Code of Conduct

The Townsend Ashby Youth Baseball & Softball league is a private non-profit organization. We are not associated with any town or school, and as a private business have the right to run our organization as we feel is in the best interest of all our players and our volunteers.

By attending either our practices or games as a player, a coach, a volunteer, or a spectator you must always abide by the following set of policies. Anyone found in violation of any of these policies can be asked to leave the grounds immediately.

In order to stay in compliance with the Federal Safe Sports Act and Massachusetts State Law, no adult can be in the dugout, on the field, or on a gym floor without having an approved background check (CORI).  All coaches are further required to have a national background check as well as attend and pass Sexual Abuse Prevention training.  Note 1: Even those who have been CORI checked with other organizations, must still get their CORI check done through TAYBS.  Note 2: adults who have passed a CORI check, still must be asked by a coach for assistance before they are allowed in the dugout, the field or on a gym floor. This is for all practices, clinics, and games.

There is NO Smoking, Vaping or Chewing Tobacco permitted anytime and anywhere on our fields and parking lots. Additionally, there is to be NO wearing clothing promoting the same. Anyone found in violation of this can be asked to leave immediately.  

There is NO alcohol to be consumed or in open possession on the grounds of any of our fields, home or away. If anyone is suspected of drinking alcohol, the police will be called immediately and without warning.

Animals/Dogs are NOT ALLOWED anywhere at any of our complexes. This includes in the parking lots, sidelines, bleachers, on the fields, in the woods, outside the fencing, your car - ANYWHERE. If you bring an animal to the field, you will be asked to leave the complex without warning. 

• The American Disabilities Act & Massachusetts law only allows those who are blind, deaf, or otherwise have a physical disability to be accompanied by a trained AND licensed service animal at our fields.
• Emotional support animals and those animals without certified in person training AND officially licensed as a service animal are NOT ALLOWED anywhere at our complex. 
• Certificates that are purchased online are NOT acceptable and will not allow you to bring an animal to the field.

Under NO circumstance should anyone ever talk negatively about any player, coach, umpire, or league official when at our practices and games. Our league will not tolerate anyone showing this type of disrespectful behavior. You can and will be asked to leave the grounds immediately and without warning.

• Spectators are NOT ALLOWED to say ANYTHING to an umpire during a game.
• Spectators are NOT ALLOWED to say ANYTHING into the field at players during a game.
• Spectators are NOT ALLOWED to say ANYTHING to the coaches during a game.  

All players are only required to play in a minimum of two innings per game. In the event a game is called early for any reason, this rule is suspended and there are no minimums. 

There is no rule that states a player must be allowed to play in any particular spot. It is solely up to the coach to determine in which position a child will play.

Under NO circumstance should any parent ever yell or complain to a coach because they are unhappy with how that coach is coaching their child.  All our coaches are unpaid recreational volunteers.

Playtime is not necessarily equal among players, especially at the Minor level and above where playtime is at the coach’s sole discretion.  At our T-Ball and Rookie levels of play, coaches are recommended to try to keep things even for the benefit of our youngest players trying to learn the game.  

At the end of all games and practices, all base paths, home plate area and pitcher’s mound must be raked, and the infield dirt must be dragged. Both dugouts are to be cleaned out and trash emptied into the dumpsters.  All parents are asked to take on these tasks.  

The Batting Cages are not a place where you can set up chairs to watch a game.  

During games, players are not allowed to leave the field/dugout without checking with one of the coaches first.  

Any player at any level who shows poor sportsmanship or conduct will be benched and will not return to the field until a time the coach deems appropriate.  

You are encouraged to cheer on our players. However, once the pitcher starts his wind up, you must remain quiet. Additionally, nobody should be screaming. Cheering is great, screaming is not.  

Parents are not required to stay for practices or games but please make sure you arrive before the scheduled end of practice. Also, please make sure one of the coaches has your cell phone number in case we need to cancel practice early or there is an emergency.  

There will likely be 2-3 practices per week in addition to 2-3 games per week.  Practices and games are not optional.  Players who do not participate in practice will see minimal game time. In the event your child is unable to attend a practice or game, you must call the coach directly with as much advanced notice as possible.  

You are not permitted to coach your child or other players during games and practices. It is extremely distracting to players to have a parent telling them what to do from the stands while they are on the field or batting. They are trying to listen to their coaches and what their coaches are trying to teach them.  

There is no food allowed in the dugout/benches during games and practices. Gum, sunflower seeds, water, and sports drinks are the only exceptions.  

Players are not permitted to wear jewelry such as, but not limited to, rings, watches, earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. The only exception is jewelry that alerts medical personnel to a specific condition. Shatterproof sunglasses are permitted.  

There are no participation ribbons or trophies provided by our league. Occasionally at our youngest levels, we will do something for the kids, but this is not guaranteed every year.  

We do NOT guarantee requests for specific placements on teams or divisions.  You are welcome to make a request, and we can try to do our best to fulfill them. This is to ensure that we can put together well-balanced teams.  

We do NOT guarantee requests for players to move from higher or lower divisions than their age allows. We will review all requests and make the final decision based on the best balance for the teams. All decisions are final and cannot be appealed.  

There are no registration fee refunds if you do not like which team, division, or coach your child has been assigned to.  

We do NOT provide partial or full registration fee refunds for any reason. The only exceptions to this are for a doctor-approved medical exception or if a team had to be closed for some reason.  

As a private non-profit organization, our league can only provide the best experience for our players by fundraising. Our league will conduct numerous events and fundraisers throughout the year to help pay for our operational costs and new improvements to our fields and programs.  While we do not require attendance or participation at any of these events or fundraisers, we do ask that you make a good effort to attend them when possible. Remember that TAYBS is a completely volunteer organization and that every penny that is raised goes directly back into the league and our players.  

We understand that there are many activities, sports, and leagues out there for children to play in. We do ask that if you sign your child up for our league, that you still make the commitment for all our practices and games. Our practice and game schedules are never set in stone and can change at anytime and with short notice. Please note that our practices and games can be any day of the week, Sunday through Saturday.   

If you decide to sign your child up for another baseball or softball league in addition to ours (AAU, Club, etc.), we ask that your player does not pitch for the other league. Overuse of young athlete’s arms is a serious problem today, and we do not want to see any of our players get hurt. It is very difficult for our coaches to manage their own pitching rotations, and we will not ask them to make special accommodations for your child playing in another league.    

During our seasons and clinics, our coaches will teach the players how to play the game based on their individual preference and coaching style.  Our coaches are told not to accept specialized requests from parents to teach an individual child different from how they teach the other players.  If you prefer that your child, be taught in a certain method, we recommend that you sign up to coach that team.  

As our practices and games are on public property, there can be no expectation of privacy with regards to photographs. It should be expected that parents and spectators will take photographs of the players, and they will end up getting posted on websites and social media. TAYBS will also post pictures of players online/social media – without names.   

We understand that many parents have high hopes for their children in their chosen sports. We also understand that many parents pay to have expensive training for their children in the hopes of reaching those goals. Our league is a recreational style program where every kid gets an opportunity to play at every position and our coaches are unpaid volunteers. If you do not feel our program is the correct fit for the expectations that you have for your child’s athletic future, we encourage you to find another place for them to play.   

Playing for TAYBS is a privilege and not a right. TAYBS has the right to refuse admittance to our league to any player for any reason. It is the first and foremost goal of TAYBS that every player who wishes to play baseball or softball be given that opportunity. We will do what is necessary to ensure the greatest experience for all our players and coaches.