Fall Game Start Timeliness: 15-5-Pull

Posted by Craig on September 24, 2019 3:08 pm

We made changes to game start times in Summer of 2019 to improve games starting on time... This has long been an issue in the VUL and we're continuing to invest in ensure games start on time throughout the whole year. 

From the changes we made in Summer League, we saw a noticeable difference in games starting on time. Take a look at our recent Summer League Survey where we asked our annual question - How satisfied are you with game start times? (2019 indicated in red)


. 

Game Timing

Here's what game timing looks like for Fall Grass and Fall Turf. 

 
Grass AM
Grass PM
 Turf 7 pm  Turf 8 pm
Arrive & cleat-up by 10:00 am   by 1:00 pm   by 7:00 pm by 8:00 pm
Warmup, Captains & Gurus connect   10:00 1:00 7:00 8:00
Start signal 10:10 1:10 7:10 8:10
START 10:15 1:15 7:15 8:15
Soft-cap signal 11:45 2:45 n/a n/a
Hard-cap signal 12:00 3:00 7:55 8:55
END (approximate) 12:05 3:05 8:00 9:00
Time between games * n/a n/a 10 10
Start signal n/a n/a 8:05 9:05
START n/a n/a 8:10 9:10
Hard-cap signal n/a n/a 8:50 9:50
END (approximate) n/a n/a 8:55 9:55

* For moving fields, game signal, and pull. 

Signals Before Games Start

We ask Rules Guru's to do the following:

  • Connect with the other team’s Guru 15 minutes before game time to determine who will make the signals for the game.
  • Make a clear signal 5 minutes before game time.
    • Captains should then gather their teams to be ready to Pull at game time.
  • Signal again at the hard-cap time if the game is not complete by then.

Game Reports

The question in the game report states: “When was the other team was ready to play?” The options for answers are:

  • On time
  • 1-5 minutes after start
  • 5-10 minutes after start
  • > 10 minutes after start

A default occurs if the other team isn’t ready after 30 minutes (or doesn’t show at all).

Incentives

  • Teams with great timeliness will be recognized and rewarded.
  • If a team is 5-10 minutes late, they will receive a Caution. Many cautions will lead to a follow-up from VUL staff.
  • If a team is more than 10 minutes late, they will receive a Warning. After 2 warnings in Fall Grass, there will be a $25 fine. There are no fees in Fall Turf because it's a hat league.  
  • The Default fee will increase to $50 AND be given to the other team.

The website will show teams their stats (# of weeks on time, cautions, warnings) so they can keep track. 

Appeals

Teams can appeal a single Warning or a Fine, and the League Manager can cancel them. Sample considerations include:

  • The team has a good record but ran into issues beyond their control that night (e.g. traffic accident)
  • Another user group was late clearing the field.
  • The captain is doing their best but players are not cooperating.
  • The captain is unable to collect money from their team for some reason.