Frequently Asked Questions

 

General League Questions

 

How old do you have to be to participate?
Do you have different skill levels?
When do the next leagues begin?
What is your refund policy?
What is your lost and found policy?

What are your general rules and policies?

How to redeem drink specials at our sponsor bars?

 


Registration Questions

What are super early bird, early bird pricing and value pricing?
What is the deadline for registration?
I don’t have enough players for a team and want to sign up by myself or with a friend. What do I need to do?
How do I make sure I am on the same team as my friends?
I am signing up a full team. What do I need to do?
I am registering a full team but want my players to pay individually. Is this possible?
What do my players need to do to get registered as part of a full team I registered?
Can I pay with cash or check?
How do I pay my balance online?

What happens if I’m waitlisted?

Do you have a player guarantee?

 

 

Questions Regarding Games

Where and when are games played?
Are games always at the same location?
What equipment do I need to bring to games?
How long do teams play?
When will schedules be posted for leagues?
Can I request scheduling preferences?
Will my team have a doubleheader or a bye?
How do playoffs work?
What happens if there is inclement weather? When do you decide to cancel?

How do I turn on game reminders?

 

 

Team and Roster Questions

If I signed up as a free agent, when will I know what team I am on?
Am I guaranteed to be placed on a team as a free agent?
Are there tryouts?
How many times do you practice?
Do players hang out before or after games?
I am the captain of my team. How do I add players to my roster?
Is there a limit to how many players we can have on our team?
Can we have someone play for us if we are unable to attend the game?
Can I play on 2 different teams in the same league?
Can I play in 2 different leagues on the same night?

Do I need to fill out my roster?

 

 

Questions Regarding Shirts

How do I submit my shirt size(s)?
My company would like to make jerseys for our team. Can we do this?

Question not listed? Email us at info@HoustonSSC.com.

 

 

General League Questions

 

How old do you have to be to participate?  

You must be 21 or older by the league’s start date for the sport you would like to register for.

 

Do you have different skill levels?

Houston Sports & Social Club welcomes players of all skill levels. When you register, you will be prompted to input your preference for a more recreational or more competitive division. If we have enough teams for multiple skill levels, we will divide teams into recreational and competitive divisions. For free agents, we will do our best to place you in a division with your skill level preference, but we are sometimes limited in what we can do depending on the number of players that sign up and their preferences.

 

When do the next leagues begin?

We play year-round with registrations opening for the next few seasons. To stay informed about information regarding future leagues, upcoming events, etc. please sign up for the HoustonSSC newsletter by clicking here.

 

What is your refund policy?  

We have a no refund policy. When you sign up as an individual or a full team, we hold your spot and once the league is full we have to turn away other players. However, under special circumstances we may make an exception to our no refund policy. Please notify HoustonSSC of your situation as soon as possible if you have a special circumstance so that we may try to accommodate you while limiting the impact on other players.

 

What is your lost and found policy?  

League coordinators will make sure items left at the field are returned to the HoustonSSC office. Players can collect their items there. If unclaimed after 30 days, it will be donated to charity. To arrange pick-up of a lost item, please email us at info@HoustonSSC.com.

 

How to redeem drink specials at our sponsor bars?  

Players can wear their league shirts to our sponsor bars or players can show the bar our online player card that can be found on HoustonSSC league schedule to receive exclusive HoustonSSC drink specials.

 

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Registration Questions

 

What is value pricing?

You can find pricing for leagues at the corresponding sport’s page. Value leagues are deeply discounted leagues that will include the prefix VALUE LEAGUE. 

 

What is the deadline for registration?

Prices increase to late pricing 5 days prior to the start of the league. Many leagues fill up very quickly, so we suggest registering as early as possible.

 

I don’t have enough players for a team and want to sign up by myself or with a friend. What do I need to do?

From the Sports dropdown menu, choose the sport you would like to play, or click on Sports if you want to see all available leagues. You can register directly from that page! If you have a friend(s) you would like to be placed on a team with, make sure to insert their name(s) under the teammate request field, and we will place you together on the same team. Please note that your registration is not complete until payment has been made.

 

How do I make sure I am on the same team as my friends?

During the registration process you will be asked if you have any teammate requests. Insert all of your friends’ names here so we know to place them on the same team as you!

 

I am signing up a full team. What do I need to do?

From the Sports dropdown menu, choose the sport you would like to play, or click on Sports if you want to see all available leagues. You can register directly from that page! Please note that your registration is not complete until payment has been completed.

 

I am registering a full team but want my players to pay individually. Is this possible?

All sports but cornhole require a $50 non-refundable deposit, and you can have your payers play the league directly with TeamPayer.

 

What do my players need to do to get registered as part of a full team I registered?

You can add players to your roster with their email address, from historical data, via Facebook, or just by sharing a URL unique to your team. 
 

Can I pay with cash or check?

We accept credit card or cash/check ONLY if it is delivered to our office location. To make a payment at any other time, you must pay online via your League Lab account. We also can make invoices for our corporate teams. The league coordinators do not accept payment at the game locations.

 

How do I pay my balance online?

Click here to view detailed instructions.

 

What happens if I’m waitlisted?

Being waitlisted means that our league is currently full. It doesn’t cost anything to be waitlisted and if a spot does become available we will contact you about registering.

 

Do you have a player guarantee?

Yes, we have a Free Agent Second Chance Guarantee. Having a bad experience? Second one is on us no questions asked! Free Agent players qualify if it is their first time playing with HoustonSSC and they have attended a minimum of 3 games during the season. HoustonSSC must be notified of any issues with your Free Agent team prior to week 4. Once we have been notified we will remove you from your current free agent team and place you on a different free agent team in a subsequent season.

 

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Questions Regarding Games

 

Where and when are games played?

All information regarding location, game times, starting dates, etc. can be found on the sports page of the applicable sport. Due to City of Houston permitting procedures, we don’t always know what field games will be on until a week or two before the season starts. If you have any questions about specific field locations, please email us for more details.

 

Are games always at the same location?

Games are typically at the same location each week, however some leagues will use more than 1 field and teams may get a mix of games at each location. In the event of a rainout or field closure that results in a field change, we will notify all teams of the change of location.

 

What equipment do I need to bring to games?

We provide most equipement such as balls, flags, bases, etc. for most sports. There are some exceptions to this rule. For example, for Softball you must bring your own glove and bat. For Flag Football your team must bring your own ball and players must wear shorts without pockets. For Soccer your team must bring your own ball and players must bring their own shinguards. Please check the registration info page for the sport you are interested in for exact details.

 

How long do teams play?

Bowling: 2 games/night
Cornhole: 2 matches/night. Each match will be best of 3 series. First 2 sets to 21 points; 3rd set to 15 points
Dodgeball: 2 matches/night, consisting of a Best of 7 series
Flag Football: 20 minute first half and an 18 minute second half with a 7 play period after time expires
Kickball: Maximum 7 innings. No new innings start after 50 minutes
Sand Volleyball: Best of 3 series. First 2 sets to 21 points; 3rd set to 15 points
Soccer: (2) 20min halves separated by a brief halftime
Softball: Maximum 7 innings. No new innings start after 50 minutes

 

When will schedules be posted for leagues?

The full season schedule will be posted 1-2 days prior to the start of the season.

 

Can I request scheduling preferences?

Free Agents: Unfortunately since everyone’s schedule will differ, we cannot make scheduling accommodations for free agent teams.

Full Teams: Please submit any scheduling requests one week before the league’s start date. To make a schedule request click

"Manage Team" and then you can click the "Schedule Requests" option. Each schedule request will be charged $15, with a maximum of $60.

If your request is made for the entire season, we will do our best to accommodate for every week, but if we are unable to, we will charge $15 for each week that we can up to the maximum of $60.00. We will do our best to accommodate your schedule requests. If we are able to accommodate, we will automatically charge the card on file as soon as we approve your schedule request. If you need to make a request inside of 7 days from the league start date, please email us to see what we can do.

 

Will my team have a doubleheader or a bye?

Most leagues generally play 1 game per night, however depending on the number of teams in the league, your team may have 1 doubleheader and/or 1 bye week during the season. If a league is impacted by scheduling issues, i.e. rainouts, facility issues, etc, we may adjust the schedule to include more than 1 doubleheader per team in an effort to complete the league in a reasonable timeframe, however we generally try to limit to no more than 1 doubleheader and/or bye per team in the regular season.

There are exceptions to this rule, as some leagues are specifically doubleheader leagues, and other leagues such as Bowling and Dodgeball include 2 games/night standard.

 

How do playoffs work?

Playoff structure will depend on the number of teams in the league and the final standings of the league. In most cases, teams will be broken into a championship and a consolation bracket, and ALL teams will have at least 1 playoff game.  

 

What happens if there is inclement weather? When do you decide to cancel?

If games are cancelled due to inclement weather, each registered player with an active email address will receive an email notifying you of the cancellation and a special weather announcement will be posted on the homepage of our website. The decision on when to cancel a game due to weather is almost always based on actual field conditions at the field you are scheduled to play. Just because it is raining at your office or house does not mean it is raining at the field, so never assume games are cancelled unless you receive a notification that games have been cancelled. Although we always try to send out an update prior to 5pm when conditions are questionable, please remember that the weather in Houston can change quickly, and the City of Houston normally does not update us until around 4pm on their rulings of whether a field is playable, so always check your email and/or the rainout hotline prior to heading to the field if you have any concerns. We have staff on the ground assessing field conditions during days of questionable weather, however the City of Houston or the private field operators often have the final say on whether they will allow play on a given night, regardless of our opinion on the field conditions. In these cases, we have no choice but to follow their ruling even if we disagree with it, however we always do our best to work with facility operators to try and get the correct ruling. We try to make the best decision possible with the information at hand as quickly as possible. Always assume games are on as scheduled unless you receive a notification email or the rainout hotline message says otherwise.

If a game is cancelled, it will always be rescheduled for a later date. In the extremely rare situation where unusual circumstances prevent us from being able to complete a season, we will handle it on a case by case basis, and will do everything we can to offer a reasonable and fair solution that is acceptable to all parties involved.

 

How do I turn on game reminders?

Click here to view detailed instructions.

 

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Team and Roster Questions

 

If I signed up as a free agent, when will I know what team I am on?

You will receive an email about a few days before the league's start date and will include all information about receiving your team shirt, your team and the roster, etc.

 

Am I guaranteed to be placed on a team as a free agent? 

In most cases we will be able to place you on a team with other free agents. If we are unable to get enough players to complete a free agent team, we will contact you with options to transfer to another sport, night, or season, or will provide you a full refund if a transfer does not work for you.

 

Are there tryouts?

No need to worry! All of our leagues are recreational and absolutely anyone (21 and up) is welcome to play. No tryouts are held. If you register as an individual player we will simply place you on a team with other free agents.

 

How many times do you practice?

HoustonSSC does not organize any team practices. However, many teams like to schedule practices on their own time. It all depends on your team, and you are welcome to start that conversation amongst yourselves.

 

Do players hang out before or after games?

Every league has a gameday happy hour bar with exclusive drink and/or food specials. Players must wear their league shirts to receive the specials, so it is very easy to identify other players at the gameday happy hour bar. We highly encourage you to go out to your gameday happy hour location with your team and meet other players and have a blast!

 

I am the captain of my team. How do I add players to my roster?

Click here to view detailed instructions. Team captains have up until the 3rd week of games to make roster changes.

 

Is there a limit to how many players we can have on our team?

We do set a limit for free agent teams, which varies by league and season. For full teams, there is no limit to how many players you can have on your team. However, for additional players beyond the number of players included in your base team fee, there is an additional fee per player. Visit the corresponding sport’s page for more information on allotted number of players and additional player fees.

 

Can we have someone play for us if we are unable to attend the game?

Yes, substitutes are allowed during regular season games. Each substitute must sign a liability waiver to be eligible to play. However, substitutes are not allowed in playoffs.

 

Can I play on 2 different teams in the same league?

Unfortunately not. Players are only allowed to be on 1 team’s roster in each league.

Note: In Sand Volleyball, 4-on-4 and 6-on-6 are considered 2 different leagues. There is a possibility game times will overlap. 4-on-4 Division A and 4-on-4 Division B are considered the same league, so a player cannot be on a 4A team's roster as well as a 4B team's roster.

 

Can I play in 2 different leagues on the same night?

You can play in 2 different leagues on the same night, however there is no guarantee that your gametimes will not conflict.

 

Do I need to fill out my roster?

Yes, it is beneficial to have players listed on your roster so that they can receive league updates including drink specials, rainout emails, playoff emails, etc. To make sure team captains have their rosters filled out online our HoustonSSC representative can preform a roster check PLAYOFFS ONLY to make sure all players are listed on the roster. Team Captains can make changes to their roster online up until the 3rd week of games.

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Questions Regarding Shirts

 

How do I submit my shirt size(s)?

 

Shirts are not provided by the league as of March of 2020. The league is working to set up a shirt site where team captains and players can purchase shirts at a discount. Updates will be provided once the new shirt program is announced. 

 

My company would like to make jerseys for our team. Can we do this?

If you order through our shirt provider with our exclsuive discount, you can customize shirts, add team logos, add names, add numbers, etc. if they desire for an additional charge with our shirt provider. However, none of the existing logos can be compromised in any way or conflict with our current sponsors. You can also make your own shirts with any provider you like if you prefer.

 

 

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