Policies and Rules

Floor Hockey – Court 5’s

There is only one format of Floor Hockey Court 5’s under JAM Rules. It is described in its entirety below.

JAM is for Everyone – Inclusion Statement

Our program offerings are designed to be inclusive for all members of the JAM community. Our goal is to create a welcoming gender policy that uplifts and supports each player where they are at. To ensure we can offer something for everyone, our programs may be offered in the following formats: Mixed-Gender, Women's, Men's, and Open.

Many of our league rules specify gender-based roster requirements, the goal of which is to ensure that each player has an equal opportunity to be included in gameplay.

Everyone participating in a JAM program is welcome to compete based on their gender identity and gender expression; regardless of their gender assigned at birth. Members whose gender identity does not align with the binary man/woman construct are welcome to play in all our mixed-gender and open programs.

Nonbinary, trans, genderqueer, and all other players who identify as a gender minority can count towards the roster minimums for either men or women in our mixed-gender leagues.

Game Time

All Floor Hockey games are approximately 55 minutes in length. Please arrive early to ensure you get the full use of your allotted court time. Regardless of when your game begins your game will always end on time to allow the succeeding games to begin at their scheduled time.

Time Keeping: If you’re playing without an official score clock, the JAM Ambassador on site will be keeping track of time and will determine the end of your game. In this instance, you will receive a warning indicating the final five (5) minutes of your game and a final signal for the end of your game. Once the final signal occurs your game is over.

Halftimes: There is no stoppage for halftime unless requested by one of the teams. If a half-time is requested, then it must be accommodated by the opposing team.

Switching Sides: If one side of a venue has a potential advantage (i.e. stage at one end, etc.), teams should agree BEFORE the game that they will be switching sides at approximately the mid-point of the game (and agree on the time to switch). A captain that requests a switch pre-game MUST be accommodated.

Players

Teams are comprised of five (5) players on the court at a time. A default will occur if any team cannot field a squad by 10 minutes after the official start time.

Roster Numbers: For Mixed-Gender leagues, all teams must have at least 2 men or gender minority players and 2 women or gender minority players playing out on the court at all times, excluding the goalie. Anyone on the roster may play goalie. However, goalies DO NOT count towards roster minimums. We believe this will help truly keep it a Mixed-Gender league. Only men may play in the Men's league.

Defaults: A default will occur if any team cannot field a squad of a minimum of 4 players 10 minutes after the official start time. If shorthanded, a team must have a goaltender and thus be one player short on the floor. Roster rules still apply (for Mixed-Gender leagues you must have 2 men or gender minority players and 2 women or gender minority players on the court to not default).

Exceptions: Captains may agree to waive the rules regarding roster requirements but this should be decided before the game starts. IF IT IS AGREED THAT THE GAME COUNTS, IT COUNTS!

Playing Area

For all formats of JAM Floor Hockey, the net and court will always be set up for you when you arrive. All gymnasiums will vary in size, so the dimensions of the playing area will vary per location.

Equipment/Set Up

Equipment including nets, goalie masks, sticks, and balls will be provided and set-up each week. It is the TEAM'S responsibility to bring any additional goalie protective gear. Teams should bring both light and dark coloured shirts to each and every game. There are two types of balls available to play with “Hard” and “Soft”. The official ball of JAM Floor Hockey is the ‘Hard” ball. Teams may choose to play with the “Soft” ball if both sides agree. The “Hard” ball bounces much less and we have found results in a cleaner game with more control and less hacking.

Uniforms

Teams are required to bring both light and coloured shirts to every game. Team colours are posted on the JAM website in your schedule. If two teams have the same colour the team captains should contact each other to ensure that each team knows what colour to wear.

Defaults: There is no default for players that don’t wear the right colour. However, that player must do everything they can to ensure it’s not confusing for the opposition. Whether this means wearing a pinny, a hat, a teammate’s shirt, etc. Under no circumstances can a player purposely deceive the opposition.

Floor Hockey 101

The following outlines the basis of the rules of Floor Hockey Court 5’s Programs:

General Rules:

Unsportsmanlike play WILL NOT be tolerated. Experienced hockey players should leave their notions of physical play as being an integral part of hockey on the ice: IT IS NOT WELCOME HERE. It is inevitable that there will be some accidental contact among players. However, any other contact (i.e. pushing, picks, bumping, etc...) is not allowed. You may not touch any other player with your body or your stick at any time on purpose, and you should do your best to avoid unnecessary contact with your body and your stick. If you find you are frequently coming in contact with your opponents, you must adjust your style of play to minimize this from happening. It is everyone’s responsibility to ensure the games are played safely, and any dangerous or reckless behaviour is not acceptable.
All Players must use the provided plastic sticks. Players may bring their own sticks, but they MUST be the same make and model as the ones provided (DOM Pro or Cup). DOM Elite, Vision, wooden, fibreglass and aluminium sticks/shafts are not allowed.
Eye protection is not mandatory for players (with the exception of goalies), but it is highly recommended by the JAM. Squash/Racquetball goggles can be purchased from most sporting goods stores for this purpose.
Players are permitted to wear gloves, soccer shinguards, and volleyball kneepads. Ice Hockey shinpads are not permitted for “players”; only goalies may wear ice hockey shinpads.
Games (and halves) are started with a faceoff, with both players tapping the ground and each others' sticks three times before the ball is played.
The ball is always in play, regardless of height, until it crosses into an out of bounds area (behind the benches). This includes hitting the ceiling, climbing equipment on walls, basketball nets, or anything else that might be hanging in bounds. The only exception to this is if a ball deflects in the goal directly after contacting anything hanging from the ceiling (i.e. basketball backboard/hoop/mesh, climbing rope).
Any player may not use their hands to pick up the ball from the court during gameplay.
A ball that has gone out of play is awarded to the team that did not touch the ball last. Play commences with a player either passing the ball in from the line where the ball went out of play or stick handling the ball him/herself from that point. A player opting to carry the ball MUST make a pass before shooting (i.e. the player cannot score directly). If the ball is passed/shot towards the net and goes in (either directly into the goal, off the post and in, or off of the goalie and in) then it is not a goal. If the ball is passed/shot towards the net and the goalie makes a save, or if the ball hits the post and is played by another player, then play is now live. Opposing players (and their sticks) must be at least 5 feet away from the ball (i.e. you cannot put your stick directly in front of the ball) until the player either passes or begins to run with the ball. If the ball goes out of bounds with the offensive team getting possession, play re-starts in the corner (i.e. if the ball goes out on a stage, the offence takes control of the ball in the corner, not behind the net).
If the ball comes to rest on the back of the net, the play is dead and it is the goalie’s ball, regardless of who touched the ball last.
If the goalie has frozen the ball, play is dead until the goalie restarts play by passing the ball (i.e. if the goalie freezes the ball so play stops and then uncovers the ball while trying to stand up/fish the ball out of his/her equipment, you can’t poke at the ball). Goalies may place the ball in the crease and the offensive team must give the goalie 5 feet of space to restart play (players may not poke at the ball whether there is a Crease or No-crease rule in effect; see Section 5). In ice hockey there would be a faceoff after the goalie freezes the play; as we don’t have faceoffs, we want goalies to be able to freely, fairly and quickly restart play.
If the goalie has frozen the ball and subsequently passes the ball to their teammate behind the net/goal line (from wall to wall, not just the net…think of it as the icing line in ice hockey), the defenseman has 5 seconds to move/pass/shoot the ball before the forward(s) can fore-check (a shot from behind the line will count as a goal if it goes in). The defenseman may move anywhere behind the goal line (from wall to wall) as long as they are still behind the line before the 5 seconds elapses. The forward must count 5 steamboats aloud before attacking, and may only cross the line to fore-check once they say “Five”. This rule is to give defensemen a chance to restart play in a timely manner and to minimize bumping/hacking that may take place behind the net (especially in some venues where the net may be close to the back wall). If the goalie passes the ball forward, the play is live. Once the defenseman passes the ball or moves past the goal line, the play is live. If the defenseman passes the ball to another player who is also still behind the line, the play is live.
After a goal, the team that had been scored upon starts with possession of the ball on their side of the half; they are now the offensive team. To start play, the offence may pass or carry the ball over the centre line. If the ball is carried over the centre line the offence must make one pass before they are allowed to score. If the ball is passed over the centre line it must contact another offensive player before the offence may score. The defensive team must stay in their half until either the ball or an offensive player crosses the centre line, at which point the defence is free to cross the centre line. Teams must wait at least 5 seconds after a goal before restarting play. It is in good spirit to ensure that your opponents (especially the goalie) are ready to play after a goal. If the game is close, it is also in good spirit to get back to your half quickly so play can be restarted.
Players cannot make a pass to a teammate by pushing or directing the ball with their hand.
Players may make substitutions "on-the-fly" as long as the player leaving the court is off before the new player enters the playing area.
A high-sticking infraction has occurred when the stick of any player comes above their waist level. This includes incidents when the player is trying to knock the ball down, waving for a pass, attempting to get around a player, or before/after a shot has been taken. Goals scored by a high-stick DO NOT COUNT. If a high-stick occurs, the non-offending team retains possession with an indirect shot from where the infraction occurred.
Players cannot score by kicking the ball into the net. Any kicking motion done with the intention of directing the movement of the ball nullifies a goal. However, if a pass is made and it inadvertently deflects off a player's foot and into the net, the goal counts.
Shoot Outs and Tie Games: A game can end in a tie during the regular season. In the playoffs, a game that is tied at the end of regulation time is decided by a breakaway shootout. Three players on each team will participate, with a minimum of 1 man or gender minority and 1 woman or gender minority players taking part. If it is still tied after 3 shots for each team, teams continue taking shots until one team scores and the other does not score (sudden death). After the initial round of 3 shooters, anyone may shoot; players may be re-used in the shootout during sudden death. For the shootout, the ball will be played from the centre dot and players stickhandle in towards the goalie. Once the ball has made contact with the goalie or net/post, the shooter may no longer make contact with the ball (i.e. no rebound goals allowed). Please note that playoff games should only be 50 minutes in length in anticipation of needing the extra time to settle a tie.
No player (with the exception of the goalie) can slide or dive to block a shot. In other words, players must remain on their feet at all times. If in a stationary position, a defender's knee cannot touch the ground.
Stopped Games: A floor hockey JAM Ambassador may stop a game before the full time has expired due to overly aggressive play, persistent unsportsmanlike conduct or a general violation of the rules of the game. This decision is solely at the discretion of the Ambassador It the decision is made to stop the game early, the score will be recorded as a loss for BOTH teams. In addition, both teams will be given an automatic warning (Refer to the JAM General Indoor Policy sheet for specific details on warnings). One exception to this ruling is if the Ambassador has stopped the game because of the inappropriate play of only one team. Under these circumstances, the non-offending team will receive the win, regardless of the score at the time that the game is stopped. This is also at the discretion of the Ambassador.
Players ARE allowed to lift the sticks of their opponents in an attempt to take the ball away - please use minimal force when doing this. However, players CANNOT hit the top of their opponent's sticks or pin their opponent's stick down. Players may not lift or touch an opponent's stick when they are not making a play on the ball (i.e. if you are in front of the net but the ball is in the corner) but may have their stick in the area in anticipation of a pass.
In the event that a goal is disputed (e.g. due to an alleged crease violation, etc) and a resolution between the two teams cannot be reached, the defending team shall make the final decision as to whether a goal has been scored or not. It is expected that defensive teams will not abuse this rule and will make a fair judgment call. If a goal is disallowed, the ball will be given to the goalie and play will resume.
Teams may call a one (1) minute time-out per game if needed except during the final 10 minutes of play.

Goalies:

Goalies must wear the provided helmet/mask at all times. No exceptions.
Goalies may use ice hockey or road hockey goalie pads. They may not be home-made or altered to be made bigger; please do not use over-sized pads...we don't want to have to measure pads). Goalies may also choose to wear fitted shin pads (the kind a forward would wear in ice hockey). Goalies may also choose to wear a blocker, trapper, chest protector, shoulder pads, elbow pads, and hockey pants. Any padding that is worn must not have any hard aspects that can contact the floor (i.e. hard plastic, metal fasteners) and cause potential damage. If the goalie decides to wear fitted shin pads, they must be worn underneath their pants/hockey socks to reduce the wear and tear on the gym floor.
Goalies can toss the ball to a player on their own side of the court, but cannot toss the ball over the centre line. A goalie can pass the ball anywhere on the court with his/her stick.
Goalies CANNOT be "pulled" in an attempt to utilize an extra attacker at any point in the game.
The goalie must release the ball in a timely & spirited manner (approximately 5 seconds).
In order to maintain consistency and the intent of the JAM Floor Hockey league, goalies must use the goalie stick provided by the JAM (or one of the equivalent dimensions and material). Sticks must be all plastic; wooden or metal blades/shafts are not allowed.

Goalie Crease:

The goalie crease in front of the net is an area that only the goalie may occupy. This means that NO STICKS OR FEET OF ANY PLAYER (offence or defence) may at any time enter the crease. If an offensive player enters the crease with either their stick or feet, it is the goalie's ball. It is up to the goalie, or nearby players to make this call. If a defensive player disrupts/affects the play by entering his/her own crease, the offensive team is awarded an indirect ball 10 feet out from the edge of the crease.
Goalies may slide out of the crease a maximum of 3 feet in order to make a save. Goalies may also freeze the ball if they slide out of the crease to make a save and are within 3 feet of the crease. Goalies should attempt to keep at least one point of contact (e.g. a foot) in the crease when freezing the ball. If a goalie freezes the ball when they are outside of these boundaries, then the offensive team gets the ball in the corner.
“No-crease” rules: we acknowledge some teams prefer to play without a goalie crease. The default rule in the JAM is that there IS a crease in Floor Hockey. If teams agree to play without a crease, please note these rule differences:
Offensive and defensive players may enter the crease if the ball is there. Offensive players must stay out of the crease if the ball is not there (i.e. if you are screening the goalie, you must stay out of the crease area), but may play the ball and/or enter the crease if the ball is there. Offensive players should always be careful and make every possible effort to avoid making contact with the goalie. This is no different than typical ice hockey rules.
Goalies may only freeze the ball if they are within 3 feet of the crease (i.e. goalies cannot run to the corner and freeze the ball). Goalies may come out of the crease to play the ball (with a stick, foot, glove), however, they may not freeze the ball if they are not within 3 feet of the crease area. If a goalie picks up a ball outside of this area, they may not freeze the ball and must quickly put the ball back into play (i.e. within 3 seconds). An illegal freezing of the ball will result in the opposition getting possession of the ball in the corner.
If a goalie freezes the ball, they may place the ball in their crease area and offensive players may not poke at the ball and must give the goalie 5 feet of space to make a pass and restart play. Once the goalie passes the ball from their crease, the play is live. If the goalie makes a pass from outside of their crease (i.e. tosses the ball to a teammate), the play is live.

Making Calls:

It is extremely important that all players (especially team captains) make the appropriate calls for infractions and illegal plays. Every high-stick, goal crease violation, roughing, pushing, etc., must be called and play must be stopped. Only players that are currently on the court at the time of an infraction may make a call.

Regular Season Matches

Games can be tied during the regular season.

Playoffs Eligibility and Tiebreak

There must be a winner in a playoff match. In the event that the match ends in a tie, teams will partake in the following tie-breaker until a winner is determined:

In the playoffs, a game that is tied at the end of regulation time is decided by a breakaway shootout. Three players on each team will participate, with a minimum of 1 man or gender minority and 1 woman or gender minority players taking part. If it is still tied after 3 shots for each team, teams continue taking shots until one team scores and the other does not score (sudden death). After the initial round of 3 shooters, anyone may shoot; players may be re-used in the shootout during sudden death. For the shootout, the ball will be played from the centre dot and players stickhandle in towards the goalie. Once the ball has made contact with the goalie or net/post, the shooter may no longer make contact with the ball (i.e. no rebound goals allowed). Please note that playoff games should only be 50 minutes in length in anticipation of needing the extra time to settle a tie.

Rough Play

Any rough or physical play will result in immediate expulsion from further league play and may result in a lifetime league expulsion. Please see the JAM General Policy for our official guidelines on this subject. It is recognized that incidental contact between players is inevitable; however, all players should go out of their way to avoid creating an unsafe play. This rule supersedes all others.

Please note that on-site staff members have full autonomy when supervising games. Games may be stopped entirely, players may be asked to leave the playing area or be removed from the game entirely under their discretion.

Alcohol

There are absolutely no alcoholic beverages permitted on JAM property. Any offenders will be asked to leave the league without refund. No exceptions.