TVLL Code of Conduct Policy
It is the goal of Tassajara Valley Little League (TVLL) to provide a safe, fun and enjoyable environment for our children to play and learn the game of baseball. It should be the primary objective of every Board Member, Manager, Coach and Parent to ensure that this goal is achieved and maintained in our League. In order to ensure that goal the TVLL Board of Directors (“Board”) has adopted the following guidelines.
The Board has mandated the following Code of Conduct. All coaches and managers will read this Code of Conduct and agree to it acknowledging that he or she understands and agrees to comply with the Code of Conduct.
Code of Conduct
No Board Member, Manager, Coach, Player or Spectator shall:
- At any time, lay a hand upon, push, shove, strike, or threaten to strike an official.
- Be guilty of heaping personal verbal or physical abuse upon any official for any real or imaginary belief of a wrong decision or judgment.
- Be guilty of an objectionable demonstration of dissent at an official’s decision by throwing of gloves, helmets, hats, bats, balls, or any other forceful unsportsmanlike-like action.
- Be guilty of using unnecessarily rough tactics in the play of a game against the body of an opposing player.
- Be guilty of a physical attack upon any board member, official manager, coach, player or spectator.
- Be guilty of the use of profane, obscene or vulgar language in any manner at any time.
- Appear on the field of play, stands, or anywhere on the TVLL complex while in possession of an alcoholic beverage or in an intoxicated state at any time. Intoxicated will be defined as an odor or behavior issue.
- Be guilty of gambling upon any play or outcome of any game with anyone at any time.
- Be seen smoking, chewing tobacco, or using any comparable narcotic while in the stands or on the playing field or in any dugout at any time. Smoking will only be permitted in designated areas, which will be 100 feet from any spectator stands or dugouts.
- Be guilty of discussing publicly with spectators in a derogatory or abusive manner any play, decision or a personal opinion of any players during the game.
- Speak disrespectfully to any manager, coach, official or representative of the league.
- Be guilty of tampering or manipulation of any league rosters, schedules, draft positions or selections, official score books, rankings, financial records or procedures.
- Be guilty of violating or manipulating TVLL House Rules, Player Movement Policies, and Safety requirements.
- Be guilty of engaging in any activity which gives rise to, or could give rise to, an appearance or claim of self-dealing, divided loyalty or conflict of interest by reason of such person’s position with Little League International.
- Challenge a umpire's authority. The umpires shall have the authority and discretion during a game to penalize the offender according to the infraction up to and including removal from the game.
Coaches are expected to make sure that their parents, as well as themselves, refrain from yelling at or arguing with the umpires. Our umpires are constantly in training and occasionally they will make mistakes. There is not a large pool of umpires to draw from, so please do not discourage those that are willing to help.
Parents and spectators will refrain from:
- Smoking, chewing tobacco, using or being seen with alcohol, and the use of foul language at practices, games, and all TVLL-sanctioned events.
- Leaving trash on the practice and game fields
- Yelling at the umpires, players, managers, and/or coaches in an abusive, insulting, or derogatory manner.
Any inappropriate behavior by a fan may be cause for the suspension of a game by the Umpire. Game suspension may continue until such time as the fan leaves the park. The Board will review all infractions of the TVLL Code of Conduct. Depending on the seriousness or frequency, the Board may assess additional disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the league.
TVLL is concerned about the safety and well being of the children participating in Little League Sports Activities. This includes both the Physical and Mental well being of each participant. Managers, Coaches, Parents and Fans need to have a positive influence on our players and will be evaluated accordingly.
The Board has instituted a Code of Conduct Policy that will help enforce an acceptable Code of Conduct for all participants in TVLL activities. A Conduct Review Committee will evaluate each reported incident to determine the appropriate action to be taken. A Code of Conduct Incident Form may be filed by any Manager, Coach, Umpire, Board Member or Volunteer Evaluator. This method of reporting infractions should remove the subjective nature from evaluating a Code of Conduct Incident.
Conduct Review Committee (CRC)
The Conduct Review Committee will be led by one member of the Board, whom will be nominated by the President at the beginning of each season and approved by the Board. Four other members will be nominated by the CRC Manager and accepted by the Board at the beginning of each season. Two Alternative CRC Members will be nominated in case a conflict of interest is determined in the review of a specific incident.
All participants in TVLL will adhere to the “Three Strikes and You’re Out” principle. The CRC will assign Strikes according to the severity of each incident. Depending on the incident, an infraction can carry more than one Strike as determined by the CRC. Figure 1 below is a guideline for assignment of Strikes by the committee. Strikes may only be filed against an individual if a majority of the CRC determines that an infraction has been committed. All decisions made by the CRC are at their discretion and all decisions are final. Strikes are cumulative each season and will not carry over into the next season. Assigned Strikes will be used by the Board in evaluating and accepting Volunteer Positions each year, including but not limited to Executive Board membership and All-Star Managing and Coaching positions
A Code of Conduct Incident Form may be filed by any Manager, Coach, Umpire, Board Member or Volunteer Evaluator. Evaluators will be sent out to monitor and evaluate games throughout the season. The Volunteer Evaluator will file a Game Report Summary for each game he/she attends. A Code of Conduct Incident Form may be filed if the Volunteer Evaluator feels that a Manager, Coach, Umpire, Fan or Player has not adhered to the Code of Conduct as outlined in Figure 1. A Volunteer Evaluator may not use a game that his/her son/daughter participates in for evaluation purposes.
The CRC will send via the United States Post Office a Notice of Conduct Infraction to the offending party with a description of the resulting penalty. Examples of applicable penalties are included in Figure 2 below as a reference.
As Board Members, Managers, Coaches and Volunteers are entrusted with the well being of the participants in TVLL. It is critical that each child have a positive experience with his/her participation. Umpires, Volunteers, Parents and Players all must be educated in Code of Conduct expectations and enforcement. The CRC must consistently enforce this policy to provide a healthy playing environment for all participants in TVLL.
Figure 1: Examples of Strike Assignment
Figure 2: Action to the Taken Based on Strikes
Code of Conduct Policy