Whitby Men’s Slo-Pitch League

Constitution

As Amended March 13, 2024

The control and management of the league rests with the Executive Committee, which is composed of a Past President, President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer, Stats and Media Director, Social and Fundraising Director (the Officers) and one representative from each team. The Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer, Stats and Media Director and Social and Fundraising Director are elected positions. The Vice-President is elected for a term of two years; the Secretary/Treasurer, Stats and Media Director and Social and Fundraising Director are each elected for one-year terms, by vote of team representatives commencing with the year-end meeting of the league. The President and Past President both serve for a two-year term. The previous President will fill the Past President position and the previous Vice-President will fill the President position. The President, Vice President, Secretary/Treasurer, Stats and Media Director and Social and Fundraising Director will be exempt from paying the Annual Membership Fee.

 1.      EXECUTIVE Committee QUORUM

A meeting of the Executive Committee requires that 10 of 18 members be present and include at least 2 officers and must include at least 8 of 12 team reps to constitute a quorum.

2.      VOTING

At each meeting of the Executive Committee, each team is entitled to one vote on any matter brought before the meeting. The Past President, Vice-President, President, Secretary/Treasurer, Stats/Media Director and Social/Fundraising Director are also voting members of the committee unless their votes in combination with the team rep’s vote for which they represent exceeds two in total.  In the event of a tie, the motion will be considered defeated.

3.      TEAM MEMBERS

New members must be male residents of Durham Region. Each member must be at 27 years of age or older (son(s)/son-in-law(s)/brother(s)/brother-in-law(s) of current players must be 25 or older) at some point in the current calendar year. A team will consist of fifteen members and each member must participate as equally as possible in each gameTeams may request to carry 16 additional players which needs to be approved by the Executive Committee.

4.      MEMBERSHIP FEE

The Executive Committee will set the membership fee prior to each season. This fee will be payable in full by the date stipulated by the Committee. The Committee may, at its discretion, impose a late payment charge. Players not registered and paid by the date stipulated will not be eligible to play in the league until they have paid their fees including the late payment charge.  Teams fielding a player or players that have not registered and/or have not paid the required fee prior to playing will default the game(s) automatically.  Teams having a player or players on their roster (team roster defined as 15 players) who have not paid (nor played) at the beginning of the season will need to pay the pro-rated difference if those player(s) decide not to return and a player from the waiting list is assigned to their team (assuming there is a player on the waiting list).  League fees are non-refundable after a player has been assigned to a team (team roster defined as 15 players). Refund will be applied at a pro-rated bases only if the team roster has been filled by players on the waitlist.

5.      ALLOCATION OF FUNDS

Funds obtained from membership fees shall be used in their entirety to meet the general operating expenses of the league. Any deficiency in funds shall be overcome by a levy against each member.

In the event that a player or umpire dies either the team representative or a member of the executive will inquire from the family as to what charity the league can make a $100 donation on their behalf.

6.      RULES AND CONSTITUTION Committee

The Rules and Constitution Committee is responsible for reviewing the previous year’s rules and constitution, and making recommendations to the league representatives of amendments for adoption where necessary. This committee should be comprised of one team representatives and at least one member of the elected officers. 

7.      SCHEDULE/TOURNAMENT Committee

The responsibilities of this committee include the drawing up of the schedule of games for the regular season and playoffs. The league will consist of two divisions for scheduling purposes. The previous year’s final league standing will be used to determine divisional teams for the season. The 12 teams are ranked together and the top 6 teams become the first division and the bottom 6 teams become the second division. The prize money will be the same for winning the first or second division.  For the regular season, the schedule, by division will be developed on a team number basis with the specific teams assigned to the number by means of a draw after the schedule has been accepted. For the playoff schedule, please see the Playoff Rules/Format for more details.   

This committee is also responsible for organizing and running all league tournaments and playoffs. They shall coordinate the setting of tournament rules with the Rules and Constitution Committee.

8.      DRAFT Committee

The Draft Committee will be comprised of three people including at least one of the executive officers. The draft list will be comprised of returning players changing teams, new recruits that have not played in the league before and those players that were recruited after all teams are advised that the draft list is zero. The committee will be responsible for obtaining up to date team rosters from the representatives, manage the draft list, collect registration fees and allocate new members as follows:

1. Draft picks will be made according to the previous year’s standings beginning from the last place team and progressing to the first place team. Picks are made one at a time and the progression is repeated as necessary.

2. On the first round reps from the last and second last place teams in the previous year’s standings optionally and respectively may select a specific player from the draft list.

9.      EQUIPMENT Committee

This committee is responsible for the purchase of all equipment required by the league and the dispersal of such equipment to the league teams.

 10.     STATISTICS AND MEDIA Committee

League standings will be determined on winning percentage based on our regular season game schedule.

In the event teams are tied in winning percentage at the end of the regular season, the following order shall be used to determine final standings.”

a) Teams with the best record during games between the teams concerned shall be placed higher.

b) Teams with the most wins in all regular season games played shall be placed higher.

c) Teams with the fewest runs allowed in all regular season games shall be placed higher.

d) Teams with the higher run differential (plus/minus) for all regular season games played shall be placed higher.

e) Coin toss between the remaining teams.

11.     SOCIAL Committee

This committee is responsible for all league social functions, including the annual banquet. Also the committee is responsible for getting prizes and awards for the functions and banquet.

12.     AUDIT Committee

This committee is responsible to review the records of receipts and expenses from the previous year of operation. League registration forms will be kept for five years. The committee will report its findings at the first or second meeting of the year.

13.     DISCIPLINE Committee

This committee shall be composed of the Past President, President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer. It shall be responsible for all questions of discipline arising from the conduct of play during league-endorsed games or from conduct of members arising from team activities. The committee is responsible for assigning appropriate discipline.

14.     TEAM NAMES

Each team shall have a team name and a set of shirts consisting of colours and a name, which must be approved by the Executive in advance.

15.     TEAM MEMBERS

a) If a player resigns prior to or during a season, he is allowed a one-year period during which he is entitled to rejoin his original team provided that the team has an incomplete roster. If no vacancy exists, such a player shall have his name placed at the top of the draft list of players maintained by the league.

b) If a team picks up a player to replace an injured player the replacement player is returned to the top of the draft list if the injured player returns before the end of the season. If the replacement player finishes the season the team may keep the player at their discretion if there is a vacancy the following season.

c) A player rejoining the league after an absence of more than one year may rejoin the team for which he last played providing the team has a vacancy and at the team’s discretion. Otherwise the player is placed at the bottom of the Draft List. A player rejoining the league after an absence of two complete seasons is eligible to be selected by any team using their “pick-a-friend” draft exemption (see #16.a)

d) The situation in 15a) supersedes 15b) and 15c). The situation in 15b) supersedes 15c)

e). If the team the player played for no longer exists the player must be placed on the draft list.  Any remaining players from a team that is dissolved due to contraction of the league will be place at the top of the draft list in the year of contraction.

16.     TEAM MEMBERS (DRAFT EXEMPTIONS)

a) SPONSOR or PICK-A-FRIEND

A team may request exemption from the normal draft procedure in order to obtain a sponsor or pick-a-friend who wishes to play for the team. The individual must be a resident of Durham, 27 years of age or older at some point in the current calendar year, and meet all other applicable criteria. If there is no vacancy on the team, the individual will not displace any existing team member.  This exemption may be exercised only once every three years.  The intent of this rule is to introduce NEW players to the league and therefore, anyone that has previously played in the league cannot be picked up as a friend or sponsor, unless that player has not played in the league for two or more complete, consecutive seasons.  If there are enough players on the draft/waiting list then there will be NO exemption to the normal draft/waiting list procedure. Otherwise, if a team receives an exemption in the draft then this exemption resets the counter for that team’s next Sponsor or Pick-A-Friend Exemption to 3 years.  The following Constitution points are excluded from the reset - 8.2 (last and second last finish pick), 16.b (family), and 20 (league allowed pick-a-friend). 

b)    FAMILY

The son(s)/son-in-law(s)/brother(s)/brother-in-law(s) of a player will be exempted from the normal draft procedure if he/they wish to play for the same team as their father/father-in-law/brother/brother-in-law. The individual must be a resident of Durham, 25 years of age or older at some point in the current calendar year, and meet all other applicable criteria. If there is no vacancy on the team, the individual will not displace any existing team member. 

17.     TEAM MEMBERS (CHANGE OF TEAM)

If an existing player wishes to change teams at the end of the year, his name will be put onto the Draft List as it is received. The player will be drafted, except that his previous team may not draft him and if he chooses not to play for the new team he will not be re-placed on the list that year. If the player wishes to return to the league after missing one season or less of play, that player shall be placed on the draft list and treated in the same manner as a new player. If the player misses two consecutive seasons of play, that player will be accepted back on the Draft list, but will be eligible to be picked by any team using their “pick-a-friend” draft exemption.

18.     TEAM MEMBERS (LOSS BY A TEAM DURING SCHEDULE)

If a team loses a player for the balance of the schedule for any reason, the team must replace the player from the Draft list to meet the 15 player roster. The departing player will be reimbursed by the draft committee on a prorated basis beginning with the replacement player’s first game not with the departing player’s last game.

19.     CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

This constitution may be amended at any time provided that any amendment is duly voted upon and receives the affirmative vote of at least 10 of the 18 league representatives. These representatives consist of one representative from each team and the league executive.

 20.     PICK-A-FRIEND RULE

In years when the players on the draft list are not sufficient to fill out the rosters of the teams in the league the executive may hold a vote to invoke the ‘Pick-up-a-friend’ rule.  The intent of this rule is to introduce NEW players to the league and therefore, anyone that has previously played in the league can not be picked up as a friend.

21.     WAITING LIST

New Players who are not drafted on Draft Night (3rd League Meeting) are placed on the Waiting List and placed on teams during the season if required.  If players still remain on the Waiting List at the end of the season than those player(s) will be placed at the top of the Draft List for the following season.  If there are no players on the Waiting List during the season, a team may request approval by the Executive Committee to bring on a player and if approved this resets the counter for that team’s next Sponsor or Pick-A-Friend Exemption to 3 years.