LEAGUE RULES

revised May 16, 2011

What is Ultimate?

Combining the non-stop movement and athletic endurance of soccer with the aerial passing skills of football, a game of Ultimate is played by two seven-player squads with a high-tech plastic disc on a field similar to football. The object of the game is to score by catching a pass in the opponent"s end zone. A player must stop running while in possession of the disc, but may pivot and pass to any of the other receivers on the field. Ultimate is a transition game in which players move quickly from offense to defense on turnovers that occur with a dropped pass, an interception, a pass out of bounds, or when a player is caught holding the disc for more than ten seconds. Ultimate is governed by Spirit of the Game™, a tradition of sportsmanship that places the responsibility for fair play on the players rather than referees. Ultimate is played in more than 42 countries by hundreds of thousands of men and women, girls and boys.

(From: www2.upa.org/ultimate)

Concordia Ultimate is played between two teams of five players (2 women, 3 men) with substitutions "on the fly". Consult the additional rules in this document for more clarification.

The 10 Simple Rules of Ultimate:

1. The Field - A rectangular shape with end zones at each end. A 5-on-5 field is 60 yards by 30 yards, with end zones 7 yards deep.

2. Initiate Play - Each point begins with both teams lining up on the front of their respective endzone line. The defense throws ("pulls") the disc to the offense. A 5-on-5 game has five players per team.  The desired gender ratio is 3:2 (either male:female or female:male, teams need not match ratios).  Adjustments to this ratio must be agreed upon by the captains.

3. Scoring - Each time the offense completes a pass in the defense's endzone, the offense scores a point. Play is initiated immediately after each score.

4. Movement of the Disc - The disc may be advanced in any direction by completing a pass to a teammate. Players may not run with the disc. The person with the disc ("thrower") has eight seconds to throw the disc. The defender guarding the thrower ("marker") counts out the stall count.

5. Change of possession - When a pass in not completed (e.g. the disc went out of bounds, or was dropped, blocked, or intercepted), the defense immediately takes possession of the disc and becomes the offense.

6. Substitutions - Substitutions are made on the fly by ‘tagging’ in the substitution area.  The substitution area is at mid-field (defined by the yellow soccer crease and/or the mid-field football hash-marks).

7. Non-contact - No physical contact is allowed between players. Picks and screens are also prohibited. A foul occurs when contact is made.

8. Fouls - When a player initiates contact on another player a foul occurs. When a foul disrupts possession, the play resumes as if the possession was retained. If the player committing the foul disagrees with the foul call, the play is redone.

9. Self-Officiating - Players are responsible for their own foul and line calls. Players must resolve their own disputes in an agreeable manner.

10. Spirit of the Game - Ultimate stresses sportsmanship and fair play. Competitive play is encouraged, but never at the expense of respect between players, adherence to the rules, and the basic joy of play.

Additional Rules for Concordia Style Ultimate

The following additions to the "10 Simple Rules" are adapted from the Montreal Ultimate Association’s “Rules of 5-on-5, Substitute on the Fly Ultimate, 2011 Edition” with a few minor modifications. (http://www.montrealultimate.ca/files/5-on-5rules_2011_EN.pdf):

Keep in mind that this document is only an appendix to the Official Rules of Ultimate 11th Edition, http://www.montrealultimate.ca/files/11th_ed_Final_3_6_07.pdf  

You need a good knowledge of the 11th Edition Rules for a complete understanding of the rules of play, and all Concordia Captains should be familiar with both the Official Rules of Ultimate, 11th Edition as well as the “Rules of 5-on-5”

Differences from the Rules of Ultimate 11th Edition

 

1. There are 5 players per team on the field.
2. The brick mark is at the front middle of each end zone.
3. Games are timed.  Two halves of 30 minutes, a five minute halftime, 1 time-out per half (60 seconds), and no time-outs in the final 5 minutes of the game.  To call a time-out in the final 5 minutes is prohibited and results in a turnover.  The disc is automatically dead on the final whistle.  Ties are possible.
4. One pull starts each half.  There are no pulls between points.  A player who scores raises the disc to indicate a point, and then places the disc GENTLY at the point of contact where the goal was scored.   A member of the team becoming offense must put the disc into play within 8 seconds after the disc is placed on the ground.  They may not walk it up to the line. 
5. After 8 seconds elapse, a defensive player within three metres of the disc may announce ‘disc in’ and initiate and continue the stall count regardless of the actions of the offense, but only if that defensive player has counted down with audible warnings of “8 seconds” and “4 seconds” (the pre-stall).  Note that, following a goal, the team becoming offense is always permitted 8 seconds to put the disc into play.  “Delay of game” rules XIII.5 and XIX.B may not be invoked in this situation.
6. The stall count is to 8.  All instances in the rules that refer to a stall count of 10 are replaced by 8.  All instances of a stall count of “9 if over 8” are replaced by “7 if over 6.”  All instances of “6 if over 5” are replaced by “4 if over 3.”  Contested stalls come in on 6.
7. Pre-stalls of 20, 10, and 5 seconds are replaced by 16, 8, and 4.
8. If a substitution results in too many players on the field, it is a violation that may only be called by the infracted team by announcing loudly, “too many players!”  or “violation!”  The result is a stoppage of play, and the team called for this infraction must immediately remove the excess player(s) from the field.  If the team called for this infraction was in possession of the disc, the result is a turnover and the team formerly on defense takes possession at the spot of the disc at the time of the stoppage.
9. Games begin when the scoreboard clock indicates 30:00. If a team is not ready to play at the start of the game, the other team may immediately assess 1 point if they have all their players on the line ready to play. They may assess an additional point at 2-minute intervals.
10. Foot blocks are not permitted. A foot block is defined as an attempt by the defender within 3 metres of the thrower to block a throw with his/her foot or leg raised off the ground. An attempted foot block is treated as a foul on the marker.

Violation of Safety Policy

1. Any player violating the safety policy of the league can be expelled from the league. We ask that the captains remind their players before each and every game about the safety guidelines and to respect and abide by them.

Replacement Players

1. All replacement players will be chosen at the discretion of the captain. Captains should chose replacements who are equivalent to the players they are replacing. If the replacement player(s) skill level is high enough to create a disadvantage for the other team, then captains of both teams must verbally agree on such a substitution.
2. A policy concerning replacement players during the playoffs will be provided to the captains before the playoffs begin.

** ALL captains' must disclose the contents of the waiver noted below to ALL players on their respective teams' prior to the start of the season and/or any game involving spare players. **

 

Agreement and Waiver of Liability

Waiver for Team Captain or Rental Group leader

All team captains, leaders and/or other persons responsible for groups using Concordia University’s Recreation and Athletics facilities are responsible for communicating the following important information to individual participants under their responsibility and/or supervision.

Team Captains and/or Rental Group leaders hereby declare and warrant that they have communicated the following warnings to participants:

All participants recognize and accept that their participation in activities, offered or taking place on Concordia University’s Recreation and Athletics facilities, including the programs, classes and equipment including but not limited to the Loyola Campus Arena, Stinger Dome, weight room, outdoor playing fields and gymnasium, is solely at the risk of each individual participant. All participants recognize and accept all liability for any injury, accident or loss of personal property and hereby release Concordia University, its agents, representatives and employees from all liabilities for any direct, special, incidental, consequential, punitive or exemplary damages, regardless of the form of action arising from or related to by our use of the facilities or our participation in the activities held in these facilities and/or offered by the facilities, except for claims or losses resulting from willful misconduct or gross negligence of Concordia University, its agents, representatives and employees.  Participants must be in good physical condition and must have appropriate insurance coverage including medical coverage.

Participants agree to follow the facilities' instructional guidelines and to abide by all University policies and Codes, as applicable, regardless of whether or not they are members of the University community. Participants agree and accept that if they fail to abide by said University Policies and Codes as well as all applicable laws and regulations, their access to the facilities, equipment and/or participation in a program, if applicable, may be immediately cancelled and/or revoked and their access to the premises, use of the equipment and right to participate in a program in the future access, may be denied.