PoloPalooza Tournament Guidelines

The Toronto PoloPalooza  Water Polo Tournament is an OWPA sanctioned event and subject to the guidelines as outlined for tournament play by OWPA.

All teams participating must be registered with their regional water polo association, and all coaches, referees and players will be registered members of a FINA recognized water polo body, and be able to prove membership. The Toronto Triggerfish will expect every player, coach, and referee to show current registration before playing in their first scheduled game. We will provide on deck registration for OWPA for those players unable to produce a valid FINA recognized membership card. 

All games will use 7 minute run time.  Last minute of last quarter will be stop time.  (Note that this is subject to change at the discretion of the tournament organizers).

The following Procedures and Standards will be in effect for PoloPalooza:

Game Scheduling:
Game length shall be determined by the organizers and shall be based on available pool time and total number of teams participating in the event.

Table Procedures:
If the Game clock is not operational, then 1-minute left will be indicated with the raising of a red flag and dropping the flag with 10 seconds left in the period.
If a 35-second clock is not functional, 10 seconds left will be indicated with the raising of the blue flag.

Tie Breaking:
Teams shall win by only one goal.  One period of sudden death, first team to score shall be the winner: This period shall begin 1 minute after regulation play has ended.

Mercy Rule:

A game will be considered won once a team achieves a 10 point lead.  Game will continue to be played until the end of regulation time (all time running time).  Goals for and against will continue to be tracked on scrore sheets and used for tie-breaking purposes, but no change to the score board will be made.

Tied Standings:
If two teams are tied in standings then the winner of the game between the two teams shall determine the winner.

If more than two teams are tied, or if the teams did not play each other, goals against in the games among the tied teams will be tabulated and the winner determined.  If the result is still a tie, the winner will be determined by coin toss (carried out solely at the discretion of the head referee).

Forfeits and Defaults:
Both Forfeit (defined as conceding a game after the start of the game) and Default (defined as not showing for a game) will result in a score of 7-0 in favor of the non-defaulting or non-forfeiting team.

Coach and Team Responsibilities:
Player's cap number to remain the same throughout the duration of the tournament.

Teams shall provide a complete team roster (preferably typed or printed) with cap number beside the players name before the first game played.
Ensure that FINA rules pertaining to player nails being clipped and jewelry removed are followed.
Make certain all players understand that the ejection area will be opposite the scorekeepers' table.
No player will be permitted to play on two different teams in the same division.
A warm-up pool is provided. There may or may not be time to warm up in the game pool before your match begins. Scheduling is tight and games may need to begin immediately following completion of the prior game - Please be ready.

Referee Responsibilities:
Referees shall follow the code of conduct for referees.
Referees shall be responsible for running games on time and in a timely manner.

Tournament Director Responsibilities:
The Tournament Director will compile a final report from the completed tournament and submit a copy to all participating teams 30 days following the event completion.

Protests:
All protests must be submitted in writing to the head referee within 30 minutes of the conclusion of the game being protested.

The Protest Committee shall consist of 3 members: the 2 referees involved in the game and the Head Referee. The Tournament Director will also attend the protest meeting and observe the proceedings. In the event the Head Referee is a member of the game staff for that protested game, the Tournament Director or referee whom the two teams deem to be neutral will act as the 3rd member of the committee.

The decision of the Protest Committee shall be rendered within 3 hours of the protest being registered or before the next game being affected by the protest. 

Brutalities and Unsportsman like Conduct:
Any player ejected for a brutality will not be allowed to play in their next scheduled game.
Unsportsman like conduct in or out of the pool may result in disciplinary action ranging from action taken by the referees under FINA rules to reprimand or legal action if warranted.
Conduct deemed unlawful will not be tolerated.