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PITTSFIELD GIRLS

SOFTBALL

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

The Constitution and Bylaws of the

Pittsfield Girls Softball League

The Pittsfield Girls Softball League shall be hereinafter referred to as the “League”. The objective of the “League” shall be to implement firmly in the children of the community, the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage, and respect for authority, so that they may be well adjusted, stronger, and happier children and will grow to be good, decent, healthy, and trustworthy adults.

To achieve this objective the “League” will provide a supervised program under the Rules and Regulations of Babe Ruth Softball, Incorporated. All directors and members shall bear in mind that the attainment of exceptional athletic skill or the winning of games is secondary, and the molding of future citizens is the prime importance. In accordance with section 501-( c)-(3) of the Federal Internal Revenue Code, the “League” shall operate exclusively as a non-profit educational organization providing a supervised program of competitive softball games.

Membership

Membership is open to any person sincerely interested in active participation to affect the objective of the “Leagues”. A player fee will be set each year by the board. No child will be turned away for financial reasons.

Section 1. Meetings

Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the “League” shall be held in the fall of each year, for the purpose of electing a Board of Directors, receiving reports, and for the transaction of business as may properly come before the meeting.

Notice of Meeting. Notice of each meeting of the Board shall be Emailed or otherwise notified thereof setting forth the place, time and purpose of the meeting; or in lieu thereof, notice may be given in such form as may be authorized by the members, from time to time, at the regularly convened meeting.

Special Meeting. Special meeting of the board may be called by the president or by written request of more than half (½) the members of the board. A quorum, which is more than one half (½) the board will be necessary for any changes or policy making of the “League”. Bylaw changes must be approved by more than one half of all active board members. All members of the Board or Directors shall have the privilege to vote.

The “League” President shall not vote unless necessary to break a tie.

Suspension or Termination. Membership may be terminated by resignation or action of the Board of Directors. Member is defined as player, parent, legal guardian, manager, coach, or anybody with direct involvement with the League.

(a)The Board of Directors shall, in case of player member give notice to the manager of the team of which the player is a member. Said manager shall appear, in the capacity of an advisor, with the player before a duly appointed committee of the Board of Directors, which shall have full power to suspend or revoke such player’s rights to future participation.

(b)The Board of Directors, by a majority vote of those present at any duly constituted meeting, shall have the authority to discipline, suspend or terminate the membership of any manager or coach when the conduct of such a person is considered detrimental to the best interest of the “league”. The Manager/Coach involved shall be notified of such meeting, informed of the general nature of the charges and given the opportunity to appear at the meeting to answer such charges. There will be mandatory coaches meetings.

(c)In the event of a serious infraction, where the safety of the players are in jeopardy, the president has the authority to immediately suspend the person from the grounds. The president must then call an emergency meeting as soon as possible.

(d)

Board of Directors

Section 2

Board and Number. The management of the property and affairs of the “league” shall be vested in the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors shall be not less than five (5) and not more then twenty (20). The members of the Board of Directors shall upon election immediately enter upon the performance of their duties and shall continue in the office until their successors have been duly elected.

Section 3.

Vacancies. If any vacancy occurs on the Board of Directors, by death, resignation or otherwise, it may be filled by a majority vote of the remaining Board Members at any regular meeting or at a special meeting called for that purpose.

Section 4.

Duties and Powers. The Board of Directors shall have the power to appoint such standing committees, as it shall determine appropriate and to delegate such powers to them as the Board shall deem advisable and which it may properly delegate. The Board may adopt such rules and regulations for the conduct of its meetings and the management of the “League” as it may deem proper.

The board shall have the power by a majority vote of those present at any regular or special meeting to discipline, suspend or remove any member of the Board or Officer or Committee Member or Manager/Coach of the “League” in accordance with Section 1, Suspension or Termination, Paragraph (b).

Suggested Makeup of Board.

President Equipment Manager

First Vice President Umpire in Chief

Second Vice President Manager’s Representative

Secretary Ground Maintenance

Treasury Division Rep for Each Division

Player Agent

The remainder of the Board shall be elected “At Large”. If one or more offices of the Board are combined, that member shall only have on (1) vote.

  1. Responsibilities:

President:The president shall be responsible for conducting the affairs of the “League” and executing the policies established by the Board of Directors. He/she shall communicate to the Board or Directors such matters and make suggestions that in his/her opinion tend to promote the welfare of the ‘Leagues”. He/she shall be responsible for the conduct of the “League” in conformity to the policies, principles, rules and regulations of Babe Ruth Softball League Inc. and the Constitution and Bylaws of the Pittsfield Girls Softball League. He/she shall also act as the go-between in any situation involving Manager/Coach, Parents or Board Members.

First vice-president: The first Vice–President shall assume the duties of the President in the event of his/her absence. He/she shall be responsible for the league operations, oversight of the concessions, schedule daily duty officers and assist 2nd VP with the league scheduling.

Second Vice-President: The second vice-president shall work with the First Vice-President on all “League” schedules. He/she shall assist and coordinate all fundraisers. He/she shall ensure that the “League” has capable scorers and scorekeepers for the season. He/she will be responsible for the daily press releases.

Secretary: The secretary shall record the minutes of all meetings and maintain a notebook for reference. He/she shall maintain a scrapbook for the “League”. He/she shall maintain a complete comprehensive list of all participants of the league (players, coaches, and board members)

Treasurer: The Treasurer shall collect and deposit all monies from the concession stand and any other sanctioned “League” activity and deposit monies in the “League” bank account. Only league checks or a league debit card may be used for all transactions. Nobody is authorized to use concession cash or any other league cash for any reason. Reimbursements to the membership must include proper receipt. Any expenditure other than normal operating expenses over Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00), will need the Board of Directors approval. Monthly financial reports will be provided for the Board of Directors. All checks over $250.00 require signatures from both the Treasurer and President.

Player Agent: The player agent shall conduct spring registration and tryouts. He/she shall chair the meeting for player selection and tournament team selection. He/she shall maintain the official records of the players, registration certificates, birth certificates, and tournament team rosters. He/she shall be responsible for player ID cards through Babe Ruth Inc. He/she shall ensure that any child selected is qualified by way of registration and participation in tryouts. He/she shall submit official team rosters as directed by Babe Ruth Inc. He/she acts as sole advocate to the player in any and all situations involving Players.

Ground Maintenance: The Ground Maintenance person shall be responsible for the playing condition of the “League” fields. He/she will be the person who will say when the field is ready for play in the spring of the year, and no team will be on that field until that clearance is given and posted by Ground Maintenance. He/she will notify the President of the field condition and any work needed to be done to bring the field up to playing condition.

Manager Representative: The Manager’s representative shall represent and speak for the Managers of the “League” at the Board of Directors meetings. The manager rep will be an At Large Position.

Umpire in Chief: The Umpire in Chief (UIC) shall work very closely with the President to ensure that the “League” has capable and qualified Umpires for the season. He/she shall generate a schedule for the Umpires at least one week in advance of games. The league agrees to a $200.00 stipend to the UIC to ensure the proper scheduling and materials used for that purpose. The UIC has the authority to immediately suspend any coach from any league activity until such time an emergency meeting can be held. All Umpires must be softball approved by Babe Ruth Inc. or awaiting the results of the exam. Proof of exam must be available and approved by the UIC.

Equipment Manager: The Equipment Manager shall ensure that the “League” has their proper equipment. He/she shall maintain an accurate account of all “league” equipment, including uniforms. He/she shall be responsible for the inspection of team equipment at the end of the season and report all needs to the board.

B.Elections

The members of the Board of Directors shall be elected by the members at the annual meeting in the fall. The term of office shall run for one (1) year. There will be no restrictions as to the number of terms any officer may be elected to the same position. All vacancies shall be filled by a vote of the Board for any interested candidates.

Nomination for office will be accepted from the floor during the annual meeting. If there are more than two (2) nominees for any one office, the preliminary vote will eliminate all but the two (2) people receiving the highest number of votes. The final vote will then select the new officer for each position on the Board of Directors. A secret ballot may be held if requested by a majority of the members.

Section 5.

Player Selection: Players are to remain with teams selected for their entire tenure with the “League”. Personal Hardships will be the only reason for a child to change teams. In this case and after board approval, the child will become an “Option”

Options: Defined as manager’s daughter/step-daughter, player’s sister, step-sister. Coaches daughter/step-daughter.

Any other situation may be considered an option, but only after a written request submitted by the guardian to the board and the board votes on it.

Options cannot be forced in round one (1). All option picks shall be declared by round three (2). If an option pick is claimed by another coach, the owner of the option will declare the pick in the round the pick is made or lose the right to the option. If a team has already picked in that round and the option is declared by a coach later in that round, the coach must use his pick for the option, or he/she loses his/her right to that player. Options of other members of a family that has a player selected in that year’s draft will be taken in the next Round or the Coach loses his/her right to that player. Coaches must have two (2) full years of service before the draft of that year to be eligible for daughter/step-daughter picks.

The “League” champions from the previous year will pick last. The remainder of the selection process will be based on the overall record for rounds one (1) and two (2). Rounds three (3) and four (4) will be in reverse order of rounds one (1) and two (2). All other rounds will be by draw, and in reverse order for the following round. Spring Season rosters will be limited to 12 players.

Section 6.

Managers and Coaches. Manager defined as head coach. New managers are eligible for daughter/step-daughter picks. New coaches must coach in program for 2 full years for option picks.

ALL MANAGERS AND COACHES SHALL BE RECOMMENDED BY THE PRESIDENT AND APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR EACH NEW SEASON FOR THE PERIOD OF ONE (1) YEAR.

  1. The board of directors can only approve or disapprove a recommendation of the president for the positions of manager and coach; they cannot fill in their own names for that position.
  2. If a manager or coach has to be removed because his/her actions are not consistent with that of the “League”, the president will make a recommendation to the board of directors for a replacement at the earliest possible time.
  1. All managers and coaches shall be certified through the Babe Ruth Coaching program prior to being recommended as a manager/coach and sign a coach’s code of conduct agreement that will be turned into the “League” president prior to the draft. The president will date and initial each form. A coach will not be permitted to coach without the certification and a signed agreement prior to player selections. If a coach is added after player selections, he/she will not be allowed to coach until his/her certification and signed agreement is turned in.

Section 7.

Officer in Charge. (OIC)

  1. All “League” officers shall serve as officer in charge in accordance with the schedule generated by the 1ST vice-president.
  2. An officer in charge shall be assigned to each day of the regular and post season game.
  3. The responsibilities of the officer in charge shall be as follows.
  4. Assuring that the games start on time, even if the infield practices are not completed, the games must start at the schedule time.
  5. Be sure that the Umpires assigned or their replacements are present and the fields are marked and ready for play.
  6. Home team will be responsible for scorekeeping, ensure they have obtained both lineups, of all players, starters and reserves as well as any player missing or sitting because of disciplinary reasons. A copy of the game result (scorekeeper’s book) shall be turned into the daily officer and placed into the daily log.
  7. Determining that playing conditions are adequate to begin the games. After the start of the games the decision to halt play rests with the umpires. In case of rain, or the playing conditions of the field are deemed to be unsafe for play, the officer in charge will set the first available date for the makeup of that game(s). If in the opinion of the officer in charge, the field is in any way unsafe for the play prior to the start of the game, his/her word shall be final.
  8. Assuring that any player that is injured receives proper attention and transportation to the hospital, if necessary.
  9. The game shall be stopped by the officer in charge at the first sign of lightning, if an umpire has not already done so. At that time all players, managers, coaches, and umpires will immediately leave the playing field.
  10. Report any problems with equipment to the equipment manager.
  11. Report any irregularities or protested games to the president immediately following the game.
  12. On weekend games before the first game of the day, make sure that all the flags are raised.

Section 8

Game Schedules:

All scheduled games will be played at their scheduled times, no exceptions. All make-up games will be played at the next available opening. No exceptions.

Section 9.

Protest

A protest is an infraction of a playing rule. Judgment calls cannot be protested. All protests must be submitted to the Umpire in charge (official behind plate) immediately and settled by the next pitch. The OIC has final say. In the case where the OIC is unavailable or unable to make the decision, He/She shall immediately contact first the UIC, if unavailable then the President. If unable to make contact, the game shall played on and the protest will be decided at the earliest time. Managers shall make a note in their scorebooks indicating date, time, inning, outs, runners on base and situation.