Watertown Parks and Recreation Department 514 South First Street, Watertown, WI 53094 920-262-8080 Kickball SPECIAL NOTES TO PLAYERS AND MANAGERS The Watertown Park and Recreation Department feels the following important items should be brought to your attention prior to the opening of the season. DRINKING & SMOKING: These practices are prohibited on the playing field or bench areas. Players arriving noticeably drunk will not be allowed to participate. During the course of a team s game, its players should remain in the area of the field or bench throughout this duration. Players are not allowed to leave the bench area for the purpose of smoking or drinking. Offenders will be warned and then ejected. CONDUCT: All players and spectators are asked to conduct themselves in such a manner so as to promote a family type atmosphere in the park system. Please, refrain from using vulgar language. GLASS BEVERAGE BOTTLES: These are not allowed in any of the city s parks. Violators are subject to a fine. SPEED UP PLAY: In an effort to be courteous to team playing later games, we ask that all players hustle on and off the field between innings and do whatever they can to avoid delays in the game. RAINED OUT GAMES: In the event of rain, the department will make a decision on the status of games by 3:30 pm. Player and mangers may call 920-262-8098 (weather line) to receive recorded information regarding these games. Updates on status of games will be on our Facebook page, by email and group text (be sure to register your cell phone number and cell carrier with the department). Rained out games will be played at the conclusion of the regular season. Please note that rain outs may not be made up on your regularly scheduled night. DOGS AT RIVERSIDE PARK: The department would like to remind you that dogs are not allowed at any park per city ordinance. The only exceptions are Boomer Street Dog Park and the dog trail at Brandt/Quirk Park. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR SEASON!! Please patronize our concession stand!!
Watertown Park and Recreation Department KICKBALL RULES Any team that does not have a current roster and league fees paid by the date listed on the registration flyer will automatically forfeit their scheduled games until these requirements have been met. Requests: All requests for special treatment will be considered on a case by case basis. Please note that all requests will be considered but may not be honored. I. Field/Equipment/Miscellaneous All games shall be played on softball sized diamonds. Metal spikes are not allowed. The department has an umpire/supervisor assigned. The umpire s word is final and not to be disputed unless a blatant contradiction to the official rules. Umpires may eject players for unsportsmanlike behavior. Any occurrences which are not covered in the rules shall be settled by the field monitor and noted for later rule updates. Players will remember we are all out here for fun! II. Number of Participants Rosters may hold an unlimited number of people. Players must be at least 16 years of age to be eligible. (All players under the age of 18 MUST have a completed concussion form on file at the Watertown Park & Recreation Department prior to play). A maximum of 11 players can be on the field for the fielding team, with a minimum of 7 players. Teams must have a minimum of 4 females. If a team does not have four females for a particular game, a ghost player shall be written into the batting order and represents an automatic out for each female under the minimum. A team having 11 players that is missing a required female player must play short the spot of the missing player. This only applies for teams with 11 players or more. Teams with fewer than 7 players shall have a 5 minute grace period before a forfeit is declared. Subs may be used at any time so long as the opposing team is not opposed!! All team members present are to be placed in the batting order. Players arriving late will be placed at the end of the order. III. Regulation Games A regulation games shall consist of 7 innings or a time limit of 55 minutes. No new inning shall start after the time limit is reached unless the game is tied. The away team shall bat first. The home team gets last at bats if the time limit is near. A game is considered official once 4 full innings have been completed. Each team may have base coaches at first and third bases.
Games will be called after 5 innings if a team is ahead by 10 runs or more. If a team is ahead by 12 runs or more, the game will be terminated after 4 innings. When the time limit is reached the remainder of that inning will be completed. IV. Pitching/Fielding A legal pitch must be no higher than 6 inches above the ground. Anything higher over the plate is a ball. Whether a pitch is a ball or a strike based on bounciness should be based on the height of the last bounce before it crosses home plate. Pitches from male to female players should be thrown at a reasonable rate of speed in the context of sportsmanship. Pitches exceeding a reasonable roll rate to female players will be deemed a ball. The pitcher must pitch from the back rubber (running up to the rubber is not allowed). Once the ball is pitched the pitcher may advance no further than the first rubber. Infield players may not cross the base line between 1 st and 2 nd, and 2 nd and 3 rd until the ball is kicked. The catcher must give the batter ample room to bat. The batcher may not break the plane of the front of home plated until the ball is kicked and may not interfere with the batter. An infraction will result in a called ball. If the ball is kicked. The result does not count. A strike consists of a ball that is rolled over any part of home plate and below knee level. Any ball that is kicked into foul territory shall also be considered a strike. Two strikes of any kind will result in an out. A ball shall be called on anything that does not pass home plate. Three called balls shall result in the ball being placed on home plate. If the batter kicks the ball Foul off the plate, they are automatically out. Infield players cannot advance until the ball is kicked. The batting team has three outs per inning. An out results due to the following: Two strikes A ball caught on the fly Base runner is forced out Base runner is hit with ball while not on base (if runner hit with ball before scored in third out situations, run does not score) See ghost batter rule above As even the most innocent looking pop ups are potential hits in kickball, there is no infield fly rule. Due to some abuses of this in the past, there will be a No Cheese rule for situations where a fielder is judged to have intentionally allowed the ball to drop to turn a double play. For example, team A has a runner on first. The batter from team A kicks the ball in the air to the first baseperson on team B. The runner on team A stays on first, while the batter runs to first. The first person intentionally (by umpire decision) bobbles the pop fly, tags the waiting runner and tags the base. As this is contrary to fair sportsmanship, the tactic
will be deemed Cheesy and the runner who was on first will not be called out by staying at first. If, however, the base runner leaves first before the play is made/not made, they will be considered a target. V. Batting The batter may not kick the ball until the ball crosses home plate. Kicking the ball before the plate is a strike. The resulting result of a kick over the plate is a dead ball (no out on the fly, etc) Bunting is allowed for females only. A bunt is defined as meeting the ball and not an aggressive kick nor is it a bungled kick umpire decision. Runners must stay in the base path. Fielders impeding the runners path to the base shall result in the runner being awarded the base. Leading off and stealing are not allowed. Leading off/leaving early will result in an out. Sliding is legal. Please do so with caution (keeping fielders and yourself in mind) One base on an overthrow. An overthrow constitutes a ball that is thrown out of play. Out of play means beyond the fence. A ball thrown past the base or target that remains in play is not considered and overthrow, the ball must be out of play!! After contact on a fly ball that is caught, the runner must tag up before advancing to the next base. Failure to tag up before advancing results in an out if the runner is tagged or the ball is thrown to the previous base. Balls thrown at the base runner must be below the shoulders. Any head shot result in advancement to the next base. Any intentional hitting of the ball with the head by a runner will result in an out. If a ball hits the kicker in fair territory after being struck, the batter is out. Intentionally kicking the ball out of play by the batter then results in a dead ball. VI. Field Conditions In the event of rain, the department will make a decision on the status of games as soon as possible. Players and managers should call 920-262-8098 to receive recorded information regarding these games. Updates on status of games will be on our weather line, Facebook page, email and text (you MUST register your cell phone number and cell carrier with the department). If a decision cannot be made before game time or rain occurs during a game, the umpire will make the decision to play or not. In leagues consisting of less than 8 teams, make up games will be scheduled at 8:45 on regular league nights. Make up games for other leagues will be played following the conclusion of the regular season. VII. Championship and Awards The Park & Recreation Department will hold a city tournament. Teams will be seeded according to the season won/loss record. An award will be presented to the championship team only. Times, dates and pairings of all playoff games will be determined by the Park & Recreation Department.
VIII. Protests Protests based on an umpires judgement of play will not be accepted. Protests on interpretation or violation of rules must be made at the time of the incident by notifying the umpire before the next pitch. A written protest accompanied by a $10 protest fee must be filed at the Park & Recreation Department office within 48 hours of the time of protest. Should the protest be upheld, the fee will be returned. If it is rejected, funds will go into the department s revenue account. Protests will be ruled upon by the Park & Recreation Department. Protests involving non-registered or ineligible players must be lodged in writing by the opposing team manager within 2 working days of the game. No protest fee is required. If the player in question is found ineligible, the game will be forfeited to the offended team, and the player in question and that team manager will be suspended from play in that league for the remainder of the season. IX. Conduct and Disciplinary Action Participation in these leagues is a privilege that may be denied or suspended for just causes. By the act of participating, all players and managers acknowledge they are acquainted with and will abide by league rules as a condition of this privilege. Participants shall by ejected from a game by the umpires for profanity, for indignities to umpires and other players, for disorderly or unsportsmanlike conduct, for violation of league rules, or for physical contact with an umpire. Penalty for failure to leave the premises immediately will result in forfeiture of the game. i. Enforcement: 1. Any player ejected from a game will be suspended from playing in the following game played by his/her team in that league. 2. Any player ejected from 2 games during play in a league will be suspended from further play in that league for the remainder of the season and the city tournament. 3. The Park & Recreation Department shall suspend for one year from all recreation department athletic programs, a participant or team which has had any physical contact with an umpire. Mockery of Game: Making a mockery of the game will not be permitted. Umpires will give one warning, if conduct continues; the team at fault will forfeit the game. Where such behavior has a direct bearing on the final league standings, members from the guilty team will be barred from the league for the next year. Drinking or possession of beer or alcoholic beverages is strictly forbidden on the playing field or benches during games. The use of vulgar or profane language is not allowed. Smoking is not allowed on field or on team benches. Alcoholic Beverages: Umpires have the authority to prohibit participation if an individual comes to play after excessive alcoholic consumption. Updated: February 15, 2017