General Championship Conditions 2026

To be read in conjunction with the specific discipline competition conditions.

  1. All events shall be competed for annually under Swim England Laws and Regulations and Swim England Technical Rules of Racing. The events will be run in accordance with the permissions granted by Swim England Southwest Region Ltd for Level 1 Licensed meets for entry into Regional and National Competitions. The Management Committee of Devon County A.S.A. will approve the venues, dates, and conditions under which the events will be held.
  2. All competitions shall be open to Swim England-registered swimmers who have at least one of the following qualifications:
    A) Shall have been born within the County of Devon
    B) Shall have resided in the County prior to the first day of competition
    C) Are members of HM Forces whose unit is affiliated to Devon County ASA.
    D) Reside in the neighbouring counties of Cornwall, Dorset or Somerset and are
    members of a club affiliated to Devon County.
    E) Spend time outside the County for educational purposes or attend educational institutions within Devon.
  3. Clubs and competitors from that club will not be allowed to enter any Devon County ASA competitions, in any discipline if there are any outstanding monies; entry fees, fines, trophies, etc., owed to the County for whatever reason. Matters under discussion or protest will not be considered as counting until settled.
  4. In the interests of the sport, in cases of extenuating circumstances, the emergency committee shall decide if the swimmer is eligible to compete. That decision shall be final.
  5. No swimmer taking part in a competition of another County in the current year shall be eligible to compete.
  6. Medals, struck from the Association die, shall be presented to each entrant finishing first, second or third in the Championships.
  7. Trophies, where applicable, will be presented to the winners who are responsible for their engraving. Winners of ALL County trophies shall enter into a bond for their safe custody and return to The Hon. Trophy Steward a minimum of 10 days prior to the competition in the following year. The Hon. Trophy Steward may agree to the return of said trophy at the appropriate gala but only with prior consent. Contact to be 28 days or more prior to the event.
  8. Trophies will be issued or not, at the discretion of the Hon. Trophy Steward and upon satisfactory completion of a receipt. The trophies remain the property of Devon County Amateur Swimming Association (DC ASA) and must remain within the county
    of Devon.
  9. Swimmers under the age of 18 years will need an adult to sign the receipt on their behalf. This must be either their parent or club Team Manager.
  10. In the event of the trophy being unavailable for presentation at the required time or in a state unsuitable for presentation, a fine will be levied against the club of which the swimmer was representing at the time of the award.
  11. Any expenses incurred by DC ASA for retrieval, replacement, repair or engraving of trophies will also be recoverable from the club.
  12. If a club would prefer not to stand as guarantor for any trophies, they must advise the Hon. Trophy Steward before the start of the day’s competition, either by email in advance of the meet or on the day by signing a waiver which will be available from the trophy steward. Failure to do so will result in said trophy not being issued.
  13. A fine of £100 per trophy will be imposed on the Club concerned for failure to comply with condition 10.
    13.1 Devon County ASA reserve the right to implement further sanctions on the club if the fine remains unpaid beyond a time specified by Devon County ASA which is both reasonable and clearly communicated in writing/email.
    13.2 Sanctions may include but are not restricted to the refusal of entries into the next scheduled County events and are not discipline specific and/or further monetary penalties.
  14. Any appeal against the decisions taken by the trophy steward may be submitted in writing to the Hon General Secretary DC ASA for Management Committee discussion at the next scheduled meeting. The decision of the Management Committee will be final and communicated to the appellant within a reasonable time after the committee has ruled.

Water Polo General Conditions

To be used in conjunction with the Devon County ASA General Championship Conditions Words importing the Masculine Gender shall include the Feminine Gender and vice versa.

  1. The promoter for the League is the Management Committee of Devon County A.S.A.
  2. Any matters concerning the Competition not covered in these Conditions will be dealt with according to the laws of the sport and at the discretion of The Management Committee of Devon County A.S.A or The Devon (ASA) Water Polo Commitee or The Appointed Officials.
  3. The Devon Water Polo League and The Devon Winter League are separate Competitions.
  4. All protests and appeals, with a fee of £25, shall be lodged in writing with the Devon County ASA Water Polo Secretary within three days of the event, who shall then notify the Secretary of the opposing Club.
    4.1 Fees are non-refundable in the event of a non-successful protest or appeal.
    4.2 The fee shall be forfeited if the Committee consider the protest frivolous.
    4.3 If Clubs do not accept the ruling and wish to refer to the Office of Judicial. Administration (OJA) any fines imposed will be stayed until a decision is reached by that Body.
  5. All participants must observe the safety precautions in operation at the Pool.
  6. The Management Committee of the Devon County ASA shall have the power to decide any point not provided for in the foregoing regulations.

Registrations

  1. All players must be registered with the Devon County ASA League registration system and sent electronically to the Devon County ASA Water Polo League Administrator by the date specified on the League entry form.
    7.1 Devon County ASA General Championship Conditions apply in all cases.
  2. A player may only play for their Swim England-ranked Club, unless that Club is not participating in a Competition. In which case that player is entitled to take part in.
    8.1 They may play for a nominated non-ranked Club, providing they are current members of that Club, and conform to the current Devon County ASA General Championship Conditions.
  3. Players resigning membership of their current Swim England ranked Club must do so in accordance with their Club resignation policy, and joining another Swim England Club may compete for that Club if:
    9.1 Their resignation process is complete, and confirmed
    9.2 They are a current Swim England registered member with their new Club.
    9.3 Their resigning Club is owed no monies.
    9.4 They may not play for their new Club in a Competition that they have already
  4. Competition shall mean any individual League or Cup Tournaments. In the case of a fixture clash, the ranked Club shall take preference.
  5. Any Club playing an ineligible player shall be deemed to have lost that match in which that player played and shall be subject to a fine not exceeding £25.00 per player per match.
  6. The Swim England minimum age for Water Polo competitors for events other than Regional and National Competitions is 10 years.
  7. The decided minimum age for the under-13 league is 9 Years of Age (Age is as of midnight on the day of the fixture).
    13.1 This condition is subject to the Devon (ASA) Water Polo Committee obtaining written consent from Swim England prior to each season, to confirm that this is still allowed based on the provision that for each player aged 9, a risk assessment is held on the table on the day of the fixture.
  8. Juniors must be under the age of 19, 17, 15, and 13 as at 31 December in the year of Competition.
  9. Upon receipt, the Devon County ASA League Administrator will issue confirmation of Registration.
  10. Additional players may be registered at any time.
  11. No player may compete until notice of confirmation has been received
  12. To comply with Swim England Insurance requirements, all poolside staff and Club volunteer helpers must be Swim England registered members of an affiliated Club.
  13. Clubs using unregistered poolside helpers will void the match.

League

  1. The League Competitions shall be conducted annually on a home and away basis, the season shall run to the dates agreed by the Devon County ASA Water Polo Committee in any one year. The outcome of matches not completed by the League end date will be determined by the Devon County ASA Water Polo Committee.
  2. League entries for the forthcoming season must be submitted electronically to the Devon County ASA Water Polo Secretary no later than midnight 30th November the year before the competition and on the correct forms.
  3. Clubs wishing to enter more than one team in a competition must submit separate entry forms and registration for each team.
    22.1. In the event a club enters more than one team player can only be nominated to play for one team once the season has started these registrations cannot be changed.
  4. The entry fee for Leagues and Cup Tournaments for each season shall be decided upon by the Devon County ASA Water Polo Committee, prior to the commencement of each Season.
  5. Entry fees should be made electronically to the Devon County ASA Bank Account.
  6. Failure to pay by the due date may result in a fine not exceeding £25.00 per team entered, as determined by the Devon County ASA Water Polo Committee
  7. Any fines due shall be paid to the Devon County ASA Treasurer electronically no later than the date requested
  8. There shall be Leagues (dependent on numbers) for:
    27.1. Senior Open/Male – County Championship
    27.2 Ladies – County Championship
    27.3 Junior – Under 19 – Age Group Competition
    27.4 Junior – Under 17 – Age Group Competition
    27.5 Junior – Under 15 – Age Group Competition
    27.6 Junior – Under 13 – Age Group Competition
    27.7 is available to Open Competitors as defined by Swim England Transgender and Non-Binary Policy
    27.8 is available to Female Competitors as defined by Swim England Transgender and Non-Binary Policy. The Female category is for birth sex females in accordance with Swim England’s Transgender and Non-Binary Competition Policy. By entering the ‘Female’ category, a swimmer confirms that their birth sex is female.
    27.3, 27.4, 27.5 and 27.6 is available to Open Competitors as defined by Swim England Transgender and Non-Binary Policy.
  9. The Devon County ASA Committee shall have the power to cancel a League if it considers that there are insufficient entries.
  10. The League Competitions shall be contested on a points basis:
    29.1 Two Points for a Win
    29.2 One Point for a Draw
  11. If Teams are level on Points at the end of the season, then the final positions shall be decided upon, as follows:
    30.1 The results of matches between those teams or if that is identical:
    30.2 Goal difference
    30.3 The team(s) with the largest number of fulfilled fixtures.
  12. If still equal following condition 30, then a play-off must take place to decide the winners and runners-up.
    31.1 The venue and time to be decided by the Devon County ASA Water Polo Committee.
    31.2 Devon County ASA shall pay reasonable expenses for such a play-off.
  13. The Devon County ASA Water Polo Committee may extend the season in exceptional circumstances.
  14. The Devon County League Administrator by default is The Devon County Water Polo Secretary unless the Devon (ASA) Water Polo Committee appoint one.

Fixtures

  1. Participating Clubs shall arrange Fixtures electronically, or by telephone, and submit them to the Devon County ASA Water Polo Secretary, by the date specified by the Devon County ASA Water Polo Committee.
  2. Home Pool(s) must be stated when making fixtures.
  3. Home Pool is the pool that the host Club decides to play at and does not have any reference to the Clubs “normal” pool.
  4. The home Club must arrange that matches shall commence not later than 9pm.
  5. Matches involving Juniors (U15 + younger) shall commence no later than 8pm unless both Clubs agree a later start.
  6. Any competing Club that fails to submit fixtures as detailed in 34 above, shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £25.
  7. Once fixtures for Men and Ladies Competition are confirmed they cannot be re-arranged except for the reasons listed below, and the procedures listed below must be followed for any re-arrangement for:
    40.1 Any Swim England Competition
    40.2 Any Swim England South West Region Competition
    40.3 Any English School Swimming Association Competition
    40.4 British Water Polo League Competition
    40.5 British Conference Water Polo League
    40.6 Unforeseen Pool Closure
    40.7 Unforeseen Club event
    40.8 Other Special circumstances may be considered by the Water Polo Committee
  8. Any Club seeking to re-arrange a Men or Ladies Competition must notify in writing all those involved; the opposing Club, the Devon County ASA Water Polo Secretary, the County League Administrator, the County Referee Coordinator, the appointed officials.
  9. All Men and Ladies Competitions must be re-arrangements/cancellations must be re-scheduled within fourteen days of the original date, and played within the League season.
  10. If a Men’s or Ladies Competition is cancelled for any reason not listed in condition, they will be subject to the following fines dependant on how much notice is given:
    43.1 >7 Days Notice – £10
    43.2 6<2 Days Notice – £15
    43.3 1 Days Notice – £20
    43.4 Less than 24 Hours – £30
  11. In the event of a Club:
    44.1 Cancelling on the day of the match
    44.2 Failing to have seven players available to start the match within fifteen minutes of the agreed start time.
    44.3 The match shall be cancelled by the non-offending team, and the match referee(s). The Water Polo Secretaries of each Club shall, within three days, submit a written report to the Devon County Water Polo Secretary, and County League Administrator, who shall in turn, place a report to the Devon County Water Polo Committee, who shall have the power to make any of the following;
    44.4 Award the match to the non-offending team, or in cases of force majeure; alternatively order the match to be re-played.
    44.5 Order the payment of a fine of £35 by the offending Club.
    44.6 Order the payment of any expenses occurred to the non-offending Club and Officials
  12. For Juniors Competition (u15’s, u17’s and u19’s) each club will be allowed 2 free re-arrangements per league per season.
  13. Any Club seeking to re-arrange a Junior Competition must notify in writing all those involved; the opposing Club, the Devon County ASA Water Polo Secretary, the County League Administrator, the County Referee Coordinator, the appointed officials with more than 7 day’s notice.
  14. Failure to comply with condition 46 will result in a fine of £10
  15. Once the 2 re-arrangements have been used any Junior Competitions cancellations will be subject to the following fines dependant on how much notice is given:
    48.1 >7 Days Notice – £10
    48.2 6<2 Days Notice – £15
    48.3 1 Days Notice – £20
    48.4 Less than 24 Hours – £30
  16. In exceptional circumstances, the Devon ASA Water Polo Commitee may allow a fixture to me re-arranged or for a club not to be liable for a fine depending on the circumstances.
  17. If a Club fails to fulfil any one of its fixtures in any season, the points shall be awarded to the opposing Club(s).
    50.1 The offending Club(s) shall be deducted two points per match
    50.2 The offending Club(s) shall be liable for any expenses incurred by the opposing Club(s)
    50.3 The offending Club(s) shall be liable for a fine not exceeding £35 per match, payable to Devon County ASA.
    50.4 If a Club does not complete a match for any reason, the Water Polo Committee may, in addition to the above, will set a score for the match of 5-0 against the offending team.
    50.5 Any Claims for any expenses incurred by the non-offending club and officals must be made, in writing, within thirty days to the Devon County ASA Water Polo Secretary.
  18. At all matches, each team shall, before the match begins, give the Match Secretary a list, in writing, of all players, with cap numbers, taking part in that fixture. After the conclusion of the match, the Match Secretary shall ensure that the match Referees sign the completed match sheet, and send it to the League Administrator for uploading to the Devon Water Polo Website (www.devonwaterpolo.com).
  19. If a Club fails to send a match sheet as in 31. above, it shall be liable for a fine of £10.
  20. When a mixed gender team is playing, there shall be a minimum of one adult person of each sex present, and acting in the capacity of Coach, Team Manager or Chaperone. All such persons shall be Swim England registered, suitably qualified, and be members of an affiliated Club.
  21. Each Club shall be responsible for their own travel expenses.
  22. The League administrator is responsible for relating errors.

Rules

  1. All Devon Water Polo League Competitions shall be conducted in accordance with the World Aquatics Rules of Water Polo, which are adopted by Swim England and are subject to conditions of play within England.
  2. The rules listed below have been amended to accommodate the challenges that face a local league without access to Olympic Standard Facilities which are mentioned in the World Aquatics Rules of Water Polo or not listed to reflect the age groups of the leagues/competitions that are run within Devon.
  3. The Amended Rules for the u13 league are listed below:
    58.1 Size 3 balls will be used
    58.2 Were possibly 2/3 sized goals will be used if clubs possess them.
    58.3 Each game will be 2 halves of 6 minutes running clock with the last minute of
    the second half being “actual play”
    58.4 No Timeouts
    58.5 2 minutes rest period between halves
  4. Size 4 balls will be used for u15, u17, u19 and Ladies Competition
  5. Size 5 balls will be used for Men’s Competition
  6. Junior, Ladies and Men’s competition will consist of 4 quarters of 7 minutes with rest periods of 2 minutes between each quarter.
  7. Pool depth/length – it is noted that as this is a local league access to the correct depth and pool is challenging therefore there is an exception to the specified width/length and depth for the Devon Water Polo League and therefore the Devon League has not adopted these rules from The World of Aquatics Water Polo Rules.
  8. There will be no penalty shootouts for Devon League Competitions.
  9. Caps shall be of a contrasting colour, other than solid red, as approved by the referees, but also to contrast with the colour of the ball. Teams may be required to wear white or blue caps. Goalkeepers shall wear red caps.
    64.1 Teams shall provide their own Caps.
    64.2 Teams wearing Club Caps’ must have white/blue Caps available, as per 64 Above.
  10. All matches to be played in water that meets the World Aquatics Rules regarding water temperature.

Officials

  1. In matches where officials are appointed by Devon County ASA it shall be the responsibility of the home club to pay the match officials’ expenses, as written on the match sheet.
    66.1 At the end of the season all match official expenses shall be summarised by the Devon League Administrator, shared equally, and under/overpayments shall be invoiced/refunded by the Devon County ASA Hon. Treasurer at the conclusion of each season.
  2. The Devon County ASA Referee Coordinator is appointed each season by the Devon (ASA) Water Polo Committee
  3. The Devon County ASA Referee Coordinator is responsible for allocating referees to each league fixture.
  4. The Match Referees shall be appointed by the Devon County ASA Referee Coordinator from the Official list of Swim England South West Region Officials.
  5. Once the Devon County ASA Referee Coordinator has appointed Referees from the officials list these will be posted on the Devon ASA Water Polo Website (www.devonwaterpolo.com)
  6. Any Referee unable to fulfil an appointment must inform the Referee Coordinator as early as possible via email or telephone.
  7. Should one Referee fail to appear, the remaining Referee, the two Captains, Team Coaches, Team Managers or Senior Club representatives present shall agree the appointment of a qualified replacement, if this is not possible then the Match shall be played using one Referee.
    72.1 Should both appointed Referees fail to appear, one, or if possible, two qualified Referees shall be appointed from those present, with the agreement of the two Captains, Team Coaches, Team Managers or Senior Club representatives.
    72.2 Should there be failure to reach agreement, and/or no qualified replacement Referee is present, a report in writing, of the circumstances must be sent to the Devon County ASA Water Polo Secretary within seven days, by each Club.
  8. Where a Club wishes to report a “Deficient” evaluation of a Referee, that Club shall be required to submit a detailed report within 14 days of the Match to the Devon County ASA Water Polo Secretary, and the League Administrator.
  9. It will be the duty of the promoting Club to:
    74.1 Provide competent Table Officials including Timekeepers and a Match Secretary, who are registered as per condition 17.
    74.2 Ensure the Referees report any deficiencies on the Match Sheet.
  10. Clubs that fail to provide adequate Officials, or equipment, shall be liable for a £35 fine
  11. Failures to provide adequate persons will be recorded on the match sheet by the Referee.

Trophies and Medals

  1. All Water Polo Trophies are the property of Devon County ASA, and are to be returned to the Devon County ASA Trophy Steward, when requested, unless agreed otherwise. Failure to return a Trophy by this date could result in a fine of £50 per Trophy.
  2. The winning team and runners-up in the Senior Open/Male Competition, and the Ladies Competition shall receive Devon County ASA Championship Medals. A
    maximum of 14 medals will be awarded for each team. Clubs may apply to purchase additional medals for squad players.
  3. The winning team and runners-up in all Junior Competitions shall receive Devon County ASA Age Group Medals. A maximum of 14 medals will be awarded for each team.
  4. Clubs may apply to purchase additional medals for squad players. Which may or may not be available.
  5. In the event a team from outside the county win in competition no medals or trophies will be awarded.

Video and Photography

  1. Clubs must comply with the current guidelines as published by Swim England in its’ Wavepower document. Clubs are responsible for the display and announcement of these guidelines at all matches. Failure to do so may result in fines, and or suspension from relevant Competitions.
    82.1 With reference to condition 80 above any person who wishes not to be photographed or videoed must contact the Devon County ASA Hon. Water Polo Secretary, in writing, at the earliest opportunity. Individuals may alter their preference at any time. The Devon County ASA Water Polo Secretary shall be responsible for notifying Clubs of individuals not wishing to be photographed or videoed.
  2. Any person who wishes not to have their name listed on the Devon County Water Polo Website must contact the Devon County ASA Hon. Water Polo Secretary, in writing, at the earliest opportunity. Individuals may alter their preference at any time.
    83.1 The Devon County ASA Water Polo Secretary shall be responsible for then uploading a retracted copy of the match sheet to the website.
  3. Any person who wishes not to have their photograph used on the Devon County Water Polo Website must contact the Devon County ASA Hon. Water Polo Secretary, in writing, at the earliest opportunity. Individuals may alter their preferences at any time.

Health and Safety

  1. The Health, Safety and Well-being of all swimmers, officials, volunteers, spectators, and visitors is paramount all current Health and Safety rules/regulations/requirements must be always complied with.
  2. Changing on poolside is forbidden and the Changing rooms/Village must be used. Team Managers and Coaches are expected to enforce this rule. Any swimmer found and identified changing poolside, corridors, balcony or in any area other than the Changing areas will be disqualified from further events, the club fined £100 and reported to Swim England.
  3. All swimmers, officials, volunteers, spectators, and visitors are required, at all times, to abide by the rules set out in the Pool Safety Operating Procedures and/or the Normal Operating Procedures & Emergency Action Plan for the facility hired for the event. As well as comply with the relevant Swim England Codes of practice.
  4. Unacceptable Behaviour – Behaviour becomes “unacceptable” when it is considered “Offensive” to others; this includes, but is not limited to, the following Theft, wilful damage to property and /or equipment, acts of vandalism, abuse of alcohol and/or drugs, bullying, offensive language, aggressive/violent acts, threatening behaviour, all breaches of safety practices, failure to comply with
    instructions/directions, actions that bring the sport of swimming into disrepute.
  5. If participating Competitors or other Club members on poolside suffer injury or damage as a result of any failure by any person to follow the regulations set out then neither the Promoter nor the Pool Operator will accept any liability in respect of any such injury or damage.
  6. All clubs are responsible for ensuring that sufficient space is given on the pool deck to allow officials to complete their duties safely. Team Managers are responsible for ensuring that sufficient space is available.
  7. All clubs are responsible for ensuring that equipment is to the requirements of the Match, in good serviceable order.
  8. Neither Devon County ASA, the Promoter, or the Pool Operator will be responsible for any loss or damage occurring