PROVINCIAL TOWNS SWIMMING ASSOCIATION                                                                                                      PROVINCIAL TOWNS ULSTER LEAGUE – RULES 2011-2012
GENERAL

  1. All Applications for inclusion in the league MUST BE MADE NOT LATER THAN 31st May each year.  No late applications will be considered.
  2. The division of participating clubs will be based on the Positions in the previous Year’s League Tables together with Promotion and Relegation and the rules governing the admission of new or returning clubs.
  3. One Team will be Promoted and One Team will be Relegated in each division of the league, this will be applied without exception to the top and bottom teams in each division [ relegation will of course not apply in the bottom division]
    1. Note: Should it become necessary to adjust the number of teams in any division, then additional promotions may be made through a swim off between the team relegated from that division and the runner   up in the division below. [if more than one team is required then the next team would also be involved etc.]
  4. New or returning clubs will enter or rejoin the league in the bottom division.
  5. Acceptance of a league place carries with it the responsibility to full fill all fixtures on the dates allocated, except in exceptional circumstances -- in which case the league secretary must be informed of any agreed changes of date or venue.
  6. Only swimmers who are insured by their club for the current season may swim in league gala’s. This rule must be strictly adhered to a list of all team members with their date of   birth should be sent to the league secretary prior to the first gala, any alterations should also be sent to him/her before the swimmer takes part in a league gala.

Specific rules or season

  1. Competing Clubs as per fixture list.
  2. Programme – this will begin on September and finish before March.

GROUP A – SWIMMERS BORN IN   2001      OR LATER (2002,3 etc)         

GROUP C – SWIMMERS BORN IN   1998      OR    1997                          

GROUP B – SWIMMERS BORN IN   2000      OR    1999                                    

GROUP D – SWIMMERS BORN IN   1996      OR  EARLIER (’95,’94,’93, etc)

  1. STROKES - ALL AGE GROUPS: All 4 strokes and 100 IM Individual,  Medley and Freestyle RELAYS in both Girls and Boys sections.
  2. Distances – ALL EVENTS – 50m (2 lengths of the pool).“A” Group RELAYS 4 x 25m , “B,C,D Group RELAYS 4 x 50m
  3. TEAM MEMBERS  All Team Members must be first claim swimmers for the club they represent.
  4. TEAM COUNTING SWIMMERS Clubs may swim THREE swimmers in each individual event but only the TWO BEST PLACED IN EACH TEAM score points.  Home Teams swim in Lanes 2,4 and 6.  AWAY  Teams swim in lanes 1,3 and 5.  SCORING RELAYS use lanes 3 and 4.
  5. SWIMMER LISTS - Before the start of each gala each club must make available for reference at the recorders table a list of their competing swimmers, dates of birth .  Those swimmers who qualify to swim in their respective age groups (year of birth) at the start of the season will remain eligible to the end of the season even though this may be in the next year. 
  6. POINTS:    MATCH-  Individual Events 7,5,4,3.  Relays  14,10         SECTION- WIN 2 points.  Tie 1 point          OVERALL  -WIN 2 points.  Tie 1 point.
  7. END OF SEASON AWARDS - In the event of a tie at the end of the season in the overall or section points, the total aggregate points accumulated in match points will be used to decide the overall winner or section winner.

No points will be awarded for galas not swum, except where a club concedes the gala and informs the Gala Secretary, in writing, accordingly, points in such circumstances will be awarded on an aggregate basis at the end of the season to the club which has received the concession.(AGM 2003)

  1. ORDER OF EVENTS - In all AGE GROUPS the order will be:

Medley* RELAYS,  Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly, Frontcrawl, 100 I.M.* and Freestyle RELAYS. 

  1. NUMBER OF GALAS AND VENUE - Each Club will swim once against ALL OTHER CLUBS, each club will have, as far as possible, half their fixtures at home and half away, for each COMPLETED fixture the venue will be reversed in the following season.  This may not always be possible when the number or membership of any section changes.
  2. OFFICIALS - Each club will provide one STROKE JUDGE.  Each club will provide a minimum of 3 timekeepers (every effort should be made to have 2 timekeepers on each lane.).  The HOME club shall provide a REFEREE.  There shall be an ODD number (usually 3) of FINISH JUDGES with the visiting club having the majority of one.
  3. STROKE JUDGING - In GROUP “A” swimmers will not be disqualified but the swimmer and the team manager/coach will be informed of any infringement of the rules of swimming.  In GROUPS “B,C and D”  swimmers will be disqualified if the RULES OF SWIMMING ** are broken – those not disqualified will be the point scorers.  **The rules of swimming may be found at the back of the Swim Ulster Handbook.
  4. AGE GROUP EXCEPTION - In GROUPS B and C RELAYS ONLY (not individual events), ONE swimmer and two swimmers in GROUP”D” (not individual events) may be swam in each relay from groups A,B or C, PROVIDED that these swimmers have NOT SWUM FOR POINTS in their own group A,B or C.  If a club is taking advantage of this option they must declare such swimmers to the opposing club prior to the start of the gala.
  5. PENALTY FOR AGE GROUP INFRINGEMENT - Swimmers must not swim out of their age group except as outlined above.  In the event of this happening the League Secretary shall deduct TWO POINTS from both the Section AND overall points of the club concerned.  The event in which the offending swimmer (s) took part will be re-scored by the League Secretary as if the swimmer had not swum, an objection to any swimmer (s) MUST be made in writing to the League Secretary and accompany the gala programme, this intention to object must be indicated to the opposing club on the poolside AT or BEFORE the end of the gala and the swimmer(s) involved named.
  6. MATCH RESULTS - A fully entered up programme (including a points summary section) showing the names of all the swimmers whether individual or relay events, together with their appropriate times and placings should be sent by both clubs to the League Secretary within TEN days of the gala having taken place.  This may be done my e-mail.
  7. SUSPENDED CLUBS - In the event of a club being under suspension and therefore being unable to fulfil a particular fixture on the date allocated the opposing club will automatically be awarded both the overall and section points for that gala.
  8. GALA ARRANGEMENTS - The home club is responsible for making the arrangements for any gala and communicating those arrangements to the visiting club.  Note:  Where a five lane pool is used an agreement as to swimmer distribution must be come to well in advance of the gala for selection purposes (usually two boys and three girls and three boys and two girls for the other club)  scoring will be as set out under –[counting swimmers]
  9. EXTRA EVENTS/SWIMMERS – Extra, Non-Counting, events may be included in the gala if agreed by both competing clubs but must not appear on the gala programme.  Extra, non-counting, swimmers may swim in spare lanes, but must be declared as such to the recorders and race referee prior to the start of the events involving them, their names or times must not appear on the gala programme.

A full set of rules should be held by your gala secretary & perhaps on your club noticeboard.  Please e-mail me for a typed copy if you need it.