Steele Creek Athletic Association

STEELE CREEK ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION POLICY MANUAL

Table of Contents

Board of Directors...... 10

By-Laws...... 2

Code Of Conduct...... 32

Commissioners, Sports...... 20

Committees...... 12

Discipline Policy…………………………….34

Drafting Teams...... 26

Membership...... 9

Officers of the Corporation...... 11

Park Rules and Policies...... 32

Policies of the Association...... 23

Responsibilities of Members...... 26

Rules and By-Laws Explanations...... 9

Sports Rules and Policies...... 30 and 38

Baseball...... 38 Basketball...... Cheerleading...... Soccer...... Softball......

Tournament Teams...... 44

1 BY-LAWS ARTICLE I Name, Seal and Officers

1. The name of the Corporation is Steele Creek Athletic Association, Inc.

2. The seal of the corporation shall be circular and shall bear the name of the corporation, its date of incorporation, and the state in which it incorporated. The Board of Directors may change the form of the seal or the inscription thereon at pleasure.

3. The principal office of the corporation shall be in the county of Mecklenburg, state of North Carolina.

ARTICLE II Purpose

The purpose or purposes for which the Corporation is organized are:

1. To bring together the various civic and religious groups in the Steele Creek community of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, in order that a meaningful and useful recreational and educational program be provided for children and young people in the community.

2. To provide such recreational and educational programs as a service to the community, at a minimum fee to offset the operating expenses to the participating children and young people in the community.

3. To engage generally in any causes similar to the above mentioned in order to promote the physical and mental well being of the children and young people in the community.

ARTICLE III Membership 1. Any charter member keeping his association fee current shall have a voting right. Any member who moved from Steele Creek Athletic Association boundary but returns to participate in the sports program can continue to have voting rights if he continues to keep membership dues paid.

2. The corporation shall have two classes of membership: A. Voting and resident membership which shall be opened generally to all persons living in the general Steele Creek area of the County of Mecklenburg, State of North Carolina and which area shall extend as far north as Woodlawn Road, and as far south and west as Lake Wylie, SC and as far east as the Old Pineville Road and which resident voting members shall be twenty-one (21) years of age or older and shall pay the $50.00

2 per year per family membership fee which shall be used to offset the indirect expense of the association. B. Non-voting membership to be termed "associate member" for those living outside the general Steel Creek area as hereinabove defined, more than twenty-one (21) years of age and such associate member paying the $30.00 per year per family membership fee which shall be used to offset the indirect expense of the association.

3. The right of a member or members to vote and all his/her rights, title and interest in or to the Corporation shall cease on the termination of his membership: no membership shall be transferable; no member shall be entitled to share in the distribution of the corporate assets upon the dissolution of the Corporation; any member may resign from the Corporation by delivering a written resignation to the Chairman, Secretary or Treasurer of the Corporation.

4. The annual meeting of the members of the corporation shall be held in the fellowship hall of Central Steel Creek Presbyterian Church on York Road, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina or such other place within the Steele Creek Township as a notice of the annual meeting may designate, and such annual meeting shall be held during the first fourteen (14) days of October starting 1982 and each year thereafter for the purpose of electing members to the Board of Directors and for the transaction of such other businesses may properly come before the meeting; notice of the time, place and purpose or purposes of the annual meeting shall be served either in writing or orally, not less than two (2) days nor more than thirty (30) days before the meeting upon each person who appears upon the books of the corporation as a regular member and by mailing notice to each church in Steele Creek Township having more than fifty members; special meetings of the members may be called at any time by the Chairman of the Board, Secretary or Treasurer and must be called on receipt of a written request for a special meeting by one- forth of the members of the corporation.

5. At any meeting of the members of the Corporation the presence of at least fifteen (15) members in person or a simple majority of the members in person or by proxy shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for all purposes except as may be otherwise provided by law; the act of a majority of the members present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the full membership except as may be otherwise provided by law.

ARTICLE IV Board of Directors

1. The business and property of the Corporation shall be managed and controlled by the Board of Directors, who shall be elected annually by the members to hold office until the next annual meeting of the members or until the election and qualification of their respective successors, except as herein otherwise provided for filling vacancies. 3

3 2. The number of Directors of the corporation shall be fifteen (15) but the number may be changed by a simple majority of the members voting at an annual meeting. Each director shall serve a term of three (3) years and each year the membership shall elect five (5) members to the Board of Directors. However, the first year for the number of fifteen (15), said members elected shall draw for their term so that five (5) will serve one (1) year and five (5) will serve two (2) and five (5) will serve three (3) year terms. After serving one (1) full term of three (3) years, a director must remain off the Board for one (1) year before being eligible for re-election. Members of the Board of Directors may serve as officers of the corporation.

3. Immediately after each annual election of the newly elected members of the Board of Directors, said Board shall meet forthwith for the purpose of organization, the election of officers, and the transaction of other business, and if a quorum of the members of the Board of Directors be then present, no prior notice of such meeting shall be required to be given. The chairman or any two of the members of the Board of Directors may call special meetings of the Board of Directors. Notice of said meeting shall be the same as for calling meetings of the members. (A notice of the time, place and purpose or purposes of the special meeting shall be served either in writing or orally, not less than two (2) days nor more than thirty (30) days before the meeting upon each Board of Directors member, that is, each elected person and appointed officer.)

4. Members of the Board of Directors shall not receive any salary for their services, except as otherwise herein provided for unusual or special services.

5. All the corporate powers, except such as are otherwise provided for in these by-laws and in the laws of the State of North Carolina, shall be and are vested in and shall be exercised by the Board of Directors.

6. At its annual meetings the Board of Directors shall elect a Chairman of the Board and a recording Secretary. The duties of the Secretary shall be to record all minutes, arrange a meeting place, and inform members of time and place of meetings.

ARTICLE V Officers

1. The officers of the corporation shall consist of a President, such number of Vice- Presidents as the Board of Directors may designate, a Secretary and a Treasurer.

2. The officers shall be elected annually by the Board of Directors from among their number, or from among the members of the Corporation.

4 3. The Chairman of the Board shall appoint a budget committee 60 days prior to fiscal year end and the budget committee shall prepare a budget for the next year, which shall be approved by the Board of Directors prior to the annual meeting.

4. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board of Directors, the officers, and the members, and shall exercise general charge and supervision of the affairs of the corporation from day to day; the first Vice-President shall serve in such jobs or capacities as the President or the Chairman of the Board or the Board of Directors shall designate, but in any event shall serve all functions of the President, when the President is unable to serve; the Secretary shall have charge of such books, documents and other papers of the corporation as the Board of Directors shall determine and shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the members, and of the meetings of the officers, and upon the absence or disability of the Chairman shall perform the duties and possess and exercise the power of the Chairman; the Treasurer shall have the custody of all funds, property and securities as may be imposed or required by the Board of Directors, and shall endorse on behalf of the corporation for payment checks and other such writings and shall be in charge of depositing and collecting funds of the corporation. Any other Vice-Presidents as may be designated by the President, Chairman of the Board, or the majority of the Board of Directors shall serve such job classifications as may be designated by such person or persons for the then current year.

5. Officers shall not receive any stated salary for their services as such but the Board of Directors shall have the power in its discretion to pay to such officers compensation for any unusual or special services to the corporation so long as said special compensation is appropriate to the value of such services.

6. Officers of the Board of Directors who are not elected or appointed as members of the Board of Directors as provided for in these by-laws do not vote on decisions during meetings of the Board, except as the President or the Vice-President when assuming the duties of the President, to break a tie vote.

ARTICLE VI Vacancy of Members, Board of Directors and Officers

1. A vacancy occurring in an office or on the Board of Directors shall be filled by the remaining members of the Board of Directors, and such appointee shall serve until the next annual meeting of the members or Board of Directors or until a special meeting is called for the election to fill such vacancy.

2. Any director or officer who miss three consecutive regularly scheduled Board of Directors meetings is considered to have resigned and is subject to having his vacancy filled as provided herein.

ARTICLE VII Fiscal Year

The fiscal year of the Corporation shall commence on October 1 of each year and end on September 30 of each year.

ARTICLE VIII Prohibition Against Earning Profit

This corporation shall exist, operate and do business without regard to making any profits and any and all services rendered by said corporation shall without compensation or charges whatsoever; no member, director or officer of the corporation shall at any time receive any of the surplus funds or other property of the corporation, provided, however, that this shall not prevent the payment to any such person of such reasonable compensation in effecting any of its purposes as shall be fixed by the Board of Directors or as hereinbefore set forth; and no such person or persons shall be entitled to share in the distribution of any of the corporate assets upon the dissolution of the corporation.

ARTICLE IX Dissolution

All members of the Corporation shall be deemed to have expressly consented and agreed that upon a dissolution or winding up of affairs of the corporation, whether voluntary or involuntary, the assets of the corporation, after all debts have been satisfied, then remaining in the hands of the Board of Directors, shall be distributed, transferred, conveyed, delivered, and paid over, in such amounts as the Board of Directors may determine or as may be determined by a court of competent jurisdiction upon application of the Board of Directors exclusively to any and all churches having representing members in this corporation, provided such church or religious organizations shall qualify as such under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code and its regulations as they now exist or as they may hereafter exist.

ARTICLE X Amendments

The Board of Directors shall have the power to make, alter, amend, and appeal the by- laws of the corporation by affirmative vote of a majority of the Board, provided, however, that the action is proposed at a regular or special meeting of the Board and adopted at a subsequent regular meeting, except as otherwise provided by law. All by-laws made by the Board of Directors may be altered, amended, or repealed by the members. The by- laws may be altered, amended, or repealed at any meeting of the members of the

6 corporation by a majority vote of all the members, represented either in person or by proxy, provided that the proposed action is inserted in the notice of such meeting.

ARTICLE XI Miscellaneous

It is not the primary purpose of this organization to vote on issues or to attempt to persuade or change public opinion.

ARTICLE XII Funds

Nominal membership dues may be required to offset expenses; the corporation shall seek to operate upon donations to it from persons, organizations and businesses on a volunteer basis; a record to the extent possible, shall be kept of such donations by name and amount.

ARTICLE XIII Other Positions

Other positions of the organization including coaches of any teams or other special positions shall be filled by appointment by the President and such appointee shall serve at the pleasure and during the term of the President. However, all officers of the corporation and all persons appointed by any person to fill any position are subject to removal by a majority of the Board of Directors.

ARTICLE XIV Exempt Activities

Not withstanding any other provision of these by-laws, no member, director, officer, employee or representative of this Corporation shall take any action or carry on any activity by or on behalf of the corporation not permitted to be taken or carried on by an organization exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and its regulations as they now exist or as they may hereafter be amended, or by an organization contributions to which are deductible under Section 170(c) (2) of such Code and regulations as they now exist or as they may hereafter be amended.

ARTICLE XV Membership

Any participant in any sporting activity must be a current member of the association.

ARTICLE XVI 7

7 Audit

An annual financial audit shall be required and made available to the general membership. The President shall select the auditing firm or person with approval by the Board of Directors.

8 POLICIES, RULES and BY-LAWS CLARIFICATIONS

I PURPOSE A. The purpose or purposes for which the corporation is organized are: 1. To bring together the various civic and religious groups in the Steele Creek community of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina in order that a meaningful and useful recreational and educational program be provided for children and young people in the community. 2. To provide such recreational and educational programs as a service to the community, at a minimum fee to offset the operating expenses to the participating children and young people in the community. 3. To engage generally in any causes similar to the above mentioned in order to promote the physical and mental well-being of the children and young people in the community. B. The purpose of this manual is to lend continuity to the daily operation of the corporation from year to year. C. The Code Of Conduct: (Addendum A) 1. It is the policy of the association to have each prospective manager, coach and assistant coach read and sign the SCAA Code of Conduct. 2. The primary purpose of the Code of Conduct is to give a set of guidelines for managers, coaches and assistant coaches to follow and comply with. 3. The Code of Conduct is required in addition to the Discipline Policy that is part of the registration procedure. D. Background Checks: (Addendum B) 1. It is the policy of the association to do background checks on prospective managers, coaches and assistant coaches as well as the officers, members of the board of directors and any volunteers that may come into contact with children of the association. 2. The primary purpose of these investigations is to determine if the potential volunteer is a known child sex offender and/or has a history of undesirable actions. 3. The background investigations will follow the format mandated by Little League Baseball, Incorporated. This format may be altered to meet the requirements of another “umbrella” administrative body. (ie: Pop Warner football or NCYSA soccer)

II MEMBERSHIP A. Any participant in any sporting activity must be a current member of the association. B. There are two types of membership. 1. The resident/voting membership may have one vote per family during the annual and special membership meetings. This membership has the following requirements. a. The family must live in the general Steele Creek area as defined by the corporation by-laws. b. The member must be at least 21 years of age. c. Pay the family membership. ($50.00)

9 d. A member who moves from Steele Creek but maintains the membership fee and participates in the sports programs is still considered as a resident/voting member. 2. The second type of membership is the associate/non-voting membership. Its requirements are as follows: a. The family lives outside the general Steele Creek area as defined by the corporation by-laws. b. The member must be at least 21 years of age. c. Pay the family membership. ($50.00) C. Application for membership. 1. Any family meeting the above qualifications may apply for membership by filling out and signing the appropriate forms. 2. The Board of Directors may not grant membership or can remove membership at any time with out cause. 3. Any membership that is withdrawn during a season will result in any sport participant(s) being removed from their team(s). 4. There is no refund in part or in full for memberships that are withdrawn after a seasons game schedule has begun.

III SPORTS ACTIVITIES A. Basketball is sponsored during the winter in conjunction with the Southern Youth Basketball League for the boys and girls. (As of 1995 the SYBL had disbanded, but the members of the league still were playing each other.) B. Basketball Cheerleading is also a winter sport held in conjunction with the basketball program. Basketball Cheerleading is not affiliated with any particular "umbrella" group. C. Baseball is affiliated with Little League Baseball, Inc. during the traditional spring season as well as the fall training and development season. Baseball also is affiliated with Charlotte Area Challenge League for local “travel teams”. D. Softball, offered for the girls, is affiliated with Char-Meck Softball, Inc. during the spring and fall season. Softball currently is fast-pitch for both seasons as well post season “travel teams”. E. The soccer program is affiliated with the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association (NCYSA). Soccer currently sponsors program in the spring and fall with recreational soccer, occasionally, during the winter with indoor soccer and year ‘round with challenge soccer. F. Football is affiliated with Pop Warner Football, Inc. for their traditional fall season. G. Football Cheerleading is affiliated with Pop Warner Football, Inc. for their traditional fall season.

IV THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS The Board of Directors are elected by the general membership at the Annual Meeting. The Board of Directors is to manage and control the business and property of the Association.

10 A. A nomination committee made up of the president, two Board members and two members at large should develop a slate of nominees to be voted on at the Annual Meeting. B. There are generally five outgoing Board members that are to be replaced. Vacancies made by resignations are to also be filled at the Annual Meeting. C. Each Board member can serve for a three-year term, and then sit off the Board for at least one year. The exception to this is when a Board member filling a partial term is elected to a full three-year term. D. The Board of Directors may fill any vacancies occurring in the Board members and the appointee shall serve until the next Annual Meeting. E. Honorary members of the Board of Directors may be nominated by the Board, but must be elected by the members, in a separate ballot, at the next Annual Meeting. Honorary members of the Board of Directors have all the rights and responsibilities of a regular member. Honorary member(s) elected to the Board of Directors are: Dean Basset, 12413 Delshire Lane, Charlotte, NC 28217, 588-0128. (Deceased – 1999)

V OFFICERS The officers of the corporation are elected by the Board of Directors and may come from the Board of Directors or the general membership. The officers are the chairman of the board, president, vice-president(s), the secretary and the treasurer. All officers shall be elected annually. A. The president shall preside at all meetings of the board, the officers, and the members and shall exercise general charge and supervision of the affairs of the corporation from day to day. Positions of the corporation including coaches of any teams or other special positions shall be filled by appointment by the president and such appointee shall serve at the pleasure and during the term of the president. However, all officers of the corporation and all persons appointed by any person to fill any position are subject to removal by a majority of the Board of Directors. B. The chairman of the board shall manage the corporation when there is no Board of Directors. He shall chair all Board of Directors meetings until officers are elected. The chairman of the board shall appoint a budget committee sixty days prior to fiscal year end and the budget committee shall prepare a budget for the next year, which shall be approved by the Board prior to the annual meeting. The chairman with at least two days, but not more than thirty days, verbal or written notice may call special meeting of the Board of Directors. C. The first vice-president shall serve in such jobs or capacities as the president or the chairman of the board or the Board of Directors shall designate, but in any event shall serve all functions of the president, when the president is unable to serve. Other vice-presidents as may be designated by the president, chairman of the board, or the majority of the Board of Directors shall serve such job classifications as may be designated by such person or persons for the then current year. 11

11 D. The duties of the secretary shall be to record all minutes, arrange meeting places, and inform members of the time and place of the meetings. The secretary shall have charge of such books, documents and other papers of the corporation as the Board shall determine and shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the members, and of the meetings of the officers, and upon the absence or disability of the chairman of the board shall perform the duties and possess and exercise the powers of the chairman of the board. The secretary is to keep a record of all reported disagreeable actions by coaches or members. The secretary is to sit in on all team drafts and get an official roster of all teams before the draft is completed. E. The treasurer shall have custody of all funds, property and securities of the corporation, subject to the regulations as may be imposed or required by the Board of Directors, and shall endorse on behalf of the corporation for payment checks and other such writings and shall be in charge of depositing and collecting funds of the corporation.

VI COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEE CHAIRS A. Awards 1. Shingles and plaques. a. Determine the supplier of the shingles and plaques. If there is a need to change from the current supplier, get two or three competitive bids and take them before the Board. b. Work with Team Rep Coordinator to determine who needs shingles and who needs plaques. Have the team reps supply you with a complete roster, with phone numbers, of their team or squad with the names of those needing plaques circled. This list should be turned in to you within two weeks after the teams are formed. c. Get the correctly spelled names of the children on the rosters. These spellings are used for the plaques as well as the program for each sport season. d. Get the plaque and shingle information to the awards supplier by the first week of the sports season. The typed list needs to be broken down by teams with the number of shingles needed for each team and the number and names of those needing plaques. Each team should have its age, coach, "designation" and name. i.e.: Under 10, Smith, SC-2, Strikers. e. Distribute shingles and plaques to the team reps. Have the Team Rep Coordinator call the team reps to pick the awards up. Do not leave the awards at the concession stand to be picked up later. f. Take care of any misspellings or shortage of shingles by arranging to get them from the supplier to the Team Rep. 2. Work with the Pictures Committee to secure Sponsor Plaques. B. Pictures 1. Pictures.

12 a. Determine the photographer and his packages of photographs. If there is a need to change from the current vendor, get two or three competitive bids along with some examples of their work to present before the Board. b. Schedule times for pictures after obtaining a sports schedule. Try to leave thirty (30) minutes between sessions. Twenty (20) minutes would be considered a minimum. c. Schedule any make-ups or rainouts needed. d. Distribute the pictures to the team reps. Have the Team Rep Coordinator call the team reps to pick up the pictures. Do not leave the pictures at the concession stand to be picked up later. e. Take a picture of each team to the awards supplier to be mounted on the sponsor’s plaques. Remove these pictures from the team packets before they are given to the team reps. 2. Sponsor plaques. a. Determine supplier. The supplier is usually the same as used for the awards. b. Coordinate with sponsors committee to determine how many plaques and to whom they go to. c. Get the team pictures from the photographer and take to the awards supplier. The awards supplier cannot prepare these plaques until they have these pictures. d. Get the sponsor plaques to the sponsors committee to be distributed. C. Bar-B-Que. 1. Organize. 2. Preparation. a. Secure "pit" and eating facilities. b. Advertise. c. Prepare "pit". d. Order meat and other food. 3. Bar-B-Que day. 4. Clean-up. D. Building Maintenance and Development 1. Organizes maintenance and improvements on all structures. 2. Oversees new building construction. 3. Works with Grounds Maintenance for long range planning. E. Communications and Publicity Committee 1. A newsletter is to be mailed to the membership three times a year. The letters are to be mailed approximately two weeks before each sports season’s registrations as well as to meet the by-laws requirements for the annual meeting. The letters are to be mailed to all members, friends of the Association, sponsors and churches in the Steele Creek area. 2. A sports program should be printed for each sports season. The program should contain important phone numbers, the game schedules, the teams rosters, the picture schedules and the concession stand schedules as well as notices and news that needs to go the members. This sports program should be given to the Team Reps the week before the first games are to begin for distribution.

13 The committee should coordinate with the sports commissioners, the Team Rep Coordinator, the Awards and Pictures Committee and the Concession Stand Manager for information to be printed. Note: the sports program was discontinued around 1999 because of lack of interest and printing expenses. 3. Flyers for sports programs and other SCAA events may be handed out in the schools, one before each sport sign-up. They are to outline what the Association is and what the Association has to offer to the children. Fliers should be handed out at Steele Creek Elementary, at Lake Wylie Elementary, at Kennedy Middle School, at Southwest Middle School, at Olympic Senior High and at Gold Hill Elementary, Bethel Elementary and Fort Mill High and others as needed in South Carolina. The flyers can also be mailed to the churches and businesses in the community. The flyers should be distributed by the week before the first sign-ups. Note: The policies towards fliers change from year to year and from school system to school system. Check before printing. 4. Corrugated signs announcing the sports seasons and the Annual Bar-B-Que are to be posted throughout the Steele Creek and Lake Wylie communities. It is suggested that the corrugated signs be posted along highways 49 and 160 at all the major intersections. The corrugated signs should be up two weeks before the first registration. The corrugated signs should be taken down within one week after the registrations or the Bar- B-Que. Be aware that the City of Charlotte does not want corrugated signs or banners along the side of the highways during the workweek. 5. Banners announcing the sports seasons and the Annual Bar-B-Que are to be placed throughout the Steele Creek and Lake Wylie communities. It is suggested that the banners be posted along highways 49 and 160 at all the major intersections. The banners should be up two weeks before the first registrations. The banners should be taken down within one week after registrations or the Bar-B-Que. Be aware that the City of Charlotte does not want corrugated signs or banners along the side of the highways during the workweek. 6. The newspaper(s) could be contacted about any sports registrations and special events such as tournaments, the Carnival or the Bar-B-Que. The Observer and Lake Wylie Pilot cover our area. 7. Radio stations can be used to announce fundraisers such as the Bar-B-Que or the Carnival. 8. A membership phone book should be issued to the membership about every other year. The book can be compiled during the summer and mailed to the membership with the Fall Sports newsletter. Phone book was discontinued 1995 due to lack of interest and printing expenses. F. Community Relations Committee Attends community meetings to listen or represent the Association. Participates in community “open houses”. This committee is currently inactive. G. Concession Stand, Choate Circle 14

14 1. The chair of this committee shall oversee the operation of the ball field concession stands. The chair will manage or arrange for a manager to operate the stands. The Board has final approval of any manager or recommendation by the committee chair. The Board reserves the right to have final say on any products sold and their prices, and any vendor used. a. Compensation is available for the Choate Circle concession stand manager when a volunteer can not be found. The responsibilities of the stand do not change whether the manager is paid or a volunteer. The agreed upon terms for a compensated manager are presently 20% of the gross sales (2006). b. Responsibilities. 1) Stocking the stand with food, candy, drinks, condiments and other supplies such as napkins, foil, utensils and serving trays. 2) The stand is to be opened 30 minutes before any scheduled ball game or soccer match. The stand is to stay open until the last game or match is over. 3) A manager is expected to personally open and close the stand most of the time. When the manager cannot open or close, arrangements are to be made with someone who knows what to do. A complete list of opening and closing instructions is to be placed in the stand at the beginning of each sports season in case a manager does not show up. 4) The manager is to see that the food products are prepared in a sanitary and safe manner through personal and written instructions. 5) The manager is to see that all food products are served fresh and in a timely manner with no undo waiting. Ways to serve the customer better should always be considered. 6) Clean-up of the concession stand is also the ultimate responsibility of the manager. All utensils, cookware, parts to machines are to be washed and sanitized. The counter tops are to be wiped down and sanitized. The floor is to be swept and mopped as needed. All trash cans are to be emptied every day. 7) The cleaning of the restrooms is part of the responsibilities of the manager. The restrooms are to be mopped out at least once a week. The fixtures are to be scrubbed twice a week and the soap and paper products are to be replaced as needed. The restrooms are to be left unlocked all the time during the practices and games of the Spring and Fall sports seasons. 8) County and state health regulations are to be adhered to whenever possible. Any rules and practices are to be posted in the concession stand and made aware to all workers. Basic practices such as hand washing, using gloves when preparing food, sanitary storage, etc., are to be enforced at all times. Any problems with adhering to the health regulations should be brought to the attention of the Board. 9) The concession stand will be used by many as a contact or information point, as such; the manager can assume other responsibilities as needed. 2. Scheduling teams to work. The manager needs to secure schedules from the sports commissioners to determine when the teams are to work the stand. The Association maintains the policy that the teams are to support the stand by sending at least two to four parents to work when it is their teams scheduled time to work. All the teams are 15

15 scheduled to work an even amount of times if possible. An age group is not scheduled to work after their season has finished unless they volunteer for a tournament or other after season play. Only one minor at a time can substitute for one of the parents. The manager should be available to help new workers to learn how to operate the stand. 3. The manager does not have to be a member of the Board but the chair of this committee should be a Board member who knows the managerial duties and problems of the concession stand. H. Field procurement. 1. Acquire fields or gyms off property. a. Contracts with the schools. b. Arrange for access to the fields or gyms. 2. Arbitrate disputes on field use for Association fields or contracted fields and gyms. 3. The president may assign this job to each of the sports commissioners.

I. Fund Raising 1. Makes suggestions for fund raising activities to the Board. 2. Organize and run the chosen fund raising activities. 3. There is no more than one major fund raising activity for each season. a. Winter Sports - Bar-B-Que. Operates as its own stand-alone committee. (1991) b. Spring Sports - Carnival. 1) Organize. 2) Preparation. 3) Carnival day. 4) Clean-up. c. Fall Sports - ______. 4. The Fund Raising Committee also coordinates and oversees the Coliseum Concessions Committee (Not active as of Winter 1995). J. Fund Raising - Coliseum Concessions 1. Coliseum Concessions are possible because of an agreement with one Eileen Smith. She is acting as the Associations agent to the Coliseum for the compensation of 20% of the net paid to the Association. This percentage is the same or less than the other agents working in the Coliseum. 2. Coordinate phone-calling committee. 3. The chair of this committee is to work with Eileen Smith to decide which events the Association will work and which will be passed to support groups. 4. The Board recognizes some other groups or associations as support groups to the Association. These groups work under the Steele Creek Athletic Association name and fill in for the Association when there are many dates or booths to fill at one time. The Strikers select soccer team (Judy Spruill) and Olympic Senior High entered into the agreement at the same time as the Association and is to be given preference when considering the use of a support group.

16 5. Coordinate with the Communication and Publicity Committee to advertise the events for each month to the membership. The advertisements can be by newsletter, sports programs, fliers and/or posters at the ball park. 6. The chair of this committee shall arbitrate any problems with the Steele Creek Credits, issued as incentives to work at the Coliseum. The Board of Directors will make final decisions on any problems appealed to it. a. Steele Creek Credits are earned by working shifts at the Coliseum. The credits may be used to offset the sports sign up fees for each season. Their value is $5.00 each. See section IX, H. b. The credits may not be exchanged for cash. They may be transferred to any member. c. The membership is not to be paid in credits. d. Refunds of sports fees paid with credits are to be refunded with credits or a letter recognizing the credits. 7. This committee shall organize any other fund raising efforts that are used to replace the Coliseum Concessions should the Association not continue with the concessions. 8. The chair of this committee is to be a Board member or officer or be invited to the Board meetings to act as a liaison. K. Grounds Maintenance and Development 1. General maintenance. a. Mowing. b. General repairs. c. Major repairs and renovations. 2. Field development. 3. Works with Building Maintenance for long range planning. L. Player agent. 1. The Player Agent is an individual appointed by the president to oversee team drafts, player trades and player replacements. The Association uses Little League policies to guide our player agent in all our sports programs unless a particular sport has rules to the contrary. The Player Agent may have assistants or trainees with the Boards approval. The Player Agent may not be a manager or coach of a team. 2. The drafting of all teams is the responsibility of the player agent. The Player Agent is to coordinate with the Board and the commissioners of each sport as to when the draft of each age group is to be. See Section XI Drafting Teams, for the Associations policies for drafting teams. 3. The Player Agent is to coordinate any player trades or replacements. See Section XI Drafting Teams, for the Associations policies on trades and player replacements. 4. After each draft the Player Agent is to provide a copy of each roster to the sports commissioner, the communications committee, the uniforms purchaser and the awards and pictures committee(s). M. Purchasing, Equipment 1. Maintain the playing equipment. 2. Disposal of broken or obsolete equipment. 17

17 3. Acquire new and replacement equipment. 4. Oversee checkout of equipment. 8/91 5. Oversee check in of equipment. 8/91 6. Organize, clean and inventory at the end of each season. The Association must recover all the equipment that is sent out. Equipment is considered the property of the Association and is not the private property of any one person. For basketball the equipment would include the balls, equipment bags, scorebooks, watches and the scorekeeper board. For cheerleading this would include all the pom- poms. For baseball and softball the equipment includes the balls, ball buckets, bats, equipment bags, catchers masks, chest protectors, catchers cups, bases, scorebooks and umpires indicators. For soccer the equipment is the balls, ball bags, pylons, corner flags, goalie shirts and knee/elbow pads. Goalie gloves usually are personal property. N. Purchasing, Uniforms 1. Determine uniforms needed and source(s). By taking quotes and looking at samples, determine the sources for uniforms. A recommendation should then be taken to the Board for final approval of new vendors. Approval is not needed for previously used vendors unless the Board has voted expressly not to use them. 2. Acquire new and replacement uniforms. Determine during the off-season how many and what type uniforms need to be replaced or repaired. Keep the Board informed on what is ordered or repaired. 3. Organize sizing during sign-ups. A measuring tape, measuring scale used by our uniform company and sample parts for sizing should be available at sign-ups. When handing out parts of uniforms at sign-ups, there is to be a place for the girls and boys to change and check sizes. Any uniforms that are ordered will be sized according to the information entered on the sign-up sheets. 4. Oversee checkout and distribution of uniforms. When uniforms are handed out at sign-ups, the parts and sizes handed out are to be indicated on the sign-up sheets. When uniforms are given to the coaches to hand out, they are to be contacted to pick them up at a central location. The uniforms can be given to the team representatives. 8/91 5. Oversee and coordinates check-in of uniforms. The Association has a policy of collecting all parts of a uniform that is not screened or printed or the socks, panties and caps. For basketball this would be the jerseys and shorts. For cheerleading this would include the vest and skirts. (Pom-poms are equipment.) For baseball and softball this would include the pants and stirrups. For soccer this would include the shorts. (Goalie shirts are equipment.) 8/91 As of year 2000 all sports except football, purchase uniforms and the uniform becomes the property of the player at the end of each sport season. Football uniforms may be returned or purchased. The board of directors may change this policy at any time. 6. Organize, clean and inventory at the end of each season. Once the uniforms are collected, they are to be cleaned by either commercial or private means. They are then checked for damages and the number and sizes of replacements are then determined. The uniforms are then packed in boxes by size, type and color, and stored in

18 the concession stand attic. As replacements are acquired during the “off season” they are to be added to the storage boxes to be ready for the next time they are needed. O. Sponsor Signs 1. Sell advertising signs. 2. Set the fees for the signs for approval by the Board. The current fees are meant to be paid annually. They are $150.00 for a 2’X4’ sign. $300.00 for 4’X4’ sign. $500.00 for a small scoreboard or half of a large and $1000.00 for all of a large scoreboard. 3. Collect the yearly fees. 4. Install and maintain the signs. 5 This committee may be combined with Team Sponsors P. Team Sponsors 1. Organize the selling of sponsorships for teams. Sponsorships help to offset some of the expenses of the teams. The Association recognizes two types of sponsorships. The first is a full “sponsor”. Company would have their name screened on the uniform of the team being sponsored. The sponsor would also get a plaque with the teams picture, mention in the sports program and preference in any needed purchases by the Association. The second sponsorship is an “associate sponsor”. This sponsor would receive any and all benefits of a full sponsor except for the uniforms with their name screened on them. A team may have two associate sponsors if they do not have a full sponsor and the associates would get the same benefits. These sponsorships are to be sold to the businesses in the Steele Creek or surrounding area. Visits are to be made to the businesses and an agreement signed when the sponsorships are sold. Any sport may have associate sponsors and any sport but basketball may have full sponsors. Sign-up sheets can be used as a source for sponsors as well as the Steele Creek or Arrowood business associations. 2. Set the fees for sponsorships for approval by the Board. The present fees are $300.00 per sponsor or $150.00 per associate sponsor. 3. Coordinate with the player agent if certain players representing a sponsor must be spread out among the teams. 4 Coordinate with the uniform purchaser for screen-printing. 5. Distribute the sponsor plaques to the sponsors. The plaques are to be personally delivered, with a thank you, to the sponsor within a week of the end of the season. They are not to be given to the coaches to deliver. 6. This committee may be combined with Sign Sponsors. Q. Team Representative Coordinator 1. Compile and pass on information to the Team Reps (“Team Mom’s) from the sports commissioners, awards and pictures, the concession stand, any fund raising and the Board of Directors. 2. Have at least one meeting before the season to pass on the above information. 3. Make yourself available to the Team Reps for questions, complaints or ideas. 19

19 VII SPORTS AND TEAM OFFICIALS A. Commissioners 1. Soccer a. Soccer commissioner 1) Appointed by the president. 2) If a team coach, defers decisions to the president for the division he is playing in. 3) Oversees all soccer programs. 4) Attends NCYSA & related soccer meetings. 5) Nominates coaches for the president to appoint for baseball. 6) Secures appropriate umpires. 7) Schedules practices, games and makeups. 8) Supplies schedules for the Team Rep Coordinator. 9) Supplies schedules to the concession stand manager. 10) Makes rulings on rules and problems. 11) Coordinate with all committees. 12) Use “assistant commissioners” for different age groups. 13) Coordinate programs with the other commissioners. 14) Follow the wishes and decisions of the Board of Directors.

2. Baseball a. Baseball commissioner 1) Appointed by the president. 2) If a team manager, defers decisions to the president for the division he is playing in. 3) Oversees all baseball programs. 4) Attends Little League meetings. 5) Nominates coaches for the president to appoint for baseball. 6) Secures appropriate umpires. 7) Schedules practices, games and makeups. 8) Supplies schedules for the Team Rep Coordinator. 9) Supplies schedules to the concession stand manager. 10) Makes rulings on rules and problems. 11) Coordinate with all committees. 12) Use “assistant commissioners” for different age groups. (a) T-Ball commissioner. (1) Nominates coaches for T-Ball. (2) Schedules practices, games and makeups. (3) Makes rulings on rules and problems after consultation with the Baseball commissioner. (4) Coordinates with the Machine Pitch commissioner. (5) Follows the wishes and decisions of the Board of Directors and the Baseball commissioner. 20

20 (6) May be a manager of a team. (b) Coach Pitch or Machine Pitch Commissioner © Minor league Commissioner (d) Major League Commissioner (e) Jr. / Sr. Commissioner 13) Coordinate programs with the other commissioners. 14) Follow the wishes and decisions of the Board of Directors. 3. Softball commissioner - same as 2. Baseball commissioner. 4. Basketball commissioner 5. Cheerleading commissioner 6. Football commissioner B. Coaches or managers 1. Are appointed by the president and serve for the season at the discretion of the Board of Directors. The president may use the sports commissioners for nominations to the coaching positions. 2. Titles that the Associations uses for coaches. a. Manager - is the head coach for a baseball or softball team. b. Coach - is an assistant coach in baseball or softball and is usually the head coach in all the others sports the Association sponsors. c. Assistant Coach - can be an assistant in any sports the Association sponsors. d. Coacher - is used to describe a coach, parent or player occupying a base coach position in baseball or softball. 3. Responsibilities of Managers or head Coaches. a. Work with all your players and try to teach them the sport. b. Communicate with your parents and get them involved. Let them know what is going on with the team and with their child. c. Take responsibility for the actions of your team, its players and its parents. d. Be willing to take responsibility for a problem and not blame the Association, the sports officials or the other coaches. e. Cooperate with the other coaches and sports the Association sponsors. f. Follow the policies of the Association and the wishes of the Board of Directors. 4. Responsibilities of Assistant Coaches. a. Each team may have one (1) official assistant coach. Each team may have as many “helpful parents” as assistants as the manager or coach can work with. b. The assistant is to help the manager or coach with any duties the manager or coach desires. The assistant should do so in a positive manner and keep any disagreements between the manager or coach and himself. 5. Tournament Team or All-star Coaches. a. The tournament team manager or head coach is elected by the players and coaches during the regular season. b. This person may step aside for the person with the next highest number of votes, ad infinitum.

21 c. The Board of Directors may at any time choose the manager or head coach of a tournament team as provided in the by-laws. C. Team Representatives (“Team Moms”). 1. Help the coaches with phones calls and team organization. 2. Be the coach’s eyes and ears with the parents. Let the manager or coach know about any problems or concerns. 3. Organize a team party for later in the season. 4. Organize any team gifts for the coaches. D. Scorekeepers. 1. Each team is expected to have a scorekeeper for each game. 2. The home team is the “official” scorekeeper of a game. 3. Teams in T-Ball and Machine Pitch and/or Coach Pitch who do not elect to keep score are still to count batters (Nine batter rule), keep a continuous batting order and count outs. 4. To get a parent involved, show them how to do the scorebook and keep it the way you like. E. Umpires and Referees 1. While the Association would like to have volunteer umpires in every age group of every sport it has been our experience that for the number of games played officials should be contracted out. a. Soccer pays officials for all age groups with there being two or more officials on the field for U10 and older. U8 and U6 can use one official. b. Baseball pays officials for Minor League and older. Minor League uses one official, Major, Junior and Senior League use two officials. T-Ball and Machine Pitch use one volunteer parent or coach as an official. c. Softball pays officials for Minor League and older. Minor League uses one official, Major and Senior League use two officials. d. Basketball pays officials for all age groups with there being at least one on the court for all age groups. The Basketball commissioner will secure two per game for the older age groups at his discretion. 2. All paid umpires are expected to exhibit knowledge of the sport they are officiating. The Association can arrange training for Little League Baseball and Softball for those who are interested. 3. The official(s) assigned to a game or match has control of the field or court until the game or match is concluded. The official(s) are the last word for rulings or questions with the exception of protests or particular sports rules. The official(s) are the only ones to call a game or match once it is under way. All questions or problems with any official are to be put in writing to the commissioner of the particular sport. F. Removal of sports or team officials by the Board of Directors. 1. Anyone holding a team position such as but not limited to manager, coach, assistant coach, team rep, scorekeeper, or groundskeeper may be removed at the discretion of the commissioner of that particular sport or the president or the Board of Directors. 22

22 2. All other personnel in the Association such as but not limited to sports commissioners, concession stand managers, game or match officials, may be removed at the discretion of the president or the Board of Directors. 3. The Board of Directors may remove the president or officers of the cooperation.

VIII OPERATIONS POLICIES OF THE ASSOCIATION A. Meetings 1. Meetings of the officers of the corporation. The officers are the president, vice- president(s), treasurer, secretary and the chairman of the board. a. Are to be called by the president or the chairman of the Board of Directors. b. Officers are to be notified by the secretary at least two days and no more than thirty days in advance of the meeting. This notice may either be written or verbal. c. Officers meetings are chaired by the president or in his absence the first vice- president. d. A quorum is a simple majority of the officers of the corporation. e. Closed meetings may be held with the minutes being made available to the Board of Directors at their next regular meeting. 2. Meetings of the Board of Directors. a. Are to be called by the president, chairman of the Board of Directors or any two members of the Board of Directors. b. Board members are to be notified by the secretary at least two days and know more than thirty days in advance of the meeting. This notice may either be written or verbal. Board members waive the thirty days limit for regular meetings that are set for a particular day of each month c. Board meetings are chaired by the president, vice president or the chairman of the board. d. A quorum is a simple majority of the board members of the corporation. e. Closed meetings may be held or a meeting may become closed with a motion and affirmative of the Board of Directors. Minutes of a closed meeting are to be made available to the board members at their next regular or special meeting. 3. Meetings of the general membership. a. A general membership meeting may be called at any time by the Chairman of the Board, the Secretary or the Treasurer or at the written request of one-fourth of the members of the corporation. b. The annual general membership meeting will be within the first fourteen days of October of each year. This meeting is normally held in the Community House on the SCAA property. The purpose of this meeting is to elect members to the Board of Directors and for the transaction of any other required business. c. Notice of any general membership meetings is to be by mail or verbally at least two days but not more than thirty days before the meeting. d. The current or outgoing President shall chair the annual meeting or any special meetings. If he is unable to chair or is the subject of the meeting the chairmanship shall move to the first Vice-president, the Secretary and then the Chairman of the Board. 23

23 e. The presence of at least fifteen (15) members in person or a sample majority of the members in person or by proxy shall be necessary to constitute a quorum. 1) Only one vote per resident family membership 2) Absentee or proxy votes are to presented to the Secretary before the calling to order of the annual meeting. Their count is not to be announced before or during a vote but they are to be counted and announced with the general voting. B. Purchases for the Association. 1. Only those members authorized by the Board of Directors or the President may purchase items that the Association will be invoiced for or expected to reimburse someone for. a. Any purchase in excess of $30.00 requires a purchase order number. 8/91 1) Purchase orders may be gotten from the President or anyone else the Board of Directors appoints. a) The purchase order should contain a description of the quantity and item purchased. b) The purchase order shall have the cost of the items. c) The purchase order shall have the budget line item numbers for each item. 2) The President or Treasurer may delay any purchase until the next Board of Directors meeting. 3) An invoice with no purchase order number may be held by the treasurer until the treasurer has approval of the President or the Board of Directors. b. Board of Directors authorization required for expenditures above $1500.00 except for budgeted line items. 1) All non-budgeted purchase requests must be proposed in writing. The proposal will contain the following points; a) Outline the problem to be addressed. b) Give a description of the purchase. c) List the bids or prices received. d) Indicate the vendor selected. e) Indicate a source for the funds for the purchase. 2) A majority of the Board of Directors must sign the proposal before the purchase can be made. 8/91 2. Purchase order requirements notification. 8/91 a. Letters should go out to all venders used during the previous fiscal year and to new venders with the purchase order or with the first payment. b. Members are to be notified of the purchase order requirements with a notice in the last newsletter of the fiscal year and with a notice posted on the concession stand bulletin board. C. Mortgage. 1. A goal of the Board of Directors is the elimination of the mortgage by October 1994, the date our current financing has our balloon payment due. 8/91 (This goal was arbitrarily extended and is no longer valid when the equity line was used or capital improvements in 1993). 24

24 2. Twenty-five (25) percent of all revenues from the Coliseum concession stand is to go toward the mortgage in addition to our regular payment schedule. 8/91 D. Insurance. 1. The Association carries no medical insurance except that required by Little League for baseball and softball. Little League insurance is normally used for this purpose. 2. General and officers liability is carried for all sports and activities. Little League insurance is used for baseball and softball, BB&T Westbrook of Charlotte writes our liability for all the other sports the Association sponsors. 3. Property loss insurance is currently written through BB&T Westbrook of Charlotte. E. The Associations fiscal year is from October 1 until the last day of September. F. Sports fees are to be charged to the members to offset the costs to the Association. Each sport is to pay for itself and the fees for next year should be set when the budget is approved for each year. It is and has always been the Associations policy to not turn away a child for monetary reasons. G. The Association uses all moneys taken in to offset the costs of the programs and to improve the facilities. H. Steele Creek Credits are coupons given to Coliseum concession workers. The specifics of the credit system are as follows; 1. To enable members to work for vouchers to offset the costs of the sports and membership fees. 2. To enable the Association to man a concession stand at the Coliseum on a regular basis; to replace selling candy, cakes and wrapping paper, for our fund-raisers. 3. The purpose of the fund-raiser is to supply funds for Soccer, Baseball and Softball field improvements; plus to cover additional operating costs so that the Association can operate a first class facility for our children. 4. To be a reward to those members who are working the Coliseum concession stand and an incentive to those members that are not. 5. To involve more members in our primary fund-raiser so that everyone is called upon less. 6. A “Steele Creek Credit” will be a coupon issued to each Coliseum concession stand worker at the end of their shift of an event. 7. The “Steele Creek Credit” will have a value of $5.00 that can be used towards sport and membership costs. 8. Present the “Steele Creek Credits” at sign-ups to have them deducted from the total cost of sign-ups. 9. No credit can be given beyond what is owed at sign-ups. 10. Any unused “Steele Creek Credits” may be used at later sign-ups. There is no time limit to when they can be used. They may be added together and carried over from year to year. 11. The “Steele Creek Credits” are given to each worker even if they are from the same family or do not have children in the Association. 12. The “Steele Creek Credits” can be transferred from member to member. 13. No cash or other compensation will be given for “Steele Creek Credits” 25

25 14. Members receiving “Steele Creek Credits” are responsible for keeping up with them until redeemed. 15. Refunds for fees paid with “Steele Creek Credits” will be repaid with credits or a letter recognizing the credits. I. Dissolution. J. Audit. K. Damage, vandalism, maintenance and repairs.

IX RESPONSIBILITIES OF PARENTS A. To the child. B. To the child’s team. C. To the Association.

X DRAFTING TEAMS A. General rules and Association policies. 1. The Player Agent is in charge of the draft. He has control of the draft process and speaks for the Board of Directors. 2. The following policies guide all drafts of the Association unless a sport has a comprehensive set of rules to go by such as Little League. The Association is committed to following the rules of each sport group the Association is affiliated with. 3. All players are to be rated by the individual managers coaches or their representatives at a “tryout” that each child has an equal chance to attend. Notification of the “tryout” schedule should be done at sign-ups. 4. It should be stressed with parents and players that the Association does not normally “cut” players from a team. To avoid cutting a player, waiting lists may be used for sports or age groups that historically have a small turnout. These players are taken from this list on a “first come, first served” basis. 5. No trade of any player may be made without the approval of the Player Agent. Little League rules and policies shall govern all of our trades in all sports unless that sport has its own rules. The commissioner of a particular sport and/or age group is to be informed and heard, but his approval is not needed. The President, Awards and Pictures, Uniforms Purchasing and the Communications committees must also be notified of any roster change. 6. A child may play above his age group if he tries out for and is drafted by the coaches of the older age group. A child may also be drafted up to fill a void in a team if the team is below the minimum number of players for that particular sport. However, a child who is drafted up cannot displace a child who is the correct age to play in a particular group. Drafting up may be controlled by the rules of a particular sport and not be allowed. 7. Any child who quits a team may not join any other Steele Creek Athletic Association team for that sport that season. He may rejoin the team that he quit with the manager or head coach and Player Agent approval. 8. No trades of team members will be allowed after seven (7) days from the draft date. Drafting up to an older group to fill a void is still allowed with player agent approval. 26

26 9. A child must be drafted in his age group unless he is drafted up or his parents request permission from the Board of Directors for him to be drafted down. Drafting down or keeping a child down is generally not possible by the rules of the sports the Association sponsors. 10. Sponsors that are “tied” to a child are to be announced before the draft begins. If a manager or head coach drafts more than one player tied to a sponsor, they will be asked to trade one of the sponsor players to a team with no sponsor player. a) This is done after the choosing process, but before the draft concludes. b) This is the only “Steele Creek” rule that is added to the established drafting rules of Little League Baseball. 11. A roster of all team members is to be prepared and given to the Player Agent before leaving the draft. The information needed includes the player’s team, name, address, phone number, birth date and whether he or she has an Association plaque. This information is on the sign-up sheet. The Player Agent will then get copies to the sports commissioner, the uniform purchaser, awards and pictures and the communications committee. B. Who Drafts The Teams? 1. The draft is to be attended by the Player Agent, Secretary or other officer or board member, the sports commissioner and manager or head coach of each team. Only one (1) representative of each team is to be present. 2. If the manager or head coach cannot be present the Player Agent may choose to accept a representative for that team, appoint a representative for that team or draft the team himself. C. Saving Players. 1. The Association recognizes two (2) situations when a player is “saved” from or during a draft. The player(s) is still to tryout the same as any other player. a. The child or children of the manager or head coach are not in the open draft and are protected until the fourth round for all sports except for baseball. Baseball will use the chart in the current years Little League Operation Manual to determine which round the managers child(ren) are still protected. b. The “brother/sister rule” is that when a player is chosen in the draft, his or her sibling in the same age division would go to that same team in the next round. If a team already has a brother/sister player, such as in Major League baseball, the sibling would go to that same team by the fourth round. Siblings may be on different teams of an age division when the parents notify the Player Agent in writing of this desire before the draft process begins. D. Tryouts. 1. All sports are to have a tryout for all players except those players already on a Little League Major League baseball team, T-Ball, cheerleading and when there is only one team in an age group. 2. The tryouts shall consist of a series of trials to be performed by the players while they are watched and rated by a jury of coaches and helpers.

27 3. The tryouts are to run by the Player Agent with the help of the appropriate sports commissioners. 4. The jury will normally rate the players on a one (1) to five (5) scale for each activity. They will also make remarks on the side of their sheets to help them in the draft. 5. Jury sheets and verbal remarks during tryouts are to be guarded so as not to hurt a player or the parents. 6. The jury sheets are provided by the player agent. E. Draft Rules For Particular Sports. 1. Soccer uses the Association rules and policies to govern drafting for all age groups for regular season teams. a. The Association may sponsor recreation soccer seven (7) age divisions, U6, U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, U19. These teams are “under” teams where a U10 would not have reached a league age of ten (10) before the age cut-off date. Other, in-between, age divisions may be established as needed. Soccer is usually played coed in the younger age divisions, but may have girl’s teams in any division when there is enough interest. b. The cut-off date for spring and fall recreational soccer is 12:00:01am August 1st of the current year the child is signing up. This is the child’s league age. c. The U6 and/or U8 teams may be divided evenly by age or into “pods” at the discretion of the Soccer commissioner and the Player Agent. d. Challenge teams or tournaments are to be chosen by the coaches of these teams after each child who would like has a chance to try-out for the team. The Player Agent or his representative is to be present during the choosing process. 2. Baseball follows Little League rules for drafting as written in the current year’s Little League Operations Manual. a. The Association sponsors baseball in age divisions controlled by Little League as well as challenge baseball for a locally based tournament and travel program. b. Little League baseball recognizes T-Ball for five and six year olds, Machine Pitch for six, seven and eight year olds, Minor League for eight, nine and ten year olds, Major League for ten, eleven and twelve year olds, Junior League for thirteen and fourteen year olds, Senior League for fifteen and sixteen year olds. c. The Association is no longer active in the Challenger Division. This division is for those children who may be physically or mentally challenged regardless of age. d. The Association does sponsor teams in “challenge baseball”. The age divisions and number of teams may vary from year to year. 1) All baseball teams play in the age group for the player’s league age except for those six, eight and ten year olds that meet Little League requirements and may be drafted to the next older division. 2) Boys and girls play coed baseball. 3) The cut-off date for spring baseball and softball is 12:00:01am on April 30th of the current year the child is registering. The cut-off date for fall baseball is 12:00:01am April 30th of the next year from when the child is registering. These dates are the child’s league age. 28

28 e. Drafting regular season teams. 1) Little League rules are to be followed when drafting all teams except T-Ball. Any exceptions are to be outlined in these policies. a) T-Ball is to be divided into even teams by birth date. Each team should have a near equal number of older sixes, younger sixes, older fives and younger fives. b) Any team with a girl needs to have at least two girls. c) The teams are blindly chosen by the managers and then the managers need to trade an equal aged player back for his child. d) Any other trades are to be made before leaving the draft. Any child traded should be traded for another child of equal age. 2) Those league age 10 year olds drftaed into Major League will have a slot available on the Minor League Little League tournament team. 3) Any league age 10 year old drafted to a Major League team at the draft or during the regular season who chooses not to come up is no longer eligible to come up for any reason during that regular season. The player is eligible to be elected onto the Minor League Little League tournament team. 4) No Major League players are to be replaced from Minor League or a waiting list during the last two weeks of the regular season. 5) Any current Major League player wishing to go back into the draft must advise the player agent at least two weeks before the draft is to begin. If the waiver is granted by the player agent, the player must attend 50% of the evaluations and go into the draft pool. a) The two weeks is critical so that the player may attend the evaluations. b) Waivered players not attending evaluations will not be placed on a team. 6) The Little League “sibling rule” is always in effect. 7) Only the children of a teams manager (head coach) are protected during a draft, per the Little League Operations Manual. 2. Softball follows rules for drafting. a. Softball has four age divisions 1) All softball teams play in the age group 2) Softball is fast pitch and for girls only. 3) The cut-off date for spring softball is 12:00:01am on January 1st of the current year the child is registering. The cut-off date for fall softball is 12:00:01am January 1st of the next year from when the child is registering. These dates are the child’s league age. b. Drafting regular season teams. 1) Char-Meck rules are to be followed when drafting all softball teams. c. Drafting tournament, all-star, challenge, traveling or AAU type teams. 1) Baseball does not have Little League tournament teams below minor league. a) There is a Board of Directors approved year-by-year exception for the machine pitch or coach pitch division for the local machine pitch or coach pitch tournament. b) The Baseball Commission controls the drafting of the machine pitch or coach pitch tournament team(s). 2) A division with only one regular season team sends this team as their tournament team. 29

29 3) All the players, team managers, coaches and unpaid umpires of a division vote for twelve (12) eligible players. a)The manager for each tournament team for all age divisions from Minor League up is also elected at this time. b) The elected manager may step aside and the manager with the next highest number of votes may take his place, and so on and so on. 4) The votes are then combined and counted by the president, player agent and the baseball commissioner or their appointed representative. 5) Those who get the top twelve (12) votes are announced to the managers only, in a private meeting, who then may opt to change as many as three (3) to round out the team. a) The results of the players below the first twelve (12) may be shown to the managers to aid in any decisions. b) During the formation process, the tournament team manager has the final decision about adding or removing players from the team. 6) The tournament team(s) members should then be called by the tournament team manager and the roster posted at the concession stand. 7) No announcement of the results for a divisions post season team(s) are to be made until all regular season teams of that division have completed their regular season games and intramural tournaments. 8) Any manager found discussing what is said during the managers meeting may be dismissed from coaching in the Association. 3. Basketball uses Association rules and policies to govern drafting for all age groups for regular season teams. a. Basketball has seven (7) age group divisions. Five and six, seven and eight, nines, tens, elevens, twelve and thirteen, fourteen and fifteen. These age divisions may be combined at the discretion of the Basketball Commissioner. The cut-off date for Basketball is 12:00:01am on August 1st of the current year the child is signing up. This is the child’s league age. b. The tournament team for an age group is the team that has the best regular season record. Teams are not combined for tournament play. 4. Cheerleading squads are divided by the Cheerleading Commissioner and coaches. a. Cheerleading has five (5) age group divisions. K and 1st (5 and 6 year olds), 2nd and 3rd (7 and 8 year olds), 4th (9 year olds), 5th and 6th (10 and 11 year olds) and Junior High (12 year olds and up). These age divisions may be combined or modified at the discretion of the Cheerleading Commissioner. b. Traveling squads are chosen by the commissioner and the coaches from all the Cheerleaders who would like to be considered.

XI SPORTS PLAYING RULES AND POLICIES A. Soccer follows the rules of the North Carolina Youth Soccer Association (NCYSA) with no exceptions. The Challenge program has some rule modifications that may not coincide with NCYSA and are to be addressed by the Soccer Commissioner at the beginning of

30 each season. See “Addendum C” for NCYSA rules and “Addendum D” for Challenge rules. B. Baseball follows the Little League International rulebooks for each age division with any exceptions written herein. See “Addendum A” for T-Ball, Machine Pitch and Minor League Rules. All other baseball rules are issued yearly by Little League. C. Softball follows the Char-Meck playing rules for fast-pitch and All-American Girls Softball rulebooks for slow-pitch. Any exceptions are to be written herein. D. Basketball follows the rules determined by the Steele Creek Athletic Association. See “Addendum B” for these rules. 1. The five and six year olds play three on three. 2. The five and six year olds play five three minute quarters. 3. All age groups through age thirteen play an intramural schedule. 11/95 E. Cheerleading has no umbrella group with written rules or policies except the Association.

XII GENERAL RULES AND POLICIES A. Safety. 1. Lightning Rule - Clear the fields when lightning is seen. 2. No one should be climbing any fences, backstops, dugouts or other structures. 3. Warn children not to stand behind a backstop with their fingers or hands in the fence. 4. Batting helmets are to be worn by any child at bat or running the bases. This includes inside the batting cage. 5. Catchers masks and helmets are required to be worn by any child catching a pitched ball whether to a batter or not. B. Sunday Games. 1. Sunday games and practices are not to be scheduled unless the games are makeups or the schedule is not done by SCAA. 2. No Sunday games or practices may start before 2:00pm.

31 Addendum A

Steele Creek Athletic Association, Inc.

1. STATEMENT OF PURPOSE and CODE OF CONDUCT

The following statement of purpose and code of conduct shall apply to any person holding a responsible position at Steele Creek Athletic Association, Inc. Responsible positions include, but are not limited to members of the board of directors, officers, commissioners, coordinators, coaches and assistant coaches.

“ The primary purpose and goal of this Association is to provide a quality recreation and athletic program for youth. In addition to teaching skills and competitiveness, a quality program will emphasize participation, proper conduct and good sportsmanship.”

In keeping with these ultimate goals, it shall be the duty of all persons holding a responsible position in this Association to all times set a good example, and conduct themselves at standards, which this Association deserves and expects.

The Board of Directors of the Association expects each candidate for a responsible position to possess a degree of knowledge of the position for which he is a candidate and demonstrate ability and methodology in carrying out the responsibilities of that position. When these important qualities have been met in the opinion of the Board of Directors, the prospect will be acceptable for the position for which he is a candidate.

In addition to agreeing to the forgoing, each person holding a responsible position in this Association shall;

1. Serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors and may be removed from this position at any time with just cause.

2. Not use vulgarity, profanity, racial slurs, demeaning comments, or improper gestures in the presence of participants or team members at any Association function.

3. Not at any time derogatorily discuss another player, coach, official, parent or team in the presence of a participant or team member.

4. Not to use abusive language or intimidating actions when dealing with any children, parents or officials.

5. Not touch or grab any child, official or parent in any manner other than positive reinforcement or encouragement. 32

32 6. Not severely reprimand anyone, even one's own child at an Association function.

7. Be properly attired at any Association function.

8. Not to use alcohol or drugs at any Association function.

9. Be responsible for the actions of himself, his team, and his assistants at any Association function.

10. Encourage proper conduct and good sportsmanship by parents and fans at any Association function.

11. Understand that they are expected to conduct themselves as ladies and gentlemen both on and off the playing fields and courts.

12. Realize that both a criminal back ground check and a sexual predator check are required by the sports programs the Association is affiliated with and they will be performed.

13. There is a discipline policy in place that is signed when registering a child. This policy is in force for anyone acting in an official capacity whether or not they have registered a child or signed the discipline policy

14. To be responsible for and watch over the park facilities and any equipment issued, and to return any issued equipment within one (1) week of your last game or match. To not paint, mark or “personalize” any Association equipment or uniforms.

I have read the foregoing Statement of Purpose and Code of Conduct of Steele Creek Athletic Association, Inc. I understand it, agree to it, and it is my intent to adhere to it. It is my understanding that failure on my part to comply with its content can result in action by the Board of Directors causing the termination of the position I hold in the Association.

NAME and SIGNATURE

Position ______

Printed Name ______

33 Signature ______Date ______Addendum B

Steele Creek Athletic Association Discipline Policy

Objective. The objective of this policy is to provide straightforward procedures to handle situations of inappropriate behavior while on the property of Steele Creek Athletic Association (SCAA) or while attending any association function. This policy will apply to all persons. That is, parents, children, umpires, coaches, grandparents, et al. Inappropriate behavior (IB) is broadly defined within this policy as; IB1. Obnoxious or otherwise confrontational discussions or actions. IB2. Cursing. IB3. Verbal or physical threats of any kind. IB4. Physical contact. Formal Written Complaint. The Discipline Policy would be implemented upon receipt of a written complaint being received by the secretary of the Board of Directors, the written recommendation of the SCAA president or a recommendation recorded by the secretary after a vote of the Board of Directors. Sport Imposed Penalties. For all sports sponsored by SCAA, any person ejected from a game by a game official, is to leave the playing field area and is not to attend their teams next physically played game, even if the ejection happens during the last game of the season. The Sports Imposed Penalty may be appropriately used to satisfy the SCAA Discipline Policy. After notification, investigation and consultation with the SCAA president and / or other corporate officers, the President may recommend that the Sport Imposed Penalty is appropriate and the matter is closed, or the president may recommend to further implement the SCAA Discipline Policy. IB1, IB2, IB3, IB4 Written Warning. The SCAA president should be made aware of any incident. After notification, investigation and consultation with the SCAA president and / or other corporate officers, the president may recommend that a written warning would be appropriate. The Board of Directors secretary will mail the written warning by certified mail, “return receipt requested” or the written warning may be hand delivered by no less than two people if deemed appropriate. Enclosed with the letter shall be a copy of the SCAA Discipline Policy.

34 The president shall notify the full board at the next regular Board of Directors meeting that a written warning has been issued. The name of the person(s) warned and a broad overview of the incident is all the detail needed at this time. IB1. If a regular Board of Directors meeting is not convenient, the secretary will notify the Board of Directors of a special meeting scheduled as soon as possible after the offense occurs. A quorum must be present. The meeting will be rescheduled until a quorum exists. The BOD secretary will contact the accused party by certified mail sent “return receipt requested”, to inform them of the meeting. The accused party will be invited and encourage to attend the meeting. Enclosed with the letter shall be a copy of the SCAA Discipline Policy. The accused party, upon entering the meeting site, will be handed a hard copy of the SCAA Discipline Policy and introduced to the Board of Directors. The accused party will be given every opportunity to “tell their side of the story”. After the accused leaves the meeting, The Board of Directors will discuss the situation and vote guilty or not guilty. A majority vote rules. First offense - Written warning letter, sent certified mail, “return receipt requested”. Second offense – The party is not allowed on the SCAA facility or contracted facilities, beyond the parking lot for the next season (fall, winter or spring). Third offense – The party is not allowed on the SCAA facility or contracted facilities, beyond the parking lot for one full year. Fourth offense – lifetime suspension from the SCAA facility or contracted facilities. IB2. If a regular Board of Directors meeting is not convenient, the secretary will notify the Board of Directors of a special meeting scheduled as soon as possible after the offense occurs. A quorum must be present. The meeting will be rescheduled until a quorum exists. The BOD secretary will contact the accused party by certified mail sent “return receipt requested”, to inform them of the meeting. The accused party will be invited and encourage to attend the meeting. Enclosed with the letter shall be a copy of the SCAA Discipline Policy. The accused party, upon entering the meeting site, will be handed a hard copy of the SCAA Discipline Policy and introduced to the Board of Directors. The accused party will be given every opportunity to “tell their side of the story”. After the accused leaves the meeting, The Board of Directors will discuss the situation and vote guilty or not guilty. A majority vote rules. First offense – This party is not allowed on the SCAA facility or SCAA contracted facilities, beyond the parking lot for 1 month. Second offense – The party is not allowed on the SCAA facility or contracted facilities, beyond the parking lot for one full year. Third offense – the party is banned for life from entering the SCAA facility or contracted facilities. IB3. 35

35 If a regular Board of Directors meeting is not convenient, the secretary will notify the Board of Directors of a special meeting scheduled as soon as possible after the offense occurs. A quorum must be present. The meeting will be rescheduled until a quorum exists. The BOD secretary will contact the accused party by certified mail sent “return receipt requested”, to inform them of the meeting. The accused party will be invited and encourage to attend the meeting. Enclosed with the letter shall be a copy of the SCAA Discipline Policy. The accused party, upon entering the meeting site, will be handed a hard copy of the SCAA Discipline Policy and introduced to the Board of Directors. The accused party will be given every opportunity to “tell their side of the story”. After the accused leaves the meeting, The Board of Directors will discuss the situation and vote guilty or not guilty. A majority vote rules. First offense – the party will not be allowed on the SCAA facility or contracted facilities, beyond the parking lot for one full year. Second offense – the party will be banned from the SCAA facility or contracted facilities for life. IB4. If a regular Board of Directors meeting is not convenient, the secretary will notify the Board of Directors of a special meeting scheduled as soon as possible after the offense occurs. A quorum must be present. The meeting will be rescheduled until a quorum exists. The BOD secretary will contact the accused party by certified mail sent “return receipt requested”, to inform them of the meeting. The accused party will be invited and encourage to attend the meeting. Enclosed with the letter shall be a copy of the SCAA Discipline Policy. The accused party, upon entering the meeting site, will be handed a hard copy of the SCAA Discipline Policy and introduced to the Board of Directors. The accused party will be given every opportunity to “tell their side of the story”. After the accused leaves the meeting, The Board of Directors will discuss the situation and vote guilty or not guilty. A majority vote rules. First offense – the party will be banned from the SCAA facility or contracted facilities for one full year. Second offense – the party will banned from the SCAA facility or contracted facilities for life.

II. Implementation In all instances where the Discipline Policy has been implemented, the Board of Directors secretary and president and/or other corporate officer(s) will draft a letter of response to the accused. The letter shall be sent certified mail, “return receipt requested” along with a copy of the SCAA Discipline Policy. The Board of Directors reserves the right to ban an individual from the SCAA facility or contracted facilities for any behavior found to be inappropriate. Banning an individual does not affect the status of other family members at SCAA.

36 The Board of Directors reserves the right to not accept an “application for membership” or to revoke said membership at any time. A family membership is required before any child can register for or continue a sport season The Board of Director and its officers will not discuss or utter opinions on the actions of an individual or the discussions and results of any meetings. This does not preclude any investigative inquiries prior to the board meeting. Let any discussion or common or public knowledge only come from the accused and any official Board of Directors publications. The Board of Directors may be reverse or modify any decisions made by themselves or by past Board of Directors. If the accused party is found to be accountable for their actions, and as a result, do not wish to continue their membership or current sport season, they are not eligible for a refund, in part or in whole, of their membership or sports registration fees or any other monies or compensation for materials or time. SCAA does not consider race, color, religion, gender, creed, disability, national origin, marital status, age, health, income, athletic experience or ability when considering decisions relative to the Discipline Policy. This policy is to be published in the SCAA Policy Manual, posted on the web site and copies are to be made available at all registrations. Further, when the registration forms are reprinted, there is to be a reference and signature affirming the awareness of this policy being available and read during the registration process. The web page registration is to have a “check-off” block affirming the same.

Steele Creek Athletic Association Board of Directors

37 Addendum C

SCAA T-Ball Rules I. Baseball - Standard Little League rule books are to apply or be used as guidelines with the following exceptions or points of emphasis. A. T-Ball - The Little League T-Ball / Minor league rule book is to govern this program with the following emphasis or changes. These rules will not be changed by coaches or umpires. (3/96) PLAYING RULES 1. Each team must have a minimum of eight (8) players to start or finish a game. Upon agreement between the two mangers, players may be loaned to an opposing team so that a game may be played. 2. All players will play defense every inning. After setting a standard infield, all other players are to be placed in the outfield. 3. There is a consecutive and continuous batting order with all players batting. Late arrivals are to be inserted at the bottom of the original batting order. 4. There is a maximum of nine (9) batters per side per inning. The ninth batter must be announced and acknowledged by both the umpire and the opposing manager. Failure to do so and the player swings at a ball in play on the tee; the batter is out and the inning is over. 5. Games will consist of six (6) innings maximum. No inning shall start after one (1) hour and fifteen (15) minutes. If a game is tied after six (6) innings or when the time limit runs out, it is considered a tie. No extra innings are to be played. 6. A game is complete after five (5) innings if one team is ahead by ten (10) runs. 7. An inning ends after the third out or when the pitcher calls time after the ninth batter. An Exception: If the bases are loaded when the ninth batter hits and the inning is ended with the pitcher calling time without a play being attempted, the batter “earns” first base and “forces” the other runners around. The player on third (and only he or she) scores once they cross the home plate 8. The pitchers circle is to be ten (10) feet in diameter with the center being the center front edge of the pitchers rubber. 9. A radius of SIX (6) feet from the back point of home plate is considered foul ball territory. The ball must pass beyond this radius in the air to be considered in play. The ball is foul if it falls into this radius before passing into fair territory. 10. The batting tee may be hit by the batter during the swing. 11. Any swing and miss of the ball is a strike unless the tee is hit. Hitting the tee is considered a foul ball. A player is considered out after three strikes. 12. There are to be “halfway lines” between every base except home plate and first. If the runner is on or past a halfway mark before the pitcher calls time the runner is awarded the next base. If the runner is not past the halfway mark he goes back to the last base he passed. If the bases are filled in such a way that the lead runner cannot go back, he gets the base. The umpires decision on this is final.

38 13. Play is dead when the pitcher, having control of the ball with both feet in the circle, raises the ball in his throwing hand and calls time. The umpire should then also call time. The umpires decision on this is final. 14. Play is not stopped when the pitcher runs through or field the ball within the circle to make a defensive play. 15. The pitcher must have both feet on the rubber when play starts for each batter. 16. No infielder may be placed on a base path or any closer to home plate than the halfway marks at the beginning of each play. 17. No outfielder may be positioned on or inside the base paths at the beginning of each play. 18. Coaches may not touch players except for positive encouragement and only when the ball is not in play. Exception: Positioning the batter by the batting coach. 19. A player may be called out for missing a base on appeal only. The manager is to call time and get his pitcher to ask the umpire for an “appeal of _____ base by _____ runner”. The umpire cannot rule, and the player is assumed safe, if he did not see the infraction. The appeal must be made before the next batter takes his first swing. 20. Overthrows do not restrict a runner unless the ball is thrown out of play. The runners then get one (1) base past what they earned. A ball is out of play if it passes under, over or through the fence or dugout even if the ball rebounds back onto the field. 21. Coaches are only allowed between the foul lines when the ball is dead. Offensive coaches or coachers are to be stationed in the coaches boxes at first and third, the batting coach in the home plate area and the defensive coaches directly in front of their dugout and no further out towards the field than six (6) feet. 22. No offensive team members may be on the field except the batter and runners. There is no “on deck” circle. All players not batting or playing, scorekeepers, dugout helpers, ecetera are to be behind the fence of their appropriate dugout. 23. Interference with a ball in play by anyone playing or not playing, results in a dead ball with no runners advancing and no one out. The exception is when there is “incidental” interference. This is when the ball hits a player and/or coach when he or she is making every effort to get out of the way. The ball is then still in play. Base coachers are expected to leave the coaches boxes to avoid interfering with a ball in play. RESPONSIBILITIES 1. The home team of each game is (a) responsible for lining the field, (b) providing the game balls (one new and one used) to the umpire, (c) providing the batting tee, (d)providing an umpire and (e) emptying the trash cans after the games. 2. Both teams are responsible for cleaning up any and all trash from their dugouts and bleacher areas. SAFETY & ADULT RULES 1. Players who “sling” the bat are to be given a warning the first time during a game. The second time in the same game results in a out. 2. Any player or coach throwing any equipment in anger, striking another player or coach or otherwise displaying unsportsmanlike conduct may be ejected from the game. The player or coach may be warned once if the umpire desires. Any player or coach 39

39 ejected from a game must leave the playing field. He may not sit in the dugout or the bleachers. All managers and coaches are subject to the SCAA Code Of Conduct and serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. Umpires having to warn or eject a player or coach should contact, after the game, the T-Ball Commissioner and/or the Baseball Commissioner to let them know what happened. 3. LIGHTNING RULE - The fields are to be cleared of players when lightning is seen. 4. No seasonal standings are kept in T-Ball. (a)There is no first place or “all-star” team. (b)Rainouts do not have to be made up. (c)T-Ball games are not forfeited, just not played. 5. Keep in mind that T-Ball is an instructional sport. Winning is not the most important accomplishment. All team members need to have the same chance to learn, play, build self confidence and have a fun T-Ball season. 6. No player may play the same position more than two innings of a game. Rotate all the players among most all the positions. 7. Points of emphasis to teach your players should include; (a)The first base play. Teach the team how and why to make a play at first. (b)The catchers responsibilities. Teach the team the basics of what to do in this position. (c)Throwing the ball. Strass overhand throws. Do not let your team members roll or run with the ball to make a play. 8. Communicate with your parents. Talk to them after each practice or game. 9. Umpires have all authority on the playing field once the game begins. For specific guidelines, see the Little League T-Ball / Minor League Rule Book, section 9.00. 10. Little League rules state, “The use of tobacco and alcoholic beverages in any form is prohibited on the playing field, benches or dugouts.”

40 Addendum D

SCAA Machine Pitch Rules

I. Baseball - Standard Little League rule books are to apply or be used as guidelines with the following exceptions or points of emphasis. B. Machine Pitch - The Little League T-Ball / Minor league rule book is to govern this program with the following emphasis or changes: (3/96) PLAYING RULES 1. Use ten (10) players when in the field. Set a normal infield, but put out four outfielders. 2. The offensive team is to provide their own non-playing “pitcher” (coach or parent) to man the machine. The defensive stations a player-pitcher on the first base side of the machine to field. The player-pitcher may not be stationed on the third base side of the machine. 3. The machines are to be set between forty-five (45) and fifty (50) on the rheostat dial. This number is only for reference and is not “miles per hour”. 4. Each defensive player must play at least two innings per game. 5. No player is to play the same position more than two innings in a game. 6. There is a consecutive and continuous batting order with all players batting. Late arrivals are to be inserted at the bottom of the original batting order. 7. There is a maximum of nine (9) batters per side per inning. The ninth batter must be announced and acknowledged by both the umpire and the opposing manager. Failure to do so and the player swings at a ball in play; the batter is out and the inning is over. 8. Games will consist of six (6) innings maximum. No inning shall start after one (1) hour and fifteen (15) minutes. If a game is tied after six (6) innings or when the time limit runs out, it is considered a tie. No extra innings are to be played. 9. A game is complete after five (5) innings if one team is ahead by ten (10) runs. 10. There are to be “halfway lines” between every base except home plate and first. If the runner is on or past a halfway mark before time is called, the runner is awarded the next base. If the runner is not past the halfway mark he goes back to the last base he passed. If the bases are filled in such a way that the lead runner cannot go back, he gets the base. The umpires decision on this is final. 11. Play is stopped by (1) an infielder, inside the base lines (except the catcher, not past first or third), holding up the ball and calling time or (2) the umpire calling time when play has stopped or (3) when the third out is made. An Exception: If the bases are loaded when the ninth batter hits and the inning is ended with an infielder calling time without a play being attempted, the batter “earns” first base and “forces” the other runners around. The player on third (and only he or she) scores once they cross the home plate 12. No infielder may be placed on a base path or any closer to home plate than the halfway marks at the beginning of each play. 13. No outfielder may be positioned on or inside the base paths at the beginning of each play.

41 14. Coaches may not touch players except for positive encouragement and only when the ball is not in play. Exception: Positioning the batter by the batting coach. 15. A player may be called out for missing a base on appeal only. The manager is to call time and get his pitcher to ask the umpire for an “appeal of _____ base by _____ runner”. The umpire cannot rule, and the player is assumed safe, if he did not see the infraction. The appeal must be made before the next batter takes his first swing. 16. Overthrows do not restrict a runner unless the ball is thrown out of play. The runners then get one (1) base past what they earned. A ball is out of play if it passes under, over or through the fence or dugout even if the ball rebounds back onto the field. 17. Coaches are only allowed between the foul lines when the ball is dead. Offensive coaches or coachers are to be stationed in the coaches boxes at first and third (and are to stay in the coaches boxes) the defensive coaches directly in front of their dugout and no further out towards the field than six (6) feet. 18. No offensive team members may be on the field except the batter and runners. There is no “on deck” circle. All players not batting or playing, scorekeepers, dugout helpers, ecetera are to be behind the fence of their appropriate dugout. 19. Interference with a ball in play by anyone playing or not playing, results in a dead ball with no runners advancing and no one out. The exception is when there is “incidental” interference. This is when the ball hits a player and/or coach when he or she is making every effort to get out of the way. The ball is then still in play. Base coachers are expected to leave the coaches boxes to avoid interfering with a ball in play. 20. If a pitching machine can not be made to work, the game is to be played as “coach pitch”. 21. Until the third Saturday each batter will get up to seven (7) pitches to attempt to hit. Starting on the third Saturday each batter will get seven (7) pitches or three (3) strikes, whichever comes first. RESPONSIBILITIES 22. The home team of each game is (a) responsible for lining and preparing the field, (b) providing the game balls (one new and one used) to the umpire, (c)providing an umpire and (d) emptying the trash cans after the games. 23. Both teams are responsible for cleaning up any and all trash from their dugouts and bleacher areas. SAFETY & ADULT RULES 24. All equipment is to be behind the dugout fence. 25. Players who “sling” the bat are to be given a warning the first time during a game. The second time in the same game results in a out. 26. Any player or coach throwing any equipment in anger, striking another player or coach or otherwise displaying unsportsmanlike conduct may be ejected from the game. The player or coach may be warned once if the umpire desires. Any player or coach ejected from a game must leave the playing field. He may not sit in the dugout or the bleachers. All managers and coaches are subject to the SCAA Code Of Conduct. Umpires having to warn or eject a player or coach should contact the T-Ball Commissioner and/or the Baseball Commissioner to let them know what happened. 42

42 27. If there is a problem or question during a game, play the game out as the umpire rules. There are no protests. Bring the problem or question to the Machine Pitch or Baseball Commissioner after the game. 27. LIGHTNING RULE - The fields are to be cleared of players when lightning is seen. 28. No seasonal standings are kept in Machine Pitch. (a)There is no first place or “all- star” team. (b)Rainouts do not have to be made up. (c)Machine Pitch games are not forfeited, just not played. 29. Keep in mind that Machine Pitch is an instructional sport. Winning is not the most important accomplishment. All team members need to have the same chance to learn, play, build self confidence and have a fun Machine Pitch season. 30. Coaches should prepare your players for the next level of baseball. Points of emphasis to teach your players should include; (a)The first base play. Teach the team how and why to make a play at first. (b)The catchers position. Teach the team the basics of what to do in this position. (c)Throwing the ball ahead of the runner to stop play. (d)Throwing the ball. Do not let your team members roll or run with the ball to make a play. 31. Communicate with your parents. 32. Scoring is optional. However, remember to keep a batting order, a batter count and a record of position changes. 33. Umpires have all authority on the playing field once the game begins. Work with the umpires. Many of them are learning to call games just as you are learning to coach. No one wants a job that will subject them to criticism, tension and ridicule. For specific guidelines, see the Little League T-Ball / Minor League Rule Book, section 9.00. 34. Little League rules state, “The use of tobacco and alcoholic beverages in any form is prohibited on the playing field, benches or dugouts.”

43 Addendum E

SCAA Challenge Baseball Structure

III. Overview Challenge Baseball is a program where Steele Creek Athletic Association (SCAA) gives the baseball enthusiast more playing time in addition to the regular recreational baseball schedule. This structure is meant to govern all challenge and all other non-Little League baseball teams at SCAA. Depending on the age bracket, challenge teams play other challenge, tournament and travel teams throughout the area with games usually scheduled on Sundays and tournaments scheduled on selected weekends.

1. Governance - The SCAA Baseball Commissioner ( Baseball Commissioner ) is charged with the responsibility of the challenge baseball program.

a. The Baseball Commissioner may appoint or recommend an assistant commissioner or coordinator to be the Challenge Baseball Commissioner or Coordinator . b. The Baseball Commissioner is the spokesperson and chairperson of the Baseball Commission. i. The Baseball Commission is set up to enforce, guide and make recommendations on baseball related decisions at SCAA. ii. The Baseball Commission shall consist of the Baseball Commissioner, SCAA corporate officers, and any assistant baseball commissioners. iii. Any member of the Baseball Commission is expected to recuse themselves if a decision is being decided about their own or child’s team. iv. The chair and all members of the Baseball Commission may vote on decisions before them. a. All decisions of the Baseball Commissioner carry the power of and are subject to the Baseball Commission and subsequently the SCAA Board of Directors.

2. Rules – This structure is for Steele Creek Athletic Association teams and is in addition to any common challenge rules or tournament rules. This structure is subject to modification, addition or deletion before the beginning of each Spring registration period by the Baseball Commissioner and/or the Baseball Commission. 44

44 3. Fees - Fees collected upon sign up for a challenge team cover the cost of insurance, field maintenance, SCAA approved uniforms, umpires for home games, and baseballs and materials for home game preparations. Any tournaments or other expenses other than listed above, including team pictures and trophies, are the full responsibility of each individual team. The collection of fees during registration for challenge teams may be delayed until after the team has been tried out and chosen. For those players that make the team, all fees are then due within 10 days of the last scheduled tryout date. The collection of fees is the full responsibility of each manager. The manager will collect all fees in full within the 10 day period and pass them on to the SCAA Treasurer. A manager does not have the authority to waive fees or workout payment schedules. If a players family has not paid the full amount of the fee within the allotted time that player must be removed from the roster and another player will be chosen from the same tryout to fill the void in the roster. Uniforms will not be ordered until the team roster and all payments in full are in the possession of the SCAA Treasurer.

4. Eligibility - In order to be eligible to participate, the player’s family must be members of SCAA and the player must register for and be active on a Spring season SCAA baseball team.

5. Tryouts - Tryouts are open to all children in each age group from ages 9 through 16.

a. A flyer or the newsletter will be sent out to all children in that specific age group that are members of SCAA informing them of the upcoming practices and /or tryouts. b. Parents and children must understand that not everyone will make a team. c. For challenge baseball, this tryout is to be scheduled after the selection of the regular Spring season baseball teams, by the manager of each team and with the approval of the Baseball Commissioner.

6. Teams - Teams are selected after an open tryout.

b. An open tryout as described above in 4a must be held on an annual basis in order to evaluate new and/or developing talent. Players on the team the previous year must tryout again. Being a member of a team the previous year does not guarantee a spot on a team. Teams are reselected each year. c. Teams usually consist of a 12 player roster. Any additions above this must be approved by the Baseball Commissioner.

45 d. If enough talent exists in any one age group, a second team may be formed with the approval and/or recommendation of the Baseball Commissioner and/or the Baseball Commission.. i. The number of players trying out is, by itself, not sufficient reason to add a second team. ii.However, if the Baseball Commissioner, the Baseball Commission and/or the Board of Directors permit two teams, a draft using Little League rules and policies must be held. No team may be manipulated or planned to be less competitive than the other. This includes any organized team such as a scrimmage team, farm team or A and B teams ( stacking one team ). a. If a player is to be replaced for any reason during the season, a child who did not participate in the last tryout cannot be placed on the team unless another open tryout is called and made available to all interested children in that age group as described above in 4a. Any child who participated in the last tryout can be added to a team at anytime to fill the roster. This must be done through the Player Agent. b. Preseason practices for unformed teams must be open to all children in that specific age group as described above in 4a and must be approved by the Baseball Commissioner. Inviting a select group of kids without making practices open to all is not permitted. c. Preseason practices may not be referred to or associated with the “challenge” program and attendance at these practices is not a guarantee or prerequisite for a place on a challenge team.

7. Managers and Coaches – Managers and coaches must be members of SCAA.

d. Those interested in managing a challenge team will be required to fill out an application provided by the Baseball Commissioner. All applications will be reviewed by the ( Baseball Commission ). A majority vote by the baseball commission will decide the manager of each team. e. Coaches are selected by the manager of each team after the selection of players and must be approved by the Baseball Commissioner. f. In the event of a draft in one age group, those interested in becoming assistant coaches are not guaranteed to a specific team. Trades may be made immediately following the draft. Trading after the draft must be approved by the Player Agent. g. Managers and coaches will be reevaluated each year by the baseball commission and must be reapproved in order to continue as manager or coach. *The Baseball Commissioner and the Baseball Commission reserve the right not to disclose reasons for rejection or approval.

46 a. The Baseball Commissioner, the Baseball Commission, and/or the Board of Directors reserve the right to remove a manager, a coach, or dissolve an entire team if deemed necessary at anytime. b. If a manager decides to leave the team or is removed as the manager, a new manager will be decided by the Baseball Commissioner or by the Baseball Commission by reviewing previous applications along with any new applications. c. If a coach decides to leave the team or is removed as a coach, the manager may choose another coach from within the team with the approval of the Baseball Commissioner.

8. Games and Practices - Games and practices, including off season practices, must be approved by the Baseball Commissioner to avoid conflicts with regular season make-up games and/or scheduled field maintenance and upgrades. Regular Spring and Fall baseball games and practices take precedence over challenge baseball games, tournaments and practices.

9. Field Maintenance - Just like regular season teams, challenge teams are required to maintain SCAA fields after each practice and each game including both bull pens and both dugouts.

10.Staff - Each team will have one manager and two official coaches that may be in the dugout or on the field during games.

a. Each team may have as many “unofficial” coaches that the manager chooses. b. All staff are subject to the same rules and policies as the manager and official coaches. c. An “unofficial” coach may be used in games where an “official” coach or manager is not available.

8. Pitchers - A pitchers availability for challenge games is not affected