SEASIDE PONY BASEBALL CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS
CONSTITUTION
Article I: Name
This organization shall be known as Seaside Pony Baseball, a member of Pony Baseball, Inc. of Washington, Pennsylvania.
Article II: Objective
Seaside Pony Baseball seeks to “Protect Our Nation’s Youth” by implanting ideals of good sportsmanship, courage, obedience, loyalty, truth, and reverence; so that they may be finer, stronger and happier young people and grow to be good clean healthy adults. This objective will be reached by providing supervised competitive, athletic games. The supervisors shall bear in mind at all times that the attainment of exceptional skill or the winning of games is secondary and that the molding of future citizens is of prime importance.
Article III: Statement of Policy
Section 1…It shall be the policy of the League to conduct its activities so that the physical and moral welfare of the young people whose benefit is organized shall remain paramount and all matters of policy shall be determined on that basis.
Section 2…No person who a member is of or who is employed by or who is in any way connected with the League shall receive any personal financial benefit therefore beyond the reasonable value of the services in carrying out the purpose for which the League has been organized.
Section 3…In order to secure suitable and adequate financial backing to carry out the purpose of the League, it shall be the policy of the League to permit only such sponsorship as is consistent with the purpose for which the League is organized and to select sponsors who are interested in the League solely or principally as a means of contributing to the welfare of young people.
Section 4…It shall be the policy of the League to prohibit any direct advertising of alcoholic beverages or tobacco products in connection with the League or any of its programs.
Article IV: Purpose
The purpose of the leaguer shall be to organize and supervise the playing of baseball and softball under specialized rules and regulations, to secure suitable and adequate financial backing ofr these purposes, and to own, lease or otherwise provide suitable playing facilities and equipment for these purposes.
Article V: Membership
Volunteer adult leaders, parents or guardians of players, team sponsors and other contributors, managers, coaches, all elected officers and members of the Board of Directors, Committee people, and other interested adults shall be eligible for membership.
Article VI: Board of Directors
Section 1…The Board of Directors shall be those persons elected by the members of the League at the annual meeting for the terms and/or manner provided for in the Bylaws of the League.
Section 2…In recognition of the general powers of the Board of Directors exercised by virtue of their office, they shall have the power to purchase or otherwise acquire for the League any property, right or privilege which the League is authorized to acquire by the League Membership, at such price or consideration and upon such terms as the Board of Directors may deem expedient and as is approved by vote of the league membership; to appoint or remove or suspend subordinate agents or volunteers and to determine their duties and fix their salaries; to determine who shall be authorized, on behalf of the League, to sign bills, notices, receipts, acceptances, endorsements, checks, releases, contracts, and any other instruments; to delegate any of the powers of the Board of Directors to any standing committee, special committee or any officer or agent of the League, with any powers as the Board of Directors may see fit to grant and to generally do all such lawful acts and take actions as may be necessary and proper.
Article VII: Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Equipment Manger.
Article VIII: Government
Section 1…The government of the League shall be under the direct supervision of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors.
Section 2…All rules governing the playing of baseball, the legality of players, and related questions shall be in accordance with Local Rules as first priority, Rules and Regulations of PONY Baseball, Inc. as second priority, and third priority shall be given to the rules and regulations as specified in the current edition of the “Official Baseball Rules.”
Section 3…All rules governing the playing of softball, the legality of players and related questions shall be in accordance with the Local Rules as first priority, the rules and regulations of the “Central Coast Girls Softball League” as the second priority, an the current “Official A.S.A. Rules and Regulations” as third priority.
Article IX: Bylaws
Any Bylaws, not consistent with this Constitution, embodying additional provisions for the government of the corporation, shall be adopted and may be amended by the membership of the League.
Article X: Amendments
This Constitution, or any section thereof, may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors, providing written notice of such proposed changes are sent to each member of the Board of Directors at least ten days prior to the meeting at which the proposed changes shall be submitted to vote.
BYLAWS
Article I: Meetings and Voting
Section 1…The membership of the League shall hold an annual meeting between July 1st and September 30th. Notice of time and place of such annual meeting shall be made known to the membership of the League in the calendars handed out at registration.
Section 2…Special meetings of the League membership may be called by the President, or by three or more members of the Board of Directors.
Section 3…The presence of not less than 3 members eligible to vote shall be required to constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any special or annual meeting of the League.
Section 4…At each annual or special meeting of the League every eligible member present shall be entitled to vote. There shall be no proxy voting. A majority of those present and eligible to vote shall be required for election and questions brought to a vote.
Article II: Election of Officers
Section 1…At the meeting prior to the annual meeting, the Board of Directors shall nominate officers for the following term.
Section 2…The term of the office for all officers shall be one year, which will expire annually beginning the day following the annual meeting.
Section 3…All officers shall be eligible for re-election
Section 4…In the event of death, resignation, or inability to perform the duties of office for any reason, or any officer, the board of Directors, by majority vote of the entire Board, shall be empowered to select a replacement for such officers who shall serve until the following annual meeting. In case of illness, resignation or death of the President, the Vice President becomes President of the unexpired term. All other position s will remain unchanged.
Section 5…Any person with the desire to abide by and uphold the Leagues Constitution and Bylaws may be elected and/or appointed to any office of the Board of Directors.
Article III: Board of Directors
Section I…The Board of Directors shall include the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Equipment Manager and Player Representatives.
Section 2…The Board of Directors shall meet on a monthly basis within 60 days of the general meeting at such time and place determined by the President. Special meetings of the Board may be called by the President, or by three or more Members of the Board of Directors.
Section 3…The board of Directors shall have the authority to suspend, discharge or otherwise discipline any member, manager, coach, player, league official, umpire or other person whose conduct is considered detrimental to the best interest of the League.
Section 4…Any adult who is suspended, removed or otherwise disciplined by the Board of Directors shall have the right to appeal such action before a majority of the members of the Board of Directors at a regular or special meeting called for that purpose.
Section 5…League Player Representatives shall, upon evidence of misconduct of any player, notify the manager of the team of which the player is a member and the parents of any such player who is less than 18 years of age, within 24 hours of the act. The manager shall appear, in the capacity of an advisor, with the player before the League Player Representative, and a quorum of the Board of Directors, for consideration of appropriate action. The player’s parents or guardian shall be advised of an invited to attend such meeting.
Section 6…In the interest of maximum effectiveness, Board members shall strive for consistent attendance at all regularly scheduled meetings. These will be determined, by vote, at the first meeting of the elected Board in September. Any anticipated absences shall be communicated first to the President, the Vice President, or third to the Secretary. In the event of consecutive absences of regularly scheduled meetings, that member shall be asked to re-evaluate their intention to fulfill the term of their office. In the event of prolonged illness or inability to attend the meetings for personal reasons, that member shall provide a written notification to the Board specifying a date of when duties can be resumed, or the desire to resign due to inability to continue. Absences from committee meetings shall be treated separately with consideration of the number of meetings deemed necessary for that committee, distribution of responsibilities, and the urgency of the matter with which the committee is dealing.
Article IV: Financial Policy
Section 1…The Executive Committee of Board of Directors shall decide all matters pertaining to the finances of the league, bearing the responsibility to conduct the financial affairs of the league in a sound business like manner.
Section 2…To equalize the benefits of the League for all participating teams, solicitation of funds shall be for the treasure of the League. However, an individual or sponsor may choose to designate a team or league for its donation upon approval of the Board of Directors.
Section 3…The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors shall institute policy relative to the preparation and acceptance of an annual budget, and periodic and annual presentation of financial reports of the League.
Article V: Duties of Officers
Section 1…The President shall preside at all meetings of the League membership and at all meetings of the Board of Directors; shall serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the League; shall be the liaison between Seaside Pony Baseball and City of Seaside, establishing and maintaining a good relationship; shall oversee the guidelines and procedures for the Managers and Coaches; shall serve as the liaison of Player representatives; shall oversee All Star selections, including verifying residence requirements; supervise the functions of the various committees; coordinate an Awards Committee; see that the rules, policies and principles of Pony Baseball are carried out, and shall perform such other duties as are normally associated with the office of President. It shall also be the duty of the League President to attend, as the representative of the League, all area, district, region or zone meetings where the league needs to have representation and to serve as the CCS representative for softball.
Section 2…The Vice President shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the President; shall be an ex-officio member of all standing and special committees; shall present the League’s need to local service clubs; shall oversee field maintenance and safety; shall otherwise assist the President in the performance of the Presidents duties and shall preside at meetings in the absence of the president.
Section 3…The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of the meetings, including but not limited to, taking minutes, transcribing minutes and distributing minutes of the meetings and other activities of the league and the Board of Directors; shall be responsible for all correspondence on behalf of the League; shall work in conjunction with the Vice President on sponsorship request; shall be responsible for maintaining complete and accurate player registration records, birth certificates, team roster and All Star Records; shall send out registration forms to players from the previous season whose address is on file with registration dates, times and location; shall file the annual Pony membership applications and other such forms necessary and shall transmit all records and correspondence to any person elected to succeed him or her in that office.
Section 4…The Treasurer shall receive and disburse all funds with the approval of the Board of Directors; shall keep an accurate account of all funds received and disbursed for the League; shall submit a financial report at all regular meetings and at such other times shall provide the books of the League and such other documentation as requested for the annual audit; shall assist in the preparation of the League’s annual budget and shall transmit all financial records to any person elected to succeed him or her in that office.
Section 5…The Equipment Manager shall be responsible for maintaining the records in the distribution and collection of equipment of the Managers/Coaches of each respective team; shall be the contact source for questions pertaining to the loss and replacement of equipment, reporting directly to the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for decisions where purchases and repairs are requested; shall be responsible for the distribution of First Aid kits and safety rules to each Manager/Coach participating in the League; shall provide the City of Seaside’s Public Works and Parks departments with the schedule of all home games in order to have the fields prepped for play on weekday games; shall be responsible for establishing and maintaining the operation of the concession stands at fields where such can be operated; shall recruit necessary volunteers needed in the operation and oversee all meetings of each group responsible for a concession stand; shall be responsible for the ordering of all League and All Star uniforms.
Article VII: Duties of Board of Directors
Section 1…The Board of Directors shall assist in the annual registration of players, the tournaments, the tryout sessions, and the distribution of players in accordance with the Leagues Draft Rules;
Section 2…Player Representatives shall serve as the liaison between the Mangers and Coaches of the League level they represent, reporting directly to the League Director; shall be respected league liaisons for umpires and ensure umpires are scheduled; shall assist the Executive Committee with all duties listed in Article VII, Section 1.
Article VIII: Player Eligibility
Section 1…Legal age of players for the 2010 season will be:
BASEBALL
Shetland ages 5/6 eligible birthdates – May 1, 2003 to April 30, 2005
Pinto ages 7/8 eligible birthdates – May 1, 2001 to April 30, 2003
Mustang ages 10 & under – May 1, 1999 to April 30, 2001
Bronco ages 12 & under – May 1, 1997 to April 30, 1999
Pony ages 14 & under – May 1, 1995 to April 31, 1997
SOFTBALL
Pre-Rookie ages 7/8 – 8 and under by December 31, 2001
Rookie ages 9/10 – 10 and under by December 31, 1999
Minors ages 11/12 – 12 and under by December 31, 1997
Majors ages 13/14 – 14 and under by December 31, 1995
Section 2…Dates of birth of participants shall be certified by birth certificates, hospital certificates, baptismal certificates, or equivalent religious or legal documents which shall be presented to a league officer on the date of registration.
Section 3…Players of proper age, whose residences determined by the principle place of residence of their parents, parent, or legal guardian, and started with Seaside Pony Baseball at any level are eligible, in case of a change of residence status out of our boundaries during the season, such a player will remain as “legal” player but will not be considered eligible for tournament play.
Section 4…A player who, having participated in the Seaside Pony Baseball from the onset of the playing experience but now has as his permanent residence outside the Seaside Pony Baseball boundaries, wishing to continue with this program, shall be considered a “legal” player for regular season play only and will not be eligible for tournament play.
Section 5…Playing “Travel” baseball or softball during league is permitted. Any player who is carried on a team roster outside of Seaside Pony Baseball or Softball during the season will be considered an eligible player as long as they have played regular season with Seaside Pony Baseball/Softball.
Article IX: Procedures of Application for Coaches and Managers
Section 1…All interested persons of these positions must be present at a designated General Meeting at which time the Guidelines for Coaches and Managers will be presented to them by the Board of Directors. Application to participate in these capacities must be accompanied by a signed agreement acknowledging acceptance of said Guidelines. Assignment of a team will not be made unless the above stated agreement has been signed.
Section 2…Acceptance to these positions will be acknowledged by a formal announcement at a regular scheduled meeting of the Board of Directors.
Article X: League Draft Rules
Section 1…Order of Draft; last season’s last place team gets first pick of drafting players, with all other teams in descending order to finish. If there is an increase in registered players and additional teams have to be added to the league, the teams added will be allowed to “even up” from the draft pool to the minimum number of second year players and will then draft first. If two or more teams are added the order used to draft will be determined by a coin toss. If there is a decrease in registered players of the disbanded teams will be placed in a hat and drawn before the draft order until all players have been placed and teams have an equal amount of second year players.
Section 2…Returning Players; all managers will receive a list of players who have registered and will return to the teams they played on in the previous season. All returning second year players (including declared players) will determine the number of second year players that a team will draft. Managers and coaches should declare returning players from their team who have not signed up, if they know they will return to the team before the draft begins. If the Manager does not declare a player, the player will be placed on a waiting list and will be assigned to the same team following draft order. This player is not allowed on playing fields until proper registration forms and fees have been filed with the league. No player is eligible to return to the draft under any circumstances.
Section 3…Households; Players who reside in the same household will be considered two draft picks. The first player will be drafted in a round and the second player will be rated by all the managers to determine the draft round in which the second player is to be placed on the first player’s team. It is extremely important to check with parents to see if children from the same household are to be placed on the same team. They must be placed on the same team if parents request. Definition of players who reside in the same household include brother, stepbrother, sister, stepsister or cousin.
Section 4…Summary of Draft Procedures; the draft pool and team roster will be provided to each Manager prior to the draft. The Manager is required to declare all unregistered second year players prior to the draft so that a determination can be made on how many second year players can be drafted to each team. Manager’s and Coach’s children who are new to the division are rated by the division’s managers. The rating will then determine what draft round the manager’s and coach’s players will be chosen in. Drafting begins with the first pick from the previous season’s last place team (unless an expansion team is added to the division as discussed above) and continues in descending order of the league finish until the fourth round. During the fourth round teams must even up the second year players. There is a minimum of eleven players on a team with a maximum of fifteen. The remainder of players will go on a waiting list; to be used is draft order to fill a team to the maximum. An unregistered second year player who was not declared at the draft and registers late must return to the same team. If the returning player’s team has more players than other teams in the leagues the late registrar will be placed on a waiting list until their returning team’s draft order turn.
Article XI: Amendment
These Bylaws or any section thereof may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the quorum of the Board of Directors providing written notice of such proposed changes is sent to each member at least ten days prior to the meeting at which the proposed change(s) shall be submitted to vote.