The coach of a player must be contacted for permission prior to contacting the player to play for another team. The manager or coach should complete a One-Game Permit to Play Up.

With the permission of their coach or manager, players are allowed to play up in their own division as follows:

A2 players may play for an A1 team

B players may play for an A (2 or 1) team

C players may play for any higher calibre team.

or one division higher than that in which he/she is registered in an equal or higher calibre as follows:

A1 players can only play for an A1 team A2 players may play for an A (1 or 2) team

B players may play for a B or A (1 or 2) team

C players may play for a C, B or A (1 or 2) team

A player cannot play for another team of the same calibre within the same division except in an all-star tournament.

Once a player has played five games up, he/she is not eligible to return to his/her original team during that season. The player will remain with the team he/she played his/her fifth game with for the balance of the season.

A player may only play in one provincial championship (exceptions can be made for alternate goaltenders in exceptional circumstances). In order to be eligible to play in a provincial championship, the player must have played a minimum of four league, sanctioned tournament or play down games with the team.

Related information from the BCLA Operation Policy – General:

4.07 Part 1 – Playing Up

(a) A player may play up one division or calibre higher than that in which he/she is registered on a game by game basis only in the discipline they are registered in (ie, Female Box or Mixed-Minor Box) with the approval of the coach or if unavailable, another team representative as defined by the Form 100, of the team the player is registered with. In the case of players playing up a division, if an “A” player is going to play up to a “B” or “C” team, only a maximum of two (2) players per game playing up to a higher division is allowed.

(b) A player may play up one division higher than that in which he/she would be registered in accordance to 2.01 for the playing year only with the approval of the player’s association.

(c)     i) Any player who has played up a total of five or more league games, playoff games, sanctioned tournament games, or combination of, in any division or calibre higher than the one in which he/she is registered, must for the remainder of that year play for the higher division or calibre in which he/she played his/her fifth (5th) game.

iii) For a goalie who has played a total of seven (7) or more league, playoff or sanctioned tournament game or combination of, in any division or calibre higher than the one in which he/she is registered, must for the remainder of that year play for a higher division or calibre in which he/she played his/her seventh (7th) game.

In either situation above, the Home Association will determine which team in that division that the player will play on if there is more than one team in the higher division or if the player has played across multiple levels in a tiered division.

(d) A team may participate in a higher calibre sanctioned tournament without impacting team or player eligibility unless 4.07 (c) applies.

4.04 (Playing Rules)

(a) Any player who is playing on a team that the player is not a properly registered member of (i.e., call-up player) must have that player’s name appear on the scoresheet prior to the start of the game.

(b) Any team found guilty of playing an ineligible player during a regularly scheduled, sanctioned tournament or playoff games shall forfeit all games won during which an ineligible player was a participant. Should this occur in the playoffs, then only the games played in the playoffs will be awarded to the opposing side.

Read full BCLA Operation Policy – General