NSATIS CONSTITUTION – NORTHERN BRANCH OF SATIS

1. The Association shall be called the “Northern Sub-Committee of SATIS” (Sports Association of Tasmanian Independent Schools) and shall consist of Northern Tasmanian Schools which have been admitted to membership of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Tasmania (AHISA).

2. Member schools are:

Launceston Church Grammar

Marist Regional College

Scotch Oakburn College

St. Brendan Shaw College

St. Patrick’s College

Launceston Christian School

3. An annual levy shall be paid by each member school at the beginning of each year, the amount of such levy to be decided by SATIS.

4. COMMITTEE
The Committee shall consist of the NSATIS delegate/s from each school.

5. Each school shall be entitled to one vote.

6. The Office Bearers of the Association shall be a President, who shall be the Chairman of the Association of the Heads of Northern Tasmania Independent Schools, a Chairman who shall be one of the delegates from the President’ School, and NSATIS Administrative Officer.

7. The President will represent the Association on public occasions like the presentation of trophies at the end of Carnivals. All Heads may attend meetings at their discretion.

8. The Administrative Officer’s duties are overseen by the Chair of SATIS. Some of the duties include:

a) To keep the records of the Association.

b) To keep minutes of all meetings of the Association.

c) To prepare the Agenda for all meetings.

d) To act as central office for all matter which affect the Constitution.

e) To call meetings of the Association when requested to do so by at least two schools.

f) To manage financial accounts of the Association in conjunction with the SSATIS Administrative Officer and the SATIS paymaster.

g) To draw up respective rosters, receive results and compile roster points.

h) To update the NSATIS Sports Regulations.

9. Meetings of the Association shall be called in writing, not less than seven days prior to the meeting, and such notice should state the business to be brought before the Committee. At the request of any two schools, the Administrative Officer shall call an emergency meeting at a time convenient to all member schools. Such notice shall state the business to be brought before the meeting.

10. At the request of any two schools, the Administrative Officer shall call a joint meeting of NSATIS and AHNTIS, to be chaired by the President. One vote per school.

11. Correspondence shall be sent to the delegates of schools.

12. AMENDMENTS
At least one month’s notice in writing must be given to the Administrative Officer of any proposal to alter the Constitution or Regulations. The Administrative Officer will circulate such a proposal to all members at least two weeks prior to the date of the next meeting. Any amendment to alter the Constitution or Regulations must be agreed to by a majority of schools present at the meeting and ratified by AHNTIS.

13. SPORTS Moratorium

The moratorium Provisions apply to the following two periods:

  1. Christmas/New Year, the dates for which will be determined by SATIS in consultation with Rowing Tasmania and published in the RT Calendar
  2. Easter – Good Friday to Easter Monday Inclusive

The intention of the SATIS Sports Moratorium is to enable students and their families to have a three-week break from school activities.

Additionally, the spirit of the Moratorium is as important as its regulations. The spirit of the Moratorium is based on the acknowledgement of the value of family, the need for balance in one’s life and sound pedagogical practice. Actions, intentional or not, which contravene the regulations of the Moratorium or compromise the spirit of the Moratorium, may be subject to review by AHISA.

Please Note:

If a school has any doubts about how to interpret the wording or the intent of the Moratorium, they should contact the Chair of SATIS prior to the commencement date of the Moratorium.

Rowing Specific Moratorium Rules:

  1. During the moratorium students cannot use school rowing equipment.
  2. During the Moratorium students from the same school cannot train or row together in any combination greater than three, including coxswains, and/or as more than half of a Double or Pair, at the same time.
  3. During the Moratorium students cannot be coached by school coaches within the parameters in 1 and 2 above.

Interpretation of Rowing Rules:

  1. School Rowing Equipment – any equipment owned or normally used by a school and/or it’s rowing club.
  2. Combination greater than three – In a boat larger than a Double/Pair.
  3. At the same time – On the water in multiple Doubles/Pairs/Singles at the same time or in such a manner that there can be implied a coordinated approach to the training of the students within a crew throughout the day and the period of the Moratorium. This also applies to land-based training.
  4. School coaches – Those coaches who coach crews/rowers that will represent a school.

General Regulations

1. Regulations

a) Each NSATIS sport has a set of sport specific regulations (see website for more details)

b) Only NSATIS delegates within each school should contact the Administrative officer regarding rosters or ladders.

c) All NSATIS related correspondence between schools should go through the NSATIS delegates and not individual members of school communities.

2. Rosters

a) Individual School entry form to be distributed prior to start of season.

b). Schools to return entry form by closing date as stated on form.

c) Extra entries are not permitted after closing date unless agreed to by the Administrative Officer.

d) Rosters collated and emailed to schools for confirmation prior to round 1.

e) Schools have 48 hours after 1st round to withdraw teams, but additional teams cannot be entered except in exceptional circumstances outlined by Administrative Officer.

f) Complete roster to be emailed to schools after confirmation and posted on SATIS website or alternative access point. (All published rosters to be dated.)

g) If there are 8 or more teams in any competition there will be semi-finals conducted for these rosters.

h) Where a school enters 2 or more teams in any roster one team must be nominated for Division 1.  In extenuating circumstances a school may request to not enter in Division 1.  If this is approved the team is deemed not eligible to play in finals.

i) Schools should endeavour to supply enough grounds / courts for the amount of teams entered, i.e. 1 ground for 2 teams. It is the responsibility of the school to book additional grounds / courts if they have entered additional teams.

j) A supervising adult over the age of 18 (not a current student) must be provided by each team and must attend the game for its entirety. Teams not accompanied by a supervising adult will forfeit the roster game. Warm-ups/Games will not commence till a supervising adult arrives.

k) Schools may request a bye for school camps etc, however in some cases this may not be possible.

l) If a school plays an ineligible player in any team the fixture shall be forfeited to the opposition.

m) Umpires/Referees

          Where possible all umpires/referees appointed to matches/games should be independent.

In circumstances where this is not possible schools must negotiate an alternative in advance. Such as:

  • Coaches may officiate: however, they can only provide instructional advice to educate the participants in learning the rules of the game. They may not provide coaching / strategy advice during game/ match time, with the exception of recognised breaks.
  • A qualified senior student may officiate
  • A staff member may officiate when independent umpires/referees are not available or have not been appointed.
  • This rule is to be read in conjunction with other specific sport rules and regulations. For Example: 2nds cricket, soccer linesmen

n) In 2021 NSATIS delegates agreed to trial the following roster formats:

  •  In a 6 team roster – play 5 rounds, followed by semi-finals and a Grand Final.
  • In a 5 team roster – play 4 rounds, followed by a qualifying final between 4th v 5th, then semi-finals:  1st v winner of qualifying final and 2nd v 3rd, concluding with a Grand Final between winners of semi-finals.
  • In a 4 team roster – play 6 rounds (play each other twice), followed by a Grand Final.
  • In a 3 team roster – play 4 rounds (play each other twice), followed by a Grand Final.

3. Points Allocation

a) Point score
The point score for all rosters will be:

Win/Forfeit = 5

Draw = 3

Loss = 1

Washout = 3

Forfeit against = 0. (A forfeit constitutes a 3 – 0 win/loss)

b) Score Ratio will be used to determine ladder positions.

Score Ratio = (Goals/Points scored – Goals/Points conceded)

c) Results are to be sent to the Administrative Officer by 12 noon on the Tuesday following the match.

d) SATIS score books are available for netball, soccer, basketball and tennis.

4. Cancellations, Forfeits and Wet Weather Policy

a) Roster games shall be played on the day scheduled unless mutually satisfactory arrangements regarding an alternative date can be made. If there is a need due to ground conditions in the lead up or expected weather issues on game day for matches to be moved to another venue or a different day this will only be possible if agreed to by both schools and a suitable venue is available. If another suitable day or venue can’t be agreed upon the match will remain a washout and each team will receive 3 points. The Administrative Officer is to be notified of any such alterations as soon as practical.

b) Cancellation or postponement of NSATIS Carnivals shall be the responsibility of the organising committee in conjunction with the President of the Association.

c) In the event of a cancellation or alteration to a rostered fixture, communication must be made between the relevant NSATIS delegates of the schools affected. The Administrative Officer must also be notified.

d) Matches are to commence as close as possible to rostered time. If players are not in position to commence matches 15 minutes after the rostered start time, the team will forfeit the match unless exceptional circumstances prevail.

4.1 Wet Weather

a) It will be the responsibility of the HOST School to make a decision on whether a venue is suitable for play.
Extra consideration will need to be taken when sides are travelling either to or from the North West of the State.

b) It will be the responsibility of the HOST School to notify the opposition school as soon as possible of any cancellations (through contact with the school office and delegate). The HOST school must also notify the NSATIS Administrative Officer of any cancellations that occur before the scheduled start of play.

c) In the event of wet weather and no overall cancellation of matches, the decision to play will be left to the coaches of each team. If at least one coach considers conditions are too dangerous for play that game will be declared a washout. Each School has their own Duty of Care responsibilities to follow and NSATIS will support these decisions.

d) If play has commenced and is then suspended during play notification to NSATIS will come in when results are submitted.

e) The NSATIS Administrative Officer will be responsible for making contact with ABC Radio and posting any cancellations or changes on the SATIS Website.

Please note: Any abuse of this policy could result in the removal of points from the offending school.

5. First Aid at Venues
Each school is responsible for supplying their own teams with a first aid kit and cold pack.

6. Disputes

a) In the event of a dispute occurring between any of the member schools of NSATIS the following procedure would be followed:

(i) The schools would contact the Administrative Officer of NSATIS and discuss the matter. If this did not resolve the dispute then,

(ii) The President of NSATIS would be contacted through the respective Head of the Schools involved.

(iii) If the President of NSATIS happened to be one of the schools involved in the dispute then the President would ask the school whose head had been the immediate past Chairperson of AHNTIS to act as arbitrator. If this head’s school was also involved in the dispute then the President of NSATIS would ask the head of the school who had been in the chair before that. In the case of a multiple dispute, where there was no neutral head available then it would be up to the President of NSATIS to make the arbitration.

b) Any sporting body appointed by this Association to conduct a meeting on its behalf shall be requested to provide a jury of appeals, decisions made by this jury in respect of the Carnival shall be final.

c) In the unexpected absence of the appointed referee / umpire the two coaches / managers will negotiate the following options:

(i) To complete the match with an agreed substitute referee / umpire or to reschedule the match to an agreed date.

(ii) If neither of the above can be agreed to the match will be declared a draw.

(iii) Confirmation of outcome / agreement must occur within three working days and the Administrative Officer must be notified.

d) Where regulations do not cover a particular situation for a sport, the Committee shall determine the rules under which such contest shall be held.

e) That if an unforeseeable circumstance occurs that results in the umpires being forced to abandon a game; then, if more than half the game has been completed at the time the game is declared abandoned the current score will stand and be the final result.

7. General playing regulations (see sport specific regulations for any variations to these rules & regulations)

General Eligibility

a) To be eligible to take part in any competition under the rules of this Association, a bona-fide pupil must be under the age of nineteen years on January 1st of that year, unless granted an exemption by the Association.

b) A student is considered under the age he or she turns in a given year.

c) “Open” means open to any age group, “Senior” is to mean senior age group only.

d) If any student takes part in any inter-school event in contravention of the Constitution and/or Regulations, the student’s school shall forfeit that event.

e) Any player with a bleeding injury must leave the playing area immediately and have the bleeding stopped and the wound covered before returning to play.

f) Criticism of umpires/referees by players will not be accepted. An umpire may eject from the court/field a player who infringes in this regard.

g) All players must wear the approved school sports uniform (see uniform registry)

h) Players, coaches and spectators are required to abide by the SATIS Code of Ethics.

i) In the event of extraordinary circumstances arising, which are not addressed by the above regulations, application can be made through the NSATIS Administrative Officer to the Chair of NSATIS for consideration.

Player Eligibility

a) In NSATIS competitions & divisions with multiple teams from a school entered in a division, a player listed in a particular team, may not play for another team in that same division. Initial squad lists for each team across all divisions are to be provided to the NSATIS Administrative Officer prior to round 1.

b) Players from higher division teams are not permitted to play down in lower divisions to fill teams, unless the game is forfeited and deemed a friendly.

c) Any updates to squad lists should be provided to the NSATIS Administrative Officer as early as practicable, in the seven days leading up to a game.

d) Unless under exceptional circumstances, a player may not play in multiple divisions of the same sport in the same week without prior agreement between the schools involved in both matches. Permission is to be sought as early as possible. An example of an exceptional circumstance is a late injury or sickness to a player in a higher division team requiring a player from a lower division team being called “up” to field a full team. In that situation the lower division player would be able to play in their regular team later in the week, or during that round.

            e) A player who is named up a division as a reserve/emergency and doesn’t end up taking part in the match may play for their regular lower division team on the same day without permission being required. If a player is named in a higher division team, then until that team plays again or has a bye round, that student may not play for a lower division team.

f) Once a player, has played more than half the roster matches in a higher division team of any particular sport, they’re ineligible to play for teams in lower divisions in that sport without prior approval of the appropriate Director of Sport of the opposition in the lower division match and the NSATIS Administrative Officer, this needs to occur at least 24 hours prior to the fixture start time.

8. Fielding Two Teams in one Roster or Division

a) The names for each team must be listed with the Administrative Officer at the beginning of the season.

b) Players from the two teams cannot interchange from one team to another team.

c) Players from a second’s team can only be interchanged with the first team and in accordance with those rules applying to eligibility of first players. If they return to the seconds, they must return to the team they originated from.

d) A two (2) match period of grace allowing for movement in all directions may be granted by the Administrative officer if needed.

9. Team Sheets
The team sheets for all 1st and 2nd teams for all sports operated by NSATIS should be signed by team officials of both teams and be available if the Administrative Officer requests a copy of them.

10. Finals

a. General

a) A final will be played between 1st and 2nd teams on the ladder at the end of the season. This applies to most rosters. If pools/divisions, crossover finals must be played

b) Where possible, umpires will be independent for all finals.

b. Qualifying Players for Finals
To qualify to play in a final a player must have played at least half of the roster matches played by the team contesting the final. In the event of “qualified” players being unable to play, schools may request dispensation from the Chair of NSATIS for a replacement. Replacement players are not to be of a higher standard than the competition they are entering.

c. Qualifying teams for NSATIS finals

a) In a situation where a school assesses that their strongest team is not that of a Division 1 standard, that school can enter one or more teams in lower divisions to provide a more positive experience for their players.

b) In a situation where the school’s highest level team is entered in a division below Division 1, the team’s performance will be reviewed after three rounds of sport and if the NSATIS Principals deem that the team’s level of ability is well above that of the other teams in their current division, they will be promoted to the next highest division.

c) Regardless of whether or not a school has a team entered in Division 1, all teams from all schools are eligible for finals in their respective divisions.

d) Where two teams finish the season equal on points at the end of the home and away matches the following methods will apply to determine the premier or who qualifies for the
Northern Final:

Football: by the percentage for and against for the two matches that each of the sides played against each other during the season.

Soccer, Netball and Basketball: goal difference for and against between the two tied teams shall be used from the two matches played against each other.

Softball: by the home runs for and against between the two tied teams only.

Tennis: by the rubbers, sets and games between the two tied teams only.

Cricket: Quotient –  (runs scored divided by wickets lost) divided by (runs conceded divided by wickets taken)

If, after this method has been used, a tie is still evident, goal difference from the whole season will be used to determine the winner. If teams are still tied a further match will be played at a mutually acceptable time and venue. If schools cannot agree, the matter will be referred to the Chair of NSATIS.

e) In the event of a three round roster being played where two teams are tied on points. The Premiership should firstly be decided on the result of matches between those two teams. If the two teams are still level it will be decided on goals/runs for and against basis.

f) For Sports that do not have a Northern Final, the team finishing on top of the ladder competes in the state final. If the top teams are tied the winner is determined by goal difference for and against between the two tied teams from the two matches played against each other. If teams are still tied goal difference for the whole season will be used to determine the winner.

g) If there are 8 or more teams in any competition there will be semi-finals conducted for these rosters.

c. NSATIS PREMIERSHIPS – TIES

Drawn Northern Finals

Junior
Junior teams should share the premiership.

Senior Firsts and Seconds
If at the end of the game scores are tied where possible extra time should be played within the guidelines of that particular sport, otherwise the team on top of the ladder at the end of the roster shall be the winner.

Soccer: 2 x 5 minutes (Girls soccer), 2 x 10 minutes (Boys soccer) will be played with a break of 10 minutes being permitted prior to the extra time commencing. There is no time allowed between the two extra periods.

Netball: 5 minutes extra each way

Basketball: 5 minutes extra

Tennis: by the rubbers, sets and games between the two tied teams only.

Cricket: Quotient –  (runs scored divided by wickets lost) divided by (runs conceded divided by wickets taken)

If at the end of the extra time scores are still tied both teams shall share the Northern Premiership.

In such instances where a State Final is being played the team finishing on top of the ladder shall be the qualifying team that contests the State Final.

d. Washed Out NSATIS Finals

a) 1st and 2nd Grade (see sport specific regulations)

b) For Junior the final shall be shared unless both schools agree to play on an alternative date.

The team higher on the ladder shall go through to the Grand Final.

NOTE: In sporting rosters conducted by SATIS in which only two teams are entered and which culminate in a State Final, a best of five match series will be played to determine the State Finalist.

e. Final Venues

The higher placed team, at the conclusion of a roster of the teams contesting a Final will select the venue for the Final.

11. SATIS Eligibility for Finals

To be eligible to play in a State Final a player must have represented their School/College in that particular sport in at least half of the roster games in that season.
Finals are for 1st Grade only. Exception – where there is a 2nds State wide roster (Australian Rules).

A player having a serious injury throughout the season or for any extraordinary circumstance, may apply to the chairperson of SATIS, prior to the final, for special consideration in terms of final eligibility.

12. Carnival Organisation

a) There will be a stated date for close of entries for swimming, rowing and athletics and no additional entries will be accepted after that date.

b) Results will be posted on the SATIS website

c) Results are to be emailed to schools.

d) Uniform

e) If a school is unable to outfit teams/individuals in accepted school uniform the Chair of NSATIS is to be notified prior to the event. Sub-committees will then be notified.

f) Program and other expenses

g) The costs incurred by a school organising carnivals will be met by SATIS. Program production costs are for paper and “in-house” photocopying.

h) Wet weather committees

i) For athletics carnivals a wet weather committee shall be appointed. Should this committee consider it impossible to conduct the meeting as arranged it will recommend alternatives to the association. (see sports specific regulations)

13. Trophy Register Form

All schools are provided with a trophy register form at the beginning of each term, these must be filled out when either receiving or passing on a trophy to another school. The form must then be forwarded to the Administrative officer at the beginning of each year. Any trophy that is lost will be replaced at the cost of the school at fault.