Amendments to the VAR procedure
I am making some amendments to the VAR procedure which will come into effect at the start of the 2025/26 season.
The new procedure will apply in all tournaments, home league and the singles league and must be followed when arranging your matches.
Home player’s responsibility to make first contact
The first change is that it will now be the HOME PLAYER’s responsibility to make the initial contact in order to arrange a date for the match. This does not mean that the away player cannot make first contact, however in the event that no contact is made within the stipulated time frame, the tournament director (“TD”) will hold the home player accountable for this failure to adhere to the rules.
You now have 7 days to arrange a match and notify the tournament director of the date
The second change is that instead of having 2 days to notify the TD of the agreed match date, you will now have 7 days. The strict deadline will be 23:59 hours on the 7th day following the fixture(s) being published. So, if the fixtures are published on the 1st of the month, the deadline for notifying the TD of the agreed match date will be 23:59 hours on the 8th day of the month. This does not mean you should wait until the 8th day of the month to make contact! It is best practice to make contact on the day the fixtures are published, because people have accidents, suffer from illness or go away on holiday. Leaving things until the last minute increases the chances of a match having to be cancelled, resulting in players not being able to play that match before the match deadline. This puts you at risk of being removed from a tournament!
Please note that you are allowed to both arrange and play your match within this 7 day arrangement period. In this case, there is no requirement to notify the TD of the date, just play the match and the WINNER can send the result to the TD, including details of any breaks over 50.
Match deadlines extended
The third change is that istead of the match deadline being 21 days after the draw is made (VAR tournaments), it will now be 28 days. This can vary slightly if the 28th day falls on a bank holiday, but in these circumstances you will get a few days extra, rather than a few days less. In the singles league, the match deadline will be the last day of the month.
Amended VAR Procedure
Below are the amended VAR procedures in full. Payment of your entry fee is confirmation that you understand these VAR procedures and you agree to adhere to them. Persistent failure to adhere to these rules may result in you being removed from a tournament or singles league.
VAR Procedure
View the draw
- The TD will publish the draw on the Nottingham Snooker website.
- Players will also receive a message from the TD with details of their opponent (including their phone number) and the deadline for the match to be played (typically 28 days after the date of the draw).
Arrange and play your match
Within 7 days of the fixtures being published, the HOME PLAYER must:
- Make contact with the away player and arrange the match.
- Inform the TD of the date of the match.
Players will then play the match on the agreed date.
Please note that you are allowed to both arrange and play your match within this 7 day arrangement period. In this case, there is no requirement to notify the TD of the date, just play the match and the WINNER can send the result to the TD, including details of any breaks over 50.
Result to TD
- Immediately following the match being played, the WINNER must send the result to the TD, including details of any breaks over 50.
Steve Butler
Nottingham Snooker