TUA Local Tasmanian Rules Variations

WFDF Rules

Ultimate in Tasmania is generally played under WFDF rules with a few minor variations for particular tournaments, leagues and games. For leagues, the League Organiser takes the position of the TD.

In April 2007, there were significant revision of the WFDF rules. All TUA leagues and tournaments from April 2007 to May 2009 were run under the 2007 WFDF rules. Prior to 2007, the 2002 WFDF rules were in use.

As of March 2009, there has been a further revision of the WFDF rules. All TUA leagues and tournaments from May 2009 will now be run under the 2009 WFDF rules. There was also an update to the rules in 2008 - but nobody in Tasmania seemed to notice. Whoops!

As of August 2010 the TUA local rule variations are being completely revised, restructured and re-organised and initial draft revisions are available on the TasUltimate wiki rules page. Once these revisions are finalised, the TasUltimate wiki rules page will probably replace this page.

Spirit

As of July 2010, spirit is scored out of 20 (no half points) for all TUA leagues and tournament using the 2010 Spirit of the Game Rating System developed by BULA and WFDF. This revised system involves scoring 5 different aspects of the game with 0 points (poor), 1 point (not so good, 2 points (good), 3 points (very good) or 4 points (excellent) each. The 5 criteria follow, with explanatory examples:

• Rule Knowledge and Use: They did not make unjustified calls. They did not purposefully misinterpret the rules. They kept to time limits. They were willing to teach and/or learn the rules.
• Fouls and Body Contact: They avoided fouling, contact, and dangerous plays.
• Fair-mindedness: They apologized for their own fouls. They informed teammates when they made wrong or unnecessary calls. They were willing to admit that we were right and retracted their call.
• Positive Attitude and Self-control: They introduced themselves. They communicated without derogatory or aggressive language. They complimented us on our good plays. They left an overall positive impression during and after the game, e.g. during the Spirit circle.
• Our Spirit Compared to Theirs: How did our team compare to theirs with regards to rules knowledge, body contact, fair-mindedness, positive attitude and self-control? Our spirit was (much better = 0pts, slightly better = 1 pt, the same = 2 pts, the slightly worse = 3 pts, much worse = 4 pts)

Hobart Social League rules (outside)

In October 2002, the Tasmanian Ultimate Association set some rule variations for outside leagues. These rules were subsequently updated in January 2004, February 2005, March 2006 and May 2007, with changes to the spirit scoring system adopted from Autumn League in 2009 and revised further in 2010:

1. Covered footwear must be worn by all players (no bare foot players). No exposed metal is allowed on footwear. Additional safety related issues can be addressed by the league organisers on the spot and games stopped or players prevented from finishing a game as required. Cleats are compulsory for outdoor leagues in Autumn and Winter and for Division 1 games in Spring and Summer.
2. Mixed league, minimum of 1 of each sex on the field. Defensive teams should field the same number of men/women as the offensive team if possible. If an offensive team fields 3 women & 4 men, then the defensive team (team throwing the pull) should also field 3 women & 4 men (if possible). If the defensive team only has 1 woman then they must field at least 1 woman and make up the numbers with men. This rule may be relaxed at the discretion of the league organiser.
3. The game is forfeited if a team can not field five players within 10 minutes of the starting time, with minimum numbers of each sex as specified above (unless the opposing captain agrees to play the game with fewer players on the field or with different sex ratios).
4. If 24 hours notice of a forfeit is provided to the opposing captain, the game is considered to be a loss (rather than a forfeit) with a 0-3 score line, with each team being awarded their spirit average (rounded up).
5. At the appointed start time, teams are supposed to field a minimum of 5 players. If a team cannot field 5 players the team must commence play when directed by the opposing captain, with as many registered players as they can muster, (with a maximum of 7). This means that in some circumstances, a game may start before a forfeit is declared. Games still start on time, even if players arrive late. Teams are not required to match opposition player numbers if their opponents are short of players.
6. When the time cap for each game is reached (indicated by the sounding of the whistle or horn), the point in progress is completed and the game finishes then.
7. Each team may call up to two (2) 2 (two) minute time-outs per game. For Spring and Summer leagues there is no half-time and there is no points cap. For Autumn League, there is a points cap at 17, with half time (5 minutes) taken when one team reaches a score of 9. Time outs are allocated as one time-out per half per team.
8. Games cancelled due to bad weather or for other reasons count as a 0-0 draw, with 10 spirit points to each team. If a game is stopped prior to timecap (for example for bad weather), the current score stands when the game has progressed to half the timecap, otherwise a "no result" is declared.
9. Pick-up players cannot play without the agreement of both captains and the league organiser. If unauthorised pickup players play in a game, the team with the pickup players will be declared to forfeit the game. Only paid-up players who are on the team list and have played 3 minor round games with the team may play finals.
10. Spirit is scored out of 20 (no half points).
11. 3 points for a win, 2 for a tie, 1 for a loss and 0 for a forfeit. A 0-5 score line is given for a defeat by forfeit without notice, with their spirit average (rounded up) given to the winning team (or 14 spirit points if it is the first game of the season) and spirit score of 0 to the forfeiting team. Team ranking (in order): competition points (equivalent to win-loss percentage with ties), head-to-head (the old WFDF rule 206.04), spirit points, overall goal difference, then disc flip.

Hobart Indoor League rule variations

Leagues such as the Winter 2003 league, which is played indoors as a 4-a-side competition, have the following rule variations. [These rules were subsequently updated with changes to the spirit scoring system adopted from Autumn League in 2009, then dropped at some later date. Other updates were made in May 2010]:

1. The playing field is a netball court with the goal circle as the end zone.
2. Mixed league, maximum five players per team on the court. At least one player of each sex must be on the court at all times. Defence matches sex ratio of the offence, if possible. This rule may be relaxed at the discretion of the league organiser.
3. The game is considered to be forfeited if a team can not field four players (at least one of each sex) within five minutes of the starting time (i.e., flipping of the discs). This rule may be relaxed at the discretion of the league organiser.
4. Finish the point in progress at the sounding of the whistle, for both the half time break (if there is one) and at full time.
5. No time-out periods are allowed during a game.
6. If the pull goes out of the back of the court, then the disc is put into play at the front most part of the end zone.
7. Stall count is seven.
8. Spirit is scored out of 20 (no half points).
9. For each game, the winning team gets 3 pts, tied teams get 2 pts each, defeated team gets 1 pt, and no pts for forfeiting. A 5-0 score line is given for a victory by forfeit, with their average spirit score (rounded up) given to the winning team (or 14 spirit points if it is the first game of the season - for spirit scored out of 16).

Two-Hat rule variations

Tournaments such as the infamous Two-Hat are played under the following rules (in 2010, the timecap completion rule was modified):

1. Timecap game completion. When the time cap is reached, a total of two more throws and attempted catches are allowed, where the pull does not count as a throw. If no points are scored after two throws, the score at time cap is the final score. Note that the two throw rule allows a maximum of two points to be scored after time cap. If the game is a knock out final, the point in progress is completed. If the scores are tied on completion of this point, one more point is played to decide the game.
2. If possible, the defence (team that just scored) at least matches the number of women on offence (team receiving the next pull). The defence can choose to play more women than the offence.
3. Spirit is scored out of 20 (no half points).
4. Spirit scores are used as a tie breaker if two teams are equal on win loss record. If teams are still equal, use head to head record, then point difference only including the games concerning the tied teams, then total point difference for all games, then total points scored for only including the games concerning the tied teams, then total points scored for all games and then at the discretion of the Tournament Director!

CSIRO/Uni Challenge rule variations

The CSIRO/Uni Challenge (or Edwina Challenge) operates under the following rules:

1. Game starts at 12:45 pm, game to 15, (win by 2), time cap at 1:55pm.
2. CSIRO plays in traditional white, Uni plays dark.
3. Full seven a side (real!) ultimate.
4. Timecap game completion. When the time cap is reached, the point in progress is completed. If the scores are tied on completion of this point, one more point is played to decide the game. Note that a new point begins as soon as a goal is scored, not when the pull is taken. Hence there is no advantage in delaying the pull to delay the start of the next point.
5. If possible, the defence (team that just scored) at least matches the number of women on offence (team receiving the next pull). The defence can choose to play more women than the offence.
6. If one team fails to produce a team of at least 5 players by 1:00pm, they forfeit the game.
7. Half time (2 minutes) is taken when one team reaches 8 points - restart is mirror.
8. One time out (1 minute) per team per half.
9. The winning team takes possession of Edwina, the prestigious trophy.
10. The losing team can challenge at any time. The holders of the trophy have 4 weeks to answer any challenge, or else give up the trophy to the challengers.

TUC rule variations

The Tamanian Ultimate Championships used to operate under the following rules:

1. Games are held every three week or so (at the organisers discretion), game to 17, win by 2 with a time cap after 75 minutes of play.
2. Full seven a side (real!) ultimate.
3. Timecap game completion. When the time cap is reached, the point in progress is completed.If the scores are tied on completion of this point, one more point is played to decide the game. Note that a new point begins as soon as a goal is scored, not when the pull is taken. Hence there is no advantage in delaying the pull to delay the start of the next point.
4. If possible, the defence (team that just scored) at least matches the number of women on offence (team receiving the next pull). The defence can choose to play more women than the offence.
5. If one team fails to produce a team of at least 5 players by 5 minutes after the official start time, they forfeit the game.
6. Half time (2 minutes) is taken when one team reaches 9 points - restart is mirror.
7. One time out (1 minute) per team per half.
8. The Tasmanian Ultimate Champions are the team that wins the most challenge games in any calendar year.

A-League rule variations

The A-League (when it was running) operated under the same rules as the Hobart Social League outdoor rules, with the following variations:

1. Games are played to 17, with a time cap after 90 minutes of play (or 90 minutes after the scheduled start time, whichever comes first!).
2. Time cap game completion. When the time cap is reached, the point in progress is completed. A tied game is allowed in this league.
3. If possible, the defence (team that just scored) at least matches the number of women on offence (team receiving the next pull). The defence can choose to play more women than the offence.
4. Pick-up players cannot play without the agreement of both captains and the league organiser.If unauthorised pickup players play in a game, the team with the pickup players will be declared to forfeit the game.
5. Half time (5 minutes) is taken when one team reaches 9 points - restart is mirror.
6. Two time outs (2 minutes) per team per half. Time outs may not be called when the time cap has passed.