Wilbraham Hampden Softball Corp Bylaws
Section 1 Board of Director’s Vision
In conjunction with the objective of the WHSC Constitution Sec 1 and 2, the board of director’s vision for success is to communicate to the children of our community the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage, hard work, and respect. To those ends, we are committed to coaching proper fundamentals and fostering competitive playing opportunities for all skill levels. We will create an enjoyable, high-energy, safe, and supportive environment so that each child is given the chance to develop, progress, and grow. We strive to teach game and life skills while building lasting relationships with good friends.
Section 2 Operational Procedures
Each local Little League Board of Directors (Board) should adopt its own Bylaws (also referred to as Local Rules or Ground Rules). For the purposes of this document, all further reference shall be as "Bylaws."
This document expires at the end of the fiscal year (August 31), and must be renewed by a majority vote of the Board annually. The renewal of the Bylaws should take place prior to player registration. Changes to this document require only Board consent, without the need of the general membership’s approval; however, no changes are to be made by the board to the Bylaws after January 31st of the upcoming season. No part of the Bylaws can conflict with or supersede any Little League rule, regulation, or policy. The Board retains the right to review and modify, by majority vote, these bylaws, if it is determined mid-season a modification would be in the best interest of the league.
Abbreviations: WHSC = Wilbraham Hampden Softball Corp
1. Insurance
The League will apply for the standard insurance from Little League International each year.
The league will apply for protection from theft (crime insurance policy).All children who play Little League softball, as well as adults who serve as managers (maximum of 1 per team), coaches (maximum of 2 per team), designated parents who assist with practices and have been approved by the Board, umpires, official scorekeepers, Player Agents and Safety Officers are covered by Little League accident insurance. This insurance covers eligible participants while traveling directly, without delay, to and from the field as well as during practice sessions and games, as well as other authorized league activities. Accident insurance coverage does not begin until after the league has submitted its charter and insurance application for the season.
2. Player Registration
The League will begin conducting online player registration in the month of January. All registration dates will be decided on by December 1st. Registration dates will be advertised in the community (i.e. in newspaper announcements, street signs, and on the league website) starting in December. Individual player registration documents (i.e. proof of residency documents and registration forms) will be maintained in the online player’s profile. Copies of birth certificates and all-star documents will be kept by the league until the player is no longer playing.
3. Player Divisions
Tee-Ball (Grades K and 1) players must meet the grade or age requirement of 5-6 years old as determined by the Little League age chart.
U-8 (Grades 2-3) players must meet the grade or age requirement of 7-8 years old as determined by the Little League age chart. 6 year olds who have at least 1 year of Tee Ball experience and have advanced skills may be considered for this division.
U-10 Minors (Grades 3-5) players must meet the grade or age requirement of 9-10 as determined by the Little League age chart.
U-12 Majors (Grades 5-6) players must meet the grade or age requirement of 11-12 as determined by the Little League age chart.
U-14 Juniors (Grades 7-8) players must meet the grade or age requirement of 13-14 as determined by the Little League age chart.
Players will enroll based on their age or grade level. Players that would like to play in a higher division are welcome to attend evaluations but your placement will be based on skill, preparedness to play at that level and available spots. Players that wish to remain with their Manager but do not meet the age requirement for the higher division will be evaluated to ensure that their skill level is appropriate to play at that level.
4.Selection of Managers
In November, the Coaching Coordinator will reach out to the WHSC Softball Community to solicit managers for the upcoming season. The number of committed managers will help determine whether we need to cap registration. Prospective managers will meet with the Coaching Coordinator in November to go over expectations, training requirements and the draft process.
5. Selection of Coaches
The manager of each team shall nominate up to 2 coaches to assist with practices, games, and other team functions. Coaches must have submitted a completed volunteer application form and passed a background check.
6.Manager/Coach Information
Managers and coaches will abide by the rules of the Little League Code of Conduct. Those who violate these rules will face disciplinary actions. It is possible for a coach or manager to be removed after the first offense. Each Manager and Coach will be responsible for the following:
Safety of team members.
Sportsmanship of players, coaches, and parents.
Making Little League an enjoyable experience for all team players.
Instruction of the fundamentals of softball.
Ensure that all players meet minimum playing requirements.
Supply help to prepare the field at all games.
Provide official scorekeeper when home team.
Clean up fields, dugouts, and bleacher areas after games.
Become familiar with the rulebook and its intent.
Take care of equipment and uniforms.
Provide (2) game balls when home team.
Have a parent meeting prior to start of season.
Have medical releases available during all team functions including games and practices.
Do not allow winning to be more important than the development of each player.
Instill the Little League philosophy.
Participate in all league functions, including fundraising and work details.
Be responsible for your own behavior at all league activities.
Promptly return equipment in good order to the designated Board member at the end of the season.
Abide by all District 2 Little League Rules and Regulations.
Have fun.
Provide the following information, as provided by the Board of Directors for the purposes of continuity and compliance with Little League International policies, to each player’s parents, preferably in a team meeting prior to the start of practices:
- Give practice place and times, discuss game day procedures
Discuss your goals as a manager for the team
Discuss your method of discipline, and league rules regarding game discipline
Explain minimum playing time, and pitching rules
Distribute game schedules
Assign team parent responsibilities
Give name, e-mail address, and telephone number of League Player Agent
Explain parent conduct/responsibilities, including conduct at games
Explain Little League insurance
Go over the general rules for your division
Review all-stars and tournament play procedures (Minors & above)
- Share League calendar of events, and team website
Evaluations
Any player that is entering the draft must attend a League sponsored evaluation. Prior to evaluations, the Player Agent will make a list showing the names and division of each player. Evaluations will be conducted at least 3 weeks prior to the beginning of the season, as determined by the Board. All Manager Candidates must attend evaluations, or have a stand-in to evaluate players. During the evaluations, each player will:
Each skill will be graded by independent evaluators appointed by the Board. Results of evaluations will be organized by the Player Agent and made available to managers to assist with improving competitive balance during player selection at the draft.
8.Draft – (Under Little League Option 2)
Returning Managers reserve the right to:
Retain Previous Team: Coaches can keep their existing team, retaining players who still qualify or evaluate for their age group. Players who no longer qualify will enter the draft pool.
Draft Pool: The draft pool consists of all players not retained in an age group, or those who request to be added back to the draft by a parent, as well as new players joining the division.
The minimum number of players on a roster is 6 for Tee Ball, 10 for u-8, 11 for Minors and above. In no case shall there be more than 14 players assigned to a team. If more than 14 players need to be assigned to a team, then an additional team should be drafted, provided there are enough total players to ensure a minimum of 10 players per team in that division. Only managers and player agent are permitted at the draft, unless otherwise agreed upon by the board.
9. Equipment Management
An inventory of equipment will be maintained at all times. The Board members responsible for equipment and uniforms will determine a budget needed at the beginning of the fiscal year, and present it to the Board for approval. The Board members responsible for equipment will schedule time for all managers to pick up their equipment at the beginning of the season and return them after the season has completed
10. All-Star Manager/Coach Selection
The Coaching Coordinator will collect submissions to manage an all-star team, and then provide to the Board for a majority vote. The Board may request manager candidates to present in front of the board, prior to the vote. Any all-star manager candidate, who is a member of the Board, will excuse themselves from the vote for the All-Star manager position in which they are requesting. The All-star Coaches for each division will be selected by the Manager. All coaches must be approved by a majority vote of the Board. The managers will be selected based on the following traits:
Attitude
Fairness
Teamwork
Sportsmanship
Coaching and organizational ability
Game knowledge
Coaching philosophy
All-Star Player Selection
The goal of WHSC Little League is to field the most competitive team in each Division.
All eligible players will be notified a minimum of two weeks prior to the start of the All-Star selection process. Softball players are eligible for u10, u12, and u14 All-Star teams, depending on their league age. Players and parents must sign the All-Star commitment form, before being placed on a ballot. The All-Star team for each division will consist of 12 to 14 players. All-Star ballots will be generated by the Post Season Play Coordinator. The ballot will include players name, team name, league age, and division they played in. The ballot will be drawn listing all eligible players by division. A player must have played in 75 percent of League games to be eligible. Voting will be conducted no later than the first week of June. Managers and coaches of record will vote. The Player agent will meet with all managers and coaches from all teams in the All-Star eligible divisions, to discuss eligible player candidacy. Meetings will take place midseason. Managers should nominate, for discussion and closer evaluation, those players from their respective team most appropriate for selection to the All Star Team. Managers will be responsible for making sure their teams are aware of which players played up a division. After all player votes are counted, the all-star teams will be finalized through a meeting with the Post Season Play Coordinator and the managers and coaches of record for the season, within the applicable divisions. Teams will be built in sequential order, starting with the highest level team.
The following criteria will be used to define the strategy for All-Star selections once the voting is completed:
The objective is to fairly, and impartially select the most skilled and competitive team possible for tournament play at each division
The most highly skilled players, as evidenced by the players’ performance during the season
Availability of the players and his/her families to meet the time commitments, and obligations required of All-Stars
Any other factors that may, in the manager’s judgment, reflect upon the candidate’s fitness and ability to play on an All-Star team
The Board has the discretion to review the overall skill levels within each division or age group, to determine the best strategy for filling each All-Star team
Each All-Star team will be determined based on the following selection criteria:
The u14 All-Star team will be completed first from among eligible players from the u14 Divisions,
Following the selection of the u14 division All-Star team, the u12 division All-Star team will be completed next from among eligible players from the Majors or Senior divisions (age eligible)
u10 All-Star team will be completed from among eligible players from the u12(age eligible) and u10 division
After the teams have been determined, the All-Star manager for each team will nominate up to 2 coaches to be approved by the Board.
Operation of Website
The league shall maintain a website to be updated on a regular basis. At a minimum, information to be posted on the website should include:
League address
List of Board members and contact information
Rainout instructions – contact your player’s coach
Emergency contact – contact your player’s coach
Player registration information
Instructions on how to volunteer
Copy of the League Constitution, Bylaws & Charter
Fundraiser information, if a league fundraiser will be conducted
Calendar of league events
Little League forms
Game schedules
Field locations
Recognition of sponsors
The league may also maintain a presence and participate in other social media services such as Facebook and Instagram. These services should be used to communicate and interact with league members and families for the purpose of communicating league events, and pertinent information about the league.
Local League Rules
All games will be played in accordance with the current season’s Little League International Official Regulations and Playing Rules. For interleague games, the current District 2 interleague rules will apply.