Conduct & Complaints

In the early days of the Great British Hobbit League, the community was small, and everyone knew a lot about how it worked (mostly because they had all helped build it!). But as the game, and therefore the GBHL’s, popularity have ballooned in the last few years, not everyone knows how the process works in the rare case they need to make a complaint. The League Committee wants it to be easy to ensure everyone can enjoy the game and compete in the League on an even footing. It is published here for transparency:

Step 1 - ‘The Unfortunate Incident’

If something happens at a GBHL event which causes a dispute between players the first port of call is the Tournament Organiser (TO), who should be asked to resolve the dispute with all parties present.

In the vast majority of incidents that should be enough to resolve the situation and move on with the important matter of gaming.

But, if for some reason, the TO is unavailable, a player feels they’ve been unfairly treated by a TO or if the matter is of bigger concern to the wider league, the complaint can be escalated to the League’s Secretary (Jonny Wright - 2022/2023 season, who can be contacted via Facebook). The League Secretary isn’t there to overrule TOs decision (and rarely will), but is an additional layer of arbitration to try and help everything be resolved fairly.

What incidents could justify a dispute being investigated by the league?

Cheating
Bullying, or Intimidation of other players
Unfair / Inconsistent / Inaccurate TO rulings
Serious breach of Sporting behaviour
Inappropriate and illegal behaviour

Step 2 - ‘Investigation’

The League secretary investigates the incident, by contacting the TO and any players involved (this could involve witnesses, or other people who played the same player at the tournament). At this stage every effort will be made to keep names anonymous for fear of unfairly tarring anyone’s reputation. However, depending on the nature of the complaint, this may not always be the case. In these situations the individual will be contacted before moving forwards.

If the complaint is upheld, the League Secretary will make a decision, alongside the League’s Management Committee if necessary, which will be final.

Depending on the seriousness of the allegation and the resulting decision, this could result in multiple actions being taken by the Committee on behalf of the League’s community.

Step 3 - ‘Outcomes’

For the majority of situations the best outcome is one which happens on the day, with a TO and Players coming to a gentleman’s agreement but to create a community where anyone can feel comfortable playing the game the Committee will take appropriate action against anyone considered to have broken rules (detailed above in Step 1).

The first outcome is always to keep a record of the incident, with a view to establishing if this incident was a one-off or an established pattern of behaviour. That person may not be aware of this. This record will be held for 2 seasons before being cleared (assuming no further complaints were made)

If a player or TO has multiple such incidents against their name, they will receive an official ‘Yellow Card’ warning from the Committee detailing the incidents on record and a warning that if more complaints are received it could result in a ‘Red Card’.

If a Player or TO receives a ‘Red Card’ it essentially means a suspension from the GBHL for a duration decided by the Committee, depending on the severity of the offences.

During the period of the ‘Red Card', TOs will not be able to run events offering GBHL points to players. Players with a ‘Red Card’ will not be able to score GBHL points at tournaments; will be removed from the League Rankings for eligible seasons; and Tournament Organisers will be notified of the Player’s ban and the reasons for it.

In addition, in Extreme Circumstances, a ‘Black Card’ may be issued to a player or TO. These would only be issued to serial re-offenders who’ve already been issued a ‘Red Card’ in the past. In order for this to come into effect, both the Management Committee, and the GBHL’s Tournament Organiser Committee must agree to it. A ‘Black Card’ would constitute a ban from hosting or participating in all current and future GBHL events.

The Management committee also reserve the right to escalate any individual to a more serious level of sanctions if the complaint or complaints against them are of a more serious or extreme nature. This could include illegal activity, violent behaviour or actions that are intended to harm the GBHL, the TO's or the players who participate.