Winterfest Broomball Rules

Participants should participate with the understanding that injuries do occur & realize that taking part in the Intramural Program is completely voluntary. Therefore, Northern Michigan University is not responsible for injuries happening during play.
PARTICIPANTS SHOULD HAVE ADEQUATE HEALTH & ACCIDENT INSURANCE
TO COVER ANY INJURY WHICH MAY OCCUR.

ENTRY FEE OF $10 TO BE PAID WITH REGISTRATION

I.D.’S
Students participating in Winterfest Broomball do not need to purchase a rec pass.  This is a Winterfest activity and is officiated by Intramural Sports staff. 

MANAGER’S MEETING
The Intramural Manager’s Meeting will be done on-line.  An e-mail, which is in place of the manager’s meeting, will be sent to the manager the morning following the deadline.  It will be the manager’s responsibility to read the email and relay the information to the remainder of the team.

SCHEDULES
Your team schedule will be sent to the team manager the Friday after the deadline date.  Play could begin as early as the following Monday.  It is the responsibility of each of the team managers to check their e-mail on a regular basis for team schedules and updates.  The Intramural Office will not call team managers to notify them of their team’s first game.  It is the responsibility of the team manager to inform their team of the game dates and times. 

FORFEITS
Teams are expected to begin play on time.  A team has 10 minutes to arrive after the clock begins.  If the team is more than 10 minutes late, a forfeit will be declared, and a $25.00 fee will be charged to the team manager’s student account.  Teams who forfeit during the course of the regular season may not be eligible for tournament play.

Teams who forfeit twice will be dropped from further competition and charged a total of $50.00. You may call the Intramural Office at 227-1692 at least 48 hours prior to your game time in order to avoid the late fee.  Make sure to leave your team name, game time, and league.

PROTESTS
➢ All protests must be filed by the team manager at the time the question occurs.
➢ Protests concerning rule interpretations will be settled at the game site by the officials, or the sport supervisor.
➢ If a team manager believes the decisions rendered to be in error, he/she must notify the officials and supervisors that the contest will continue under protest.
➢ A written protest and a $5.00 protest fee must be submitted to the Intramural Sports Coordinator by noon the following day.  The fee will be returned if the protest is upheld.
➢ A matter involving the official’s judgment is not subject to protest.
➢ A protest concerning a player’s eligibility can be made before, during, or after a contest.

1. If an eligibility question is before or during a contest, the player and team manager will be notified and given the choice of whether or not the player will play.
2. If the player chooses to play and is found ineligible, the contest will be forfeited and that player suspended from further participation for that sport’s season.
3. If the player leaves the contest and is found to be ineligible, the contest may be subject to review by the Intramural Sports Coordinator.
4. A protest regarding the eligibility of players must be made before either team plays its next scheduled game.

Eligibility questions after a contest will be investigated by the Intramural Sports Program. Participants found ineligible will be penalized accordingly.


EQUIPMENT
The referee shall inspect and approve all equipment.  He/she shall not permit any player to wear equipment which in his/her judgment is dangerous to other players.  Elbow, hand, finger, wrist, or arm guard, cast, or brace made of any hard substance even though covered with soft padding shall always be declared illegal. 

Brooms will be furnished by the Intramural Sports Department.  Personal brooms are not allowed.

No cleated shoes allowed!

Balls and pinnies will be furnished by the Intramural Department. 

The game ball will not be used for pre-game warm-up.  Each team manager will be held responsible for any of the above equipment damaged or not returned.NO hard, unyielding equipment such as shoulder pads, head guards, casts, etc. may be worn.

All jewelry must be taken off or taped prior to game time.The following shall be considered examples of illegal equipment, and cannot be worn:

1. Jewelry – e.g., rings, watches, necklaces, earrings, etc.
2. Knee, head, thigh, or hip pads containing sole leather
3. Cast of any type
4. Cleats
5. Players shall not have any foreign objects in their mouthsThese rules will not be waived!  If a player is wearing any illegal equipment, he/she will be unable to participate until this equipment is removed.

NOTE: Shin guards are allowed, but must be worn under clothing!

ACTIVITY AREA
Parking area behind the Superior Dome on the east side. (Lot 56)

OBJECTIVE / BROOMBALL VS HOCKEY
Intramural Broomball at NMU requires two teams, each with six players.  The object is to propel a regulation sized broomball past a goal line and into a net.  Each player wears appropriate footwear and uses a broom to hit the ball.  Five players from each team play on an open snow surface to attack the opponents net, which is guarded by a goal keeper.  The flow of the game is similar to hockey, with teams using one rover, two forward, two defensemen, and one goalie.

However, there are several key differences between the two games:

• There is no checking in Intramural Broomball
• There are no offside calls
• Participants wear outdoor footwear (i.e. shoes, winter boots, etc)
• Brooms are used instead of hockey sticks to propel a ball down the playing surface (Brooms are provided)

PLAYERS
Six (6) players shall make up a full team; however, a game may begin with four (4) players, provided it is not the goalie.  Each team must have a goalie.  The goalie is the only player allowed in the goal crease except when the ball is in the crease.  There should be two woman and two men on the field at all times.  Goalies and rovers will rotate after each period as follows:

• 1st Period – Female Goalie, Male Rover
• 2nd Period – Male Goalie, Female Rover
• 3rd Period – Female Goalie, Male Rover
• OT Period - Teams choice, rover and goalie are opposite sex.

Valid I.D.’s are required and will be checked prior to each game.

Offensive and defensive players must stay on their half of the field.  Only the rover can go back and forth across the center line.

**Goalies must have a broom at all times and remain standing on two feet.  Face masks are provided but optional.

LENGTH OF GAME

1. Time
   a. Three (3) twelve (12) minute periods shall constitute a game.  Time is continuous for each half except during the last two (2) minutes of the final period, or during time-outs, injuries, and unusual delays.
   b. During playoffs, each overtime period lasts for five (5) minutes of continuous time.  The winner will be determined on a sudden death basis (first team to score wins).  There will be no time-outs during overtime.   
   c. A face-off is conducted to start play.  The ball is dropped on the field between two brooms (one from each team).  The positions to face-off are identical to hockey.
   d. Each team has one time-out per game, lasting one minute.  
   e. Over-time: One five-minute sudden death period is played first.  If no score, then go to a shootout.
2. There will be no OT periods during the regular season, game will end in a tie.
3. There will be a five (5) minutes intermission between periods.
   

SCORING     

1. Each goal is worth one (1) point.
2. A goal is scored when the offensive team shoots the ball into the opposing teams’ net.
   

SUBSTITUTIONS
Substitutions can be made on a WHISTLE ONLY.  A female must substitute for a female and a male for male.

TIME-OUTS

1. Each team is allowed one (1) minute time-out per game.
2. No time-outs are allowed during overtime.
   

PENALTIES
When a team commits a non-flagrant foul in its own end, the other team will get possession of the ball at its attacking zone (blue line near the boards).  When a team commits a non-flagrant foul in its attacking zone, the other team will get possession of the ball at its own blue line.  A player receives two (2) minutes in the penalty box for a minor penalty, and four (4) minutes in the penalty box for a major penalty.  Players receiving match penalties are thrown out of the game.

NON-FLAGRANT FOULS

• Kicking the ball to a teammate
• Batting the ball forward with the hand
• High broom (no contact)
• Offensive player in the goal crease
• Slide tackling
• Sliding

MINOR PENALTIES

• Illegal substitution
• Interfering with play
• Delay of game
• Refusal to start play
• Illegal equipment
• Playing with broken broom
• Playing with two brooms
• Illegal face-off
• Hitting from behind
• Interference
• Holding
• Tripping
• Obstructive fall
• Kneeing
• Elbowing
• Charging
• High Broom (with contact, no injury)
• Needless disturbance
• Leaving the bench
• Slashing
• Sliding and causing collision

MAJOR PENALTIES
(Injury results from these)

• Tripping
• Slashing
• Kneeing
• Elbowing
• Charging
• High Broom
• Roughing

PENALTY SHOTS
(Deprives opponent of open shot)

• Holding
• Hooking
• Obstructive fall
• Hitting from behind
• Kicking ball by goalie to stop goal

MATCH PENALTIES

• Intentional attempt to injure
• Throwing broom or helmet
• Fighting
• Refusal to comply with official’s directives
• Goalie banging broom against goal

ALCOHOL/TOBACCO  POLICY
ABSOLUTELY NO DRINKING is allowed before playing in Intramural Sports Activities!  If an official, for any reason, suspects that a player has been drinking prior to playing, that player will not be allowed to participate in the game.  If anyone is found using tobacco products or drinking he/she will be asked to leave the building and will be indefinitely suspended pending a meeting with the Intramural Sports Coordinator.