[This policy is effective as of Sept 17 2023 and includes the 2022-2023 competition results.]
A. In Women’s D2 and D3, teams may move up and down between their divisions, at their discretion, in any competitive cycle. The teams must declare their division no later than 2 weeks after their respective Championship matches.
B. Women’s teams that have advanced from the Atlantic Super Regional event and made it to a USA Club Rugby National Championship Series Final Four will be subject to a 3-year limit without opting for advancement. If the team has attended the National Championship for three consecutive years, they will have two options for the following competitive year, i.e., the 4th year: (1) The team may self-promote to the next division OR (2) The team may opt to take a year off from the competitive cycle. Matches will be scheduled and played as normal, but the team will not participate in playoffs or any higher-level competition series for that year.
C. Should a National Championship Series be offered for Women’s D3 teams the same policy will apply.
D. Women’s teams who have advanced past Capital competitions to the Atlantic Super Regional Event and have not proceeded to the USA Rugby National Championship Series Final Four within 4 consecutive years will have two options for following competitive cycle, i.e., the 5th year: (1) The team may promote to the next division OR (2) The team may opt to take a year off from the competitive cycle. Matches will be scheduled and played as normal, but the team will not participate in playoffs or any higher-level competition series for that year.
E. This policy is considered final. If a club requests a waiver from this policy, a decision will be made by the appropriate governing bodies. A meeting with the governing body officials and representing members of the club may be requested to discuss their waiver request prior to a decision being made. The waiver request would be forwarded to the chair of the Capital Women’s Competitions Committee and decided by that committee, with an appeal of a negative decision going to the Capital Executive Committee for review.
Exemption for Lower sides of a club: Clubs can have contiguous or noncontiguous sides.