Youth Forum Minutes

1. Forfeits

a. To counter the prevalence of forfeits it is suggested that any team that forfeits more than once loses the right to a playoff place, regardless of their final league position.
b. That a clear reason for a forfeit is communicated to the Youth Leagues Director on the first working day after the fixture.

Whilst the Northern Youth Meeting agreed to both point a and b, believing sanctions to be important in showing that BBF/BSUK are making efforts to stamp out unnecessary forfeits, the Southern meeting felt it would be better to invest the Leagues Director with the power to:
1. seek reasons for a missed date from the teams involved
2. appoint a further date for the fixture to be completed
3. to award the forfeit depending on the evidence given by the forfeiting team, or in the case of the further date not being fulfilled

BSUK decision: To follow the Southern meetings recommendations.

2. 2005 Rule Changes

All rules accepted by both meetings, apart from item 4, general rule q. The Northern meeting felt it would be good to stretch catchers and infielders, also that it returns that part of the game to its original intent. Southern Meeting felt that the existing rule helps to protect pitchers and should be kept

BSUK decision: To keep the rule as it is. All other rules changes will come into effect this year.

3. 2005 League Structure

North Pony: combining the NW and NE divisions.
Pony teams in agreement on this. It was suggested that clubs who are far apart can play a round robin of games at a third clubs location, cutting travel distances down. Tom Gillespie will create a schedule for review. It was also suggested that Bronco could follow the same path and play fixtures in a similar fashion. It was agreed DMV would canvass more views from those teams who were not in attendance.

South Pony: re-dividing the Conferences into South South and South North divisions.
This was met with general agreement. The travel issues were believed to have contributed to forfeits. Tom Gillespie will create a schedule, but this may be dependent on the item below.

South Pony: moving to an A and B division within Pony, teams self-identifying.
Darik Miles suggested this. The split would be self identified. Darik has agreed to present a proposal for consideration by all Southern Pony teams and BSUK.

4. Player ID Cards

It was felt by both meetings that printing the website rosters on the day of fixtures was enough to counter any frauds.

BSUK decision: Not to follow up on I.D. cards.

5. Bronco Pitching Restrictions

A proposal to change the limit to 3 innings per game, to relieve pressure on inexperienced pitchers, and to increase the day limit to 6 innings.

Both meetings felt it was not useful to increase the Bronco limit per day to 6 innings, adding to a pitchers count. Although there was some agreement about reducing the limit per game to 3, it was felt the limit works well as is, but should be reviewed each year. Robert Hodgson felt it would be better to move to pitch counts, to be more accurate about the number of pitches thrown.

BSUK decision: To keep the Bronco limit per day the same, to review whether pitch counting is a better route.

6. Pony League Field Sizes

That Pony field sizes should be increased to adult sizes to match European tournament standards.

Both meetings felt that, although it may be a good idea in the future, neither league was in a position to support this. It was agreed that the situation should be reviewed on a yearly basis.

BSUK decision: To keep field sizes as they are, to review on a yearly basis.

7. Youth Baseball, the BBF and who has authority

That the Youth Leagues are run in the same way as the adult leagues, i.e. BSUK managing day to day administration, BBF having a policy and final decision role to play.

There was general agreement in both meetings for this to happen. In fact a proposal had already put forward to the BBF board to this effect by BSUK. The board has agreed that day to day administration should stay in BSUK hands, with a right to appeal BSUK decisions via the board.

8. National team training in the North

Tom Gillespie answered this question. There are plans for clinics for coaching in the North and it is hoped that the supercoach programme will also help to aid clubs in their development.

9. Changing the nature of the Youth Final 4

Keeping Pony as is, with a wider tournament for Bronco (i.e. not a F4 but a general tournament). The Bronco league leaders play as part of an end of season celebration. Linked to this, the expansion of the Play Ball! World Series to welcome Bronco teams, most probably in a separate Bronco tournament within the PBWS.

Both meetings felt that the Youth Final 4 for Bronco should stay the same, but both were interested in expanding the options for tournaments. In the North a second place tournament was suggested. In the South, both a general celebration tournament was seen as a good idea, also adding a Bronco tournament to the Play Ball World Series.

10. BBF Board Youth Leagues Rep

John Eaton is re-standing as the BBF Northern Youth Rep.
Darik Miles is re-standing as the BBF Southern Youth Rep.
No other candidate came forward, both were endorsed for a further year.

11. AOB

• It was suggested at the Southern meeting that Bronco teams in the South could benefit from a more tournament based schedule, depending on the number of teams taking part this year.
• Another suggestion was to have a May to July league and August bea fun tournament month, perhaps mixing and matching short handed teams through holidays to make All Star teams. DMV will investigate options once the number of teams is confirmed.
• Clubs with both Pony and Bronco teams asked for sympathetic scheduling to achieve same home games for Bronco and Pony.
• An All Star Pony game at the Adult Final 4 was also suggested as a way of exposing youth play to adults who dont normally see it.
• Youth Final 4: Some complaints about the lack of a YF4 report up on the website in good time after the tournament. Also it was felt a lack of medals and trophies at YF4 devalued the competition. Both complaints taken on board by DMV and a promise that it will be rectified in 2005.
• A suggestion made that an auto email to notify of relevant news items being posted on the website be set up, perhaps on a weekly basis. DMV has passed on the request to the website group for discussion and will report back.