By Laws | north-coast-tap

Membership

All new and returning members must fill out a membership application and pay their yearly $20.00 membership fee prior to playing a match.
Matches played by members who have not paid their membership fee will result in a forfeit for the opposing team.
All membership renewals are due the first night of play of the month of your renewal date.
Members not renewed by the end of the month in which they are due will be removed from team rosters.
All new members to TAP play their first match as a 4 handicap, in both 8 ball and 9 ball.
Returning members must play their first match at the handicap they had when they left TAP.
New 9 ball members who have previously played 8 ball must play their first 9 ball match at their 8 ball handicap.

Weekly Fees

Weekly fees for 8 ball are $40.00, 9 ball are $40.00, and Double TAP is $65.00 per team, per week.
Team fees must be paid and included in your pay envelope each week and kept up to date.
Teams are responsible for league fees, not host locations.
Teams who have made arrangements with host locations are responsible for collecting their own fees. TAP will not be collecting from host locations.
Teams behind on their fees will be subject to penalties such as; point deductions, denial of tournament play, revocation of your membership.
Players on multiple teams please keep in mind that if a team quits or drops out you are still responsible for your share of that team’s session fees owed.
Weekly fees must be paid in full for each night of play regardless of how many matches played or if you have forfeits.

Score Sheets

Please be sure that all score sheets are filled out completely and correctly.
Incomplete or illegible score sheets may result in incorrect handicaps and may be returned in your next week’s folder.
Please remember that fixing or altering score sheets or writing in matches that weren’t played are against TAP rules and will result in disqualification from the division.
Players or teams caught altering score sheets risk disciplinary actions including, but not limited to; loss of points, loss of matches, suspension, loss of eligibility for higher level tournaments, and having their TAP memberships revoked.

JC Rule

It is unsportsmanlike and not permitted to end your regular session match prematurely to avoid another teams player from making it to their match.
Any player or captain making a purposeful act to avoid the natural course of a match in an effort to cause their opponents player to be late will be forfeiting that, and all subsequent points for that match.
Simply put, if you know they're on their way, dont break down your cue, shoot the 8 in OT, etc and then yell "now he has 5 minutes" in an effort to screw them. We play league for fun and relaxation. Captains and players like this will NOT be invited back.

Rosters

Rosters are limited at all times to 8 players. If you are adding a player to an otherwise full roster, please designate a player to be removed.
There will be no roster changes after week 6 of any session without prior approval from the North Coast TAP office.

Player Shortages

During the first 4 weeks of the fall and spring sessions, during winter weather, covid pandemic, and during the entire summer session-if a team has only 4 players present on league night, the opposing team may choose a player from your team to shoot twice, but only in the fifth match. If the opposing team chooses a player that has already left that match will result in a forfeit. Keep in mind that the 25 rule still applies.

Make Up Matches

Make up matches are highly discouraged and no make ups will be approved at the last minute. Once the envelopes are delivered the match is scheduled and weekly fees will apply.
Both captains must agree to a make-up match. The North Coast TAP office will not force any team into a make-up unless the make-up is caused by another TAP event or severe weather.
During travel dates for TAP events every consideration will be made to accommodate those participants in TAP events. For Example; Rally or Nationals.
In the event that both captains agree that a make-up match is needed the league office should be notified ASAP.
In all cases make-ups must be made up within 2 weeks of the original scheduled date or both teams will receive 0 points for that match and league fees still apply.
It is recommended that captains consider playing a match ahead of time if something is coming up and you know your team will not be available for a certain date.
No make-ups can be allowed within the final 2 weeks of any session. However, they will be allowed to be played ahead.

Tournament Play and Placement

Your team will be placed on the boards based on your performance during the session.
Teams will automatically qualify for the Qualifier Board based on the number of teams in your division with the remainder of the teams qualifying for the Best of the Rest Board
Divisions with;
- 12+ teams=4 spots in the qualifier
- 10+ teams=3 spots in the qualifier
- 7+ teams=2 spots in the qualifier
- 6 or below=1 spot in the qualifier
Of the remaining teams that did not automatically qualify to the top board within their division, any remaining spots available on the qualifier board will be given to the teams with the most points and least games lost throughout all of North Coast TAP as outlined in the tie breaker procedure.
As always, teams paid in full will own tie breakers over teams who are not and be given first board preference.
Beginning with the 2021 Spring Session, All board placement will be decided based on knockdown week.
If your team is not interested in qualifying or has more than 3 players who have already qualified your spot will be given to the next team in your division and your team will be placed on the Best of the Rest Board.
Established players must play 4 matches in any session with a specific team in order to qualify for tournament play with that team. New members must play 6 matches to qualify. (4 matches during shorter summer sessions)
Your TAP Licensee will be ineligible for end of session tournament play. Therefore, any team that the Licensee has qualified on will have the option of replacing that spot on the roster with a player of equal handicap from within the NCT league. Only players who have not qualified for a particular board will be eligible to replace the Licensee.

Staying Qualified

Players on teams who win a qualifier in either 8 ball or 9 ball must stay active and in good standing on a North Coast TAP roster in that format to stay eligible for play in the TAP National Championships. Only players active in North Coast TAP will compete for or represent North Coast TAP in the TAP National Championships.
Additionally, to play in any North Coast TAP event, (singles, teams, scotch doubles, etc) you must be a current North Coast TAP member, in good standing and on a North Coast TAP roster during the session in which the tournament is being played.

More than 3 Rule

Effective starting with the 2014 Dallas, Texas qualifying cycle; if you win a National Qualifier in either 8 ball or 9 ball, your team will not be eligible to win another qualifier in that cycle until the next Nationals.
If you choose to build a different team for a chance to play in the National Qualifier you can only use 3 players that are already qualified for the Nationals.
9 ball teams may use 4 players that are already qualified for the Nationals .
If you decide to keep the original team together or have more than 3 qualified players, and your team places in a qualified spot, your team will automatically be placed on the Best of the Rest Board.

North Coast TAP Tie Breaker Procedure

Teams paid in full will own tie breakers over teams that are not
If two teams are tied at the end of the session or during a play off or knock down situation, and both are paid in full, the tie will be broken by adding the total number of games lost by that team. This will include "open stats" and the total of games lost by each player on that team. As long as each division has played the same number of weeks, this should be easy to calculate across all divisions.
This system will add importance to each game and cut down the number of games lost intentionally as well.
Not only will every match mean something, but so will every game.
Obviously all situations cannot be addressed so any ties or tie breakers beyond that which have been described above will be decided at the sole discretion of your local league office.