This document provides information for an online managers meeting for intramural pickleball at Northeastern University. It discusses the most important IM policies including game forfeiture rules and roster management. It outlines the roles and duties of intramural team managers. It details player eligibility requirements and the roster addition process. The document reviews sport-specific pickleball rules like court setup, serving rules, and the two-bounce and non-volley zone rules. Managers are instructed to take a quiz after the meeting.
2. The Five
Most
Important
IM Policies
 Game time is forfeit time – please ensure you
have enough rostered players present prior to
the start of your scheduled contest.
 Only a team’s captain may confer with the
officials.
 All players must present their valid Northeastern
University issued Husky Card in order to play.
 All roster management is done via the
IMLeagues platform.
 After the season’s schedule is published,
regular season games will not be rescheduled
at a team’s request.
3. Roles
and
Duties of
Intramural
Team
Managers
 Be responsible for your actions and the
actions of all your teammates.
 Understand all the relevant intramural
policies and rules as found in the
Intramural Manager’s Handbook.
 Communicate all necessary policies and
rules to your teammates.
 Inform any ejected players that they
need to leave the facility and how they
can apply for reinstatement.
4. Player Eligibility
 All registered students are eligible to play
 Undergraduate, graduate, part-time and law
students are all eligible.
 Unless otherwise noted, alumni and faculty/staff
cannot participate in intramural sports.
 Players may only play on one team per
league per sport per season:
 One open and one co-rec team per season.
 There may be multiple seasons in each semester.
 Club Sport Rules:
 Only three club sport players may be on a single
team roster for the related sport.
All registrations and roster
management is done through
the IMLeagues platform.
 Ex-Varsity Athletes:
 Are required to sit out a year (of any related sport) and each team can
only have one such student on their roster
5. Roster
Additions
 All roster additions must be done online via the
IMLeagues platform.
 May be completed at any time – including up
until the start of a game!
 Managers can drop players by emailing
nuintramurals@gmail.com
 Please note that you may not drop a player
who has already played a game for your
team.
 Players must complete a short online quiz prior
to being eligible to play.
 All rosters are found online on IMLeagues.
6. The
Captain’s
Rule
 Only the captain may clarify calls with the
officials.
 If players or other team members have
questions, issues or concerns they need to
direct them through the Captain to the
officials.
 Each Captain may respectfully question rule
interpretations, but not judgment calls.
 Judgement calls are at the sole discretion of
the presiding match officials.
 Players who are not the Captain, and who
argue with the officials, will receive an
unsportsmanlike penalty.
7. The Intramural Manager’s
Handbook
 Can be found online on the Campus
Recreation website and on IMLeagues.
 Managers must know all relevant policies and
communicate them to their team.
 Especially important are the policies regarding
sportsmanship expectations and ejections.
 Note that 3 unsportsmanlike penalties will end
a contest in forfeit.
Found online at:
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 Fighting/taunting or specific violations of the code of conduct will
also result in a forfeit.
8. Team
Name
Policy
 It is the responsibility of the team manager to
submit an appropriate team name at the time of
registration.
 A student panel will review questionably
inappropriate team names, where majority will
rule regarding if the team name will be removed.
 The team name will be changed until the captain
resubmits a new team name that is deemed
appropriate.
 The full team name policy can be found on page
# 3 of the Intramural Manager’s Handbook.
9. Jewelry Policy
 Jewelry is not allowed to be worn by any intramural sports participants during a contest.
 This includes watches, wristbands, rings, hair ties, piercings, and all necklaces.
 Taping of earrings and other jewelry is NOT PERMITTED.
 If a player is found to be wearing jewelry during a game, they will be given an
unsportsmanlike penalty as it is a safety risk.
 There are two exceptions to this rule: spiritual/religious objects and medical items.
 Exceptions for spiritual and religious items must be approved by the Center for Spirituality,
Dialogue, and Service and by the Office of Intramural Sports at least 5 days prior to the
scheduled contest.
10. The
Regular
Season
 The number of regular season games will
vary by sport due to facility availability and
the number of registered teams.
 For most sports, team managers will be able
to select their schedule preferences for the
season. Whenever possible the IM office will
try - but cannot guarantee - to accommodate
these preferences.
 Team managers should email the Intramural
Sports office with all other scheduling
requests prior to the close of registration.
 After the schedule is published regular
season games will not be rescheduled by
team request.
11. Defaulting an IM Game
 After the schedule is published regular season games
will not be rescheduled by team request.
 However, teams that know that they cannot attend a
scheduled contest can submit a Default online.
 Defaults count as a loss but there is no penalty to the
team’s forfeit bond.
 Defaults must be submitted the day prior to a
scheduled contest. This allows us time to contact the
opposing team.
 The link to the online Default Form will be in your
registration email.
Also online at:
https://forms.gle/rrP5WAghExv
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12. Playoffs
 At the conclusion of each intramural sports
season a single elimination playoff
tournament will be held.
 The number of teams taken into the playoffs
will be determined by facility availability and
the number of registered teams in each
league.
 Playoff Tie-Breaker Procedures:
If two teams are tied in the standings the
following will be used to determine who will
advance:
 Sportsmanship
 Forfeited games
 Defaulted games
 Head-to-head record
 Point differential
 If there is still a tie, which ever team
registered first will advance.
13. Forfeits
 All teams in league play and some special
events must pay a $20 forfeit bond via the
provided link at the conclusion of
registration.
 Teams will lose $10 for every forfeit.
 A team that forfeits will be removed from
the league and loss their entire bond.
 Unused bonds will be refunded 2-3 weeks
after the conclusion of the season.
 Game time is forfeit time.
 It is recommended that teams show up 15
minutes before game time to avoid a forfeit.
14. Intramural
Code of
Conduct
All participants in the Intramural Sports
program must adhere to the Intramural Sports
Code of Conduct.
Including the following policies:
 3 unsportsmanlike penalties on one team in
a game will result in the termination of the
game as a forfeit against that team.
 Ejected players must leave the facility within
five minutes or their team will forfeit the
match.
 Players who have been ejected must meet
with an administrator of the intramural sports
program before they may participate in
further intramural competitions.
15. Review:
The Five
Most
Important
IM Policies
 Game time is forfeit time – please ensure you
have enough rostered players present prior to
the start of your scheduled contest.
 Only a team’s captain may confer with the
officials.
 All players must present their valid Northeastern
University issued Husky Card in order to play.
 All roster management is done via the
IMLeagues platform.
 After the season’s schedule is published regular
season games will not be rescheduled at a
team’s request.
18. General
Rules
 Matches are played best-of-three-sets, first
to eleven (win by two)
 The game is played according to the rules of
pickleball as per the USAPA, as described
and modified below
 Matches are self-umpired
 Players are expected to adhere to the
honor system and the highest standards of
sportsmanship when making calls
 The Intramural Sports program will provide
paddles and balls for all participants
20. Service
 The serve must be made underhand
 Paddle contact with the ball must be below the
server’s waist (naval level)
 The serve is initiated with at least one foot behind
the baseline; neither food may contact the baseline
or court until after the ball is struck
 The serve is made diagonally crosscourt and must
land within the confines of the opposite diagonal
court
 Only one serve is allowed, expect in the event of a
let (the ball touches the net on the serve and lands
on the proper service court; let serves are replayed)
21. Service
Sequence
 Both players on the serving doubles team have the
opportunity to serve and score points until they
commit a fault, except for the first service sequence
of each new game
 At the beginning of each new game only one
partner on the serving team has the opportunity
to serve before faulting, after which the service
passes to the receiving team
 The first serve of each side-out is made from the
right/even court
 If a point is scored, the server switches sides and the
server initiates the next serve from the left/odd court
 As subsequent points are scored, the server continues
switching back and forth until a fault is committed,
and the first server loses the serve
22. Service
Sequence
 When the first server loses the serve, the partner serves
from their side of the court
 The second server continues serving until his team
commits a fault and loses the serve to the opposing
team
 Once the service goes to the opposition, the first serve
is from the right/even court and both players on that
team have the opportunity to serve and score points
until their team commits two faults
 In singles the server serves from the right/even court
when his or her score is even and from the left/odd
when the score is odd
23. Two-Bounce
Rule
 When the ball is served, the receiving team
must let it bounce before returning, and then the
serving team must let it bounce before
returning, thus two bounces
 After the ball has bounced once in each team’s
court, both teams may either volley the ball (hit
the ball before it bounces) or play it off a bounce
(ground stroke)
24. Non-Volley
Zone
 The non-volley zone is the court area within 7 feet
on both sides of the net
 Volleying (contacting a ball before allowing it to
bounce) is prohibited within the non-volley zone
 It is a fault if, when volleying a ball, the player
steps on the non-volley zone
 It is a fault if, after volleying, a player is carried by
momentum into or touches the non-volley zone,
even if the volleyed ball is declared dead before
this happens
 A player may legally be in the non-volley zone any
time other than when volleying a ball
25. The
Captain’s
Rule
 Only the captain may clarify calls with the
officials
 If the team has questions or issues, they
need to direct them through the Captain
to the officials
 Captain may question rule
interpretations but not judgment calls
 Players who are not the Captain who
argue or question the officials will receive
an unsportsmanlike penalty
26. Now Take the Quiz!
Thank you for your interest in the Intramural Sports
program – have a great season!