2022 USA SOFTBALL OF MASSACHUSETTS YOUTH FAST-PITCH LOCAL TOURNAMENT
PART 1- SANCTION PROCEDURES & POLICIES
USA Softball MA. will only sanction tournaments hosted by travel teams and leagues that are currently registered with USA Softball MA. The sanction fee for USA Softball MA. registered leagues will be $75 per age division, payable via check, money order or paid via PayPal. The sanction fee for USA Softball MA. registered travel teams will be $150 per age division, payable via check, money order or paid via PayPal. All local tournament sanction forms must be completed and submitted with payment to the Deputy State JO Commissioner by February 1. No entries will be accepted after this date.
Local tournament sanction forms will be submitted by the Deputy State JO Commissioner to the appropriate USA Softball Area Commissioner for review and approval. Each Area Commissioner will have a meeting in which all tournament dates for that area will be determined to avoid conflicts. Note cashing of a check or PayPal approval does not constitute approval of the tournament. If a tournament is not approved and no alternate date can be selected, a full refund will be issued.
The tournament will be listed on the USA Softball of New England website. Teams will register via this website and will send payment to the tournament director. Tournament directors will approve all teams entering the tournament after verifying teams have submitted background checks, SafeSport, rosters, and insurance to USA Softball MA. USA Softball MA. reserves the right to reject/ deny a team from your tournament for failing to provide these documents to USA Softball MA.
TOURNAMENT CLASSIFICATIONS:
Open tournaments can accept all classified teams (A, B or C).
Class B tournaments can accept ONLY Class B or Class C teams. No Class A teams allowed.
Class C tournaments can accept ONLY Class C teams. No Class A or B teams allowed.
Tournament directors are NOT allowed to classify teams. Classification of teams is decided by USA Softball of the state the team is registered in and cannot be changed by the tournament director or USA Softball MA.
USA SOFTBALL MA. LOCAL TOURNAMENT SANCTION INSTRUCTIONS
Name of Tournament: Sponsoring Organization: Name that will be posted on USASoftballNE.com website. Only USA Softball registered organizations can sanction and post tournaments on USASoftballNE.com
Contact Person: Contact name and address info for the tournament director/ liaison to USA Softball MA. for event
Tournament Dates: List dates for event cannot conflict with other events at same
age and classification on the same weekend in the same area. Also cannot conflict with any USA Softball Championship Play event and pool play games can not start on Thursday.
Age/ Classification: Select age and classification for event. Teams MUST be this classification or lower to play in this event. For example, a 12U event can have 12A, 12B or 12C teams playing. A 12C event can only have 12C teams.
Type of Tournament: Select Invitational if you will select which teams that register will be playing in your event. Select Open if all teams that register will be allowed to play in your event.
Format for Tournament: Examples include:
3 pool play/ single elimination 4 game round robin
2 pool play/ double elimination
Person Assigning Umpires: Must be an approved assignor from the State Commissioner for insurance to be in effect for umpires and teams.
Number of Umpires per game: Must adhere to requirements based on age and classification listed in the USA Softball MA. sanction procedures.
Maximum Number of Teams: Tournaments cannot have more than 4 teams per field without lights or no more than 6 teams per field with lights
Will UIC be on-site: Tournaments are highly recommended to have a UIC on-site to handle any protests or umpire issues throughout your tournament. The UIC will not umpire games unless in an emergency. Please contact the assigner for UIC fees.
TOURNAMENT DATE RESTRICTIONS:
Open tournaments CANNOT be held on the same weekend as ANY USA Softball MA. Class A Championship Play Event (States, Regionals, or Nationals). They may be held on the same weekend as USA Softball MA. Class B or Class C Championship Play Events as long as that Area or adjacent Area is not hosting a Class B or Class C Championship Play Event. The State USA Softball MA. Commissioner or Deputy State JO Commissioner may supersede this.
Class B tournaments CANNOT be held on the same weekend as ANY USA Softball MA. Class B Championship Play Event (States, Regionals, or Nationals). They may be held on the same weekend as USA Softball MA. Class A or Class C Championship Play Events as long as that Area or adjacent Area is not hosting a Class A or Class C Championship Play Event. The State USA Softball MA. Commissioner or Deputy State JO Commissioner may supersede this.
Class C tournaments CANNOT be held on the same weekend as ANY USA Softball MA. Class C Championship Play Event (States, Regionals, or Nationals). The State USA Softball MA. Commissioner or Deputy State JO Commissioner may supersede this.
Tournaments that have been approved to hold a local USA Softball tournament during the same weekend as a USA Softball Championship event MUST refund a team’s entry fee in full if they give a two weeks notice to the tournament director that they are dropping out in order to play in a USA Softball Championship Play Event. Teams must furnish tournament director proof of entry and final standings from the USA Softball Championship Play Event prior to receiving a refund.
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR ACCEPTING OF TEAMS:
All teams will automatically be placed in “Pending” status after registering for a tournament on the USA Softball of Ma tournament website (www.usasoftballne.com). Here are the following steps tournament directors will follow when accepting a team into a tournament,
-
Accepted (Pending ASA Reg): Tournament directors will move the team from “Pending” to “Accepted (Pending ASA Reg)”. Tournament directors will need to verify a team has been approved by USA SOftball of Ma before moving the team to any other status regardless if payment has been received. Here are the steps to verify the team is registered with USA Softball of Ma.: Go to www.usasoftballma.com - Select JO/Youth webpage from the menu options - Select Registered Teams and verify the team registered for your tournament is on this page.
-
Accepted (Awaiting payment): The team has been approved by USA Softball of Ma and needs to submit their payment for the tournament.
-
Accepted (Deposit only): The team has submitted a deposit and been accepted to the tournament.
-
Accepted (Paid in Full): The team is registered with USA Softball of Ma and paid in full.
TOURNAMENT REFUND POLICY:
Should a team have to drop out of a tournament AND a replacement team has been found, the team shall be entitled to a refund minus the $250 non-refundable deposit. If a replacement team is unable to be found, no refund will be returned.
Teams dropping out once a schedule has been released, will not be entitled to a refund, even if a replacement team is found. Please note that the team dropping out may be subject to additional penalties as determined by USA Softball of MA.
TOURNAMENT WEATHER RELATED REFUND POLICY:
Should a tournament have to shorten the number of games played, teams will be refunded based on the following formula:
If a team plays zero games, the team will be entitled to their entry fee less non-recoverable tournament expenses. These include, but not limited to, perishable food, T-shirts, trophies, & tournament insurance. Tournament directors will provide USA Softball of Ma this calculation within 7 days of the tournament for approval. Once approved, the tournament MUST send each team a copy of this calculation along with their refund.
If a team plays one game, the team will be entitled to 50% of their entry fee. If a team plays two or more games, there will be no refund given.
Tournaments MUST refund teams within 14 days from when the tournament was scheduled.
TEAM ELIGIBILITY:
Only USA Softball registered teams are eligible to participate. A list of currently registered Massachusetts teams is available on the www.usasoftballma.com website under registrations.
For out of state teams, tournament directors MUST contact USA Softball of Ma to ensure those teams are registered with their state USA Softball association. This is to ensure your insurance as well as the umpire’s insurance is in effect for your tournament.
TEAM ROSTER & INSURANCE INFORMATION:
Teams must complete a USA Softball roster, have it signed by a USA Softball official (a live signature and not one pre-printed on roster), and have it available to the tournament director at all times. Teams must also have insurance binders and birth certificates available to the tournament director. USA Softball of Ma reserves the right to reject a team from your tournament for failing to provide these documents.
It is highly recommended that a team e-mail the binder to the tournament director before the start of the tournament. All adult bench personnel need to have a USA Softball National Background Check & SafeSport Certification completed to be allowed on the field. Coaches must have either the background check card or profile from RegisterUSASoftball.com available on their person at all time throughout the tournament.
TEAM PAYMENTS:
Teams must make a minimum $250 non-refundable deposit to the tournament within 14 days of the on- line entry or the team will be removed. Final payments are due no later than 4 weeks prior to the start of the tournament unless the tournament has an earlier deadline. Teams that do not make final payment will be removed from the tournament with no refund of fees paid unless prior arrangements have been made with the tournament director. This rule is not in effect for showcase events.
USA SOFTBALL UMPIRES:
USA Softball registered umpires MUST be used. The “tournament director” must contact the local USA Softball Commissioner in order to coordinate the scheduling of umpires. Umpires should be scheduled at a minimum of three weeks prior to the start of the tournament. USA Softball of Massachusetts sets the minimum number of umpires as follows:
8U
1 umpire for pool play games. 1 umpire for all single and double elimination games including finals
10U & 10C
1 umpire for pool play games.
1 umpires for single elimination games. Recommended 2 umpires for finals
1 umpire for double elimination games except 2 umpires for winner/loser bracket finals, championship & if games
12A/B/C
1 umpire for pool play games.
2 umpires for single elimination games including finals
1 umpire for double elimination games except 2 umpires for winner/loser bracket finals, championship & if games
14A/B/C
2 umpires for pool play games.
2 umpires for single elimination games including finals
2 umpires for double elimination games including winner/loser bracket finals, championship & if games
16U/18U
2 umpires for pool play games.
2 umpires for single elimination games including finals
2 umpires for double elimination games including winner/loser bracket finals, championship & if games
TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS, AFTER CONSULTING WITH THE LOCAL ASSIGNOR/UIC, IF THEY DECIDE TO CHANGE THE RECOMMENDED MINIMUM NUMBER OF UMPIRES, THIS MUST BE NOTED IN THE TOURNAMENT RULES, ON THE USASOFTBALLNE.COM WEBSITE AND IN ALL OTHER COMMUNICATIONS THE TOURNAMENT HAS WITH THE TEAMS.
At no time should tournament directors add additional rules without the approval of USA Softball of Massachusetts.