CONTENTS ARTICLE ONE: THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS (Pages 2-5) SECTION 1- Number of Members (2) SECTION 2- Qualifications (2) SECTION 3- Terms of Office (2-3) SECTION 4- Nominations (3) SECTION 5- Elections (3) SECTION 6- Board Officers (3) SECTION 7- Disqualifications (3-4) SECTION 8- Board Decisions (4) SECTION 9- Board's Duties and Responsibilities (4-5) SECTION 10- Board Meetings (5) SECTION 11- Rule Changes (5) ARTICLE TWO: TEAM MANAGERS (Pages 5-6) SECTION 1- Qualifications (5) SECTION 2- Manager Selection (5) SECTION 3- Duties and Responsibilities (6) ARTICLE THREE: DRAFTING OF TEAMS (Pages 6-7) SECTION 1- The Draft (6-7) ARTICLE FOUR: PLAYER QUALIFICATIONS (Pages 7-8) 1
ARTICLE FIVE: PLAYER RESPONSIBILITIES (Page 8) SECTION 1- Games (8) SECTION 2- The 70 Per Cent Rule (8) SECTION 3- Leaves of Absence (8-9) SECTION 4 Replacement Players (9) ARTICLE SIX: SUBSTITUTE PLAYERS (Page 9) SECTION 1- Pre-Selection Process (9-10) SECTION 2- Selection of Substitutes (10-11) SECTION 3- Restriction on Substitutes (11-12) SECTION 4- In-Game Substitutions (12) ARTICLE SEVEN: ROSTER REQUIREMENTS/DESIGNATED PLAYER (12) ARTICLE EIGHT: POST SEASON (13) SECTION 1 TIE-BREAKERS (13) SECTION 2 SPECIAL RULES FOR TOURNAMENT PLAY (13) ARTICLE NINE: SCORING AND ANNOUNCING ASSIGNMENTS (14) DIVISION FOUR PROCEDURES ARTICLE ONE: THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SECTION 1: NUMBER OF MEMBERS Division IV will be governed by an elected nine member Board of Directors (hereafter referred to as the Board). SECTION 2: QUALIFICATIONS Members of the Board must be full time residents of The Villages who have participated in at least two of the last three seasons in Division IV and who are not managers. 2
SECTION 3: TERMS OF OFFICE Each Board member will serve a three-year term. Three members will be elected in March and begin serving their term of office on April 1. The runner-up in an election serves a one-year term as Board alternate. If there is a vacancy on the Board, the alternate becomes a member and completes the term of the person he has replaced. If more replacements are needed, the Board will appoint them. SECTION 4: NOMINATIONS Any qualified person may submit a written application to the Board by the first week of March. If the Board determines that the individual fulfills the necessary requirements, he will be placed on the ballot. The names of the candidates and the date, time and place for the election will be posted on the division web site and on the bulletin board of the softball complex where the division is playing that season. SECTION: 5: ELECTIONS Annual elections will be held during the last full week of play in March each year. Three Directors will be elected for terms of three years each. Additional Directors may be elected to complete the terms of Directors who are no longer on the Board. Votes are cast on paper ballots during regular game hours at the Division s game days that week. In the event that balloting cannot be held on one or both of those days, the next available playing date(s) will be used. SECTION 6: BOARD OFFICERS At its first meeting in April, the Board will elect a President and a Vice President. Each will serve a one-year term. The President will: a) Call for meetings and conduct them; b) Assign duties and responsibilities to the other Board members; c) Announce all decisions and policy changes to the participants in Division IV; d) Make any decisions necessary in the day-to-day management of the division Whenever the President is unable to carry out his duties, the Vice-President will assume his position. SECTION 7: DISQUALIFICATIONS 3
a) A Board member must remain an active participant during his term in office. Failure to do this (unless otherwise provided for in this document) may result in immediate removal from office. b) A Director who submits an application to play in a different division will be removed from the Board immediately. c) A Director who is suspended by The Villages Recreation Department for violation of its published rules or who violates the Division IV rules and/or procedures may be removed from the Board immediately. d) A Director who acts unilaterally as a representative of the Board or the Division may be disqualified as a Board Member and removed from office. SECTION 8: BOARD DECISIONS A quorum of no fewer than six members is necessary to consider and vote on issues. All Board decisions are made by majority vote. At its discretion, the Board may consult with the managers and/or call for a vote by the players on any issue. SECTION 9: BOARD DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The Board s duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: a) - Collecting and reviewing the applications of those who sign up to play in a new season b) - Determining the number of teams that will play c) - Selecting team managers for the upcoming season d) - Assisting new managers with their duties e) - Scheduling of games and setting the tournament format f) - Classifying managers for purposes of determining the round in which they must draft themselves. g) - Conducting the draft and the creation of new teams h) - Coordinating a scorekeeping schedule i) - Training of scorekeepers j) Certifying players as qualified pitchers. k) - Maintaining lists of substitutes for games 4
l) - Selecting substitutes for games m)-selecting substitutes to replace players injured during a game n) - Recruiting and scheduling of umpires o) -Collecting score sheets and submitting them to the newspaper p) -Maintaining statistics and posting them on the division web site q) - Reviewing proposed rule changes SECTION 10: BOARD MEETINGS Members are required to attend 70 per cent of all meetings during their term of office. Failure to meet this requirement could lead to a replacement being appointed by the Board. At each meeting a member will be selected to keep minutes of that meeting. For any Board decisions about rules or procedures which are not unanimous, the secretary will record how each member voted. The minutes, including Board decisions and individual votes, will be forwarded to the managers in a timely manner. SECTION 11: RULE CHANGES The Board will review, approve or disapprove any rule additions, deletions or changes proposed by Directors, managers, or players. The Board reserves the right to alter, modify or update these procedures as deemed necessary. ARTICLE TWO: TEAM MANAGERS SECTION 1: QUALIFICATIONS a) - Must be a full time or seasonal resident of The Villages. b) - Must have played a minimum of three seasons in Division IV c) - Must have demonstrated knowledge of the game and of the Division IV Rules and Procedures d) - Must have maintained a positive and constructive relationship with the Board of Directors and displayed good sportsmanship both on and off the field. e) - Must have access to a computer and a current e-mail service f) May not be current members of the Board of Directors. 5
SECTION 2: MANAGER SELECTION a) - The Board will evaluate and select team managers prior to the draft for each season. If there are more available managers than teams and they all meet the qualifications cited above, the Board may grant preference to managers with seniority in the position, with seniority in the division, prior positive managerial performance and demonstrated ability as a Division IV player. An individual cannot use a managerial appointment simply to remain in the division. SECTION 3: MANAGERS' DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Managers will be responsible for: a) - Drafting players to form a team b) - Making their team aware of the Division IV Rules and Procedures c) - Scheduling and conducting pre-season practice sessions. d) - Distributing their team s playing schedule to the players. e) - Maintaining all necessary communication with Board Directors via electronic mail. f) Must maintain an effective and timely communication stream with players to disseminate Recreation Department and Board information. g) - Assigning knowledgeable players to fulfill scorekeeping duties when required by the Board. Reference Article 9 h) - Completing the official line-up form and submitting it to the Board member(s) doing the sub selection and completing the Team Sub Requirements document at the sub table. Both of these documents should be submitted no later than 30 minutes prior to the game start time. If after subs have been selected, there is a player in the line-up who does not show for the game, no matter what the reason, that player may be crossed off the line-up and no out will be recorded for his at-bats, but the team must play with 10 players and no sub will be allowed. If the player is not crossed off the line-up he will be scored as an out each time it is his turn to bat. i) - Informing the Board of an injured or ill player and ensuring the player who should complete a Leave of Absence (LOA) form has done so. j) - Attending any meeting to which the Board invites managers 6
k) - Managers will assign scorers prior to the start of the season. These names will be entered on the same sheet as the umpire assignments. (This has been moved from Article 9 scoring and announcing assignments) ARTICLE THREE: DRAFTING OF TEAMS SECTION 1: THE DRAFT The draft is the method used to select players for the teams. The players entering the draft must have either played in Recreation Division III, IV, or V in their last active season; have completed an evaluation session in which they were rated as Division IV players or have played in a Neighborhood Division in the level which they were evaluated. a) - Only Board Members, managers and individuals invited by the Board may attend the draft. b) - Prior to the draft date, the Board will provide a selection matrix as well as statistical information on each player. The matrix will include the Board s determination as to the round in which playing managers must select themselves. A random selection of numbers will determine each team s position in the matrix. c) Managers SHOULD PLAN ON ATTENDING the draft and be prepared to make their selections. Attendance at the draft will be one of the criteria for selections of managers each season. d) Board members should not discuss specific player abilities with managers prior to or during the draft process. e) - The draft list may include Division IV players, newly evaluated players and players from Divisions III and V. Division III players with previous Division IV experience and players from Division V may or may not be drafted. Division III players who are becoming Division IV players for the first time as a result of not being drafted must be drafted. A random drawing will determine which managers have the initial responsibility for selecting Division III players who must be drafted. Players who were not evaluated as Division IV but have only played in Neighborhood levels equivalent with their evaluation, will not be guaranteed a roster position. Newly evaluated players and players who have only participated only in a Neighborhood league will not be guaranteed a roster position. ARTICLE FOUR: PLAYER QUALIFICATIONS a) - Players must be residents or certified renters of The Villages. b) - Players must be at least 50 years of age during the calendar year when eligible to play. 7
c) - Players must sign a release form before being eligible to practice or play. d) - New players must have attended three official evaluation practices and received a Division IV designation by The Villages. e) - Players must sign up during a posted enrollment period in order to be drafted. f) - For their initial season, newly evaluated players must participate in Division IV as either roster players or substitutes. After their first season, players may decide to move up or down one division per season. g) - Experienced Division IV players and newly evaluated Division IV players who are not drafted have the option to stay in Division IV as substitutes or to enroll in Division V where they will be placed on a roster. h) - Division IV players who sign up for Division III and are not drafted in DIII may return to the Division IV draft pool. If they are not drafted in Division IV, they will be placed on a team in Division V or placed on a sub list in Division IV. i) - Any player who has signed up to be in the draft in another Recreation Division will not be included in the Division IV draft. j) A player who has not been drafted the last two times he has applied for Division IV will not be eligible for a future draft and is also ineligible to sub in Division IV until he has played in another level for at least one season. ARTICLE FIVE: PLAYER RESPONSIBILITIES SECTION 1: GAMES a) Players should be present thirty minutes prior to game time. Anyone arriving after lineups have been submitted will not play in the scheduled game. b) Players should not start a game knowing that they cannot complete it. SECTION 2: THE 70 PER CENT RULE a) Players must have participated in at least 70 per cent of their team s games in order to be eligible for tournament play and for the next season in which they wish to participate. b) Roster players who do not meet the 70 per cent minimum without receiving Board and Rec Department approval for a "Leave of Absence" will be suspended from playing or substituting for the remainder of the season. 8
c) If the violation of the 70 per cent rule occurs after the fourteenth game of the season, the player will be suspended from playing or substituting for the remainder of the season plus the first fourteen games of the next season in which they wish to play. d) Any scheduled games that are cancelled will count as played games for the 70 per cent requirement. e) The 70 per cent rule does not apply to players who are injured, ill or have other justifications considered valid by the Board. SECTION 3: LEAVES OF ABSENCE a) Roster players must request a "leave of absence" as a result of injury, illness, or family emergency when they expect that they will miss four or more consecutive games OR the remainder of the season. b) The request for a leave must be in writing and submitted to the team manager or to a Board member. c) The Board (with manager input) will review the request, recommend approval or denial and submit it to the Recreation Department for final action. d) If the request is not approved, the player will forfeit his playing privileges for the season, as defined in Article 5, Section 2-b. e) Players submitting a LOA for a specific number of games, will be retained on the roster of the team that drafted them, pending LOA approval. SECTION 4: REPLACEMENT PLAYERS a) Replacements will only be made for players submitting a Leave of Absence (LOA) indicating they will not be returning for the remainder of the season. After Board approval to fill a roster position, the manager may select any player from the Replacement Pool comprised of players who were not drafted and are remaining in Division 4 as an S2 substitute OR S1 Newly evaluated players who have received an A, B, C grading from the league s three man evaluation team. This team will be consisted of a Board member, manager and a player at large. These positions will be agreed upon by both the Board and the managers. b) A team that permanently loses a drafted player, and whose roster is now at 11 players, must fill its full 12 player roster with a player from the Replacement Pool. If there are no equivalent players available, the team may play with 11 players until a replacement of equal value becomes available. c) If a team loses enough players to reduce its roster to 10 players a replacement must be chosen from the Replacement Pool regardless of that replacement s grading. 9
d) If there are no players in the Replacement Pool a replacement may be chosen from the S-2 sub list. These players will be graded A, B, C based on the last draft that they were in. Any player from this list must be able to meet all roster player commitments. c) If a pitcher replacement is required, and there are none in the Replacement Pool, the Board will convene to determine the replacement selection. When a 12-man roster is being used, and a replacement pitcher is needed, one may be chosen from the replacement pool, even though the team s roster has 11 players. d) No replacement player will be assigned during the last four games of the regular season. Any team roster that drops to ten or less will draw subs to fill the game lineup to eleven players during this period. ARTICLE SIX: SUBSTITUTE PLAYERS SECTION 1: PRE-SELECTION PROCESS a) When a team has fewer than 11 roster players available to play, the manager must request substitute players. b) Teams may select up to 4 subs if 7 roster players are present, to a total of 11 players; with fewer than 7 roster players available - they will forfeit. c) A Substitute pool for each starting time will be established by players signing up to sub. Only Division IV players are eligible to substitute. Any player that has signed up to sub and changes his mind must remove his name from the sub list prior to leaving the softball complex. The players must identify their classification as follows: S1: Newly evaluated players. These players will be considered C players until they are graded by the league s evaluation team at which time they will have an A, B, or C grading. S-1 subs will still have priority but will be assigned to sub at, or in, the closest rating needed. S2: Undrafted players and those whose applications specify "sub only". These players will be rated A, B, C based on their last draft. S3: Roster players and S1 or S2 players who have already subbed in one game S4: Any player who has already played in 2 games that day d) The only fielding position for which managers may make a specific request is for pitchers. e) Players who have been certified as pitchers must indicate if they want to be selected either as substitute pitcher or as a regular substitute. Pitcher certification is granted to those who are 10
active roster pitchers, have been roster pitchers in the past three seasons or have demonstrated their pitching skills to the Board s satisfaction. Subsequent pitching performances may lead to the Board s revocation of the pitching certification. Pitching subs will be assigned based on the A, B, C rating if they are available. f) If the Board members in charge of the selection reviews the substitute list and realizes that there are not enough sign-ups, they may solicit for additional applicants. The Board members may extend the deadline at their discretion. SECTION 2: SELECTION OF SUBSTITUTE a) Managers must submit their sub requirements, including ratings, and a copy of their lineups 30 minutes prior to the scheduled game time to the Board member(s) selecting subs. Lineups of those teams requiring subs will be reviewed. After all lineups are submitted and reviewed the drawing will commence. The Board member will enter the selected player on the Sub Requirement form and on the official lineup and then submit the lineups to the scorekeepers. Players may continue to sign up until the actual drawing. The assignment of subs will take place 30 minutes prior to game time. b) Based on the substitute needs expressed by managers, one or more Board member(s) will review the names of those who have signed up for proper classification and assign substitutes to teams that need them based on the A, B, C rating method that is used during the end of season tournament. A players first. If there are no A players available a B player will be assigned, if no B available a C will be assigned. Then B players and so on. c) When all players are chosen from the S1 classification, selections will continue through the S2, S3 and S4 classifications. d) The assigning of substitutes is done one player at a time, beginning with the teams that need pitchers. e) After pitchers have been assigned, selections for the remaining sub slots will be done, utilizing the classifications S1 then S2 then S3 then S4. The player drawing the lowest random number in each A, B, and C classification will be assigned to the team playing on the lowest numbered field (visitors first) until all needs have been met. If there are not enough substitutes available to fill all the needs of the teams playing, substitutes will be assigned according to the number of subs a team needs. The team with the highest number of vacancies would receive the first sub selected; if two teams need the same number of subs, the order of assignment reverts to the regular system (the visiting team playing on the lowest numbered field goes first). When the lack of substitutes forces teams to begin a game short-handed, vacancies will be filled by the next players to arrive who are willing to sub regardless of rating. This variation applies only to games when not enough players have signed to sub. f) If a player that is selected to sub changes his mind and does not want to play, a new sub will be selected. However, the previously assigned sub assignments will not be adjusted. If an error 11
is made in the sub process and assignments have already been made, these assignments will stand. g) S1 and S2 players that sign up for early games and are not selected will be given preference over players that sign up later. SECTION 3: RESTRICTIONS ON SUBSTITUTES a) Substitutes must bat at the bottom of the lineup in the order in which they were selected. The Board member in charge of the sub selection will notify the scorers of the selections. b) Once substitutes are selected, managers may not remove a substitute in exchange for a roster player who has arrived late. c) Substitutes are allowed to have courtesy runners and to run as courtesy runners for other players d) If a player who has been selected as a substitute is still participating in an earlier game, the subsequent game will not be delayed for longer than ten minutes. The clock will begin when the scorers and umpires and the rest of the other teams are ready to start. After the tem minute period, a new substitute will be selected to replace the player who is still playing in the earlier game. The selection of a new substitute will not affect previously made substitute assignments. e) If a roster player is substituting or umpiring in a game when his own team s game is ready to begin, he will leave that game at the first opportunity and report to his team. A new substitute or umpire will be assigned at that point. f) Except for pitchers, substitutes will play wherever the manager assigns them. g) A manager is not allowed to move his designated pitcher to another position in order to obtain a substitute pitcher. A team that has requested a substitute pitcher must begin the game with that pitcher and he must pitch a minimum of three innings. The substitute pitcher may be shifted to another defensive position during the game. SECTION 4: IN-GAME SUBSTITUTIONS a) If a player becomes ill or injured or is notified of an emergency and leaves the game, he will be replaced by the next player on the substitute list. If there are no names left on the substitute 12
list, a Board member will call for an emergency substitute. If none is available, the team will continue the game with ten players. ARTICLE SEVEN: ROSTER REQUIREMENTS/DESIGNATED PLAYER (12 man teams) a) All teams will draft 12 players. b) To utilize all 12 players, one player must sit out defensively per inning. Players may sit out only 1 inning per game. On the lineup sheet provided to the opposing manager, the inning in which a player will be sitting should be identified. If the offensive manager detects that the process is not being followed as provided, he shall notify the umpire and make a selection of any player except the pitcher to sit out for that inning. If games go eight or more innings the rule of one inning per player is still in effect. OR Teams may opt for any game to establish a Designated Player position that can, but does not have to, play a defensive position. This position allows a manager to switch his defensive players at any time, at his discretion. This assignment must be noted on the lineup sheet provided to the opposing manager and scorer and is for the entire game, excluding an injury condition addressed in c) below. This should be a voluntary assignment and not forced on a player. These assignments will be monitored by the Board to assure that players are treated fairly. Abuse of this policy may result in the termination of a manager contract. c) In the event that a team has opted for a Designated Player position and a player on the team becomes injured during the game and cannot continue, the DP must now play a defensive role for the remainder of the game, and a substitute will not be provided. ARTICLE EIGHT: POST SEASON SECTION 1: TIE-BREAKERS Ties in the standings will be broken as follows: a) Head-to-head games between the teams involved. b) Run differential in games between the teams involved. 13
c) Selection of random numbers. SECTION 2: SPECIAL RULES FOR TOURNAMENT PLAY a) Only roster players will be eligible to substitute. b) Substitutions for the tournament will follow an A-B-C system: a team needing a player will receive a substitute of equal value. Those drafted in the first two rounds are A players, those drafted in the next four rounds are B players and those drafted in the next six rounds are C players. Subs for A players will be selected first using the S1 and S2 criteria, followed by B and C. If a substitute of the required classification is not available, the next LOWER classification will be utilized. c) Teams having 11 roster players present will play with those 11 players, unless the team has lost one or both A players. In this case the team will be allowed to request one (1) A sub and play with 12 players. d) Only players who have been qualified by the Board will be eligible to sign up as a substitute pitchers. Designated pitchers will have priority, followed by nondesignated qualified pitchers; section b) above will also apply for this selection. e) A 12 man team missing two or more players of different values will receive substitute(s) for the player(s) of a HIGHER classification, up to the roster level of 11 players. f) Players on teams that have byes or have been eliminated from the tournament will have priority sub status. g) The mercy rule remains in effect for tournament games. h) The unlimited-run rule remains in effect for tournament games. i) If a team cannot field seven roster players, the game will be forfeited. j) If play dates become compressed due to field conditions and double headers are required, substitutes will be drawn separately for each game. ARTICLE NINE: SCORING AND ANNOUNCING ASSIGNMENTS 1- Nine thirty games will be scored by non-playing volunteers if available. 14
2- The 11:00 games will be scored by players assigned by the managers of the teams who played at 9:30. If required later games will be scored by players assigned by the managers of the teams who played previously. Each team will designate a player to work the 11:00 or later game on the field on which they played. 3- A team that fails to provide a qualified player to keep score WILL FORFEIT the next game. Substitutes will be allowed as long as the position is covered. It is the responsibility of the manager to ensure these assignments are completed as required. 15