DYSA Local League Rules The rules in this book are considered local league rules adopted by the Board of Directors of DYSA. For all other rules, refer to the Current Year Pony Baseball/Softball and Softball Rule books. Once regular season play has started, the Board shall refrain from adopting any new local rules unless such rule is immediately required in the best interest of the league or protection of the players beyond the Board s control warrants such action. INDEX: Coaches and Age Groups Registration Membership Draft Procedures Schedule Concessions Game Player Rules Protest Conduct Tournament Play Fundraising Child Protection Policy (explanation) Board Elections Infractions/Penalties Coaches and Age Groups 1. All head coaches (Managers) of DYSA must be at least eighteen (18) years of age, and all (Coaches) assistant coaches must be at least sixteen (16). This rule applies to all practices, games, and other team functions. 2. A coach must attend DYSA coaching clinic or they will not be allowed to coach during season or to participate in ALL-STARS. 3. Each team will have one manager and at least two coaches, which must be approved by a majority vote of the Board of Directors. This applies to regular season play as well as tournament play. Managers and coaches are selected by their ability to work with and teach children, knowledge of the rules, conduct, and sportsmanship. No reason shall be given as to the decision of appointment of managers and coaches to a team at any level of play. Managers and coaches may be removed from their positions following a majority vote of the Board of Directors. 4. Managers or Coaches are not to ask their sponsor for any donations for any events held in regular season (i.e. money for drinks, end of year parties or any other monetary contributions that are related solely to their team). 5. The playing age of a participant of DYSA is the age of the player on the date set forth by the DYSA affiliate of that sport. A player wishing to play in an age group other than their own must have approval by the Board. 6. No player shall be allowed to play without proof of birth and proof of residency. The DYSA boundary is set by Pony Baseball/Softball. 7. A team manager is allowed 1 assistant before draft as long as the number of players frozen does not exceed two. (Exp. If the team manager has two kids in that age group then the manager is not allowed an assistant before the draft. If the
assistant that the coach wants has two kids then the manager will have to pick another assistant instead). Any coach entering the draft with only 1 Coach or 1 protect child will participate in a makeup round following each team receiving a 1st round pick! (This procedure is for all age groups) Registration 1. Board members shall be present at registrations and tryouts. 2. Registration fees will be determined by DYSA Board by vote prior to sign-ups annually. 3. There will be a $25.00 charge for checks retuned to our bank for any reason. A $10.00 late fee will apply to those who do not register before the try out dates scheduled and there will be NO registrations once try outs are over. 4. Tryouts are mandatory for all age groups 5. Additional fees or mandatory participation in additional fundraisers will be required from any player selected to participate on a tournament team. 6. All registration fees must be paid in full by opening day of current season. Failure to do so will result player ineligibility until balance is paid in full. 7. All fundraiser money must be turned in by date designated by DYSA NO EXCEPTIONS. Failure to do so will result player ineligibility until balance is paid in full. Membership 1. All Officers, Board Members, Managers, Coaches, and other elected or appointed officials must be active Regular Members in good standing. 2. The Board of Directors, by a two-thirds vote of those present at any duly constituted Board meeting, shall have the authority to discipline or suspend or terminate the membership of any Member of any class, including managers and coaches, when the conduct of such person is considered detrimental to the best interests of the Local League. The Member involved shall be notified of such meeting, informed of the general nature of the charges and given an opportunity to appear at the meeting to answer such charges. Draft Procedure 1. The draft position of players shall be kept confidential. Anyone involved with the draft procedure that does not adhere to this policy may be subject to disciplinary action (included in the Infractions/Penalties section). 2. This plan will be used for all divisions of DYSA, for the season. Managers will draw numbers to determine who will select the first player. Selections will begin with the manager who drew number 1; number 2 will pick next, 3, 4, and so on until all managers have one pick. Selection will resume with the last manager picking a player, back up to number 1. (Snake Draft) 3. Only Managers (head coaches) or representative will be allowed to participate in the draft. 4. Players who do not show up for try-outs will have there names put into a hat at the end of the draft and managers will draw, starting where they had left off, in the same order they have been picking in the draft for those players. 5. A Board Member NOT associated, not involved in that division must be in attendance. 6. All players that do not show up for try-outs will be drafted after all players that have participated in try-outs, draft will resume where they had left off and continue in the same order.
7. Any changes to this procedure, excluding rule 4, 6 and 8, must be signed off by all coaches in attendance of the draft including present Board Member. Changes require a unanimous decision by all parties. 8. Boys divisions from Shetland to Pony are limited to 8 players of the older age in there respective division. If a draft is completed having more than 8 players of the older age the draft will be ruled invalid and a BLIND REDRAFT will be done excluding any protected players. This rule is Non Negotiable. Schedule 1. There will be absolutely no changing of a game schedule without the Commissioner of that division notifying League President, Vice-President, Concession Manager, and Umpire Director. 2. Games rained out will be made up at next available date. 3. There will be no MANDATORY practices on Wednesdays or Sundays. 4. There will be no practices at anytime during TAKS Testing for any age group. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!! Concessions 1. Mandatory additional $10.00 will be added to Sign-ups for players that wish to participate in that given season to cover all cost for concession coverage. Game Play Rules 1. READ AND LEARN THE CURRENT YEAR PONY RULE BOOK and Local League Rules that apply to your division. Protests 1. A protest that involves an umpire s judgment shall not be accepted. Only the team manager or the acting team manager shall be entitled to file a protest. The only legal protest shall be one that involves a violation of playing rules or the use of an ineligible player or illegal pitcher. 2. The protesting manager on a play situation shall ask for time and notify the umpire, scorekeeper and opposing manager that he/she is protesting before another pitch is thrown. The umpire shall announce that the game is being played under protest; but failure of the umpire to make the announcement shall not affect the validity of the protest. Scorekeeper will note time, position of field play (score, players, outs, strikes, lineup) and who called for protest. 3. Any protest shall be considered only if it is placed in writing by the team manager or acting team manager and submitted to the local league President or Vice President within 24 hours after the completion of the game and a board meeting will be called. A fee of $25.00 must accompany any protest. This will be refunded if the protest is upheld. The decision of the Board will be final. Conduct 1. There will be no smoking or use of tobacco in the park area at any time except in designated areas outside field of play. During a game, a manager or coach may not leave the playing field except in an emergency. 2. Managers, coaches, and/or players will not be permitted to throw their hats, bats, gloves, helmets, etc. or commit any other acts of unsportsmanlike conduct. A violation may result in ejection from the game. If a player or coach has two ejections, he must sit out an additional game. 3. Any suggestion or complaint from coaches or parents must be in writing following the chain of command (Commissioner, then President) and a meeting of the Board of Directors will be called for discussion.
4. Umpire abuse by coaches, players or parents will not be tolerated. The penalties could be ejection and possible suspension or expulsion from the park. This determination shall be governed by DYSA rules. 5. Managers, players, and spectators will not be permitted to ride, harass, or interfere in any way with the opposing team or umpires during play. Managers and coaches will do everything in their power to assist in controlling the conduct of their team and fans. The manager will be prohibited from making gestures or dislike and criticism to the stands concerning the umpires. All discussions should be away from the fans and players and concern only the manager and the umpire. If the umpire is unable to control the fans, he may eject the person or persons from the stands. 6. Each team manager will be responsible for the eligibility, training, and conduct of the players and families of the players on his team. 7. All parents and spectators will conduct themselves in a manner as to reflect good sportsmanship. Any conduct not in the best interest of DYSA may be cause for expulsion and banning of a player s parents or spectators from further presence at a league game or function. Failure to adhere to a penalty so enacted may be cause for suspension or dismissal of a player from the league. A suspension or expulsion of a parent or spectator will require a two-thirds majority vote of the Board of Directors. 8. Any coach or player being ejected from a game may appeal to the DYSA Board of Directors. Any decision the Board renders shall be final. Any rule that states reference to the disciplinary actions administered to anyone associated with the league shall be covered in the Infractions/Penalties section. Tournament Play 1.Player eligibility requirements are covered in the Tournament rules in the Pony Rule Book. 2. Tournament Selection guidelines are: I. Managers will provide Commissioner with a complete list of their All-Star nominations II. Any nominations not unanimous will be decided by the All-star team manager. The manager will fill the remaining spots with the deciding vote between the players who where tied for the remaining spots. III. The manager of an All-star team will be the first place team manager and that manager will pick his assistants. If the manager turns down the position then the position goes to the manager of the second place team and so on. If all managers turn down the job then the manager position is offered to the assistant of the first place team and so on from there until the position is filled. Fundraising 1. There will be no individual team fundraising for any reason during regular season. 2. Any All-Star team wishing to participate in fundraising must acquire a DYSA fundraising Audit Form from the board. I. The purpose of this form is for Team Moms to have an audit trail and to be signed off by each parent of the team. No purchases or collections will be done without parents signature or initials of pre-mentioned form. Child Protection Policy 1. The entire community knows that the greatest treasure we have is our children. As
adults, we want to insure that these young people are able to grow up happy, healthy and above all, safe. Whether they are our children or the children of others, each of us has a responsibility to protect them. They are our future and an endless source of joy. Following 2007 spring season DYSA will conduct background checks on all volunteers who provide regular service to the league and/ or have repetitive access to, or contact with, players or teams. Failure to comply with this regulation may result in the suspension or revocation of privileges associated with this league. Refer to the Child Protection Policy adopted by DYSA. Board Elections 1. Board Elections for the next season shall be held in August following the end of regular season and tournament play of the current season. Only Regular Members in good standing are eligible to nominate candidates for the local Board of Directors and vote at the annual Board elections. President The president should be the most informed officer of the league. Each president must know the regulations under which PONY Baseball/Softball League operates and in authorizing the annual application for charter, binds all members of the league to faithfully observe the regulations. Beyond the requirements of league administration, the president should personify the best public image in reflection to the community at large. Each president should take an active role in gaining support and winning friends for the league program. The president presides at league meetings, and assumes full responsibility for the operation of the local league. The president receives all mail, supplies and other communications from PONY Baseball/Softball. Vice President The vice president presides in the absence of the president, works with other officers and committee members, is ex-officio member of all committees, and carries out such duties and assignments as may be delegated by the president. Separate vice presidents may also be selected to oversee individual divisions within the league. If so, one vice president should be selected as the one to preside in the absence of the president. A vice president may manage, coach or umpire, provided they do not serve on the protest committee. Secretary The secretary maintains a register of members and directors, records the minutes of meetings, is responsible for sending out notice of meetings, and maintains a record of league s activities. Treasurer The treasurer signs checks co-signed by another officer or director (or as directed by the local league s constitution), dispenses league funds as approved by the board of directors, reports on the status of league funds, keeps local league books and financial records, prepares budgets, and assumes the responsibility for all local league finances. Commissioner The commissioner selected in each division conducts annual tryouts, is in charge of player selection, assists the president in checking birth records and eligibility of players and generally supervises and coordinates the transfer of players to or from the Minor leagues according to provisions of the regulations of PONY Baseball/Softball. The player agent must not manage, coach or umpire in the division over which he/she has authority. Information Officer The information officer manages the leagues official home page, assigns administrative rights to league volunteers and teams, ensures that league news and scores are updated on a regular basis, collects, posts, and distributes important information on league activities regarding optimizing use of the Internet for
league administration and for distributing information to league members, and displays enthusiasm for the Internet for league administration, for sharing information and for creating a more enjoyable and efficient PONY League experience. Coordinators The coaching coordinator represents coaches/managers in the league, presents training budgets to the board, orders and distributes training materials to players, coaches and managers, coordinates mini-clinics as necessary, and is responsible for maintaining coaches/managers evaluations and comments reported to league officials about coaches/managers. Infractions/Penalties 1. Any ejection from a game will result in immediate removal from facility and at minimum, suspension of the next scheduled game. 2. 2nd ejection will result in losing your coaching privileges for the remainder of the season. Special circumstances will be considered by the Board on an individual bases. 3. Any ejection involving physical contact will result in automatic suspension for the remainder of the season or potential banning from the complex. 4. Any season suspensions will result in loss of coaching participation for all Tournament Play that season. No Coach may return from season suspension until Board Approval. 5. Any re-instatement for a suspended coach/player/parent will be on a probationary period. Probationary limits of participation will be given to the coach/player/parent on an individual basis. 6. Any verbal or physical threat to any sports official is considered a Class B Misdemeanor. (Sports Official defined as; Umpire, Coach/Manager, Board Member or Official Scorekeeper) 7. There will be ZERO TOLORANCE for any unsportsmanlike conduct in or around any and all DYSA functions.