UPl LEAGUE INFORMATION UPl COMPETITION InfrmatiN
Cntents INTRODUCTION LEAGUES SYSTEM ORGANISING FIXTURES IMPROVING THE STANDARDS OF REFEREEING AND TABLE OFFICIATING RESULTS RULES Imprving the Standards f Refereeing Imprving the Standards f Table Officiating Increased Player Respnsibility Pints and League Psitin Game Rules Equipment Referees BUCS / OTHER COMPETITION BUCS Other Cmpetitins PLAYERS University Affiliated UPOLO WEBSITE The Website Features Yur Teams Website Manager Yur Team Page TEAM KIT Custm Trunks and Cstumes UPOLO NEWS CONTACT US Facebk Twitter UPl Newsletter
Intrductin t UPl UPl aims t imprve the standard f water pl in UK by giving University teams mre pprtunity t play at a cmpetitive level. This dcument will give yu a gd idea abut hw the UPl cmpetitin. BUCS is an imprtant universities cmpetitin but, depending n hw far in the turnament yu reach, can leave sides with few cmpetitive games and the rest f their seasn usually features nthing mre than a few friendlies. The UPl cmpetitin lks t run alngside BUCS t prvide sides with a cmplete fixture list. THE UPl League System The cmpetitin is divided int reginal leagues - this helps t ensure that all games are an acceptable travelling distance fr the away team. Each reginal league will differ frm the next depending n the number f participating teams within. We re aiming fr an ptimum number f 4 t 6 clubs per regin. Every team plays each ther twice in an away and hme fixture; this ensures fur r five hme and fur r five away games ver the curse f the seasn, rughly half played befre and half after Christmas. In regins where there are a significant number f teams we have set up multiple divisins t ensure all sides have a manageable and cmpetitive seasn. The league culminates in a Finals turnament in late spring/early summer, knwn as the UPl British Champinships. The tp teams f each regin in bth Divisin 1 and 2 have the pprtunity t cmpete against each ther fr the UPl Cup and Shield respectively. Only the tp teams f every regin/divisin qualify fr the British Champinships and will be invited t attend nce the last league fixtures have been played. It s a fantastic ne-day event with a packed fixtures schedule, music, prizes, etc. Mre details and phts/vides frm previus years can be fund n the website.
Organising Fixtures At the beginning f the seasn, teams find the fllwing infrmatin n the website: The league yur team is in; The ther teams in yur league; The cntact details fr each team in yur league (this requires a lg in) All fixtures will be added t the UPl website under yur league. All games will be riginally assigned t a Wednesday f a particular game week. A representative can use the site t assign the game t anther day in that week r a later date if it needs t rearranged. This will alert the ppsitin representative wh can then chse t accept these changes (mre details n the UPl website r prvided later in this dcument). If, fr any reasn, the match des nt g ahead, yu need t make every effrt t reschedule it befre yur next arranged match r as sn after as pssible therwise yu will cmplicate the league results and fixtures lists. If yu are unable t attend a match, please prvide the ther team with a week s ntice and ffer a suitable alternative time t play. Failure t make a significant effrt t fulfil a fixture will result in yur team frfeiting its pints and the ther team receiving a 5-0 win. It is critical t the successful running f the league that all teams make every effrt t play their matches accrding t the established timetable. Please let us knw if yu re finding it difficult t keep up with the schedule and we ll be happy t help. Results All results will cunt twards the league standings. It is imprtant t reprt each match s result within 48 hurs f the game. These results can be directly upladed t the UPl website frm the team s admin user (this is explained in mre detail later in this dcument). Pints System The pints awarded fr a game will be as fllws: Win - 3 Pints Draw - 2 Pints Lss - 1 Pint Frfeited Game - 0 Pints (3 pints fr ppsitin side)
Rules Pints and League Psitin As mentined abve, teams shall be awarded 3 pints fr a win, 2 pints fr a draw, 1 pint fr a lss and 0 pints fr a frfeit. Tie n pints between tw teams In case f equality f pints between tw teams, precedence shall be given t the team with the best gal difference fllwed by the team scring the mst number f gals. If there is still a tie, the winners will be decided by lt. Game Rules Timing: If a stp clck r a 30-secnd sht clck are available they shuld be used. If nt, 4 8 minutes quarters based n a running clck shuld be implemented with a 1-minute break between quarters and 2 minutes fr half time. Official rules shuld be fllwed as clsely as pssible fr game play. Please visit the rules dcument fr guidance. Ultimately, cmmn sense shuld prevail when fficial rules may nt apply. As well as sticking t the guidelines, teams must agree t cmpete in the spirit f the game that is, try their utmst t play all fixtures and thereby maintain a fair league. This means allwing fr deviatins frm the rules t allw fr cmpletin f fixtures; if, fr example, pl time is limited, shrter quarters may be played. Bth captains must agree t any changes befre the start f the game. Equipment The hme team is respnsible fr prviding the match balls and the pl-based equipment. This includes the gals, 2m and 5m markers, table and timing equipment. Bth teams shuld als try t bring bth blue and white hats. Referees We are trying t ensure that a reasnable standard f referring is present at all UPl games. This area is dealt with in mre detail belw.
Imprving the Standards f Refereeing and Table Officiating Upn jining UPl, each club must put frward at least 2 referee candidates and 2 table fficials candidates per team entered int the cmpetitin (these can be players). These candidates will be respnsible fr refereeing and fficiating their clubs UPl games if a higher level referee isn t attending. We suggest that these candidates are vted in fr the cming seasn at yur club s Annual General Meeting. There can be an verlap f candidates (e.g. the same persn is put frward fr bth the refereeing and table fficiating) but in this case we have t be satisfied that the club has enugh cver fr bth rles, These candidates will have t have a full understanding f the game and cmmit t reading the relevant UPl Referee Guide. By underging this they will becme UPl Level 1 qualified in that respective area. Fr this t be a success, and imprve the standard f University water pl, we need all clubs t endrse this idea and ensure that the criteria are strictly met. Imprving Refereeing Standards UPl Referee Guide bk As mentined abve, each club has t prvide a required number f UPl Level 1 Qualified referees. This qualificatin is based n having an in depth knwledge n the rules f the game alng with the understanding n the techniques and cmmn practices invlved in refereeing a game. T ensure this is met, all UPl referees have t cmmit t ging thrugh the UPl Referee Guide Bk.The UPl Referee Guide bk will be sent ut t clubs and made available n the UPl website. Training Curses UPl is als lking at putting n and endrsing referee curses at different lcatins arund the cuntry. We will make all clubs aware f these and will expect their cmmitment in sending their UPl referee candidates t these curses. Referees that attend these curses will als btain a higher level qualificatin.
Refereeing a Game Fr all UPl games yu shuld aim t have 2 referees at each game, 1 lead referee and 1 secndary referee. The rle f the lead referee is t: Instigate a meeting with the 2 nd referee befre the game t ensure they are bth happy with the match cntext and available equipment. Ensure that the table is apprpriately staffed and has crrect equipment. Bring bth captains tgether and infrm them f the game rules that will apply e.g. where players g when excluded etc and remind them f their respnsibility t ensure their team shw respect t all the fficials. Make the cin tss at the beginning f the game with the captains. Belw are the 2 refereeing circumstances that shuld arise: 1 Fully Qualified Referee & 1 UPl Qualified Referee In this scenari the fully qualified referee is the lead and takes n the relevant respnsibilities. The UPl Qualified Referee wuld nrmally be prvided by the hme team. 2 UPl Qualified Referees In this scenari there shuld be 1 referee supplied by each team (hme and away). The hme team referee is the lead and takes n the relevant respnsibilities. Bth referees will be added t the match sheet and this will be lgged with UPl at the pint where the result is submitted. Referees will btain a higher qualificatin if they referee ver a certain number f games. If referees are als players, they can swap at half time with anther UPl qualified referee and play in the game. Imprving Table Officiating UPl Table Officiating Guide bk As mentined abve, each club has t prvide a required number f UPl Level 1 Qualified Table Officials. This qualificatin is based n having an in depth knwledge n the rules f the game alng with the understanding n the techniques and cmmn UPl practices invlved in fficiating the table. T ensure this is met, all UPl table fficials have t cmmit t ging thrugh the UPl Table Officiating Guide Bk. The UPl Table Officiating Guide Bk will be sent ut t clubs and made available n the UPl website.
Increased Player Respnsibility One f UPl s main fcuses is that teams play in the spirit f the game. As part f this we are asking all players t make an extra effrt t shw the apprpriate level f respect fr the game fficials. This includes always playing t the referees whistle withut questin r a shw f descent. T reinfrce this we want team captains t remind their players f this befre each game (this culd be in the team talk) and take respnsibility t ensure it is enfrced thrughut the game. BUCS AND Other Cmpetitins UPl fully supprts the rle f the BUCS champinships in the University water pl calendar and will lk t reprt n it as much as pssible. Tgether, UPl and BUCS prvide a well-runded and cmplete fixtures calendar. BUCS (as well as ther cmpetitins) fixtures als wrk n a reginal basis s yu are likely t be playing sme teams in bth cmpetitins. It is pssible fr yu t submit yur match scres fr these cmpetitins as yur UPl game result if yu were genuinely nt able t play the team again bth teams need t agree this befre the game. Players At the very start f the seasn all teams must register all f their players n the UPl website. If new players jin jarring the seasn these can just be added t yur team s player list (this needs t be dne befre they play in any UPl games). Players WHO can cmpete in UPl University Players All players enrlled at yur University are entitled t play.
Affiliated Players Affiliated players can als take part in the UPl cmpetitin. An affiliated player might be an ld by/girl r friends wh d nt attend the University. They must, hwever, be cmmitted t playing the seasn and registered with UPl. This is t increase the standard f play, help ensure that teams have significant players t fulfil their fixtures and t allw nn-university players t play mre water pl. This rule may be reviewed if teams begin t abuse it (e.g. by fielding the starting seven f the turing Hungarian natinal side when they have a day ff). It is imprtant that the majrity f yur side is still made up f University students. Secnd Team Players If a team has bth a first and secnd team entered int the UPl league, first team players utside the starting 7 are eligible t play fr the secnd team. This prvides thse players with mre pl time and adds t the depth f players that the secnd team can use t ensure they fulfil their fixtures. This rule is designed with flexibility in mind and, if abused, will be investigated. Please nte: These crssver players shuld be registered n the website in bth yur first and secnd teams. The UPl Website www.u-pl.cm The league prgramme will be strngly supprted by the redevelped UPl fficial website (www.u-pl.cm). The website is where yu ll find up t date results and league tables, latest news and infrmatin, player stats, fixtures lists and much mre. The UPl site nt nly acts as the cntrl centre fr the UPl league but als as a prtal that fulfils the needs f a University water pl club. We will cntinually lk t develp and imprve the website and if yu have any suggestins t imprve the site, we d welcme yur feedback. UPl Website Features We have been wrking hard n imprving the UPl website t make it a mre interactive experience fr bth captains and players. T utilise these new features there is a lgin system. Each team needs t put frward a UPl website manager whse details will be used in lgging in and wh will receive email alerts when necessary. Multiple web managers can be added fr ne team and/r a web manager can have access t multiple teams (e.g. the Mens and Ladies sides).
What will the UPl website manager be respnsible fr? Registering yur players (very imprtant) As usual we expect sides t register their players fr the upcming seasn. The representative needs t have this dne befre their team s first game. This will be dne straight nt the site nce they have lgged in. The details entered fr each player are their name, email address and whether they are a University r affiliated player. New players can then be added t this list at a later date. Uplading results and player stats Once a game has taken place the either team s website manager can uplad the match result and player stats n t the website (this shuld be dne within 48hrs f the game). The site has been designed fr this t be an easy prcess. Once upladed, it will alert the ppsitin website manager wh can then chse t accept the result. Rearranging fixtures All games are currently assigned t a Mnday f a particular game week. A representative can use the site t assign the game t anther day in that week r a later date if it needs t rearranged. This will alert the ppsitin representative wh can then chse t accept these changes. Yur Team Page: There are als features which allw each team t have their wn page n the UPl website. This page wuld be pen t all f its players and wuld be managed by the team s representative. Sme f the features that are available t the representative n their team page are: Add a heading with intr and lg/crest Add News Items Match Reprts, club news r just idle gssip Add Phts A picture captures a thusand wayward shts?! Add Vides Best Gals t Best Fancy Dress Add dates t yur calendar (UPl games are already included but add BUCS games, friendlies, training r scials). Yur team page will als feature yur team s player stats, latest results and links t yur fixture list and league table. All f this is designed t help teams cmmunicate with their players and prvide a central area where yu can prmte yur team.
Team Kit Custm trunks and cstumes Having wrked hard t surce the best designers and suppliers, we are pleased t bring yu custm kit rdering services frm this year. Please email admin@u-pl.cm with yur request and we ll get right n it. We can use yur existing design r wrk smething up fr yu. UPl News We lk t prvide as much news bth n the UPl cmpetitin and n UK and wrld water pl as a whle. We als encurage interactin with ur members and aim t run cmpetitins thrughut the seasn. Please find us at the fllwing: Fllw UPl n Facebk fr the latest Vides / Phts / News as well as cmpetitins and giveaways Fllw UPl n Twitter fr play-by-play updates UPl Newsletter infrming yu f what s happening in the UPl wrld
Cntact Us If yu have any questins please cntact us at any time. We re als very interested t hear any feedback frm cmpeting players and clubs, in rder t cntinually imprve yur experience and enjyment f the league. T cntact us either drp us an email (admin@u-pl.cm) r a Facebk message.