EUROPEAN CHEER LEAGUE

Rules for Season 2016

1. GENERAL DESCRIPTION
European Cheer League (ECL) is a virtual championship with a special scoring system that offers athletes an additional option to examine their skill level and to compete among themselves even if they don’t attend the same competitions. Furthermore, ECL creates an opportunity to display which teams are better in a longer term, and not in only one competition. One of the main objectives of the ECL is also to promote international competitions all around Europe.
ECL is also a qualifier for the ECU European Cheerleading Championships. The winner of each ECL division will directly qualify to Europeans with all registration fees paid by the ECU.

2. SEASON
The ECL season 2016 lasts from 1st of January 2016 to 31st of December 2016.

3. DIVISIONS
In the ECL season 2016 teams can compete in the following divisions:
Cheerleading – Team Coed Premier, Senior
Cheerleading – Team All Girl Premier, Senior
Cheer Dance – Team Cheer Freestyle Pom, Senior
Cheerleading – Team Coed Elite, Junior
Cheerleading – Team All Girl Elite, Junior
Cheer Dance – Team Cheer Freestyle Pom, Junior
All divisions are in the Junior and Senior age group.
Further explanation:
ECU will review the success of the 2016 season and decide if other divisions should be incorporated in ECL in the following seasons.

4. PARTICIPANTS
Only teams that are members of a national federation which is a member of the European Cheer Union (ECU) are eligible to compete in the ECL.

5. REGISTRATION AND PARTICIPATION FEE
There is no participation fee for the ECL and no special ECL registration is necessary. The teams that participate in one of the ECL divisions on an ECL competition are automatically scored for the ECL final ranking.
Further explanation:
Regardless of the fact that no registration is necessary to participate in ECL and that there is no participation fee for that, participants must register and pay participation fee to the organizer of the competition.

6. COMPETITIONS
Each ECU member federation can appoint one international competition for free that will be included in the ECL.
The ECL competition must be open internationally to all ECU members’ teams (at least in the ECL divisions).
Each ECU member federation can apply for second ECL event for which a license fee in the amount of 500,00 EUR needs to be paid. The second ECL event needs to be confirmed by the ECL Steering Committee.

7. COMPETITION RULES
Senior age group is defined as in the ECU Rulebook:
Team Coed Premier – 15 years or older (year of birth 2001 or before)
Team All Girl Premier – 15 years or older (year of birth 2001 or before)
Team Cheer Freestyle Pom – 14 years or older (year of birth 2002 or before).
Team Coed Elite – 12 to 16 years (year of birth 2000 to 2004)
Team All Girl Elite – 12 to 16 years (year of birth 2000 to 2004)
Team Cheer Freestyle Pom – 12 to 16 years (year of birth 2000 to 2004).
Junior age group is defined as in the ECU Rulebook:
ECU competition rules (ECU Rulebook 2016 as soon as it became available) must be used for the ECL divisions.

8. JUDGING
The ECL divisions must be judged by at least one scoring judge that is registered in the ECU Judges Register and who is not from the country where the competition takes place.
Further explanation:
An ECU judge must be an international judge (not from the same country as organizer of the competition). ECU will provide information of the ECU registered judges to organizers of ECL competitions and also information on how to register a national judge to ECU judges register.

9. INFORMATION
All information regarding the ECL will be available on the ECU web page www.cheerunion.eu and will contain ECL competition calendar, standings / ranking, rules, news and other relevant information.

10. SCORING SYSTEM
Clarification:
The ECL scoring system takes into account the fact that different ECL competitions are judged by different judges’ panels on different days and also under different competition conditions. To be as impartial as possible the ECL scoring system is placement based.

I. Attendance Points
– 10 points for attending
Any team that registers shows up and competes at an ECL competition will receive 10 points, unless that team is disqualified.

II. 100 Point System
– 1st = 100 pts
– 2nd = 90 pts
– 3rd = 80 pts
– 4th = 70 pts
– 5th = 60 pts
– 6th = 50 pts
– 7th = 40 pts
– 8th = 30 pts
– 9th = 20 pts
– 10th = 10 pts
– 11th and lower = 0 pts
The 100 point system is what determines the points awarded for your final placement. If a tie occurs at a competition, you will be awarded the points for a team that has placed two spots down. Example: If there is a tie for 1st place and your team is the next highest after the tie, then your team will be awarded the points for a 3rd place team.

III. Placement Points
– 25 points awarded for each team your team outscores
These points will be awarded for scoring higher than other teams in your division at a competition. Example: Your team places 2nd in a division with 5 other teams in it. Your team will receive 75 points for outscoring 3 other teams (3 x 25pts).
Foreign teams (teams from non-ECU members) that are participating on the ECL competition are also taken into account when placement points are calculated for the ECU teams. However, foreign teams do not get any ECL points since they are not eligible to participate in the ECL.

Final season ranking:
Each team may compete in as many competitions during the season as they want. However, only their best 3 point totals will be accumulated for their final score for the season 2016. If a team attend less than 3 competitions, all received point totals will be accumulated in their final score.

11. AWARDS
The overall winner of each ECL division is the team or couple that finished first in final ranking after the season end.
Winner of the ECL holds the title of the “European Cheer League 2016 Champion”. A trophy will also be presented to the winner and will be given at the European Cheerleading Championship 2016 award ceremony.
Winner of the ECL 2016 will directly qualify to European Cheerleading Championships 2017 without affecting the country quota for the championships. Winner will also receive free registration for the European Cheerleading Championships 2017 for all competing athletes (up to 25 competing athletes; substitutes excluded) and 1 coach.
Varsity Europe is sponsoring ECL 2016. The winners in the Coed Premier and All Girl Premier divisions in 2016 will be getting the newest Varsity cheer shoe model for free (up to 25 persons per team). The winner in the Team Cheer Freestyle Pom division with receive 20% off dance uniforms from Varsity.
Clarification:
The ECU member country will still have 2 additional places for each category on the Europeans even if a team / couple from that country qualify for Europeans through the ECL. This way it is possible that one country has three representatives on Europeans in categories that are included in ECL.
The registration fee for the Europeans for the winners of the ECL will be paid by ECU and represents approximately 910,00 EUR per division (depends on the number of the athletes in the team and height of the registration fee for the specific year).

12. STEERING COMMITTEE
The ECL is led by the ECL Steering Committee. The Committee is also responsible for overseeing all of the competitions that will participate in ECL and for dealing with different issues that relate to the ECL. The Committee also interprets the rules of the ECL and makes the decisions that are necessary to successfully finish the ECL season 2016.
The Committee has 3 members who are elected by the ECU Board. Among its members the committee also appoints its chairperson who is responsible for leading the committee.
If there are less than 3 candidates for the Committee then the Committee is not formed and ECU Board takes the Committee’s tasks.

13. RULES AND INFORMATION CONCERNING ECU MEMBER FEDERATIONS

1. Only a national federation that is an ECU member federation can submit the application for the ECL. Each ECU member federation that wants their application to be approved must be in a good standing with the ECU (member’s dues are paid in full).
2. There are no registration fees for the ECU member federation to apply for one ECL event.
3. Each ECU member federation can appoint only one (1) international competition for free for the ECL. Competition must be organized in the country which that ECU member federation is representing in the ECU.
4. Each ECU member federation can apply for second ECL event for which a license fee in the amount of 500,00 EUR needs to be paid. The second ECL event needs to be confirmed by the ECL Steering Committee.
5. Each ECU member federation needs to apply for first ECL event by the end of August 2016 and for second ECL event by the end of June 2016. The earlier that ECU receives the information the more we can advertise it. Partial information about the competition will also be accepted but it must be complemented at a later time. A special ECL application form is provided by the ECU.
6. The ECL competition must be open to all ECU members’ teams in the ECL divisions.
7. The ECL competition can be organized by an ECU member federation, a sport club that is a member of the national federation, private company or ECU associate member that cooperates with the ECU member federation or any other organizer that is chosen by the ECU member federation. It is at the sole discretion of the ECU member federation to decide which competition will host ECL divisions and who will be the organizer of this competition.
8. The ECL divisions must be judged by at least one scoring judge that is registered in the ECU Judges register. This judge must be an international judge (not from country of the organizer). ECU will provide the information about the ECU registered judges or help national federations to register their judges if this is necessary.
9. The organizer must ensure execution of at least one ECL division in each age group.
10. Optional: organizer can offer lower registration fees for their event to participants who already competed at previous ECL events in 2016. Information about the participation in previous ECL events will be provided by the ECL Steering Committee.
11. The organizer must hand out printouts of the updated 2016 ECL calendar to teams along with their score sheets.
12. After an ECL competition the ECU member federation must send the following information to the ECU (special report form will be provided by the ECU):
    a) Standings in each of the ECL divisions with the information about:
    – Country name
    – Sport club name (if exists)
    – Team name
    – Team contact (name and mail)
    – Total score
    b) Short report about the ECL divisions that can be used for the ECL press releases (up to 250 words).
    c) Three (3) to five (5) photos of ECL divisions that can be used in the ECL press releases.
    d) Name of the ECU registered judge(s) that judged the ECL divisions.

1. The ECL report form must be send to ECU no later than 14 days after the date of the competition. If ECU member federation fails to fulfil this duty the ECL points will not be given to the competing teams / couples.
2. For any other information about the ECL please contact ECL Steering Committee at: ecl@europeancheerunion.com.

More information about the ECL can also be found on the following web page: www.cheerunion.eu

14. EUROPEAN CHEER UNION
The ECL, with the exception of the actual organization of the competitions, is organized by:
EUROPEAN CHEER UNION
Eskildsgade 18, 2. sal, DK-1657 Kobenhavn V
Denmark
info@europeancheerunion.com
www.cheerunion.eu