DRSA Constitution Print

DRSA CONSTITUTION                                                                           Updated March 9, 2024

Article One – Name

The name of this association shall be “The Durham Regional Slo-Pitch Association Inc”, so hereinafter known as the D.R.S.A. Inc.

Article Two - Objectives

The purpose of the D.R.S.A. Inc. shall be to create interest in, and promote Slo-Pitch in the City of Oshawa and the Region of Durham at a high and competitive level, and to gain the following objectives:

  1. To do all such things as may be deemed necessary by the Executive for the proper promotion and jurisdiction of Slo-Pitch within the D.R.S.A. Inc.
  2. To associate or affiliate with such organizations as may be determined by the Executive, subject to the approval of the General Membership.
  3. To promote fair competition, as determined by the Executive, by placing teams in compatible divisions.
  4. To promote and regulate a championship within each division of the association.

Article Three - Membership

  1. Membership within the D.R.S.A. Inc. shall be composed of Slo-Pitch teams that abide by and comply with the adopted rulebook and the Durham Regional Slo-Pitch Association Inc. Constitution and Bylaws.
  2. Each member in good standing shall hold a franchise from the D.R.S.A. Inc. to operate a Slo-Pitch club for the current year.
  3. All franchises shall be approved and accepted by a majority vote of the Executive.
  4. All members agree to accept the D.R.S.A. Inc. Executive’s placement of their team in a particular division (i.e. Premier, Provincial, etc.).  Teams may appeal their placement to the Executive.
  5. Each application for membership:
    1. Shall be in writing and shall include:
      1. The name of the sponsor membership to be granted.
  1. The name of the team Governor, Manager and Coach who will operate the team.
      1. A statement that, upon and in consideration of election to membership, the applicant will subscribe to and agree to be bound by the D.R.S.A. Inc. Constitution and all amendments thereto, and all By-laws and regulations of the D.R.S.A. Inc.
    1. Shall be accompanied by a cheque, cash or money order made payable to the D.R.S.A. Inc. for $100.00 (performance bond).  If the application is refused, the said sum will be returned to the applicant.
  1. A franchise may be transferred with a written application from the parties involved and the approval of the Executive.
  2. Any member may withdraw from the D.R.S.A. Inc. membership by tendering its intention to do so, in writing, to the Executive, and surrendering its franchise.  All team dues / expenses / fees owing to the D.R.S.A. Inc. must be paid, and all claims to funds, refunds, property, rights and interests in the D.R.S.A. Inc. must be waived.  Re-application by former members who have withdrawn will be treated as new franchises.
    1. Full refund of the performance bond will be made if the member withdraws between the D.R.S.A. Inc. banquet and the Annual Meeting.
    2. The performance bond will be retained by the D.R.S.A. Inc., and the membership fee refunded if the member withdraws after the Annual Meeting and prior to the April meeting.
    3. All fees will be retained by the D.R.S.A. Inc. if a member withdraws between the April meeting and the Association Banquet.
  3. All new franchises pay a $100.00 performance bond.  A new franchise will be held by the team Governor (i.e., the person who paid the performance bond).  If that person leaves the team, either to quit the association, or to form a new team, the performance bond less outstanding fines will be returned to that person.  Any former franchise which has missed one or more years and wishes to return to the D.R.S.A. Inc., must pay any outstanding fines and a new initiation fee.  The fee is payable upon notice of acceptance to the Association.
  4. All members will accept and abide by Executive / General meeting motions passed for the benefit of the D.R.S.A. Inc. during the current year.

Article Four - Officers

  1. The Executive ( elected post ) shall consist of:
    1. The President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Communications Director.
    2. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Executive, the Divisional Conveners, the Past President and the Scheduling Director.
  2. The selection of officers shall be as follows:
    1. The President, First and Second Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary and Communications Director shall be elected by ballot (hand count) by the team Governors at the Biennial Election Meeting.  The Divisional Conveners will be appointed each year by their respective division or Executive as required.
    2. The Scheduling Director will be appointed by the Executive.
    3. The Past President shall be the previous year’s President of the D.R.S.A. Inc. and shall serve a term of one year.  
  3. The term of office for each Executive member will be from Election Day, or appointment (as required), up to and including the Biennial Election Meeting the year following his or her election or appointment.  
  4. The Executive may request an honorarium to be paid to the members of this committee or executive committee. The amount to be paid shall be approved by a full membership vote.

Article Five - Powers and Duties of Officers

President:

  1. Shall call and chair all meetings.
  2. Shall be the liaison between the team Governors and the Executive.
  3. Shall appoint all committee members with the approval of the Executive.
  4. Shall cast a tie-breaking vote when necessary.
  5. Shall have the power to enforce the Constitution, By-laws, and playing rules of the D.R.S.A. Inc.
  6. Shall be responsible for the management and direction of all activities of the D.R.S.A., including issues and concerns not covered by this constitution.
  7. Shall co-ordinate the Biennial Election Meeting by the First Sunday in December.
  8. Shall co-ordinate the Annual DRSA Meeting by the first Sunday in February.

 

First Vice-President:

  1. Shall assist the President as required.
  2. Shall assume the duty of the President in the latter’s absence.
  3. Shall co-ordinate the D.R.S.A. Inc. Online player registration.
  4. Shall co-ordinate, maintain and / or address all concerns for the DRSA website including game results.

 

Second Vice-President:

  1. Shall form a committee of executive members to review and deliberate all lodged protests, player ejections and / or team complaints about the appointed umpire group.
  2. The three committee members consist of:
    1. First Vice-President
    2. Second Vice-President,
    3. Convener of the division involved.
  3. Should the team of any of the officers in “2” above, be involved in the protest, the Second Vice-President will either arrange appropriate replacements from the Executive and the Conveners, or turn this duty over to another Executive member.
  4. Appeals of all decisions of this committee may be taken to the President whose decision is final.
  5. Shall form a committee of executive members to review and place all teams in the proper division of play.
  6. Shall perform other duties as prescribed by the President.

COED Vice-President:

  1. Shall act as the liaison between the COED team governors and Executive
  2. Shall highlight concerns unique to players in COED division
  3. Shall coordinate discussion on COED specific rules before each season
  4. Shall take part in all disciplinary committee hearings that involve COED unless there is a direct conflict of interest

 

Treasurer:

  1. Shall keep an accurate record of all monies received and disbursed by the D.R.S.A. Inc.
  2. Shall prepare an annual financial statement to be presented at the Annual Meeting.
  3. Shall be prepared to present the current financial status at any D.R.S.A. Inc. meeting.
  4. Shall perform other duties as prescribed by the President.

 

Secretary:

  1. Shall keep an accurate record of proceedings of the D.R.S.A. Inc. and its Executive.
  2. Shall notify all teams of D.R.S.A. Inc. meetings.
  3. Shall maintain an up-to-date address file of executives, divisional convenors and team governors.
  4. Shall receive and send general correspondence.
  5. Shall be responsible for forwarding the application for team rosters to the adopted governing body.
  6. Shall be responsible to update the constitution as required.
  7. Shall perform other duties as prescribed by the President.

 

Communication Director

  1. Shall be responsible to procure sponsorships for the DRSA.
  2. Shall communicate with the DRSA affiliated group about team prizing.
  3. Shall perform other duties as prescribed by the President.

 

Past President:

  1. Shall act as a consultant to the Executive Committee regarding all matters pertaining to the operation of the D.R.S.A. Inc.
  2. Shall have the privilege of attending all Association meetings, but will not vote on any committee motions.

 

Scheduling Director:

  1. Shall draw up the D.R.S.A. Inc. regular and playoff schedules as directed by the Executive and be responsible for establishing all procedures for completing the regular season and playoffs, including rained out games.
  2. Shall be paid an honorarium as determined by the Executive.
  3. Shall maintain a book of records and accomplishments.

 

Divisional Conveners:

  1. Shall perform duties as directed by the President.
  2. Shall be responsible for all matters pertaining to his/her division.
  3. Shall advise the President of infractions regarding: scheduling of games, including postponements, reporting of game results, late starts, etc.

 

Team Governors:

  1. Shall attend, or have a representative attend, all D.R.S.A. Inc. General Meetings (see article 6, section 2: Meetings).
  2. Shall be required to assist the Executive Committee as requested.
  3. Shall participate on any committee as requested by the President or the Executive.
  4. Each team shall have one Governor (article 3, section 8) and that person or their representative shall have one vote, which is binding on his/her team, in all decisions made by the General membership. Governors representing more than one team shall have one vote per team represented.
  5. Shall be responsible for checking the master game schedule to determine that his/her team has the correct number of games, both home and away, and that their team is treated fairly in all regards. See the Scheduling Director or your Divisional Convener, then if problems are not solved, see First Vice President.
  6. Shall be responsible for assuring that all team players have completed their online registration by the DRSA deadline.
  7. Shall be responsible for completing all fee payments requested by the DRSA.

Article Six - Meetings

  1. Biennial Election Meeting: (Article 7) shall be held no later than the first Sunday in December of the election year.  All team governors are expected to attend.
  2. The order of business shall be:
    1. Minutes of the last General/Executive meeting
    2. Business out of the minutes.
    3. President’s report.
    4. Election of officers.
    5. New business.
    6. Adjournment.
  3. Annual Meeting: (First General Meeting of the new season) shall be held no later than the first Sunday in February. The Secretary, on instruction of the President, shall notify all team Governors of the time and place of all subsequent General Meetings. The order of business shall be:
    1. Opening by the President.
    2. Roll call by the Secretary, at the request of the President.
    3. Minutes of the last General/Executive meeting.
    4. Business out of the minutes.
    5. President’s report.
    6. Secretary’s report.
    7. Treasurer’s report.
    8. Committee reports.
    9. Unfinished business.
    10. New business.
    11. Adjournment.
    12. Team Governors or Representatives must attend all General meetings (Article 5), that require their attendance, called by the President.  A fine of $25.00 is imposed for non-attendance. The President, only, shall be empowered to consider exception to this requirement.

Article Seven - Elections

  1. Shall be held every other year at the Election Meeting (Article 6, section 1). A fine of $25.00 will be imposed to any member or representatives who do not attend the election meeting.
  2. Voting shall be by hand count, one vote per team (Governor or representative).  Governors representing more than one team shall have one vote per team represented.
  3. Nominations:
    1. Either in writing to the Secretary in advance of the meeting or at the meeting, from the membership, prior to the election of the position being voted on.
    2. Each nomination must be moved and seconded.
    3. Candidates may be nominated for any number of positions, but be elected to only one.
    4. Nominees do not have to be present to run for a position, but must have written notice of acceptance at the meeting of their willingness to perform the required duties if elected.
    5. All nominees will be permitted to speak for up to two minutes prior to the vote for the position to which they are nominated.
  4. A scrutinizer will be appointed from the membership by the President to conduct the election and confirm the vote for each executive position.
  5. Should an elected member of the Executive be unable to fulfill their term, the President, subject to the approval of the Executive, shall appoint a replacement for the balance of the remaining term.
  6. Any member of the D.R.S.A. Inc. Executive Committee can be suspended or removed from his/her position with a 75% majority vote of the Executive Committee.

Article Eight - Amendments to the Constitution

  1. No amendment may be made to any part of this Constitution and By-laws, except at the Annual meeting (Article 6, section 2).
  2. Amendments require the approval of two-thirds of the team Governors ( Governors representing more than one team shall have one vote per team represented ) present (or their representatives). These teams must be in good standing with the D.R.S.A. Inc.
  3. Notice of any proposed amendment to the constitution must be received by the Secretary in writing or email four weeks prior to the annual general meeting.
  4. The Constitution Committee will meet to assess the proposed amendments.  
  5. The Secretary shall then forward a copy of the committee’s recommended amendments to each team, prior to the Annual meeting.
  6. These amendments, subject to review and/or revision by the Team Governors, shall be voted on at the Annual Meeting.
  7. Annual / General meeting motions passed by the DRSA team governors or representatives and  approved by the Executive will be added to the constitution and not subject to article 8, part 2.  

Article Nine – Committees (established as required)

  1. Special Events
  2. Protests and Rules.
  3. Expansion and Scheduling
  4. Tournaments
  5. Nominating
  6. Awards and Banquets
  7. Constitution
  8. Any other deemed necessary by the President.


BY-LAWS

By-Law One - Membership

  1. Each team may register up to a maximum of 22 players. The coach and the manager must be registered as playing on the web, should they chose to play in association games (insurance only covers individuals designated as players).
  2. A player must register online to be eligible to compete in any D.R.S.A. Inc. league or playoff game.
  3. All D.R.S.A. Inc. approved players must be registered by July 1 This is the final date for roster changes.
  4. Slo-Pitch governing body rosters will be applied for by the Secretary to the appropriate organization (Article 5, section 5, (5) & (6)).
  5. The opposing manager, coach, or DRSA executive may request to see any player’s ID and request any player in question to sign their signature on a score sheet for comparison with the player’s ID. If the player does not have ID with them, they will have seven days during the regular season and 24 hours during the playoffs to produce ID to a DRSA executive. In order to validate this ID, the player in question will need to sign the opposing team’s lineup card. If the signature does not match the presented ID, the appropriate action will take place as determined by the Executive committee. This may include defaults and possible fines.
  6. A team guilty of using an unregistered player, shall forfeit any points earned in that game and pay a $50.00 fine.In addition, a further $50.00 fine (total $100.00) will be levied. Further disciplinary action may be levied by the Executive, which can include suspensions.
  7. A player can only be registered to one active D.R.S.A. Inc. Team per division per season, maximum of three (3) players from a higher division per team roster. If more than one team is registered by the player, the player is committed to the first team registered. Transfers of registered players are allowed (see (8) following). 
  8. Prior to the final registered date, players may move from one team to another after having registered to said team. The team managers must agree to the change and the two teams must notify the DRSA executive of this change in writing on or before July 1.
  9. Players must be 18 years of age, as of December 31 of the current year to play in Men’s, Women’s or Coed divisions and 35 years, old to play in Men’s Masters and 35 years old to play in Women’s Masters. Proof of age will be required. If a player in under 18 years of age at the time of registering, a parent/guardian’s signature must accompany the player’s signature. This rule will apply to any other grouping where age and/or sex are a criterion as established by the Executive Committee.
  10. All established relationships are dissolved at the completion of the season (regular and playoff). Players, coaches and managers are free to move to other teams the following year.
  11. Males may only play in Men’s and Coed divisions. Females may only play in Ladies and Coed divisions.

 

By-Law Two - Fees

  1. The annual membership fee of $300.00 shall be paid to the Treasurer by each team, at or prior to the first General Meeting of the current year. Payment will form a part of the current year’s team fees. Non-payment will indicate withdrawal from the Association (see Article 3). Extensions may be requested of the Treasurer. If granted, By-law 2, part 10 is in effect.
  2. Additional, current year, team payments of $500.00 and $750.00 are required at the second and third meetings respectively.  Teams that miss these payments may forfeit their membership in the DRSA and be replaced by teams from the DRSA waiting list. The balance of annual team fees are to be paid by May 15 of the current year.
  3. A $50.00 fee that is included in the annual team fee will be refunded to all teams that pay in full by May 15 of the current year.
  4. Teams not paid in full by June 15 of the current year will be in a game forfeit position until fees are paid.
  5. Teams not paid in full by July 1 of the current year may be suspended from the DRSA and will not receive their performance bond nor any other fees paid in the current year.
  6. The following will result in forfeiture of all or part of the performance bond:
    1. $50.00 for forfeiture of a regularly scheduled season or playoff game.
    2. Withdrawal from the D.R.S.A. Inc. (Article 3).
    3. Any outstanding fines outlines in these articles and by-laws.
  7. Any team which forfeits its performance bond must replace it prior to its next scheduled game. Failure to do so will result in being deleted from the schedule.
  8. Any expenditure by the D.R.S.A. Inc., not part of the normal operation of the league, must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the team governors or their representatives at a General Meeting.
  9. All payments made to the D.R.S.A. Inc. must be before the deadline stipulated by the Constitution or as determined by the Executive. Late payments and NSF cheques will be subject to a $25.00 fine and bank charges where applicable.
  10. All funds not subject to a deadline are due and payable within 14 days of notification by the Treasurer.  Failure to comply will be subject to action by the Executive.
  11. If a rebate to teams is authorized as a result of Executive action, it will not apply to any new teams entering the association. A one-year waiting period is required to be eligible to participate in this action (see Article 3 for Membership).

By-Law Three - Schedule and Playoffs

  1. Annually, prior to May 1, the D.R.S.A. Inc. will outline a regular season schedule and determine a playoff format and schedule each division’s championship.
  2. All postponed or rain out games will be rescheduled at the discretion of the Scheduling Director

This includes date, time and diamond.  Notification of Game Times as Follows:

    • Regular Season - Seven Days
    • August - 48 Hours
    • Playoffs - 24 Hours
  1. Playoff / home advantage will go to the team with the higher regular season standing.
  2. If teams are tied in the final season standings, or any round robin playoff series, the following statistics between all teams involved will determine the final team position. (Note: All teams tied will be compared at the same time. The tie breaking order will be followed (process of elimination), regardless of the number of teams tied).

 

The Tie Breaking order is as follows:

Regular Season:

Highest position to the team with:

  1. Fewest Defaults
  2. Two teams tied - head-to-head record. More than two teams tied - the best winning percentage in games against each other
  3. Highest run differential in games against each other.
  4. Sudden death game.

Playoffs:

In the event of a round robin playoff, highest position to the team with:

  1. Fewest defaults (combined regular season and playoff).
  2. If teams (any number) are tied - highest record against each other.
  3. Highest run differential in games with each other.
  4. Sudden death game.

By-Law Four - Playing Regulations

  1. The D.R.S.A. Inc. will abide by the rules of the adopted Governing body plus any amendments contained herein or motions passed at General meetings in the current year.
  2. All games to commence at the time agreed to on the master schedule of Scheduling Director.
  3. All regular season games to be no longer than seven innings.
  4. For all games scheduled (see also by-law 4, section 7), no complete inning may start ten (10) minutes before the scheduled start time of the next game. Games not completed at the end of regulation time, one hour and 15 minutes, must refer back to the last complete inning for the final score. This rule also applies to the last D.R.S.A. Inc. game of the day.
  5. Any game that is not official, due to light failure, will be resumed at the point of such failure, at a later date.
  6. Only the D.R.S.A. Inc Scheduling Director can authorize postponement or cancel a scheduled game for reasons other than weather (see by-law 3).
  7. All playoff games must be seven innings in length unless the time limit is in effect.  Extra innings must be played to determine a winner (no ties).
  8. All games must commence on time and with a minimum of nine players. A roster player arriving after the game start at any point during the game may be inserted in the tenth position in the line up.  Additional players added to the lineup will follow the tenth position in the lineup.  The umpire must be notified of the player addition.
  9. There will be a 15-minute grace period to allow a team to field a minimum of nine players.
  10. The winning team must submit the regular season game score online within 7 days, and within 24 hours of the end of the regular season.  Playoff games must be reported directly to the Schedule Director within 24 hours.  In the event of a tie, the home team must submit the score.  For every score not submitted, the applicable points will not be recorded.
  11. Teams that do not report actual games results will be subject to a fine of $50.00 and loss of two points, for the first offence.  Additional offences will be subject to review and/or discipline by the D.R.S.A. Inc. Executive.
  12. All teams will supply their own sanctioned ( 52-300, 252 core ) game balls for batting in their half of the inning. The ball condition must be acceptable to the game umpire.
  13. All DRSA pitchers must wear a sanctioned protective mask when pitching.
  14. The home team will be responsible to put the home plate board in place before the first game and put the board away after the last game of the night.
  15. Home Run Rule (Fenced Diamonds Only): Match Plus 2 - At no time during a game, will the number of over the fence, unaided (not a four base error) home runs hit by one team be more than two (2) hit by the opposing team. When an over the fence home run is hit that is in excess of two (2), the batter will be called out.

By-Law Five - Coed-Playing Regulations

  1. A team can field more than 5 females but never more than 5 males. (Never more than ten (10) players in the field)
  2. The batting order will be an alternating line up and must always alternate sexes unless a team plays with more female than male players. In this case, up to three females may bat in succession. If a player shows up late after going through the order of that sex, they must be substituted into the batting line up.
  3. Scoring line: When scoring a run, the runner must cross behind home plate in foul territory across the scoring line. If the runner touches home plate or crosses in front of the plate in fair territory, he/she is out. If a defensive player has possession of the ball and is standing on home plate prior to the runner crossing the safe line, the runner is out. The safe line runs perpendicular to the third base line from the front of home plate.
  4. Commitment Line: Shall be 20 feet from home plate, towards third base, perpendicular to the third base line. Once a runner passes this line on their way towards home plate, they may not go back to third base.
  5. Coed division will use a 2’ X 3’ mat for the strike zone. If a ball hits any part of the mat, it will be called a strike. The catcher may touch any part of the mat to make a play at home plate.
  6. If a male walks, he is awarded second base and the following female in the order must bat.
  7. All other standard rules of Coed Slo-Pitch apply, according to the adopted rulebook.

 

By-Law Six - Protests

  1. A team filing a protest of a regular season D.R.S.A. Inc. game must notify the Second Vice-President, or if not available, the President, within 48 hours of completion of the protested game. This notification must be followed with a letter of protest within five days of the game.
  2. A team filing a protest of a playoff game, must notify the Second Vice-President, or if not available, the President, immediately following the game and a decision must be reached on the protest before the next game in the series can be played.
  3. Playoff game protest about player eligibility must be made before the last out of the third inning. If the player is deemed to be ineligible, then they are removed from the game and the offending team will forfeit the game in which the infraction has occurred. Any player substituted in the game is subject to eligibility rules.
  4. A fee of $50.00 must accompany all written protests (cash, certified cheque, bank draft or money order).
  5. During regular league play, the protest committee must make a ruling on a protest within one week of receipt of the written protest.
  6. If the protest is upheld, the $50.00 fee shall be refunded to the protesting team. If refused, it shall be retained by the D.R.S.A. Inc.

By-Law Seven - Ejections and Suspensions

  1. It shall be the responsibility of the umpires to inform (in writing) the D.R.S.A. Inc. of all ejections immediately following the game.
  2. A team or individual may be subject to a fine and/or suspension if caught abusing the privileges given the D.R.S.A. Inc. by the City of Oshawa for use of those diamonds.
  3. The D.R.S.A. Inc. Executive may fine and/or suspend any team, player, coach or manager, without compensation for the following:
    1. Use of an illegal player, cheating, fraud or attempted fraud, NSF cheques, or other acts considered detrimental to the D.R.S.A. Inc. or Slo-Pitch.
    2. Abuse to umpires, conveners, organizers or D.R.S.A. Inc. Executives. Based upon the adopted guidelines of the D.R.S.A. Inc. and the adopted governing body.
  4. A team that is issued a letter of suspension from the City of Oshawa shall be subjected to a $50.00 fine. In addition, all games forfeited as a result of the suspension will be subject to the $50.00 default fine per game. These fines are payable before the team is re-instated to play in league/playoff games. There will be no refunds to any club for games missed as a result of the suspension. Appeals for this letter must be made to the Oshawa Community Services Department.
  5. Appeal Procedure: An individual who wishes to appeal a suspension, must submit the appeal in writing to the Second Vice-President, or the President if not available, within 24 hours of the notice of suspension. The matter will be reviewed and a decision rendered within one week. While the appeal is in process, the player’s suspension will remain in effect.

By-Law Eight - Umpires

  1. Individual/group applying to the DRSA to provide umpire services will be reviewed and selected by the Executive, the selected individual/group is subject to the approval of the General Membership.  If no individual/umpire group applies to provide services, the executive may review alternatives which will be subject to General membership approval.
  2. All umpires officiating D.R.S.A. Inc. games must be carded by a regulatory slo-pitch body. Fees to be paid to umpires are subject to approval by the D.R.S.A. Inc. membership.

By-Law Nine - Awards and Trophies

  1. The winning team in each of the playoff categories shall be declared the D.R.S.A. Inc. Champion, and awarded. Divisions may include: Premier, Canadian, National, Federal, and Provincial, Masters, Ladies, Coed and any other appropriate division determined by the Executive.
  2. The team finishing first in each division at the end of the regular season shall receive an annual trophy.
  3. Other awards may be presented as determined by the awards committee.
  4. A book of records and accomplishments shall be maintained by the Vice-President of Scheduling and Statistics.