Policies

1. Although the Campus Recreation & Wellness department is located in the Wellness Center, our hours of operation are only Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. The Wellness Center Staff is NOT trained to work with intramural sports information and therefore cannot be of assistance outside of the normal working hours.
2. Information pertaining to Intramural Sports can be found at IM Leagues, including sport rules, schedules, roster, scores, sportsmanship ratings, discussion boards. It is the responsibility of the captain to inform his / her team of all game days, times and reschedules. We do not give schedule information over the phone to eliminate communication errors.
3. Each sport will have two scheduled meeting time for all team coaches/captain's. Rosters are submitted on IM Leagues. Team participants are also limited due to the particular sport – Softball – 20 and all the others (Football, Basketball, Soccer and Volleyball – 15).
4. It is strongly recommended that all participants have a physical exam and secure adequate medical insurance prior to participation.

   Murray State University and the Campus Recreation & Wellness department do not provide medical insurance coverage for intramural sports participants. Likewise, Campus Recreation & Wellness does not assume any responsibility for any injuries that are sustained during intramural events.

Please remember, all participation is voluntary.

All ENROLLED students are eligible for participation as well as ESL students

(paying an activity fee) and current faculty and staff.

• To be considered eligible, players must be identified on the nightly game sheet provided by the Intramural Sports staff. Any player that is not identified will not be allowed to participate in that particular game.
• Identified players must then present their Murray State ID to the supervisor in charge to be checked in.
• Identified players are those that have registered on IM Leagues
• Considered ENROLLED by the university (which means tuition is paid in full, scholarships have all been processed, or at least two payments have been credited on a payment plan.)
• Varsity Team members: Any students whose name appears on an official intercollegiate varsity squad list shall be ineligible to compete in that sport, or associated sports, for a period of one year from the conclusion of that particular sport season. (Clarification: Regardless of whether name is removed.)  i.e. Baseball = Intramural Softball
• Students trying out for a varsity team are eligible until such time as their team status is determined.
• Any team found to be playing with a Murray State varsity athlete will be penalized a forfeit for every contest ineligible player participated, ineligible for tournament and possibly dropped from league.
• Members of Murray State Sport Club teams are limited to three club players per team roster.
  • A Sport Club member is one who participates with his/her team in any game or match against another team outside of Murray State.
  • A Sport Club member is a member of the club only in the academic year in which he/she participates.
• ANY INDIVIDUAL THAT KNOWINGLY PARTICIPATES UNDER AN ASSUMED NAME WILL BE BARRED FROM FURTHER COMPETITION FOR THE REMAINDER OF THAT SEASON.
• THE TEAM WILL THEN FORFEIT EVERY MATCH THAT HE/SHE PARTICIPATED IN.
• NO TOURNAMENT PLAY WILL BE ALLOWED, AND THE TEAM MAY BE DROPPED FROM THE LEAGUE ENTIRELY.
• INTRAMURAL SPORTS SUPERVISORS WILL IMMEDIATELY STOP ANY GAME THAT HAS AN ILLEGAL PARTICIPANT.

Protests are ONLY allowed in two situations:

1. Rule interpretation
2. Player eligibility

Protests are not allowed for ANY type of judgment call.

• No protest will be accepted for consideration unless it is First Registered with the supervisor in charge of the contest at the time the prompting incident occurs. Do not wait until the contest is completed to register a protest. Appeals concerning play rulings, rule interpretations, or identification of an individual must be made at the time they occur on the field!  The team captain should tell the official they wish to protest the ruling and indicate clearly that he/she wants play stopped until the protest is written-up. The intramural supervisor may be called upon to settle the appeal, but only if the appeal is made before the next play begins. Once play is resumed, a team forfeits its opportunity to protest a play ruling.
• If an eligibility protest is made prior to a game and it can be determined that the player is ineligible, he/she will not be allowed to participate.
• NO INTRAMURALSPORTS STAFF WILL KNOWINGLY PERMIT AN INELIGIBILE PLAYER TO PARTICIPATE.
• If the eligibility of the player in question cannot be determined, the team has the option of using the player. However, if it is later determined that player is ineligible, a forfeit will be assessed to the team using the ineligible player.
• The Intramural Sports staff may forfeit any contest immediately upon discovery of any ineligible participants.
• Teams may not use ineligible players even by mutual agreement of both teams.
• Although protests concerning player eligibility do not have to be made on the field during the contest, it is recommended that the official and the supervisors are made aware of the player in question for identification purposes.
• During tournament play, a protest must be filed by 9 AM the following day. During a tournament, the last contest in which an ineligible player participated shall be recorded as a forfeit win for the opposing team. No other reorganization of the tournament will occur. Upheld player eligibility protests will result in a forfeit for each of the games that the ineligible player competed. Game sheets will be used to determine prior participation.

Season rules, scheduling information and other questions will be answered at this time.

1. Every team / organization MUST HAVE AT LEAST ONE representative in attendance with entry fee and signed Forfeit Fee Contract at all scheduled coaches meetings.
2. Two meetings are scheduled for each major sport, attendance is required at ONE, NO EXCEPTIONS.
3. If a team fails to send a representative, the roster will not be accepted.
4. Minor Sports do not have a captain's meeting. It is the responsibility of the team captain to educate their team on the Intramural Handbook and specific sport rules.

• New names may be added to the roster until it is considered full (see team roster limits in previous section). Names must be on the team roster by 3 p.m. game day for verification and communication purposes.
• Sign up at the game site will not be allowed.
• To be eligible for post-season playoffs, participants MUST have played at least one regular season game with chosen team. No roster additions or changes will be allowed after the regular season.
• A participant may not remove his/her name from one roster and add it to another after he/she had played one game for their original team. Participants may play for more than one team, but only under the listed circumstances:

• Players must then choose one team for post-season play and stick with that team, no matter the circumstances.

*Residential College and Independent team

*Residential College and Greek team

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANT TO KNOW THE EXISTING RULES GOVERNING ALL CAMPUS RECREATION ACTIVITIES. IGNORANCE OF ANY RULE IS NOT AN EXCUSE. CAMPUS RECREATION RESERVES THE RIGHT TO PUT INTO IMMEDIATE EFFECT ANY RULE CHANGES OR MODIFICATIONS THAT ARE WARRANTED.

GAME TIME IS FORFEIT TIME. Teams must be on the field or court at exactly game time according to the supervisor's watch. If a team is not in position at exactly game time, the game will be called a forfeit.

• The object of any intramural program is to involve the members of the student body, faculty and staff in an active program.
• If a team forfeits a game, the objectives of the program are not met and participants are deprived of their activity.
• It is with this principle in mind that the following rules governing forfeits and defaults have been established.
• All line-ups have been turned in, all IDs verified and jersey numbers have been entered into the game book.
• The forfeiting team will be responsible for paying the $20 fine before their next scheduled game in order to prevent an additional forfeit that would result in disqualification from the league.
• A second forfeit will eliminate teams from further league play.
• Neglect to pay forfeit fee will suspend roster participants until the fee is paid.

• If a team realizes that they will not have enough to play and the rescheduling deadline has passed, they may opt to take a "default".
• By defaulting, the team will only be charged a loss and the opposing team a win. No fees will be incurred and post-season play will not be affected.
• DEFAULTS MUST BE CALLED INTO THE OFFICE FROM THE COACH OR CAPTAIN BY 4 P.M. GAMEDAY.
• A team will be allowed two defaults per season; the third will be treated as a forfeit.

• In the best interest of all participants' safety, Intramural Sports contests may be canceled because of inclement weather. The decision to cancel games will be made at 4:00 p.m. on the day of the contest IF POSSIBLE and will be posted on imleagues.com. Because of the unpredictability of weather if the 6pm games are cancelled don't assume that the whole night is cancelled. If play is in progress and weather conditions become unfavorable, the supervisors will make the decision to cancel on the field and will place an announcement on imleagues.com regarding the remainder of the day's schedule. Canceled games MAY be rescheduled by the Intramural Sports Staff later that season if field availability and time permits.
• Lightening Rule: Play will stop if it is deemed that lightening is too close to safely play. Play may not resume until at least 30 minutes after the last bolt of lightning has been detected.

Many of the activities offered by Intramural Sports require sports officials. Official pay (based upon experience) and game scheduling will be discussed at the clinics for each sport. 

Intramural Sports strives to provide a recreational environment for the University community which is safe and enjoyable. While the game atmosphere is often competitive, ensuring participant safety, providing a fun, social atmosphere, and promoting sportsmanlike behavior among participants, spectators, and team followers are our primary goals. The game atmosphere should remain good-natured at all times. Participants shall maintain good sportsmanship throughout their participation in all facets of the Intramural Sports Program.  After every game, each team will be rated by the respective staff for each contest according to sportsmanship displayed, including trash and destruction of property. In addition, any specific threats or verbal or electronic attacks (via Facebook, IM Leagues, text messaging etc.) directed at any staff (student or professional) or officials will NOT be tolerated. Incidents will be reviewed individually and can be subject to the Murray State judicial process.

Cussing, poor behavior, blatant disregard for rules and or policies and disrespectful comments to staff and players WILL NOT be tolerated. Teams must finish the regular season with a 7.0 average to participate in post-season playoffs. Every team is responsible for their fans. Poor fan behavior will result in a lower sportsmanship rating for their team.

Playoffs: A team receiving a sportsmanship rating of 3 or lower will be eliminated. In the case that the winning team receives a rating of 3 or lower, neither team will advance to the next round. In the case of the Championship Game neither team will be declared the Champion.

ODD NUMBER OF POINTS (9, 7, 5, 3, 1) WILL BE USED IN SITUATIONS THAT THERE ARE BOTH EXAMPLES OF GOOD AND BAD SPORTSMANSHIP.

A TEAM MAY RECEIVE A "0" WITHOUT A PLAYER BEING EJECTED DEPENDING ON THE CIRCUMSTANCE OF EACH INCIDENT.

10 points - Exemplary:

Will be awarded to a team which demonstrates extremely good sportsmanship and maintains an attitude of complete cooperation throughout the entire game. Examples could include but not limited to: Congratulating opponents for a well-played game, Grateful for the opportunity to compete.

8 points – Orderly:

Will be awarded to a team if there is no incidence of poor sportsmanship. Teams have a general knowledge of the policies and purpose of intramural sports. Respect is shown to the game and staff by participants, coaches and spectators at all times. Participants speak to staff members appropriately in all situations

6 points – Infringing:

Will be awarded to a team when unsportsmanlike conduct is not present in a game except for minor infractions. Participants display disagreement/frustration with decisions of staff/officials. Questioning of judgment/rules interpretation not presented in a respectful manner. Examples include, but are not limited to, trash talk, cursing in any manner, publicly questioning an official's abilities, mocking the skill level of an opponent.

4 points – Obstructing:

Will be awarded to a team that hinders everyone from enjoying a positive environment and meeting the goals of intramural sports.

2 points – Harassing:

Will be awarded to a team that relentlessly disregards the integrity of the game including threatening behavior to staff or participants.

0 points – Detrimental:

Will be awarded to a team that is unable to finish the contest due to extenuating conduct circumstances. If involved in a fight your team could be removed from the league for the remainder of the season.

After a player is ejected, it is the ejected players responsibility to make an appointment with the Director of Campus Recreation & Wellness. The suspension does not start until after the meeting with the Director. A player that is suspended is suspended from all participation in intramurals including playing, coaching, and spectating. Players that play on multiple teams are suspended from all teams that they participate on for the duration of the suspension. Suspension can also include multiple sports.

To determine the President's Cup champion in the Residential College A, Fraternity A, Sorority A division the following point system will be used.

Major Sport = 50 participation points + order of finish points (200, 180, 160, 140, 120, 100…) -25 pts per forfeit. Teams that finish below a 7.0 SR average lose half of their participation points after deducting any forfeit points. (Softball, Flag Football, Basketball, Volleyball, Soccer)

Minor Sport = 50 participation points + order of finish points (100, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50…) –25 pts per forfeits. Teams that finish below a 7.0 SR average lose half of their participation points after deducting any forfeit points. (Dodgeball, Innertube Water Polo, Ultimate Frisbee)

Individual and Dual = 50 participation points + order of finish points (50, 45, 40, 35, 30, 25…) -25 pts per forfeits. (Golf)