Fall 2025 Season

TSVL is committed to increasing representation from underrepresented groups in the league.

TSVL’s Research and Member Survey (year) data indicates that Intermediate Division team formations rely heavily on referrals and word of mouth. This advantages larger communities while often creating barriers for underrepresented groups in forming teams.

TSVL continues its Equity Priority Groups (EPG) initiative for the increased recruitment and retention of members from underrepresented groups in the league.

EPG includes:

1. Gender minorities – Women, Two-Spirit, Non-Binary
2. Transgender players
3. The following Racial/ethnic minorities – African, Black/African Canadian, Central Asian, Caribbean, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, Pacific Islands, South Asian

Each group currently makes up less than 5% of the division.

• Rosters: 6–10 players; managed by the team, not the league.
• Court Captain: Only player who may speak with the 1st referee or opposing captain. Responsible for team conduct.
• Libero: Allowed if declared before the match.
• Substitutions: Unlimited, but must follow FIVB rules (player can only be replaced by the same player they substituted for).
• Exceptional Subs: Allowed for injury/illness if no legal sub is possible.
• Attendance:
  • 6+ players → the team decides who plays.
  • 4–5 players → allowed with ghosts (missing player spots in rotation; ghosts cause automatic loss of serve with no point to opponent).
• Late arrivals may join play at any time.

Timeouts: 2 per game (30 sec each), not allowed in the last 2 minutes.

To maintain a safe, inclusive, and skill-focused ID environment—especially for players transitioning from the REC Division— TSVL enforces the following rules:

Restrictions

• No cross-play: No team may play in both Competitive and Intermediate in the same season.
• Max 2 Competitive-level players per ID team:
• Comp-player refers to someone who is in Fall 2025 Comp Division or someone who played in the Comp Division in the past seasons (Winter 2025 or Spring 2025).
• Approval required: Competitive players wishing to play on an ID team must email ID Coordinator for approval.

Captain Responsibilities

TSVL asks for captains’ support and collaboration in upholding ID-level gameplay:

• Adjust intensity: Ensure mid/high-Competitive players or newcomers with strong volleyball experience adjust their hitting intensity and overall play to match ID level.
• Check subs: Confirm if any subs are Competitive-level players and their attendance abides by Max 2 Competitive-level players rule. 

Enforcement

The ID Coordinator reserves the right to determine if a team is exceeding or abusing the Competitive-player allowance and may issue sanctions or defaults if necessary.

Registration Windows: August, December, April (check tsvl.org for exact dates).

Refund policy: See League Policies on the website.

EPG Team Allocation 

• 3 team spots reserved for eligible EPG teams.
• Teams must have at least 3 EPG players on their official roster.
• Self-identification is optional, confidential, and must be consistent with lived experience.
• TSVL respects individual’s self-identification and lived experience, expecting that this initiative will serve the EPG community.
• Captains must email both the Intermediate Coordinator, copying VP Operations, to indicate their team’s eligibility and request an EPG allocation.

If more than 3 teams qualify, the earliest 3 by 6th eligible player registration timestamp get the spots; the rest join the standard priority ranking.

If fewer than 3 teams qualify, the remaining spots would be reallocated to teams according to the priority ranking criteria for the Intermediate Division.

Individual Player Registration -(New, Fall 2025)

TSLV introduces this initiative to help individual players who are moving from Recreational Division find an Intermediate Division team so that they can continue developing their skills and learning positions.

New Player Team Allocation:

Up to 8 individual-player teams reserved for Fall 2025.

Player Eligibility:

• Priority 1: Recreational Division players who have played for at least two seasons in Recreational Division with a player ranking of 6 and up.
  • Previous captains’ recommendations will be considered.
• Priority 2: Recreational players who have played one season but believe they are at Intermediate level. 
  • ID Coordinator’s review and approval is required. For consideration, email intermediate@tsvl.org

Division Coordinator Policy (DCP)- (New, Fall 2025)

Starting from 2025 Fall, TSVL Board agreed to grant Division Coordinators one spot in their respective division to support them successfully manage their respective divisions throughout the season. 

For eligibility:

Coordinators and their teammates must register within the first 24 hours of their division’s registration.

Priority Ranking (Team Spots)

If the division is oversubscribed, team spots are assigned in this order:

Priority 1:
≥6 players, ≥4 Returning Players* from any ID team in Winter/Spring 2025.
(Not given to teams also in Competitive)

Priority 2:
≥6 players, all Returning Players from any division in Winter/Spring 2025.

If any team chooses to register in both Competitive and Intermediate Divisions in the Fall 2025 season, they will be given Priority 2 status in the Intermediate Division.

Priority 3:
≥6 players, ≥4 Returning Players from any Winter/Spring 2025 division.

Priority 4:
≥6 players, 1–3 Returning Players from Winter/Spring 2025.

*Returning Player: 

1. On a roster in Fall/Winter 2025. 
2. Winter 2025 registrants whose team didn’t get in retain returning status.
3. Subs count only if officially added to a roster.

How Priority Rankings Work

• Within each priority group, teams are ranked by the timestamp of their 6th eligible registered player.
• If a later player changes the priority, the timestamp is updated to that player’s registration time.
• Priority ranks are only assigned in the first 24 hours of registration. After that, spots are first-come, first-served.
• Rankings are locked 24 hours after registration opens and won’t change with additional players.

Tiebreaker within priorities: Earliest timestamp of the 6th registered player.

In an effort to alleviate the “fastest to register” advantage, TSVL continues to allocate a portion of the ID teams through Lottery System:

1. First 17 teams by timestamp will make it into the division.
2. Up to 3 EPG teams (not already in top 17) fill spots 18–20.
3. Remaining available spots as permits allow are filled via lottery. 

Note: Teams must register within the first 24 hours to be eligible. +24 hours registration teams are waitlisted behind any timestamped/lottery teams.

Hypothetical Scenario for clarity:

• 7 courts available, making room for 28 teams;
• 3 EPG teams outside the first 17 team, if applied, get spots 18-20 (timestamped if more than 3 EPG); 
• The remaining 8 spots (21-28) go to the first 8 teams drawn in the lottery.

Teams: ~28+

Weeks of play: 12 (barring any cancellations of permits that would be out of our control) 

Playoffs: One night of Playoffs - The playoff format will be determined closer to the end of the season, based on permit availability.

Format: Each week, teams play 28-minute matches against the three other teams in their pool. Each match has:

• Game 1: To 25 points (win by 2, cap at 27).
• Game 2: Until time runs out (no cap).

Scoring:

• Win Game 1 → 3 pts
• Win Game 2 → 2 pts (or 3 pts if to 25)
• Loss → 1 pt
• Default → 0 pts (Game 1 score: 25-0; Game 2 score: 15-0)

No ties: if tied at the end, play one extra point.

If Game 1 isn’t finished at 28 min, play “last point” to declare a winner, then a short Game 2 (3 points).

Pools: For established teams, they will be assigned a starting pool. The first two weeks are ranking weeks where teams do not accumulate ranking points, to allow for adjustment of initial placement 

Re-Ranking: At night’s end, teams are re-ranked by pool points. Ties are broken by head-to-head total points from both games. The top and bottom seeds of each pool are then sent up and down a pool respectively for the next week of play (i.e. the top seed of F pool at the end of the night will play as E4 the following week).

Points towards the overall divisional standings are then awarded to each team based on their new pool ranking (see Standings link).

Defaults: A team defaults Game 1 if fewer than 4 players are ready at start time (5-min grace for first match of night). Game 2 can be played if at least 3 points are possible.

TSVL reminds players that the Intermediate Division is intended for players who seek development, and/or stress-free, but skillful play.  

As tough development takes place throughout the ID season.

• Mandatory coaching sessions for teams at season start.
• Mentor feedback for individuals and/or the team as a whole during games and throughout the season
• Optional Monday night development sessions dedicated to Intermediate players/teams
• Online resources and pre-game drills by the ID Coordinator - Players are encouraged to arrive early at gyms for pre-game drills. 

Check-ins with players throughout the season.

Date: September 16, 2025 at 7 pm.
Loc: Rosedale Heights School of the Arts

For the attention of the seeking teams: 

Please  attend only if you are looking to recruit a player(s) or only send 1 or 2 representatives from your team to scope out the recruits.

Individual players may also contact the ID Coordinator.

For individual players who misses this night or being recruited, reach out to the ID Coordinator at intermediate@tsvl.org

* The terms Sub Players and Drop-in Players are interchangeable

• Allowed for the first 3 nights free, then $20 TSVL membership for the rest of the season.
• Max 2 subs per night and a total of 6 subs per season.
• The same sub can’t play for the same team more than 3 times.
• Subs/drop-ins cannot already be on an Intermediate team. There are also restrictions about how many Comp players are allowed. Read here. 
• No subs in the playoffs.
• Captains must register subs using the online SUB REGISTRATION form and notify the Coordinator before play.
• If someone else is registering on behalf of a sub, the sub must complete the waiver of liability form.

Be informed that in the event a team ever uses subs without following the above protocol, all matches involving said players will count as defaults.

Get on the Sub List and potentially get picked up by a team mid-season!

Email intermediate@tsvl.org with email contact info, positions, and preferred pools.

Teams playing with a ghost player will only lose serve and not a point when the ghost player rotates into the serving position. Also, with respect to matches defaulted, teams that default will gain points as if they lost the match (i.e. 1 point). The team that defaulted will still lose a defaulted set by a score of 10-0.

Season Map & Rosters (TBA)

Season Map Fall '25 (TBA)

Intermediate Team Rosters Fall '25 (TBA)