Code of Conduct

Tidewater Ultimate is committed to creating a safe, fun atmosphere for ultimate players in the Tidewater region of Virginia. This Code of Conduct exists to help us uphold that commitment; by playing in a Tidewater Ultimate league or tournament, you agree to be bound by this code. Every player that registers to play for that season must agree to the code, as well as the media waiver.

  • Players will uphold Spirit of the Game set forth by USAU, which is grounded in mutual respect, conflict resolution, and knowledge of the rules.

    https://usaultimate.org/spirit-of-the-game/

  • Violence, discrimination, and harassment of any type are not permitted. Fighting, including excessive shouting and cursing at another player, is also not permitted.

  • Players agree to follow the rules set out by the venues where we play and respect that property, as well as following the laws governing that area. This also means players will not steal from each other.

  • Players may not misrepresent themselves when registering for or participating in our events. In particular, the creation of fraudulent email addresses or other online accounts that pose as another player or as Tidewater Ultimate is strictly prohibited.

If you feel unsafe or harmed by possible violations of these rules, we encourage you to take action.

  • If you are comfortable addressing that person directly, feel free to do so.

  • If not, reach out to a team captain or directly to a member of the Code of Conduct Committee.

The Code of Conduct Committee serves to hear and respond to allegations of code violations. When necessary (e.g., conflict of interest), members will recuse themselves. Any investigation they undertake will be done as privately and speedily as possible. Not all allegations will merit corrective action beyond a conversation, but when necessary, temporary and permanent bans from Tidewater Ultimate events may be issued. Importantly, any allegations will be addressed individually, factoring in the severity, repetitiveness, and impact of the actions. Code of Conduct Committee will consist of that season's captains and commissioner(s).

We expect most issues to be settled between players firstly.  If not, we expect players to notify captains and commissioner of any people violating these rules of conduct. Multiple complaints of the less severe infractions from several people on a single player would be taken into higher consideration.

The Code of Conduct is meant to be a set of guidelines and not an exact law.

Permanently banned players may submit a petition after 1 year of the ban listing the reasons why the committee should overturn their ban. It may or may not overturn the ban. Season banned players are not allow to submit these petitions.

Captains may give the infractions for verbal warnings. Suspensions for games and season should be discussed with as many captains and commissioner(s) as possible.  Permanent bans will come from the commissioner(s).


Offense determines the punishment.

  • Cursing excessively- start with verbal warning. several verbal warnings (3) per game day would be allowed. Next would be being benched for that game. Then benched the rest of the game day.

  • Dangerous Play:

    • 1st dangerous play-a verbal warning

    • 2nd dangerous play-benched for the point, not allowed back on until they talk with their captains

    • 3rd dangerous play-not allowed to play any more that game day.

    • 4th dangerous play (or second time being ejected)-out of the league season.

    • Dangerous plays do not go away week to week. Dangerous plays carry over week to week, with every two weeks their starting point dropping one.

    • Enforcement of Dangerous Play: There are several options:

      • If captains see if during the games, they have the option of discussing it with that player’s captain and letting the captain talk to the player

      • They can discuss it in the groupchat later but still let the captain of that players team notify the player.I

      • If the dangerous play player is a captain, any other player may bring it to commissioner’s attention, and the commissioner will talk to the other captains. Then the commissioner will notify the captain of his/her dangerous play.

      • The commissioner(s) will make note of it in the draft sheet of the date infraction(s) happened.

  • Fighting - automatic suspension for the rest of season. Multiple infractions in a 2 year span will result in a permanent ban.

    Instigator & reactor do not have the same penalties. We are not going to penalize someone for defending themselves if they are being attacked.

  • Discriminatory language - automatic suspension for the rest of game day and 1 week after. Multiple infractions in a 2 year span will result in a permanent ban.

  • Harassment of a player or spectator - automatic suspension for the rest of game day and 1 week after.

    Good spirited heckling does not equal harassment.

  • Sexual harassment of a player or spectator (inappropriate language/connotations/inappropriate touching) - up to the discretion of the commissioner. May result in a ban for the rest of the season at minimum.

  • Sexual assault is a permanent ban.

  • Fraudulent misrepresentation - permanent ban.