NCS Guidelines for Sportsmanship and Conduct
NCS takes the behavior of its members in sanctioned squash events seriously. The Association expects members to abide by the following guidelines:
Read and follow the NCS League Rules and the World Squash Federation Rules of the Game.
Wear US SQUASH-approved eye protection gear over the eyes at all times when on court, including during the warm-up. Playing without eye protection is not permitted. Players who play in NCS sanctioned matches without proper eye protection will forfeit their matches.
Obey the rules and policies of host venues. Treat their employees courteously and with respect.
Register and be ready to play scheduled matches on time. Venues are listed in the “Court Locations” section under the “League” tab on the NCS website. When traveling to matches, allow time for delays in transit.
Rescheduling league matches to later dates for personal reasons is not permitted. NCS League Rules require matches to be played on the scheduled dates. Division Coordinators may reschedule a League match at the request of the team Captains if weather or host venue conditions make it impossible or unsafe to play the match as scheduled. Postponed matches should be played before the next match date on the League calendar so as not to unduly lengthen the season and force postponing end-of-season championship playoffs and other NCS activities.
Do not default a match unless you are injured or believe playing would be hazardous to your health or unsafe. A match in a sanctioned event often involves the time, effort and commitment of many people including volunteer Captains, Division Coordinators and the employees of venues who donate valuable court time that is normally reserved for paying club members. Late withdrawals and no-shows for reasons other than injuries and medical emergencies reflect poorly on the sport and negatively impact players and organizers.
In tournaments, play all main round, consolation, play-off and round robin events for which you qualify. It is recommended that you not enter a tournament with multiple weekend matches if you have commitments that could conflict with your matches.
Win and lose gracefully. Maintain composure before, during and after each match. Be courteous on and off court to opponents and referees. Referee matches as directed by tournament staff.
Ensure that all League matches are refereed. Offer to officiate if you have time and no one else has stepped forward.
Coach others and accept coaching only between games.
Accept Referee’s decisions with grace. Refrain from dissenting to them, a Violation of Rule 17 (Conduct).
At the conclusion of your match, shake hands with your opponent and thank the Referee.
NOTE: Abuse of players/spectators/referees/equipment/court/ball; offensive or crude language/gestures; and time-wasting are violations of Rule 17 (Conduct). Match Referees are empowered to control player behavior and apply the penalties in the Rule (Conduct Warning, Conduct Stroke, Conduct Game and Conduct Match).
NCS has a Disciplinary Committee and a Code of Conduct Report for addressing serious violations. The Report is archived in the “Squash Rules” section of the NCS website and may be downloaded. The Committee reviews Code of Conduct Reports and it may apply penalties to players which range from Probation to Revocation of membership in NCS. The Committee follows procedures to ensure fair treatment of the parties involved in incidents where conduct violations have occurred.
