Players are assigned leagues based on their CURRENT Grade Level. Teams are drafted in all leagues, except Tball
Player Eligibility
1) Travel ball players may participate in the Summer Rec. Program. They will only be eligible for post season play if they played in 60% of regular season games
2) Players may play up in age group; Amherst Athletic Association will consider requests for children to play outside of the league a child would be placed in, using their birthdate.
2a) After registering a child, a parent or guardian may request that a second year player, be allowed to play up one league, No earlier than their second year of Tall. Essentially playing at their age, plus one year (Age +1). We expect this is being done with the childâ??s best interest and will not create unusual risk to that child, or children he/she play with/against. Under no circumstance, will the Amherst Athletic Association consider moving a child to/from another league for the sake of convenience or fondness. A child that enters the Age +1, will not be allowed to drop down a league, without written approval of the AAA Executive Board. Playerâ??s parent/guardian will need to pay the price difference between the two leagues.
3) AAA observes reasonable accommodation. Players may play with a younger group, provided a medical or educational professional states, in their professional opinion, it is in the best interest of the child to play at that age group, and will not present unreasonable risk to other children they are playing with.
4) AAA will allow second year player back into the draft, provided the following is satisfied. AAA makes allowance for a player to get out of a bad situation, or avoid an issue. The concern expressed by many board members is preventing a stacked team. The director should refer to 7.1, that we are striving for balance in the draft. With that in mind a second year player may request being put back in the draft. The league director has the ability to make reentry conditional, based on rule 7.1, the pursuit of balance. The condition may exclude placement with a certain team in pursuit of fair and balanced play. See policy 7.4 for additional information.
5). AAA serves the families and children in the Amherst School District and the City of Amherst. Players outside of that area may be allowed into the league for an additional fee and will observe all rules of the Amherst Athletic Association.
Draft Rules
1) Before the draft, league director should forecast the minimum and maximum number of players a team may pick. Example: if there is 10 teams in a league and there are 102 children in the draft. Draft order continues until 2 teams have 11 kids and eight teams have 10 kids. Be careful to temper picks to comply with â??older playersâ?? rule. League director must decide if the draft order will be based on last yearâ??s standings, or by blind draw. This information must be made available to coaches, in writing at least 72 hours before the draft.
2) Teams must strive for age balance. League director will advise of the minimum and maximum number of older players that can/must be on a team.
3) Brothers and sisters are expected to play on the same team, unless the parent requests otherwise. Siblings should be auto assigned to a team and do not count as a draft pick. Step children, living under the same roof may also be auto assigned.
4) (updated 3.18.15) No assistant picks allowed. This can only be modified by vote of executive board
5) Second year players may request to go back into draft. Must tell league director before the day of the draft. Second year players that have not completed registration, and paid by draft day, will be assigned a team in the manner outlined in 7.9 of our policies. See policy 5.4 for additional information.
6) Trades are permitted at end of draft. All picks are final when you leave the building the draft was held in, or the league director calls the draft closed, after all head coaches advise the director they have no trades.
7) Second year players may not be traded, unless they reentered the draft. See policy 7.5 for conditions.
8) We will observe the â??down the ladder, up the ladderâ?? order of picking First pick, second pick, third pick order based on inverse order of regular 2011 season
9) At the end of the regular season. All teams will make the play-offs. Play-off positions will be decided by blind draw at end of season, or regular season standings. This must be shared with all coaches prior to the first game of the season.
10) Tee ball and Blast ball will not operate with a draft. League directors are encouraged to help with ride share and buddy requests. Leagues ages 7 and up are under NO obligation to observe requests.
11) Players signing up after the draft will be assigned teams using blind draw, from a pool of all eligible teams. Players assigned a team by blind may be traded as outlined in 7.5 of our policies.
12). Payments must have cleared the bank by draft day. Unpaid registrants, entering a league for the first year will not be eligible for draft. Unpaid registrants returning to a league, for a second, third or fourth year may not be placed on the team they previously played for. Players joining, or returning to a league after draft day, will be assigned a team by blind draw.
13) (added 2.17.15. Adds additional information regarding policys 7.9 and 7.10) Draft of late registration/payee policy added
Unpaid registrations are not eligible for draft, and are considered late registrations.
Late registrations, any one that registers and pays after the leagues draft has been completed will be assigned a team using a blind drawâ?¦
For example-
Team drafts are in the beginning of April. At the end of the draft, the league director must decide how many more players are allowed on each team. That information, along with team rosters must be passed along within 24 hours of the drafts completion. New registrations will be accepted in that league, until there are enough players to fill the vacancies and the league would be filled. At that time, the league should close and additional registrations would go on a waiting list. If waiting list players are added to a league it should be done through a blind draw. All impacted coaches must be given the chance to attend the blind draw. Blind draw will consist of two containers. One container will hold the teams name that still need player(s), the second container will hold the players names. One team name will be pulled, followed by a player name. That player will then be placed on that team. This will continue until the league is full.