Policies and Procedures

Intramural Sports Policy and Procedure Manual

Who is eligible to play Intramural Sports
NIU Students and Recreation Members who are current faculty and staff members.

Where do I sign up a team/individual for an intramural sport?
We are using an internet based program, imleagues.  This program allows you to register for any Intramural activity/sport, invite your team members to join your team, review results and league standings, print playoff brackets, and communicate via email and text messages from your home, campus computer lab, nearest coffee shop etc.  Just click on www.imleagues.com/niu to get started

How do I sign up a team/individual for a sport?
To create an IMLeagues account:

1. Go to  www.IMLeagues.com/schools/niu/Registration OR Go to www.IMLeagues.com and click Create Account
2. Enter your information, and use your school email address (@students.niu.edu OR @niu.edu), and submit.
3. You will be sent an activation email, click the link in the email to login and activate your IMLeagues account.
4. You should be automatically joined to your school – If not, you can search schools by clicking the “Schools” link.

How  much does it cost?
Cost varies for each sport/activity.  To view all sports with their prices please consult the Intramural website at http://www.niu.edu/recservices/intramural/program_offerings.shtml and within the program guide.

How do I form a team?
People usually form teams with their friends or people they live with. After you have created your team through imleagues, you can invite people to play on your team through the imleague communication system.  An email is automatically generated to your team member for his/her to create an account and join your team.  Make sure you and your team members brings their current NIU OneCard to play in all Intramural Sports games and activities.  Players who do not have a current NIU OneCard for each game or activity  will NOT be allowed to play.

What sports do you offer?
Intramural Sports offers a wide variety of sports and activities to meet different interests. Major team sports include softball, indoor soccer, flag football, basketball, floor hockey, wiffleball and volleyball.  Other team sports includes and volleyball, basketball skills challenge, and BASEketball.   Individual and dual sports include tennis, badminton, bags, and racquetball.

How many people can I have on my team?
Each sport has different roster limitations. For example, Sand Volleyball is limited to 8 players, however, indoor soccer is limited to 10.  The specific sport limitation is listed on the imleagues sport page.  However, during playoffs rosters are frozen meaning any player wishing to play in the playoffs must have played in at least one regular season game.

Where are the games played?
Outdoor sports are played on the IM Field located to northeast of the Convocation Center and west of Stevenson Towers

Indoor Sports are played at the Student Recreation Center (SRC) and the Chick Evan’s Field House (FH)

What times are games scheduled?
Outdoor sports are played during daylight, typically between 3:00 – 7:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday.  Some
sports are played on Sunday.
Indoor sports are played between 6:00 – 11:00 p.m., Monday-Thursday.

What is in it for the champions?
At the end of the playoffs, the first place Men’s, Women’s, and Co-rec teams or individuals (for single or dual sports) are crowned champions the A and B divisions. In the Men’s division, the Greek Champion and the Independent Champion will play each other for the title of “Campus Champions.” Each player earning a championship will receive an Intramural Champion t-shirt.  Photos are taken of all champions and posted on the website and at the SRC.  Plus, your picture may be published in the Northern Star or posted on NIU channel 20.

Where do I go to find when and where I play my games?
You can find this information on our website at www.imleagues.com/niu under the schedule and standings link.

Where can I find the standings for my league?
You can find this information on our website at www.imleagues.com/niu under the schedule and standings link.

Where can I find intramural rules and the intramural handbook?
These resources can be found on the Intramural Sports Website at: http://www.niu.edu/recservices/intramural/index.shtml and throughwww.imleagues.com/niu.  Click on Intramural handbook or click on Intramural rules, whichever you need.

What kind of time commitment does Intramural Sports require?  Are there practices?
For team sports, your team typically plays once a week for one hour.  Intramural special events, individual, and dual sports play on varied days and times.  Intramural sports do not require practices, but some teams do like to practice on their own time.

Can I play intramural sports if I am a varsity athlete?
Yes you can, although there are some restrictions!   Varsity athletes may not play in their parallel sport while they are on the varsity team.  If a varsity athlete wishes to play in their parallel sport, they must sit out one full academic year starting from the end of their last varsity season.  For example, if a participant, who was a varsity soccer player, wants to play indoor soccer, he or she must sit out one full academic year from the last season he or she was active within the varsity soccer team. 

Can former professional athletes play intramural sports?
No, professional athletes are ineligible for Intramural Sports.

What happens if I get injured during an intramural contest?
All of our intramural supervisors are certified in CPR/AED and first aid.  They are first responders in all emergency situations and are trained to handle all situations that may occur in regards to injuries.  Keep in mind though that you play at your own risk, and Recreation Services is not liable for any injuries.

How many games does my team need to win to make the playoffs?
Currently, teams making the playoffs must be the top team within their pool.  Typically teams are scheduled in four team leagues; however, some teams are placed in six team leagues. In a six team pool, the top two teams advance to the playoffs.  In addition to being the top team within your pool, your team must maintain an average of 3.0 sportsmanship rating throughout league play and playoff games.

How do I know when I play my games for playoffs?
After the completion of league games, tournament brackets will be posted through the imleagues program.  There will be an email sent out to your Team Captain when tournament brackets are published on the imleagues program. 

What are Extramurals?
Extramural events are tournaments hosted by other universities for intramural teams to compete against other universities and colleges at the state, regional, and national level.  Most of these tournaments are played as part of the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) National Campus Championship Series (NCCS).

How do I sign up for Extramural tournaments?
Go to - http://www.niu.edu/recservices/intramural/nirsa.shtml and all currently scheduled extramural events will be listed on this page.  To register to play, contact the person listed as the tournament contact.

How do I join the staff?
Attend a recruitment meeting:

• For Spring employment, meeting will be in the fall semester.
• For Fall employment, meeting will be in the spring prior to the fall semester.
• Complete an online application and submit the application to the Rec Center by the deadline.