Hudsonville Little League

Local Rules

A Finance Committee (composed of members from the Executive Board) shall assemble to review all transactions made throughout the course of the previous year upon the fiscal year’s completion.  Financial reports are also to be reviewed each month.

A Competition Committee shall be formed and will be assigned, but not limited to, the following issues:
·         Review and set goals for each level of HLL
·         Review and set Playing Rules to achieve goals.
·         Set standards for umpiring and coaching.
·         Set process for manager/ coach selection.
·         Set process for Team Assignments.
 

Refund Policy:
·         Any request to remove a player and receive a full refund minus must be done prior to player evaluations.
·         Late Fees are non-refundable.
·         Any request to remove a player due to illness or injury must meet the approval of the HLL board.  Approved refunds will be handled as follows: 

1. Refunds for payments made via PayPal/Venmo will be minus $5.
2. Refunds after evaluations will be $75
3. Refunds after within the first 4 games will be $25
4. There will be no refunds after the first 4 scheduled games have been passed
5. Players not requiring evaluation may only receive full refund prior to the first day of evaluations.

·         All returned checks are subject to a $25 fee.
Players ages 5-6 with special needs may play in either Rookie or Challenger divisions.  Players ages 7 through 18 (or still in high school) with special needs must play in the Challenger division for their own safety and enjoyment.

All parents and coaches must sign the “Code of Conduct” established by Little League. 
Umpires are empowered to stop a game and have any coach or spectator removed for violating the Code of Conduct.  Failure of coach or spectator to remove his/herself from the game may result in forfeiture.

All batting equipment on the playing field or in the dugout must be inspected by the umpire(s) before each game.  No other batting equipment is allowed to be brought into the dugout or onto the playing field without the umpire’s authorization first.

In the event that a team(s) have a tie in their record, division ranking will be based on a point system.  Each win will count as two points and each tie will count as one point. 
In the event that teams end up in a tie for first place, the tie-breaker will be determined by head-to-head record for the season.  If teams still remain in a tie, a playoff game will be scheduled to break the tie.
Coaching Coordinators will assemble panels to determine managers and coaches.
Division Alignment: (Baseball and Softball)
·         Rookie (primary ages 4-6)
·         Minors A (primary ages 7-8)
·         Minors AA (primary ages 9-10)
·         Minors AAA (primary ages 10-11)
·         Majors (primary ages 11-12)
·         Juniors (ages 13-14)
·         Seniors (ages 15-16)
·         Big League (ages 17-18)
·         Challenger (ages 5-18 or still in high school)
Team Assignments: (Baseball and Softball)

Rookie:  Players will be as evenly distributed as possible by placing an equal amount of 4 years old, 5 year olds and 6 year olds on each team.  Returning 6 year olds will be returned, if possible, to their previous year’s team.  Teams are formed by blind draw.

Minors A:  Incoming 7 year olds will be evaluated and split evenly throughout the number of necessary teams for the season.  Returning 8 year olds will be returned, if possible, to their previous year’s team.  Each team shall have an equal number of 7 year olds and an equal number of 8 year olds.

Minors AA, AAA, & Majors:  Players will be evaluated to determine his/her level of competition.  Teams will then be formed by equal distribution of players based on their evaluation scores.  Parents wishing to have siblings play at the same level, may opt to have a player held to a lower division if Little League rules do so allow.  Team’s rosters are cleared and reformed each season.

Juniors and Seniors:  Players will be evaluated by managers and coaches selected for these divisions.  Players will then be drafted to teams by managers and coaches.

Big League:  This is a sign up by team basis.  Players signing up, but not with a specific team, will be dealt with as situations arise.  Big League is handled by District 9.

Challenger:  (Process is still being determined)
All evaluations will be done by an impartial panel of volunteers appointed by the Competition Committee.  No manager or coach is allowed to be an evaluator for his/her own division.

A person who is managing or coaching in a division is not allowed to be part of the panel which forms teams from evaluation scores.

Player Requests:
·          No other player requests or coach requests will be honored.
·         Special circumstances may be presented to the board before the February Board Meeting.
Coaches wishing to be considered for an All-Star managing spot must notify his/her Coaching Coordinator by the start of the season.  Those wishing to be appointed will then be monitored and evaluated by members of the HLL Board and Competition Committee.  An all-star coach may be announced by mid-season, so that he/ she may begin to evaluate players during games.  Coaches wishing to be nominated must be aware that:
·       His/ her selection of All-Star Manager is an honor and privilege.
·        By being selected as an All-Star Manager, your child does not receive an automatic selection or nomination due to his/ her position.
·         District 9 holds a mandatory All-Star Coach’s Meeting at Pinery Park on the Sunday before the start of Majors All-Star play.
·         All-Star Managers are expected to uphold all rules and guidelines set forth by both Little League and Hudsonville Little League.
Players nominated by their team’s coaching staff will receive a Commitment Form notifying parents/ guardians of basic rules and guidelines for the All-Star Tournament.  Also explained are the expectations of Hudsonville Little League’s Board of Directors to ensure that all members of the team share equal interest.  Parents/ guardians may choose to accept or decline further nomination for the All-Star Tryouts.

All managers, coaches, and umpires must attend a clinic by Hudsonville Little League.  Any absence must be excused by the HLL Board, or this may effect future coaching consideration.

All trash must be removed from dugouts after games.  The manager is responsible for this.