Table of Contents

Bye-Laws of Baseball Ireland
1 Preamble
2 Definitions
3 Challenging and Changing the Bye-Laws
3.1 Constitutionality Challenges
3.2 Extraordinary General Meetings
4 National Executive Committee
4.1 Special Officers on the NEC
4.2 The Budget
4.3 The Registration Process
4.3.1 Clubs and Teams
4.3.2 Players
4.3.3 Club officials
4.3.4 Baseball Ireland Officials
4.3.5 Associate Members
5 Club & Team Formation / Organization
5.1 Responsibilities
6 League Formation / Organization
6.1 League Schedule
6.2 League Champions
6.3 Player Rosters, Allocations& Transfers
6.3.1 Team Rosters & Floating Players
6.3.1.1 Floating Players
6.3.2 Player Assignment
6.3.3 Player Draft
6.3.4 Transfer of Players
6.3.5 Player Recruitment
6.4 Game Cancellations and Postponements
6.5 Protested Games
7 Game Day Rules
7.1 Equipment and Uniforms
7.2 Field preparation and cleanup
7.3 Rules of Baseball
8 Umpiring & Scorekeeping
9 Tournaments, Cup and Blitz competitions
9.1 Cup Competitions
9.2 Tournaments and Blitz Competitions
10 Disciplinary Procedures
10.1 Procedures
10.2 Appeals
10.2.1 Recommended Disciplinary Actions
11 Sanctions & Appeals
11.1 Sanctions
11.2 Appeals
12 National Team
13 Representative Teams
14 Safety & Insurance
14.1 Restrictions on Playing
15 Ethics & Child Protection Policy
16 Anti-Doping Policy

1 Preamble

This document sets forth the bye-laws of Baseball Ireland which exists to promote and develop the game of baseball on the island of Ireland. These bye-laws should be read in the context of the Baseball Ireland Constitution which stipulates their existence. The bye-laws govern all activities Baseball Ireland engages in except those reserved by the Constitution to itself or to separate documents referred in these bye-laws. In all cases, the Constitution should take precedence over the bye-laws and any bye-law can be queried for their constitutionality by following the procedures outlined below. Baseball Ireland will establish at least one adult baseball league in Ireland per season and appoint one National Team annually. Baseball Ireland envisages a day where multiple leagues could exist either regionally and / or differentiated on standard of play. Bye-laws to handle such a situation will be created when it develops. Baseball Ireland will maintain the National Baseball Field located in Corkagh Park, also known as Dodger Field. As part of the goals of Baseball Ireland, additional facilities will be encouraged and supported. Baseball Ireland shall be governed by a National Executive Committee (NEC) as created in the Constitution. That committee is not the only decision makers in the Federation as we know each team makes a significant contribution to the league and Federation. Hence many of the voting procedures for deciding league specific activities include one vote for each team. Some decisions are reserved for the NEC explicitly. In the event that no mention is made in the bye-laws as to who makes a particular decision, that decision shall be reserved for the NEC.

2 Definitions

Federation: Baseball Ireland may be referred to as the Federation in the text of the bye-laws. National Executive Committee: Committee stipulated in the constitution of Baseball Ireland that governs the activities of the Federation, also known as the NEC. Competition: Any league, Cup or Blitz the Federation organizes or offers. League competition: A competition between a group of teams for a league championship where each team plays the other at least once. The bye-laws discuss league formation and conduct below. Cup competition: A competition between a group of teams participating in an elimination style competition over a series of days or weeks. The bye-laws discuss cup competitions below. Blitz competition: A competition between a group of teams participating in an elimination style competition over a single day or weekend. The bye-laws discuss blitz competitions below. Team: A team consists of a roster of registered players and a designated manager. The Federation has three types of teams: League Teams, National Teams and Representative Teams. League Team: a team formed to play in any Federation leagues. Club: An organization that forms one or more baseball teams. Some clubs wholly organize and run their teams and competitions. Most clubs form teams to participate in a Federation competition.. . National Teams: teams of Irish passport holders as players only formed by Baseball Ireland to represent Ireland in competition. Representative Teams: a team of registered league players formed by Baseball Ireland to represent the league in a competition. Player: a player is any person who can participate in a baseball game under the rules of Baseball Ireland who has registered. For adult leagues, the player must be over the age of 16, or over the age of 14 with parental consent and consent of the National Executive Committee. A can player can only be on the roster of one team at a time except under the Floating Player bye-law discussed below. Umpire: an official of the league chosen to implement the rules of Baseball Ireland for a particular game. Scorekeeper: an official of the league chosen to record game statistics for a particular game. Manager or Coach: the person responsible for a particular team and who represents that team in conversations with the league and the NEC. Registered: A player is considered registered when they have submitted their names to the Baseball Ireland Treasurer and paid their fees to the Federation. A club is considered registered when it has paid all levies due for that season. Member: a person who has registered as either full member or associate member. See registrations process. Made Public: a vote where each individual vote cast is recorded in the notes of the meeting and are subsequently posted on the Federation web site. To Publish: phrase meaning to place on the web site and in a "what's new" section of the home page as well as alert all of the managers for registered clubs. Officials Association: An approved organization to represent either umpires or scorekeepers to the NEC.

3 Challenging and Changing the Bye-Laws

The bye-laws of Baseball Ireland derive their authority from the Constitution and which holds that the bye-laws can be altered by the NEC at any time. The NEC will alert the membership when any changes are made and post the new publication on the Federation web site along with a notification in a "What's new" section of the home page. NEC votes on bye-laws shall not normally be made public. Any member of the Federation who wishes to change the bye-laws may make suggestions to any member of the NEC for consideration.

3.1 Constitutionality Challenges If a member wants to challenge the constitutionality of any bye-law, they must present their case in writing to the President and Secretary who will place discussion of the challenge at the next NEC meeting and invite the member making the challenge and a manager from each of the registered clubs and official organizations. Constitutional challenges shall be subject to a simple majority vote from the NEC, Official Organizations and Clubs where each member of the NEC gets one vote, each Officials Association and each Club gets one vote. Each vote shall be made public. Five cast votes shall be considered a quorum. Since the Federation has found it difficult get sufficient people to attend these meetings, constitutionality challenge votes will be done via email to the Secretary so long as that email arrives within one week of the date the Secretary requests the votes. Any vote not cast shall not be counted. Once a Constitutional Challenge is made, the NEC will hold the review meeting within 3 weeks and the vote held no longer than 6 weeks from the submission of the letter. The only appeals process for the decision shall be to organize an EGM or wait for the next AGM where proposals can be put forward for vote as per the procedures outlined in the Federation Constitution. This section intends to accomplish an intermediate ground between unwieldy and difficult to organize and run EGMs and AGMs and an autocratic NEC. The club managers will always be a smaller body than the entire registered body, they are by nature interested in baseball and probably aware of what is good for the league. They will also be aware of a wider variety of activities the NEC sponsors and issues facing BI. This is not to say that they are easy to work with, but if we give them a vote on issues here, we reduce the democratic deficit w/o having to resort to the chaos of EGMs.

3.2 Extraordinary General Meetings The Baseball Ireland Constitution specifies that EGMs can be called by submission in writing to the NEC by (a) a majority of the NEC or (b) at least one-third of all registered full members in the Federation. The quorum for an EGM shall be at least one third of all members registered with the Federation. Any member of the NEC may place on the agenda of the next scheduled NEC meeting a motion for holding an EGM and what motion(s) should be brought to the membership for their vote. Such a motion for an EGM will be voted on by the NEC and if a majority of all officers on the NEC vote for the motion then an EGM shall be held. Should any member submit in writing a letter requesting an EGM and the motion to be brought forward to the membership accompanied by a petition signed by one third of all registered members of the Federation, the NEC shall first guarantee that the persons signing the petition are members of the Federation and the required numbers are met within 14 days of the date of submission. To make the petition clear to the members, it must state at the top of an A4 sheet of paper the text of the motion(s) to be brought forward at the EGM and then allow for a signature and printed name of each signatory to facilitate the verification of membership; a petition will be made up of multiples of these sheets. If the requirements are met for either method, the President shall alert the membership, schedule the EGM within 6 weeks of submission of the request, and place the requested item on the agenda. We have an issue here. Should the NEC provide a complete list of the membership to any requested member to facilitate the collection? Does this violate privacy laws? The NEC certainly must provide on request the current number of Full Members. This count should be made available on the annual reports, probably broken down by club and separately by age. EGMs will be held in accordance with the AGMs as specified in the constitution except that the only item to be considered in the EGM shall be the motions put forward in the original letter or petition.

4 National Executive Committee

4.1 Special Officers on the NEC The NEC will put forward for election at the Annual General Meeting following the procedures outlined in the constitution officers for the following positions: i. League coordinator for each league to be implemented for the following year. The league coordinator will take on the duties expressed under the league formation and organization discussed below. The league coordinator will also verify compliance with the Anti-Doping policies.. ii. Public Relations Officer who shall endeavor to raise the profile and advertise the Federation amongst the public at large. iii. Youth Liaison officer who shall liaise with Youth Baseball Federations that affiliate with Baseball Ireland, keeping both Federations informed of the developments within each. The officer also verifies compliance with the Child Protection Policies. iv. Adult Development Officer who shall endeavor to create programs and activities to increase the number of players and the standard of players in the Federation. v. Sponsorship and Merchandising Officer who shall endeavor to find Sponsors for the Federation and create any merchandise that may create income opportunities for the Federation. vi. Field Co-coordinator who shall coordinate maintenance of the National Baseball Field.

4.2 The Budget The Federation will create a budget for each of its fiscal years. The budget shall specify the expenses the Federation expects to incur for each of the competitions and activities on offer for the next season and the sources of income or funds the Federation will use to pay for these competitions and activities. Funds or income that has specific constraints on the activities they can be applied to should be noted. The budget shall not normally be made public but any member who wishes to review it shall petition the Treasurer or the NEC. The Federation shall publish by March 31 of each year, a table of the levies for clubs and fees for players for each of its leagues for that season. The table will include amounts and due dates for payments. Tables of fees and levies for other competitions shall be published prior to the start of these competitions.

4.3 The Registration Process The registration process shall accomplish three primary goals: i. Create an easy to maintain and simple to use mechanism to get new clubs and players into the competitions. ii. Uniquely identify each club and player who will participate in any competition the Federation will offer in any season. iii. Provide the funds necessary to implement these competitions. The NEC shall require each registered member to submit specific information on themselves and that information will be held privately for the exclusive use of Baseball Ireland and not be published or made public. Baseball Ireland recognizes the following types of registrations: · A club / team · A player · A player who is a student · A player under 18 years of age · A player who will only play for one half of a season · A club official · A league or Baseball Ireland Official · A Baseball Ireland Associate Club and team levies will be collected prior to the beginning of the season. Player fees will be collected prior to any player participating in any game. The player fees will be collected by the managers and then paid over to the Treasurer according to the dates in the Table of Levies and Fees.

4.3.1 Clubs and Teams Baseball Ireland recognizes two types of clubs: (i) those that form teams to participate in BI competitions and (ii) those that affiliate with BI but form teams to play in their own competitions. For a club to be registered with the Federation, it must first form itself as described below. The club will be considered registered when they form a team that registers with a Federation League and pay the required levies to the Treasurer of the Federation by the date in the Table of Fees and Levies. A club and all of its teams must be registered PRIOR to participating in any Federation competition. A club will be considered registered if they had registered in the prior year and the date for levies for the new season has not yet come about. The club must give to the League Coordinator the following information for each team they register: i. Name and contact information for the Manager(s) of the team. ii. Proof of banking account including bank and account number and signing authority list.

4.3.2 Players A player must be registered PRIOR to participating in any competition the Federation offers specifically because the Federation insurance requires registration for coverage. Sanctions and penalties apply to any club who plays unregistered players in any Federation competition. The Federation desires to establish a simple process to bring in new players in and get them playing. This must be balanced with the requirement to collect fees and make sure the safety and insurance rules are applied. A player shall be considered registered once (a) their name, registration type and details below have been submitted in writing or email to the League Coordinator or his designate, (b) the League Coordinator acknowledges receiving the information and (c) the player or his club pays the Treasurer the fee for their registration type. The player details that must be included in the registration process are: i. Name ii. Club / Team iii. Date of Birth iv. Contact phone and/or email Optional information but wanted i. Irish or non-Irish passport holder ii. Physical Address Every registered player over the age of 18 who is resident in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland shall be considered a Full Member of Baseball Ireland. The League Coordinator will forward the list of players to the treasurer at each of the due dates for player fees so that a full accounting can be made and the treasurer can inform the club captain of the player fees due. A player can be un-registered if the club manager does not pay the required dues by the date published or if the player is registered with an incorrect registration type. The manager shall be notified by the Treasurer and / or the League Coordinator and the player shall be considered not registered from that moment on.

4.3.3 Club officials The Federation recognizes that persons not acting as players will be associated with the club and asks that they register. The Federation requires any person who will take an active roll in the activities of the club on the field to register, e.g. non-playing managers and coaches. Failure to do so could result in sanctions from the NEC. A club official shall be considered registered once (a) their name, registration type and details below have been submitted in writing or email to the League Coordinator or his designate, (b) the League Coordinator acknowledges receiving the information and (c) the officials or the club pay pays the Treasurer the fee for their registration type. The official's details that must be included in the registration process are: i. Name ii. Club iii. Date of Birth iv. Contact email and / or phone number Optional information but wanted i. Irish or non-Irish passport holder ii. Physical Address Every registered official over the age of 18 resident in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland shall be considered a Full Member of Baseball Ireland.

4.3.4 Baseball Ireland Officials Any person who will fulfill a role in an official capacity who is not already registered must register, for example scorekeepers, umpires, guest coaches and national club managers. A League or Baseball Ireland official shall be considered registered once (a) their name, registration type and details below have been submitted in writing or email to the Treasurer, League Coordinator or their designate, (b) the submission has been acknowledged and (c) the officials pay the treasurer the fee for their registration type. The official's details that must be included in the registration process are: i. name ii. Date of Birth v. Contact email and / or phone number Optional information but wanted i. Irish or non-Irish passport holder ii. Physical Address Every registered club official over the age of 18 and resident in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland shall be considered a Full Member of Baseball Ireland.

4.3.5 Associate Members Any person who wishes to join the Federation in a manner where they can participate in some capacity can register as an Associate Member. An associate member shall be considered registered once (a) their name, registration type and details below have been submitted in writing or email to the Treasurer or designate, (b) the submission has been acknowledged and (c) the officials pay the treasurer the fee for their registration type. The Associate Member's details that must be included in the registration process are: i. name ii. Year of Birth iii. Contact email and / or phone

5 Club & Team Formation / Organization

Baseball Ireland wants to make it easy for new clubs and teams to be introduced into the organization. The Federation recognizes that starting a new club or team presents difficulties, especially in being competitive so that all of the players can enjoy their playing experience. The Federation stands prepared to help new clubs and the Adult Development Officer has this as a specific responsibility. A club consists of the following elements: · A club name that is unique in the entire Federation · A club director. · A club bank account where all funds are held · A home field A team consists of the following elements: · A team name that is unique in the entire Federation · A designated manager(s) that acts as the representative of the club to the Federation and whom the Federation expects will see the club responsibilities will be fulfilled · At least 8 players Any new club wishing to join the Federation should petition the President or Adult Development Officer. The Adult Development Officer shall work with the club manager to establish the above elements and to evaluate the likelihood that the club can field both the number of players and the necessary skill positions. The NEC will vote on whether to accept the club or suggest an alternate route for including them in baseball. The Federation does not determine how the club chooses to form or make decisions. The Federation does require all clubs that register to abide by these bye-laws and other documents that govern how the Federation manages the sport of baseball in Ireland. If a club does not register by the published dates, the Federation shall deem it to have folded. A club may withdraw from the league by notifying the League Coordinator. A club owns all funds garnered from sponsorships obtained to help reduce the costs of playing to their members. The Federation reserves the right to veto sponsorship deals by vote of the NEC if the Federation believes they bring the Federation into disrepute or is in violation of any rules or regulations of any of the governing bodies to which the Federation affiliates or is in conflict with sponsorship obtained by the NEC from another sponsor.

5.1 Responsibilities Each club has certain responsibilities that the Federation expects them to fulfill including: i. Club registration ii. Player registration iii. Establish and maintain a club bank account in accordance with requirements of the Irish Revenue Service. iv. Purchase and maintain club equipment including catcher's gear (mask, helmet, protectors), batting helmets and bats. v. Establish a club uniform 6 League Formation / Organization The Federation will form one or more baseball leagues each season. Each league will consist of 3 or more clubs that will compete for the league championship by playing games against each other. Each game shall be played under the Baseball Ireland Rules of Baseball as published by Baseball Ireland. Each league shall have a league coordinator that sits on the BI committee. Each league will follow the bye-laws as set forth in this document.

6.1 League Schedule

The League Coordinator will publish an NEC approved League Calendar by March 31 of each season which will specify the draft date, game dates, the reserved days for make-up games and reserved dates for national team commitments. Each club will be asked for their input to the league schedule prior to submission to the committee. Conflicts and tradeoffs do occur between weather, daylight, league activities, national team activities, field availability and player availability. The league coordinator will make a good faith effort to balance these factors for the best interests of baseball in Ireland. The league schedule will specify the date, time, the home team, the visiting team, the field and the umpires for each game.

6.2 League Champions The League Coordinator shall consult with the Managers of the registered teams in the League to create a process for determining the League Championship. The League Coordinator will publish the agreed procedure prior to the beginning of the season. If no agreement can be made or if the procedure and criteria are not published, the procedure following shall be used to determine the League championship. i. Every game played will generate league points as follows: 5 for a win, 3 for a tie game, 2 for a loss and -1 for a walkover. A walkover and a tie game are defined in the Rules of Baseball. ii. At the end of the season, the league points shall be tallied and if one team has the most points, they will be the league champions. iii. In the event of a draw between 2 teams, the two teams will host a single championship game and the winner shall be the league champion. The home team will be decided by the criteria in iv below. iv. In the event of a draw between 3 or more teams, the criteria below will be used recursively in the order they are presented to eliminate one team at a time until there are 2 teams left to play in the final playoff game:
1) Eliminate the team with the most number of walkovers given. In the event of a draw… rewards teams who field a team every game
2) Tally the points for the drawn teams from (1) above in head to head competition. The team with the fewest points gets eliminated. In the event of a draw…
3) Tally the total runs scored for the drawn teams from (2) above in the head to head games, the team with the lowest score gets eliminated, in the event of a draw…
4) Tally the total runs scored against the drawn teams from (3) above in the head to head games, the team with the highest score gets eliminated, in the event of a draw…
5) The team with the fewest wins gets eliminated, in the event of a draw…
6) The names of the teams are put into a hat and one name is randomly drawn by the league commissioner, that team is eliminated. In the event a club withdraws or is expelled from the league, all their fixtures will be cancelled and all of the league points gained or lost in games against that team shall be deducted. Such deductions will occur prior to calculating the final league table and champion.

6.3 Player Rosters, Allocations& Transfers
The Federation recognizes that a player's enjoyment of their participation in baseball comes from 2 principal influences: their club mates and their ability to compete. Recreational baseball is a social game as much as an athletic contests so the Federation wants to keep clubs, teams, and friends, together as much as possible while at the same time distribute skilled players amongst the teams so that everybody can compete. It does this by controlling how clubs find players via assignment, the draft, recruitment and transfers.

6.3.1 Team Rosters & Floating Players Every team that registers with the League must maintain a roster of registered players. No player may be listed on the roster of two teams in the same League at the same time with the exception of Floating Players detailed below.

6.3.1.1 Floating Players The Federation recognizes that growing the Leagues and introducing new teams sometimes means clubs are just on the cusp of being able to introduce new teams limited either by numbers or skilled players. Hence, the Federation will allow Floating Players subject to the constraints listed below. The Federation recognizes that Floating Players undermine the competitive nature of the league even though they may increase the competitiveness of a particular game and increase the enjoyment of the players participating in that game. The constraints below exist to balance the desire for a competitive league vs the desire to have fun and competitive matches and grow the number of players. A Floating Player is defined as a player listed on the roster of one team but allowed to play with a second team formed by the same club and playing in the same league. A player who plays on multiple teams in different leagues is not a Floating Player. Clubs that want to field Floating Players must petition the NEC on which two teams they want to share players between. The NEC will grant permission on a case by case basis. The NEC shall use as the basis of their decision the number of players the club has on record, the number of skill players they have on record and the state of other teams in the league in question to see if the Player Assignment option might solve the situation in a more equitable fashion. The NEC can decide between 3 options: (i) no floating players allowed; (ii) floating players only from an established team or teams as their primary team to a developing team as their secondary team; or (iii) floating players allowed to float between both the established and the developing teams within the club. The latter will occur rarely as the Federation does not want to create a "Farm" system within the same League. Finally, the NEC can also stipulate a cut-off registration date for floating players so as to reduce the likelihood of a team finding a dominant player available for a small portion of the season to play for both teams. The two teams in question must submit their player roster as normal which will allow the league to identify which player float between the teams. The team a player registers with is called their primary team. The team they can also play with, i.e. float, will be their secondary team. The manager of the team may only submit a line-up card with 2 Floating Players clearly identified with "(FP)" added to their name. The umpire, the opposing manager and the scorekeeper must be notified of their inclusion in the batting order. Fielding more than 2 Floating Players, fielding an ineligible Floating Player or failing to notify the officials or opposing team shall mean forfeiture of the game. Floating Players may only make as many pitching appearances against any specific team as the scheduled head-to-head matches for each league season. This head-to-head number equals the number of times each team plays each other team for the league championship. For example, the 2003 season had teams play each other twice a season which means that a Floating Player can only make 2 pitching appearances against any single team in the league. If the league schedule has teams playing each other 3 times, then the pitching appearances figure adjusts accordingly. The league coordinator and the team manager using the floating players are responsible for tracking this. This constraint exists because the pitching position can dominate a game much more than any other position. No player can participate in more than the sum of the total games their primary team is schedule for during the season plus the head-to-head number as defined above. For example, the total schedule games for each team in 2003 was 14 games and the head-to-head number was 2 so any Floating Player would be constrained to a total of 16 games during that season. This constraint exists to limit a single dominant player from playing all of the time and potentially undermining the league competition. Individual statistics will only be compiled for players when they play with their primary team which is why they must be identified in the line-up card. This constraint exists because the league does present individual achievement awards based on statistics and we do not want the Floating Player option abused to allow a player to opt to play against weaker opposition to improve their personal statistics.

6.3.2 Player Assignment On occasion, the League Coordinator may recommend that a particular not previously registered player be assigned to a particular club either because a) The player is a skill player, pitcher / catcher, which a particular club has a great need. b) The player lives close to the other players on that club c) The player has pre-existing relationships with members of that club (friends/relatives) and has expressed a desire to play on the same club as his friends/relatives. Such assignments shall be done on or prior to draft day and carried or denied by a simple vote of the managers in a league where each club has one vote and the League Coordinator has a deciding vote in the event of a draw. If an unregistered player makes themselves known to the League Coordinator or NEC after the draft day and before the end of the season for that year, then they will be assigned to a team which the NEC decides has the greatest need.

6.3.3 Player Draft A player draft will be held at the beginning of each season for those teams sharing the same home field. As of 2003, this only means those teams using the National Baseball Field as their home field. The players placed in the draft will be those players who have expressed an interest in playing baseball through the official channels of the web site or responding to Federation sponsored advertising. The League Coordinator and Adult Development Officer will complete the list of players along with some mention of skills and abilities of the players and provide this to the club managers prior to the draft. The League Coordinator will propose a draft mechanism to provide for a competitive league. Hence, teams that are considered weak or who have fewer players may be given either more draft choices or more assignments. The order of the draft shall normally be the reverse order of the league standings from the preceding season. Each team shall make one selection for each round. Trades are allowed so long as the teams involved inform the League Coordinator in writing.

6.3.4 Transfer of Players The Federation recognizes that players may wish to transfer teams and that frequently they will leave if not allowed to do so. As such, the Federation will allow transfers if compelling reasons are presented. The Federation will look unfavorably on transfers caused by players or managers of other teams urging or recruiting players to transfer. A transfer request will be made by the player to the League Coordinator stating the player's reasons and the new team they wish to join. If the current manager and the potential new manager should agree and the League Coordinator has no objections, then the transfer shall occur immediately. If any of these persons object, and the player still wants to transfer, then the request will be made to the NEC. All transfers will be approved with 50% or more votes of the NEC and team managers where each committee member and each team in the league is provided with one vote. Such vote shall be initiated at an NEC meeting where the team managers and the player in question will be invited to make their case if they wish. Votes can be cast via email or other communication with the Secretary prior to the date requested by the Secretary. A vote not cast by the deadline will be considered an abstention. The votes will be made public

6.3.5 Player Recruitment The largest source of new players comes from current players recruiting and the Federation wants to encourage this as much as possible. Players recruited and registered by a team shall join that team and not be subject to player assignment. This does not preclude any player taking advantage of their transfer rights.

6.4 Game Cancellations and Postponements The Federation expects games to take place on the day they are scheduled. The baseball rules, section 4 deals with games where one team can't field players. If one team cancels the game, then it shall be deemed a walkover as described in the Baseball Ireland rules of Baseball rule 4.17. In exceptional circumstances both managers may agree to postpone the game, they must alert the League Coordinator and supply an alternate date. If the League Coordinator approves, the new date becomes the new official date to which all rules apply.

6.5 Protested Games Rule 4.19 in the Baseball Ireland Rules of Baseball requires every league to adopt procedures for protesting a game. It also discusses how protests are handled during the game and what types of umpire decisions can be protested. Every manager should read this section of the rules. The manager who wishes to protest the game must submit in writing to the League Coordinator their protest detailing the specific umpire decision that they believe contravenes the rules of baseball and how that contravention has adversely affected his team's chances of winning the game. The letter must also state the exact state of play at the point of protest. The League Coordinator or designate in the event of a conflict of interest, shall interview the umpire in question and the opposing manager. The League Coordinator or designate shall rule either that (a) the protest is overruled, (b) that the judgment in question did not materially affect the protesting teams chances of winning the game or (c) that the game should be replayed from the point of protest, following the same amended rules for suspended games, and provide a date for such a replay.

7 Game Day Rules

7.1 Equipment and Uniforms Each team is expected to furnish their own team equipment of catcher's gear, batting helmets and bats. Each team is expected to have each of their players wearing the team uniform. The Federation shall furnish each club with 3 dozen baseballs for use in Federation competitions. The home team for each competition shall provide 3 balls in good condition to the umpire prior to the game. The umpire shall decide if the balls meet playing standards.

7.2 Field preparation and cleanup The home team has responsibility for field preparation and cleanup. For the National Baseball Field, this includes raking the dirt portions of the infield, the mound and installing / removing the bases. Field preparation must occur prior to the second game in a double header. Failure to perform the field preparation responsibilities may result in a sanction from the NEC.

7.3 Rules of Baseball The Federation has published the Baseball Ireland rules of Baseball which slightly amend the IBAF rules of Baseball and is published on the website.

8 Umpiring & Scorekeeping The Federation recognizes that we cannot hold competitive games that people enjoy unless we have competent umpires. In addition, umpiring often represents one of the larger costs associated with running a league competition. The Federation intends that every competition it offers shall be umpired by competent officials. The Federation will provide annual training to its officials and endeavor to find persons dedicated to this role. The Federation does not have a large body of umpires to date and as such may require each team to provide umpires for games they are not participating in. As such, each team will be required to have one or more of their players attend the annual umpire training courses provided. The Federation believes that in the future enough dedicated umpires will be found so as to form a Baseball Ireland Umpires Association. Baseball Ireland will encourage this activity. The Federation also recognizes that statistics surrounding the game are part of the game. As such, Baseball Ireland will endeavor to provide scorekeepers for every league competition it offers. Members interested in scorekeeping will be provided training. As with the umpires, we would encourage the founding of a Baseball Ireland Scorekeepers Association if enough persons were interested. The Rules of Baseball, the code of Ethics and these bye-laws each state that officials of Baseball Ireland umpiring or scorekeeping shall be accorded respect for the difficult job they take on. Any member violating these rules will be sanctioned by the NEC.

9 Tournaments, Cup and Blitz competitions

The Federation may hold one or more baseball tournaments, cup or blitz competitions each season. The rules of baseball may be altered for these games in order to facilitate time and weather conditions and to handle replays and draws.

9.1 Cup Competitions A cup competition consists of an elimination format competition played over a number of weeks. The NEC shall appoint a coordinator for the cup who will publish the schedule and the governing rules for how teams proceed in the cup and any alterations to the Rules of Baseball required due to the constraints of time, weather and guaranteeing a winner and loser. The schedule shall include dates, starting times, sunset times for weekday games and provide for alternate days should weather interfere starting the game. The cup games shall either be on weekends or on weekday evenings. (BTW, you can see the sunrise and sunset times for Ireland entering the following information into the website listed latitude 53 degrees 20 minutes N and Longitude 6 degrees 15 minutes W http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.html)

9.2 Tournaments and Blitz Competitions A Tournament competition is one where teams from leagues outside Baseball Ireland organized league competitions are invited to play in Ireland. Normally the Tournament takes place over 1-3 days with multiple games. The winners of the Tournament can be determined using a wide variety of methods. A Blitz competition differs from a Tournament in that it only includes teams from Leagues organized by Baseball Ireland. In all other respects, it looks like a tournament and the same organizing rules will apply. The NEC shall appoint a coordinator / committee for the tournament or blitz who will publish the schedule and the governing rules for how teams proceed and any alterations to the Rules of Baseball required due to the constraints of time, weather and guaranteeing a winner and loser. Suggested rule changes for tournament and blitz games: · A regulation game shall be 3 completed innings or a time limit as defined in the blitz rules by the blitz coordinator. · A called game once regulation, shall not become a suspended game as in rule 4.11(d). Rather the following shall apply: o If the home team is at bat when the game is called and has taken the lead then the home team shall be declared the winners. o Otherwise, the score shall revert back to the last completed inning. · In the event of a draw at the end of a regulation game, the winner shall be determined as follows: · a count back of scores at the end of each completed inning. The first team to have a lead at the end of the inning shall be the winner. In the case of a draw… · the umpire shall flip a coin and the home team shall call their side of the coin in the air.

10 Disciplinary Procedures

10.1 Procedures The Federation intends the following procedures to be used for disciplinary actions relating to players, coaches or spectator ejected or otherwise disciplined by the umpire during a league competition. Time is of the essence in these procedures and all efforts should be made to get a ruling made prior to the next stage of the competition, for example before the next league games. This becomes especially important before we reach the end of the season or playoff games. · The league coordinator or designate shall form a 3 person panel chosen from a pool of person including the NEC, the managers (or designate) of all active clubs in the competition and members of the Umpire Association. The panel shall have at least one officer of the NEC who shall chair the panel and at least one member must be a recognized umpire in the League. All of the members chosen must be neutral, they must not have been a participant in the events to be judged and they may not have an interest in any resulting disciplinary action taken. For example, no member of a baseball club or umpire involved in the game in which the event occurred shall serve on the panel and no member of a baseball club whose position in the league standings will be materially effected shall be chosen. Also, no member of a club who would play the offending player's club during any likely banned games can be chosen. The league coordinator shall inform the umpires, managers and players effected who sits on the panel. · The panel must make a decision before the following week so must be formed as soon as possible, preferably the Monday following a weekend game. · The umpires involved will submit a report of the incident to the panel and the managers of the two teams and the player involved may submit their own report of the incident to the panel. The panel must make their decision quickly; hence they are only required to wait for the umpire's report if the other evidence does not get produced in a timely fashion. · The panel will meet in the means the chair deems most effective and make a recommendation for disciplinary action. Their discussions shall remain private and publication of their discussions will take place. The panel chair shall review the evidence with the panel and make a disciplinary action recommendation. The panel requires only a 2 person majority to make their decision. Disciplinary actions should be guided by the disciplinary guidelines below and can include elements of being banned for a number of games, expulsion, fines and letters of apology. Specific banning could also be applied, e.g. player banned the next time the two teams involved play or for any post-season competition. · The panel will distribute their findings and their disciplinary act decision to the league coordinator, the players, managers and umpires involved in the event. The league coordinator will distribute the findings to all managers in the competition.

10.1.1 Recommended Disciplinary Actions The panels should use the guidelines below and consider factors like which inning the ejection took place and the severity of the act before reaching a decision. Ejections for violations of equipment rules: warning, second offence = 2 game ban Ejections for pitchers altering ball: 1 game ban, second offence = 2 game ban Ejections for arguing balls and strikes warning, second offence = 2 game ban Ejections for throwing equipment 1 game ban, second offence = 2 game ban Ejections for bumping, defying, insulting or embarrassing an umpire 1 game ban & apology, second offence = 5 game ban and ˆ50 fine or additional 3 games if fine not paid Ejections for unsportsmanlike behaviour (includes throwing at a batter, verbal abuse and dangerous play): 1 - 3 game ban depending on severity & apology, second offence = 5 game ban and ˆ50 fine or additional 3 games if fine not paid Ejections for violent behaviour toward player, e.g. fights or assaults 2-4 game ban depending on severity, second offence = 5 game ban and ˆ50 fine or additional 3 games if fine not paid Ejections for violent behaviour towards umpire, e.g. pushing, hitting or shoving apology, 5 game - full season ban, €80 fine. If fine not paid, then ban for additional 5 games By definition, a person banned from a game means they are not allowed to take part in that game in any capacity. They can not wear the uniform; they cannot be in the dugout or mix with the players between innings; as a coach or manager they are not allowed to send signals from the sidelines. Violation of these rules could result in unsportsmanlike conduct violations being levied against the acting manager of the team in question. Fines must be paid to the league coordinator or Treasurer before the person can resume playing. A Walkover GIVEN by a team who has a player serving a suspension, counts as 1 game off the number of games which the player has been suspended for. However where a team who has a player serving a suspension, RECEIVES a Walkover by the opposing team, then that game does NOT count as 1 game off the number of games which the player has been suspended for. The balance of games suspended is then carried forward to the Team's next fixture.

10.2 Appeals Any person involved in the event can make a formal request to the NEC for an appeal by contacting the director and submitting an Appeals Fee (€20) to deter frivolous appeals. All disciplinary actions shall be put on hold, from the date of the appeal, while the appeals process goes forward. The NEC will form an Appeals Panel to review the evidence involved and decide to enhance, reduce or leave the disciplinary action as is. The procedures will be as follows: - The person wishing to make the appeal shall contact the NEC Director, or Secretary in the event of their absence, via phone, email or post within 10 days of the Disciplinary Panel's finding. They must pay the appeals fee. - The Director or designate shall identify all members of the NEC who are neutral using the same definition in 10.1 above to form the Appeals Panel. The NEC Directory must also decide on the chair for the Appeals Panel should s/he not be neutral, but that chair shall not be the same person used in the Disciplinary Panel. The resulting committee must have at least 3 members to be a quorum. If less than 3 members can be found, additional members can be added to the Appeals Panel from the same pool as in 10.1 above. - The Appeals Panel shall meet via whatever means the chair deems most effective. The chair will invite the umpires, managers and players involved to submit more evidence if they so wish. The Appeals Panel must decide on the following questions and all subsequent evidence and discussion should focus on these questions. (i) Was the Disciplinary Panel formed correctly and procedures followed? (ii) Was the decision of the panel appropriate given the evidence presented? (iii) Does any new evidence suggest the panel may have made a different ruling? (iv) Were the disciplinary acts in line with the guidelines or should they be changed? If so, what should they be changed to? - The appeals committee chair shall publish the answers to these questions within 10 days of the appeal to the persons involved in the incident and all team managers.

11 Sanctions & Appeals

The Federation intends that formal sanctions to be used as a last resort for handling violations of rules or codes of conduct. The Rules of Baseball cover many violations and their consequences during a game of Baseball. The procedures below are intended to cover actions and activities whose consequences extend further than, or outside of , a specific game. (GMP: This needs to be cleaned up with respect to disciplinary panel above…) The Federation intends to apply sanctions commensurate with the violation should sanctions be necessary.

11.1 Sanctions

Procedure for applying sanctions shall be as follows: · Any member of Baseball Ireland may petition a hearing from the NEC regarding what they believe has been a violation of the bye-laws or codes of conduct of the Federation by submitting their case in writing to the President. · The NEC may agree to hear or reject the application. If rejected, the NEC must respond in writing their reasons for rejecting to the petitioner. · If the NEC agrees to hear the petition, then an NEC meeting shall be organized and the Secretary shall invite the petitioner, the person or team who are under investigation and any witnesses that the NEC believes may help them make a decision. · At the meeting, the petitioner shall be allowed to present their case and any witnesses they wish to bring forward to the NEC so long as such presentation shall not exceed 45 minutes, as measured by the Secretary. The accused shall be allowed to make the same presentation. Then both sides shall be asked to leave for the NEC to consider in private. · Subsequent to this meeting, the NEC shall issue a decision, their reasoning for the decision and any sanctions they will impose including their reasoning for imposing those sanctions. · The documentation surrounding a petition shall not normally be made public, and may in fact request that all information regarding the investigation be held in private. Following is a short list of violations and likely sanctions for such a violation. This list shall not be construed as the only set of violations for which the NEC can apply sanctions. Team Violations Violation Sanction Playing an unregistered player Game is given as walkover to opposing team.. Player or Team Official violations Violation Sanction Using banned substances From warning to expulsion from the league Abuse of official From warning to expulsion from the league Physical or extreme verbal abuse of another player or spectator. From warning to expulsion from the league Unsportsmanlike activities From warning to banned for a number of games Violation of child protection guidelines Review of interaction with children to banning from interaction with children to expulsion.

11.2 Appeals Any person sanctioned by the NEC has the right to appeal the decision of the NEC. The petitioner can appeal both the violation and the sanction applied. Appeals will be done using the procedure below. The Federation requires an Appeals fee of €30 to deter frivolous appeals being lodged. · Only persons or teams sanctioned by Baseball Ireland may appeal. · Such a person shall submit in writing to the President a request for appeal, the Appeals Fee and which they are appealing, the violation, the sanction imposed or both. The sanction shall not be enforced until the appeals process has been completed. · The Secretary will arrange a meeting of the President, the League Coordinator or designate in the event of conflict of interest, and a manager of any 3 teams in the league who do not have a conflict of interest chosen by lottery. This shall be known as the Appeals Body. · All of the written information shall be made available to the Appeals Body prior to their meeting. Any member of the Appeals Body may request additional witnesses or information prior to the meeting. · When the Appeals Body meets, the petitioner may present their case, or may wave this right so only the written information shall be considered. · The NEC may also send a representative to present their side of the case, or wave this right. · After the presentations, the Appeals Body shall retire to consider and decide. · In the event that the appeal is made on the violation, the Appeals Body shall decide by simple majority vote with each member casting one vote. In the event of a draw, the President's vote shall make be the deciding vote. If the violation decision is upheld, then the sanction may be appealed separately. The petitioner shall be informed in writing of the Appeals Body's decision and this information shall normally be made public. If the sanction is also being appealed and the violation has been upheld, then the vote on sanction is also taken · In the event that the appeal is made on the sanction, then the Appeals Body shall decide by simple majority vote with each member casting one vote. In the event of a draw, the President's vote shall be the deciding vote as to whether the sanctions should stand or be revised by the NEC. The Appeals Body may make a recommendation to the NEC on a sanction, but the responsibility for deciding and applying the new sanction rests with the NEC. · The new sanction may also be appealed using this same process only if it differs from recommendation made by the Appeals Body. · If the violation or sanction is overturned, the Appeals Fee shall be returned.

12 National Team

The Federation has a specific goal to field one or more Irish National Teams to compete in international or other tournaments. The National Team must play under the rules of the IBAF and other international bodies as such may operate differently than the leagues organized by the Federation. The bye-laws and rules for how the National Team shall be formed, how the players shall be chosen and all other aspects of the National Team are covered in the document Baseball Ireland National Team Policy. All aspects of organizing and implementing the National Team are reserved to that document and in all cases that document holds precedent over the bye-laws in this document should there be conflict between them.

13 Representative Teams

Representative teams exist to facilitate representation of Baseball Ireland leagues in inter-league or tournament competitions. They are much less formal than the National Team. The NEC may appoint any registered person as a representative team manager giving whatever instructions are deemed necessary to adequately field a team. That manager may select for their team any registered player available to them. The Representative Team Manager has full responsibility for team selection and organization.

14 Safety & Insurance

The Federation holds a primary concern for the safety of its members and the public who may watch or interact with the sport. The Federation will take the following specific actions in order to provide for safe enjoyment of any of the competitions it offers. The Federation will provide for all registered members a comprehensive insurance policy. The Federation will publish a summary of this policy on its web site for members to review. As with all insurance policies, the coverage does have limitations. If a member does not believe that the policy covers their specific needs, the Federation will endeavor to obtain clarification from the Insurer and obtain extra coverage if warranted. The Federation will publish ground rules for each of the fields it will hold league games. These ground rules will be published on the web site and reviewed by the home team with the umpires and visiting team managers prior to games being played.

14.1 Restrictions on Playing The sport of baseball can be physically demanding; injuries can and do occur. Any player who has an injury must ascertain if they are fit to play such a competitive sport before participating. The lower age limit for participation in the sport of baseball at adult level shall be 16 years of age. Clubs may apply to the NEC for an exemption for players not younger than 14 years of age (the European Baseball Federations lower age limit for international participation).