U.S. SQUASH League & Ladder Programs

U.S. SQUASH is pleased to provide programs to broaden the opportunities for players to compete in squash. Beginning in September 2008, U.S. SQUASH offers seven different League and Ladder programs, allowing coaches, pros, districts and volunteers to use the program that best suits the squash community in their city or club. Contact your district or pro to see what they are planning to offer. The programs include:

  1. TEAM LEAGUES

    Set up and run or participate in a league for teams of players between clubs or schools or across a city or District. Leagues can be U.S. SQUASH Sanctioned where matches count towards players’ ratings or non-sanctioned. Depending on the number of players on the team compared to the number of players on each match roster, participation in team leagues can demand the highest level of commitment to play. Teams can be formed with mixed skill level players or the league can be for a specific level player – ie: Men’s 3.5 League. The system facilitates online player registration and payment, easy league scheduling, easy team lineup management, player match availability notification to help Captains fill match rosters, match score reporting, Captains’ match write-ups, season review of team and player matches and standings, player statistics, league playoffs as well as district and regional match results tracking.

  2. PRE-SCHEDULED, or “SET” LEAGUES

    Pre-scheduled leagues, or SET LEAGUES, are available for clubs or schools and may be used for players across multiple clubs. They can consist of singles players, doubles players with fixed partners or doubles players switching partners in a round robin format where each participant plays all the others once or twice during the league cycle. The matches are scheduled for the cycle and require a high commitment on the part of each player to complete their matches during the cycle. Standings are calculated after each match is entered. These leagues do not include automatic, results-based movement to another level or league at the end of the season.

  3. FLEXIBLE SCHEDULED or “FLEX” LEAGUES

    FLEX LEAGUES are self-scheduled leagues for singles, doubles or mixed doubles competition. League Administrators determine the length of the cycle and the scope of the league, whether it be in-club or across different clubs. Participation in Flex Leagues requires a moderate level of player commitment. Players may to sign-up online, pay with a credit card, contact each other to arrange matches and enter match results. League standings and statistics for the cycles are tracked throughout the season. These leagues do not include automatic, results-based movement to another level or league at the end of the cycle or season.

  4. BOX LEAGUES

    BOX LEAGUES encourage friendly competition among a variety of players and helps players find opponents at their approximate skill level. Players can schedule their own matches against all the opponents in their ‘box’ and post their own results. Participation in Box Leagues requires a moderate level of player commitment. Participants in each box change at the end of each stage based upon wins and losses according to customizable league scoring rules. During each stage, current standings are recorded. At the end of each play stage, the player(s) with the highest total scores in each box (except the highest box) will ascend to the next highest box. The player(s) with the lowest scores in each box (except the lowest box) will drop to the next lowest box. The middle player(s) will remain in the same box. For the second stage, each box will have a new mix of players. New players can be easily added to and existing players removed from the league between stages to accommodate players with limited availability. A typical Box League will have three stages of one month each in duration, making up a complete cycle.

  5. CHALLENGE LEAGUES

    Similar to Box Leagues, CHALLENGE LEAGUES encourage friendly competition and help players find opponents at their approximate skill level. Players can challenge up a level and/or play within their level. Players can schedule their own matches and post their own results. Participation in Challenge Leagues requires a low level of player commitment. Ladder positions change based upon wins and losses according to customizable ladder rules. The word "Challenge" means to challenge a player one level up. Players may only challenge one level up. After 4 wins, a player will automatically move up a level. After 4 losses, a player will automatically move down a level. After a player moves up or down, their level totals are reset to zero. The win/loss record for the cycle remains intact.

  6. CHALLENGE LADDERS

    CHALLENGE LADDERS allow organizations to automate the reporting and tracking of their ladder play results. The Administrator are able to create the initial ladder based on players’ skill and publish local ladder rules online. Depending on the Ladder rules, participation in the ladder will require a medium or low level of commitment by a player. Players can make a challenge for a new position on the ladder via email, facilitated by the system, to the opponent and schedule their own match. Standings are changed once the match result is entered. The ladder order is based on the results of head to head match play. If desired, the Administrator may set up the ladder so that other U.S. SQUASH league matches also count as Challenge Ladder results if a head-to-head match occurs outside of the Challenge Ladder.

  7. FRIENDLIES

    Players can schedule matches and track results that are just “friendly matches”. Although currently these matches will not count toward official ratings or rankings, they are included in the players’ profile.

Terms

Stage
A stage is the shortest period of time for leagues
Cycle
Cycles are made of one or many stages
Season
A season is made up of one or many cycles