Except to the extent modified herein, Redmond West Little League (RWLL) will operate in accordance with the Official Little League Regulations and Playing Rules. These rules are effective on and after January 4, 1999, unless amended by the Board of Directors or modified by action of Little League Baseball, Inc. Redmond West Little League is governed by regulations listed by priority as follows:

Little League Baseball Official Regulations and Playing Rules

Little League Operating Manual

District 9 Administrator's Interpretations and Rules

RWLL Local League Rules and Regulations

No rule or policy may be passed by RWLL which is in direct conflict with rules and regulations contained in publications of a higher priority.

All rules, policies, and procedures are subject to interpretation of the intent of the rule by the Board of Directors.

Proposed changes to these rules and regulations for the following season must be submitted in writing to RWLL by November 30. Board approved rule/regulation changes shall be effective no later than March 1 (playing rules may not be revised after March 1 for the upcoming season).

I. PRESIDENT DUTIES

Fall

The President shall insure that the District Administrator ("DA") receives a list of the current Board Members/Officers, the League's Charter and Insurance Application, Boundary Changes, Articles of Incorporation and Bylaw revisions (or notification of no change), the League's Financial Statement, a copy of IRS 990, Minutes, the League's District Assessment, request for fund-raiser (if having one) and a request for adult pitch at the Slugger level.

Winter

The President shall insure that the District Administrator receives a copy of approved rule changes, numbers of teams at each level, rosters of all teams, Player Waiver requests, a copy of the playing schedule, a copy of the Non-Profit Corporate Annual Report, and a request for city playoffs (if applicable). IN ADDITION, THE PRESIDENT SHALL INSURE that sufficient rulebooks are ordered for Managers, Scorekeepers and Umpires.

Spring

The President shall insure all-star pins and hats and "12 year old recognition gifts" are ordered. Confirm that all post-season Tournament Teams’ Managers and the Coast Invitational Manager are aware of meetings and have necessary balls and equipment. Assure that Umpires are available for Coast tournament. Send roster of newly-elected Board Members to District. Insure final team standings are recorded in the Minutes. Insure youth Umpires receive an honorarium.

II. BOARD DUTIES

Fall

A. Per RWLL Bylaws, a Rules Committee shall be appointed to review the rules and consider proposed changes. The Rules Committee shall present recommended changes to the Board no later than December 31. No "playing" rule change shall be allowed after March 1.

B. Each Board Member/Chairperson shall maintain a notebook containing information relevant to his/her position. This notebook shall be considered the property of RWLL and shall be turned over to the Board Elect prior to September 30.

C. A Board Member/Chairperson who is allotted a budget shall not exceed his/her budget without permission from the Board. Excess expenditures, which do not have Board approval, may be considered donations to RWLL.

D. The Board shall set participation and membership fees prior to November 30. Full refunds shall be made available to Players who resign from the League prior to two weeks after the League's first scheduled practice. 50% refunds shall be made available to Players who resign prior to two weeks after the League's first scheduled game.

E. The Board shall work with the schools, Parks Department, and other community agencies to coordinate dates and locations for registration, tryouts, drafts, General Meetings, training sessions (coach, umpire, score keeping, field prep), practices, games, and things of this nature. Care should be taken when selecting dates that the date chosen is not in conflict with major community events such as Voting, Outdoor Ed, Super Bowl Sunday, Hartman Work Day and other events of this nature.

F. Use of Lake Washington School facilities requires obtaining a School Use Permit from the building involved. Facilities may not be reserved unless the League has proper insurance. "Extras" such as tables, chairs, bleachers up or down, drop cloth up or down (in the gym), etc., must be specifically stated on the permit. The League official in charge of the event must insure that the School Use Permit is available for inspection at the event.

G. A calendar of events shall be developed allowing for adequate time between notice of registration dates, registration, setting of number of teams and number of Players per team, tryouts and assessments, drafts, the first day of practice, and the first game.

H. The Board shall establish a date by which the number of teams to be formed shall be set. This date should not be any earlier than two weeks after the last official date of registration nor any later than one week prior to the first Majors tryout date. The number of teams and the maximum number of Players to be carried on a team shall be determined by a 2:1 ratio of Minors to Majors teams.

Winter

A. The Board shall appoint a safety officer who shall become familiar with and assist the League with following National Little League safety guidelines with respect to fields, equipment, practice techniques, etc., as outlined in the "PLAY IT SAFE" pamphlet and other League publications.

B. The Board shall insure that aggressive steps are taken to obtain volunteer umpires, scorekeepers, and coaches. A list of volunteers shall be made available to the Managers prior to formation of teams.

C. The Board shall review the Manager Commitment Form with all Managers and obtain signed commitments and record checks.

D. The Board shall take steps to insure that equipment and uniforms will be ready for distribution on a timely basis. In addition, it shall determine that adequate training opportunities are available for Managers/Coaches, Umpires, Scorekeepers, Field Prepares, and Fund-raising Reps. The Board shall also insure that RWLL is following through on its joint league responsibility with other Redmond leagues (Concession Stand or Hartman Park Operations). Practice fields shall be divided in such manner as to be fair to all teams within a level, a playing schedule shall be prepared, and a date shall be set for team pictures.

E. The Board shall set the number of games for each level of play and shall define the method for determining end of season standings. Particular attention shall be paid to the steps for breaking ties and the issue regarding whether or not end of season rainout games shall be played if standings are not affected. FORMAT INFORMATION SHALL BE SUBMITTED IN WRITTEN FORM TO EACH MANAGER WHO SHALL THEN BE RESPONSIBLE FOR INSURING THAT EACH TEAM MEMBER IS AWARE OF THE FORMAT.

F. “The Board shall schedule a mandatory Orientation for all Majors and Minors Managers and Coaches. The Orientation shall include, Manager selection results, introduction of Board Members, review of Rules and Regulations, projected number of teams, number of games, additional training clinics, etc. Slugger and T-Ball Managers Orientation shall be scheduled following team formations.”

Spring

The Board shall aggressively seek candidates to fill Board and chairperson positions for the following season and shall insure that the membership receives notification of election dates.

III. MANAGER COMMITTEE DUTIES

A. The Committee shall gather Manager/Coach applications received over the Summer and early Fall. In addition it shall take possession of Player/Parent generated Manager/Coach evaluation forms. Should there not be enough applicants to fill the anticipated number of teams, the Committee shall take steps to encourage further applications.

1. The Committee shall review the evaluations and applications and shall solicit verbal evaluations from a representative number of team members, parents, Complex Managers, Umpires, and other appropriate individuals. In addition the Committee should interview the Manager candidates.

2. The Committee shall assess all new and returning candidates on their ability to teach baseball and good sportsmanship, on their interpersonal skills both on and off the field, on their willingness to actively support RWLL and on their knowledge of baseball. The Committee shall make a determination regarding whether the candidate is qualified.

3. The Committee shall review the list of potential Managers and Coaches with the Player Agent prior to final selection to assure that giving the prospective Manager/Coach a team assignment would not cause his/her child-Player to be “held-down.” All Players, whether their Parents are Managers or Coaches, are to play at the highest level (Majors, Coast, AAA) appropriate to the Player’s age and talent. (see Section One, IV, B, 1.)”

B. Appointment and approval of all returning and new Managers and Coaches are the responsibility of the President and the Board. The Committee should recommend assignment of Majors Managers based on the following guidelines.

1. Generally, there shall be a complete redraft of Majors teams. In such case, Managers shall

assigned as follows: [1998 RWLL]

a. A returning qualified Majors Manager who so wishes shall be given a team.

b. If there are more teams than returning Majors Managers, a returning qualified Majors

Coach who so wishes shall be given a team.

c. Once assignments have been made under a. and b., the remaining qualified, Board-approved candidates with existing Majors relationships shall be assigned teams by qualifications as determined by the Manager Selection committee. [2001 RWLL]

d. Should any teams remain unassigned after placing qualified candidates with an existing Majors relationship, assignments shall be by qualifications as determined by the Manager Selection committee from the qualified, Board-approved candidates with no existing Majors relationship. [2001 RWLL]

(4) Should any teams remain unassigned after placing qualified candidates with an existing Majors relationship, then assignments shall be by qualifications as determined by the Manager Selection committee from the qualified, Board-approved candidates with no existing Majors relationship.

2. If it is determined that there shall be no call for a complete redraft.

a. A returning qualified Majors Manager who so wishes shall be returned to his/her Majors assignment.

b. Teams with no returning Manager shall be assigned Managers from the pool of qualified candidates as follows:

(1) A qualified, Board-approved candidate who is the only candidate to have an existing relationship with a Majors team and who so wishes shall be assigned to that team.

(2) In situations where two or more qualified, Board-approved candidates have existing relationships with the same Majors team, the Committee may determine if there is a volunteer(s) to switch teams. Should candidate(s) be willing to switch, the remaining candidate shall be assigned to the team.

(3) Once assignments have been made under a, b(1) and b(2), the remaining qualified, Board-approved candidates with existing Majors relationships shall be assigned teams by qualifications as determined by the Manager Selection committee. [2001 RWLL]

3. If there is an unanticipated decrease in the number of teams after the Managers have been appointed, the Board shall first ask for a Manager to volunteer to step down. If there are no volunteers, then the Board shall look first to eliminate a newly appointed Manager with no direct Majors affiliation. If there is more than one Manager in this category then those Managers' names shall be placed in a hat and a name shall be randomly drawn. If all Managers have a direct Majors relationship, the Board shall select randomly from those qualified candidates who did not manage a Majors team the prior season. If all Managers are returning Managers, then one of their names shall be drawn randomly to be eliminated. The above notwithstanding, the Manager Committee may, based on parent-evaluations and any other material information, select a specific Manager for removal.

C. Members of the Manager Committee shall work with the Player Agent and Umpires to review and resolve parent/player/manager/coach conflicts. The Committee shall make recommendations to the Board regarding disciplinary action.

D. Should a Manager resign during the course of the season the Committee shall recommend a replacement to the President for appointment and to the Board for approval.

E. The Manager Committee, along with the President, Chief Umpire and Player Agent, shall conduct the process of selecting the Manager and Coach(es) of the Majors’ All Star Team (see, Sect Three, XXI, C). [1996 RWLL]

F. Before the conclusion of the season the Committee shall distribute, collect and turn over to the new Board:

1. Manager/Coach Evaluations from all Parents of all Teams at the Slugger through Majors levels.

2. Manager/Coach application forms from all interested prospective Managers and Coaches (Applications shall be solicited from current Managers/Coaches as well as other interested Parents.

IV. PLAYER AGENT AND REGISTRAR DUTIES

The Registrar and the Player Agent shall both be under the supervision of the 1st Vice President. The primary responsibility of the Registrar is to conduct the entire registration process, from the initial public announcements to the actual league sign-ups. The objective is to encourage as many children to register for Little League as possible. The primary role of the Player Agent is as the “Players Advocate”. The Player Agent oversees the formation of teams at all levels and assures that the children play baseball in a nurturing and positive environment. [1997 RWLL]

A. The Board shall insure that the Player Agent has given adequate notice regarding registration. A minimum of two registration dates should be set, about a week apart and not on the same day of the week. Inadequate advertisement results in late registrants which delays setting the number of teams.

Flyers and mailings should include boundaries, fee or donation information, and specific information regarding acceptable proof of birth documentation. New Players, those trying out for Majors, and those who do not have acceptable proof of birth on file must bring it to registration or tryouts.

1. Current members should be notified by mail.

2. Local schools (public and private) should be contacted in October regarding possibility of placing registration information in newsletters.

3. Two flyers should be sent home at each public school (about two weeks apart). Different schools have different days they send flyers home. The Lake Washington School District must approve all flyers before schools will mail them to the student’s homes (clip flyers in packs of 30 -- one pack for each class).

4. Call current members who do not re-register by mail.

5. Call Eastside Journal and TCI regarding placing information in calendar/public access (do this at least three weeks in advance of when it is to appear).

B. The following information must be given to potential applicants either by mail (for returning Players) or at registration.

1. All Players ages 9-12 shall attend the Tryouts/Player Assessments and shall be evaluated for selection to the highest appropriate level as indicated in the general guidelines below. Whether to place a Player in AAA, Coast or Majors shall be determined after consideration of the Player’s evaluation at the League’s Tryouts/Player Assessments, review of the Player’s evaluation by the Manager of the team he/she played for the previous year and, ultimately, by his/her actual selection in the League’s Draft process.

Parents who want their sons/daughters to play at a specific level must contact the Player Agent personally prior to the scheduled Tryouts/Player Assessments to receive further instructions regarding procedures to follow to be allowed an exception. Because Little League rules expressly do not allow coaches or parents to “hold-down” Players (e.g., arbitrarily placing an 11-year old at Coast or a 10-year old at AAA) such exceptions will be allowed only in extraordinary circumstances.

[1998 RWLL]

Player Agent Age Guidelines [1998 RWLL]

Level	Player’s Little League Age* (*Age as of July 31 of current playing season)
T-Ball (hit off Tee)	5 , 6 and 7-year olds (first year players)
Sluggers (Coach-pitch)	7 and 8-year olds
AAA - “Minors”	8, 9 and 10-year olds (8s only if slots available)
Coast - “Minors”	8, 9, 10, 11 and 12-year olds (8s and 9s are discouraged)
Majors	10, 11 and 12-year olds (10s are discouraged)

· 5 and 6-year olds must play T-Ball. [1998 RWLL]

· 7-year olds may play T-Ball or Sluggers (2nd year Players strongly encouraged to play Sluggers.)

· 8-year olds may be considered for AAA or Coast, but they must attend the Tryouts/Player Assessments, there must be “slots available” for 8-year olds at Minors, and they must be drafted to a Minors team. Exceptional 8-year olds may try out for Coast but should be discouraged if they do not have AAA experience. [1998 RWLL]

· 9 year olds must play at AAA. Exceptions: 1) in well-documented cases in which medical or other safety reasons, make Sluggers a more appropriate choice. 2) exceptional 9-year olds may try out for Coast but should be discouraged if they do not have AAA experience.

· 10-year olds play at Coast. Those not drafted to a Coast team are placed in the AAA pool and are then drafted to AAA teams. Exceptional 10-year olds may tryout for Majors, but are strongly discouraged from doing so.

· 11-year olds and 12-year olds are automatically considered candidates for Majors. Those who are not drafted to Majors teams are placed in the Coast pool and are then drafted to Coast teams. An 11-year old who wants to play AAA may do so only after participating in the “Minors’ Assessments”, and only if all Coast managers agree that he/she should be considered a AAA Player (this is only for an exceptionally “weak” Player and/or where medical or other safety reasons dictate such.)

2. Parents shall be notified that the League shall make no attempt to consider family relations with respect to Team assignments unless specifically requested in writing. The League shall consider special circumstances, but makes no guarantees regarding placement (T-Ball and Sluggers Players may list one or two friends with whom they would like to play.

3. Adequate notice must be given regarding tryout opportunities for Majors Players. Majors Candidates must be notified that they must try out to be considered. If attendance is not possible, then the Player must notify the Player Agent. With Board approval, attendance at tryouts may be waived.

4. Players must receive a written description of the League’s “move-up” policy, including notification that if they are not initially placed on a Majors roster and an opening subsequently occurs, then the Majors Manager may choose as a replacement any Player from those who tried out. That Player will be reassigned to the Majors team in question. THE PLAYER SHALL NOT BE INFORMED OF WHICH TEAM HAS REQUESTED THEIR MOVE-UP; SHOULD THE PLAYER DECLINE, THEN THE PLAYER will have no further opportunity to play Majors that season (including playoffs). [1997 LL]

5. Only in the unusual case where there is to be no Majors redraft will Majors Players be automatically reassigned to their former Majors team. Generally there will be a complete redraft of Majors teams each year and Players will be notified that they must try out for placement at the Majors level (except as in Paragraph 3 above). All returning Majors Players must be guaranteed a spot on a Majors team in the upcoming season. [1998 RWLL]

6. Majors Players shall be provided a written description of the League’s “Player Release Policy”. [1997 RWLL]

7. The Player Agent shall notify Minor level candidates of the date and time of "Minor Assessment" night.

8. The Player Agent shall notify all parents/guardians that by registering their Player they are automatically members of the League and as such are expected to adhere to the rules of the League, clean up the area around the bleachers at the conclusion of their games and actively volunteer in at least one other capacity.

9. Parents shall be notified that Players who miss three consecutive practices in the preseason without notifying the Manager may be dropped from the roster. Players missing three consecutive games and/or practices during the regular season without notifying the Manager may also be dropped from the roster.

C. The Player Agent shall gather requests for release from Majors teams for investigation and process these requests as outlined in Section II. X, “Majors Release Policy.”

D. The Player Agent may, in EXCEPTIONAL CASES, consider a Player's request to not be drafted by a certain team or Manager. If the situation warrants, the Player Agent shall privately notify the Manager of the Player's request. Such notification shall occur at the draft. A parent may make a single request that a manager or coach not draft their child, only if that player played for that manager or coach in the past. Both the player agent and the president must approve any exception. [2000 RWLL]

E. After the last scheduled registration date and after attempts have been made to contact any non-registered Majors Player, the Player Agent shall release in writing all non-registered Majors Players, mailing such notification to the last recorded address "return receipt requested."

F. The Player Agent shall oversee TRYOUTS, MINOR ASSESSMENTS AND FORMATIONS OF TEAMS.

G. Player concerns shall be directed to the Player Agent. The Player Agent shall first encourage the parties involved to try to work through the problem. If this is not feasible then the Player Agent may make attempts to mitigate the problem and may solicit assistance from the Manager Committee. The Player Agent must notify the Board if the problem involves a rule violation.

H. The Player Agent shall determine whether it is appropriate to release Players once listed on a roster. Players, so released, shall be released in writing to the last known address, return receipt requested. The Player Agent shall determine if a replacement Player is necessary, and if so, oversee the replacement process.

I. The Player Agent and the President shall oversee selection of the Tournament Teams and selection of all Tournament Teams Managers and Coaches (the selection process shall be conducted by the Manager Committee). [1997 RWLL]

J. The Player Agent shall obtain from each Manager a rating/ranking form for all 8-11 year old Players. These evaluation forms shall be turned over to the new Player Agent, shall NOT be photocopi