- 1 - PIRATES BASEBALL CLUB Inc. BY-LAWS Introduction: The By-laws of the club are intended to be principles and rules to allow the successful running of the club within the Illawarra competition. a) A notice of motion must be passed by a management committee meeting or at a general meeting of the club to effect the following: i) a change in the By-laws ii) a change in the Playing Conditions b) A Notice of Motion must be passed in the following manner: i) a notice must be sent to all members advising that a management or general meeting is to be held to consider a Notice of Motion; ii) the notice must give full details of the proposed Notice of Motion in writing and give at least seven (7) days notice of the meeting; iii) a quorum must be present at the meeting; iv) to pass a Notice of Motion a majority of over fifty percent (50%) of those entitled to vote under the constitution must be achieved.
- 2-1) Registration a) A player is deemed to be registered with the League when the nominated League registration form is in the hands of the League's Registrar b) A form will be deemed to be in the hands of the League's Registrar when: i) The players club submits the club's playing personnel on the nominated league registration form to the registrar prior to the season or prior to the player taking the field. ii) The player attaches a nominated League registration form, signed by an Umpire or opposing manager or coach, to the official League result sheet. c) A player must be registered prior to the player taking the playing field. d) Any team playing unregistered players will incur a total fine of fifty dollars ($50) and lose all competition points in which the unregistered player participated. e) A player is deemed to be registered with the club when the nominated League registration form is signed by the player and handed' to an executive member of the club. f) Once a player has registered with the club, they are liable to pay the prescribed fees as set by the Management Committee each year. g) All registered players are required to pay a uniform levy at an amount as determined by the committee which will be refunded upon the completion of the season when the uniform is returned in good condition. h) Any player not fulfilling their registration obligations may be declared a Defaulter with the Illawarra and New South Country Baseball Leagues as determined by a Management Committee meeting. 2) Duties of the delegates a) The delegates shall regularly attend the meetings of the Illawarra Baseball League Inc. and any other association to which the Club may be affiliated as respectively appointed, and shall report to the Club at its next general meeting. b) The present Illawarra League requirements are: i) One delegate to attend all Management Committee meetings (normally once a month during the season proper), ii) One delegate to attend all Grounds & Grading, Protests & Disputes Committee meetings. c) It is desirable that different representatives of the club take on each committee delegate position and that they do not change throughout the entire season.
- 3-3) Junior Development a) In order to maintain the club's viability, the Senior Body must be in constant contact with the Junior Body's financial and playing development. It is not the intention that the Senior Body run the Junior Body, but that the Senior Body shall simply nurture the club's future. This can be established by: i) Monetary assistance, ii) Senior players or officials taking on Junior coaching roles, or iii) Running workshops or "Show Me" Days. b) The Vice President (Junior) is intended to be the Junior Body's President (although any Junior Body Executive may fulfill in this role), thus forming a link to the Senior Body. At each general meeting the Vice President (Junior) shall have an opportunity to report all points of interest to the meeting. 4) Coaches a) The Club Head Coach shall be elected at the first club meeting after the Annual General Meeting of each year. All grade coaches are then to be appointed by the Head Coach, which in turn are ratified by the management committee at the next meeting. b) The coach of each team shall be responsible for the care of any materials issued to him for the team and at the same time report any discrepancies or faults in such gear. Match balls shall be given to each coach at the start of the season (enough for the entire season), any used match ball will then become that grades warm up ball. c) The coach of each team shall be responsible for the submission of reports and score sheets to the Honorary Secretary as soon as practical after the completion of each game. 5) Failure to attend Play Any member, after being selected, failing to be present at the match for which he has been elected and not having given the selectors or coach reasonable notice that he/she will be unable to play shall only be eligible to play any subsequent match as determined by the selection committee. 6) Disqualification For refusing to play for the team for which a player has been selected of, failing to give the selectors or coach satisfactory explanation of his/her absence from the match, or his late arrival, threat or for any other reasonable cause, any member may be suspended or disqualified by the General Meeting for such time as it seems fit and no such member shall have any claim on the club, or the members of the said committee by reason of such suspension or disqualification. 7) Entry of Teams The club shall, at the first meeting after the Annual General Meeting determine what teams shall be entered by the club for the various competitions in the ensuing season.
- 4-8) Club Colours The colours of the club shall be predominantly blue and yellow. All players shall appear in matches in proper baseball attire, and if possible wear the club colours. 9) Club Uniforms a) The club uniform shall consist of one (1) top, one (1) undershirt one, (1) pair pants, cap, socks, gaiters and boots. b) Players may borrow a top and pants (the "uniform") from the club under condition that these players pay a uniform levy of twenty dollars ($20) to cover the cost of any damage (subject to the discretion of the management committee) to the "uniform" which has not been incurred during the playing of competition baseball games. This levy will be returned in exchange for the "uniform" at the end of the playing season. Players returning the "uniform" after the Annual General Meeting shall automatically forfeit their twenty dollars. c) Any part of the uniform which is loaned by the club remains at all times the property of the club and is not to be worn outside the baseball ground. d) At the completion of the last game of each year, all uniforms are to be returned to the respective coaches or Executive and to be cleaned at the club's expense. 10) Subcommittees Suggested club subcommittees not already mentioned previously are: a) Fund Raising Committee: a committee whose primary function is to organise social events, raffles, weekly lotto, etc. to raise money for the club. A certain percentage of the moneys raised will be evenly divided up between the club's Illawarra and Country Representatives as determined by the management committee each year. The Honorary Treasurer shall be the Executives' representative on this committee and shall convene meetings when required, but shall not be responsible for driving the fund raising. Once a month, all moneys raised, together with a balance sheet, will be handed to the Treasurer. b) Grounds Committee: a committee whose primary function is to maintain the ground from season to season; prepare and mark the ground for all home games or as required; organise "Working Bees" for any major activities; and also prepare a plan for future ground improvements or ground re-locations. c) Publicity Committee: a committee whose primary function is to organise the publicity of the club to the media through either the Illawarra Publicity Officer (i.e.. phone through results each weekend) or directly to the likes of Illawarra Mercury, Northern News, WIN TV, etc. Another important function of the committee is to prepare and publish a newsletter on a regular basis. Material for the newsletter shall come from coach reports, regular features, special articles, etc. d) Canteen Committee: a committee whose primary function is to organise the running of the canteen at all home games, from ordering and setting up of the canteen, to preparing a canteen roster of helpers. They shall also be responsible for ensuring that the club is adequately represented at all League run events. Once a month, all moneys raised, together with a balance sheet, will be handed to the Treasurer.
- 5 - e) Selection Committee: The selection committee shall be lead by the Head Coach and consist of coaches of all grades. The selection committee shall have discussions no later than the Wednesday prior to the commencement of a match and select members to comprise teams for the upcoming weekend's games. The Head Coach shall have the casting vote in any tied situation. 11) Club Awards a) Club awards are a reward for a member's efforts throughout the season. All statistical awards shall reflect the entire seasons play. i) Player of the week will be determined by the players and coaches back at the club's patron's facilities after the game. ii) Individual grade awards shall be based on statistics, with the final say being determined by the respective grade coaches. The awards are: (i) Batting (ii) Most Valuable Player (MVP) (iii) Coaches Award (optional - to be paid for by the coaches). iii) Statistical club awards will be determined by the selection committee and club executive. The awards are: (i) Club Batting (ii) Golden Glove (fielding award) (iii) Most Improved (iv) Rookie of the Year (v) Utility Player of the Year (vi) Player of the Year - 1st Grade b) Non-statistical club awards will be determined by the management committee. The awards are: 12) Players Code of Conduct (i) Clubman of the Year (ii) Neil "Tinker" Voller Award (trophy donated by Ken & Pam Ward) (iii) President's Trophy (solely by the President). a) Players are expected to dress in an appropriate way on arrival at each game. b) Players are expected to prepare themselves in a mental and physical way for each game. c) Players are to arrive at least one hour and fifteen minutes before game time. A Team Meeting will be held one hour before the start of the game. d) Players will speak in a positive way to all team members.
- 6 - e) Players will not make derogatory comments in any form to opposition players. f) Players are to limit conversation with Umpires. There is to be NO criticism or questioning of Umpires' decisions. g) Bats or helmets are NOT to be thrown. h) Any comments about team performance should be, made at Team Meetings, i) The use of bad language will not be tolerated. j) The consequences will be in the following order: i) Warning ii) 'Benching' iii) 'In team' suspension for one game iv) Suspension for a fixed period. k) Penalty for serious breaches will be decided by the Coaches and the team. 13) Allowances: a) An allowance will be made to Members of the Executive Committee for expenses during the forthcoming season. The amount of the allowance to be determined at the first General Meeting after the Annual General Meeting. b) An allowance will be made to the Head Coach for expenses during the forthcoming season. The amount of the allowance to be determined at the first General Meeting after the Annual General Meeting.