Each team is allowed 6 players on the playing field during a game. A team is allowed a maximum 4 males or 4 females on the field at once, with a minimum 1 of each gender. Teams require a minimum of 4 players to take the field with at least one of each gender.
DURATION
Games are 30 minutes 2×13 minute halves with a 2 minute half-time break. The extra 2 minutes are to allow for players to take and leave the field prior to and following their game. If a game starts late, the game time may be adjusted, with each half being a minimum of 10 minutes.
THE DRAW
The entire season schedule (draw) is posted online prior to Round 1 commencing. If you have an issue with any individual times or dates, Lunchtime Legends may on request alter the draw before the commencement of Round 1. Game times generally cannot be changed after the season has started. The draw is computer generated, team match ups and times are random and are designed to offer maximum variety of competition with the available teams and number of rounds.
WARM UP
Please ensure you arrive a few minutes before your game to sign on, warm up and stretch to avoid injuries.
SIGN ON
All players must sign-on prior to their game. Players must sign on under their own names, and sign-on only for themselves and not for other team members. Players must sign on and participate in 3 games during the Round Robin competition to participate in the Finals Series. If your team has a forfeit win or a washed out game that has not been replayed, each player is considered signed on for that game (This is only relevant if your team makes the Finals Series).
Please Note: Signing on under someone else’s name may disqualify you from any insurance cover you may otherwise be eligible for if you are injured. Signing on for other players may disqualify them from any insurance cover they may otherwise be eligible for if they are injured while playing. Please refer to your HR department for your specific insurance information.
PLAYING SHOES
Lunchtime Legends is intended as a Fun, Social competition conducted in the spirit of Fun & Fair Play. We have a Permitted Footwear Policy which is designed to provide;
The lowest risk for injury to all players
A level playing field for all participants
Conform to the requirements of venue owners looking to reduce wear on fields
All participants MUST wear enclosed footwear. Metal and screw in studded boots are prohibited. Moulded studded shoes are permitted, but there is an enormous variety of footwear available, with the key issue being the type of mouldings on the soles. For the purposes of this policy, we have categorised Footwear into key 3 categories;
Recommended – Footwear with a high number of low profile (<5mm) mouldings
Permitted – Footwear with a medium number of medium profile (<10mm) mouldings
Not Permitted – Footwear with a small number of high profile (>10mm) mouldings
Note: For any type of boots to be permitted, they must have a minimum number of studs;
At least 5 on the heal
An additional 10 in front of the instep area
All must be <10mm in profile
You are more likely to be penalised for a dangerous play if you are wearing boots that are not recommended.
Please ensure all watches, jewellery and sunglasses (unless prescription) are removed before the game begins. These items are best left at the office. Please do not give jewellery to your umpire/referee to mind, we have Supervisors at the grounds who will take care of such belongings if requested.
Your nails should also be cut to the height of the finger tips, and players with long nails may be requested to wear gloves or tape these for their safety and the safety of other players.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Each team is to nominate a Captain prior to the start of play. The Captain is responsible for the conduct of the team, will participate in the toss before the game, sign the scorecard and nominate a “Lunchtime Legend” from the opposing team at the end of the game.
TOSS
Captains will participate in the toss before the start of the game with the referee. The winner of the toss will decide which half of the field they take, and whether to start in possession of the ball.
LUNCHTIME LEGEND
Lunchtime Legends encourages participants to play to the best of their ability as well as exhibit good sportsmanship and fair play at all times. At the conclusion of each game, the captains nominate a player from the opposing team who they believe has exhibited this behaviour the most. This person is the “Lunchtime Legend” for that team. The competition supervisor will select a “Legend of the Round” from all the teams. This person has their name posted online for a week alongside the round results. The votes from each round are tallied through the season with a “Legend of the Series” trophy awarded at the end of each competition for the person with the most nominations.
SUBSTITUTION
Players may substitute at any time during the game as often as they wish as long as this does not cause a break in play. Players may substitute for any player on their team, so long as such substitution does not contravene the gender requirements. Players being substituted must leave the field prior their replacement entering the field.
INJURIES / BLOOD RULE
A player that receives an injury that results in any blood must leave the field of play and a normal substitute is used. The player may not return to the field until the blood is cleaned up, and the wound is covered. For serious injuries received during play, the game may be stopped to assess and provide aid to the injured party. If the player needs to leave the field, a normal substitute is used. If a valid substitute is not available, the team must continue to play minus a player.
LATE ARRIVAL
To keep the games on time, teams arriving late will be punished accordingly; On the second minute the offending team is running late, the opposition receives 1 point. On the fourth minute, the opposition receives another point. At the 5th minute, the game is deemed a forfeit win with a score-line of 5-0 in favour of the non-forfeiting team. If both teams are running late, both teams will be penalised. (Eg, if team 1 shows up two minutes late, and team 2 shows up 4 minutes late, the game will start 2-1 in favour of team 1). If after 5 minutes neither team has shown, the game is deemed a forfeit draw with a score of 0-0 and no points awarded in the competition total .
RING-INS
During the Round Robin competition, teams who register as a “Team Entry” may use players who did not originally register with their team to “fill in” for regular players. This is preferred by Lunchtime Legends as an alternative to forfeiting games. These players must sign on under their own name for the team they are playing for prior to the start of the game. Teams that are made of Individual Entries may use Ring Ins only where they are a direct substitute for a non participating player. Ring-ins cannot act as Captain, but for all other purposes serve as a normal player on the team. A ring-in player who signs on and participates in 3 games for another team is permitted to play for that team in the Finals Series. If teams are in need of ring-ins, we recommended finding ring-in players prior to coming down to the fields. Playing as a ring-in is done at your own risk, as your company or the company you play for may not cover you under their respective insurance policy.
FORFEITS
If you have to forfeit a game, please contact us on 0416 499 118 before 10am on the day of play. An email to admin@lunchtimelegends.com.au before the day of play is also acceptable. If you forfeit twice without giving Lunchtime Legends such notice or three times with notice, your team will be withdrawn from the competition with no refund and your place will be made a bye for the remaining rounds of the draw. There is no exception to this rule and we encourage all teams to make every effort to play at your scheduled time slot every week.
If a team is withdrawn from the competition due to forfeits, it will not be allowed to play with Lunchtime Legends the following season.
Forfeiting a game results in a 5-0 loss and NO competition points will be awarded to your team.
POINTS / COMPETITION TABLE
Teams receive 3 points for a win, 2 for a draw, 1 for a loss and 0 for a forfeit. The competition table is updated online at the conclusion of each round. Should 2 teams end up with equal points after the Round Robin, points for “For and Against” will apply. If 2 or more teams are on equal points and the “For and Against” difference is equal, the team with the highest “For” score will secure the higher place on the table. If this fails to separate the teams, the team with the highest number of wins will secure the higher place. In the rare event that 2 teams find themselves completely equal with each other on the table at the end of the Round Robin competition and both are eligible for a place in the Finals Series, then those teams will need to play an elimination game prior to the commencement of the Finals Series.
FINALS SERIES
At the completion of the Round Robin, the Finals Series commences. There are 2 rounds, Semi Finals and Grand Final. The top 4 teams from the Round Robin competition play each other in the Semi Finals, with 1st vs 4th and 2nd vs 3rd. The winners from each game play each other at the Grand Final. Players must have signed-on and participated in 3 or more games to be eligible to play. If your team has a forfeit win or a washed out game during the Round Robin competition, each player on your team is considered signed on for that game. In the event that a player is eligible to play for multiple teams in the Finals Series, ie. they have signed on and played for multiple teams during the round robin series, they can only play for one team in the Finals Series.
Prior to the commencement of the Finals Series, each player who is eligible to play for multiple teams must nominated the team they will play for in the Finals Series. If the team they nominate is eliminated from the finals series, then they are also eliminated from the finals series, and are still not eligible to play for any other team. Any participant from the competition is welcome to watch the Semi Finals and Grand Final, with a catered presentation ceremony at the conclusion of the Grand Final. Trophies will be awarded to the Winners and Runners-Up on Grand Final Day.
DRAWN GAMES (Finals series only)
For drawn games in the Finals Series, a drop-off system will apply. Teams are to start with 5 players on the field (1 player of each gender must remain on the field at all times) and drop a player off every 2 minutes until there are 3 players left on the field from each team. The game ends when the first touchdown is scored. Players may continue to substitute during this time.
WASHOUTS
If the weather is inclement, please check the Lunchtime Legends website after 9:30am to see if the fields are open or closed for play. Lunchtime Legends will replay washout rounds if field space permits. These replacement rounds will be conducted on a weekday between 11:30am and 2:30pm during the regular Round Robin competition, with teams given notice the week before the replay round. Teams must play washout replacement rounds as scheduled or will be deemed to have forfeited the round. Washout rounds are offered based on field availability, so if games cannot be replayed, washout rounds will be deemed drawn games. Lunchtime Legends has the right to postpone any round for the safety of participants (eg. threat of lightning, deteriorating weather conditions). Any game that is called off but has completed the first half will be considered a completed round, with the score at the time of calling being deemed the final result.
SIN BIN
Due to the social nature of the competition, the referee or the supervisor has the option to SIN BIN a player to allow them time to cool off. The player can be requested off the field for up to 5 minutes depending on the severity of the incident. Sin Binned players can be replaced and the player can return to the field after they have served their time.
SENT OFF
A player can be sent off the field if the umpire / referee or supervisor witness the player committing dangerous or violent conduct, serious foul play (eg. spitting, punching, striking) or using foul or abusive language. Such behaviour is not tolerated in any form, and a player that is sent off CANNOT return to the field and CANNOT be substituted. Depending on the severity of the incident, a sent off player may face additional disciplinary action if the umpire / referee or Supervisor deems it appropriate. This may include but not limited to suspending the player from participating in Lunchtime Legends competitions for a period of time. This decision will be made after investigation and review by the Lunchtime Legends management team.
JUDICIARY
The Lunchtime Legends management team values the participation of all teams. We understand from experience that people sometimes behave outside of character and we do not hold any grudges once a matter has been reviewed and sentences served. As a matter of process, any person facing disciplinary action will be notified in advance that a matter is being investigated. In reviewing the incident, input is taken from the team captains on both sides, any witnesses, as well as the competition supervisor and match umpire / referee. Individuals will be advised in writing of any disciplinary action via their team captain or organizer along with the incident report and must comply or the team will face disqualification from the competition.
LAWS OF THE GAME
RULES OF PLAY
Rules of play are based on standard rules as referenced by their governing body unless otherwise stated, but are modified to suit the social nature of the competition, the time available and the facilities used. Lunchtime Legends retains the right to make determinations on issues that fall outside of documented rules and is the final authority in all interpretations and decisions.
GENERAL
No marker is allowed and the defense must move back five meters after each touch otherwise a penalty will be awarded (tapped ball).
If the dummy half is touched with the ball in possession it is a change of possession (roll ball).
A dummy half cannot score a try.
A changeover also occurs when the ball has been dropped.
PENALTIES
The following actions are penalised;
Passing the ball forward
Defensive team being inside the five metres (and not making an effort to retire),when the attacking player rolls the ball. No markers are allowed in touch
Defensive team not retiring the ten metres after a penalty has been given
Not returning the ball to the mark or not handing the ball to the closest opponent when there is a change of possession
A defender failing to effect a touch (but claiming a touch), Yes/No call
Obstruction
Disregarding the players code of behaviour
TOUCH
A touch can be made to any part of the body, hair, clothing or ball of the attacking player.
TAP
When a tap is called to commence or recommence play, the player must place the ball on the ground, release it and tap the ball gently with the foot. A tap occurs at the start of the game, at the restart of half-time, after a penalty or after a touchdown has been scored.
CHANGEOVER
Changeover of possession (to the opposition team) may be called for the following infringements;
Team in possession has dropped the ball
Team in possession has used up its allocated six touches
Dummy half is touched with the ball in possession.
ROLLBALL
The ball should be rolled between the legs when a player in possession has been touched. It must not go one metre. It does not have to be played with the feet. The ball must be rolled on the spot where the touch occurred otherwise “off the mark” will be ruled and it will be a turnover. If the ball is rolled without a touch occurring it is a changeover. A player in possession can touch a defender and then roll the ball while play is advancing.
SCORING
You may score a try from anywhere on the field.
A dummy half cannot score a try.
The ball must be placed successfully on the ground on or over the try line.
The ball may NOT be passed after the try line. The reason is on most fields we play across the field and there is no Dead Ball line or in goal area marked.
One point is awarded for a male try and two points are awarded for a female try (remember the ball must be passed to the female player before crossing the try line to be awarded and carry 2 points).
