Witch's Hat

• The Witch’s Hat runs in the format of a Hat tournament.
• Players must indicate his/her experience level upon registration and teams are drawn to spread the experience as evenly as possible among all teams.  A choice of three to four experience levels is recommended.
• The Witch’s Hat is a mixed tournament.
• The Witch’s Hat is held on the last weekend in October whenever possible.
• Depending on numbers the Witch’s Hat can be held as a one (1) day or two (2) days tournament.
• The provision of adequate uniforms in the form of a tournament t-shirt for each participant;
• There will be an over-riding emphasis on Spirit of the Game, including the scoring and awarding of a male and female “Most Spirited Player” award.

Tournament Specific Rules

About

Hat tournaments are common on the Ultimate scene. They are tournaments where players join individually rather than as a team. The tournament organisers form teams by randomly taking the names of the participants from a "hat". Teams are pulled out of a 'hat' but are balanced so that there is a range of players from beginners just starting to play through to experienced Ultimate players.

Hat tournaments have a strong emphasis on having fun and meeting other players. Players of all levels take part in such events from world-class players to complete beginners. Hat tournaments often have a theme and the Witch's Hat is no different, this event falls on the last weekend of October giving a Halloween theme for participants.

The Witch's Hat event was created and originally conducted by Rusty Slaughter and Waylon Parker and has continued annually since 2004.

Registration

1. Teams and players must be registered via the AFDA website (www.afda.com) online registration system.
2. All players must be registered prior to commencing play.

Fees

1. Fees are set by the tournament host and approved by the WAFDA Executive Committee.

Rules of Play

1. The 2017 WFDF Rules of Play will be followed
2. Gender Split
   
   1. The gender split for a 7-a-side game be as follows: a maximum of four (4) and a minimum of three (3) players of either gender allowed during any point. At the beginning of the game, a disc toss will determine the gender split deciding endzone. The team that starts from the endzone will choose the gender split for that point. Penalties apply if a team is unable to field seven (7) players at any time.
3. Safety – Players:
   1. Must not wear steel sprigs.
   2. Must not wear uncovered jewellery.
   3. Must not wear watches.
   4. Must wear shoes.

Game Conditions

1. Time cap: Seventy (70) minutes, declared by the Tournament Director.
2. Half at Eight (8) points, No half time stoppage.
3. Second Half: Mirror start of the first half.
4. End of Game: when the time cap is reached, the current point should be completed and one (1) more point played to conclude the game.
5. Time-outs: Two (2) per team, per game, Two (2) minutes duration. No time outs are allowed after the time cap has been reached.

Score Sheets

1. Each team must complete their score sheets at the end of every game. 
2. MVP and Spirit scores are to be submitted as per the Tournament Director's instructions.

Forfeit

1. Teams are expected to take the field on time. If a team is unable to field at least five (5) players from their permanent roster ten (10) minutes after the scheduled game start time, they automatically forfeit the game.
2. Teams will forfeit if they cannot field two (2), female players.
3. Teams will forfeit if they field an unpaid player.
4. Teams will forfeit if they field less than five (5) players during any point
5. A Forfeit will result in a 15-nil result (Divisions One and Two) or 12-nil (Division Three) recorded against the forfeiting team and the loss of two (2) Ladder Points.
6. A team that gives seven (7) days notice of a forfeit will not incur the loss of Ladder Points.
7. A team that accumulates a total of three (3) forfeits over the league will not be eligible to play in the finals

Ladder Points

1. Teams shall be awarded Ladder Points as per the following structure:
   1. Win – Two (2) points
   2. Loss – Zero (0) points
   3. Draw – One (1) point
   4. Forfeit – Minus two (-2) points

Tournament Ladder

1. The Tournament Ladder will rank teams based on the following:
   1. Ladder Points
   2. Points For minus Points Against
   3. Points For
   4. Head to head
   5. Disc Flip

Finals

1. Semi-Finals - When the game is completed per division rules if scores are tied then teams play one more point to establish a winner.
2. Grand Final - When time cap is reached the current point is completed, then add 1 to the highest score to establish a ‘Win by 1’ target and play to the ‘Win by 1’ target.