INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY

INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY

Extreme Weather Guidelines

Cold Weather

Due to the risk of hypothermia and frostbite during extreme cold weather, the following guidelines have been adopted for WPL sanctioned events for athletes, coaches, and officials. In order to maintain consistency, all temperatures will be taken from National Weather Service websites http://www.weather.gov/Spokane  on the east side of the mountains and  http://www.weather.gov/Seattle on the west side of the state for the zip code of the fields in question.

• If the temperature is equal to or below 18 degrees F at the start time of WPL sanctioned matches or tournament play, and the affected persons will be exposed to these cold conditions, these guidelines offer steps to protect everyone from exposure due to extreme cold conditions: https://www.nfhs.org/articles/guidelines-for-competition-in-the-cold/  

• The Wind Chill Temperature index (WCT) can also be a factor and should be handled similarly. If there is any question regarding weather conditions, the Head Referee (with consultation between both coaches) has the discretion to make the final decision whether to play or not.

• The Head Referee at matches and the Tournament Director for Tournaments will make the final decision to proceed, if the conditions worsen during the event.

Travel Policy

For matches between teams not traveling across the Cascades, the home team is required to post the time and location of the match no later than 72 hours prior to the match, along with contacting the visiting team.

For teams traveling either direction over the Cascade Mountain passes, the match time and location must be posted no later than 6:00pm on the Sunday prior to the scheduled date.

Posted contact information for both Coach and Manager must be kept current on the WPL team site. It is the responsibility of the home team to inform the visiting team of any changes that may occur.

Cross-state travel follows the WPL Inclement weather policy. If the Dept. of Transportation has the Passes open, then games are expected to be played – unless both sides agree to change the date. Any Team/Club deciding not to travel will invoke Rule 307A.

When a team is scheduled to travel across the Cascade Mountains and is playing two away matches (Sat. & Sun.), the home team must schedule these matches within the following time frame:

Saturday afternoon kick off, no earlier than 1:00 p.m and no later than 4pm and a Sunday morning kick off between 9:00 am and 12:00 noon.

Teams are allowed to negotiate different times, if agreed upon by both teams.

 

Road Closures

If a roadway that is necessary to reach a match location is closed either 24 hours prior to match “Kick off” (when teams would be staying overnight), or six hours prior to “Kick off” when teams are traveling the day of the match, by the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for reasons other than regularly scheduled maintenance closures, then the match must be rescheduled and the WPL alerted of the reschedule. If the match cannot be rescheduled, a WPL representative will flip a coin to decide the match (if the results are needed for advancement).

“Chains Required”

If roadways are open, but Chains are Required, a team may opt out to travel. The match must be rescheduled within 5 days of the original date, at the original home team’s site.  If either team refuses to reschedule, the team refusing will accept a loss for the match. The match will be recorded as a 1-0 loss.  Referee and Field fees that the home team incurred for the unplayed match must be submitted to the WPL for approval.  These approved expenses must be paid by the Club/Team opting out of traveling. The Club/Team that declines to reschedule will also be assessed forfeiture fees per WPL/Super League Rules, whichever is applicable.

If roadways are open between 4 to 24 hours before “Kick off” time, with no posting of “Chains Required” per WSDOT, and a team does not travel to the game,  the WPL will issue a forfeit loss to the offending team. Additionally, the Club/Team will be subject to fines per WPL rules. The match will be recorded as a 1-0 loss for the opposition.  Referee and Field fees that the home team incurred for the unplayed match shall be submitted to the WPL for review.  These expenses will be paid by the Club/Team opting out of travel. The Club/Team that declines to reschedule will also be assessed forfeiture fees per WPL/Super League Rules whichever is applicable.

 A maximum of $300 for field and referee fees (that cannot be recovered) can be billed to the opposition by the home team. In addition, per WPL/Super League rules (whichever is applicable), the Team/Club refusing to reschedule will be assessed a forfeiture fine and may be suspended or expelled from any WPL sponsored League.

The league will monitor the weather forecasts based on Dept. of Transportation updates. If the Dept of Transportation closes the passes, or other extreme weather, or an Act of God incident occurs, those matches may be canceled and/or rescheduled by the League. 
If your home field conditions become unplayable, because of weather related issues, your Club official (DOC, President) must contact the league office, ASAP. Please communicate with your opponent early and often just in case something changes. All teams are expected to play their scheduled matches. 
Hot Weather Policy
In the event of weather at a WPL event exceeds 80 degrees F, it will be at the discretion of the Head Referee to allow water a break at the mid-point of each half. These breaks will be 1 minute long. The game clock will not be stopped for these breaks. 

League Affiliates & Partners

League Affiliates