LEAGUE By-Laws

Constitution – Organization and Function

Article 1. The organization shall be named Gardendale Girls Softball Association.
Article 2. The mailing address is 2109 Moncrief Road, Gardendale, AL 35071
Article 3. The objective of the association will be to provide the best program for the Encouragement of athletic activities for the participants. This objective is established by the Board of Directors and is specified in the By-Laws.
Article 4. The primary location for the transaction of business shall be at such a place determined by the Board of Directors.
Article 5. The general meeting will be held on the 1st Tuesday after the last day of registration. The time and place shall be announced on the website and newspaper at least 2 weeks prior to meeting.
Article 6. The current financial statement will be placed at both concession stands for the viewing of all interested parties on a monthly basis.
Article 7. A copy of the financial statement shall be sent to the Parks and Recreation Department prior to the 2nd Monday of each month that will be recorded in the minutes of the Parks and Recreation Board meeting.
Article 8. A yearly financial statement shall be present to the Parks and Recreation Board no later than thirty (30) days after completion of All-Star season.
Article 9. Election procedures shall be followed as specified in the By-Laws.
Article 10. Constitution changes can only be made at the General Meetings.

Section I – Elections

Article 1. The Association shall annually have voting for election or re-election of Officers for the Board of Directors and League Directors.
Article 2. Length of term for all positions shall be two (2) years. Any vacancy during the year shall be filled by the Board as soon as possible. This appointed position shall on serve the amount of time left in this vacant position term. Then that position will be considered open for election. League Director is a two (2) year term unless that Directors child is not in that league.
Article 3. Nominations will be subject to the acceptance of the person being nominated and the eligibility requirements set forth by the board. Anyone accepting a nomination should be in good standing with the Association with no unresolved written complaints or financial obligations (unpaid fees) to the park. Nominees shall also be restricted to a voting member of the association (the nominees name must appear on the sign in sheet).
Article 4. Election of the Officers of the Association will be held the last week of regular season, with these positions being effective August 1st of the current year.
Article 5. Officers shall be elected by secret ballot at the park after nominations have been posted for a period of time no less than two (2) weeks. Note: This election process should begin three (3) weeks prior to the end of season.
Article 6. Nominations will be accepted as follows:

a. By recommendation from a qualified voter, in writing, no less than two (2) weeks before election. This nomination will be subject to the acceptance of the person nominated.
b. A “Nomination from the Board of Directors” form must be completed and turned into the President to be considered for election.
c. To be eligible to be a nominee for the Board of Directors you must be the legal guardian of the child playing.
d. After the advertisement of those nominated for positions has been posted at both concession stands for a period of no less than two (2) weeks, voting will be done by secret ballot at both concession stands, for a period of time to allow all leagues ample opportunity to vote.

Article 7. Voting will be restricted to parents, grandparents, and step-parents of registered children in the program and will be limited to a maximum of six votes per family. Votes are limited on a family basis and not by the number of children in the program.
Article 8. All voters will be required to sign in at the time of vote and each qualified voters will be allowed to vote only once.
Article 9. Election results will be posted as soon as possible after election days and newly elected officials will take office August 1st of the same year.
Article 10. Any By-Law changes must be made and passed by a simple majority of those present at a Board Meeting or General Meeting. Proposed changes must be posted on website and concession stands for at least 48 hours prior to properly called meeting.

Section II – Board of Directors and Other Officers

Article 1. The Board of Directors shall comprise the following positions: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Commissioner, Equipment Manager, Concession Administrator, League Directors (each league), Team Mom Coordinator, Website/Media, Fundraiser, At-Large Position, and Miracle League Representative.
Article 2. The Board of Directors, through a “quorum of the board”, may fill any position vacated of left vacant after elections are held. The Board of Directors must exhaust all resources available to fill these positions by:

a. Actively seeking nominees from within its current membership.
b. Looking outside its current membership enrollment.

Section III – Board Responsibilities

Article 1. PRESIDENT: The President shall preside over all general and board meetings. The President shall be a member of all standing and appointed committees and charged with overall administration of the Association with the knowledge of any called meetings in relation to regular and post season play. Must also serve, or appoint the treasure to server, as an associate member of the city of Gardendale Parks and Recreation Board. This Board meets on the 2nd Monday of each month, at 6:00 PM, at the Parks and Recreation Office, 2109 Moncrief Road.
Article 2. VICE-PRESIDENT: The Vice-President shall reside at meetings in the absence of the President. The Vice-President will perform duties as assigned by the President.
Article 3. SECRETARY: The Secretary shall keep minutes of all general and board meetings. He / She shall present these minutes at the following meeting for approval. The Secretary shall handle all official correspondence for the Association and shall be responsible for registration of players. He / She shall prepare forms for the needs of the Board.
Article 4. TREASURER: The Treasurer shall receive all monies; dispense all funds for the general fund in a timely fashion at the direction of the Board. A current and accurate record of expenses shall be maintained. The Treasure will be responsible for compiling financial reports / statements as well. A financial report shall be reviewed monthly by the Board.

• The current financial statement will be placed at both concession stands for the viewing of all interested parties on a monthly basis.
• Also, a copy shall be sent to the Parks and Recreation Department prior to the 2nd Monday of each month that will be recorded in the minutes of the Parks and Recreation Board meeting.
• In addition, a yearly financial statement shall be present to the Parks and Recreation Board no later than thirty (30) days after completion of All-Star season.
• The Treasurer will pay umpire weekly.

Article 5. EQUIPMENT MANAGER: The Equipment Manager shall be responsible for dispersing equipment prior to the practice. A log shall be kept of all equipment given to and signed for by each coach. The Equipment Manager shall be responsible for the return of said equipment by one week after conclusion of the season. This person shall be responsible for acquiring the needed equipment from the business offering the most favorable price as assessed from the price lists obtained from several businesses. This person is to keep a constant accounting to the President / Treasurer as to expenditures and materials purchased. The Equipment Manager shall be
responsible for uniform budget and relaying this information to the Team Mom Coordinator and reinforcing the dollar amount determined by a vote of the Board.
Article 6. COMMISSIONER: The Commissioner shall be responsible for preparing practice and season schedules. He / She shall coordinate all field assignments and umpire scheduling. He / She shall be in charge of all protest made by coaches (seeking assistance if a conflict of interest should occur). He / She shall be the liaison between the league and the umpire association.
Article 7. LEAGUE DIRECTOR: The League Director shall be responsible for obtaining scores for their assigned league and in assuring the field is in proper playing condition prior to the beginning of each game. Also to secure the field at the end of the night if his / her league played last. This position shall also be responsible for supplying each field with game balls at the beginning of each night in which games are played. They should act as a liaison between the participants and the Board.
Article 8. TEAM MOM COORDINATOR: Team Mom Coordinator will coordinate with all team moms on park information, uniforms, pictures, and any other information that the teams will needs.
Article 9. WEBSITE / MEDIA: This person will be responsible for maintaining the Gardendale Girls Softball website. He / She will post all updates, sponsorships, schedules, meetings, and etc. This position will be responsible for handling any newspaper advertisement.
Article 10. FUNDRAISER COORDINATOR: The person will be responsible for all fundraising and sponsorships during both spring and fall season.
Article 11. MIRACLE LEAGUE REPRESENTATIVE: This person will be a representative between Gardendale Girls Softball and the Miracle League. This person will be responsible for corresponding with schedules and events.
Article 12. AT LARGE: This person will be someone that does not have a child playing and can view the park needs without any conflict of interest.
Article 13. TRAVEL BALL REPRESENTATIVE: This person will be a representative between the Gardendale Girls Softball and Travel Ball Leagues. This person will be responsible for corresponding with schedules and events.
Article 14. BOARD MEETING ATTENDANCE: It is the responsibility of each Board Member to attend all scheduled board meetings. This is the only way the Board will be successful. Failure to attend three (3) consecutive board meetings will result in a vote to remove you from the Board.

Section IV – Selection of Coaches

Article 1. Individuals requesting to coach in Gardendale Girls Softball Association should be of high moral character that is exemplified through his / her coaching. He / She must be in good standing with the Association. He / She must be willing to be subject to a background check and adhere to the coaches’ code of conduct. The coaches’ code of conduct will be approved by the Board.
Article 2. The Board of Directors will have sole jurisdiction over the choosing of the coaches in each league. Any Board member requesting to coach a team will not be able to vote on the coaches for that league, unless there will be more than one (1) team in that league.
Article 3. A coach will be assigned a team for only one (1) season. Each season coaches must request a new team and those from the previous shall be given first consideration but this will not be the overriding factor in the decision in that league.
Article 4. Any coach not chosen has the right to meet with the Board to discuss the reasons for the Board’s decisions.
Article 5. Each team shall have one (1) adult head coach and may have two (2) adult assistant coaches. This rule may be altered for the younger teams that may require more help. Assistant coaches must be approved by the Board.
Article 6. Any coach that fails to follow the By-Laws or the coaches’ code of conduct will be suspended from coaching the following softball season or immediately if determined by meeting of the Board.

Section V – Selection of Players

Article 1. A tryout will be held each year for all league ages. THESE TRYOUTS ARE MANDATORY. If the tryouts are scheduled at an inopportune time, attempts can be made to make arrangements by contacting the League Director, Commissioner, Vice-President, or President.
Article 2. The President shall preside over the draft for each league with the Secretary present to record the draft. The Vice-President, Commissioner, and League Directory of the league being drafted may attend to discuss rules or answer questions the coaches may have.
Article 3. Coaches and a neutral 3rd party will evaluate all players in their respective age groups and give them a grade of A, B, C or D. Grades will be compiled with the odd grade being dropped to give the player an overall grade of A, B, C or D. Once all players have been evaluated, the tryout forms will be separated into groups by grade.
Article 4. The head coaches will draft in order determined by luck of the draw. The coach drawing #1 will have first choice of the first round and last choice of the second round and so forth. Coaches will begin the draft by choosing from the players in Group A. Each coach will take turns choosing from this group until all players from this group are chosen. Coaches then proceed to Group B and so forth. Coaches’ daughters are included in the draft. Whatever group the coaches’ daughter(s) is in that is the coach’s first pick from that group.

Section VI – All-Star Selection

Article 1. The number of tournament teams for each league will be determined by the current sanctioning body’s guidelines. Try out forms will contain the number of years played, positions played, and if the player played on All-Stars.
Article 2. Teams will be selected by a designated date to allow for ample practice time and uniforms to be ordered and received. The aim will be to have two (2) weeks practice before all-star season starts.
Article 3. League Directors will conduct a pre-select meeting in which head coaches will nominate players from their team. These nominated children should be committed to playing. If they are not available for the weekends of tournament play, they should not be nominated.
Article 4. Teams will attempt to have no more than twelve (12) players to assure ample playing time for all team members.
Article 5. League Director / Secretary will form a master list of all nominated players. A meeting will be help of all league coaches, President, Vice-President, Commissioner (if possible) and Secretary to anonymously vote on the all-star team. Votes will then be calculated by two (2) of the Board Members listed above. If there is a tie for one (1) or two (2) players, the all-star coach will decide on the remaining players of those tied. If there is a tie of more than two (2) players, a new list of those tied players will be compiled and another cote from league coaches will be held. Once the roster has been finalized NO changes can be made. All members of the Board and League Coaches will keep the results of the all-star meeting confidential until the announced time for the team by the named all-star head coach.
Article 6. Winning League coach will be the All-Star Coach. The League Director will make this recommendation to the Board. The Board has the authority to overrule this recommendation if there extenuating circumstances with this coach.
Article 7. The Board named all-star coach will contact all the players on the all-star team.
Article 8. No player shall be eligible for post season play if playing with another team or league other than Gardendale Girls Softball.

Section VII – Equipment

Article 1. Team equipment will be issued to the head coach each year. The coach will sign a list of equipment received and will return the equipment to the equipment manager within one week after the completion of the season, with the exception of the all-star coach (they are responsible for returning equipment immediately after completion of tournaments). Failure to return equipment in the required time is or can be grounds for suspension of coaching the following year.

Section VIII – Financial

Article 1. The Gardendale Girls Softball Association is a non-profit organization. All monies collected shall be used to further the aims of the Association as voted upon by the Board.
Article 2. A financial report shall be reviewed monthly by the Board. Additionally, an annual report will be completed by September 1st which will be made available to the general public upon request.
Article 3. No person or Board Member may purchase on credit, in the name of the Association, any item for use in the program unless the Board had approved them to do so.
Article 4. All registration fees must be paid in full at the time of registration. Anyone unable to do so must present their reason and / or hardship to a board member for review by the Board. Failure to do so means your child will not be eligible for tournament play and registration in the following year until past dues are paid.

Section IX – By-Laws – General Rules of Reference

Article 1. Sportsmanship and good conduct are of primary importance to the Association. Coaches, parents, and players of any team shall not participate in activities pursuant to upset, disrupt, or discredit the players of the opposing team. This behavior can result in suspension for players and coaches and / or removal from the park.
Article 2. Spectators will be courteous and will not be allowed to interfere with any activities on the field or during the team’s warm-up period. They should not be allowed to criticize coaches or players. This can result in ejection from the park.
Article 3. No coach or player shall argue unduly with the umpires. Questions directed to the umpire for the managers information shall not be deemed as unruly, as long as it’s not argumentative in nature. Continued argument of an umpires ruling can or will result in the coach being removed from the game and / or the premises.
Article 4. Any player, who fails to show adequate interest in team effort by failing to participate in team practice or scheduled games, may be suspended or dropped from the team. This can occur with the approval of the Board. The same rule applies to coaches who can be present to the Board by the parents.
Article 5. No alcoholic beverages are allowed in the park at any time.
Article 6. No use of tobacco will be allowed on the fields at any time.
Article 7. No profanity will be allowed at any time.
Article 8. Only the batter on deck and base coaches will be permitted out the dug-out.
Article 9. Any player or coach display poor sportsmanship such as mutilating equipment or using any manner of profanity or abusive language toward anyone in the playing field, dugouts, stands, press-boxes, or batting cages will be required to leave the park and will automatically become ineligible to participate in the next scheduled game. A second offense in any season will result in expulsion from the Association for the remainder of the current year. There will be no exceptions to nor appeal to this rule. Any such offense should be reported to the President or Commissioner immediately.
Article 10. Any dissatisfaction with the program, coaches, players, or parents shall be reported in writing to the League Director. If the League Director cannot resolve the problem within 48 hours, he / she shall turn it over to the Board for resolution. The Board may choose to involve the Park and Recreation Board if proper steps are not followed and the problem cannot be handled.
Article 11. Any matter not covered in these By-Laws shall be handled by a quorum of the Board at a properly called meeting.
Article 12. NO one is allowed in the concession stand at any time.
Article 13. All Travel Teams will pay $250.00 per season (fall or spring) and receive two (2) practice times weekly. These times will be scheduled through the Commissioner. There also will be an additional $25.00 fee per hour for the use of lights. Fields may be rented on a daily basis per field at a cost of $100.00 per field / per day.

Section X – Calling of Board Meetings

Article 1. Board meeting can only be properly called by the President or in the President’s accepted absence, by the Vice-President. Must have quorum of Board present to make valid decisions. Alternatively: Board meetings may otherwise be called by written ballot of majority of Board members.
Article 2. Must be advertised on concession stands and website at least 48 hours prior to meeting start, as to time and place.

Section XI – Gardendale Parks and Recreation Department – Inclement Weather Policy

Given that the first priority must always be the safety and well-being of our children, and there will invariably be differences in judgment regarding the safety of playing a game under impending inclement weather. The Gardendale Parks and Recreation Department has issued these guidelines in the case of inclement weather during any game or event at any municipal park. If lighting or thunder is observed by parents, coaches, or umpires, all players must be immediately removed from the field and re-located to a safe area with their parents or guardians, for 15 minutes. With each and every observed lighting flash or thunder clap, a new 15 minute delay will begin. After 15 minutes without lightning or thunder, the game may begin or resume with the approval of an umpire or member of the particular youth association. If an umpire or a member of the particular youth association believes that it is unsafe to continue play, the game should be suspended and rescheduled. Different situations prevail for each individual in threatening weather situations. Therefore, coaches, parents, and umpires must exercise their own best judgment while considering a function or activity at the park. Each association shall always take the action that is deemed to be in the best interest of all families. In the end, the decision to attend or participate in an activity during inclement weather has to be an individual one based on each person’s circumstance. At any time, a parent may remove their child from the game due to weather related safety concerns without penalty to the parent or the child. There will not be any penalty assessed to the affected team and the coach may not discipline the child as a result of this instance.