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NYC Social Sports Club Rules
Number of Players A team consists of a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 18 players. A minimum of 6 players are needed to start and/or continue a game. Ten players will play in the field at a time (including the catcher), 3 of which must be women. Substitutions
If a team is short the required number of players in a regular season game, the team may invite players from other teams in their division to sub in for their game. Substitutions from outside the division are now allowed as well; for more info and to register as a Sub, CLICK HERE. Substitutions during the playoffs are not permitted. Game Length and Structure Games are seven innings in length or 45 minutes in duration, whichever occurs first. Game time is kept by the referee. GENERAL KICKBALL RULES Outs Outs occur in situations similar to softball and baseball (force outs, pop outs, etc.). Additionally, any base runner struck below the shoulders by the kickball, whether that ball was kicked, thrown, or deflected, shall be ruled out. A hit above the shoulders from a ball thrown by the fielders will result in an extra base being awarded to the base runner. The referee has discretion and the final say on calls above/below the shoulders. Four foul balls result in an out. Also, a foul ball that goes over a fence is considered an out. Ask your referee for specifics on the over-the-fence foul-outs as they vary by court. Kickers The ball is put into play when the pitcher rolls the ball toward home plate and the batter attempts to kick the ball. The batter must wait for the ball to be within one foot of home plate before kicking the ball. If the batter does not like the pitch, he/she should not attempt to kick the ball, and another pitch will be thrown. There are no strikeouts or walks.
Leading off/Stealing Leading off or stealing bases between pitches is not allowed. A runner who leaves the base before the ball is kicked is out and the ball is ruled dead. Once the pitcher has the ball in hand, base runners may not advance. Charging A Base In order to prevent injury, any base runners that deliberately crash into a defensive player holding the ball and waiting to apply a tag will be called out. If the act is determined to be flagrant, the offender shall also be ejected. Defensive players should also realize the risk of blocking the base and avoid doing so as this is a social league. Overthrown Balls Any overthrown ball will result in a one (and only one) base advance for base runners. Batting Lineup All players present will bat, even if they are not playing a field position. No more than 3 male players may bat in a row (ex: 1 male, 2 male, 3 male, 4 female, 5 male…). If a team is short on women players, that team will take an automatic out in the place of the players who are missing (ex: 1 female, 2 male, 3 male, 4 male, 5 out, 6 male). Women cannot bat more than once in the designated batting order. A minimum of 3 women[CK2] must be in the batting line up. Footwear
Close-toed shoes must be worn by all players. NO metal, hard plastic, polyurethane spikes, detachable cleats, or flip-flops are allowed. Batting Order
The captain must determine the batting order prior to the start of the game and turn it in to the referee. You cannot switch your batting order once you have turned it in, but you may add on late arriving players to the end of the batting order.
Infield Fly Rule
There is no infield fly rule. Bunting Bunting is not permitted. Bunting will be called if the ball fails to make it to 1st or 3rd base or the pitchers mound before the runner reaches 1st base. Bunted balls will be counted as foul balls, unless a fielder touches it prior to being ruled as a bunt, in which case the ball is considered live and the play will stand. Bunt calls are subject to the refs discretion. Pinch -Running & -Batting If an accident to a batter/base runner prevents him/her from proceeding in the game, a substitute batter or runner will be permitted. If no substitutes are available, the player who made the last out for the offensive team will bat/run.
Mercy Rule If a team is behind by more than 20 runs after the 4th inning of play, then the game will be called off by the officials and the team ahead will be granted the win. Play can continue, but the score will not change. Scoring Limit There is a seven-run limit to each inning. First Base Overrun Rule A player may safely overrun 1st base after kicking, but must proceed straight towards right field. If the runner turns towards 2nd base, the runner can be tagged out. Foul Balls A ball is considered foul if it lands outside of the 1st and 3rd base lines. The ball can still be caught in these designated foul areas. The ball is fair if it lands on the ground anywhere within the 1st and 3rd base lines. Pitching When pitching, the ball must not be spun or bounced. The pitcher must make an effort to roll the ball smoothly towards the center of home plate. Tagging Up If a kicked ball is caught by a defensive fielder before hitting the ground, offensive runners must "tag-up", or retouch, their time-of-pitch base before advancing to the next base. If the fielders bring the ball to the time-of-pitch base before the runner tags-up, the runner is out. There are no tag ups on foul balls. Other Rules With the exceptions listed on this rule sheet, ASA Softball rules will apply. Equipment
Kickballs & bases will be provided on site. Defensive Rotation
There must be a fair rotation of all players through fielding positions. This means both men and women get time both on the bench and on the field. Referees may require substitutions to ensure this. Forfeits Teams should report to the fields at least 15 minutes before their scheduled starting time of the game. A game will be ruled a forfeit if any of the following occur:
Teams will forfeit if they have not shown up by the scheduled game time. Exceptions can be made if a team is waiting on a couple of players (e.g. transit issues) with the understanding that the delay will cut time from the end of their game, and that the final decision is subject to the Referee’s discretion. Sportsmanship points will be deducted from teams that forfeit a game due to a 'no-show' or a 'low-show.' Teams can minimize the deduction by Contacting Us ahead of time. Teams will receive:
Inclement Weather In the event the games have been started and then have to be called off due to inclement weather while underway, the games will be restarted from the beginning if less than half of the game has been played and will be called or resumed from the stoppage of play if gameplay crossed the half-game mark . Any games postponed for weather will be rescheduled and information on the rescheduled game will be sent to all players and gamestaff by email. Season Abandonment Registered teams that miss two weeks of play will be considered to have abandoned their place in the league. Teams in this category will be contacted by a NYC Social Sports Club staff member to confirm their status. Teams failing to respond within two business days will be removed from the season schedule and will forfeit their registration fees. Teams that do respond will be required to supply reasoning for lack of attendance and petition the league for reinstatement. Season abandonment and reactivation decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of the league management and must be resolved before returning to play in the current season or in subsequent seasons. Sportsmanship Score Each team will be awarded a sportsmanship score following the game, which will be the second-most important determinant of ranking. Teams must have an average sportsmanship score of 4.0 at the end of the regular season to participate in the playoffs. Any team receiving below a 3.5 sportsmanship score will be required to send an email to the league explaining their actions before the team/offending players will be allowed to compete again. Scores are below: 5.0 – Excellent conduct and sportsmanship: This is the baseline, grading should start here. A team that does not have any problems will receive a '5'. Players cooperate fully with the officials and other team members. The captain calmly converses with the officials about rule interpretations and calls. The captain also has full control of his/her teammates & fans. 4.5 – Very few complaints. A good match with very little or no taunting or unsportsmanlike behavior exhibited by either team. 4.0 – Average conduct and sportsmanship: Team members verbally complain about some decisions made by the officials and/or show minor dissent. 3.5 – Team (and/or fans) complains more frequently and may get warned for unsportsmanlike behavior, but NO unsportsmanlike conduct penalties are assessed. Teams that alert the office before either a 'no-show' or 'low-show' forfeit are assigned a rating of 3.5. 3.0 – Below average conduct and sportsmanship: Team shows verbal dissent toward officials and/or opposing team that merits an unsportsmanlike penalty. Captain exhibits minor control over his/her teammates, spectators, but is in control of himself/herself. Teams that don't alert the office before a 'low-show' forfeit are assigned a rating of 3. 2.5 – No more than two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. No ejections. Captain tries to help the situation. Teams that don't alert the office before a no-show forfeit are assigned a rating of 2.5. 2.0 – Poor conduct and sportsmanship: Team member and/or spectators constantly comment to the officials and/or opposing team from the field and/or sidelines. Captain has some control over team. A team has no more than two unsportsmanlike penalties and/or will receive a 2.0 if one player gets ejected from match. 1.5 – Single ejection or multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. The team captain exhibits little or no control over teammates, fans, or himself/herself. 1.0 – Multiple ejections. Captain has NO control over team and/or is not willing to work with NYC Social Sports Club Game Staff. 0.5 – Unacceptable conduct and sportsmanship: Captain has no control over teammates and/or himself/herself. Captain gets penalized for unsportsmanlike behavior. Team is completely uncooperative. Any team which receives multiple ejections or has a match stopped due to sportsmanship will receive a '1' rating. Ejected players and team captain must send an email to NYC Social Sports Club and get approval to participate in any future games or leagues. 0 – Out of control conduct and little to no sportsmanship: Fighting, shoving players, and shoving supervisors. Multiple ejections or behavior so poor that it merits comparison to a fight or to actual contact of an employee. If the match is discontinued due to teams’ poor behavior, a rating of '0' will be given. A team that receives a 0 rating must send an email to NYC Social Sports Club and get approval to participate in any future games or leagues. Note: Teams that do not arrive to the game with the appropriate colored jerseys will be docked a half a point (.5) for each missing t-shirt from their earned Sportsmanship Rating. Any team that has two (2) ejections for unsportsmanlike conduct during the same contest will receive a loss and a '1' in sportsmanship rating, plus their team captain will be required to send an email to NYC Social Sports Club regarding why his team should be allowed back.
Ejected Participants All ejected participants will be required to send an email to NYC Social Sports Club regarding why they should be allowed to play again. Additionally, any individual ejected will be placed on the Sanction List and will not be permitted to participate in ANY hosted event until such time determined by the league. Participation in any further events prior to approval from the league will be looked upon as a blatant disregard of our policies. When rendering any further penalties, NYC Social Sports Club will take this action into account. Rulings may include, but are not limited to: probation, game/league suspension, and in severe cases, lifetime expulsion. PLAYOFFS Team rankings will be determined by 1) number of wins, 2) sportsmanship, and 3) cumulative average. The top teams will advance to the playoffs in a single elimination tournament. The top three teams will receive medals and prizes. Bar and Spirit Awards will be awarded to individual teams. For more info on our Season Awards, CLICK HERE. Teams not making the playoffs will be awarded a consolation game during the last week of the season. To be eligible for playoffs, teams cannot forfeit more than one game during the season. They must also have an average sportsmanship rating of at least ‘4.0’. Any team receiving a below average sportsmanship rating during the playoffs will be eliminated from the playoffs, plus their team captain will be required to send an email to NYC Social Sports Club regarding why his team should be allowed back into future leagues. MOST IMPORTANTLY! THIS IS A SOCIAL LEAGUE: Have fun and make new friends. The game may or may not go your way, but the beer is still cold and cheap afterwards!  |
