POWDER SPRINGS YOUTH BASEBALL
Powder Springs Youth Baseball Organization strives to provide quality instruction and development
of baseball skills, sportsmanship-like character, competitiveness as well as fair play.
We serve as a non-profit Youth Baseball Organization aimed at enhancing the
learning experience and love of the game for children between the ages 3 and 14.
We serve Powder Springs and the surrounding communities.
Powder Springs Youth Baseball Corporation
By-Laws
Updated June 2023
Article I - Name
This Organization existing under the By-Laws shall be known as Powder Springs Youth Baseball, Cobb County, GA. The Organization shall hereinafter be referred to also as PSYB.
Article II - Address
The principal address of the Organization shall be P.O. Box 536, Powder Springs, GA 30127. The physical address of the Organization is 4000 Lewis Rd Extension, Building 300, Powder Springs, GA 30127. The Organization will have an Internet website with the domain name www.psyb.com and which will be accessible by HTTP. The central email address is [email protected].
Article III - Purpose
The purpose of this Organization is to provide a recreational baseball program for young boys and girls in our community with major emphasis on instruction, fun, enjoyment, sportsmanship, and physical fitness. The attainment of exceptional athletic skills or wining the competition is only secondary. The Organization will also provide training and support in order to develop athletes for the purpose of competing in local, regional, and national competition should the individual desire to do so.
Article IV – Fiscal Matters
4.1 The Organization’s fiscal year shall be July1 through June 30.
4.2 The revenue of the Organization shall derive from registrations fees, sponsorships, concession stand profits, donations, fundraising and field development fees.
4.3 The Board of Directors shall set the registration fees, sponsorship policy and fees.
4.4 Hardship cases involving the payment of registration fees shall be considered and approved/disapproved by the President and the Treasurer.
4.5 The financial records will only be privy to the executive board of directors.
Article V – Membership
5.1 The Organization’s fiscal year shall be July 1 through June 30.
5.2 All parents/guardians of children who participate in any of the PSYB activities shall become a member of the Organization. Persons without children participating in any of the PSYB activities wishing to become a member shall pay an annual calendar fee of $25. Members are eligible to run for office and hold managing and coaching positions on the stipulation that they are not a convicted felon. In the event of a pending litigation situation for a member, the member shall be suspended from further Organization activity until said litigation has been resolved.
5.3 The position of President shall be elected from a pool of persons that have previously held a board executive position for at least one year.
5.4 Meetings of the membership shall be held quarterly, or as requested by the Board of Directors. Meetings will take place and any location in Cobb County, or within 10 miles from Powder Springs Park, or through a virtual meeting platform. Virtual meeting of the Membership can only be established by the Secretary of the Board, or a person appointed by the President.
5.5 Only Board members in good standing shall be eligible to vote on board issues.
Code of Conduct: PSYB board members abide by a “Code of Conduct” that emphasizes: Sportsmanship: Be positive role models and do your best to provide the players a positive experience. Display and instill in your child, or children, the principles of good sportsmanship and team play, whether you win or lose. i.e. profanity, not being an advocate of the park, abonnement of duties with caused reason, miss appropriation of PSYB property and funds.
Article VI – Board of Directors
6.1 The governing body of PSYB shall be the Board of Directors, herein referred to as “Board of Directors” or “Board” serving all programs. The Board will carry out activities common to all programs and will allocate facilities and resources on an impartial, historically consistent basis.
6.2 The management and supervision of the Organization is entrusted to the duly elected members functioning in the form of the Board of Directors. In general, board members are expected to actively participate in all meetings, events, committees, etc. to provide value to the overall development of the Organization.
6.3 The term for each officer and director shall be one year and shall run from July 1st to June 30th. Officers and Directors will be elected by a majority vote of the Board Members. Elected Officers and Directors will serve for one year upon election and can remain in the same role for up to five concurrent years.
6.4 The meetings of the Board of Directors shall take place monthly. The meeting shall take place at any location in Cobb County, or within 10 miles of Powder Springs Park, or through a virtual meeting platform. These meetings are to be published to the membership and open to any member wishing to attend. The board should develop a procedure by which members can address the board with comments or concerns. It is recommended that the board require a written request from the member to be included on the meeting agenda. The request should state clearly the issue or concern to allow the board to prepare a response. The June meeting (or the meeting the election is held) of the Board of Directors must take place in Cobb County and no virtual option will be available. All Meetings shall be run under the Roberts Rules of Order.
6.5 Special meetings of the board may be called at any time by the President with a two-day notice.
6.6 The By-Laws may be amended by majority vote of the Board of Directors that are present at any time throughout the fiscal year. A quorum of the Board of Directors shall be required for this vote and that shall consist of a majority of the elected Board members.
6.7 Unless otherwise specified, matters requiring a Board Vote requires a quorum, defined as a majority of Board of Directors.
6.8 The Executive Council shall consist of the following, President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary.
6.9 The President, Vice President and Treasurer will have check writing authority for the organization at the digression of the president.
6.10 Any board member that violates the Code of Conduct can be recommended to be removed from the board. Removal process will consist of a unanimous vote of the board.
Responsibilities of all Board Members:
1. All Board members shall adhere to the use of objective criteria and refrain from partisanship and favoritism in carrying out their respective duties to the children.
2. All Board members shall familiarize themselves with the By-Laws.
3. All Board members shall attend all Board meetings. If a Board member is unable to attend a Board meeting, it is the Board member’s responsibility to notify the Secretary prior to the meeting and/or arrange for another Board member to serve as proxy for him/her.
4. A Board Member having at least 3 Board meeting absences in a year for which no notification was sent to the Secretary and no proxy was appointed for him/her maybe be considered to have resigned his/her position on the Board.
5. All Board members shall be responsible for providing and arranging competent individuals to assume their responsibilities in the event that they will not be available to do so. It is the Board member’s responsibility to notify the Secretary and other affected individuals accordingly.
The Board of Directors shall consist of the following members:
1. President (EC)
2. Vice-President (EC)
3. Secretary (EC)
4. Treasurer (EC)
5. Park Liaison/ Scheduler
6. League Director-Pre-Ball
7. League Director-Shetland
8. League Director-Pinto
9. League Director-Mustang
10. League Director-Bronco, Pony, Colt
11. Umpire Association Director
12. Travel Ball Director
13. Fields & Equipment Director
14. Sponsors & Fundraising Director
15. Concessions Director
16. Team Mom Director
17. Communications/social media Director
18. Past President
Article VI – Duties of Officers & Directors
1. President and Chairperson of the Board shall be one and the same person
a. Provides leadership to the Organization
b. Preside over all meetings of the Organization
c. Delegates authority to the Vice President to act in his/her behalf should an absence arise
d. Call special meetings of the Board and Membership meetings
e. In the absence of the Treasurer, has the authority to sign all checks from the general fund, and not above $3000 without Board approval.
f. Appoint committee Chairpersons
g. Has Authority to appoint temporary board positions pending approval of the Board of Directors i.e Executive Committee.
h. Shall assign all duties not specifically set forth in the By-Laws to an appropriate Board Member (Rephrased and Relocated).
i. May vote without vacating the chair to break a tie or when the vote is by written ballot
j. Primary contact with Cobb County officials
k. Oversee all All-Star activities
2. Vice-President
a. Assume duties of President during his/her absence
b. Aides the President and other Officers/Directors as needed to complete their duties
c. Authorized to sign checks from general fund in President’s absence
d. Must be appointed and approved by current President. If President is no longer active must be an active executive board committee member/past President or interim President.
3. Secretary
a. Maintains an accurate record of all board meetings and membership meetings
b. Records all Meeting Minutes at each meeting to include specifics on who makes what motion, who seconds, and other facts associated with each business item. No personal and discussion are not to be included in Meeting Minutes.
c. Acts as custodian of all records, except those specifically assigned to others by By-Laws
d. Distribute Typed Meeting Minutes within 72 hours of each meeting.
e. Maintain all records for at least 3 years and obtain approval from President before destroying.
f. Distribute to current copy of the By-Laws to each Board meeting after each election to all Board Members.
g. Shall be responsible or procurement of a satisfactory meeting facility for the purpose of holding the Board meetings, general membership meetings or any special called meetings.
4. Treasurer
a. Manages all finances and ensures that money from all sources (registration, sponsors, fundraisers, etc.) is safely deposited in bank.
b. Approve all contracts with vendor in consultation with the President
c. Prepares and records all checks of the Organization
d. Shall report in writing at each Board meeting and every General Membership meeting the condition of the finances, with such recommendation he/she deems appropriate.
e. Works with accountant to complete and file the Organization’s federal and state tax returns
f. Authorized to sign checks from the general fund in President’s absence.
5. Recreational League Director
a. Responsible for all Rec League Directors and Schedules.
b. Work with Umpire Director to assure appropriate coverage for all regular, tournament or make up games
c. To be the liaison between the parks and coaches
d. To facilitate and organize Allstars
6-12. League Directors - Pre-Ball, Shetland, Pinto, Mustang, Bronco, Pony, and Colt
a. Acts as a liaison between the board of directors, coaches, players, and parents in their respective league
b. Shall be responsible for securing head coaches for their respective leagues and submitting names to the Board for approval
c. Responsible for the organization and execution of all skills assessments, team selections (drafts), and end of season recognition activities
d. Responsible for creating and distributing game and practice schedules with assistance of Recreational League Director
e. Responsible for securing the appropriate league field for any tournaments
f. Responsible for holding coaches’ meetings to educate on rules (prior to each season)
g. Works with the President, Coaches, and Officials to resolve any disputes which occur during the season within their respective leagues
h. Coordinate field maintenance and equipment with the respective coordinators
i. Assists in collection of all PSYB equipment (bats, helmets, catcher’s gear, etc.)
13. Umpire Association Director
a. Acts as liaison between Umpire Association and Board of Directors
b. Conducts pre-season meeting with Umpires to ensure clear understanding of rules
c. Ensures rule interpretations are consistent across games and leagues as appropriate.
d. Work with Recreational League Director in scheduling umpires for regular season, tournaments and make up games.
e. Shall periodically observe performance of the umpires and take appropriate action with the selected umpire to ensure they are performing to the PSYB standards.
14. Travel Ball Director
a. Acts as liaison between approved travel ball teams and Board of Directors
b. Ensures all travel teams adhere to PSYB requirements with regard to team names, PSYB logo use, etc.
c. Reviews and approves all schedule requests for travel ball teams (includes practice schedules, tournament dates/times, etc.). Communicates this information to President regularly or immediately upon changes so as to ensure no conflict with other Organization activities
d. Responsible for the acceptance and recommend removal of any travel and all-star team. (Board Vote to add teams??) YES
15. Fields & Equipment Director
a. Responsible for the safety and playability of all fields
b. Works with President to address areas in need of improvement
c. Responsible for managing the distribution and collection of PSYB equipment each season
d. Responsible for maintaining an inventory list of equipment and for making recommendations should additional equipment be needed
e. Ensure safe storage of equipment between seasons
16. Sponsors & Fundraising Director
a. Responsible for promoting PSYB with area business in order to obtain sponsorships
b. Liaison with area business to maintain positive relationship
c. Responsible for scheduling “FUN Day” activities, “Braves Night”, and other activities that the Board deems appropriate to pursue
17. Concessions Director
a. Responsible for all concessions operations
b. Responsible for the regular financial deposits from operations
c. Orders and receives all food deliveries
d. Reports all worked hours to the Treasurer for check processing
18. Team Mom Director
a. Responsible for hosting pre-season meetings at which all “team moms” should be present
b. Responsible for ensuring that all Team Moms are aware of all PSYB activities, dates, times, and any special procedures
c. Responsible for managing Picture Day and all activities that are associated with it
d. Responsible for organizing and distributing of all team uniforms
19. Communications/social media Director
a. Shall publish periodic newsletters/emails to inform the membership of the activities of PSYB.
b. Shall solicit articles from the Directors, edit such articles, prepare the newsletter, print the newsletter and mail the newsletter.
c. Shall send notices to the membership regarding special meetings, voting, special events, etc.
d. Shall maintain and update the PSYB website, Facebook and Instagram accounts.
e. Shall publicize any special activities or events planned by PSYB. Appropriate means of publicity shall be used.
f. Shall post new board members names and home phone numbers at the parks in the appropriate locations.
g. Shall submit articles of significance to local newspapers as it applies to PSYB.
20. Past President
a. General support of board and assistant to current president and holds an adversary role and still maintains voting rights.
a.1 Must be in good standings with current PSYB board and had to have been park president for 2 seasons.
Article VII Special Committees
Committees may be established by the Board of Director as it sees fit. All Committee Chairpersons will be appointed by the President and all committees shall have no fewer than three people. Such committees shall be temporary in nature unless otherwise approved by the PSYB Board.
Article VIII – Registration Process
12.1 Spring Registration will open no later than November 15th
12.2 Fall Registration will open no later than July 1st
12.3 Early Bird Registration will be the first 30 days of the registration process. Can be extended by President and Treasures discretion.
12.4 Prior to Skills Assessment, the Board must determine the number of teams each division will have for the upcoming season. Also prior to skills assessment, the League Director will secure the determined number of coaches plus have 1 coach on standby.
12.5 Registration will close upon the conclusion of the Skills Assessment, unless open spots remain in a particular division based on the predetermined number of coaches. In the event registrations fall short below the projected number of teams/coaches, teams will be created based on the minimum and maximums. Any additional potential registrants will be waitlisted until there are enough participants to fill an additional team.
12.6 Once a division is deemed full, all remaining interested participants can be registered with waitlisted status.
12.6 No team can be added or created without a minimum of 9 players on either team on any division.
12.7 No new team will be created after the draft has occurred.
12.8 The capacity of any single team on any division will not exceed 11.
12.9 Any exceptions to the above will be voted on by the League Director, Vice President and President
Article IX – Elections
7.1 Any member in good standing is eligible to run for a Board of Director position. If a member has a child playing at another park and has no other children playing at PSYB, they shall not be eligible to be run for a Board position, except for the Past President or any Board member currently serving as of Fall 2021. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board may, upon request, waive the foregoing eligibility on an individual basis. If a candidate does not have a child playing at the park, in order to be elected to the board it will have to be an unanimous vote. If a board member departs and is not in good standing with current PSYB board, they shall not return indefinitely
7.2 In order to run for vice president you must be a board member for one calendar year. If any position is vacant on the board the current president has the authority to appoint a person to said vacant position.
7.3 Nominations for Board of Directors positions may be made no earlier than 30 days in advance of the December Board meeting and up to the election of each individual position.
7.4 A person cannot nominate themselves. Nominations must be seconded. The nominee must give their verbal consent or the nominator must provide written consent from the nominee that the nominee is willing to run for the position.
7.5 A person may run for more than one position; however, they may only serve in one position. (Unless the position is vacant)
7.6 Election of the Board of Director positions shall occur during the June Board meeting.
7.7 No absentee ballots will be valid. However, per Section 6.8 of the By-Laws, a proxy may stand in and cast votes for one or more position.
7.8 The results of the election will be posted as soon as the counting of the votes is completed.
7.9 If there is interest in a board position that is currently filled, the director or officer will be determined by majority vote. In the case of three or more candidates for the same position, the candidate receiving the greatest number of votes shall be declared the winner. In the event of a tie, the current President will cast the deciding vote.
7.10 The position of President shall be elected from a pool of persons that have previously held an executive board position for at least one year.
Article X – Amendments to By-Laws
8.1 The By-Laws may be amended by the Board of Directors from time to time, as necessary.
8.2 Only Board Member in good standing may propose an amendment of the By-Laws.
8.3 Proposed amendment shall be presented in writing.
8.4 Ratification of By-Law amendments requires a three-fourths (3/4ths) vote of the full current Board of Directors.
8.5 After amendment is ratified, it becomes effective immediately
8.6 The PSYB will only accept one household representative to hold a board position
8.7 Coaches shall be selected from a pool of parents and volunteers. Any coach that does not have a child playing in the park, shall not be considered unless approved unanimously by the PSYB board.
REC amendments: June 2023-
Coach(s) selection- Coach will be selected and approved by the board and league directors. The position of head or assistant coach is not guaranteed. Coaches' selection takes place season to season.
Coaches code of conduct- Any head coach or assistant coaches that causes distention of the park or families and who is not an advocate for the park, who participates in or is associated with any outside academy can be subject to revocations by the executive board without a majority vote. If the board sees that any coach(s) isn't an appropriate fit for any division(s) at our park. They can be subject to revocations at any time. Zero tolerance policy: Zero tolerance policies forbid people in positions of authority from exercising discretion or changing punishments to fit the circumstances subjectively; they are required to impose a predetermined punishment regardless of individual culpability, extenuating circumstances, or history.
Coaches REC or Allstars will be required to participate in park fundraisers. Player locks- unless unanimously agreed upon by all coaches in that division will only be allowed 1-lock head coaches kid 1- lock assistant coaches kid and 1- first round pick.
1A. Under special circumstances the governing board can make amends to player lock by unanimously vote and or proxy vote.
Article XII – Sanction
Dizzy Dean Baseball, Inc. is the official sanctioning organization of PSYB.
Article XIII – Succession
In the event the President vacates the position before their term expires, the Vice President shall complete the term. In the event the Vice President cannot assume the duties the highest tenured officer (or Director) shall complete the term.
Article XIV – Coach and Player Selection
General requirements for coaches shall include a periodic background check which includes no felony convictions as well as a completed & signed Code of Conduct Form. Coaches are required to have a child at the park participating in the PSYB program. If there is not a child playing the coach is not eligible to coach a team.
Coach – regular season: Prior to the season an interested candidate will complete a Request to Coach Form and a Code of Conduct Form. These forms will be submitted to PSYB, along with the Background Check Authorization form, and will be reviewed for approval by the Board of Directors. Noncompliance of teams to adhere to the coaching requirements can result in forfeiture of games.
Player – regular season: Each player will participate in the skills assessment which will be conducted prior to each season. All coaches will be present at the skills assessment and rate players on their current abilities about throwing, running, catching, and hitting. Ratings will be done on a 1-5 scale by each coach with 1 being the lowest rating and 5 being the highest rating. A snake draft will be used to select players for the teams. For example, with a division with 3 teams the coach with the highest seniority will pick first, then second highest seniority will pick and then the coach with the lowest seniority will pick. The process will reverse beginning with the lowest seniority coach, second highest seniority coach and then the highest seniority coach. That process will continue to all players that attended the skills assessment or were vouched for are selected. All remaining players will be selected through the hat pick process as described above.
A player request for a specific coach will be communicated to the coach prior to the draft process, but as a result of the draft process, there is absolutely no guarantee that this player will be granted the request. No trading of players will be done after the draft meeting is complete unless approved by the league Director, Vice President and President.
Article XV – All-Stars Selection
Coaches – All Stars: any coach or assistant coach from the Spring season is eligible to be a candidate to coach an All-Star team. Interested candidates should alert their League Director to their interest by March 31st. The League Director will submit a full list of interested candidates to the Secretary by April 1st; the Secretary will consolidate all leagues and distribute to the Board of Directors by April 3rd. During early April the League Director will provide a ballot to each coach in the league to determine so that they can rank each candidate with regard to the following criteria: 1. Leadership, 2. Character, and 3. Experience Coaching. These ballots must be completed and signed by each coach. The League Director will be responsible for presenting this information to the Board of Directors at the April meeting. Candidates will be reviewed and discussed at the April meeting and a majority vote of the Board of Directors will determine each All-Star Coach. At this time, Head and Assistant Coaches will also be reviewed and approved by the Board. Head Coaches position will go to the most veteran coach and determined by tenure. In order to be an eligible Allstar coach for board approval, coach is required to had paid full registration for the season without discounts or sponsorships.
Player All Stars: each regular Spring season coach will nominate player candidates from their team that they feel would be an appropriate fit to an All-Star team. These nominations will be provided to the appropriate League Director for review and approval by March 31st. The candidates identified by the coaches will be reviewed versus the pre-season ratings.
After the All-Star Coach is selected, the League Director will work with the All-Star coach to coordinate one or more All Star Workout sessions. At these All-Star Workout sessions, players will be reviewed for their abilities about throwing, running, catching, and hitting. The All-Star coach and League Director will also discuss the time commitment and potential financial expense associated with the All-Star baseball season with parents at this time. Ratings and notes on players should be reviewed with the League Director and any other board member attending workouts prior to any discussions with parents. Each League Director will present recommended team members to the Board of Directors at the April meeting for review. No discussions with players or parents will take place prior to the Board’s approval. The all-star teams will be announced on or around May 1st during the season.
Other notes on All Star teams:
The objective of the All-Star team should be to put together the best possible team of players from those interested and willing to commit.
There is no guarantee of playing time and all decisions regarding how much playing time each player gets is strictly the coach’s decision.
All Allstar Teams approved by the PSYB board are required to participate in all park fundraisers.
Travel Teams amendments: June 2023
Max. 2 teams per age group. Age of team 9U and up only If an 8U team desires to become a travel team out of PSYB shall only be unanimously voted by the standing board.
All travel teams must be branded with the PSYB name and cannot be a part of a larger organizations.
New travel teams must be vetted and approved by the board of directors. Travel team field dues will be based on season to season (Fall to spring) (Spring to Fall)
Any travel team can be under review at any time by the board of directors.
Article XVI – Liability
Powder Springs Youth Baseball and its Board of Directors, Coaches, Managers, Umpires, Sponsors, and any other supervisory persons are not responsible for injuries to persons or damage to property.