TAYBS Bylaws

The mission of the Townsend Ashby Youth Baseball & Softball (TAYBS) association is to provide an opportunity for children ages four through eighteen the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of baseball and softball and to facilitate their enjoyable participation in this activity.

Objectives include the development of positive social values and character traits, good citizenship, physical and mental wellbeing, knowledge, appreciation, and interest in sports of baseball and softball.

The goal of this program is that all children who sign up and tryout will be given the opportunity to participate in every game.

The Townsend Ashby Youth Baseball & Softball league is a private 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, that is not beholden to the operating rules of government/town organizations or any associated national baseball & softball organizations.

The Association shall be governed by a Board of Directors (known as the Board). The Board shall consist of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Safety Director, Baseball Director, Softball Director, Instructional Director, Facilities Director, Umpire in Chief as well as any additional positions that a need arises for during the season.

All Board Positions last for a term of up to four years before needing to be revoted by the board during the November elections. The board shall meet as needed to add/replace members of the board. For the purpose of the election, voting members shall include the current board members, each having a single vote. Voting shall be a simple up/down with the Vice President and Secretary charged with counting the ballots. In the event of a contested position, the seated board member will abstain from that vote.

The Board shall be responsible for the operation of the Association.  A quorum of the Board shall consist of 4 members one of which must include either the President or Vice President.

Board decisions shall be decided by a majority vote of Board members present at called meetings.

The Board shall have the authority to;

• control the collection and expenditures of money.
• adopt rules and regulations for its own conduct.
• conduct the affairs of the League not in conflict with the Bylaws.
• select and approve all coaches of teams representing the League.
• approve the use of league owned equipment.
• approved the design and purchase of uniforms for all teams.
• establish annually the league membership and registration fees for each playing level.
• make any changes and annually approve the Bylaws.
• removal any rostered coach or member from participation in any activities for the current year.
• immediately suspend any member without notice pending a hearing within 7 days.
• remove another member of the Board before their term is concluded.
• make purchases on behalf of the league (see restrictions).

To help maintain a vested interest in league operations and events a monthly Board meeting will be held. All Board meetings will be held on the second Sunday of every month from 7pm to 9:00pm via a virtual Zoom call. 7-8pm of the board meeting shall be open to non-voting members, while 8-9pm will be voting members only. Requests for non-voting members to speak to an agenda item or propose a new agenda item, must be submitted to the President and Secretary at least 2 business days prior to the scheduled meeting. All speaking requests must be approved in advance. The President can at their discretion allow a non-voting person to speak at a Board meeting without advanced approval.

A special meeting of the Board may be called by the President or by two members of the Board for any purpose.

The Board may act without a meeting if a minimum of 5 board members can be contacted via email, including the President and Vice President, and agree on a proposed item.

Any possible conflict of interest on the part of any member of the Board shall be disclosed to the Board prior to any votes taken.

Active members of the Board may make purchases on behalf of the league within the following guidelines:

• The President, Vice President & Facilities Director may make purchases up to $1,000 per month without prior approval and may make purchases with approval of the Treasurer up to $2,000 per month without board approval.
• All board members (outside of the President, Vice President & Facilities Director) may make purchases up to $250 per month without prior approval and may make purchased up to $2000 per month with approval from both the President & Treasurer.
• Any purchases over $2,000 must be approved by the Board in advance.

After any purchase is made, a receipt must be scanned and emailed to both the Treasurer and President in order to send a reimbursement check. Reimbursement checks may take up to 30 days to be received after being submitted.

Any member of the Board may be removed by two thirds of the vote of the Board.

A meeting will be scheduled on a date agreeable to both parties, not to exceed five days from the date of notification. At said meeting, the individual will be presented with the opportunity to show just cause why he/she should not be removed from the Board.

President

• Preside over all league meetings.
• Assume full responsibility for the operation of the league.
• Represent and speak on behalf of the Association.
• Ensures that the league adheres to the rules, regulations, and policies of its affiliate leagues.
• Complete the annual renewal of the league charter.
• Review finances with the Treasurer and be one of the two people with the ability to sign checks.
• Prepares budget in coordination with the Treasurer.
• Obtain proper accident and liability insurance coverage for players and volunteers.
• Work with Vice President, Baseball Director, and Softball Director to build team rosters.
• Represent TAYBS at affiliate league meetings.
• Responsible for building and executing the sponsorships program.
• Manages the registration process.
• Responsible for the league website.
• Send league communications via the web site as needed.
• Maintains up to date league news, events, and notices on the league web site.
• Collect mail weekly from the Post Office and distribute it during monthly board meetings.
• Responsible for filing claims with the insurance companies.
• Maintain an accurate record of all league-owned equipment.
• Procure and distribute league owned equipment to teams (bag, catchers gear, helmets, tees, and practice balls).
• Coordinate the return of all league-owned equipment at the conclusion of the playing seasons.
• Order and distribute an adequate supply of game balls for all home games.

Vice President

• Presides in the absence of the President.
• Assist the President in the performance of their duties.
• Work with President, Baseball Director, and Softball Director to build team rosters.
• Seasonal uniform design, ordering and distribution to players.

Treasurer

• One of the two people with the ability to sign checks.
• Ensures that all invoices are paid in a timely manner.
• Provides reimbursement checks to those who make approved purchases.
• Reports on the status of league funds at all board meetings.
• Keeps financial records and reconciliation with Workers Credit Union.
• Assumes the responsibility for all local league finances.
• Ensures that taxes are completed and filed each year.
• Ensures that our 501(c)(3) non-profit status has been renewed each year.
• Collect cash envelopes from concession stands, and deposit them into the bank.
• Provide umpire money to coaches before the start of each season.
• Provide a weekly inventory of the snack shack to the Concessions Manager.

Secretary

• Records the minutes of all meetings.
• Schedule the Zoom calls for all monthly Board meetings.
• Responsible for preparing and sending out the agenda for all monthly Board meetings.

Safety & Community Director

• Conducts the Safety Training portion during the annual Mandatory Coaches Training.
• Maintains records of all injuries and incidents.
• Responsible for ensuring safe playing environments for all players.
• Provides and maintains team safety kits throughout the season.
• Enforce league rules regarding safety equipment and safe playing behavior.
• Work with local news agencies to help in the promotion of the league.
• Help in the promotion of the league by utilizing Social Media (Facebook, Instagram & Twitter).
• Coordinate community related events to help promote our league (parades, concerts, etc.).

Facilities Director

• Primary person responsible for all our fields.
• Coordinate with our landscaper to ensure that Craven Field’s lawn maintenance is kept up with, schedule additional services as needed.
• Coordinate with the North Middlesex Schools to ensure that our other fields lawn maintenance is kept up with.
• Coordinate with our landscaper to supplement the school as needed.
• During the summer season when school is no longer is session, the schools will not maintain our fields. Coordinate with our landscaper to ensure the fields are kept up with during summer.
• Work with our Trash Vendor to ensure that the dumpster at Craven is picked up as needed.
• Ensure that at the beginning of the season a portable toilet has been delivered to Craven and Spaulding Fields.
• Ensure that we have enough stock of Chalk and Quick Dry in the sheds at both Craven and Spaulding Fields.
• Report any vandalism to the Townsend Police right away, and coordinate remediation efforts.
• In the fall, prepare our facilities for winter (field prep, water shut off, batting cage net removed, etc.).
• In the spring, prepare our facilities for use as soon as possible.
• Ensure that all field equipment is in good working order, and replace broken equipment as needed.
• Forecast any major repairs that would need to be done at each field, so that they can be budgeted for.

Umpire in Chief

• Provide interpretation of rules as requested.
• Assign umpires to all baseball & softball league games.
• For this task, the Umpire in Chief will be granted an annual stipend of $500 for this work.
• Responsible for notifying umpires of baseball game cancellations.

Baseball, Softball & Instructional Directors

• Point person for the league in matters pertaining to their respective sport/divisions.
• Represent TAYBS at their respective affiliate league meetings.
• Ensure that all players, managers, and coaches exhibit good sportsmanship on and off the playing field and participate in accordance with league rules.
• Manages the annual league player evaluations for their respective sport/divisions.
• Work with the President and Vice President to build team rosters.
• Brings disputes over player placement to the attention of the Board for resolution.

Concession Director

• Ensure both concession stands are fully stocked before the first games of the season.
• Each stand should be checked weekly, and inventory restocked as needed.
• Secure enough personnel for operation of both snack shacks for all home games.
• Provide guidance to volunteers on how to open/operate the Snack Shack.

Team Coach

• Attending all coaches’ meetings.
• Conduct a minimum of two practices per week during preseason, and a minimum of one practice per week during the season.
• Ensure that all players participate in accordance with league rules.
• Return all team equipment, at the end of each season, on the day designated for that purpose.  Include an inventory of all equipment noting any that needs to be repaired or replaced.
• Properly maintain the field prior to each game and practice.  The home team is responsible for raking and lining the field before every game.
• Properly maintain the field after each game and practice. The home team is responsible for raking the base paths, the home plate area and the pitcher’s mound, dragging the infield as well as cleaning out the dugouts, and ensuring that all lights are turned off.
• During home games, the coach is responsible for unlocking the snack shack and counting the existing cash, as well as doing a final count of the cash and locking the doors at the end of the game.
• In the event of bad weather, notify the Umpire in Chief as soon as possible about game status and potential cancellation.
• Evangelize the league with players and parents and encourage participation in league wide events and fundraisers.

TAYBS has several fields that are used for games and practices:

Craven Field ........................................ Baseball Minors & Majors ................ Games & Practices

Spaulding Field .................................... T-Ball, Baseball & Softball................ Games & Practices

North Middlesex HS Baseball Field ..... Baseball Seniors .............................. Games & Practices

Spring seasons are designed for competitive play, while Summer & Fall and geared towards light competition and instruction, Winter season is solely for instruction, and there are no games.

League determination age for T-Ball and Baseball is May 1^st of the year of play, and league determination age for Softball is January 1^st of the year of play.

Players in the Rookie, Minor, and Major leagues shall be allowed to compete in an age grouping one year higher or lower than their age with the approval from the TAYBS Board of Directors, and approval of the participating regional league’s Board of Directors.

Each year during a board meeting the Bylaws must be approved by the Board.

Arbitration functions will be handled by a quorum of the Board of Directors. No member of the Board shall sit in judgment if their team or any member of their team is involved.  The Board shall settle all disputes concerned with protests and supervision of players, umpires, managers and/or any other members of a team. Any dispute involving a team in one of the regional leagues is also subject to the ruling of their governing board.

The League shall accurately maintain books, records, history, and associated documentation pertaining to all League activities. This includes but is not limited to minutes from Board Meetings, registration documentation, accounting financial statements and any other documentation deemed as binding, contractual or serving an official purpose.

All league documents and documents containing confidential information provided by members must be kept confidential and not released to any other organization or person.  

Registration fees shall be reviewed annually and assessed for any player who participates in our league. The registration fee will cover the League’s financial expenses of uniforms, equipment, insurance, and regional and national league affiliations.

The League may assess a different registration fee for each playing level depending on its specific requirements while keeping the cost affordable to the general community.

All registration fees are payable at the time of registration, and late fees will be accessed if not paid in full by previously announced deadlines. Registrations that are not paid in full by the deadlines may end up on a waitlist and could result in not being placed on a team.

In keeping with the League’s mission statement, the league desires that no child be prevented from participating in a baseball or softball program based solely on the inability to pay registration fees due to financial hardship. Upon request of the parent or legal guardian of an eligible youth, the Board will review on a personal and confidential basis, a waiver, reduction, or payment plan of the registration fees based on the hardship.  On an annual basis, the Board can establish a limit as to the number of hardship cases.

To be considered for selection to coach a team, the coaching candidate is required to complete a volunteer application and submit to TAYBS during the designated registration times. Coaching applications will be reviewed, and the Board will select the appropriate number of head coaches for each playing level in addition to designating assistant coaches to each head coach.

Coaches from previous seasons are not guaranteed to receive coaching positions in future seasons.

Selected coaches can request which assistant coaches they would like to work with. Requests are not guaranteed.

All coaches;

• are mandated annually to complete and pass a Massachusetts CORI background check.
• are mandated annually to complete and pass a national background check.
• are mandated to complete a child protection training course, including successfully passing the completion test as required by the Safe Sports Act of 2017.
• are mandated to complete and acquire their “A” level of Coaching Certification from USA Baseball.

Each year all players outside of T-Ball and Rookies must attend our annual evaluations to determine which team they will be placed on.

Players in the T-Ball and Rookie levels will be placed on teams as determined by the registrar. In absence of a registrar, the League President or Vice President will assign these rosters.

Players at the Minors, Major 60, and Softball levels will be determined by the rostered coaches working together to split up the teams evenly.  In the event of a dispute, the League President, Vice President, and Player Advocate will make a final decision.

Each year TAYBS will select between 9 and 12 players to participate on our Major 70 team. The head coach of the Major 70 team as well as the League President, Vice President and Player Advocate will make the player selections.

Our philosophy places emphasis on clean play and sportsmanlike conduct. Sportsmanship is at the heart of these attributes.  The definition of “sportsmanship” includes fairness, courteous resolutions, and graceful acceptance of results.  It is the League Presidents responsibility to assure that the coaches are familiar with this standard and act accordingly.  The Board must ensure that their own actions reflect these attributes in order to pass them on to the children.  The Board and coaches must ensure that players display sportsmanship during instructional, intramural, and especially while representing the league within the community.  

The Safety Director shall make every effort to ensure that the coaches are fully versed in safety standards. All play, practice, and games shall be done in a safe manner.  Unsafe play, either on the field or on the sidelines, will not be tolerated.  Any Board Member or coach has the authority to put an immediate stop to unsafe activities and if individuals refuse to cooperate, they may be asked to leave the area.  All unsafe practices should immediately be brought to the coaches and Safety Director’s attention.  

TAYBS retains the right to remove anyone from the association, including a volunteer, coach, parent, or player that does not comply with the League Constitution & Bylaws or does not follow the League Policies and Code of Conduct. The league may also refuse membership to anyone who does not accept the League Policies and Code of Conduct during registration.  

As a small town, TAYBS has affiliated itself with several regional and national organizations, to allow our players to play other local towns and go on to compete in national level tournaments.

With these affiliations our players thereby become subject to their powers and jurisdiction.  Each governing organization has its own Constitution, By Laws and League Rules and our players are subject to their penalties for violations contained in said documents.  It is the responsibility of all coaches, players, parents, and spectators to educate themselves on each organization’s rules and responsibilities.  TAYBS will support and enforce any disciplinary actions set forth by any affiliated organization.  Additionally, TAYBS will abide by and enforce all applicable playing rules set forth by an affiliated organization with regards to player eligibility, game play, equipment, length of game, mercy rules and pitching limitations, etc.

For Spring Baseball Minors & Majors play, rules are governed by the Macintosh Baseball League.

For Spring Baseball Seniors play, rules are governed by the North Central Mass Babe Ruth/District 5 League.

For Summer & Fall Baseball play, rules are governed by the Westford Baseball League.

For Spring & Summer Softball play, rules are governed by the North Central Mass Softball League.

For Fall Softball play, rules are governed by the Leominster Lassie League.

For all other seasons and divisions, rules are governed by the Townsend Ashby Youth Baseball & Softball League.

For the Babe Ruth World Series Baseball Tournament, TAYBS has teamed up with Pepperell Youth Baseball to form the North Middlesex Youth Baseball Organization. All our Baseball Minor and Majors teams are jointly chartered with Pepperell so that for tournament play we can submit a combined team known as the “North Middlesex All Stars”.

Each year, there will be tryouts, open to all registered players in both programs, to try to be selected to this team.  The Board of Directors from both Pepperell and TAYBS will select the coaches. Players selected to these all-star teams will be required to pay for additional uniforms and tournament fees. 

To qualify to participate in a Babe Ruth Tournament for North Middlesex, the player must be registered on a spring roster, and have played in at least 50% of the games. The board of directors may override the 50% rule only under special circumstances (i.e., doctor qualified injury)

Coaches for All Stars will be determined by the Board of Directors from both TAYBS and Pepperell.

Additionally, both the Macintosh Baseball League and the North Central Mass Softball league hold interleague all-star games. The number of players per team is determined by the regional league each year, and players are selected by the head coach, in cooperation with their assistant coaches.    These all-star teams’ player selections are not necessarily based on talent, but instead by the individual coach’s selection criteria. Players selected to these all-star teams will not be required to pay any additional fees.

All children, ages 4-18, living in Townsend, MA and Ashby, MA are automatically eligible to play on a TAYBS team.

Players living in other cities and towns may register to play with TAYBS only when one of the following conditions exist:

1. They attend one of the public schools in Townsend, MA or Ashby, MA.
2. Their hometown recreational league is not fielding a team at their age level.
3. There is no baseball or softball Babe Ruth chartered organization for their hometown.
4. They have previously played for TAYBS in a Spring Season and have since moved to another city or town.
5. They have the approval of the League President from their hometown to play for TAYBS.