game day weather procedure
- Scenario 1
Municipality or Facility cancelled the fields and/or courts.
In the event the city or facility decides to close their courts/fields due to foul weather, SSC will cancel all games and will attempt to reschedule them at a later date. Please refrain from going to the field/court in an attempt to play – if the city cancels, no game will be played regardless of any prior agreement with the opposing team.
- Texts/Emails: When the municipality or a facility cancels the fields or courts due to foul weather, we will ensure all effected teams are notified by text and/or email by 3pm.
- Website: SSC will post a message on our website’s home page (via banner or pop up) by 3pm communicating if leagues are cancelled for that evening. We know it is tempting, but please refrain from reaching out to SSC regarding cancellations before 3pm.
Please see our Reschedule Policy at the bottom of the page for more information about rescheduled games in this situation
- Scenario 2
Fields/Courts are open, and SSC is monitoring the situation. In what scenario would SSC cancel the games?
If the municipality and facilities decide not to cancel fields/courts, SSC will monitor the situation throughout the day. Please keep an eye on your texts and emails as we will issue communication directly to all teams with an update regarding their game.
If you do not hear from us by 3pm, games are ON. You can then proceed to discuss with the opposing team captain on whether or not you both intend on playing the game. Please see our Severe Weather Watch Policy below for more information on how to proceed in severe weather.
You can also communicate with the opposing team captain earlier in the day regarding any decision you may want to make. Whether or not games are on, you can both decide to not play and record the game as a draw. Alternatively, you can forfeit your game if you do not wish to play in foul weather. Please ensure that any decision is communicated with the opposing team.
- Scenario 3
If games are ON, captains can make the decision to play on-site at game time based on the condition of the field/court.
If your game is ON, but it does not seem safe to play it when you arrive, teams have every right not to play. Examples of unsafe playing conditions are:
- Standing water on field/court that is unable to play around;
- Dangerously uneven ground in playing area;
- Obstructions in playing area.
Teams should never feel forced to play in unsafe conditions. If the conditions at your location are unsafe you can rest assured, we were not aware. We need you to tell us!
If you come across a facility that you deem unsafe to play, please communicate with your opponents on site to decide the game should not be played. Please notify SSC of the condition of the court/facility and submit our Reschedule Request Form at the bottom of the page.
If one team shows up during foul weather to play and the other team is missing, or if one team leaves mid-game and there is an opportunity to continue play – it is an automatic win for the present team.
severe weather watch
Weather changes can drastically change between our 3pm decision and the time of your game. In the event of any severe weather event (see below) after you have arrived at your game, games should immediately be stopped, and players should take the following actions seen in the below categories. Here a few things to keep in mind regarding severe weather:
- Stoppage of play should be done no more than twice in one game.
- If the severe weather passes, continue play, picking up where the game left off.
- If the severe weather does not pass, the following happens:
- Check specific sport rules to determine if the game counts and how to report score. Then confirm with your opponents.
- Team captains can agree to record the game as a tie OR complete the Reschedule Request Form at the bottom of the page if the game was unplayable for the most part.
AIR QUALITY
SSC will call all outdoor games OFF if the Air Quality Health Index rating is a 10 or above.
Air Quality Ratings may change throughout the evening, so the call will likely have to be made by captains at the game. According to the above link, if the Index is a 10 or above, please call off the game and submit the Reschedule Request Form below.
We completely understand that some individuals are more at-risk than others, and so we encourage any of those players to find a substitute or contact SSC for assistance.
HEAT WARNING
During periods of extreme heat, we will closely monitor the situation to ensure the safety of all participants. Our approach is to remain vigilant and responsive to changing weather conditions throughout the day and evening.
THUNDERSTORMS
Severe thunderstorm watches are issued if there is the potential for the development of a thunderstorm with either strong wind gusts, hail, or heavy rainfall. A severe thunderstorm warning is issued if one of the above conditions is spotted to be occurring in an area of the city.
If there is more than just rain at the time of your game, please take cover away from open spaces and wait at least 30 minutes for the thunderstorm to pass. Observe the 30/30 rule and when there is 30 seconds or less between lightning and thunder, wait 30 minutes.
30/30 Rule: When lightning is spotted, count the time until you hear thunder. If the time in between is less than 30 seconds, the thunderstorm is close enough to be dangerous.
TORNADO WARNING vs WATCH
What is the difference between a tornado watch and a warning? A tornado watch occur when conditions favorable for a severe storm with a tornado are imminent. A tornado warning occurs when a tornado has been reported or there is evidence that one is imminent.
Tornado watch: In such cases, all SSC games will remain ON as we continue to monitor the situation.
Tornado warning: In such cases, all SSC games will be called OFF and we’ll follow up with team captains accordingly.
captains toolkit
The captain’s toolkit aims to provide captains with templates to send to other team captains when they are unsure about the weather. Feel free to copy/paste one of the templates and connect with the opposing team captain!
You can connect with an opposing team captain by clicking on the blue “captain contacts” located in your player page! Only captains have access to this feature.
if games are on but your team is unsure
- “Hey (opposing team captain name), this is (your name) from (team name). Our team is unsure about playing tonight due to (conditions ie., weather, road conditions, etc.). What are your thoughts? We’re good with calling the game a tie if you’re also undecided. Let me know!”
if games are on but your team doesn't want to play in foul weather
- “Hey (opposing team captain name), this is (your name( from (team name). We are scheduled to play your team tonight. Unfortunately, due to the weather conditions tonight, my team does not feel comfortable playing and would prefer to submit a forfeit. If you feel similarly, please let me know and we can call the game a tie! Otherwise, we are okay with the forfeit.”
- *If one team is still interested and able to play, that would result in a forfeit win for that team. Team captains can use the Captain Contacts link in their player page to see if other teams playing that evening are interested in a friendly game.
if games are on but road conditions aren't great
- “Hi (opposing team captain name), this is (your name) from (team name) and we are schedule to play against you tonight. Unfortunately, most of my team does not feel comfortable travelling in this weather and would prefer to call the game off. We are more than okay with accepting a forfeit loss, but would appreciate you considering a tie as a result of the poor weather. Thank you!”
game rescheduling policy
Rescheduled games are not guaranteed. Every reasonable effort will be made to reschedule games that are missed during the regular season for reasons including but not limited to facility closure, unsafe playing conditions and game stoppage due to inclement weather. If your team does not show up to play on game day and the field is playable, the game will not be rescheduled. See Scenario 2 for more information about unplayable fields/diamonds/courts and how to address it with the opposing team captain.
SSC’s process of rescheduling games is as follows:
- Option A: We will try to extend the season by one week and your game will be rescheduled at the end of the season, on the same night you signed up to play on. We can likely only extend the season by one week, so if two games within a season are cancelled due to weather, we’ll have to look at alternative options.
- Option B: If we can no longer extend the season, we will look to reschedule your game as a double-header later in the season.
- Option C: If other options are not available (or have already been implemented), rescheduled games can take place on a different night of the week. This date is decided by SSC and will not be rescheduled again by the request of teams. If a team cannot make the rescheduled game and lets the opposing team know prior to gameday, the game will constitute as a tie. IN the event a team does not show up to play, the game will constitute as a forfeit win for the team that attended the game.
Playoff Rescheduling
In the case of a missed game due to weather in the first week of playoffs, if we are unable to reschedule these games, the last game will be played 1st vs 2nd, 3rd vs 4th etc. In the case of a missed game in the second week of playoffs (final game), if we are unable to reschedule these games, the final ranking of the standings page will determine the final placement for the season.
Reschedule Request form
The reschedule request form below is only meant to be filled out if games were not cancelled by SSC and the condition of the field was unplayable. Please fill out the form and leave the score of the game blank. Please make all efforts to upload a photo.