Toronto Spartan Volleyball League (“TSVL”) promotes sportsmanship above all else. The goal is for our players to have FUN – win or lose – and improve their volleyball and officiating skills. All players who  choose to play with the Toronto Spartan Volleyball League are required to promote and abide by TSVL sportsmanship policies.

Furthermore, in order that league activities may be organized and provided in an efficient and inclusive manner, rules and procedures specific to the Toronto Spartan Volleyball League have also been implemented. In many cases, such rules and procedures are implemented to ensure the safety of all participants. All players who choose to play with the Toronto Spartan Volleyball League are required to take active steps to ensure that their actions do not endanger the safety of others.

The complaint procedure adopted by the Toronto Spartan Volleyball League serves two primary purposes:

1. To provide complainants with a formal mechanism for documenting instances of rule and procedural violations and, where applicable, requesting disciplinary action in response to such violations.
2. To provide respondents with a formal mechanism to confront the complainants, to present their side of the story, to receive fair consideration, and to have the opportunity to appeal decisions made by the TSVL Complaint Commissioner to an Appeal Panel.

General Complaint Guidelines

All complaints shall be filed in writing, by submitting the official TSVL Complaint Form to the TSVL Complaint Commissioner either in person, or by e-mail to vp@tsvl.org. If the complaint alleges a violation that occurred during a night of league play in a particular division, the complaint shall be filed prior to the commencement of the next night of play involving the complainant in that division, or within 24 hours after the end of league play for the fall or winter half-season in which the violation occurred, whichever occurs first.

Upon receipt of a complaint, a copy of the complaint will be sent to the party or parties against whom the complaint has been filed. The name of the complainant will be listed. This is not an anonymous process.

Any TSVL member may submit a complaint, which is a record of an incident involving, for example:

• A violation of the TSVL Sportsmanship Policy, or other unsportsmanlike conduct
• A violation of the TSVL Code of Conduct
• A violation of TSVL rules established to govern play
• Chronic violation of TSVL league procedures
• A violation of TSVL Substance Abuse Policy
• Actions pertaining to volleyball which are believed to be not in the best interest of the sport, TSVL, or its members

Disciplinary action shall apply to all TSVL members, including officials, coaches, teams, or any person participating or attending (or intending to participate or attend) a TSVL organized or sponsored function. Where the violation occurred during a night of league play, disciplinary action shall be applied over and above any game penalties that may have already been assessed during that night of play.

Complaint Procedure

Players who experience a problem with another team or player are encouraged to address it with the other team captain immediately. Give the team or player a chance to make amends. If it possible to seek assistance from the division co-ordinator for immediate resolution of the problem, this is encouraged.

If, after discussion, the team or player makes no improvements, report the details of the problem by filing a written complaint in accordance with this complaint procedure. This procedure has been implemented to formalize the process of documenting serious or chronic violations – abuse of this procedure will not be tolerated. Following receipt of a written complaint, the TSVL Complaint Commissioner shall, as soon as reasonable, commence an investigation of the alleged violation to be made as deemed appropriate, and if deemed necessary:

• Notify both parties involved of the complaint, as received
• Provide opportunity for a written rebuttal by the party or parties against whom the complaint has been filed(the “respondents”), to be submitted within a specified time
• Request written statements from witnesses of the violation
• If the violation was made during a night of play for a particular division where a co-ordinator sits on the TSVL Executive, request a statement from the co-ordinator of that division, which may include recommendations of the appropriate sanctions and any other information that may be relevant to the resolution of the complaint

Failure on the part of the respondent(s) to provide a written rebuttal will not, in itself, result in the complaint being resolved in favour of the complainant.

It is important that the complainant provide as much detail as possible in the submitted written complaint. Except under exceptional circumstances or an appeal, the complainant will not receive a copy of the written rebuttal of the respondent(s), and will not be entitled to reply to such written rebuttal.

If it is confirmed that there is sufficient information to render a decision as to the allegations set forth in the complaint, the TSVL Complaint Commissioner will render one of the following, with reasons:

The TSVL Complaint Commissioner, on behalf of the Toronto Spartan Volleyball League, is empowered to apply sanctions as may be deemed appropriate. The determination by the TSVL Complaint Commissioner shall be binding on the respondent(s). The TSVL Complaint Commissioner shall inform the TSVL Executive of its decision at the next scheduled meeting.

A copy of the complaint and the decision will be kept on file. One complaint per incident will be recorded. Permanent records will be kept on file of persons who receive written and substantiated complaints. All such records are the confidential and exclusive property of the Toronto Spartan Volleyball League.

In addition to any disciplinary action taken in respect of the particular complaint received, the following additional disciplinary actions will apply based on the total number of written and substantiated complaints on record:

1-2 complaints: Issue Written Notification
3rd complaint: Issue Warning
4th complaint: Issue Probation Notice
5th and subsequent complaints: Automatic Suspension

Appeal Procedure

Any person disciplined in accordance with the complaint procedure will be provided notice of the TSVL Complaint Commissioner’s decision and reasons, as well as a letter outlining the appeal procedure.

Persons may appeal the TSVL Complaint Commissioner’s decision to an Appeal Panel within a specified period of time. Persons may also appeal to the Appeal Panel to have records expunged. Any appeal must be made in writing by the affected persons.

The Appeal Panel shall consist of at least three (3) TSVL members, and shall comprise a member from the TSVL Executive not directly involved in the decision rendered by the TSVL Complaint Commissioner, a playing member from the Competitive division of TSVL, and a playing member from the Recreational division of TSVL. The Appeal Panel may employ the services of a legal advisor to assist in the resolution of the appeal.

Following receipt of the written appeal, the Appeal Panel shall, as soon as reasonable, commence an investigation of the alleged violation to be made as deemed appropriate, and if deemed necessary, shall arrange for a hearing
at which the parties involved shall have the right to appear personally and present evidence.

However, the Appeal Panel shall not be required to hold any hearing; its decision may be based entirely on the findings of fact made by the TSVL Complaint Commissioner and on the facts and arguments submitted in writing by the parties to the appeal.

The Appeal Panel is empowered to dismiss the complaint or to direct sanctions to be applied, as it deems appropriate, including for example, the suspension of a player or team for a period of one year or more.

The decision of the Appeal Panel shall be final and binding. The decision of the Appeal Panel shall remain a permanent record of TSVL.

The TSVL Complaint Commissioner shall assist in the preparation of a written record of the decision of the Appeal Panel, which sets forth the basis for the decision. The TSVL Complaint Commissioner shall also promptly deliver copies of the decision of the Appeal Panel to the parties involved.

The TSVL Complaint Commissioner shall take appropriate action, or otherwise direct that the appropriate action be taken as necessary to ensure that the corrective action in the decision of the Appeal Panel is applied, and applied for the fixed time as may be listed in the written decision.

Please direct your comments or questions on this policy to the Vice President