2018 FALL LEAGUE INFORMATION

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1 2018 FALL LEAGUE INFORMATION LEAGUE DETAILS: Fall Season begins August 18 th (the weekend after school starts back) and runs through October. We ve always worked to schedule fall games so kids can play football if they wish and not have to choose one or the other. This season will be no different. We will actually be limiting teams and playing games on days and times that don t conflict with football in the 12 and under divisions and the 13 and older will play all games on weekends so there won t be any conflicts with school football. Fall teams don t practice much if any once the games start and use league to get some work in before spring baseball. League games are for player development that you just can t get when playing tournaments. In tournament play, teams are focused on trying to get to the championship game. When a player is struggling whether it be pitching, at the plate, or in the field, a coach has a hard time letting them develop and work through the situation and still make it to the next game. This is exactly why leagues like ours are geared toward, and not chase some end of season trophy. Teams that use these games to teach players multiple positions and build a pitching rotation are always more successful and the player will be better prepared come high school baseball. We schedule teams max league games each season and coaches that use them right will do better in tournament play. We have a couple tournaments each season for teams to see what they have and let the kids compete for a little hardware. As many know, we tried for several years to develop a summer program so kids can get more baseball and then focus on football in the fall. What we found is kids & parents still wanted fall baseball and in many cases all that did was create another season so kids weren t getting a break from the game at all. We are looking forward to a great fall season and will continue to work hard at providing our area with a quality baseball program. Below is a breakdown of the different ages and the schedule we will use to limit conflicts. Coach Pitch through 12U: We will play games during the week, mainly on Mondays and Wednesdays as most youth football teams practice on Tuesday and Thursday and of course we all like to watch our Friday night high school football. We will also play Saturday and Sunday evening around 6:00-6:30. We ve found this works pretty well with most football games being done by 4:00-5:00. We are flexible and always work hard to make schedules fit our team's needs, so kids can play both sports if they'd like. We allow coaches to turn in blackout forms and try to accommodate as much as possible.

2 13U, 14-15U, 16U-18U: ALL GAMES ARE PLAYED ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AFTER CHURCH. This is the best way to play 7th graders and older to prevent conflicts with school football practice and games. Again, most of these teams don t practice once games start and use these games for player development. We are flexible and always work hard to make schedules fit our team's needs, so kids can play both sports if they'd like. We allow coaches to turn in blackout forms and try to accommodate as much as possible. TEAM INFORMATION SHEET & DEPOSIT: This is located at the bottom of this packet and the $200 team deposit or team fee needs to be brought by the office at Buffalo Airport Rd (If out of office use drop slot in door) or mailed to PO Box Amarillo, Tx No team can be added after 7/30 at 5:00 PM Teams will be added on website and coaches/players will be able to register once these have been turned in. All age groups will be limited to a set number of teams. With our limited fields and us working with teams to allow kids to play both sports, we have no choice. Once we reach the max allowed, we will not be able to take additional teams. Also, the teams who have special blackout requests will be given preference based on when the team info sheet and fees are paid. Team Entry fees: Coach Pitch $1, u-12u - $1, U and up-$1, (These are team fees. Depending on the number of players on your roster, the avg cost per kid is around $ for 14 games. It s not a bad idea to carry an extra kid or 2 for fall. Everyone s busy so this helps. Plus it s a great way to evaluate kids before spring ball.) Blackout sheets: These are found under documents on website and are due no later than 5:00 PM on 7/30. Please remember preference will be given based on when teams turn in their team info sheet and fee. IF THERE IS A CONFLICT ON BLACKOUT REQUESTS, WE WILL GIVE PRIORITY TO TEAMS IN THE ORDER THEY TURNED IN THEIR TEAM INFO SHEET AND FEE. TO BE TRANSPARENT, EVERYONE WILL KNOW THE ORDER TEAMS TURNED FORMS IN BY THE ORDER TEAMS ARE LISTED ON INITIAL LIST OF TEAMS ON WEBSITE BEFORE WE BREAK THEM OUT INTO DIVISIONS. It s impossible to meet all the requests but we realize coaches are volunteers and try to meet as many of their needs as possible. COACHES MEETINGS: With summer, everyone is very busy, so we don t do a formal coaches meeting. We do however send out info and post pre season updates on website for all teams and are available by phone. Also will be back in office on July 9th and will have a set schedule.

3 All remaining team balances if not already paid is due by August the 10th at 5:00 PM and should be brought to the league office located at Buffalo Airport Rd (If out of office use drop slot in door) or mailed to PO Box Amarillo, Tx (Must be received by deadline). With all the teams different schedule needs and blackouts and our limited field situation, it is very hard to set the league schedule. It has to be done the old fashion way with pencil and paper as there s not a scheduling program out there that can handle all the different teams needs. Believe me we ve tried. It takes a lot of time and effort. We will post the schedule on August 10th and give coaches that weekend to look over for mistakes. If there are any mistakes, they must by 10:00 AM 8/13 with requested changes. As stated above we can t meet all requests but we work hard to try and accommodate our coach s needs.

4 TEAM CHECKLIST 1. REGISTERING TEAM WITH USSSA: If this is the first time to register a team with USSSA you will need to set up as a manager first. Here s a link: Once you do this, you can then register your team. If you ve coached a team in USSSA but haven t registered a team for the 2019 season (8/1/2018-7/31/2019) just log in at this link and register. When registering your team class how you feel your team competes. The 3 choices are AA, AAA, and MAJOR. The state office monitors class and moves teams up or down as needed. Register your team as the age of your oldest player. Example: Your oldest player turns 11 on May 1 st 2019 you are still a 10u team for the 2019 season. Whatever age your oldest player is on 4/30/2019 is what age you are for the 2019 season, which is from 8/1/2018-7/31/2019. Here is the updated rule for kids who are older, but in a lower grade. Please make sure you understand these guidelines as it s your responsibility to know who s eligible. Not a good situation if you tell a kid he s able to play only to find out they re too old. RULE 3.00 INDIVIDUAL PLAYER & TEAM ELIGIBILITY 3.01 Age Based with Grade Exceptions Divisions: 4U Division Players who turn 5 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in Pre-Kindergarten-4. Also, any player turning 6 prior to May 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 4u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade. 5U Division Players who turn 6 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in Pre-Kindergarten. Also, any player turning 7 prior to May 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 5u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade. 6U Division Players who turn 7 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in Kindergarten. Also, any player turning 8 prior to May 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 6u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade. 7U Division Players who turn 8 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 1st grade. Also, any player turning 9 prior to May 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 7u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade. 8U Division Players who turn 9 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 2nd grade. Also, any player turning 10 prior to May 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 8u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade. 9U Division Players who turn 10 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 3rd grade. Also, any player turning 11 prior to May 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 9u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade.

5 10U Division Players who turn 11 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 4th grade. Also, any player turning 12 prior to May 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 10u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade. 11U Division Players who turn 12 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 5th grade. Also, any player turning 13 prior to May 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 11u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade. 12U Division Players who turn 13 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 6th grade. Also, any player turning 14 prior to May 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 12u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade. 13U Division Players who turn 14 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 7th grade. Also, any player turning 15 prior to May 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 13u are eligible for this division regardless of their grade. 14U Division Players who turn 15 prior to May 1 of the current season are not eligible unless they are in the 8th grade. Also, any player turning 16 prior to May 1 will not be eligible. Players who are 14u eligible are eligible for this division regardless of grade. Per State Director, Any kid who is using the new grade rule must provide ALL OF THESE ITEMS before being allowed to play. * A copy of their current report card * An official school ID with grade listed * An official enrollment information form IT IS THE COACHES RESPONSIBILITY TO KEEP THESE DOCUMENTS AND HAVE READY TO VIEW AT ANYTIME DURING GAME IN CASE OF A PROTEST. IF A COACH IS FOUND TO HAVE AN ILLEGAL PLAYER ON THEIR TEAM, THEY WILL BE SUSPENDED FROM COACHING. IN ADDITION, THE PARENT COULD ALSO CAUSE THEIR KID TO BE SUSPENDED FROM PLAYING IN OUR PROGRAM AND ANY OTHER USSSA SANCTIONED EVENT FOR NOT FOLLOWING THE RULES. 2. ADDING ROSTER TO USSSA: After creating a team log in and enter all of your players. Make sure to list player s name and D.O.B. as it is on their birth certificate BUT ONLY USE FIRST & LAST NAME. When adding players, it might say pending or some other status. Don t worry we can get it updated. After adding all players, print off the printable roster and have all parents/players and team manager sign. It s a good idea to make copies of this so if going to multiple events, you won t have to get all signatures again when turning in official roster. This will be required to be turned in before you re allowed to play first game with no exceptions and is suppose to be required at every USSSA event. Teams can add players but must follow national rules in regards to adding players to their roster. What we recommend is after adding a new player, print off the official roster and

6 have the player and parent sign, and then staple to a copy of your original roster and turn in. NEW NATIONAL RULE THIS YEAR FROM USSSA: NO PLAYER CAN BE ADDED TO ANY ROSTER ONCE THE FIRST GAME OF TOURNAMENT STARTS. IN THE PAST YOU COULD ADD BEFORE YOUR FIRST GAME, BUT THAT HAS BEEN CHANGED. 3. PURCHASE A TEAM INSURANCE POLICY: No team can practice or have any other team event before purchasing a policy. No team will be allowed to participate in any game/event without a policy. You can login to your team site on USSSA and then go to select an action towards the bottom of the page and click purchase team insurance. 4. PLAYERS AND COACHES REGISTER ON WTYBA.COM: All coaches/players must be registered on wtyba.com. Players must be registered by their parent or legal guardian. We ve found that some coaches are doing this and that s not allowed. If caught doing this, you will be suspended. To register, click the register now tab which is a green button at the top right of our home page. Then choose the correct team. There are times when teams have the same name, so make sure you register for the correct age team. Remember, no team will be added to the list, until the team deposit and team info sheet are turned in. (Team info sheet is included here on last page) Also make sure you choose the correct application (either coach or player). The website does not have a spot to differentiate head coach, manager, etc. If you re going to be one of the coaches for the team just choose coach and fill out form. On the team info sheet you tell us who head coach is. If someone has problems registering they can wtyba@hotmail.com and include call back # and we ll help them complete the process. Coaches and players have to register each season without exception. This is required as a waiver by all participants for individual seasons. If a player or coach is found to be playing without doing their registration they could be suspended from further participation in West Texas Youth Baseball. 5. COACH BACKGROUND CHECK A coach only has to do a background check once per year, but if a coach is found to be coaching without doing annual background check, they will be suspended. Also the head coach could be suspended as it s their responsibility to know who s approved to coach. We keep list updated and posted on our website. If a coach is not listed and we ll look into why. This is not only a requirement that the city sets for us to use the fields, but something we take very serious. It s very simple to do and for the safety of our kids. Find tab at the top of our league website. Once you click it read and at the

7 bottom there is tab to complete. It is $12 and only needed once per year. A team can have as many coaches as they d like, but remember they all have to do background check and only 4 coaches are allowed to be with team during games. A parent is ultimately responsible for their child s safety but we do our best to keep the players safe. We post a list of all coaches who complete and are cleared by this background check on our website. Again any person not following this rule could be suspended. NO COACHES UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ARE ALLOWED. NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE. IF CAUGHT ALLOWING A COACH UNDER THE AGE OF 18, THE HEAD COACH AND OR COACHES COULD BE SUSPENDED AND THE TEAM FORFEIT OF THE GAME. 6. MEDICAL RELEASE FORM: This must to be filled out from the documents on wtyba.com and kept by coach at all times in case a kid gets hurt and parents aren t at the game. These are only required once if the player stays with that team and the coach still has the form. Coaches when putting together your team notebook make sure you include these and have at all team functions. PLEASE DO NOT TURN THESE IN. THEY ARE TO BE KEPT IN TEAM NOTEBOOK AND AT EVERY TEAM EVENT IN CASE A KID IS INJURED AND A PARENT OR GUARDIAN ISN T PRESENT. 7. TEAM NOTEBOOK: Finally all teams should put together a notebook and keep with the team at all times. Here are some ideas of what should be in notebook. If you do this, you ll have no problems playing locally or out of town. 1. Copies of team roster signed by all players, parents, and manager. These are suppose to be required to be turned in at all events so if you have copies it ll keep from having to get signed each time. Remember if you add a player, just print another official roster and have the add player/parent sign and then staple to your full roster. REMEMBER THAT THE PLAYERS NAME ON ROSTER MUST MATCH THEIR BIRTH CERTIFICATE. JUST USE FIRST AND LAST NAMES. IF YOU VE ALREADY DONE AND IT S NOT CORRECT, SEND WITH TEAM NAME, REGISTRATION #, AND CORRECT NAME FOR PLAYER TO WTYBA@HOTMAIL.COM AND I LL GET IT FIXED FOR YOU. 2. A certified copy of all players birth certificates. COACHES KEEP THESE. 3. Copies of team insurance and claim form in case someone gets hurt. 4. Medical release: Print off from our website under documents and have all parents fill out and return to you. COACHES KEEP THESE 5. Misc: Lineup cards, a team contact sheet for all players, scorebook, USSSA national rules, and local rules for the area you are playing.

8 TEAM INFORMATION SHEET RETURN THIS WITH YOUR TEAMS DEPOSIT OR ENTRY FEE BY 7/23 Team name Age ( To determine age, see National Rule 3.01 above) Division Recreation Select (Recreation is for the teams wanting to keep a group of players together for fun and work on development. All of these teams can bring their complete roster or use the free agent list to fill in and are classified as AA. Select is for the more advanced teams. We will keep the 2 divisions separate as much as possible. AS ALWAYS, WE WILL SCHEDULE LEAGUE GAMES BASED ON LEVEL OF TEAM AND NOT JUST AGE. Head Coach cell Secondary # Main Team Contact Person Cell # for text messages We use a mass text message system to communicate. Please list the best number for these text messages. This is usually a person who has access to phone at all times so they can relay to team. ADDITIONAL COACH CONTACTS NAME cell NAME cell NAME cell A team can have as many coaches as they d like, but remember they all have to do background check and only 4 coaches are allowed to be with team during games. If having more than 4 coaches please write them in below.