

  • Midwest Regional Championship: Sunday, October 30, 2022

  • Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship: Sunday, November 6, 2022

  • South Regional Championship: Sunday, January 29, 2023

  • West Regional Championship: Sunday, February 5, 2023

  • Southwest Regional Championship: Sunday, February 12, 2023

If a team does not complete these requirements by the deadline, it must complete them by 24 hours before its next scheduled official event.

The following are the date and locations for the 2022-23 season regional championships:

• Great Lakes Regional Championship - South Bend, Indiana - Newton Park - October 29-30, 2022.

• Northeast Regional Championship (TBD) - November 5-6, 2022. 

• Midwest Regional Championship - Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Tuma Athletic Complex - November 12-13, 2022.

• Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship - Goldsboro, North Carolina - Bryan Multi-Sports Complex - November 19-20, 2022.

• South Regional Championship - Columbia, South Carolina - Saluda Shoals Park - February 11-12, 2023.

• West Regional Championship - Livermore, California - Robertson Park - February 18-19, 2023.

• Southwest Regional Championship - Round Rock, Texas - Round Rock Multipurpose Complex - February 25-26, 2023.

USQ Cup 2023 will take place at The Proving Grounds in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania on April 15-16, 2023.  The event is hosted in partnership with Valley Forge Sports.

ONGOING EVALUATION

USQ will continue to collect feedback on the structure of club and collegiate division teams. Feedback is always reviewed at the end of the season. Your feedback is important to us so we can make adjustments where necessary. Please do not hesitate to contact USQ with comments, thoughts, or ideas at gameplay@usquidditch.org. Quadball is your sport, and you always have the opportunity to positively impact the direction it grows.

Questions?

Please email gameplay@usquidditch.org with any questions or comments about this article’s information. 

If you’re interested in joining the gameplay department and helping to guide the league’s gameplay structures and policies, please email us at volunteer@usquidditch.org.