FORMAT

Intermediate is a development division but competitive formation is generally expected. However, middle setting formation (Rec rotation) will be allowed for the first few weeks for developing teams upon approval.

There will still be weekly results and season overall ranking based on those results. as per usual scoring system similar to Recreational and Competitive divisions. Detailed explanation of ranking will be provided directly to teams in a separate document.

DEVELOPMENT

Coaches will help develop skills, both individually and as a team. On some of the regular Wednesday nights, coaches will come in to conduct skill workshops, guide game play and give pointers to teams and players.
Captain workshops/meetings – ID coordinator will organize gatherings, online meetings to provide necessary training and support as well as check in with captains.
There will also be some optional Monday development nights dedicated to ID (led by coaches or volunteers who are skilled competitive players).
Online resources (a video library and other useful documents) will be built and provided throughout the season to all ID captains and players.
Stress-free weekly play format: Continue to optimize your formation/rotation and improve gameplay without the stress of competitive division play.

LEVEL OF PLAY

It must be understood that if teams choose to participate in the Intermediate Division there will be a wide range of levels.  In some cases recreational players will be moving to ID for the first time.  Patience and good judgement must be exercised by all players to ensure everyone is staying safe and enjoying play.  In some cases players should adjust how hard they are hitting and serving.

REGISTRATION

Registration takes place early in each new season (August, December).  The cancellation and refund policy for TSVL is found under About TSVL.

PRIORITY RANKING / TEAM COMPOSITION

In the event we cannot accommodate all registered teams, teams will be given spots in the league based on these rankings. The priority ranking is divided into 4 groups.  We are able to accommodate a maximum of 16 teams in total.

Updated for Winter 2023: Intermediate teams may have one (1) current Comp player from H Pool or lower OR one (1) current Comp player from G Pool or higher IF they are a Captain/Mentor approved by the Division Coordinator.

The priority ranking is further divided into 4 groups:

PRIORITY 1: A team consisting of at least 6 players with at least 4 Returning Players from any Intermediate division team’s roster (subs not included) in Fall 2022.

*NEW*: Priority 1 status will not be given to any ID teams that have also registered in the Comp Division. If any team chooses to register in both Comp and ID in the Winter 2023 season, they will have Priority 2 status in ID.

PRIORITY 2: A team consisting of at least 6 players from any division as a Returning Players (see definition below).

PRIORITY 3: A team consisting of at least 6 players with at least 4 Returning Players from any division in Fall 2022.

PRIORITY 4: A team consisting of at least 6 players with 1-3 Returning Players from any Fall 2022 division.

Teams that do not meet any of these Priority Ranks can still register, they will just be accepted after teams with a Priority Rank.

RETURNING PLAYER DEFINITION

* NOTE: “Returning Players” are players who had purchased a Fall 2022 membership and were registered on a team’s roster. Subs do not count as Returning Players — unless they ended up actually registering onto a team’s roster later on in the Fall 2022 season.

TIMESTAMPS

Within each priority ranked group, teams are again ranked based on registration timestamps. A team registering online is only assigned a priority rank after their sixth team member is registered. The team’s timestamp is the time of their sixth member’s registration. If a subsequent team member’s registration alters the team’s priority ranking, a new rank will be issued with the timestamp of this subsequent member’s registration.

We welcome all interested teams into the registration process!

Questions about the priority ranking or registration process? Contact the Intermediate Division Coordinator, at intermediate@tsvl.org

RECRUITMENT

For competitive (and intermediate) teams who are still looking for player(s) and free agent players still looking for a team, we are having a Comp + Intermediate Division Player Recruitment Night. Please only attend if you are looking to recruit a player(s) and only send 1 or 2 representatives from your team to scope out the recruits - we will have opportunities for team practices in the upcoming weeks.

ROSTER FREEZE

Rosters will be frozen for the first two weeks of “placement adjusting”, as well as two weeks of regular play. No deletions to any roster will be allowed until after the fourth night of the season. Any additions cannot change the original registration priority placement.

Players added to any roster to start within the last 3 nights of regular season play are able to play regular-season games but are unable to play in the playoffs. In other words, players must be on the team roster by the 4th last night of the regular season to play in the playoffs.

SUBSTITUTE/DROP IN OVERVIEW

1. Substitute players are allowed in the Intermediate Division, per the Intermediate Substitute Player Policy outlined below.
2. Substitute players and drop-in players are considered the same thing and the terms are interchangeable. These players do not need to be TSVL members in order to play for the first 3 nights they sub.
3. The Sub List is considered a resource for Intermediate teams to know who is available to play when they are in a pinch. While it is not necessary to be on the Sub List to act as a drop-in player, it is a useful way to get your name out there if you want to be called on to sub (and potentially get picked up by a team mid-season). Both members and non-members can be on the Sub List.

POLICY

1. Intermediate teams are responsible for contacting substitute players themselves and must appropriately register their player and notify the Intermediate Division Coordinator (Intermediate@tsvl.org) before the substitute player is used.   If someone else is registering for the substitute player, the sub must complete the waiver of liability form.
2. If a team uses substitute players in any matches without following the above protocol, all matches involving said players will count as defaults.
3. All subs/drop-ins must register as a sub before they play.
4. Subs/drop-ins cannot already be on an Intermediate team.  There are also restrictions about how many Comp players are allowed.  Check the separate policy for this information.
5. A player can only sub/drop-in for the same team 3 times during the season.
6. Subs/drop-in players can play an unlimited number of times during the regular season, but are not allowed to be used during playoffs.
7. Teams can have maximum 2 sub/drop-in players per night, and up to 6 subs/drop-in players per season. As mentioned, they may not use the same sub more than 3 times during a season, or use any sub during playoffs.

FEES
Subs play for *FREE* the first 3 nights they sub! After that, a sub can buy a TSVL membership ($20), which covers any subbing for the rest of the season. This is for subbing across all divisions. This policy was created to make it easier for teams to get subs and avoid playing short-handed or default, and make it easier for subs to get more TSVL action throughout the season!

REGISTRATION(Please read Sub Rules & Fee Info, prior to registering)

SUB REGISTRATION LINK   Only use this link if you've been asked by a captain to sub.

WHO'S ON THE SUBLIST?  CHECK IT HERE:

COMP/ID SUBLIST LINK

GET ADDED TO THE SUBLIST:

Email intermediate@tsvl.org. Provide your preferred email contact, court position(s), and pool(s) you wish to sub for.

GET A TSVL MEMBERSHIP (needed after subbing on 3 occasions)

Click here to purchase a TSVL membership ($20/season)

GHOST & DEFAULT PENALTIES

The ghost rule continues as usual: 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 21-0.