2009 Club Championship Series Guidelines

• Registration Guidelines
  • General Team Info
    • Team Registration Deadline
    • Finalized Roster Deadline
    • Registration clarifications and exceptions
    • Official team count
    • UPA mailing address
  • Masters Team Info
  • General Player Info
  • Minor (Under 18) Player Info
  • Masters Player Info
  • Important Documents
  • Violations and Sanctions
    

• Competition Guidelines
  • Spirit of the Game
  • Sectionals
  • Regionals
  • UPA Club Championships
    • OWX Wildcards
      • Strength Wildcards
      • Size Wildcards
      • Growth Wildcards
    • Masters Anti-Wildcards
  • Name/Logo/Uniform Guidelines
  • Uniform Requirements
  • Formats
  • Seeding
  • Forfeit Rule
  • Rules
  • Observers
  • Mixed Division Gender Ratio

Registration Guidelines

1. All teams must submit their roster through the online rostering system by the deadlines outlined below. UPA membership dues and individual waivers must also be submitted prior to participation in Sectionals.
2. Team Registration Deadline: Friday, August 28, 2009 (by 5PM Mountain Time/7PM Eastern):
   1. Teams must register a valid roster (7 players minimum, unless granted a college extension) via the online rostering system by August 28, 2009 (by 5PM Mountain Time/7PM Eastern). This date is the same for all teams, regardless of when their sectional tournament is held.  Teams may add up to 7 more players by the Finalized Roster Deadline (see below). 
   2. Masters teams competing in Masters Regionals must meet rostering requirements by Friday, September 18, 2009 (by 5PM Mountain Time/7PM Eastern).
   3. Due to the processing time and to ensure you have time to correct errors, it is advisable to submit membership dues and waivers prior to the August 28th Team Registration Deadline to ensure that players are listed as paid and waivered in time for Sectionals.
   4. All teams registering for the 2009 UPA Club Series must use the online rostering system. (Please see the Rostering 101 guide for detailed online rostering instructions.)
      
3. Finalized Roster Deadline: Tuesday before Sectionals (by 5PM Mountain Time/7PM Eastern)
1. Rosters must be finalized, via the online rostering system, by the Tuesday prior to that team's sectional tournament. (For example, if a team's sectional tournament is September 12-13, rosters must be completed by Tuesday, September 8 (by 5PM Mountain Time/7PM Eastern).)
2. A maximum of 7 players may be added to the roster in between the August 28th Team Registration Deadline and the Finalized Roster Deadline (see roster changes, below).
3. Sectional coordinators may set an earlier deadline for the Finalized Roster Deadline in accordance with guidelines laid out in Sectionals Part 3.  If an earlier deadline is set, it will be noted on the event's Score Reporting Tool page.
   
4. Registration clarifications and exceptions:
1. Roster changes
   1. After the August 28th Team Registration Deadline, up to 7 players can be added to the roster, regardless of how many names are dropped.
   2. There is no longer any "late fee" associated with these additions.
   3. All roster changes must be entered into the online registration system prior to the Finalized Roster Deadline.
      
2. Player minimums
   1. In order for a roster to be considered valid it must include at least 7 players (Mixed rosters must also include at least 3 women and 3 men).
3. Player maximums
1. Starting in 2009, there will be a roster limit of 27 players for the Mixed, Open, and Women's divisions, and 29 for the Master's Division.  See #13 below for more details.
   
4. College deadline extension
1. College (or other school-based) teams who start their fall academic term on August 14th or later are eligible for a roster deadline extension.
2. By August 28th the team must use the online rostering system to submit a partial roster to UPA HQ.  A partial roster can include as few as one name, team spokesperson. AND
   
3. By August 28th the team complete the college extension inquiry form indicating the official start of the academic term and indicating that they qualify for the roster deadline extension.  AND
   
4. By the Finalized Roster Deadline, the full team must be entered into the online rostering system.  The college extension teams are exempt from the 7 player additions maximum.  If a team (see Player minimums, above) is not registered and valid by that deadline, the team will be dropped from the Series.
   
5. Masters-eligible players
1. Players of any age may play on an Open/Mixed/Women's (OXW) Sectionals team.
2. OXW team representatives are responsible for making sure none of their players intend to play Master Regionals, if the OXW team expects to play at OXW Regionals.
3. Masters-aged players will not be permitted to play in Masters Regionals if their OXW Sectionals team qualifies for and does not relinquish its OXW Regionals bid.
   
4. “Qualifying” is defined as OWX teams becoming eligible for a bid to Regionals, either directly through the competition process or indirectly via declined bids after the completion of Sectionals.  OWX teams should therefore give careful consideration to whether it has players who plan to participate in the Masters Division after the completion of OWX Sectionals. Such players will not be eligible to participate in the Masters Division if their OWX team qualifies for and accepts a bid to Regionals. If a OWX team qualifies indirectly for Regionals, but has a player who has already participated in Masters Regionals, then the OWX team will not be eligible to accept the bid.
   
5. Geographic Guidelines
   1. At least 50% of the players on a team's roster must reside in the section in which that team will compete.
   2. At least 75% of the players on a team's roster must reside in the region in which that team will compete.
   3. No more than 5 players may reside outside the region in which the team will be competing.
   4. "Residence" is defined as meeting both of the below criteria:
   1. Location where person is living for the majority of September and October, AND
   2. Location where person is living for the majority of either the 3 months prior to Sept 1 or immediately following Oct 31.
   5. If the above definition means that a player does not have a region as their "residence", then the player is considered to be an out-of-region player and counts towards a team's out-of-region limits (maximum of 5 out-of-region players and no more than 25% of the roster)
      
   6. Sectional and Regional boundaries are available on the UPA website.
      
6. Official Team Count
   1. Only teams whose completed roster has been submitted via the online rostering system by the August 28th Team Registration Deadline (by 5PM Mountain Time/7PM Eastern) and who participate in the Series will be included in that section's “official team count."
   2. The "official team count" from each section will be used to determine the number of teams that will count towards each section's bids to Regionals and the number of teams that will count towards size wildcards to the UPA Club Championships. 
      
7. Rosters are closed once the Finalized Roster Deadline has passed, and no players can be added to a roster for the remainder of the Series.
   
8. Failure to abide by any of the above rules may result in ramifications outlined in the "Violations and Sanctions" section of these guidelines.
   
9. Teams should make a copy of their roster for their records.  We recommend that you bring a copy of your roster to Sectionals in case it needs to be referenced.
   
10. All teams should contact their sectional coordinator at least 2 weeks prior to the tournament to let the coordinator know they intend to participate.  Note: Due to field reservations and other costs, your Sectional Coordinator may set deadlines earlier for confirmation of attendance or payment.  Please contact your Sectional Coordinator as early as possible so that you are aware of all deadlines. (See Sectionals (Section 3) and Regionals (Section 7 ).) Click here for coordinator contact info.
    
11. Please see the Rostering 101 guide for detailed instructions on how to get your roster done right and for links to important information and forms.
    
12. Mail Dues/Waivers/Chaperone Forms to:

    Club Series
    (Your Division/Section/Name of Team)
    Ultimate Players Association
    4730 Table Mesa Drive, Suite I-200C
    Boulder, CO 80305
    (303) 447-3472 or 1 (800) 872-4384

13. Starting in 2009, roster limits will be in place for teams wishing to participate in the Club Championship Series.  Rosters will be limited to 27 players for the Mixed, Open, and Women’s divisions, and 29 for the Masters Division.  These limits will be evaluated in years followed and adjusted as needed.
    

1. All guidelines from Team Info section above apply to Masters teams, except where differences are noted in this section.
   
2. A Masters-eligible team may play in Open/Mixed/Women's (OXW) Sectionals as an OXW team, provided its roster meets the eligibility requirements of that division.
   
3. If a Masters-eligible team qualifies for OXW Regionals, the captain must immediately inform both the OXW and Masters RCs their choice to either play in OXW Regionals or to decline that bid and participate at Masters Regionals.  Players may not play in multiple divisions of Regionals or be on two active rosters at the Regional level of any division.
   
4. If a Masters-eligible team plays in OXW Sectionals, it must turn in an OXW roster by the OXW roster deadline, regardless of its intent to play Masters later.
   
5. Please see the Forfeit Rule which may impact Masters-eligible teams participating in OXW Sectionals as a tune-up event.
   
6. Masters Team Registration Deadline: Friday, Sept. 18th (by 5PM Mountain Time/7PM Eastern):
   1. All Masters teams must register a Masters roster for Masters Regionals, regardless of whether they played in OXW Sectionals.
   2. Valid rosters (7 players minimum) must be submitted via the online rostering system by Friday, September 18, 2009 (by 5PM Mountain Time/7PM Eastern). This date is the same for all Masters teams, regardless of when their regional tournament is held.  Teams may add up to 7 more players by the Finalized Roster Deadline (see below).
   3. Only valid rosters that are entered in the online rostering system by the Friday, September 18, 2009 Team Registration Deadline (by 5pm Mountain Time/7PM Eastern) and who participate in Master's Regionals will be included in the Masters anti-wildcard system.
      
7. Masters Finalized Roster Deadline: Tuesday before Regionals (by 5PM Mountain Time/7PM Eastern):
1. After the September 18th Masters Team Registration Deadline, up to 7 players may be added to the roster, regardless of how many names are dropped from the roster.  There is no longer any "late fee" associated with these additions.
   
2. Finalized rosters for Masters teams must be completed, via the online rostering system, by the Tuesday prior to a team’s regional tournament.  (For example, if a team’s regional tournament is October 3-4, rosters must be completed by Tuesday, September 29 (by 5PM Mountain Time/7PM Eastern).).
3. Regional coordinators may set an earlier deadline for the Finalized Roster Deadline in accordance with guidelines laid out in Sectionals Part 3. If an earlier deadline is set, it will be noted on the event's Score Reporter page.
8. If a Masters-eligible team plays in an OXW Sectionals, does not qualify for OXW Regionals or relinquishes its bid, and subsequently registers for Masters Regionals, the two rosters are not required to match.
   
9. Masters-eligible players on OXW rosters for Sectionals
1. Masters team captains are responsible for making sure none of their players are on an OXW team that has qualified for, and intends to play at, Regionals.
2. Masters-eligible players will not be permitted to play in Masters Regionals if their OXW Sectionals team qualifies for and does not relinquish its OXW Regionals spot.
3. If a Masters team plays with such a player, it may face ramifications outlined in the "Violations and Sanctions" section of these guidelines.
10. Starting in 2009, roster limits will be in place for teams wishing to participate in the Club Championship Series.  Rosters will be limited to 27 players for the Mixed, Open, and Women’s divisions, and 29 for the Masters Division.  These limits will be evaluated in years followed and adjusted as needed.
    

1. All players participating on a team for any and all Series events must be listed on the team roster.  The ramification for having a player not on a team's roster participate in the Series with that team are outlined in the "Violations and Sanctions" section of these guidelines.
   
2. All players listed on the roster must be current UPA members in good standing. Players who are not current members must sign up for membership on the team roster, sign and return the individual waiver form, and submit the appropriate dues prior to Sectionals. Non‑members who do not register by Sectionals will be crossed off the roster and will be ineligible to play in the remainder of the Series until they submit the appropriate forms and fees.  The ramifications for having a non-member participate in the Series with a team are  outlined in the "Violations and Sanctions" section of these guidelines.
   
3. Players may appear on only one roster for the Club Series and after the start of Sectionals may not switch teams for any portion of the Series.
   1. No player may participate in more than one division of the Club Series.
      1. There is a limited exception to this rule for Masters-eligible players participating in Open, Women's, or Mixed Sectionals (see Masters Team Info and Masters Player Info).
   2. The ramifications for having a player participate in more than one division, or be on more than one roster are outlined in the "Violations and Sanctions" section of these guidelines.
      
4. Each player must fill out (completely and correctly) the appropriate UPA waiver form for the year in which they will be competing. This form is good for the entire calendar year of UPA membership. Waivers must be submitted to UPA Headquarters or the sectional coordinator prior to participation in the Series.
   
5. Failure to abide by any of the above rules may result in ramifications outlined in the "Violations and Sanctions" section of these guidelines.

1. The minimum age for the 2009 UPA Masters Open Division is 33 for men and 30 for women (age as of 12/31/09).
   
2. Players who meet the age requirement (see above) are eligible to play in the Masters Division of the Club Series if and only if one of the following applies:
   1. The player is not on any Sectional roster; or
   2. The player's OXW team does not qualify for OXW Regionals; or
   3. The player's entire qualifying OXW team relinquishes its bid to OXW Regionals.
      
3. Failure to abide by any of the above rules may result in ramifications outlined in the "Violations and Sanctions" section of these guidelines.

• Waiver
• Medical Release (for minors <18 only)
• Chaperone Waiver (for minors <18 only)

Competition Guidelines

1. Any team may participate in Sectionals provided they have met the team and player requirements for participation. There is no additional qualifying process for the first level of the UPA Club Series (Sectionals).
   
2. Division II sectionals may be offered at the discretion of the sectional coordinator.
   1. Participation in Division II sectionals is optional and is entirely contingent upon the team's desire and consent to play in Division II.
   2. Teams that participate in Division II sectionals are not eligible to advance to Division I regionals or advance to the UPA Club Championships. Division II teams may advance to Division II regionals if offered. This is not required of regional coordinators.
   3. Teams that participate in Division II sectionals are subject to the same series guidelines as Division I teams and may count towards a section's "official team count."
      
3. For the purposes of tournament logistics, UPA Coordinators and/or Tournament Directors may impose a deadline by which teams must decide whether they will attend the tournament. This deadline may be associated with submission of a tournament entry fee, as determined by the coordinator. Tournament Directors may keep entry fees from teams that pull out of the tournament beyond a certain date, provided that date (it cannot be before the Team Registration Deadline, for instance) and the fee are reasonable, were approved by the event's UPA coordinator, and were communicated by the TD or coordinator to the teams ahead of time (coordinators are to put the approved deadline on the event's Score Reporting Tool page). Any deadline imposed by a coordinator or tournament director that would restrict access to the tournament for teams that would otherwise be considered eligible must be announced well in advance and must be approved by the National Division Director.
   

1. Regional bids will be allocated to sections based on the number of teams in each section that meet the Team Registration Deadline and participate at the Sectional event (each section's "official team count").
   
2. Bids to Regionals will be based on the following formula:
   • N =total number of teams in the region that meet the team registration deadline and participate at Sectionals
   • R =total number of spots in Regionals (R=16)
   • a =number of teams that meet the team registration deadline and participate at Sectionals for Section A
   • b = number of teams that meet the team registration deadline and participate at Sectionals for Section B (and so on)
     a + b. . .=N
     
     Section A gets (a/N) x R bids to Regionals
     
3. Each section (unless there is team migration) must receive at least one bid.
   1. If application of the formula results in a section being allocated zero bids to Regionals, and there are unallocated bids, one unallocated bid will be awarded to each section with zero bids.
   2. If application of the formula results in a section being allocated zero bids to Regionals and all bids have been allocated, then one bid will be taken from the section with the most bids and awarded to the section with no bid.
      
4. Partial (fractional) bids will only be awarded if fewer than 16 total bids have been allocated. There will be a maximum of 16 bids to Regionals.
   
5. If each section has at least one bid, and fewer than 16 bids have been allocated, the decimal remainder from the formula results for each section will be compared. The remaining bids will be awarded to sections (one each), in order from highest to lowest remainder. (For example: a section with a decimal remainder of .82 will be awarded a bid before a section with a remainder of .67).
1. If there is a tie for the final bid to Regionals, the number of players on the tied sections' August 29th Team Registration Deadline rosters will be used to determine the final bid.
2. If there is still a tie, a disc will be flipped (or Rosham if preferred).
   
6. If, after Sectionals is completed, a section's "official team count" does not change and another section's count drops, the unchanged section may not have its bids to Regionals reduced, even if the formula would allocate the bids otherwise.
   
7. Unaccepted bids
   1. If a team forfeits its bid to Regionals, the bid will be offered to the next highest finishing (eligible) team from the forfeiting team's section. This procedure will be followed until the bid is awarded.
   2. If no teams in that section accept the bid, this process will be repeated starting with the section next in line to receive a bid according to the allocation formula.
   3. If a team drops out less than one week prior to the tournament, the Regional Coordinator may accelerate the above process by shortening response times and immediately contacting all potential replacement teams.
   4. If the spot has not been filled 3 days prior to the tournament, the RC may award the bid at his/her discretion with the approval of the National Division Director.
      
8. For the purposes of tournament logistics, Regional Coordinators and Tournament Directors may impose a deadline by which teams must decide whether they will attend the tournament. This deadline may be associated with submission of a tournament entry fee, as determined by the coordinator. Tournament Directors may keep entry fees from teams that pull out of the tournament beyond a certain date, provided that date (it cannot be before the Team Registration Deadline, for instance) and the fee are reasonable, were approved by the event's UPA coordinator, and were communicated by the TD or coordinator to the teams ahead of time (coordinators are to put the approved deadline on the event's Score Reporting Tool page). Any deadline imposed by a coordinator or tournament director that would restrict access to the tournament for teams that would otherwise be considered eligible must be announced well in advance and must be approved by the National Division Director.
9. Masters Division II regionals may be offered at the discretion of the Masters regional coordinator.
1. Participation in Division II Masters regionals is optional and is entirely contingent upon the team’s desire and consent to play in Division II.
2. Teams that participate in Division II Masters regionals are not eligible to advance to the UPA Club Championships.
   
3. Teams that participate in Division II Masters regionals are subject to the same series guidelines as Division I teams and will be included in the Masters anti-wildcard system.
   
   

1. General guidelines
   1. 2 strength wildcards
   2. 1 size wildcard
   3. 1 growth wildcard
   4. Maximum of 2 wildcards per region per division
   5. A region may not get both the size and growth wildcard
   6. Order of wildcard allocation: Strength, Size, Growth
2. Strength wildcards
• Using the previous year's Club Championships, final placements of the worst finishing teams from each region are compared. Additionally, if a Region had 4 teams in attendance, then the 3rd finishing team from that Region also participates in the comparison. This group of teams is called the "Wildcard Comparison"
• The first strength wildcard is awarded to the region with the highest finishing team in the Wildcard Comparison. 
• If the team which earned the first strength wildcard is the 3rd finishing team from a region with exactly three teams and the next highest finishing team in the Final Placement (all teams) is not another region's 3rd finishing team, then the team that earned the first wildcard also earns the second strength wildcard.
• If not already awarded, the second strength wildcard is awarded tot he region with the 2nd highest finishing team in the Wildcard Comparison, provided at least one of the following conditions is met:
1. they are the 3rd or 4th finishing team from their region, OR
2. they are more than one place ahead in the Final Placement (all teams) of all other teams in the Wildcard Comparison, OR
3. they are the 2nd finishing team from their region and the team directly below them in the Final Placement (all teams) is not a 3rd or 4th finishing team from another region. 
• If not already awarded, the second strength wildcard is awarded to the region with the 3rd highest finishing team in the Wildcard Comparison,
• For the 2009 Club Championships, the prior Strength Wildcard formula was applied. This resulted in wildcards being awarded to the following regions for 2009:
  a. Open: Northwest - 1, Central - 1
  b. Women's: Northwest - 2
  c. Mixed: Northwest - 1, Mid-Atlantic - 1
  
  For more information on the change and possible wildcard scenarios click here.
  
3. Size Wildcards
   1. One size wildcard will be awarded in each division on the basis of the number of teams in each region. The region that has the most teams who meet the Team Registration Deadline and participate at Sectionals will get the size wildcard.
   2. If there is a tie, the size wildcard will go to the region with the most players on teams included in the "official team count".
   3. If there is still a tie, a disc will be flipped (or Rosham is preferred).
4. Growth Wildcard
   1. One growth wildcard in each division will be awarded to the region with the highest "percentage growth" of UPA members in the current year.
      Percentage Growth in Year N = ((Total UPA members in region in year N)-(Total UPA members in region in year N-1))/(Total UPA members in region in year N-1)
      
   2. In the Open Division, male UPA members will be counted. In the Women's Division, female members will be counted. In the Mixed Division, the total number of UPA members (male and female) will count towards the growth wildcard.
   3. The total member count for the current year (year N) will include only members who are current by their appropriate sectional roster deadline.
   4. The total member count for the previous year (year N-1) will include all members who are current at the end of that year (N-1).
   5. Members will count for the region in which they have their mailing address on file in the UPA database during the appropriate year.
   6. The formula takes into account both new and returning UPA members, which captures both recruitment and retention of members. The wildcard is awarded based on members, rather than teams, to minimize potential competition between divisions within a region for players. It is assumed that increased membership growth will indirectly lead to increased formation of teams and participation in the Series.

1. If a Region has at least 7 Masters teams who meet the Team Registration Deadline for Masters Regionals and attend Masters Regionals, it will get two bids to the UPA Club Championships.
2. If a region has fewer than 7 teams who meet the Team Registration Deadline for Masters Regionals and attend Masters Regionals, it will receive only one bid to the UPA Club Championships.
3. A region may be granted an allowance towards their team count if they host a Masters Division tournament that meets the following criteria.
1. The event must be sanctioned by the UPA and held during the calendar year 2009 before the Masters Team Registartion Deadline of Friday, September 18th (at 5pm MST/7pm EST) and within the Club Regional boundries as defined at http://www.upa.org/regional-map/regionalmap.shtml.
2. The tournament can be a stand-alone Masters tournament or can be a Masters Division (as defined by Masters Division age requirements in Masters Player Info.
3. There must be a minimum of four Masters teams participating, at least three of which must be from the hosting region.
4. Each participating Masters team must play at least three games.
5. An event that meets the above criteria will earn the hosting Region an allowance of one team toward the Anti-wilcard number for 2009.
6. A Region may earn no more than one allowance in 2009.
7. Neither the UPA Grandmasters or Masters Women's Championships events nor events organized by World Flying Disc Federation will be eligble to qualify for this allowance.
4. Any lost bid(s) will be awarded based on regional strength and size comparisons. 
         i.  No region may receive more than 3 bids to the UPA Club Championships
        ii. Strength Wildcards (awarded first if bids are available)
             a. If a region is in the running for a 2nd bid, that region's 2nd finishing team at the previous year's nationals is used in the strength comparison (or 1st finishing team if only one team was in attendance).
             b. If a region is in the running for a 3rd bid, that region's 3rd finishing team at the previous nationals is used in the strength comparison (or 2nd finishing team if only two team were in attendance, PROVIDED that team has not already been used to earn a strength wildcard*). 
             c. *Once a team's finish is used to earn a strength wildcard, it may not be used in any other strength wildcard comparisons.
        iii) Size Wildcards (to be awarded second if bids are available)
             a. The region with the most teams meeting the Team Registration Deadline for Masters Regionals and competing at Masters Regionals (no allowance teams will count toward a Size Wildcard) will receive the size bid.
             b. Tiebreakers: If there is a tie, the bid will go to the region with the most players on rosters at the time of the Team Registration Deadline whose teams go on to compete at Masters Regionals.  If there is still a tie for the extra bid, then a disc will be flipped (or Rosham if prefered.)
   

1. The UPA reserves the right to alter, or require a team to alter, a team name, player nickname, team logo, jersey graphic, or uniform and/or suggest alternatives at or in conjunction with a UPA program or event should UPA personnel determine that the existing name, logo, graphic, or uniform might hinder the mission of the organization or the goals of a specific UPA program or event. Alterations must meet with the approval of UPA personnel.
2. Frequently Asked Questions on Name/Logo/Uniform Guidelines
   
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Uniform Requirements


1. All players participating in the UPA Club Championship tournament for a given team must wear jerseys of identical color and design.
2. Teams must have two jerseys of distinctly different color.
3. Jerseys must have numbers on the back. The numbers must be at least 6 inches high and be one or two digit Arabic numerals.  The color of the numbers must contrast sufficiently with the color of the jersey such that they can be distinguished by event staff and media.  No two players on a given team may use the same number or numbers with the same value (e.g. 00 and 0, 01 and 1, etc.).
4. Uniform bottoms (shorts, pants, skirts) worn by players on the field must be of identical color and design.
5. Teams must have numbers on either the front of their jerseys or the front left or right leg of their uniform bottoms (shorts, pants, skirts), although teams may opt to do both.  The placement(s) must be the same for the whole team.  The numbers must be at least 2 inches high and match the number on the back of their jersey. The color of the numbers must contrast sufficiently with the color of the jersey such they can be distinguished by event staff and media.
6. Names, logos, and graphics on jerseys must comply with the Name/Logo/Uniform Guidelines above.
7. It is recommended that uniform accessories including tights, undershirts, hats, and socks be of identical or coordinated style and color.
   
8. The UPA reserves the right to fine and/or disqualify players who fail to meet the uniform requirements.
9. These requirements do not apply to Sectionals or Regionals.
10. Frequently Asked Questions on uniform requirements.
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Formats


Sectional and Regional tournament formats will be determined by coordinators using UPA guidelines in the UPA Formats Manual for the Championship Series. Contact your Sectional or Regional Coordinator for information.


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Seeding


1. Seeding for Sectionals and Regionals and the UPA Championships will be done by the coordinator using the following information: input solicited from all the captains of participating teams; results prior to the Series (e.g. head to head, common opponents, tournament finish); results of last year's Series; and other applicable information (e.g. team composition, conditions). The coordinator has the authority to adjust rankings according to the best information available.
2. Seeding for Regionals will additionally be held to the following guideline: No team that finishes ahead of another team at Sectionals may be seeded behind that team at Regionals.
3. Seeding for the UPA College Championships will additionally be held to the following guideline: No team that finishes ahead of another team at Regionals may be seeded behind that team at the UPA College Championships.
4. Seeding for Sectionals must be pre-approved by the appropriate Regional Coordinator. (If the Sectional and Regional coordinators are affiliated (player, coach, alum, etc.) with the same team, seedings must be approved by the National Division Director.)
   
5. Seeding for Regionals must be pre-approved by the National Division Director. (If the Regional coordinator and National Director are affiliated (player, coach, alum, etc.) with the same team, seedings must be approved by the UPA Championship Director.)
6. Seeding for the UPA Club Championships must be pre-approved by the Championship Director. (If the National Director and Championship Director are affiliated (player, coach, alum, etc.) with the same team, seedings must be approved by the Competition Committee of national directors.)
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Forfeit Rule


1. A team must play all its games at a "qualifying" tournament in order to qualify for the next tournament in the Series.
   1. A team that forfeits a Series game, and every player on that team's roster, is disqualified for the remainder of the current Series, in every Division.
   2. Any scheduled game where the winner and loser are not determined by playing Ultimate on the field should be considered a forfeit for the loser.
   3. At the discretion of the event's UPA coordinator, consideration may be given to situations that might warrant an exception being made, provided it does not affect the fairness or integrity of the competition. Consideration should be given if a team misses the first game of the first day because of travel problems.
      
2. If one team is not ready to play at game-time, points may be assessed in accordance with the 11th Edition Rules of Ultimate (Section VIII.A.4). Under these conditions, if the score of the game reaches 8–0, the team that has failed to signal readiness will technically forfeit the game (see rule above).
3. The list of allowable forfeit scenarios is found in the Champ Series Formats Manual.
   
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Rules

The 2009 Club Series will be played under the 11th Edition Rules of Ultimate.
Any changes to those rules, implemented under the captain's clause, must meet the following criteria:
1. they must be agreed upon at the captain's meeting prior to the start of competition; and
2. they must be approved by the event's UPA coordinator (This approval is necessary because certain rules may require more notice to implement than would be given the morning of competition or may indirectly affect other aspects of the Series. 
A coordinator may choose not to approve a rule change that cannot be adequately implemented or that might be deemed inappropriate or inconsistent as part of the overall Series competition.)

In January 2008, the UPA Board of Directors passed a proposal unifying the Misconduct System. This system will be in use for the 2009 Club Series.

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Observers


If captains want observers to be present at the tournament beyond the requirements outlined in the section (Rules) above, they must notify their coordinator at least 2 weeks prior to the tournament. This will facilitate volunteer recruitment and training prior to the event. The use of observers may be contingent upon rule changes approved through the captain's and/or event organizer's clause, and is subject to the availability of observer staff.


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Gender Ratio for Mixed Division


1. The gender ratio for the Mixed Division of the UPA Championship Series (Sectionals, Regionals, and the UPA Championships) will be 4/3 (4 men and 3 women, or 4 women and 3 men).
   
2. The receiving team will determine if the current point will be played with 4 men and 3 women or 4 women and 3 men. The pulling team must match the gender ratio of the receiving team.
   
3. If the pulling team cannot match the gender of all 7 players, then it must play with fewer than 7 players, matching the gender of as many players as possible.
   
4. Injury timeouts
   1. In the event of an injury time-out where a player leaves the field, the replacing player must be the same gender as the injured player.
   2. If a team replaces players, the opposing team has the option of substituting a like number of, or fewer players.
   3. The replacing player(s) must be the same gender as the player(s) they replace.
   4. If a team calls an injury time-out but does not have a replacement player of the same gender as the injured player, it may not replace that player and must play with fewer than 7 players.
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