SOUTHEAST ALABAMA PEE WEE FOOTBALL CONFERENCE

BY-LAWS, RULES, AND REQUIREMENTS

2016

PREAMBLE

The Southeast Alabama Pee Wee Football Conference (herein the “Conference”) consists of youth football, cheerleaders, and pep squad associations located in Southeast Alabama. The fundamental purpose of these associations is to promote the development of healthy, law-abiding citizens through constructive recreational youth activities. The purpose of the Conference is to establish and maintain rules and requirements which govern its member association as follows:

  1. CONFERENCE COMMISIONER
  1. The day to day affairs of the Conference shall be administered by an elected Commissioner who shall serve at the pleasure of the member associations.
  2. A Vice Commissioner shall be elected by the board and will serve as Commissioner in the absence of the elected Commissioner.
  3. The Commissioner and Vice Commissioner do not necessary have to be members of the Conference Board of Directors.
  4. An Executive Committee consisting of the Commissioner, Vice Commissioner, and one additional conference board member who shall be nominated and elected each year shall be responsible for settling all protest and disputes. The Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the Commissioner or any two (2) of its members.
  5. Jimmy Ingram – Commissioner, Benji Mcwaters – Vice Commissioner, Sabrina Hardy – Executive Board Member.
  1. FINANCIAL
  1. An interest bearing checking account shall be established at a local area bank.
  2. The Commissioner shall deposit all funds into the Conference bank account as soon as reasonably possible.
  3. All Conference expenditures shall be made by check from the Conference bank account.
  4. Two Executive Committee signatures can be required on checks drawn from the Conference bank account.
  1. MEMBERSHIP AND VOTING
  1. Member Associations are: Abbeville, Cottonwood, Headland, Houston County, Rehobeth, Eufaula, Seminole County, Early County, Miller County, Ashford, and Dale County.
  2. Each Association shall have one vote at all Conference meetings. At all Conference meetings, a minimum of six (6) member associations must be represented to constitute a quorum. In the event of a tie vote at any meeting, the Commissioner shall cast the deciding vote.
  3. The Conference members must meet at least one (1) time per month between January 1st and July 31st, ( unless Executive Board Members decide to skip a monthly meeting ), to plan the years schedule of activities, and to revise any rules of the Conference as needed.
  1. ROSTERS, FEES, WEIGH-IN PROCEDURES AND GENERAL ELIGIBILITY
  1. Each Association participating shall pay a fee of $300 per Association annually. First year Associations shall pay a flat rate of $375 for the first year of participation.
  2. Any player playing on any other football team shall not be eligible to play in the Conference. Can only play on one (1) team in the Conference. Also a child cannot play for their middle school or primary school football program and participate in one of our Conference football Associations.
  3. A player must play in the community in which said player resides or attends school unless there is no youth football program available where the player lives. The Commissioner shall be advised, in writing, of any player not residing nor attending school in any of the Conference’s member communities. The Executive Committee shall determine whether such player is eligible.
  4. Sign up are to be held in your community and sign ups in other towns are not allowed.
  5. A player that is eligible to play C team football for any association in the Conference and plays at least two (2) years of C team football may continue to play in subsequent and consecutive years for that same association regardless of where the player currently lives. Any interruption with said team will deem him not eligible any longer.
  6. C team rosters must have ratio of 75% of players from your community. Or only 25% from other towns.
  7. The Commissioner shall prepare a schedule of weigh-in dates for each association.
  8. A member of the officiating organization will be present during the entire weigh-in for each association.
  9. The official will bring with them to each weigh-in a set of scales that will be provided by the conference. This is the only scale that can be used to weigh-in players.
  10. The official shall also bring to each weigh-in a digital camera (provided by the conference) that will be used to take a picture of each player either wearing their game jersey or holding a piece of paper with the players jersey number clearly written on the paper. The official will provide the memory card from the camera to the Commissioner after each weigh-in. A new memory card will be used for each association.
  11. The official shall witness the weight of each player and ensure that the proper weight is recorded on 2 copies of roster.
  12. One copy of the roster will remain with the association while the second copy will be delivered to the commissioner by the official.
  13. Each association is responsible for providing a digital camera of their final roster listing players by jersey number, name, and weight to the commissioner no later than 5 days after the jamborees. A date will be established for each association to meet together and review rosters prior to the first regular season game.
  14. The final weigh-in shall be held at the jamboree sites on the morning of the jamboree.
  15. After the jamboree, jersey numbers can only be changed with the written consent of the commissioner.
  16. After the jamboree players shall not be added to the roster except with the consent of the executive board. The commissioner shall keep a record of any such change and settle any dispute related thereto.
  17. Great effort should be made to ensure all players attend the scheduled weigh-in. any player on a roster that has not been weighed in or any player added to the roster after the jamboree have been held, or is over the running weight limits defined below will be considered a stripped player for the duration of the season. Any exceptions will be made on a case by case basis by the executive board.
  18. A-Team players cannot be 13 years of age by September 1. Potential ball carriers, including ends, cannot weigh more than 145 pounds.
  19. B-Team players cannot be 11 years of age by September 1. Potential ball carriers, including ends, cannot weigh more than 125 pounds.
  20. C-Team players cannot be 9 years of age by September 1. Potential ball carriers, including ends, cannot weigh more than 85 pounds.
  21. Any player exceeding the weight limit for potential ball carriers shall be identified with a pink piece of tape on their helmet, and no player so identified may advance the ball under any circumstance.
  22. None of the weights notified in subparagraphs a, b, c can be changed during the course of the 2016 season. In subsequent years, in order for a change to be made, all associations must be represented at a meeting, and there must be a 75% majority vote in favor of the change.
  23. Any stripped player that is found to have his helmet stripe missing shall cause his team to have a 15 yard penalty assessed against his team immediately. The player will also be removed from the game for at least one play or until the players stripe has been replaced on his helmet.
  24. There will no longer be an opportunity to challenge the weight of ball carriers during the regular season or playoffs.
  25. Each association will maintain and have available at each game a copy of their official roster along with the birth certificate of each player on their roster. Failure to do so will be presented to executive board for ruling.

5.PRE-SEASON ACTIVITIES

a.Teams may begin practice without pads two weeks prior to the first day of August. Practice with pads may begin on August 1st.

b.The schedule of games shall be prepared by the commissioner and delivered to the members prior to the first day of August.

c.The commissioner shall enter into a contract with an organization approved by the executive committee to provide for the officiating at the jamboree games, all regular season games, playoffs, and championship games. Each association will be provided with a copy of the contract between the SAPFC and the official’s organization prior to the jamboree.

d.The commissioner will notify officials of all game dates and times and shall make adjustments in payment to officials pursuant to contract.

e.One or more pre-season jamborees will be held prior to the first scheduled regular season game. The commissioner shall prepare and distribute an agenda indicating times and team match-ups.

f.Official lists of cheerleader and pep-squads shall be submitted by each association to the commissioner no later than the first weigh-in of the season.

  1. THE GAMES
  1. C-Team and B-Team may play with the K-2 ball. A-Team must play with a TDJ OR TDY ball. Each team may use their own ball while on offense. Each team will furnish its own footballs. The conference recognizes the conference recognizes that TDY, TDJ, and K-2 are brand names: a comparable ball can be substituted as the game ball if approved by the head official at the game site.
  2. Only rubber or synthetic soled shoes shall be used. Shoes with cleats containing metal shall not be allowed.
  3. C-Team games will start at 2pm CST with the B-Team and A-Team games following in succession. There will be a 15 minute break in between games for warm-ups.
  4. C-Team games will consist of four (4) eight (8) minute quarters, with a ten (10) minute half-time break.
  5. B-Team and A-Team games will consist of four (4) eight (8) minute quarters, with a ten (10) minute half-time break.
  6. Intermission between games will be limited to fifteen (15) minutes.
  7. Each team will be allowed three (3) time-outs during each half of the game. Only one coach from each team will be allowed on the field between the hash marks during a time-out. There is no limit to coaches on the field during a time-out when the team is outside the hash mark on their side of the field.
  8. A-Team must punt except when inside their own 15 yard line. Then they may advance the ball 30 yards in lieu of punting. When the offensive team is formation of punting, the defensive team may not charge directly or indirectly of the long snapper (center) until the snapper has had reasonable time to complete the snap and defend himself.
  9. B-Team and C-Team shall advance the ball 30 yards in lieu of punting. If the punting team is inside their opponent’s 40 yard line when deciding to punt, the ball will be moved half the distance to the goal line and turned over to the opposing team.
  10. A touchdown shall score six (6) points; a running or passing extra point shall score one (1) point; a kicked extra point shall score two (2) points; a field goal shall score three (3) points; a safety shall score two (2) points.
  11. In the event of a tie game at the end of regulation play, a coin will be tossed to determine which team is the first to attempt the tie break. Each team shall have four (4) consecutive downs from the opponents’ 10 yard line to score. If neither team scores within their allotted series or if the score remains tied, the series will be repeated for a total of four (4) series, after which the ball will be placed on the five (5) yard line and the procedure repeated until one team outscore the other.
  1. SPECIAL RULES
  1. Two-way radios are allowed for use by coaches for all age groups.
  2. All teams are required to warm-up on the field prior to the start of their game. All players will wear their respective jerseys during said warm-up. Failure to do this may result in a player being disallowed play during game.
  3. Fake punts and the advancement of fake punts are allowed for A-Team games only. The ball may not be advanced by either running or passing if the punter is stripped.
  4. Rushing the punter is allowed during A-Team games only.
  5. Should any A-Team find themselves inside their own 15 yard line and decide to punt they have the option of having the head official execute an automatic punt by placing the ball 30 yards from the previous spot. The ball will go over to the other team after the spot of the punt.
  6. Any losing coach (behind by 24 or more points) during the first half of the game, may request that the clock run continuously, if by chance the losing team gets back within 12 points, at that time the clock will go back to regular working time. During the 2nd half of the game if any team is down by 24 points or more the head official will then advise both head coaches that he will continuously run the clock, (it will not be up to the coach in the 2nd half) if at any point the losing team gets back within 12 points the head official will take the clock back to regular working time.
  7. Only three (3) coaches are allowed in the box, the space between the players and the sidelines, at any given time during a game. There is no limit to the number of coaches allowed in the player’s box.
  8. During C-Team games once the offensive team is in the set position no offensive player may go in motion.
  1. PROTESTS
  1. The Head coach, and only the Head coach, may call time-out to question the official’s interpretation of the rules, provided he does so immediately after the play in question and before the next play. If the coach is determined correct by the Head official, the time-out is an official’s time-out, otherwise the time-out is charged to the questioning team. The judgement of the Head official is the final judgment on the field.
  2. Coaches may protest any other matter through their association president who shall make the protest in writing to the commissioner. The protest shall provide all pertinent details that the protesting team wants to have considered in the protest. Any protest shall be submitted in writing to the commissioner within 48 hours of the games completion.
  3. If any coach question the legitimacy of any player on the opposing team, he may photograph the player in question and submit the photograph to the commissioner, who will investigate the matter. Request for photographs must be made prior to the end of the game. All coaches will cooperate fully with such request.
  4. All coaches and players are expected to conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner, and to respect the judgement of the officials during the game. The Head official may eject any player, coach, or fan and they must leave the field immediately without further discussion.
  5. Any coach or player that is ejected from a game shall all be suspended and prohibited from participating in the next regular season or playoff game. In the event the ejection occurs during the final game of the year the suspension will carry over to the following year.
  6. If it is determined that an ineligible player plays in a game, the game is automatically forfeited by the offending team. If any coach of association officer and/or officers shall knowingly allow an ineligible player to participate, or in any other way conduct himself in a manner deemed contrary to the purpose of the conference, the commissioner may suspend temporarily or ban the individual from further participation in the conference and said association will be fined for infractions payable prior to re-entry to active status. Said associations will be placed on probation for one year. Protest may be made pursuant to paragraph VII.C.)
  7. Violations of a by-law will result in monetary fine and possible probation and up to banishment from the league.
  1. PLAYOFFS
  1. The playoffs will begin the second Saturday after the regular season concludes. Each team will be ranked according to the number of wins they have during the regular season, the team with the greatest number of wins will be ranked number one with each team after that ranked in descending order based on their number of wins.
  2. If two (2) teams are tied for any ranking position the tie breaker will be head-to-head competition
  3. If more than 2 teams are tied for any ranking, the team with the most points allowed during the regular season will lose the first tie-breaker. The 2 remaining teams will be ranked based on head-to-head competition.
  4. The top 4 ranked teams of each division in each age group (A team, B team and C team) will qualify for a position in the playoff.
  5. Only those association with a team ranked among the top 4 in any age group will be eligible as a playoff host site.
  6. Each association will be ranked accordingly to the combined number of wins their 3 teams have during the regular season. A point will be given for each win. The maximum number of points will be 18. The association with the highest number of points will be eligible to host a first round playoff event.