Each year, the New Britain Little League Board of Directors creates by-laws to help govern the year. Here are our by-laws for the 2020 season, as approved by the Board at their November 2019 meeting for the following season. 

Playing and Schedule Rules

1. Rain outs and re-scheduled games must be played on the next possible open date on the schedule as determined by the President and Vice – President. Teams will not be required to play more than four games within a 7 day period. Teams will not be required to play more than three (3) consecutive days in a row.

2. Make – up games will always take precedence over scheduled and unscheduled practices.

3. Weekday games will begin at 5:30 PM. However, under certain circumstances, they may start as early 5:00 PM provided that there are enough coaches and umpires to play the game.

4. If a game cannot be started within one (1) hour of the scheduled start time due to weather, umpires not showing up, insufficient coaching, poor playing conditions, or for any other reason, the game following it will take precedence. Not having enough players is not included in this one (1) hour time frame. This will not apply during playoffs.

5. All teams must complete 90% of their total number of scheduled games each season. If for some reason 90% of each team’s scheduled games cannot be played (weather, limited calendar days, limited field availability, etc), the Board of Directors can vote to have that team complete less than 90% of their scheduled games. All games must be played by the second week of July

6. In the event of a tie in the final division standings, the tiebreakers will be as follows:

• Head to head record throughout the season
• Lowest number of runs allowed throughout the season
• One game playoff

7. For all scoring, fielding, lineup, counts, and lineup purposes, the home team’s scorebook will serve as the official scorebook unless there are extenuating circumstances, as decided by the umpire.

8. Each team will submit a line-up card to the opposing team and identify ineligible pitchers on the back of the line-up card. This does not relieve either manager from their duty of reviewing the pitching log prior to each game.

9. The penalty for pitching an ineligible pitcher is a written warning for the first offense. For the second offense, the penalty will be a one (1) game suspension. For the third offense, the penalty will be a two (2) game suspension and the Board of Directors will review the situations and may impose further disciplinary action, up to and including removal from the league. In addition to all of this, the offending manager’s team will lose one full game in the standings.

10. If nine (9) or more players are not present at the start of the scheduled game time, a fifteen (15) minute grace period will begin. Once fifteen (15) minutes have passed, if a team does not have nine (9) or more players visible at the park, the game will be considered a forfeit and the game will conclude.

11. If a school, civic, or religious event causes a team to be unable to field nine (9) or more players, the team manager must notify the division director at least one week prior to the date of the scheduled game.  The Board of Directors will review the request to modify the game schedule upon notification and/or within one (1) week of the scheduled game.  If the manager does not provide notification to the division manager for consideration, there will be no changes to the game schedule.

12. If an umpire ejects a manager, coach, or player from a game, the Board of Directors will review the actions of both the umpire and offending coach and/or player.  If a player is ejected for any reason, they will suspended one game and will serve the suspension at the next game. If a manager or coach are ejected, all participant(s) must submit a written statement to the NBLL president, regarding the details of the matter within 24hrs of the contention.  The board of directors will collectively review the matter and make a determination for consequence (if applicable), before the offender’s next game.  The participants may request a meeting in person with the Board of Directors. Head coaches are subject to ejections if parent's on there team sideline are in violation of the parent code of conduct. Umpire will not continue games if bystanders/parents continue to act in such matter or until Head Coaches request immediate removal of the parties involved. No Parents,Adults are aloud on the fields or dugouts unless permission is granted by the head coaches. Conduction of the games are for Umpires and head coaches only 

13. The Board of Directors, by 2/3 vote, will have the power to impose further disciplinary action beyond the one (1) game suspension, up to and including removal from the league.

Manager / Coach Responsibilities

1. Each team will designate a coach to track pitch counts and reconcile with the opposing team at the end of each half inning. The home plate umpire will also record the number of pitches each half inning in his/her own records. If there is a discrepancy between the two pitch counts, the average of the two numbers presented will serve as the final number for number of pitches thrown that half inning

2. At the conclusion of each game, a manager or coach from each team is responsible for entering all of the required pitching information into their pitching log and verifying their opponents pitching information by signing the opponent’s sheet. In addition, the team manager is required to report their pitch counts via email/text to the Division Director by 3 PM the following day. Failure to complete this requirement will result in a written warning for the first offense, a (1) game suspension for the second offense and a review by the board of directors for further disciplinary action for the third offense.

3. Managers must sign for team equipment and are responsible for the return of batting helmets, catcher’s gear, and other reusable equipment. Any missing gear upon equipment return is the responsibility of the manager.

Roster and Draft Rules

1. Any player quitting a Minors, Major or Juniors divisions team during the season will not be allowed to play for the remainder of the season.

2. Competitive divisions (Minors, Majors, and Juniors) shall redraft every spring. Managers/coaches meeting the criteria in the operating manual may reserve their sons/daughters in the draft. Written requests are required as stated in the Little League Operating Manual.

3. Since teams are redrafted every spring season for the competitive divisions (Minors, Majors, and Juniors), draft order will be randomly determined prior to the start of the draft. If 75% of are still represented by the same managers from the previous year, draft order will be determined by finish. Last place team will draft first, second to last team will next second etc to end of round. After the final manager has made their selection, it will snake backwards in the same order.

4. Players registered prior to the draft are guaranteed a roster spot in New Britain Little League. Players that have registered late will be placed on a waiting list within that division. If they are not placed on a roster by the third week of games then their registration will be refunded.

5. If the parent or guardian of a player comes before the Board of Directors on or before the first regular season game and presents sufficient reason for their son/daughter to be removed from their current team, the Board of Directors, by vote, may allow the child to leave their current team and enter the division’s waiting list.  

6. (a) If a player misses three (3) consecutive games in any competitive division (Minors, Majors, and Juniors), they may be removed from the team and a player from the waiting list will be assigned, if available, as soon as possible.  Exceptions can be made if the player has an injury and/or a doctor’s note stating that they are not allowed to play. Another exception for temporary absences will be made for school vacations or family emergencies. The Board of Directors will make final decisions on all exceptions.

(b) If there are no players on the waiting list in the Minors or Majors Divisions, then a slightly different procedure will be used. The Board recognizes that pulling a player off one team midseason and placing them on another represents a serious action that has consequences for the player, parent, and teams in the league. When there are no players on a Division’s wait list and a player on a current team has missed three games and needs to be removed/replaced, then the following will happen. The Player Agent will check the active rosters of all teams in the Coach Pitch, Minors and Majors Divisions to obtain realistic headcounts of active players. The Player Agent, President, and the affected Division Directors will meet and decide upon a course of action. In reaching an agreement on what action to take, they may reach out to parents and coaches. Any decision will be considered final.

7. Players may only move up a division up to two weeks prior to the last scheduled regular season game.   If there is a need to move a player up with less than two weeks prior to the last scheduled regular season game, the board of directors must review and approve by a 2/3 vote.

8. Each team may have one (1) manager and three (3) coaches. The minimum age for all will be sixteen (16). Each team may have two (2) adult bases coaches if desired. There must always be one (1) adult coach in the dugout at all times.

9. There will be a maximum of seven players in any particular age group on a team in competitive divisions. For Minors and Majors Division, each team will have a minimum of eleven (11) players and a maximum of thirteen (13).  For T-ball, Coach Pitch, Juniors and Softball Divisions, each team will have a minimum of seven (7) players and a maximum of fifteen (15) players.

10. To be eligible to participate in the playoffs of competitive divisions, each player must have played in at least 60% of their regular season games.

Coach Pitch Division Rules

• Maximum of 12 players per team
• Randomly assigned by player agent – balance by age. Player agent to try to meet parental requests for coaches or teammates.
• Games are limited to 4 innings – and/or no innings can begin after 1hr 45min mark (which ever comes first) (every player must have at least one at bat)
• Rotate players on the field/bench- free substitution of players
• Players cannot sit on the bench more than one inning per game
• 6 pitches and then bring out the T – (soft rule – allows for some flexibility)
• No stealing
• If player is not developed enough bring the T out immediately
• Batters cannot be struck out by coaches. After three strikes from a coach, a batting T will be brought out.

• Coach pitches to players
• No batter will be walked
• 4 outfielders, 5 infielder, 1 pitcher – 1 catcher (players must play in the correct aligned positions. Example, the second baseman cannot play on second base) 
• Each inning is complete after each team as gone once through the batting order. 
• Outs will be counted but there will be unlimited outs per inning. If a player is thrown out, they will have to exit the playing field. Base coaches will call outs. 
• Advance one base only when ball is in play; no extra bases on overthrows.

Minors Division Rules

• Maximum number of players per team - 13
• 5 innings – no new inning starts after 2.5 hrs – if necessary, official game after 3 complete innings
• Limits of runs on passed balls – maximum of 2 per inning. The player needs to score in order for it to count against this total. 

Majors Division Rules

• Age requirements: players must be 10-12 years old but 9 year olds may tryout
• Maximum number of players per team - 13

League and Miscellaneous Rules

1. The manager of the traveling all – star teams will be chosen by the Board of Directors at or prior to the schedule May meeting. The manager will then have the authority to pick his or her own coaching staff. Each team will have a minimum of eleven (11) players and a maximum of fourteen (14). The coaching staff will select players for the team. The coaching staff will have the option to hold a tryout or choose players based on their performance during the regular season.

2. Any board member missing three (3) unexcused consecutive board meetings will be removed from the board and must apply for reinstatement the following year.

3. No refunds will be granted after the third week of the season unless a child has been injured or has been un-rostered on a waiting list. In that scenario, a prorated refund, which will be decided by the Board of Directors, will be decided. Exceptions will be made for those who are called up to school teams during the season on a case-by-case basis. 

4. Head Coaches, Team Managers, and Assistant Managers will have to be voted on to be eligible to coach any team by the New Britain Little League Board in order to be an eligible to coach.

5. Any board member acting in a way that is detrimental to the league, its players, and/or parents will be brought up to the President and handled thru the District Administrator. With the district's approval, said board member will be removed from the board and all coaching activities for the current season.