Commish Corner: what would you do?

[Dabears17]

Agree with Tom. I was on the exec board of a rec league of 550 girls (VP, then President) for 6 years. My parting wisdom to my successor was you want to try to accommodate these special requests as much as possible, but remember that if each special request takes 1 to 2 hours to discuss and implement, if 10pct of the families have special requests, that is 55 to 110 hours your volunteers aren't spending planning and implementing a successful rec season for the remaining 500 girls.

We allow automatic play downs, as long as there is room in the lower division, for girls to play with their grade-mates. IE, a 2004 who is in 5th grade can ask to play 10u. Play-ups are only at the convenience of board for team formation. IE, if a team drops to 10 players or they are short a pitcher to have a competitive team.

Good point also about communicating. Our by-laws clearly state all play-downs and play-ups need to be approved by the exec board. A few years ago, the Player Agent played a late registration 10yo up to 12u without consulting me or the rest of the exec board. My VP and Secretary resigned over not being consulting while I was on spring break and I didn't find out exactly why they resigned until May 1st!

 

[STRIKE3]

Tough situation based on the heart but that is why the rules are in place. I can't speak specifically to your situation but can speak to Little League rules which is what we play.

Player can always play up but not down. Sisters with that kind of age difference will not play in the same division based on the younger player and LL won't allow it. We are fortunate to have Challenger Division (part of Little League) for special needs kids. It is probably the best division we have as only smiles and congrats come from those games. Truly Special!

So, for us and to answer your question, we simply follow our rules per LL and it is sometimes a hard conversation with parents but they eventually understand. The threats to not play seem to rarely play out but when they do then we say we are sorry to see you go.

 

[Mike Alwine]

I guess I am missing something. Why is it such a big deal that they play together? With an organization of 600 players, you are not playing at a park with only 2 fields. Tie the two teams that they end up on, together in the league scheduling software. Same park, same times. Sure it might be a pain in the rear, but it can be done. As to the other situation? Kudos! that child and family will always be appreciative for what you did for them (but I bet not all the parents were)

 

[nikkilugi]

If there are 13 year olds in 12U no matter what then I don't see the problem. Heck - my dd plays 12U and I think there are tons of 03 (13yo) - 12U teams that we end up playing in the B division. If this 13 year old has the skill level of 12 year olds then what does it matter and will people even ask?

My dd was a 4th grader playing in a 3rd grade YMCA rec basketball league a year ago - we had a friend who had a daughter that was a grade younger and we wanted our daughter to play with her. We knew her level of basketball play was very weak since she had only limited playing experience and we asked the director of the league and approval was given. I don't think anyone else on the other teams knew and absolutely nobody said a thing even though my dd was at least a head taller than all other players.

It is rec - exceptions can be made for special circumstances I think.

 

[Axe]

We have specific guidelines for when a player can play up. We always allow a play down request unless it presents a specific safety concern in the lower league. We are an independent league so we aren't beholden to LL rules or any other.

You will want to check your insurance. Having play downs will frequently increase insurance cost as they are priced based on the oldest player on a team.

 

[ando]

I've learned this the hard way. My heart always goes out to the hardships families deal with (disabilities, single parent, financially burdened), and I've tried to accommodate everyone, but one constant is you CAN'T please them all. My league is only half the size of this and I've dealt with sisters, cousins, first-timers, players-up, players-down, car-riders (worst issue of all), and more. You will not please everyone. And the worst thing you can do is start making exceptions. It opens a can of worms. If you don't stick to the rules then you are creating loop holes for everyone in the future. I'd suggest showing your concern, but sticking to the rules. It keeps your league grounded, consistent, and solid.