Club Indoor Hurling League Rules

INDOOR HURLING LEAGUE RULES

Hurling Club of Madison

Adopted by the Board on Thursday, January 20, 2011 with Latest Amendments Saturday, January 29, 2011

GAA Official Hurling Rules Hereby Incorporated
Herein are the rules developed for the Hurling Club of Madison’s Indoor Hurling League. All rules found in the most current GAA Official Guide at the time of any match, to the extent they do not conflict with the rules herein, are hereby incorporated.

Playing Surface / Goals
Hitters indoor playing surface is approximately 70 x 70 yards in dimension. The walls that surround the Hitters indoor playing surface are made up of exposed steel beams. One set of steel beams will constitute the indoor hurling uprights. The top of the maroon colored tarp that circumvents the Hitters indoor facility will constitute the crossbar. The object of the indoor hurling matches will be to score the most points by hitting the sliotar (either with the hurley or foot) over the opponent’s crossbar and between the designated steel beam upright.
 
The length of the playing surface (distance between the goals) will be approximately 70 yards. Prior to the match, the teams will lay out sideline cones that will create a playing surface that is approximately 60 yards in width. The sidelines will be laid out so as to center the goals as best as possible between the two sidelines.

The end lines shall be marked approximately 2-4 meters from the walls of the complex. The end lines shall be indicated by the placement of cones or the use of the baseball field’s “foul line” that is present on the artificial turf. Two cones or other indicators shall be placed on the end line on spots that are directly out from the location of the uprights. These two cones shall be deemed “goal cones.”

Game Start / Length
Games will begin 5 minutes after the reserved hour of play begins (i.e. 9:05 if the reserved hour is from 9:00-10:00). The games will have two 25-minute halves and a 5 minute break between halves. If one team takes the pitch with 5 players at the designated time and the opposing team fails to have 5 players on the pitch within 1 minute after that, the team that fails to take the pitch with a full team is penalized 2 points for each minute that the start of each half is delayed.

Helmets
All players must wear a helmet. Refusal, after being instructed to do so by the referee, results in a red card.

Team Make-Up
Subject to the “mercy adjustment” defined below, the games will be 5 v 5. There are no designated goalies because the only way to score is with points over the bar and between the uprights.

Mercy Adjustment
In the event a team pulls ahead by 6 or more points, the opposing team may play with 6 players until the opposing team closes the score differential to 5 points. Invocation of the mercy rule in favor of a team that falls behind by 6 or more points does not preclude the team from winning the match if it is able to overcome the deficit.

Substitutions
Substitutions may be made on the fly, meaning no stoppage of play is necessary. However, a player coming onto the pitch must come within close proximity of the player leaving the pitch before he can enter into play (for example, a player may not call for a sub from the front line and, as a result, have a sub enter play that is going on at the opposite end of the pitch) Substitutes must stand near midfield and people substituting out must leave the pitch in the most direct path towards the midfield (unless injured, then the player may leave the field taking the shortest route available to the sideline).

Scoring
Except from the puck-out, a player is permitted to score a point in all ways permitted in outdoor hurling. However, a ball that bounces off the ground and then flies, untouched by any player, over the crossbar is not to be ruled a score, but rather it shall be ruled a “wide ball.”

No Scoring on the Puck-Out
A player may not score from a puck-out.

Ball Travels over the Sideline
A ball that travels over the sideline will be treated the same as in outdoor hurling.

Ball Travels past the End Line
A ball that travels over the end line will be treated the same as in outdoor hurling. However, there are no goals. A ball that travels under the crossbar is treated the same as a ball that is hit wide of the goal. A sliotar that travels over the end line and between the two “goal cones” is still in play until it (or the player carrying the sliotar) touches the wall. A sliotar that travels across the end line in a location that is not between the two “goal cones” is deemed “wide” the moment it completely crosses the end line.

Puck-Out Rule
When the referee signals for a puck-out (the sliotar is hit over the end line by an attacking player) the player to take the puck-out must do so in an area that is between the two uprights and within 5 yards of the end line. The player taking the puck-out must wait for the referee’s signal before hitting the ball back into play. Once the referee signals that the puck-out may be taken the player taking the puck-out has two options. He may take the puck-out immediately or request that the referee order the player closest to the end line to come, with due haste, to within 10 yards of the end line.

Free-Puck
A free-puck or “free” is awarded in the same manner as outdoor hurling. Any award of a free within 20 yards of the end line may be taken from the point of the foul or, if chosen by the player taking the free, taken straight back from the point of the foul at the 20 yard line.

Headhunting Rule
Tackles that would otherwise be legal in an outdoor match may be deemed  “headhunting” by the referee if they are done with force that creates an unnecessary risk of injury under the circumstances of the play. The extent of the punishment for violating the Headhunting Rule is at the referee’s discretion but, at a minimum, must be at least 30 seconds in the penalty box and the awarding of a free to the violated team.

Penalty Box
In addition to red and yellow cards, the referee may order a player off the field for flagrant or dangerous play, dissent, or unreasonably confrontational attitude towards another player – with no substitution – for any length of time up to 1 minute.

Referees and Scoreboard Attendants
As of the writing of these rules, there are three teams in the league. Therefore the team that is not playing at any given matchup is required to supply a referee and a scoreboard attendant for that match. All other members of the team are not required to attend but are encouraged to attend as spectators and encourage fair and spirited play.  Failure of a team to supply a referee and scoreboard attendant will result in the team being assessed a 5 point penalty (opposing team will start ahead 5-0) at the start of each of the next matches it plays against the teams that did not have a referee supplied to them (i.e. if White fails to supply a referee and scoreboard attendant then the next game it plays Green it will start behind 5-0 and the next game it plays against Orange it will start behind 5-0).

Substitute Roster
Given the limited available club players, prior to the start of the season, each team is to have a “substitutes draft” during which each team’s captain will take turns drafting substitutes from other teams. These substitutes may be used in the event that a team is unable to field 6 players for the match (5 players and a substitute). A sub cannot be used if he plays for the opposing team that match. Drafted substitutes may not be used during the playoffs. After the “substitutes draft”, opposing teams will list the orders according to which each opponent may use the substitutes (i.e. Green and Orange captains will decide the order for the substitutes of the White team). If White needs a substitute (cannot field 6 from its original roster for a game) then White must seek out substitutes in the order that they were listed by the other two teams at the start of the season. “Seek out substitutes” means that for each game a captain of a team realizes he will not be able to field 6 of his players from the official roster, he starts going down the list of substitutes and uses the first substitute (or substitutes if more than one is needed) that is available to play. Using the example herein, in all likelihood the opposing captains will list White’s substitution order from least experienced to most experienced. This will result in (1) a team not gaining a large advantage in the event a substitute is brought in (because the substitute will likely be from the top of the list and less experienced) and (2) the less experienced players getting the most playing time / opportunity to develop. Failure to follow this protocol will result in forfeiture of the game.

It is acceptable for any substitute to decline playing, for any reason, as long as consent to play is not declined in bad faith or as a result of collusion. For clarification’s sake, it is acceptable for a substitute to decline an invitation to play because he is the scheduled referee for that game or wants the time off from playing. It would be unacceptable to decline playing merely because he wants a more skilled substitute to be made available for the requesting team.