League Guidelines and Rules

League Guidelines and Rules

NCS Guidelines for Fair Play

NCS takes the behavior of its members in sanctioned squash events seriously. The Association expects members to abide by the following guidelines:

Read and follow the League rules, which may be downloaded here.

Read and follow the NCS League Rules and the Rules of Singles Squash 2019

Wear US SQUASH-approved eye protection gear over the eyes at all times when on court, including during the warm-up.  Playing without eye protection is not permitted.  Players who play in NCS sanctioned matches without proper eye protection will forfeit their matches.

Obey the rules and policies of host venues.  Treat their employees courteously and with respect.

Register and be ready to play scheduled matches on time.  Venues are listed in the “Courts” link “Where to Play” in the toolbar of this website. When traveling to matches, allow extra time for delays in traffic.

Rescheduling league matches to later dates for personal reasons is not permitted.  NCS League Rules require matches to be played on the scheduled dates.  Division Coordinators may reschedule a League match at the request of the team Captains if weather or host venue conditions make it impossible or unsafe to play the match as scheduled.  Postponed matches should be played before the next match date on the League calendar so as not to unduly lengthen the season and force the  postponement of end-of-season championship playoff rounds and other NCS activities.

Do not default a match unless you are injured or you believe that playing would be hazardous to your health or unsafe.  A match in a sanctioned event involves the planning and effort of volunteer Captains, Division Coordinators and the employees of venues who donate valuable peak period court time that is normally reserved for club members.  Late withdrawals and no-shows for reasons other than injuries and medical emergencies reflect poorly on our League and negatively impact players and organizers.

Win and lose gracefully.  Maintain composure before, during and after each match. Be courteous on and off court to opponents and referees. Referee matches as directed by tournament staff.

Ensure that all League matches are refereed.  Offer to officiate if you have time and no one else has stepped forward.

Coach others and accept coaching only between games.

Accept Referee’s decisions with grace.  “Dissent to Referee” is a Violation of Rule 15.

At the conclusion of your match, shake hands with your opponent and thank the Referee.

NOTE: Abuse of players/spectators/referees/equipment/court/ball; offensive or crude language/gestures; and time-wasting are violations of Rule 15 (Conduct).   Referees are empowered to control player behavior and apply the penalties in the Rule (Conduct Warning, Conduct Stroke, Conduct Game and Conduct Match).

NCS has a Disciplinary Committee and a Code of Conduct Report (CCR) for addressing serious violations.  The Report  may be downloaded here. The Committee reviews CCRs and it may apply penalties to players which range from Probation to Revocation of membership in NCS.   The Committee follows procedures to ensure fair and balanced treatment of parties  involved in incidents of conduct violation.