Requirements to Participate

• Currently enrolled students and individuals who have a currently active Michigan Recreation membership are eligible to purchase an Intramural Pass and participate in Intramural Sports.
  • A recreation membership must be active during the duration of an intramural season in which a member is registered to participate, to remain eligible for intramural sports.
  • Guests of members & Guest Pass Holders are not eligible to participate in Intramural Sports
• Spring & Summer Intramurals do not require a membership or active student status, and are open to anyone 18 years of age or older.

Participation Limitations

• Participants may register for and play on one (1) Co-Rec team roster and one (1) non-Co-Rec team roster in each sport, each season.
  • Co-Rec is the only league type that is considered co-rec. All other leagues are considered “non-co-rec”
    • Men’s & Women’s = Non-Co-Rec
    • Grad/Fac/Staff = Non-Co-Rec
    • Open = Non-Co-Rec
• Participants must have a signed and current intramural sports waiver.
  • Waivers are completed during the registration process

Restricted Participants

• Each Intramural Sports team roster is limited to a maximum of combined two (2) restricted participants in the sport or related sport of membership. Restricted participants include:
  • Club Sport Members – any individual who is listed on the official roster during that Academic Year, including Club Sport coaches. They are considered as such for the entire Academic Year.
  • Current Intercollegiate Athletes – all NCAA athletes (including active, inactive, and ineligible) are barred from participating in their sport or a related sport.
  • Former Intercollegiate Athletes – any individual who has practiced or competed with a varsity intercollegiate squad for more than 10 days.
    • Current Athletes become Former Athletes after one (1) entire term (Fall, Winter, or Spring/Summer) has elapsed, since the termination of participation with an intercollegiate team (i.e. if an individual’s sport ends in October, the entire Winter term must elapse, and they become a ‘Former Intercollegiate Athlete’ starting in the Spring/Summer term)
• Related sports are up to the discretion of the Intramural Sports Program based on the offered sports.
• The Intramural Sports Program reserves the right to bar from, or limit the intramural competition, of any participant of varsity, Olympic or professional caliber who may or may not be participating in varsity sports or playing as a professional.
• Teams found violating this policy will be subject to punitive at the discretion of the office of Intramural Sports.

Eligibility Protests

• Eligibility protests, based on the eligibility of participants, must be based on a contest in which the protesting team participated and must be made by the end of the business day following their game.

Ineligible Participants

• Any team found to be using ineligible participants will be held accountable by the Intramural Sports Program, and may be subject to forfeiture of up to their entire season without eligibility for refund

• Victors Season Sports
  • These leagues are officiated leagues and are offered once per semester, and labeled as “Victors”
  • These leagues will have longer regular seasons, and be facilitated by trained Intramural staff
  • Roster Limitations: Rosters are capped at the following for victors sports:
    • Flag Football – 15
    • 7v7 Soccer – 15
    • Basketball – 11
    • Volleyball – 13
    • Futsal – 10
• Maize & Blue Season Sports
  • These seasons are offered each semester, and are non-officiated leagues with a shorter season
    • Maize season starts near the beginning of the semester
    • Blue season starts near the middle of the semester
  • Roster Limitations: Sports offered during these seasons do not have a roster cap, but champ shirts are only available for a roster of double the amount to play for a team.

• Men’s & Women’s Leagues
  • A team is required to have a roster only consisting of the gender specified for that league.
    
    • Executive Order 14201, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports”, requires that participants who are biologically male cannot participate in Women’s Intramural Leagues.
  • Men’s & Women’s Leagues are considered “Non Co-Rec” in regards to eligibility for playing on multiple teams for one sport, during a single season.
• Co-Rec Leagues
  • A team is required to have at least two persons of a differing gender to start and/or continue a game.
  • While competing in Co-Rec leagues, gender counts must be as equal as possible and in the case of an odd number of participants, the count of the majority gender may only exceed the next highest gender count by one (1).
    
    • Some sports require participants to follow specific rules for the format of play, based on gender identification. Please see our sports rules page for more specific details
• Graduate/Faculty/Staff Leagues (Grad/Fac/Staff)
  • These leagues are considered ‘Open’ leagues and there are no roster or participation requirements beyond requiring participants to be:
    • Currently enrolled Graduate Students at the University of Michigan
    • Currently employed faculty and/or staff at the University of Michigan, who posses a membership with Michigan Recreation.
      • Temp-Staff are not eligible under the “staff” category for GFS leagues
  • Grad/Fac/Staff Leagues are considered “Non Co-Rec” in regards to eligibility for playing on multiple teams for one sport, during a single season.
• Open Leagues
  • Leagues not labeled ‘Co-Rec’ are considered ‘Open’ leagues and there are no roster or participation requirements beyond basic eligibility.
  • A wide variety of leagues are offered based on the experience participants would like to have including skill level and affinity groups.
  • Open Leagues are considered “Non Co-Rec” in regards to eligibility for playing on multiple teams for one sport, during a single season.

Each league will have labeled divisions as one of the three levels of competition offered. Teams should pay attention to what competitive level of the division they are registering for, to insure they are playing to the level intended by both their team and the others in that league.

• Competitive
  • For teams who are looking to compete at a high level each game, and play for an intramural championship.
• Recreational
  • For teams who are looking to compete at a fun and moderate level each game, and play for both the love of the game and the fun of being with their team.
• Social
  • For teams who are looking for fun and socializing, while enjoying the sport with their team and opponent.
    • Teams in this division can be competitive but in good spirit. Players or teams found to be hindering the social experience for others may be removed from this division without refund, at the discretion of intramural sports administration.
  • Teams in this division may have free agents added to their team by Intramural Sports, if their team does not have 3 or more subs for the team.

Defaults

• A default offers a team the opportunity to notify their opponent that they are not available for their scheduled game, without impacting their place in the league or their playoff eligibility.
• If a team is aware they will not have enough players necessary to play their game, they should notify the Intramural Sports Program by sending an email to [email protected] with their team name, division, and game time. Team captains also have the ability to default online, through Fusion Play, by viewing their team schedule. Default must be communicated by 12:00 pm (noon) the business day before the game.
  • Example:
    • Team A is scheduled to play on Sunday, but knows they will not have enough players.
    • The team must send the email notification to [email protected] by noon of Friday.
    • Emails received after the deadline are subjected to be counted as a forfeit.
• If a team defaults, they will lose three (3) SRS points.

Forfeits

• If a team has any combination of two forfeits OR defaults in regular season games, they will be removed from the league and no longer eligible for playoffs.
• Teams must have the minimum number of players required checked-in with the referees and ready to play on the playing surface at the regularly scheduled game time. The game clock will start at the regularly scheduled game time and a 10 minute grace period will occur to allow a team the chance to arrive.
• If a team arrives late, they will lose three (3) SRS points but will be allowed to play the game’s remaining time. If a team does not show in this grace period, they will lose seven (7) SRS points and be marked as a forfeit.
• READY UP RULE (Delay of Game Penalties) – In the event one team is ready to start a victors season match, and the other is not, the team that is ready will be awarded points every 2 minutes to their score. This will continue until either the match starts, or the match is forfeited by the unready team.
  • Sport Specific Points
    • 3 points for Flag Football
    • 1 goal for soccer
    • 1 point in volleyball
    • 2 points for basketball
• If a team forfeits their first scheduled game, they will be removed from the league, the first team on the waitlist will take their spot, and the forfeiting team will be placed on the waitlist. If there is not a team on the waitlist, the forfeiting team will be left in the league.
• If a team forfeits two regular season games, they will be removed from the league and no longer eligible for playoffs.
• Refunds will not be given to teams who are removed due to forfeit.

Inability to Continue

• If a team is able to begin a game with the minimum number of required players and they drop below the minimum number of required players during the game, due to situations such as injury or an emergency, the team will be charged with a loss but not a forfeit.

Participation & Check-In

• Participants who are in good standing and on their online roster by noon the day of their game, or noon on Friday for Sunday games, will guarantee eligibility to play.
• Each participant must sign in with the intramural staff on or near their playing surface, and be able to prove their identity, with a physical ID card.
  • Accepted forms of Identification are:
    • MCard
    • Government issued photo ID
  • Copies and/or digital Photos of Identification will not be accepted.
• If a participant is either not on the printed roster or crossed off as ineligible, they will need to see the on-site intramural supervisor.

Use of Fraudulent MCard or Identification

• If a player is caught using an identification that is not their own or participating without proper identification, the team for which that individual was playing will forfeit that game.
  • The game will not be played or will end immediately if in progress
  • The individual will be subject to disciplinary action from the Intramural Sports Program including being prohibited from playing intramural sports for the rest of that season, without refund.
  • Playoff reprimand
    • If the occurrence was in the regular season, the team will be prohibited from playing in the playoffs.
    • If the occurrence was in the playoffs, the team will be disqualified from continuing in the playoffs.
• The Intramural Sports Staff will contact DPSS regarding the fraudulently used MCard.

Alcohol & Drug Policy

• The possession and/or consumption of alcohol or drugs by Intramural participants, coaches, and spectators is strictly prohibited at all facilities where Intramural Sports take place.
• Any participant, coach, or spectator who is under the influence or suspected to be under the influence will not be allowed to participate in any Intramural Sports activity, will be required to leave the facility immediately, and further disciplinary action may be taken.

Sportsmanship Rating System

The Intramural Sports Program is dedicated to providing a safe, fair, and enjoyable environment during all intramural contests. Unsportsmanlike behavior generally causes games to become not enjoyable, unfair, and in some cases, unsafe. In order to maintain the proper playing environment, the Sportsmanship Rating System (SRS) has been established and is in effect for all regular season and playoff contests.

• Regular Season
  • Teams are given 10 points at the start of each game and maintain those points through positive actions and behaviors.
  • Points are deducted for things such as in-game penalties, ejections, and unsportsmanlike conduct issues.
  • Teams can only earn 10 points per game.
    • A regular season game will be terminated if a team’s SRS point total for a game goes below zero (0).
• Playoff Eligibility & Continuation Requirements
  • In order for a team to make the playoffs, they must have accumulated a total of twenty-one (21) SRS points for ‘Maize’ and ‘Blue’ seasons or twenty-eight (28) SRS points for ‘Victors’ seasons throughout the regular season.
  • Teams must earn at least seven (7) SRS points in each playoff game in order to advance to the next round.
    • If a team falls below 7 SRS points during a playoff game, the game will end immediately and will be listed as a forfeit for the team that has fallen below the requirement. This means the other team will advance regardless of score.

Sport Specific Point Deductions

• See an individual sport’s rules for the sport specific deductions.

Participant Accountability

• Individuals participating in the Intramural Sports Program are expected to conduct themselves within the boundaries of sportsmanship and fair play as well as within the rules, policies, and procedures of the program and the University of Michigan.
• Ensuring the integrity of the program, be it rules, safety, or enjoyment, is a high priority for the Intramural Sports Program.
• In cases where an individual’s or team’s conduct violates these principles, such conduct will warrant possible disciplinary action to be taken.

Scheduling

• Teams will play their regularly scheduled games based on the division they select. Division times may be altered slightly to provide additional teams the opportunity to participate.
• Some leagues will use self-scheduling – Teams will be responsible for confirming match times with opponents.
  • The winning team must report the final score by a specified date and time.

Inclement Weather

• A scheduled contest may be postponed, rescheduled, or canceled only by a staff member of the Intramural Sports Program and the decisions will be made in an effort to protect the safety of the participants and the quality of our playing surfaces.
• Decisions will be made as soon as possible and notifications will be sent out through our platform’s messaging system.
• Games that are canceled may or may not be rescheduled and no refunds will be given.

Rescheduling

• Regular season games cannot be rescheduled by player or team requests.
  • It is extremely difficult to reschedule games based on facility/field availability, opponent availability, and time constraints.
• The Intramural Staff will attempt to reschedule playoff games when teams are playing in multiple sports, have academic conflicts and/or need religious accommodations, but it is not guaranteed.

Eligibility

• General Eligibility
  • Every team is eligible to make the playoffs at the beginning of the season.
    • Social Leagues do not have playoffs
    • Some seasons may not have playoffs due to low numbers of participating teams or structure of the league.
  • Teams must play in at least one (1) regular season game and obtain an average of seven (7) SRS points or higher throughout their regular season games.
• SRS Points
  • In order for a team to make the playoffs, they must have accumulated a total of twenty-one (21) SRS points for ‘Maize’ and ‘Blue’ seasons or twenty-eight (28) SRS points for ‘Victors’ seasons throughout the regular season.
  • Teams must earn at least seven (7) SRS points in each playoff game in order to advance to the next round.

Draft Scheduling

• Due to weather, forfeits, sportsmanship, and other unforeseen circumstances playoff times are subject to change.
• Playoff draft registration will be communicated to captains on the start date and time.
  • On the announced day and teams will have a specified amount of time to select their spot or they will be placed into an open spot by an Intramural staff member, and the next eligible team will be given their turn.
  • Once a bracket position is selected, it cannot be changed or traded.

Rule Interpretations & Objections

• Intramural Staff will make rulings and give instructions based on their understanding of the rules and policies of intramurals sports.
• If a captain has a concern that a rule or administrative policy has been misinterpreted, they should bring the matter to the officials and/or supervisor’s attention immediately.
  • The officials and/or supervisors will make a determination based on the facts available to them.
• If a resolution is not obtained, or staff are unable to come to a final determination, the Intramural Sports Program will make a case-by-case decision as to the results including but not limited to:
  • A team forfeiting
  • The game being replayed
  • Or the game being replayed from the point of objection

Assumed Risk

• Participation is on a voluntary basis, and participants assume the risks normally associated with activity characteristic of a particular sport.
• It is recommended that all participants undergo a physical examination prior to participating in any intramural activity, and carry some form of health and injury insurance.

Liability

• Neither the University of Michigan nor the Department of Michigan Recreation accepts responsibility for ill health or injury sustained while participating in any of the events or activities.
• Neither the University of Michigan nor the Department of Michigan Recreation shall pay any medical and/or ambulance expenses incurred by a participant.

Medical Treatment, Assistance, and Disqualification

• Each recreation facility is equipped with basic first aid supplies for minor injuries.
• Should an injury occur, that injury should be immediately reported to the game official, the intramural supervisor, or the facility supervisor.
• Officials and supervisors have the authority to disqualify someone from participation due to physical or mental state, injuries sustained, or other player safety reasons.

Policy on Refunds

• All Intramural Pass sales will be final.
  • Although purchasing an IM pass does not guarantee a confirmed spot in a league or preferred division, the passes allow opportunity to participate in multiple types of sports activities.
  • Refund requests must be completed before the conclusion of the season, which the pass was originally purchased for.

Refund Requests

• Those who believe they have a special circumstance that could warrant a refund, should fill out the Intramural Support Form.
  • Filling out this form will not guarantee a refund, but will allow us to review refunds case by case to determine if a refund is appropriate.
• Requests will be reviewed and processed in the order they’re received.
  • If approved, and the individual will be removed from all rosters for the semester they are being refunded for.