Brockton Youth Softball League For Girls: Coaches Corner

Coach's Conduct
PLEASE REMEMBER THAT UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT AND PROFANE LANGUAGE DIRECTED TOWARD OPPOSING COACHES, PLAYERS, TEAMS, SPECTATORS, AND UMPIRES WILL NOT BE TOLERATED WHILE COACHING YOUTH SOFTBALL. THE USE OF TOBACCO IS PROHIBITED AND THE CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES IS NOT PERMITTED ANYWHERE AT ANY TIME .

THANK YOU!

BROCKTON YOUTH SOFTBALL LEAUGE

As a coach of BYSL, you have an important opportunity and an obligation to be a positive role model in the physical and social development of the youth who participate on your team. Your actions at practices and games will not only reflect on you as an individual, but also on the area that your team represents. Always remember that our league exists for ALL of our players to have an opportunity to enjoy playing the sport of fast pitch softball. It is not a platform for a coach to act irresponsibly and behave childishly.

Should you have a problem or complaint about another coach's behavior or actions on the field, or if you have any problems with an umpire in particular, please NEVER get into a shouting match or argument with them during the course of the game or even after the game. You will only cause more problems for yourself if you do not deal with those situations in an appropriate manner. There are effective procedures that you can follow to file complaints about opposing coaches or umpires. Simply forward a written letter about the problem to the league president or Vice president.

Check Your Equipment
Coaches are reminded to check your players' equipment often for safety reasons. Discard any batting helmets that are cracked or have missing padding. Umpires can and will remove defective equipment from the game if they make that determination.

All batting helmets must now be equipped with chin straps they it must be worn properly... the strap under the chin. No batter or base runner should ever step on the field without having a chin strap on the batting helmet. ASA made chin straps mandatory beginning in 2003 and they are mandatory in our league. Coaches face serious liability problems if your players are not wearing chin straps if a batting helmet comes off during play and the player is injured by a thrown or batted ball. You do not want to put yourself in that situation by violating this safety requirement for your players. If any coaches observe other teams violating the chin strap rule or any other safety issues that place their players at risk of serious injury, please report this to the league president ASAP. Parents should also speak up if coaches are allowing their players to play without chin straps.

Also, effective January 1, 2005 ASA required face guards or masks on batting helmets. Face guards on batting helmets Is mandatory.

Pre-Game Meeting
Coaches are reminded to meet at home plate, 5 minutes prior to game time, with the umpires and the team captains. Introductions, review of ground rules, and exchange of line up cards should take place at this time. Line up cards MUST have each player's first and last name, uniform number, and position listed. Expected players that have not arrived at the field by the time of the Pre-Game Meeting, should not be listed in the starting line up. Available substitutes may be listed at the bottom of the lineup card, although this is not a requirement. Players that arrive at the field late (after the line up cards have been exchanged), may be added to the team's substitute list at any time before or during the game.

All questions or variances of field ground rules and game play rules MUST be addressed at the Pre-Game Meeting and agreed to by BOTH TEAM COACHES AND UMPIRES. Heated discussions or arguments about what field ground rules or game play rules that you are playing by should never occur during the game.

Reporting Winning Scores
All coaches are responsible for reporting their team's winning scores to the league. Winning coaches should report scores the night of the league game if possible or no later than 10:00 pm on Friday of each week so the standings updated on the league web site.

The new reporting scores procedure. It will be preferred that all winning scores sent to the league by submitting the proper form on the "On-line Forms" page found on the Main Menu of the league web site at www.eteamz.com/bysl . If you can not send your winning scores by using the email form, please call the league vice president at 508-922-7600 to call in your scores by phone.

Coaches are reminded to please check the standings and game results on the league web site occasionally for any game score that you believe may have been incorrectly posted. Report errors to the league e-mail address dlynch@nuprint.com

Continuing Suspended Games at a Later Date
Once games are started and then rained out, they are never restarted from the beginning as a new game later. You MUST continue the suspended game at the point of pitch including using the same line up that was used to start the original game. If you do not have some of the players from the original game available when you continue the suspended game on another date, you MUST notify the umpire at the pre-game meeting when you pick up the game where you left off, that you are reporting substitute players for those starting players that are now not available. You should also present a line up card to the umpire that shows the original starters and the new substitutes.

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Be A BYSL Softball Coach

Here are the top 10 reasons why you should be a softball coach:

10. The kids think your cool!
9. You need the exercise
8. You'll know where your kids are
7. You get a front row seat at all of the games
6. You have to drive to the ball field anyway
5. All of the hot dogs and burgers you can eat!
4. Your kids love it when you participate in their activities
3. You need to sharpen your hitting skills too
2. Great way to bond with your kids
And the #1 reason why you should be a softball coach:
1. Ice cold water dumped on you after a win really feels good on a hot summer day

Thanks to all of our head coaches and assistant coaches who volunteer their time and efforts to coach fastpitch softball in the Brockton Youth Softball League. Your role as team leaders and teachers of the sport are greatly appreciated.