The Parkland Youth Softball Association (PYSA) believes in providing a positive environment and professional coaching staff to further develop players of all ages to foster their love for the game, continuously grow, and compete at their maximum ability. PYSA hereby adopts the following bylaws to support and operate travel softball within the City of Parkland.
Article 1 – Teams
PYSA will support through travel teams wishing to represent the city and organization. PYSA will only support the following number of teams per division:
8U: 1 team
10U: 2 teams
12U: 2 teams
14U: 2 teams
18U: 2 teams
The Board of Directors (BOD) reserves the right to “grandfather” in teams which exist at the time of the execution of this document or add additional teams at their discretion.
The PYSA BOD has the right to choose the name of the travel program and develop partnerships with local, state or national programs in order to provide a stronger program for our travel players. Team names shall be as follows:
Organization name, age division, coaches name
The PYSA BOD reserves the right to remove a team from the organization for violation of the bylaws or for conduct which reflects poorly on the organization.
Article 2 – Coaching
In an effort to provide an environment where players can grow their skills, have their abilities continually evaluated, and be able to compete at the top of their game, the PYSA BOD reserves the right to approve or disapprove coaches within the travel program. Previous coaching within the program does not guarantee the right to continue to coach within the program.
In the interest of player development, there should be a maximum of 3 coaches per team on the field during games. Beginning in the 12U division, teams are encouraged to have a non-connected coach who is providing input into line-up decisions. Non-connected is a coach who has no tie to any player on the team. Beginning in the 14U division, and beyond, the non-connected coach should be named the head coach if appropriate. The BOD believes teams should make these coaching decisions as a team where all players have equal input. The BOD reserves the right to intervene should the need arise based on violation of these bylaws or for conduct which reflects poorly on the organization.
Article 3 – Funds
All funds utilized to operate a team within the organization shall be held by PYSA. There will be no interest paid upon any monies. All teams will be provided a link to a balance sheet where they can track their individual funds. All monies collected are the property of the organization and shall stay with the organization for the TEAM, NOT the COACH or PLAYER. No refunds shall be given for any player who leaves the team prior to the end of a season unless approved by the PYSA BOD. In the event a team should dissolve, and monies are left within the organization, the BOD has the right to keep the funds or distribute them how they see fit.
Budgets:
Each team is required to provide a preliminary per player budget estimate for each season. This estimate shall be provided to PYSA and available to parents prior to tryouts. It should be noted on the budget that this is a “Preliminary Estimate and is subject to change.” This budget should include line items for the following items at a minimum:
1. Tournaments
2. Uniforms
3. Equipment
4. Administrative Fees (PYSA, City of Parkland)
5. Coaching
6. Umpiring
This budget does not have to include individual out of pocket expenses such as travel or lodging for away tournaments. However, it should include estimated travel and lodging for paid coaching if applicable.
Fees:
Fees shall be paid in a manner to keep the team balance sheet in the positive. The fee structure can be a one-time payment, multiple payments, or monthly payments. No team shall be extended “credit” from PYSA except for the 8U division at the beginning of their 1st season. All fees will be paid to PYSA and should note what the payment is to be applied to and why.
Sponsorships/Fundraising:
Teams are allowed to conduct fundraising events approved by the BOD and secure sponsorships. Prior to seeking sponsorships from businesses, a request should be made to the BOD to make sure the sponsorship will not interfere with ongoing PYSA sponsorships from the community. PYSA will provide sponsorship to each team in the form of field space, group insurance rates, field reservations and acting as a liaison with the City of Parkland.
Article 4 – Conduct
All teams are expected to always conduct themselves in a professional manner and ALWAYS display good sportsmanship. This includes practices, scrimmages, games, tournaments. This applies to all players, parents, and coaches. This professional behavior should be exhibited to all players on the team and others, all parents on the team and others, and all officials.
The BOD has the right to investigate any reports of misconduct and take disciplinary action against any coach, parent or player who exhibits conduct which reflects negatively on the organization.
Code of Conduct:
The following are examples of violations of the code of conduct but are not limited to these examples.
1. No profanity shall be used.
2. All coaches, players, parents, and officials shall be treated with respect, even when disagreeing.
3. No physical contact of any kind is permitted.
Violations of the Code of Conduct or concerns about a team or coaching staff may be reported to any PYSA board member or sent via email to [email protected].
All coaches must report any violations of this code of conduct by themselves or anyone affiliated with their team within 24 hours. Any ejections of a player, a parent or a coach from a game must be reported. The report must be made directly to a member of the Board of Directors.
Disciplinary Procedure:
Upon receipt of a complaint regarding conduct, the BOD will assign a member to gather information and report back to the BOD. Should the BOD decide action is required, the individual(s) will be contacted to discuss the matter with the BOD. Following this discussion, the BOD will have up to 7 days to determine the response to the complaint. The response should be shared with the complainant if possible and the offending party should be notified by the board, if appropriate and necessary, of their actions that were in violation and the board response up to and including disciplinary action. Disciplinary responses may include, but are not limited to:
1. Suspension from activities
2. Removal from the program
Article 5 – Tryouts
All teams are expected to conduct tryout at the beginning of each season. Tryouts should be held a minimum of 2 dates and should be individual per team unless agreed upon by the coaches involved. Marketing of tryouts shall utilize a uniform flyer supplied by the organization and may be utilized on any social media platforms or any other manner a team would like as well as the organization website. The PYSA travel program is ONE organization. We are to conduct ourselves in a respectful manner and respect the boundaries of our other teams. All players are encouraged and welcome to tryout for any team they wish. The BOD or coaches will not impose any restrictions. This flexibility allows parents and players to choose where they feel they fit the best. Coaches should not use their influence or coercion to dissuade a player from trying out for another team. Such conduct would be subject to disciplinary action.
Article 6 – Evaluations
At the end of each season, at the PYSA BOD discretion, an anonymous survey will be sent to parents of each travel team to gather formative information to share with coaches in order to provide information which can help the coaches and program continue to grow. Parents should be encouraged to complete the survey for the betterment of the program.