*NEW* Rosters & Waivers Required *NEW*

All players must be listed on the team roster AND must accept & sign the online waiver to be allowed to play. Captains can edit their roster by logging in at https://www.playerssports.net/login and clicking "Manage My Team." Once listed on the roster, all players can log in to sign the waiver at https://www.playerssports.net/player/waiver.

 

Sportsmanship 

Being competitive on the field is applauded & encouraged in all of our leagues! It is also important to understand that there is a fine line between being competitive & being unsportsmanlike. All players and referees should treat one another with respect on the field & after the game. Everyone has to go to work tomorrow, so please keep safety & sportsmanship in mind out there!

 

Inclusivity

Every individual participating in a Players Sport & Social Group program may compete as a member of the gender that they identify with, regardless of their gender at birth. We expect all players to be respectful and honor the spirit of this policy. We are LGBTQIA+ friendly (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and other sexualities and gender identities/expressions). 

 

We have found that open communication between teams is super helpful. If there is a situation that may raise some questions from opposing teams, captains are encouraged to have a quick conversation with our umpire/official before the game to ensure everyone is on the same page. At the end of the day, inclusivity is key. 

 

 

Outdoor Rules

 

Beginning of the Game

 

Games start on time!!! Teams must be prepared to play. Forfeit rule: game time is forfeit time. If one team has less than the minimum number of players (8 total players-minimum of 3 females) at ten minutes past the designated start time it is a forfeit.

NO METAL SPIKES ARE ALLOWED. Any equipment in question should be brought to the attention of the umpire. The umpire will make all final decisions with regard to equipment discrepancies.

All games are seven innings or 45/50 minutes (warm up time included); the last inning will start 10 - 15 minutes to the hour. The ump will enforce this rule and will make the call at the top of the final inning. Note: Due to differing circumstances in each and every game, some games will finish short on an hour in length, while others might run over the hour mark. Please respect your ump's call in this matter. He/she must keep all games on time in fairness to teams playing later hours and due to facility permit restrictions.

Games will be played on a regulation softball diamond or in an open grass area depending on field conditions. The pitcher and fielders must stay behind the pitcher’s mound until the ball is kicked. The catcher or kicker is not allowed to cross home plate until the ball is contacted. The kicker may not attempt to kick the ball in front of home plate. If the kicker does contact the ball in front of home plate it will be considered a foul. During the playoffs any league with 12 or more teams will be split into a Flight A and Flight B Playoff Bracket.

 

Team Size

 

10 players play at time. 6 men and 4 women play on the field. Teams may start with 8 players, but 3 must be women. A maximum of 6 men may play on the field.

PROTESTS: There are no protests for any reason whatsoever. The referee's decision is final.

FORFEITS: If your team forfeits a game during the season, the following rules apply:

First Offense: Loss game and warning issued.

Second Offense: Loss game and staff reserves the right to remove team from league with no refund.

Third Offense: Removal from the league with no refund for games not played.

If you know in advance that your team is going to forfeit a game, we encourage you to call our office (773.528.1999) to help us notify your opponent. This does not mean that your team will not receive the loss as a forfeit. 

 

Game Play

 

All batters will start with a one ball, one strike count. The "strike zone" extends to 1 foot on either side of home plate, and 1 foot high. Pitches must be rolled underhand towards home plate.

Pitches may not be bounced, only rolled towards the kicker! Pitches that bounce more than one foot above the ground will be considered an illegal pitch, and thus deemed a ball. All kicks must be made by foot and must occur at or behind home plate.

Pitches must be rolled at a REASONABLE pace. Umpires will call "fast" when pitches are coming in too fast and it will be an automatic ball. It is the umpire’s discretion as to what will be considered too fast. The pitch speed rule is in place to ensure that our kickball leagues stay fun for everyone.

Bunting is NOT allowed. An intentional bunt in the opinion of the umpire is an automatic out. Player's must extend thier leg fully otherwise and automatic out will be called.

If a male is walked “ON PURPOSE”, and a female follows him in the batting order, the female has the choice to take a walk or bat. The Umpire will enforce this rule upon request; however, they will not be responsible for notifying the batter in each walk situation.   If the umpire deems that the male player was not walked on purpose then the female player must bat.

A batter with two strikes is allowed one foul ball, on the second foul with two strikes, the batter is out.

Game mercy rule: 10 runs up after five complete innings.

 

Batting

 

Teams must have at least 3 women playing to start and continue a game. Teams playing with 3 women must take an automatic out in the batting order in the spot that the 4th woman would bat.

A maximum of 2 male batters may bat in a row at any point in the batting order.

Teams may bat as many batters as they want as long as they do not bat more than 2 males in a row at any point of the batting order. Teams may move players in and out of any fielding position as long as they remain in the same spot in the batting order.

No player may re-enter the game once he/she has been removed from the batting order. Teams must take an out in the batters spot once they have left the line-up before the end of the game.

All players in the field must be listed in the batting order. There are no designated hitters allowed. Any attempt at doing so must be brought to the attention of the umpire prior to game time and can only be deemed allowable by the opposing captain.

 

Running the Basses and Fielding

 

No leadoffs or stealing, runners can leave the base once the ball is hit by the batter. If a runner leaves early, the ball is dead and the runner is declared out. If this is the 3rd out of the inning the batter will be first up in the next inning.

Players are considered out by one of the following means:

• Striking out,
• A fly ball caught by the defense,
• A throw out at one of the lead bases,
• The runner being tagged by the ball,
• Infield fly rule,
• A foul out,
• A runner being struck by a thrown ball below the head while attempting to advance or return to a base. If a runner is struck in the head the player who threw the ball may be ejected from the game. After the second such incident that player is ejected from the league. Furthermore, If a runner is hit with the ball in the head the play is immediately stopped.  All Players on the base path will be awarded one additional base and the player who threw the ball can be ejected from the game. 
• Players may be hit anywhere below the shoulders with a thrown ball and will be considered out.
• If the runner intentionally uses their head to block the ball, in the eyes of the official, will be deemed out.
• Base runner to defensive player contact will be closely watched by the ump. Any excessive contact or collision will result in an "out" and/or ejection. This includes contact with the catcher. Sliding is allowed. Any sliding into a base to break up a double play, or any intentional (in the eyes of the official) interference with the defensive player, the runner and the batter will be called out.
• A foul kick above the batter's head may be caught for an out.

All thrown balls are deemed out of play when:

• The ball is thrown over the fence
• The ball is thrown beyond the fence
• The ball is thrown beyond the imaginary line extending from the end of the backstop (if there is no fence).
  This imaginary line applies to overthrows and caught fly foul balls.
• The strike mat AND home plate will all be considered part of home plate when it comes to scoring. Similar to the safety base at 1st, runners are encouraged to tag the orange with catchers tagging the white. 
• If the ball is overthrown and hits the fence behind the 1st or 3rd base lines, this is NOT considered out of play and the runner may advance, BUT at his/her own risk. On overthrows out of play, the runner is granted the base he/she is going to (at the point of the throw) plus one more. Note: in cases where a base runner runs past first base, he/she must make a clearly aggressive turn towards second base to be granted 2nd and 3rd in overthrow situations.

On an infield fly (any ball kicked within the infield with significant arc and deemed an "easy catch") with less than 2 outs and runners on 1st and 2nd or 1st, 2nd and 3rd, the batter is automatically out and runners can advance, BUT at their own risk.

All outfielders must remain behind the coned "outfield line" when a female is up to bat. If the "line" is not clearly marked it us up to the umpire's discretion if an outfielder is too close to the infield. There cannot be more than 7 players on the infield at any one time. Once contact has been made the outfielders may cross the line. If an outfielder crosses the line before contact has been made the female may be awarded first base.

 

Player Behavior

 

This is a recreation league and it is designed for fun.  Players who become unruly during a game to a player, official, teammate, or fan will be asked to leave.  If a player is asked to leave a game due to unruly behavior they will be suspended for the following week’s game.  All teams should encourage sportsmanship and display it on the field.

 

Weather Info

 

The weather in Chicago can change from hour to hour. We play through light rain but not thunderstorms. We have a Weather Information System in place for you to get up-to-date info about the weather. The link is https://www.playerssports.net/page/Weather or you can call the old-school number at 773-231-5001. At that link you can download the RainoutLine app is you prefer push notifications about the weather. Lastly, make sure to "Opt in" to text message updates from us so we can notify you about cancellations. You can do this at your Player Page at www.playerssports.net/Player.  

 

Playoffs

All leagues that have 12 or more teams will be split into a Flight A & Flight B Playoff Bracket.  At the end of the season all captains are responsible for confirming their team’s end of season team record.  Once playoff brackets are posted and playoff games are played the tournament seeding will not be changed.  If there is an incorrect score posted for your team, the captain is responsible for notifying the league office prior to the playoffs being played. During the regular season it is ok for team captains  to ask players from other teams to “Sub or Fill In” open slots on game day, to avoid forfeit. In the playoffs, a player can only participate and play for one team.  If a player is found playing on two or more teams in the playoffs all games are subject to forfeit.  Players must play in a minimum of one regular season game to be eligible for playoffs.

 

Indoor Rules

 

Rules apply to Clemente High School Only

 

Beginning of the Game

 

·         Games start on time!!! Teams must be prepared to play. If one team has less than the minimum number of players (9 total players-minimum of 3 females) at five minutes past the designated start time, it is a forfeit.

·         Any equipment in question should be brought to the attention of the umpire. The umpire will make all final decisions with regard to equipment discrepancies.

·         All games are 7 innings or 55 minutes (warm up time included); the last inning will start 10 - 15 minutes to the hour. The ump will enforce this rule and will make the call at the top of the final inning. Note: Due to differing circumstances in each and every game, some games will finish short of the 55 minute time period, while others might run over that mark. Please respect your ump's call in this matter. He/she must keep all games on time in fairness to teams playing later hours and due to facility permit restrictions.

·         The pitcher and fielders must stay behind the pitcher’s mound until the ball is kicked. The catcher or kicker is not allowed to cross home plate until the ball is contacted.

·         The kicker may not attempt to kick the ball in front of home plate. If the kicker does contact the ball in front of home plate it will be considered a foul.

-           A full game is 7 innings. A game can be considered final as long as 5 innings get played (4.5 if the home team is leading). Slaughter Rule is 10 or more runs after 5 innings - 4 1/2 innings if Home team has 10 run lead.  If the game does not go the required innings, it will be reschedule and start new.  The only suspended situation would be if a PLAYOFF game was tied at the time of the stoppage.

-          Regular season games can end in a tie. Playoff games will be played until a winner is determined.

 

Team Size

 

9 players play at time. 6 men and 3 women play on the field. Teams may start with 7 players, but 2 must be women. A maximum of 6 men may play on the field.

 

PROTESTS

 

There are no protests for any reason whatsoever. The referee's decision is final.

FORFEITS: If your team forfeits a game during the season, the following rules apply:

First Offense: Loss game and warning issued.

Second Offense: Loss game and staff reserves the right to remove team from league with no refund.

Third Offense: Removal from the league with no refund for games not played.

If you know in advance that your team is going to forfeit a game, we encourage you to call our office (773.528.1999) to help us notify your opponent.  This does not mean that your team will not receive the loss as a forfeit. 

 

Game Play

 

·         All batters will start with a one ball, one strike count. The "strike zone" extends to 1 foot on either side of home plate, and 1 foot high.

·         Pitches must be rolled underhand towards home plate.Pitches may not be bounced, only rolled towards the kicker! Pitches that bounce more than one foot above the ground will be considered an illegal pitch, and thus deemed a ball. All kicks must be made by foot and must occur at or behind home plate.

·         Pitches must be rolled at a REASONABLE pace. Umpires will call "fast" when pitches are coming in too fast and it will be an automatic ball. It is the umpire’s discretion as to what will be considered too fast. The pitch speed rule is in place to ensure that our kickball leagues stay fun for everyone.

·         All outfielders must remain behind the coned "outfield line" when a female is up to bat. If the "line" is not clearly marked it us up to the umpire's discretion if an outfielder is too close to the infield. There cannot be more than 4 players on the infield at any one time. Once contact has been made the outfielders may cross the line. If an outfielder crosses the line before contact has been made the female may be awarded first base.

·         Bunting is NOT allowed.  The kicker must make a reasonable to attempt to kick the ball.   An intentional bunt in the opinion of the umpire is a strike.

·         If a male is walked “ON PURPOSE”, and a female follows him in the batting order, the female has the choice to take a walk or bat. The Umpire will enforce this rule upon request; however, they will not be responsible for notifying the batter in each walk situation.   If the umpire deems that the male player was not walked on purpose then the female player must bat.

·         A batter with two strikes is allowed one foul ball (a courtesy foul.) On the second foul with two strikes, the batter is out.

·         Time Out/Dead Ball: After each play, the umpire will call “time” when he/she deems the play is over.  There is NOT pitcher’s hands.  It will be up to the umpire to determine when the play is over.  Ex: the pitcher has the ball, but base runners are still advancing, the play is considered live. 

·         Game mercy rule: 10 runs up after five complete innings.

 

Batting

 

·         Teams must have at least 2 women playing to start and continue a game. Teams playing with 2 woman must take an automatic out in the batting order in the spot that the 3rd woman would bat.

·         A maximum of 2 male batters may bat in a row at any point in the batting order.

·         Teams may bat as many batters as they want as long as they do not bat more than 2 males in a row at any point of the batting order. Teams may move players in and out of any fielding position as long as they remain in the same spot in the batting order.

·         No player may re-enter the game once he/she has been removed from the batting order. Teams must take an out in the batters spot once they have left the line-up before the end of the game.

·         All players in the field must be listed in the batting order. There are no designated hitters allowed. Any attempt at doing so must be brought to the attention of the umpire prior to game time and can only be deemed allowable by the opposing captain.

 

Running the Basses and Fielding

 

·         No leadoffs or stealing, runners can leave the base once the ball is hit by the batter.

·         If a runner leaves early, the ball is dead and the runner is declared out. If this is the 3rd out of the inning the batter will be first up in the next inning.

-          WE DO NOT HAVE A PITCHER'S HANDS RULE. The play is over when the umpire calls "time" not when the                  pitcher gets the ball back. 

 

Players are considered out by one of the following means:

·         Striking out

·         A fly ball caught by the defense,

·         A throw out at one of the lead bases,

·         The runner being tagged by the ball,

·         A foul out,

·         A runner being struck by a thrown ball below the head while attempting to advance or return to a base. If a runner is struck in the head the player who threw the ball may be ejected from the game. After the second such incident that player is ejected from the league. Furthermore, if a runner is hit with the ball in the head the play is immediately stopped. All players on the base path will be awarded one additional base and the player who threw the ball can be ejected from the game. 

·         Players may be hit anywhere below the shoulders with a thrown ball and will be considered out.

·         If the runner intentionally uses their head to block the ball, in the eyes of the official, will be deemed out.

·         Base runner to defensive player contact will be closely watched by the ump. Any excessive contact or collision will result in an "out" and/or ejection. This includes contact with the catcher.

·          interference with the defensive player, the runner and the batter will be called out.

·         A foul kick above the batter's head may be caught for an out.

All thrown balls are deemed out of play when:

 

·         The ball is thrown out of the playing area or gymnasium.

·         The umpire will designate “out of play” areas with cones at each designated playing location.

·         On overthrows out of play, the runner is granted the base he/she is going to (at the point of the throw) plus one more. Note: in cases where a base runner runs past first base, he/she must make a clearly aggressive turn towards second base to be granted 2nd and 3rd in overthrow situations.

 

Player Behavior

This is a recreation league and it is designed for fun.  Players who become unruly during a game to a player, official, teammate, or fan will be asked to leave.  If a player is asked to leave a game due to unruly behavior they will be suspended for the following week’s game.  All teams should encourage sportsmanship and display it on the field.

 

Clemente High School Specific Rules

 

·         Kicked balls off the ceiling will be live and if caught before hitting the floor, will result in an out.

·         If a ball bounces off the ceiling and is not touched before landing in fair territory, it will be called a live ball and is in play. 

·         If a ball bounces off the ceiling and is not touched before landing in foul territory, it will be called a foul, dead ball.  

·         If a ball also bounces off the ceiling, lands in fair territory and then bounces into an unreachable, foul territory area it will be called a single and each runner will advance one base.

·         Balls that are kicked off the wall are considered fair, live balls even if caught off the rebound of the wall.  The ball will be live and must be played wherever it lands after bouncing off the wall.

·         Balls that are kicked up to the indoor batting cage are a home run.  There is NOT a home run limit per game.

·         Balls that hit the basketball hoop poles will be considered live and in play and will be treated with the same rules of a ball bouncing off the gym wall. 

 

Weather Info

In the event of bad weather call the rainoutline at (773) 231-5001. You can also check your game status online @ rainoutline.com 

 

All of the above rules are subject to change at any time without notice at the discretion of Players Sport & Social Group. 1/1/17 SB.