"Forfeits" vs. "No Contest"

[Sonny]

I continue to read many MDIA teams claiming forfeits when another team does not show for a scheduled game for whatever reason.

The situation came up recently on the NCAA Div. 1 level when Duke cancelled two games. The Duke/Georgetown game was cancelled approx. 1 hour prior to faceoff by the Duke University Adminstration when both teams were on site. It was later confirmed by the NCAA that this was to be considered a no contest rather then a forfeit.

The NCAA rulebook is very clear on this subject:

Forfeited Game vs. No Contest
Section 8. No forfeit is charged unless the referee or other appropriate contest official has assumed jurisdiction of the contest (see 2-7). When a team does not appear (e.g. due to weather, accidents, breakdown of vehicles, illiness, or catastrophic causes), a forfeit is not recorded. An institution shall not, for statistical purposes, declare a forfeit for non-fulfillment. of a contract. Such instances shall be considered a "no contest."

Neither the outcome nor the statistics in any completed contest are reversible by a forfeit due to postgame adminstration actions, except as provided in the NCAA manuals. The actual results of the game and the statistics shall be entered as such in both teams' all-time records, as well as in the coaches' records and in individual statistics. Games later forfeited shall be designated by an asterisk and a footnote.

It is frustrating for all involved (players, coaches, referees, parents, fans) when a MDIA game doesn't take place as originally scheduled. But 99.9% of the time when a game doesn't take place because one of the teams didn't show, it isn't considered a forfeit.

[mholtz]

Sonny,
Thanks for pointing this out. I learn something new all the time.

[yourmom]

I understand that people get afraid of thier fields getting torn up, but it seems that less and less games get played in the mud. instead of a forfeit they just call and say "hey games cancelled, hope we can make it up later". This isn't baseball. Yeah games in the mud get ugly, but thats adversity.

[Bluevelvet]

I noticed that FSU has claimed a 1-0 forfeit victory on USL MDIA this weekend. Is that a forfeit or no contest?

[LaxRef]

I understand that people get afraid of thier fields getting torn up, but it seems that less and less games get played in the mud. instead of a forfeit they just call and say "hey games cancelled, hope we can make it up later". This isn't baseball. Yeah games in the mud get ugly, but thats adversity.

If you play games in the mud and tear up the fields, you won't be able to get field space anymore. Do you have any idea how much time and expense goes into repairing a field that has been torn up? And how many other teams won't get to use the field while it's being reworked?

This is the great thing about FieldTurf fields. Yeah, they're expensive to put in, but then you can use the field for literally hundreds of games during the year (lacrosse, soccer, football, Ultimate frisbee, rugby, whatver), as opposed to high-quality grass fields which might be limited to 20 to 30 games per year.

[KnoxVegas]

Thanks, Sonny.

In the GRLC, we had two teams "fold" this season: Monmouth and Truman State. Monmouth never played a game and was removed from each of their opponents schedules before the season started. Truman State withdrew just before their first game, too late to withdraw them from our schedules. Three teams in the GRLC have awarded themselves forfeits for their "missed" games versus Truman State.

I had done this for Augustana but upon seeing your post, if have changed the official result from a 1-0 forfeit to a 0-0 "no contest". I would encourage the other GRLC schools to do the same. It is the only true way to accurately reflect our records.

[LaxRef]

Thanks, Sonny.

In the GRLC, we had two teams "fold" this season: Monmouth and Truman State. Monmouth never played a game and was removed from each of their opponents schedules before the season started. Truman State withdrew just before their first game, too late to withdraw them from our schedules. Three teams in the GRLC have awarded themselves forfeits for their "missed" games versus Truman State.

I had done this for Augustana but upon seeing your post, if have changed the official result from a 1-0 forfeit to a 0-0 "no contest". I would encourage the other GRLC schools to do the same. It is the only true way to accurately reflect our records.

I agree. It really isn't fair for the teams that scheduled Truman to get a "free" win in their record just because the team folded.

[Campbell]

something that needs to be considered is the conference rules and how the conference defines it. If a team plays one or two games one of which being conference and then cancels the rest of their season, you end up with skewed results come playoff time. I agree with the rulebook though and applied to out of conference games is fine. Duke will have to contend with the ACC if their season gets back underway.