BORDENTOWN AREA BASKETBALL LEAGUE
2013-2014 SEASON
41st SEASON
September 2013
Dear BABL Colleague,
Welcome to the 2013-2014 Bordentown Area Basketball League season, our 41st season.
This booklet contains the Bordentown Area Basketball League Constitution and Standing Rules as amended and approved by the membership this summer. Also included are summaries of the changes in the Constitution and Standing Rules that affect how the League will be conducted during the season. Please read this material carefully. If you have any questions, please bring them to my attention or bring them up at one of our regular meetings.
Once again, we have a large number of youngsters registered and we are looking forward to a great season serving the youth of our community. I am very pleased that you are taking the time to be involved in the League and I look forward to working with you.
Sincerely,
Bob Sherrier
President
CONSTITUTION OF THE
BORDENTOWN AREA BASKETBALL LEAGUE, INC.
ARTICLE I- NAME
This organization shall be known as the BORDENTOWN AREA BASKETBALL LEAGUE INC.
ARTICLE II- PURPOSE
Section 1.This League is a non-union, non-partisan and non-profit organization.
Section 2.The purpose of the League is to implant firmly, in the boys and girls of the community, the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty and loyalty; so that they may be finer, stronger and happier boys and girls; and will grow to be good, clean, healthy adults.
Section 3.The purpose of the League will be achieved by providing supervised, competitive basketball games. The officers and coaches shall bear in mind that the attainment of exceptional athletic ability and skill, or the winning of games, is secondary; and the molding of future adults is of prime importance.
ARTICLE III OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS AND THEIR DUTIES
Section 1.The Governing Body of the League shall consist of the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Player Agent, Publicity Director, Parliamentarian and the members of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall consist of one Director for each Division in the League and the Directors of Sponsors, Uniforms and Publicity. The number of Divisions shall be determined by the Governing Body at a pre-draft meeting. All officers and members of the Board of Directors shall be elected at the Annual Meeting. Vacant positions may be filled by election at any meeting of the general membership.
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Section 2.The duties of the officers and directors shall be as follows:
A.The President shall preside at all meeting of the general membership of this organization and the Governing Body, and shall perform such other duties as ordinarily pertain to this office. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, except those charged with dealing with nominations and elections.
B.The Vice President shall preside in the absence of the President and shall perform such other duties as ordinarily pertain to this office. The Vice President will be the chairperson of the Disciplinary and Protest Committee, consisting of three members appointed by said Vice President from outside the division in which the dispute occurred. The decision of the Disciplinary and Protest Committee is final.
C.The Secretary shall keep a correct recording of the proceeding of all meetings of the organization and shall keep a list of names and addresses of all members. The Secretary shall preserve in a permanent file all records and letters of value to the organization and its officers. All records and letters including the minutes book shall be turned over to his or her successor at the close of the term. The Secretary shall notify members of regular and special meetings.
D.The Treasurer shall collect all dues and assessments of this organization and shall make disbursements by check signed by the Treasurer. The Treasurer shall deposit funds of this organization in such bank as the Governing Body may direct. An annual audit of the Treasurer’s books shall be made by a committee appointed by the President.
E.The Player Agent shall be responsible for arranging the dates for registration and tryouts of players and maintaining of roster of prospective players.
F.The Publicity Director shall provide information regarding the League to the general public and the media. This shall include, but not be limited to , information regarding eligibility, registration and news about League play. He/she shall receive scores of games played and shall also keep an accurate list of the team standings, and will forward same to the Player Agent.
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G.The Parliamentarian shall provide rulings on disputes arising from the conduct of meetings and interpretation of the Constitution and the Standing Rules. His/her decision in matters shall be in accord with Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised and shall be final.
H.The Director of each division shall work with the coaches in his/her division to ensure that the children have a positive playing experience. The most important responsibility of the Directors is to communicate information to the coaches of the Division. Other examples of the work of the Directors include, but are not limited to : counseling and providing advice to coaches, conveying current League information to the coaches in his/her division, scheduling and presiding over meetings of coaches in his/her division, bringing concerns of the coaches to the attention of the Governing Body and emphasizing sportsmanship within his/her division.
Section 3.Any member in good standing may be elected to serve as a member of the Board of Directors or as an officer, except that in order to serve as President and/or Vice President, a member must have served a minimum of one year as an officer of the League or on the Governing Body.
ARTICLE IV- MEMBERSHIP
Section 1.The membership shall consist of those persons who serve as an officer, member of the Board of Directors, coach, referee, parent or guardian who has paid the required registration fee for his/her child, and in addition thereto, any resident of Bordentown City, Bordentown Township or Fieldsboro who has paid a $5.00 membership fee on or before November 1st of the current year. Any other individual must be approved by the Governing Body and must live in a community that provides usage of their facilities to the League. All individuals who were members of the League for the 2008-2009 season may continue their membership irrespective of residence.
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ARTICLE V- MEETINGS
Section 1.The annual reorganization meeting of the League shall be held during the month of July or August.
Section 2. Meetings of the Governing Body may be called by the President or by written request of a member of the Board of Directors.
Section 3.A simple majority of the Governing Body shall constitute a quorum at any meeting of the Governing Body.
Section 4.Special meetings of the Governing Body and the general membership may be called by the President or a simple majority of the Board of Directors.
Section 5.During the months of September through March there shall be one monthly meeting per month.
Section 6.The privilege of holding office, introducing motions and debating, shall be limited to members in good standing. Voting at monthly meetings will be limited to members of the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VI- COACHES
Section 1.Coaches and assistant coaches of all teams shall be selected annually and approved by the Governing Body and shall be responsible for their teams and for the conduct of the players on the court.
Section 2.The Vice President and his/her Disciplinary Committee shall be empowered to adjudge disciplinary action against coaches, assistant coaches, players, and spectators to the extent deemed necessary for the best interests of this organization. The Disciplinary Committee is constituted for each possible disciplinary action from three members who are not involved in the division in which the alleged incident requiring action of the Disciplinary Committee has occurred and the Division Director of the Division in question.
Section 3When a coach receives his/her first technical foul, they will be counseled by the Vice-President concerning appropriate behavior. After receiving a second technical foul during the season, a coach will sit the next scheduled game out. Any coach receiving a third technical foul during the course of the year will be relieved from his/her coaching responsibilities.
Note: Section 3 above only pertains to CONDUCT
related technical fouls, this includes but is not limited to
inappropriate behavior, inappropriate language, or
inappropriate gestures.
It is important that coaches select a reliable parent as an alternate in the unlikely event of such an occurrence.
Section 4An appeal of the suspension or dismissal will be granted upon written request to the Vice President of the BABL Board of Directors stating the circumstances leading to the technical foul. An appeal of the suspension or dismissal will be granted upon written request to the Vice President of the BABL Board of Directors stating the circumstances leading to the technical foul.
·The incident will be reviewed by a three member panel chaired by the Vice President and consisting of the Division Director and the opposing coach in which the incident occurred.
·The decision will be ruled by a majority vote of the three member panel.
Section 5Coaches are expected to observe the Coaches “Code of Ethics and the Coaches Code of Conduct”, contained in the appendices to the Standing Rules. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action by the Disciplinary Committee.
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ARTICLE VII - PLAYERS
Section 1.All boys and girls of the Bordentown area (Bordentown City, Bordentown Township and Fieldsboro) who are enrolled, or who are entitled to be enrolled, in a Bordentown Regional School District school, and who are or will be seven (7) years old by October First in the year of registration, and who will not be sixteen (16) years old by October First in the year of registration, are eligible to play in the league. Children from other communities are accommodated on a space available basis and require approval of the Governing Body. The sending community must provide the League access to their facilities at a recommended rate of one hour per week per ten players. Any child, or sibling of a child, of any other community who was registered in the League for the 1997-1998 season or thereafter shall remain eligible for League play until excluded by reason of age. (Constitution: Art. VII, Sec. 1)
ARTICLE VIII - FINANCIAL POLICY
Section 1.The Governing Body shall formulate all policies pertaining to
finances and shall direct receipt and expenditure of all funds which shall be received by the organization. Contributions to individual players or teams shall not be permitted. All solicitations shall be made to the common treasury in order that benefits be equalized.
ARTICLE IX - RULES
Section 1.The rules governing basketball games shall be in accord with the Standing Rules adopted by the Governing Body, which Standing Rules shall be approved annually with amendments as necessary. During the playing season, the Standing Rules may be amended as provided for in the Standing Rules.
ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS
Section 1.This Constitution may be amended or repealed by a two-thirds vote of the members present at two consecutive duly authorized meetings of the general membership not less than one month apart, or by two thirds vote of the members present at the reorganization meeting held in July.
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ARTICLE XI- PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Section 1.Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall be the parliamentary authority where applicable and where there is no conflict between said rules and the Constitution of this organization. In all disputes involving interpretation of the meaning and intent the Constitution, the Standing Rules and/or Robert’s Rules of Order, the decision of the Parliamentarian shall be final.
ARTICLE XII - DISSOLUTION
Section 1.In the event of dissolution all property and assets shall be distributed to a nonprofit charitable organization, as defined by the Internal Revenue Code, to be selected by a majority vote of the general membership present at a duly constituted meeting of said general membership. In no event shall any of such property and assets be distributed to any member or to any private individual.
ARTICLE XIII - AD0PTION
Section 1.This Constitution adopted as amended by the Bordentown Area Basketball League on August 25, 2009.
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BORDENTOWN AREA BASKETBALL LEAGUE
STANDING RULES
1.ELIGIBILITY OF PLAYERS
1.1Residency and Age
All boys and girls of the Bordentown area (Bordentown City, Bordentown Township and Fieldsboro) who are enrolled, or who are entitled to be enrolled, in a Bordentown Regional School District school, and who are or will be seven (7) years old by October First in the year of registration, and who will not be sixteen (16) years old by October First in the year of registration, are eligible to play in the league. Children from other communities are accommodated on a space available basis and require approval of the Governing Body. The sending community must provide the League access to their facilities at a recommended rated of one hour per week per ten players. Any child, or sibling of a child, of any other community who was registered in the League for the 1997-1998 season, or thereafter shall remain eligible for the League play until excluded by reason of age. (Constitution: Art. VII, Sec. 1)
1.2Illness, Leaving the Area
In the event of illness or moving from the area, any player will be permitted to re-enter the program during that season upon recovery from illness or moving back to the area. The player must return to the team he or she left.
1.3Quitting a Team
Any player quitting during the season will be dropped from the League. The Player Agent will investigate the reason for quitting. If the Player Agent determines that the reasons are invalid, the child will not be permitted to re-enter the program during that season. The Players Agent’s decision shall be final.
1.4Unexcused Absences, Exclusion from Play
After three consecutive, unexcused absences from games and/or practices by a player, the team’s coach will immediately notify the Player Agent who will investigate the validity of absences. If reasons for the child’s absences are not valid, the player will be given a warning. If, after being given the warning, a fourth game and/or practice is missed due to an unexcused absence, the player will automatically be excluded from the League play for the remainder of the season.
1.5Ineligibility Due to Interscholastic Competition
Students participating in varsity or junior varsity interscholastic basketball in grades 10 through 12 are not eligible to play in the League.
1.6Replacement of Players
Replacement of Players will be accomplished by the Player Agent through the player pool. Players will be placed on teams at the discretion of the board.
If a coach or a player is suspected of using the player pool as a means to manipulate placement of the player on a team, the Player Agent will not follow normal placement and placement of the player will be determined by action of the Governing Body.
2.REGISTRATION
Only players whose registrations are complete on the date set by the Governing Body are guaranteed a position on a team. A player pool will be maintained by the Player Agent for late registrants. The Governing Body will advertise registration dates in the local newspaper and will send a notice to all children and parents through the Bordentown Regional Schools. Only when properly completed application forms and permission slips, and the fee set by the Governing Body are received, is a registration complete. Payment of registration fees must be made at the time of registration unless a specific exception is granted by the President.
The registration fee for the 2012-2013 season is $45.00 for one player and $110.00 for three or more players from the same family. Any registration received after the registration deadline will be assessed a $10 late fee in addition to the registration fee noted above. Total fee will be $55 for one player and $120 for three or more players from the same family. Any registration received after the child’s division try-outs have been completed, might not be accepted. In the event a registration is not accepted, the fee will be returned to the sender.
3.TEAMS
3.1Size
Team roster size shall be determined by the number of registrants in each player group. Each team must contain the same number of players or as close to the same number of players, as possible. Authority for formation of all teams resides with the Governing Body. The League will be divided into Mini-Ball, Junior, Minor, and Major Divisions. The Mini-Ball Division will be co-ed.
3.2Age Groups
The age of the child on his or her birthday as of October First during the year of registration will determine placement in the Divisions of the League. The grouping will be as follows:
Mini- Ball Division boys and girls7 & 8 year olds
Boys Junior Division9 & 10 year olds
Boys Minor Division11 & 12 year olds
Girls Minor Division9, 10 & 11 year olds