La Jolla Youth Baseball
(A Not-For-Profit Association)
ARTICLE I: Association Purpose and Philosophy
1. This association is designed to be the administrative body for recreational youth baseball leagues in La Jolla. It is designed to help young people develop into better adults through participation in organized, supervised recreation. It is designed to assist youngsters to learn to play and enjoy the game of baseball.
2. La Jolla Youth Baseball is not designed for a few highly skilled athletes but for as many players in the community as possible, who are sincerely interested in the game. It is desirable to make every attempt to include every player who registers, in order to give them an opportunity to determine their fondness for the game and to give them the chance to learn the basic skills the game requires.
3. It should be the policy of the association so to conduct its activities that the physical and moral welfare of the young people for whose benefit it is organized should remain paramount, and all matters of policy shall be determined on that basis.
4. In order to secure suitable and adequate financial backing to carry out the purpose of the association it shall be the policy of the association to permit only such sponsorship as is consistent with the purpose for which the association is organized and to select sponsors who are interested in the league solely or principally as a means of contributing to the welfare of the young people.
5. Player eligibility shall be determined by residence of the player within the geographic area of La Jolla Youth Baseball or have legitimate close ties with the La Jolla community. Preference will be given to players residing within the league's boundaries.
ARTICLE II: Members
1. Members of La Jolla Youth Baseball shall include the Board of Directors, current league officers, and current team managers, immediate past League Presidents, and prior board members who have served within the past three (3) years. Team managers shall be considered current until new managers for the next season are selected.
2. Meetings of Members:
(a) The annual meeting of members shall be held on such date as shall be fixed by the Board of Directors, usually during the summer after the conclusion of all tournaments. Special meetings of members may be held on such date or dates as may be fixed by the Board of Directors. Members of the association and other interested parties may attend association meetings.
(b) Annual or special meetings of members may be called by the Board of Directors. In the event that the board of directors receives a petition signed by twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the members calling for a special meeting of members, the board, upon receipt and verification of the notice, shall call for the appropriate meeting.
(c) Written notice stating the place, day, and hour of the meeting shall be given for all meetings. Such notice shall state the person or persons calling the meeting. Notice for an annual meeting shall state that the meeting is being called for the election of Board of Directors, and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting. Notices of special meeting shall state the purpose of purposes for which the meeting is being called. At any special meeting, only the business stated in the notice of meeting may be transacted thereat. Notice of meeting shall be given not less than ten (10) days before the date of the meeting.
(d) At every meeting of members, there shall be present a list or record of members. Such list shall be evidence of the right of the persons to vote at such meeting, and all persons who appear on such list or record may vote at such meeting.
3. At each annual meeting of members, the Board of Directors shall present an annual report. Such report shall be filed with the records of the association and entered in the minutes of the proceedings of such annual meeting of members.
4. Meetings of the members shall be presided over by the following officers, in order of seniority: the Chairman of the Board; Vice Chairman of the Board; Secretary; and, Treasurer. When the secretary is not available, the Chairman may appoint a secretary of the meeting.
The order of business at all meetings of members shall be as follows:
Roll call
Reading of the minutes of the preceding meeting
Report of any standing committees
League President's reports
Old business
New business
5. No member may authorize another person to act for him by proxy.
ARTICLE III: The Board of Directors
1. The Board of Directors shall be composed of seven (7) members at large and five (5) League Presidents. Only members at large shall be entitled to vote at board meetings. The Board of Directors may select from amongst their membership a Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer. A meeting of the Board of Directors may be called at any time by the Chairman or by any two board members.
2. New at-large members of the Board of Directors shall be selected by vote of all qualified association members at an annual meeting or by mail ballot. Should the number of at-large board members fall below six (6) due to death or resignation or removal, a new board member may be selected to complete the term of said member by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
3. The term for at-large board members shall be three (3) years and staggered so that either one or two new board members are selected each year. An at-large member is eligible for an indefinite number of new terms if so elected.
4. Individuals eligible for nomination for at-large board membership shall have demonstrated their interest and knowledge of La Jolla Youth Baseball by having served as a League President for at least one term or as team manager or official coach (as listed in the association records), or team mother for at least three (3) years and to have demonstrated a philosophy consistent with that of the philosophy described in Article I.
5. Nominations for at large board members may be made by any member of La Jolla Youth Baseball. Eligible nominees shall be voted on by secret ballot at the annual meeting of association members or by a mail ballot. The nominee(s) receiving the highest number of votes will be selected for the available position(s).
6. If fewer nominations are made than positions available, the existing Board of Directors may appoint board members to fill the available positions by a majority vote.
7. A board member may be removed from office by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the association members.
8. 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. This requires a majority vote of the Board of Directors.
9. The existing board members shall continue in office and perform their duties through the end of all tournament play and shall call a board meeting shortly after the conclusion of tournament play. The new board shall take office at an appropriate point during that meeting.
ARTICLE IV: Duties of the Board Members
1. The Chairman/President shall preside at all meetings of Board of Directors and shall serve as the chief executive officer of the league, shall be an ex-officio member of all standing and special committees and shall perform such other duties as are normally associated with the office of President.
2. The Vice Chairman/Vice President shall perform such duties as may be assigned by the President and shall otherwise assist the Chairman in the performance of the President's duties.
3. The Secretary shall have custody of the constitution and bylaws and all of the records of the league and shall keep an accurate record 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, and shall transmit all records and correspondence to any person elected or succeeding him or her in that office.
4. The Treasurer or his or her designated agent shall receive and disperse all funds with the approval of the Board of Directors; shall keep an accurate account of all funds received and dispersed by the league; shall submit a financial report at all regular meetings and at such other time as may be requested by the president; shall compile an annual report of league finances; shall provide the books of the league and such other documentation as requested for an annual audit; and, shall transmit all financial records to any person elected to succeed him or her in that office.
ARTICLE V: League structure
1. La Jolla Youth Baseball shall be structured into the following leagues:
Shetland League for ages four, five and six (4, 5 & 6);
Pinto League for ages seven and eight (7 & 8);
Mustang League for ages nine and ten (9 & 10);
Bronco League for ages eleven and twelve (11 & 12); and
Pony League for ages thirteen and fourteen (13 & 14).
Unless specified by the Board of Directors, La Jolla Pony Baseball Association shall follow the playing guidelines established by Pony Baseball, Inc.
2. Each league shall be headed by a League President. The term of the League President shall be one year. There is no limit to the number of terms that an individual may serve as League President. The Board of Directors shall appoint new League Presidents after appropriate input has been received from current League Presidents and team managers within that league. A League President can be removed from office by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of association members or by a majority vote of the board of directors.
3. Up to two Vice Presidents for each league may be named each year by the League President subject to the approval of the Board of Directors. League Vice Presidents shall assist in the management of the league and shall report to the League President. League Vice presidents are not precluded from managing a league team. It is not recommended that League Presidents manage league teams.
4. Duties of league officers:
(a) The President shall oversee the management of the league.
(b) The Vice President shall assist in the management of the league.
(c) League Presidents and Vice Presidents shall implement the format and policy for player selection and placement (draft) as set forth by the Board of Directors.
(d) League Presidents and Vice Presidents shall implement the format and policy for player evaluations as set forth by the Board of Directors.
5. Each league manager and league coach shall sign a code of ethics and conduct pledge.
6. A letter shall be provided to each parent or guardian prior to commencement of league play discussing acceptable fan conduct.
7. The President of each league may discipline a player and 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 of his or her decision. The player and his parents or guardian may appeal such decision to the board of directors.
8. Special committees may be appointed by a League President or by the Board of Directors for such special purposes as deemed necessary. Committee duties and responsibilities are to be outlined at the time of appointment.
ARTICLE VI: Tournament Teams
1. Each league will assemble at least one tournament team, with an option to assemble additional tournament teams at League President's discretion. The League President should submit the plan for teams that will play in tournaments to the Board of Directors for approval.
Selection of Tournament Team Manager And Coaches
2. After consultation with the current managers of their respective leagues, the League President will submit the name of the manager for each tournament team to the Board of Directors for approval. Tournament team managers will have the responsibility of selecting their own individual coaches, but these individuals must be approved by the League President. Each tournament team will have one manager, one coach and one business manager per Pony rules (one extra coach is permitted in Pinto). All individuals selected to act as team managers and coaches will serve in this capacity at the sole discretion of the La Jolla Youth Baseball Board of Directors.
Selection of Tournament Team Players
3. Prior to the Memorial Day tournament, each League President will schedule a meeting of all league managers. At the meeting, each manager will be given the opportunity to nominate and discuss players from his/her team for consideration. Managers may not vote for members of their own team. Each player nominated must fill out a form that includes all vacation plans and other commitments that will occur that could impact participation. This also includes an agreement to pay related expenses, as well as indicating whether the player lives in-district to play in the official PONY tournament. In addition, parents will be required to sign LJYB’s Code of Conduct.
4. PONY rules allow up to fifteen players on a roster. The exact number of players on the roster shall be at the discretion of the team manager, with approval by the League President. This also includes how the roster is made up with players that will participate in games or are reserves (i.e. "alternates") in case of injury or other absence. Traditionally, there have been 12-13 active players on a team.
(a) The first ten players on the team will be voted on by the league managers. (The League President, in conjunction with at least one Board Member, will verify the results of the selection process.
(b) The manager can then make additional selections to fill out the roster. If the manager does not wish to make selections, the rest of the roster can be populated with the players with the highest remaining vote tally.
If more than one tournament team will represent a league, this process should continue for subsequent teams.
In the event of an injury or the unavailability of a player selected to be on a tournament team prior to the official roster deadline for the PONY tournament, the manager may pick an additional player from the list of tournament team nominees. Any new addition must be approved by the League President.
Official PONY Tournament
5. Following the Memorial Day tournament, the League President, with the input of the tournament team managers, must reconsider the players that will make up each team, as well as how many teams will continue into the official PONY Tournament. This includes confirmation that each player meets eligibility standards as established by PONY Baseball.
Financial Commitment
6. All Star participation is a revenue neutral process for La Jolla Youth Baseball. Financial participation by the families of players funds All Star participation. As such, tournament team participation represents an additional cost for all participants. This includes tournament and other fees, as well as possible additional uniform expenses.
Suggested Tournament Team Selection Procedures
The manager for each team should be selected prior to the player selection meeting. A list of nominees should be submitted to, and compiled by, the League President prior to the selection meeting for ease of distribution, discussion, and voting at the meeting. This includes a listing of all vacation and other commitments that could interfere with participation. as well as confirmation of whether the individual lives in-district. After nomination and discussion of candidates, the league managers will then vote. Suggested mechanisms:
Each manager gives nominees a rank between 1 and 10. The top ten total scores are selected for the team. The team manager then selects his additional players, taking into account the vote tally of the remaining players. Managers may not vote for players on thie own team.
Each manager votes his top ten picks. The top ten players in total votes are selected to the team. The manager then selects his additional players, taking into account the vote tally of the remaining players.
Repeat this process for any subsequent teams, taking into account the vote tally of any individuals not selected for a previous team.
ARTICLE VII: Robert's Rules
1. The rules contained in the most current edition of "Robert's Rules of Order" shall govern association meetings and meetings of the board of directors and league committees in all cases in which they are applicable and not inconsistent with these bylaws.
ARTICLE VIII: Amendments
These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the board of directors.
ARTICLE IX: Insurance
La Jolla Youth Baseball is required to certify that accident insurance coverage is provided for all players, coaches, and managers. In addition, liability insurance coverage and accident insurance coverage should be provided for volunteer workers. A legal liability policy will provide league officials protection against damages from lawsuits arising from accidents or mishaps which may occur as a result of operations necessary or incidental to the conduct of La Jolla Youth Baseball activities.
BYLAWS
LA JOLLA YOUTH BASEBALL
(A Not-For-Profit Association)
