INGOMAR

FRANKLIN PARK

ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

TOURNAMENT POLICIES ANDPROCEDURES

February 2005                                      DonHaddad

Itis widely known throughout Western Pennsylvania that IFPAA sponsors, withoutmatch, the best traveling teams and traveling team tournaments. Throughoutyour travels, you will not find better-run tournament teams or tournaments withthe kind of elite competition and facilities offered by IFPAA. Everyoneaffiliated with IFPAA Tournaments should be proud of the association's manyaccomplishments in this area.

Throughoutthe years, we have amassed considerable knowledge concerning the running of afirst class tournament and the managing of a tournament team, but all toooften, this information was not passed down to the new generation ofcommissioners, managers and directors.

Thisdocument was originally adopted by the IFPAA Board of Directors at the December4, 2003 Board Meeting and amended and restated at the January 6, 2005 BoardMeeting, as the Policies and Procedures which will govern tournament baseballat IFAAA. It is meant to be a working document, to be reviewed and modifiedannually by motions approved by the board of directors as a result of practicalexperiences gained during future tournament seasons. This is our attempt tocollect this information pass it on to the next generation, to try to make lifeeasier and to assist the Commissioners, Tournament Managers and BracketDirectors in continuing IFPAA's long tradition of running first class tournaments.

We will tryto be available to answer any question you may have and assist you in running afirst class tournament or managing a first class tournament team. Please feelfree to contact the Tournament Director, Don Haddad with any questions or commentsat the following:

Home Phone:              (412)364.4284

Cell Phone:                  (412)759.1526

Work Phone:                (412)391-8356

Home e-mail:               haddad27@comcast.net

Work e-mail:                Donald.haddad@citizensbank.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1 – The Tournament Team                              PAGE4

1.  ManagerSelection                                                PAGE4

2.  Tournament TeamOpportunities                         PAGE4

3.  Tournament TeamDescription                             PAGE6

4.  PlayerEligibility                                                      PAGE8

5.  Hoe Teams ArePicked                                        PAGE8

6.  Fees &Expenses                                                  PAGE9

7.  Uniforms                                                                  PAGE10

8.  Manager Binder                                                     PAGE10

Section II – Tournaments                                                PAGE11

1.  Fields                                                                      PAGE11         

2.  Start Dates                                                             PAGE12

3.  Flyer                                                                         PAGE12

4.  “B” TournamentBrackets                                      PAGE12

5.  Snack Shack                                                          PAGE12

6.  Umpires                                                                  PAGE13

7.  Tournament Rules                                                  PAGE13

8.  BracketDetermination                                          PAGE13

Section III – Summary ofResponsibilities                    PAGE17

                  Regarding IFPAA Tournaments

EXHIBITS

Exhibit I Tournament Manager Selection PAGE 20                            

     Policy & Procedure

Exhibit II Tournament Field Allocations for 2004 PAGE 21

Exhibit III Advice from a Former Bracket Director PAGE 23

Exhibit IV Tournament Player/Parents Memo PAGE 32                           

     of Understanding

Exhibit V Medical Release Form PAGE 34                          

Exhibit VI SubstanceAbuse Policy PAGE 35

SECTION 1 – The TournamentTeam

The traveling tournamentteams are an opportunity for IFPAA’s best players to participate in tournamentsagainst other leagues' best players. The goal for these tournament teams is toexhibit good sportsmanship, improve skills in a more competitive environmentand play to win. The traveling season is unlike the in-house season, as thereis no guaranteed playing time and players usually play only a limited number ofpositions. It is highly recommended that the tournament team manager explainthe IFPAA's philosophy and his own particular approach to parents at thetryouts in order to avoid any conflicts or confrontations down the road due tolack of equal playing time or a player's relegation to a specific position forthe entire season.

IFPAA fields both “A” and “B” tournament teams in all age groups. Inan effort to have as many players as possible participate in tournament ball inthe younger age groups, IFPAA fields two “A” teams consisting of an AmericanLeague Team and a National League Team in the 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12 year oldage groups. One other combined (American and National) “B” team is then formedfrom the remaining players in these age groups. In the 13 and 14-year-old agegroups, only one “A” team is formed, with a “B” team being formed from theremaining players.

I.         MANAGERSELECTION

      Travel Teams

The respective age group’s commissioner recommendsthe manager for approval by the Board. The recommendation must be the resultof that respective leagues' adherence to the Manager Selection Policy, attachedas Exhibit 1. The Manager recommended as a result of the Manager SelectionPolicy should be a manager or a coach of one of the in-house teams for that respectiveage group.

Williamsport Teams

The respective age group’s commissioner recommendsthe manager for approval by the Board. The recommendation must be the resultof that respective leagues' adherence to the Manager Selection Policy, attachedas Exhibit 1. The Manager recommended as a result of the Manager SelectionPolicy should be a manager or a coach of one of the in-house teams for thatrespective age group.

Knights of Columbus Team

The 12-Year–Old Commissioner, as recognition for his work and dedication to theleague, is traditionally asked to manage this team. If the commissioner electsto decline the honor, he may select a replacement. The Board must approve therecommended Manager.

The MANAGER SELECTION POLICY is set forth in Exhibit 1:

II.         TOURNAMENTTEAM OPPORTUNITIES

American League/National League Traveling Teams

§      As a result of our affiliationwith Little League Baseball and the size of our League, IFPAA is required todivide the league for “Little League” sanctioned tournaments. Also, IFPAA’slong stated policy is for all traveling teams to be divided in a similarmanner, consistent with the “Little League” requirements. IFPAA elected todivide the league into an American League and a National League based upon theJulian calendar. This means that all players who have even numbered birthdates are assigned to the American League and all players with odd numbered birthdaysare assigned to the National League. All tournament teams, beginning with the 8-year old level upto and including the 12-year old teams, are divided in this manner forparticipation in tournaments and for participation in the Western PA League.

§      13 and 14 year old players.

§      IFPAA is represented in the 13year old and 14 year old tournaments by a combined tournament team. Americanand National League designation does not come into consideration at these upperage groups.

§      Player’s age.

§      The age of a player is determinedby that player’s respective age as of July 31 of the current year. For girls'’softball, the age of a player is determined by the respective players age as ofDecember 31 of the preceding year.

§      In leap years, February 29 andMarch 1 are considered the same date.

§      Birth dates for the AmericanLeague and the National League, based upon the Julian calendar are as follows:

American League Birthdays

National League Birthdays

III.           Tournament TeamDescription.

"A” Team

The “A” teams are IFPAA’s #1 teams representing theAmerican League and the National League in the 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12-year-oldage groups and a combined team in the 13 and 14 year old age groups.

·     The American League team, theNational League team and the first team from the 13 year old and 14 year oldage brackets are to be considered “A” teams and are to participate in ONLY “A” tournaments.

“B” Team

IFPAA’s goal is to have as many participants as reasonable playing intournaments come July. IFPAA has a long tradition of fielding very strong “B”tournament teams. After the “A” teams are announced, the remaining players whowere not picked for the “A” teams and those who just want to play “B” ball havethe option of trying out for a combined “B” team. These teams play in a widearray of “B” or small league sanctioned tournaments.

·     The third team in the under 12year old age brackets and the second team in the 13 and 14 year old bracketsare to be considered “B” teams and may participate in small “A” and “B”tournaments. This philosophy is consistent with how IFPAA determines what teamis to be permitted in IFPAA hosted tournaments.

·     All players wishing toparticipate on an IFPAA "B" team must participate at theannounced "B" team tryout or make alternative arrangements with boththe respective league's commissioner and the 'B" tournament coach. After the "B" team is picked, if there are still a sufficient numberof players who did not get picked to play on the "B" team and theseplayers are still interested in participating on a "C" team, IFPAAwill support a "C" team.  The manager of the "C" teamhas to go through the same manager selection process as does the "A"and "B" managers.  This team is strictly for those players whowere not asked to participate on either the "A" orthe "B" teams. 

o     Any team established by any othermeans will not be supported or sponsored by IFPAA.

Williamsport.

o     In 2004 Ingomar is celebratingits 52nd year of affiliation with Little League Baseball. Ingomar fields bothAmerican League and National League Williamsport Tournament teams at the10-year-old, 11 year old and 12-year-old age groups. Ingomar participates inPA State District 4.

o      WilliamsportLeague Identification numbers are:

o      AmericanLeague # 238-04-22

o      NationalLeague # 238-04-02

o     Traditionally the District 4tournament was structured as a single elimination tournament, however beginningin 2003, the District went to a double elimination tournament.

o     The first round of theWilliamsport tournament starts at the beginning of July and lasts approximatelytwo weeks under its current double elimination structure. The winner of theDistrict 4 Tournament proceeds to the Regional Tournament, which typicallybegins the weekend after the District 4 Tournament. The winner of the RegionalTournament, then proceeds to the State Tournament, which begins the weekendafter the Regional Tournaments conclude. The winner of the State Tournamentthen proceeds to the Eastern USA tournament with that winner proceeding toWilliamsport.

o     Williamsport games take priorityover ALL OTHER games, as far as scheduling. The same holds for schedulingVestal Field. The District Administrator should not be asked to reschedule gamesdue to other tournaments. Pitching rotations should be set up with a priorityto Williamsport games.

o     All players on the “LittleLeague” teams are required to have the “Little League” patch affixed to theiruniforms.

o     The Williamsport boundaries are:

o     Marshall (north)

o     Franklin Park (west)

o     Babcock Blvd (east)

o     Ross Twp (south)

§      The Williamsport Manager isrequired to deliver to the IFPAA President a map of the area detailing theexact address and location of each player being recommended for the “LittleLeague” team. All players need to be confirmed in the boundaries prior to theannouncing of the “Little League” teams.

§      The “Little League” teams are notallowed to be announced prior to June 15 of the respective year.

o     It is highly recommended that the“Little League” manager and his coaches carefully review all the “Rules andGuidelines for Tournaments” in the “Little League” rule book.

Knightsof Columbus.

o     The Annual Knights of ColumbusTournament always takes place on the last weekend in June. Our Lady of OlivesCouncil # 3907, Knights of Columbus, Wexford, PA sponsors the annualtournament. The Annual Tournament is for the benefit of “TRY”, Together forRetarded Youths.” The participating organizations in the tournament are NorthHills A. A., BradMar Pine A. A., Ingomar Franklin Park A.A. and McCandless A.A.

o     This is a single eliminationtournament with the brackets pulled out of a hat. All four teams play onSaturday with the winner playing each other Sunday for the championship. Thelosing teams play each other earlier Sunday afternoon in a consolation game.

o     Ingomar hosts the tournament atVestal Field. Ingomar is responsible for getting the field in “tournamentcondition” and manning the snack shack. Each league is responsible for supplyingumpires for one of the games. The Umpire Coordinator is responsible forsupplying Ingomar’s best umpires for Ingomar’s assigned game. The umpires whodo the game do so without pay. Four umpires are needed, one for each base.Ingomar has a “Special Coach” who has been in the dugout with Ingomarthroughout the history of the tournament. Ingomar’s current special coach isMartin Amrhein. Marty was given a uniform years ago, which he proudly sportsat these games.

o     IFPAA has special uniforms, whichare used exclusively for this tournament. These uniforms are handed out to theteam and must be returned for use in subsequent years.

o     The first place team is awarded atrophy. The trophy has to be returned the following year and is awarded to thenext year’s winning team (like the Stanley Cup). Once a league wins the trophythree times, the respective league gets to keep that particular trophy. Ingomar's goal is always to do our best and to win the tournament.

Note: During the week where a respective age group is hosting an IFPAA tournament,IFPAA Policy prohibits those teams hosting the tournament to sign up and begintournament play in another tournament, which is starting at the same time,except if one if IFPAA’s Williamsport teams is progressing to the next level ofcompetition.

IV.          PLAYER ELIGIBILITY

Inorder to be eligible to participate in any IFPAA sponsored tournament team aplayer must participate in at least half of their in-house games by June 15,barring injury or the like. IFPAA’s policy is that a player who participateson an IFPAA tournament team ISNOT PERMITTED to participate on any other traveling, AAU or tournament team,not sanctioned by IFPAA during what is considered the traditional tournament season, i.e. from late June through the beginning of August.

V.            HOW ARE TEAMS PICKED?

WilliamsportTeams for the 10 year old, 11 yearold and 12 year old players.

o     The players in each age groupvote only for those players in their age group and in their respective leagues (for example, only 12year old National league players vote for 12 year old National Williamsportplayers). The vote is handled via a secret ballot coordinated by each league'srespective commissioners and his appointed assistants. The commissioner is toenlist one at large person to witness the vote count. The 10 players receivingthe highest number of votes are automatically invited to participate on theWilliamsport Tournament Team. The Manager has the option of adding additionalplayers to fill the roster; however, since Little League requires that everyoneparticipate in each game, no more than 12 players per team is recommended.

o     Little League rules requires thateach player must bat at least one time or play the field for at least three (3)defensive outs in each game, even if the game was shortened as a result of the10 run rule, rain or any other reason. The Penalty is forfeiture of the game.

o     The respective team manager fromthe 12 year old team has the option of adding one or more players from the 11year old age group, but only if the player has exceptional ability and wouldhelp the team. For example, the 12-year-old National League Manager could addan 11-year-old National League player if the Manager feels that the player willassist the team. Double rostering is not permitted. By that, any 11 year-oldplayer who elects to be rostered on a 12 year old team is not permitted to alsobe rostered and play on a 11 year old team.

o     This applies only to the 12 yearold teams. The 11 year old and the 10-year old Williamsport team are notpermitted to add a player on their roster from a younger age group. Forexample, the 11-year old manager is not permitted to add a 10-year old playerand the 10 year old manager is not permitted to add a 9 year old to his roster.

o     This should be done only afterdiscussions with that player’s parents and with the parents’ consent. It isrecommended the Managers do their best to allow the younger players to playwithin their specific age group.

o     All players who wish toparticipate on a Williamsport Team MUST live within the IFPAA boundaries. This same rule doesnot apply to a player who wishes toplay on an IFPAA traveling tournament team. That player needs only toparticipate in IFPAA, as long as he/she plays in over half of his/her in-houseleagues games by June 15^th of that particular year. (This issuecomes into play when players from Brad Mar Pine or McCandless live outside ourboundaries, but choose to play for IFPAA. These players often do notunderstand that they are not eligible to participate in Williamsport sanctionedgames even though we do allow them to participate on our travel teams).

o     The IFPAA League President has tosign off on all team rosters prior to the team roster being turned in to theDistrict 4 Commissioner.

Traveling Tournament Team

o     Tryouts are announced ahead oftime and every player in the league is invited to participate in the tryouts. The League Commissioner is responsible to properly advertise and notify allplayers of the time and dates of the tournament tryouts. At least two tryoutdates must be established in case a player is not able to make the first day.

o     A player MUST attend at least one of the tryouts to be eligible toparticipate on the team. If a player, prior to the tryout, notifies both theTournament Manager and the League Commissioner of the respective age group thathe will not be unable to attend, they may make alternative arrangements for that player.

o     The manager is REQUIRED to explain to parents both his philosophy and IFPAA’spolicy on playing time and positions, amount of travel involved, theapproximate cost to participate on the team, etc. prior to or at eachrespective tryout.

o     After the tryouts, the manageralong with his designated committee selects the team. It is the manager’s RESPONSIBILITY to personally call all players and notify them as towhether or not they made the team.

o     It is required that theselections for the "A" teams be posted at the fields where theplayers usually play within one week of the final tryout. Those who did notmake the team, are encouraged to tryout for the “B” team, and try out again thenext year.

Knightsof Columbus Team

o     For Ingomar, the 12-year-oldplayers select a team of 12-year-old players to participate on the team via asecret ballot coordinated by the 12 Year Old Commissioner and his assistants. The commissioner is to enlist one at large person to witness the vote count. This is a combined team from both the American League and the National League.The 10 players receiving the highest number of votes are automatically invitedto participate in the tournament. The Manager has the option of adding up tothree additional players, however the goal is for everyone to play, so 11 or 12players is the recommended number.

BOTHTHE WILLIAMSPORT TEAM AND THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS TEAM IS PICKED BY THE PLAYERSIN THE RESPECTIVE AGE GROUP VIA A SECRET BALLOT WITH THE OPTION OF ADDING ANUMBER OF PLAYERS AT THE ELECTION OF THE RESPECTIVE MANAGER. THE RESULTS OFTHE VOTE ARE TO REMAIN SECRET AND NO DISTINCTION SHOULD EVER BE MADE ORMENTIONED BETWEEN PLAYERS VOTED ONTO THE TEAM AND THOSE ADDED ON AT THEELECTION OF THE MANAGER.

OFFICIALLITTLE LEAGUE TOURNAMENT GAMES HAVE PRIORITY OVER ALL OTHER GAMES. ALLIN-HOUSE GAMES SHOULD BE COMPLETED BEFORE TRAVELING BASEBALL BEGINS!

VI.          FEES &EXPENSES

o     All expenses associated with thetraveling, tournament, Williamsport or Western PA teams will be strictly theresponsibility of the families of the players. IFPAA is not responsible nordoes it contribute to the cost associated with these teams.

o     IFPAA does waive the RegistrationFees for IFPAA teams participating in IFPAA sanctioned tournaments as a rewardfor the parents running the tournament.

o     The Entry Fee for Williamsportwas $ 75 per team in 2004. All fees are the responsibility of each of theteams.

o     The Tournament Team Manager orhis assigned business manager is responsible for putting together a budget,assessing each player for his/her share of the budgeted cost of running,dressing and equipping a traveling team and keeping a detailed ledger of allSources & Uses of Funds for review by the Board or Parents upon request. At the end of each Tournament Season, the Tournament Team Manager is REQUIRED to refund all unused funds to the respective playersor make an additional assessment if there is a shortfall. The Manager MUST provide a final accounting of all funds to theCommissioner and to the IFPAA President or Tournament Director prior toSeptember 1 of that respective year.

o     Each player selected on atraveling team is automatically assessed $20 per player by the league for thecost of insurance, the use of equipment, baseballs and the fields. Thispayment is required prior to equipment being issued and the beginning of thetraveling season.

o     If the team elects to use IFPAAsupplied tournament pants and hats, each player will be charged for the actualcost of the pants and hat. Again, the payment to the Uniform Director isrequired prior to the distribution of equipment, balls and, if requested,pants.

VII.          UNIFORMS

o     Uniforms and hats are to includeone of the following; “I”, “Ingomar”, “Ingomar Franklin Park”, “IngomarFranklin Park Athletic Association” or “IFPAA”. Traditional IFPAA colors areblack, gold, white and gray. All uniforms should include a combination ofthese colors.

o     We are not “NA” or NorthAllegheny and our tournament uniforms should not identify us as such. We are,however, considered North Allegheny for American Legion baseball.

VIII.       MANAGER BINDER

o     Each manager is to assemble andcarry to each team function, a binder with the following information:

o     Birth certificates of all players

o     Phone chain of all the playerslisting all contact points for the parents and/or guardians. The managershould have the home phone number, work phone number, cell phone number andpager number of all contact persons in case of emergency.

o     Medical Release Forms - Thisallows the player to receive medical treatment in the case of an emergency if aparent or guardian is not present. Please see Exhibit VI.

o     Team Rosters – include name,address, age, birth date and uniform number.

o     Source & Use of Fundsaccountability page.

o     For the older players –“Substance Abuse Policy” must also be signed and retained by the manager. Please see Exhibit VII.

o     If the manager for whateverreason is not able to be present at a given event, the assistant manager shouldhave this binder in his possession.

SECTION II – TOURNAMENTS

Ingomarhas a long tradition of hosting baseball and softball tournaments for ages 8through 14 in both “A” and “B” brackets. The recommended tournament structureis Round Robin Bracket play. On an approved basis, double eliminationtournaments may still be held. The tournament structure must be determined inFebruary, prior to the Tournament Flyer being posted in early April. AAU teamsand Club teams are not permitted to participate in IFPAA sanctioned tournaments.

I.         FIELDS

Directionsto all fields can be located at: http://ifpaa.org/Directions/VestalDirections.html(for Vestal) and http://ifpaa.org/Directions/BlueberryDirections.html(for Blueberry).

All tournament bracketsbegin on a Saturday (Friday if the field is available to start early) and endon or prior to the following Friday. Tournament dates will be as agreed by theBoard and posted each year in early April. The Tournament Director will setthe dates and distribute the dates to the Directors prior to or at the FebruaryBoard Meeting. The dates will then be discussed and will be approved by theBoard at or prior to the April Board Meeting. The coordination of each bracketwill be under the direction of each age group’s Bracket Director.

The assignment of fields issubject to change at the discretion of the Tournament Director and/or the IFPAAPresident. Field schedules may be modified as a result of conflicts resultingfrom “Little League Baseball’s” request for Ingomar to host games duringWilliamsport District play.

§      Vestal 1 is used for the12A, 11A, 12B and 11B tournaments, the Knights of Columbus Tournament, and tohost Williamsport games, when requested. Williamsport and Knights of Columbusgames have preference over any other games.

§      Vestal 3 can be utilizedfor age 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12-year-old girls’ softball and also as back-up for 8,9, & 10 year old boys baseball.

§      Blueberry Pony League Fieldis used for 14A, 13A, 14B and 13B games.

§      Blueberry All Purpose Fieldand the Blueberry Girls' Softball Field will be used for the 10, 9 and 8year old boys’ tournament along with the various girls tournaments.

o     Each year IFPAA hosts an oldergirls fast pitch tournament. The tournament starts on Friday night and runsthrough Sunday. The tournament utilizes both the Girls Softball Field and theAll-Purpose Field. For 2005, the tournament runs from July 8 to the 10.

§       The Girls’ Softball Field does not have a pitcher’smound. A mound will be needed for the 9 and 10-year old boys brackets. Sincethese tournaments are played back to back, one boys' age group is responsiblefor building the mound and the other age group will be responsible to take offthe mound. Also, the girls' fast pitch team typically removes the mound on theAll-Purpose Field prior to their tournaments. The girls' team is responsiblefor rebuilding the mound that they take off on the All-Purpose field.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE GIRLS REBUILD THEMOUND IMMEDIATELY AFTER THEIR TOURNAMENT IS CONCLUDED AND THAT THE LAST BOYSGROUP WHO USED THE GIRLS SOFTBALL FIELD REMOVES THE MOUND WHENEVER THEIRTOURNAMENT IS CONCLUDED.

§      Blueberry Challenger Field

§      Suitable for 8 year-old boys and7/8 and 9/10 year old girls' brackets.

Aside from the fields listed above, there are anumber of alternative sites, which are suitable for tournament play ifadditional field time is required; Linbrook and Franklin Boro are examples ofavailable fields.

II.         STARTDATES

EACH TOURNAMENT IS REQUIREDTO BEGIN ON SATURDAY, EXCEPT FOR THE GIRLS FAST PITCH TOURNAMENT WHICH STARTSON A FRIDAY NIGHT, (Friday if the field is available to start early) AND END ONOR PRIOR TO THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY. IF FOR WHATEVER REASON YOUR BRACKET WAS NOTABLE TO FINISH ON TIME, YOUR BRACKET NO LONGER HAS PRIORITY TO THE FIELD ANDYOU WILL NEED TO WORK WITH THE BRACKET DIRECTOR OF THE NEXT TOURNAMENT TO SEEWHAT TIMES AND DATES THE NEXT BRACKET DIRECTOR CAN MAKE AVAILABLE FOR YOU TOFINISH YOUR TOURNAMENT. THE NEXT BRACKET DIRECTOR HAS NO OBLIGATION TO MAKE TIME AVAILABLE FOR YOU TO FINISH YOURTOURNAMENT; HOWEVER HE IS OBLIGATED TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ASSIST THE OTHERDIRECTOR. IN ADDITION, THERE ARE ALTERNATIVE SITES AVAILABLE TO FINISH VARIOUSTOURNAMENTS.

III.      FLYER

THETOURNAMENT FLYER WILL BE POSTED ON OUR WEB SITE AND MAILED TO THE VARIOUSLEAGUES IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE APRIL BOARD MEETING AT THE LATEST. ANY BRACKETSTHAT DO NOT HAVE A BRACKET DIRECTOR NAMED, THAT SPECIFIC BRACKET WILL BE POSTEDWITH THAT LEAGUES' RESPECTIVE COMMISSIONER NAMED AS THE CONTACT FOR THATSPECIFIC BRACKET, AT LEAST UNTIL THE BRACKET DIRECTOR IS APPOINTED.

IV. “B” TOURNAMENT BRACKETS.

IFPAAhas a strong tradition of fielding very competitive “B” teams and hosting someof the best “B” tournaments for all age groups.

§      The definition of a “B” team isthe SECOND TEAM FROM A RESPECTIVE LEAGUE.

§      The “B” tournament will NOT be geared towards the first team from any league. These leagues will be invited to participate in IFPAA’s “A” bracket.

§      First teams from selected leaguesmay be permitted to participate in IFPAA “B” Tournaments on an exception basisonly as long as the specific age group’s Bracket Director and the LeagueCommissioner unanimously recommend the specific league for admittance into thebracket and the recommendation is approved by the Tournament Director and/orIFPAA President.

V.            SNACK SHACK

Asa part of a respective player’s admittance onto a traveling team, allparents of tournament team players are responsible to assist with snack shack,field preparation, scorekeeping and allother responsibilities that will result from IFPAA hosting tournaments. IFPAA traditionally hosts both “A” and “B” brackettournaments for all age brackets.

Tohelp assist with the cost of a traveling team, the team may elect to havevarious fund raisers such as 50/50 fund raisers during their tournament andused the proceeds to help defray the cost of a traveling team. The team mayelect to sell “specialty items” during their tournament. The proceeds will besplit, with the team receiving 75% of the net proceeds from the sale ofspecialty items and the league receiving the remaining 25%. A “Specialty Item”will be described as anything, which is not sold in the snack shack on aregular basis. (Separate cash boxes must be kept if specialty items are sold.)

VI.           UMPIRES

Patch Umpires will be used in the 14A, 14B, 13A, 13B,12A, 12B, 11A, and 10A brackets.

§      The Bracket Director is to workthrough Ed Heckert, Commissioner of the North Suburban Umpire Association inscheduling all games.

§      Ed can be reached at (412)369-7517.

§      Umpire fees are currently $25 per umpire for Pony League games and $22per umpire for all other games and are subject to change.

In-house Umpires will be used for the 11B, 10B, 9A,9B, 8A and 8B tournaments.

§      The Bracket Director is to workthrough the Umpire Commissioner, in scheduling all games.

§      The Umpire Commissioner is tocompile a list of “Little League” experienced umpires to work the tournamentgames. The Umpire Commissioner should review this list with the Little LeagueCommissioner to ensure that all the umpires on the list are acceptable. Umpirepairings should be established as best as possible.

§      It is preferred that each umpirefor a tournament game is at least 13 years old (a Pony League Player). An umpireunder the age of 15 (Colt League Player) should be accompanied by an adultumpire (over 18 years old).

§      The umpires are currently paid$15 per game.

It is recommended that Ed Heckert, Commissioner of the North Suburban UmpireAssociation and the IFPAA Umpire Commissioner be contacted at least 1 monthprior to the beginning of each respective tournament to make sure yourrespective tournament is on their master schedule and they should then becontacted again at least two weeks prior to the beginning of the tournamentwith a set schedule. The umpire coordinators do not like games beingrescheduled and if you elect to do so you, you will meet resistance, especiallyfrom the Patch Umpires.

VII.         TOURNAMENT RULES

Tournament Rules for eachage group at both the “A” and “B” brackets have to be approved by the IFPAABoard. No changes or modifications can be made without Board approval at orprior to the June board meeting. Any rule modifications should be reviewedwith the Tournament Director and the IFPAA President prior to the modificationbeing introduced to the Board. All rules are to be posted on the IFPAA websiteprior to the beginning to the respective tournament season, no later than June1 of any given year.

Rules are posted on theIFPAA website in the IFPAA Handbook section, http://ifpaa.org/handbook.htm. Lookunder “Player Rules” and then “IFPAA Tournament Rules.”

VIII.       BRACKET DETERMINATION

The specific tournamentbrackets to be held in a given year shall be decided upon by the TournamentDirector in conjunction with the appropriate League Commissioners and presentedto the Board at or prior to the April Board meeting. This presentation willinclude:

1.   Whether "A" and"B" brackets or only an "A" bracket will be held

2.   The maximum number of teams to beallowed in each bracket (8 to 12)

3.   Names and contact information forthe Bracket Director of the respective bracket. Until a Bracket Director isnamed, the League Commissioner of the respective age bracket will be named asthe contact point and his/her name included in any registration material mailedto respective leagues or included on our web site.

4.   The Tournament Director willpresent a preliminary bracket recommendation to the Board at or prior to theFebruary Board Meeting. All issues or recommended modifications MUST be brought up prior to or at the March BoardMeeting.

5.   The Tournament Director or theLeague President shall release the Tournament Brackets at the latest, after theApril Board Meeting. The tournament information will be posted on the IFPAAweb site, mailed to all leagues and arrangements will be made to post theinformation on the McCandless Athletic Association web site as soon aspracticable. The Tournament Director or the League President shall maintain amailing list of participating organizations and managers from previous seasons.

6.   Flyers describing the tournamentshall be mailed by April 10. A registration form shall be included in theflyer. All responses should be sent directly to the Bracket Director for theirrespective bracket. Please remember that the only way a team canreserve a spot is with a non-refundable check for the full amount of theregistration fee. No spots will be reserved without full payment.

o     As each registration is received,the Bracket Director for that specific bracket shall contact the respectiveteam to confirm or deny their registration.

o     A report of number of entries ineach bracket shall be provided by the Bracket Directors of each respectivebracket to the Tournament Director and League President by June 15.

o     The full registration fee must bereceived prior to a team’s spot in the bracket being reserved. Immediatelyafter the final registration cutoff, the Bracket Director must deliver thesefees along with a list of teams in their respective bracket to the LeaguePresident or the Tournament Director prior to the beginning of their respectivetournament.

o     No other individual,except for the BRACKET DIRECTOR is authorized to guarantee a tournament slot toany team or league.

o     If a question exists as towhether a team qualifies as a “B” team, they will not be permitted toparticipate in the bracket unless that specific team is unanimously recommendedfor inclusion in the bracket by the Bracket Director along with the respectiveLeague Commissioner and approved by either the Tournament Director and/or IFPAAPresident.

o     Final registration cutoff shallbe two weeks prior to the start of each respective bracket. Each BracketDirector shall then provide a list of all paid entries to the TournamentDirector and League President, along with all checks turned over at that time. At this point, the bracket configuration should be finalized and each BracketDirector shall hold a "draw" or contact each team to inform them offirst round assignments by no later than 1 week before the beginning of play.

o     They should also be provided withthe tournament rules, directions to the field along with key contacts, whichare primarily the Bracket Directors and their assistants.

7.   Using the dates, times and fieldsassigned to them, the Bracket Directors shall create a preliminary flight boardfor each bracket (assuming that a full complement of teams will participate).The Bracket Directors shall communicate this information to the TournamentDirector by May 31.

8.   Bids for trophies shall besolicited by the Tournament Director or League President by March 1, with theexception that the League President is authorized to use the same supplier asthe previous year if that supplier confirms a willingness to keep prices thesame. Each supplier is to be informed by the Treasurer that no one isauthorized to order IFPAA tournament trophies except the League President, orin his absence, the Tournament Director.

o     The League President or theTournament Director shall order all trophies by July 1 based on the rulesapproved by the Board. Individual Bracket Directors shall be responsible forpicking up trophies from the supplier or the Tournament Director.

9.   The Tournament Umpire Coordinatorshall be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Board no later thanthe March Board Meeting (see below for duties).

o     The Tournament Umpire Coordinatorshall be responsible for generating by June 1 a list of potential umpires who meetthe qualifications established for each bracket by the Board.

o     Each Bracket Director for the 8A,8B, 9A, 9B, 10B and 11B tournaments shall provide the Tournament UmpireCoordinator with a schedule of games no later than two weeks prior to the startof the tournament. The Bracket Director shall obtain funds for paying umpiresfrom the Treasurer.

o     Each Bracket Director for the10A, 11A, 12A, 12B, 13A, 13B, 14A and 14B tournaments shall provide the PatchUmpire coordinator for the North Suburban Umpire Association, Ed Heckert, witha schedule of games no later than two weeks prior to the start of theirrespective tournament. It is highly recommended that Ed Heckert be contacteddirectly by the Bracket Director at least a month prior to the beginning of theirrespective tournament to make sure the tournament is on Ed Heckert’s masterschedule. Ed Heckert can be reached at (412) 369-7517. The Bracket Directorshall obtain funds for paying umpires from the Treasurer.

10. Each IFPAA tournament team manager must include thename of the Bracket Director for his age group on the roster sheet that is tobe submitted to the league when paying the $20 per player insurance/equipmentfees. No equipment or baseballs shall be provided to any tournament teammanager unless the fees and roster (including Bracket Director) have beenreceived. The fee is $20 per player, which covers insurance, use of equipment,two-dozen of baseballs and the use of the fields. Tournament pant and hats mayalso be purchased at actual cost.

11. The Bracket Directors shall present any proposedchanges to the tournament rules at or prior to the June Board Meeting. Thesechanges should be reviewed with the Tournament Director and IFPAA Presidentprior to the Board Meeting. The Board shall make a final determination of therules to be used for each bracket.

12. Each Bracket Director shall schedule tournament teamparents for field and snack shack duty for each game. It is recommended thattwo parents be assigned for each function for each game and that the parentsknow that their shift begins 30 minutes before their scheduled game time andends 30 minutes after the game is over. It is highly recommended that theparents be notified to coordinate their getting teenage substitutes(recommended $15 per game) to make sure that at least one parent is still goingto be there for each assigned shift, both at the field and also in the snackshack. Parents should be assigned in blocks of two games if possible.

13. The Bracket Director (or a qualified representative)must be present at each game in his/her bracket to ensure proper functioning ofthe tournament and to resolve disputes. Note that the parents responsible forfield duty/scorekeeping are not a substitute for the Bracket Director. TheBracket Director is also responsible for ensuring that all IFPAA proceduresappropriate to a given field are followed (e.g., locking up equipment andtools, turning off lights, cleaning and closing down the snack shack).

14. At the conclusion of the tournament season, theBracket Directors shall provide the League Commissioner, Tournament Directorand the IFPAA President with a summary report on their respective tournament. Tournament Director shall then provide a reconciliation report listing thenumber of teams actually playing in each bracket, the number and cost oftrophies, and the amount of fees received. In addition, if specialty itemsare sold, a check should be made out to IFPAA for IFPAA’s 25% of profits madeon the sale of specialty items per IFPAA’s policy in that regard. This information is to be reviewed by the TournamentDirector for any recommendations for adjustments to entrance fees for thefollowing year or modifications to Policies and Procedures.

15. Any Bracket Director faced with a decision where heor she may have a conflict of interest is required to inform the TournamentDirector. An example of a conflict of interest is a decision affecting a teamfor which a child of the Bracket Director plays. The Tournament Director willdecide whether a conflict exists, and, if so, make a ruling and inform theBracket Director. The Bracket Director will (in either case) inform the partiesinvolved of the decision. Every effort will be made to preserve the role ofthe Bracket Director as the normal point of contact for teams involved in atournament. If the Tournament Director faces a potential conflict, he or she isrequired to inform the IFPAA President.

16. Any problems which occur during a tournament or withan IFPAA team which are not immediately resolved should be bought to theattention of the Tournament Director or the President, and if needed, get theTournament Director or President involved to resolve the outstanding issue.

17. Every effort shall be made to obtain donations fromsponsors of the IFPAA Tournaments prior to April 1 so that the sponsors can beacknowledged in the tournament flyer.

ANY CHANGES, MODIFICATIONS OR EXCEPTIONS TO THIS DOCUMENT MUSTBE APPROVED BY MAJORITY CONSENT OF THE IFPAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS.
SECTIONIII

Summaryof Responsibilities Regarding IFPAA Tournaments

League President or TournamentDirector

§      February Meeting - Compile listof brackets to be held and recommended dates.

§      March Meeting - AppointTournament Umpire Coordinator

§      March Meeting - Solicit bids fortrophies or confirm previous supplier at same price as previous year.

§      March Meeting – Confirmtournament sponsor for the upcoming year.

§      March Meeting - Propose umpirequalifications, entry fees, minimum teams, trophy rules.

§      Prior to the April Board Meeting– prepare final tournament flyer for acceptance at April Board Meeting.

§      April Board Meeting – finalapproval of dates, brackets and field allocations

§      April 10 - Mail flyers, post onweb site.

§      June Meeting - Provide interimreport to Board on status of all Tournament Brackets

§      July 1 – Accumulate list of allentries

§      June 15 - Order trophies.

§      October Annual Meeting - Providefinal report to Board.

League Commissioners

§      February 1 – Determinerecommended brackets for upcoming year and communicate such to the TournamentDirector.

§      March 1 - Request formodifications to the pre-set schedule will be taken under consideration.

§      Prior to the April Meeting -Inform Tournament Director of names of Bracket Directors. If aBracket Director is not named, the tournament invitations will be released withthe League Commissioner named as the key contact until a Bracket Director isdetermined.

§      May1 through Tournament - AssistBracket Directors with tournaments.

Bracket Directors

§      May Meeting - Propose any rulechanges to Board.

§      May through July 1 – Confirmregistration acceptance to all accepted

§      Compile list of registrants.

§      June 15 through July 1 - Solicitadditional entries, if necessary and desired.

§      June 15 - Create preliminaryflight board. Provide flight board to the umpire coordinator.

§      At least one week prior to thetournament - Schedule "draw" or contact teams with game assignments.

§      June 15 through two weeks beforebracket start - Schedule umpires.

§      June 15 through two weeks beforebracket start - Schedule parents for field and snack shack duty.

§      Prior to the beginning of thebracket, deliver a list of all teams in a specific bracket along with thechecks for each entrance to either the Tournament Director of IFPAA President.

§      Prior to bracket end - Pick uptrophies from supplier or Tournament Director.

§      During tournament - Ensure selfor qualified representative present at all games. Ensure proper fieldprocedures are followed.

§      After tournament is complete,prepare a brief report to the Tournament Director summarizing the tournament,financials, problems, successes and recommendations.

Tournament Umpire Coordinator

§      June 1 - Generate list ofqualified potential umpires for each bracket.

§      At least one week prior to eachbracket start - Schedule umpires.

Tournament Brackets

Typically all tournaments are set up as either aRound Robin Bracket Play Tournament or a Double Elimination Tournament. IFPAAstrongly recommends the use of the Bracket format in running a tournament. Thebracket structure guarantees each participant 3 games with the top 4 teamsmoving on to a single elimination tournament. The advantage of a Bracketformat is that all the teams play approximately the same number of games. Iffor whatever reason a Bracket Director elects to utilize a double eliminationformat, examples of double elimination brackets for use in your tournament isdetailed below:

§      Double Elimination Bracket for 8teams as web page(HTML)as PDFfile

§      Double Elimination Bracket for 10teams as web page(HTML)as PDFfile

§      Double Elimination Bracket for 12teams as web page(HTML)as PDFfile

Tournament ExecutiveCommittee

Each tournament bracket willhave an executive committee to resolve any issues, which arise around thatrespective tournament. The committee will be made up of the Bracket Director,the League Commissioner and the Tournament Director. If any of the above isconflicted out of the issue, the League President will reside. The LeaguePresident should always be made aware of any issues of note. It is theresponsibility of the Bracket Director to keep the Tournament Director and ifdeemed necessary by the Tournament Director, the League President up to speedon any issue of note.

History

Written January, 1995 byBob Murphy. Adopted by BOD February 2, 1995.
Revised November 4, 1997 by BOD to modify trophy purchase procedures.
Revised 1999 by BOD to eliminate tournament fees for IFPAA teams.

Revised December 1, 2003 by Don Haddad to modify thetask to what is the current practice.

§      The Board of Directors approvedthese modifications at the December 4, 2003 Board Meeting.

Revised December 1, 2004 by Don Haddad and approvedby the Board of Directors at the January 6, 2005 Board Meeting.

EXHIBITS

Exhibit I Tournament ManagerSelection Policy & Procedure

Exhibit II Tournament FieldAllocations for 2004

Exhibit III Advice from a FormerBracket Director

Exhibit IV TournamentPlayer/Parents Memo of Understanding

Exhibit V Medical Release Form

Exhibit VI Substance AbusePolicy

EXHIBIT I

Manager Selection Policy and Procedures

This policy relates to all IFPAA teams outside what is traditionallyconsidered the in-house teams; Advanced Baseball, Tournament Baseball, WesternPA League, American Legion Teams, Colt League Teams and Advanced or TravelingSoftball Teams.

Each age group’s Commissioner will create a committee to evaluatethe various candidates and the committee will recommend their selection to therespective age groups Commissioner. Based upon the committee’s recommendationand the commissioner’s personal experience with the various candidates, thecommissioner will make his recommendation to the Board for approval. Thecommissioner’s recommendation may differ from that of the committee. At theBoard meeting, the Commissioner must detail the Committee’s recommendation andif that recommendation differs from the Commissioners recommendation.

The membership of thecommittee will consist of at least 5 people, none of which should be one of thecandidates for tournament manager position. Suggested members of the committeeshould include:

§      Anticipated or already approvedIn-house managers for the upcoming season

§      At large committee members withextensive demonstrated baseball or softball knowledge of the game.

The commissioner is tocommunicate to all players and their parents, asking for volunteers for theManager position and also for the Manager Selection Committee. It isrecommended that this announcement go out at least 30 days prior to the datethe Commissioner plans on recommending the candidate for Board approval. Anyone wishing to be considered for the Manager must submit their name, inwriting and include their resume and coaching qualifications. TheCommissioners, depending upon the age group, may make recommendations forManager as early as the December Board Meeting.

Responsibilities of thecommittee are as follows:

§      The committee will receivenominations from the Commissioner as well as from individuals that wish to beconsidered.

§      The committee will review allletters and resumes from respective candidates

§      The committee will interview thecandidate(s) for manager positions.

§      The committee will interview therespective Commissioner to seek his/her input.

§      The committee will seek commentsfrom the overall League membership as to the proposed managers.

§      The committee will make itsrecommendation to the Commissioner prior to the date the Commissioner plans onmaking his recommendation to the Board.

The Senior Baseball Director will be responsible toform a committee to make the recommendation for the American Legion Manager andthe 15 Year Old Commissioner will be responsible for the Junior American LegionManager position.

The Executive Officers willreview each committee to ensure its conformance to the
Manager Selection Policy and Procedures and act as a mediator as required.

EXHIBITII

FIELDALLOCATION 2005

BASEBALL BRACKET DIRECTORS/TEAMMANAGERS

SOFTBALL BRACKETDIRECTORS/TEAM MANAGERS

EXHIBIT III

ABRACKET DIRECTOR WHO HAS RUN SOME OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL IFPAA TOURNAMENTS OVERTHE LAST 6 YEARS PREPARED THE FOLLOWING DOCUMENT. THIS DOCUMENT IS FULL OFSUGGESTIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED AS A BRACKET DIRECTOR AND IS TO USED AS A GUIDEAS YOU GO FORTH WITH THE ORGANIZATION AND THE RUNNING OF YOUR TOURNAMENT.

INTRODUCTION

In order to run a successful baseball tournament youwill need to have an abundance of cooperation, preparation and imagination.

Cooperation: As the Bracket Director (“BD”), you will needcooperation from the IFPAA, but more importantly from your tournament teamparents. Each age group has its own tournament, and the parents of thetournament players are solely responsible for running a successful tournament. It is your job to see that your parents do their fair share of the work. Remember, the more they do, the lessyou have to do. If you let parents off the hook, they will take advantage of you, leaving you exhausted andfrustrated in the end.

Preparation: You will need to be prepared by having 90% of theduties assigned to the proper personnel and a solid plan for each day of theweek. This booklet will help you to be prepared for most of the importantsituations that will arise during the tournament. Do yourself a favor andfollow the guidelines in this booklet. They will help you immensely.

Imagination: You need to expect the unexpected. When thosesituations arise, you will have to make the best decision that you can, basedupon the facts presented. The best advice that we can give is that you must make a DECISION. Don’t waffle or wait. Once youmake a decision, stick with it. It may not necessarily be the RIGHT decision,but it does not really matter. This is your tournament, and you are the king(or queen). What you say goes. The important thing is that a decision is madebased upon the best available facts known to you at the time.

If you don’t know an answer, call the TournamentDirector, your commissioner, another bracket director or, as a last resort,another commissioner of IFPAA. They will help you if you ask.

Tournaments will usuallybegin on Saturday and end by the next Friday. Some tournaments may start onFriday if the preceding tournament is completed early. Plan your schedulearound those dates.

MEETWITH YOUR PARENTS

Once the tournament teamsare selected, meet with the parents. Probably the best time is when thetournament coach meets with his parents to provide them with information aboutthe upcoming tournament season. (You may have to meet with both “A” teamsparents and the “B” team parents). At this meeting you can briefly explainwhat will be expected and let them know the week that the tournament will takeplace. Explain that providing volunteer services is required of each andevery parent as part of their child’s commitment to the team. Their commitment will be from 8-15 hours duringthat week. They will be expected to get the fields ready, keep the score forgames and perform snack shack duties. Explain that you will be providing moreinformation about the tournament as it gets closer in time, but to make surethat they are available during that week.

You should also explainto the managers that Ingomar’s tournament takes precedence over any othertournament and that they are required to avoid scheduling anytournaments to begin at the same time as your tournament is scheduled to start. If you do not make this point clear, the managers will schedule othertournaments and you will suffer because parents will travel to their son’s gamerather than perform their duties at your tournament. You will have problems ifyou do not heed this warning.

OBTAIN BASEBALLS

You must obtain thebaseballs that you will be using at the tournament from the IFPAA equipmentmanager.

STAFFING

You will need to enlist the help of a few verytrustworthy individuals in order for your tournament to be a success. Theseare: (1) a field coordinator; (2) a snack shack coordinator; and (3) assistanttournament director.

FIELD COODINATOR

This individual makescertain that your ball fields are in pristine condition. He/she must:

1.   Visitthe field the week prior to the tournament and assess the availability of lime,diamond dry, field drags, shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, garden hoses, and anyother necessities. If any of these items are not available, he/she has to findthem. Generally, the lime and diamond dry will be found in the c-van atBlueberry. Field drags, shovels and rakes are found in and around the cages orin the boxes. You may have to bring some tools from home. If you do, makesure you mark them with some form of identification.

2.   On the day of, or the day afterthe prior week’s tournament ends, the field coordinator and his/her hand pickedteam of parents will make sure that the fields are ready to go. Also, if youare heading up the 9 or 10-year old tournament, and your tournament is thefirst, a pitching mound will need to be constructed on the Girls' SoftballField. If you are the last, the mound will need to be taken down immediatelyafter your tournament. This includes:

a.   Filling the boxes with diamonddry and lime. (NOTE: Use the diamond dry sparingly because it is expensive. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to dump entire bags of diamond dryon a single small wet spot for it to be effective. Just dump a little on thewater and rake it in. The diamond dry will do the rest.)

b.   Making sure you have liningequipment in working order.

c.    Utilizing the spool of twine toproperly mark and line each field. (If you properly do this the first night,it makes it much easier for the rest of the week.) The dimensions of yourfields are the same as those used during your regular season. If you are notsure, contact your commissioner. (Do NOT try to mark the field using yournaked eye. It never works. Ingomar prides itself on the appearance of itsfields, so do it right.)

d.   Making sure you have at least tworakes, two shovels per field and at least one working wheelbarrow.

e.   Making sure that each scoreboardis in working order. Change the light bulbs, if necessary.

f.     Making sure that the announcingequipment is in working order for each field. (NOTE: The scoreboard equipment and the announcingequipment can be found in the Blueberry or Vestal Snack Shack. The boxesshould be marked according to the field at which they are used. The electricalbox in the snack shack controls the power to the Pony and Girls' SoftballFields. The electrical box at the barn controls the All-Purpose Fieldscoreboard. The scoreboard equipment at Vestal is also located in the snackshack and is controlled by the electrical box found there.)

g.   Obtain the field duty schedulefrom the BD and notify parents of any changes in their field duty obligations. As the week wears on and games are rescheduled, parents will need to berescheduled too. Remember, it is better to schedule parents for each timeslot, whether a game is scheduled or not. It is easier to cancel a parent thanit is to find one to fill a time slot.

h.   Anything else the BD tells you todo.

ASSISTANT BRACKET DIRECTOR(S)

You will need one or two capable assistants to carryout your responsibilities during the times you cannot be present. Although youshould expect to spend each weekday evening at the field and both days duringthe weekend, there are times when it is simply impossible due to work, illnessor some other unforeseen event. You may also just need a little break. Meetwith your assistants at the beginning of the tournament and explain your gameplan. Provide them with the information that they will need to help you runthe tournament.

If you are running A and Btournaments at the 8, 9 or 10-year-old level, you should have an assistant tohandle the general oversight of one of the two tournaments (If you take A,he/she takes B or vice-versa). This does not mean that you are givingup your final authority and responsibility as BD. It only means that you havesomeone to help you oversee one of the two tournaments that are taking place atthe same time. Generally, B parents should oversee the B tournament and Aparents should oversee the A tournament. The Tournament Director or hisassistant/designate should be present at every game

(NOTE: A WORD TO THE WISE. At the 8, 9 and 10-year-oldlevel, “B” tournament parents may not always be as enthusiastic about thetournament. As director, you should make sure that you would have thecooperation of the manager and parents before you schedule a “B”tournament. You should also make sure that you have a particular “B” parent totake an assistant bracket director position. If you do not receive thecommitment, be wary of scheduling a “B” tournament. The “A” tournament parentsare generally willing to help out with the “B” tournament because there aredouble the “A” parents (two “A” teams usually). They do not, however, want tobe the ones who are primarily responsible for the “B” tournament. There arevery few quality “B” tournaments. Thus, it is important for IFPAA to run a “B”tournament if at all possible as it provides a greater opportunity for our kidsto compete. Remember, this year’s “B” tournament player is often the one whomatures a little later and blossoms into a fine ball player in his teen years. We want to encourage as much tournament play as possible.

This problem does notusually occur at the 11-12 or 13-14 year old levels because the “A” and “B”teams actually run their own separate tournaments with their own individualBD’s at Vestal or the Pony Field.

SNACK SHACK COORDINATOR

This individual makes certain that the snack shack ismanned by at least two (2) parents for every tournament game and that there isfood to sell. The IFPAA counts on the snack shack for significant fundraisingas part of its yearly economic projections. The snack shack coordinator must:

1.   Have a working knowledge of thesnack shack.

2.   Be able to handle money.

3.   Provide parents with written andverbal instructions on how to work the snack shack.

4.   Make sure that the snack shack isproperly stocked.

5.   Talk to the previous week’scoordinator to gain an understanding of what is needed in the shack and whether there are any problems that you need to rectify.

6.   Reschedule parents as the gametimes change.

7.   Coordinate any fund-raisingefforts by team parents who make food donations for the purpose of raisingmoney for their team.

8.   Familiarize him/herself with therules of the snack shack for that particular year.

SETTING UP THE TOURNAMENT

A.            NUMBER OF TEAMS

As the Tournament Director, you areresponsible for deciding how many teams that you want to have in yourtournament. This, of course, will depend upon your age group. Although you canrun a 20 team tournament (10 “A’s” and 10 “B’s”) if you have the use of bothBlueberry fields for the 8, 9 and 10 year olds, you better hope that you havethe best of weather. Otherwise, you could find yourself scrambling for fieldspace at other fields. We recommend that you have a 16-team tournament (8“A’s” and 8 “B’s” or 10 “A’s” and 6 “B’s”) as this leaves some schedulingflexibility. Ultimately, this is your decision to make. If you are running an “A”or “B” tournament at the 11, 12, 13 or 14-year-old levels, you will only haveone field. Again, an 8-team tournament is advisable. Additional teams can beconsidered if you have the first time slot and start early in the month or thelast time slot and finish late in the month.

Once you decide the numberof teams, you will fill the slots as the checks and application forms arereceived from the other tournament teams. IFPAA teams do not pay any fees. Managers will call you asking to “reserve” a space. IFPAA’s policy is thatspots cannot be reserved unless a check is in hand. Just tell them to send a check and application ASAP,otherwise they may lose out. Thisavoids two problems. One is being accused of favoritism. The second is that itensures that the team will not back out. (The checks are non-refundable.)

Managers will find out aboutyour tournament through a web site or through a mailing that they receive fromthe league. If you keep to the “first come first served” rule, it will help you to avoid any problems.

B.            BRACKETS

If you elect to run a “round robinbracket” format, it will have to be 2 four-team divisions. If you elect to runa “double elimination tournament”, it will have to be approved by theTournament Director

You should invite all managers toattend a pre-tournament “draw” meeting where the brackets are picked(randomly). Be sure to separate Ingomar’s two “A” teams (if you have two) intodifferent brackets before you draw the rest of the teams. This way you willnot have two IFPAA teams meeting until much later in the tournament. Thishelps to maintain parent interest and gives the IFPAA teams an opportunity toplay kids they do not know. It also helps for the scheduling of parentalduties. If anyone questions why, just tell him or her that it is our policythat both Ingomar teams are not placed in the same bracket. This is usuallynot a problem with the “B” brackets, as there normally is only one “B” team.

Once youhave made your selections and set your bracket, make sure you send a copy ofthe bracket and the rules to each manager ASAP. This will give the manager theopportunity to look at his team’s schedule and make reasonable requests forchanges. You should try to accommodate the changes where practicable, especiallyif your tournament has not yet started. By getting your schedule out ASAP, youeliminate a lot of the last-minute change requests that can drive youabsolutely batty. Managers are thankful, because it helps them in schedulingother tournaments. Our rules traditionally state that changes are notpermitted, however we do try to accommodate one change per team. If a teamtries to abuse this privilege, turn them down or your tournament will get outof hand.

Your initialmailing to each manager should include:

1.   The bracket

2.   The rules for your tournamentwhich are set by the league for each age group (obtain the rules from the website);

3.   Your name, address, home phone,work phone, e-mail and cell phone; and

4.   Directions to your field.

You should obtain the followingfrom each manager:

1.   His name, address, home phone,work phone, e-mail and cell phone numbers.

2.   The e-mail address and phonenumbers of an assistant coach.

3.   A team roster with birth dates,addresses and uniform numbers for each player.

4.   You don’t have to get copies ofthe birth certificates, but tell the coaches that they should have copies withthem (they usually do) in the event a question is raised about a child’s age.

5.            If the team is from a league inwhich you are not familiar or an AAU team, make sure you also receive proof ofinsurance for their players. Most of the reputable leagues in this area carryinsurance for their tournament players.

C.            FIELD AND SNACKSHACK DUTY

You will need to divide upthe field and snack shack duty among all of your parents on a relatively equalbasis. This means that some “A” parents may handle a “B” game and vice versa(unless the “A” and “B” brackets are being run separately).

The best way to do this isto lay the list of parents out and take one parent off of each list until allof the duties are filed. (Do not include the manager’s family or the manageras they have enough to do. Do include the coaches or you will not have enoughmanpower). Try to give at least one field duty and one snack shack duty toeach family first and then fill in where you need to. Again, do this ASAP, asthere will be parents who need to switch. If you can make the changes beforethe tournament begins, it will be much easier later on. It is also recommendedthat you schedule parents for two games at a time.

You will then meet with eachteam individually and provide each parent with a tournament packet containingthe following:

1.   The brackets;

2.   The rules;

3.   Snack shack duty list;

4.   Field duty list;

5.   Team rosters, parents names andphone numbers;

6.   Description of field duties;

7.   Description of snack shackduties; and

8.   Introduction letter.

If the parents of any ofyour players are divorced, be sure to provide them each with a packet. It istheir responsibility to work things out, not yours.

Holding a meeting withparents is critical because it will give you the opportunity to “eyeball” themand explain the importance of their cooperation.

SNACK SHACK COORDINATOR

1.        Staffing

The snack shack coordinator(“SSC”) must coordinate staffing and obtain food for the snack shack. The SSCobtains the snack shack duty roster from the BD and makes sure that parents arescheduled for each time slot, whether a game is scheduled or not. There aremany games that have switched times. It is much easier to call a parent tocancel a duty than to scrape around trying to find a parent to cover a duty. Make sure that your parents know that CHILDREN (under 13) ARE NOT PERMITTEDHELP IN THE SNACK SHACK.

If you are running the 8 or9-year-old tournaments, most parents will have no snack shack experience. They will need to be trained in how to work equipment and what to do to open,close, stock, etc.

There should be a list ofteenagers who will work a snack shack duty for a fee ($15 per game). Discourageyour parents from doing this as much as possible. (Some parents view this as away to avoid their responsibilities. Teens should only be used when no otheroption is available.) Although the teens usually do a great job of waiting oncustomers, there have been problems with stocking and cleanup. There isnothing worse than coming to perform your snack shack duty on a hot summer dayand finding that there is no cold soda or water, or working the last duty ofthe day when no one has kept up with cleaning the counters or floors.

If it is necessary to hirea teenager to work snack shack or field duty, the two parents assigned shouldmake sure they talk to each other to make sure that at least one parent isthere to oversee the job and direct the teenager. Also, teenagers should notbe used to perform the last shift of the night and be responsible to clean upthe snack shack or prepare the field for the next day’s games.

2. Food

Contact the snack shackcoordinator for Blueberry or Vestal to check on what the procedures are forstocking food. The person in charge and his/her particular procedures varyfrom year to year. Sometimes they will do all the purchasing and you will onlyhave to keep the shelves stocked. If they are not available or are unwilling todo this during your tournament, plan on making trips to Sam’s Club (or someother store) during the week. Usually, you just need to put your receipts inthe cash envelope at the end of the day and either deduct the amount you areowed, or the snack shack coordinator will reimburse you. Once again, thisprocedure depends on who is in charge of the snack shack. Also, be sure tostop at the bank and obtain a few rolls of change. Even if the personoverseeing the snack shack for the year is there to check on the food on adaily basis, on a hot summer day you almost always run out of change. You canalways cash them in at the end of the week if you don’t use them. Specificprocedures for opening, closing and money are located in each snack shack.

If your league would like to make extra money to put toward aparty at the end of the year, tournament expenses, Williamsport travel, etc.parents can donate food (muffins, bagels, meatball sandwiches, cookies, etc.)to be sold during the tournament. Depending upon the ambition of your parents,you can make a good deal of money. Usually the younger age groups do verylittle fundraising. If you are at Blueberry field, check with the other agegroup working in the snack shack that week. The older age groups usually workthe grill. Any money collected from the grill or food that parents havedonated is paid directly to that age group, so be sure to keep a separatemoneybox. All money collected from the sale of items found in the snack shackis paid to IFPAA. The current policy of IFPAA is that on any extra moneyearned, 75% goes towards the team with the remaining 25% going towards IFPAA. Also if you elect to do something out of the ordinary, additional parents willneed to be scheduled to man the additional activity as two parents are stillneeded at all times to man the snack shack.

If you are at Blueberry,you will need to talk to the snack shack coordinator for the other age groupsharing the snack shack at that time (this is usually the pony team). Makesure that both groups are staffing the snack shack equally! There have beenproblems in the past with two age groups working together. If you coordinatewith the other age group and set the ground rules, you can avoid hard feelingslater in the week. (This problem does not exist at Vestal.)

3.        Closing the Snack Shack

The last persons to workthe snack shack on a tournament day should make sure that the items arerestocked. If items are needed to replenish supplies, the workers shouldprepare a list and give it to the Snack Shack Coordinator. They should alsoclean up the area, which includes sweeping the floor and mopping-up and wipingdown the counters and equipment.

FIELD COORDINATOR

1.        Staffing

The Field Coordinator (FC)will obtain the field service schedule from the BD. He/she will make changesto the schedule as the need arises during the tournament. Provide the FC witha set of keys, which open the snack shack and operate the lights.

Prior to the tournament,the FC will have to perform those tasks listed above in order to have thefields prepared and ready to go.

Each fieldrequires two parents who will:

(1)  lineand drag the field before the game, which means that the parents should be atthe field one-half hour before the game starts;

(2)  keepthe score of the game;

(3)  keeptrack of the pitchers, including the number of innings pitched (each tournamentsets a limit on the number of innings that a pitcher can pitch, so a recordmust be maintained);

(4)  handout the game balls {two per game given to the umpires};

(5)  operatethe scoreboard;

(6)  announcethe game and

(7)  emptythe garbage.

Be sure to avoid havingchildren operate the scoreboard or the announcing equipment, as they simply donot pay enough attention and are prone to fooling around. The parents who areattending your tournament really appreciate being able to hear their child’sname announced clearly and loudly and seeing the correct score on thescoreboard. They also appreciate it if you pronounce their names correctly. That is why it is important to go over the pronunciation of names with themanagers prior to the start of the game.

Also, tell the parents thatthey should avoid rooting for or against the teams that are playing. They areseated by the microphone, and many may overhear their comments.

At the end of the game, besure that you have the score correctly listed in the book in case scoring isused as a tie-breaker.

Some BD’s provide MVPawards at the end of each game (by giving a game ball or special certificate). Although you can leave this to the managers of their respective teams, it isreally much easier if the persons who keep score make the selection based upontheir own objective criteria.

2.        Garbage

Be sure to empty thegarbage into the dumpsters on a regular basis. Otherwise, the bees and thesmell will become oppressive.

3.            Lights

The lights at Vestal arecontrolled at the panel inside the snack shack. If you do experience anoverload and the lights turn off, you may have to reset them. If the lights donot immediately turn back on, give them about 15 minutes to warm-up. You areresponsible for turning off the lights at the end of the night.

The lights at Blueberry areon timers. Because of problems with the neighbors, the lights automaticallyturn off at 10:35p.m., whether you like it or not. At Blueberry, there is a10:30 curfew when all games must end. If the lights go out while you arecleaning up, you are out of luck and will have to use car headlights. Thus, itis best if you clean up before the lights go out. The Girls' Softball Fieldlight switch and the Pony Field light switch are right next to each other onthe little house by the young girls' softball field.

§      THE BEST POLICY IS THAT THE TEAM THAT FINISHES LAST ON ANY GIVENNIGHT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TURNING OFF THE LIGHTS ON BOTH FIELDS. THIS AVOIDSTHE LIGHTS BEING MISTAKENLY TURNED OFF ON THE FIELD, IN WHICH THE GAME IS STILLIN PROGRESS. IF THIS HAPPENS, IT TAKES SO LONG FOR THE LIGHTS TO COOL OFF ANDTURN BACK ON THAT THE GAME USUALLY NEEDS TO BE CANCELLED AND YOU WILL NEED TODEAL WITH A VERY IRATE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR THE NEXT NIGHT.

4.   Field Preparation

Oversee thefield preparation. Make sure the fields are properly lined and marked beforeeach game. Check for holes in the infield and outfield to ensure sure footingfor the players. Repair the mound after every game as the boys somehow manageto dig giant holes in the mound every single game. At the end of the day,water the mound and make solid repairs. It will save you time the next day andyou will have a good mound for the boys to use. Fill and water the slidingareas around each base too.

UMPIRES

Probably the most difficultjob facing the BD is related to finding umpires to work your games. The lateryour tournament, the more difficult it becomes. Many of the umpires areplaying in tournaments themselves and they have a difficult time giving you acommitment.

If you are using Patchumpires call the Patch coordinator. If you are using in-house umpires, callthe Umpire Coordinator. In either event, make sure that you call them as soonas possible to make these arrangements, as securing umpires is a very importantpart of running a good tournament.

Once you have in-houseumpires lined up, stay on them. We recommend calling them the night before toremind them (although they usually do a good job in showing up). This helps toavoid last minute confusion when someone forgets to show.

EXHIBIT IV

Ingomar/Franklin Park Athletic Association

Tournament Baseball Memorandum of Understanding

Welcometo Tournament Baseball. Tournament Baseball at IFPAA is the formation ofall-star teams to represent IFPAA in tournaments throughout the Tri-State areaalong with the Little League World Series Tournament. These tournament teamsare formed for those players looking to elevate their level of play, to elevatethe competitiveness of the games and to elevate the caliber of coaching andlearning. The tournament season is a very intense five or 6 weeks, which canbe extremely rewarding and exciting, but it also has the potential to be verydisappointing if expectations are not in line with the managers and IFPAA.

Throughout the Tri-state area, IFPAA’s Tournament teams participate isa wide array of well-run local tournaments. Some of the better run tournamentinclude our friends at Cranberry, Moon, Upper St. Clair, Plum, PAL, PennTownship, Scott Township, Peters Township, McCandless, Brad Mar Pine, to name afew. The tournaments are generally very competitive and every organization’s goalis to WIN.Tournaments typically are scheduled to last a week or so, with most teamsplaying at least three games if the tournament is structured with brackets. Depending upon a teams success, the team could play anywhere from 15 to 30games in the month of July.

ALLWHO PARTICIPATE MUST COMMIT TO THE FOLLOWING:

Commitment

·     A deep commitment to this activityby everyone involved is required to be successful.

Philosophical

·      All parents and players must agree with the generalphilosophy and intent of IPFAA tournament baseball and must sign a Memorandumof Understanding to that effect.

Time

·     All participantsmust be prepared to spend an unusually large amount of time with this activity,far greater than anything in the regular season.

Game

·     The number of gamesnormally played during tournament season ranges from 15 to 30 over the span offive weeks from late June to early August. Players and their families must beready to weather this rigorous schedule.

Attendance

·     Attendance ismandatory unless alternative arrangements are made with the manager.

Financial

·     The costs fortournament play are borne solely by the players. None of the regular seasonIFPAA budget goes toward tournament activity. The typical cost for each playercan range anywhere from $150 to over $250, which are itemized below:

            $ 20   Equipment, insurance, etc.

                        $100   Uniforms

                        $100   Player'sshare of entry fees (5 tournaments @ $200 each)

                        $ 30   Miscellaneous for extra tournament, team picnic, pictures,etc.

            $250

This cost does not take into consideration additionalcost associated with the Williamsport Team, the Western PA League ortournaments where overnight stays are required.

IngomarTournament Volunteer

·     IFPAA hosts itsown tournaments, some time in July. Each parent is required to work 4 to 8 games in the snackshack and/or with field preparation and/or at scorer's table. This might evenmean missing your own players’ game elsewhere while hosting games at home.

Behavior/Ethics

·      Tournament Ball, while extremely exciting and rewarding,has a tendency to bring out the worst in human behavior, if left unchecked.That is why every single person involved in this activity, from parents toplayers to coaches must conduct themselves in the best and most mature,controlled manner. No unsportsman like, outrageous, vulgar, disgusting orotherwise uncontrolled behavior will be tolerated.

Thephilosophy of the Tournament Team will be different from that of the in-house,regular season teams.

§       Players on a team will not play an equal number ofinnings.

§       Players will in all likelihood, not play theirfavorite positions.

§       Players, at times may not even get into the game.

Themanager will be responsible for all lineup decisions, and will generally makeevery effort to get all players in every game. The goal for these tournamentteams is to exhibit good sportsmanship, improve skills in a more competitiveenvironment and play to win.

Any player who is permitted by his parents to try outfor the Tournament Team should be prepared to make a strong commitment toTournament Baseball. The parents must be willing to make the financial and timecommitments, as well as understand that no minimum playing times or positionrotation is guaranteed.

Parents'/Players’ Agreement

Asparents/players of an IFPAA Tournament Team, I have read the above informationand understand the general policies and procedures of Ingomar Franklin ParkAthletic Association in regards to Tournament Team formation and play. I alsounderstand and agree to the following conditions:

v    To be supportive of the team

v    To make every effort to attend every game

v    To make sure my child is on time for and attendsevery practice or game

v    To work my assigned games at either the Snack Shack,with field preparation or at the scorer's table during the IFPAA Tournament

v    To be responsible for all financial obligations formy child, as the IFPAA general budget bears no responsibility for tournamentplay

v    To conduct myself in a manner that will make my childas proud of me as I am of him

Father's signature______________________

Mother's signature______________________

Player’s signature______________________

EXHIBIT V

MEDICAL RELEASE FORM

To whom it may concern:

This is to certify thatI, as a parent or guardian of __________________________________, a player onthe Ingomar Franklin Park XXX Year Old Traveling Team, hereby grant permissionto the adult Manager, Coach, Trainer or Business Manager of the team to obtainmedical care, at my expense, from any licensed physician, hospital or medicalclinic, for the player named herein at such time as either parent or legalguardian cannot be contacted in person on via telephone. This authorizationshall include all League activities, including the period required to travel toand from those activities; and we do hereby waive, release, absolve, indemnifyand agree to hold harmless the Ingomar Franklin Park Athletic Association,Little League Baseball, Pony Baseball, Inc., the organizers, supervisors,participants and any person transporting players to and from those activities,for any and all claims arising out of an injury to the player.

Signed:                                  ______________________________

Relationshipto player:      ______________________________

Signed:                                  ______________________________

Relationshipto player:      ______________________________

InsuranceInformation:

Carrier:                                  ______________________________

I.D.Number:                         ______________________________

AdditionalInstructions:

EXHIBIT VI

SUBSTANCE ABUSE PLEDGE

Inaddition to other rules and regulations pertaining to this team, the followingpledge is designed to aid you, the participant, in making wise decisionsregarding the use and abuse of substances, especially during, but not limitedto, the duration of the baseball season.

Today’steenagers have more peer pressure than ever to get involved with unhealthyand/or riskier situations. Substances use and abuse is growing, with alcoholand marijuana leading the way. It takes a strong young person with muchsupport from home to stand up to this pressure when making decisions. Onemeasure of intent and support is to pledge to remain substance free, not onlyduring the season, but as a way of life. We are asking each participant andtheir parents sign the pledge below. We as coaches/sponsors will do all we canto provide guidance and support in this area.

PLEDGE

I,as a participant of the Ingomar Franklin Park XXX Year Old Traveling Team,pledge that I will remain alcohol and substance free during the season. Iunderstand that the use of alcohol and other substances will affect mephysically and be detrimental to my individual performance and thereby theperformance of my team. Therefore, if I am caught using alcohol or othersubstances, it will result in the following:

§      I will be expelled from the team, including practice sessions.

§      After a period of ten (10) days, I may apply for reinstatement,subject to the completion of guidelines established by the Manager incombination with IFPAA Directors. These guidelines may include, but not belimited to, a drug and alcohol assessment program/classes, and adherence torecommendations made by the drug and alcohol assessment agency.

§      I will then be informed as to the decision regarding my possiblereinstatement.

§      On any second offense, expulsion is immediate and permanent.

PLAYER:                                ______________________________

I/Werecognize our importance in supporting my/our son/daughter in their efforts toremain alcohol and substance free not only during the season but out of seasonas well, pledge my/our support in this effort.

PARENT/GUARDIAN:           _____________________________