Section 1 — Registration Fee

North Portland Little League (NPLL) will require a registration fee for each child participating in a Little League program. This fee will be collected during the registration period for each season. The fee amount will be reviewed and set at the time of the annual budget and approved by the Board of Directors.

The registration fee is required, regardless of program levels. Scholarship cases shall be reviewed by the President or Player Agent and scholarships can be given. Scholarship requests and reviews will be kept confidential. Under no circumstances shall a child be denied the opportunity to participate in Little League due to financial limitations.

Section 2 — Team Sponsors

Team sponsor fees to be recommended by the Sponsorship Coordinator and/or Treasurer and approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 3 — Rosters

Rosters shall be established in accordance with Regulation III(a) of the Official Regulations and Playing Rules of Little League Baseball and Softball.

Section 4 — Managers and Coaches

Managers and Coaches of all baseball and softball teams shall be appointed by the President, with approval from the Board of Directors annually. Managers and Coaches must receive a majority vote from the Board of Directors. Annual re-appointment of Managers and Coaches shall occur.

The appointments shall be based on an evaluation by the Coaching Coordinator, Division Vice President, and the President with the following guidelines:

• Demonstrate commitment to Little League Baseball, Inc. and North Portland Little League.
• Attendance at the Annual Coaches’ Orientation Meeting.
• Support of and participation in League activities, including but not limited to:

• Adherence to the Positive Coaching Alliance standards when conducting any activities within the league on or off the field.
• Cooperation with the Vice President of their division, the Coaching Coordinator, the President, and the Player Agent.
• Fundraising and maintenance of the playing field.
• Cooperation with the Umpire-in-Chief and all Umpires always.
• Participation in umpiring games during the season.
• Home and Visitor Manager duties as specified in the Rulebook.
• Adherence to the Pitching Regulations required by Little League International.
• Adhere to the Three Strikes Policy.
• Maintain the confidentiality of draft information.

Managers or Coaches not re-appointed shall have the opportunity to appeal the decision to the Vice President of their division. All Managers and Coaches are required to complete all training as required by Little League International.

Three Strikes Policy

If a Manager or Coach is ejected, fails to follow Positive Coaching Alliance Guidelines, intentionally or repeatedly fails to follow pitching regulations, or violates the draft confidentiality rules, the following will apply:

1. 1st offense: a written warning or up to a one- to two-game suspension, based on the severity of the offense, to be determined by a review by the Vice President of the division and the President. Individuals will be brought before the President, Vice President of the League, Vice President of Division, and Coaching Coordinator for a hearing to determine a warning, one- or two-game suspension, or other. Incidents will be reported on the individual's record.
2. 2nd offense: an automatic one- to two-game suspension, based on severity to be determined by a review by the President and all Vice Presidents, and/or a possible suspension for the remainder of the season including the All-Stars tournament. Individuals must submit a letter with a personal correction plan and appear before the Board of Directors for reinstatement.
3. 3rd offense: automatic suspension from North Portland Little League indefinitely. District 1 will be notified.

Note: If a Coach gets ejected, the acting Manager may be subjected to discipline by the Vice President of their division. Suspensions will be determined by the Vice President of the Division but will not be for the same game(s).

Section 5 — Supplies, Equipment, Property

The League will not lend or rent any equipment for use other than Little League functions.

Section 6 — Park Permits

All members of the league shall adhere to the rules and requirements set forth by Portland Parks and Recreation (PP&R) and will not in any way jeopardize the League’s standing and continued use of the fields by using fields when they have been declared closed by the Parks Department. Failure to recognize PP&R’s request will result in a board review and potential suspension.

Section 7 — Background Checks and Code of Conduct

Managers, Coaches, Umpires, Board members, and all Volunteers in contact with players are required to complete a Little League Volunteer form which grants permission for a criminal background check. Permission to volunteer in the league will be determined after reviewing the results of the background check. A background check must be completed for any Manager, Coach, Umpire or Volunteer who wishes to participate in any Little League activity before they can begin. Board members and volunteers agree to abide by the North Portland Little League Code of Conduct.

Section 1 — Major & AAA Divisions and Team Selection Process

Players selected to play in Majors and AAA shall be determined by a complete redraft.

Managers may declare one Coach prior to the draft and be assigned that Coach’s child in their appropriate draft round, determined by the Player Agent prior to the start of the draft.

The Player Agent and Vice Presidents shall establish skills assessment dates and a draft date. The Player Agent shall organize and be present for the skills assessment. Managers and Coaches will be required to attend at least one skills assessment date, with a strong recommendation to attend both sessions. There will be at least two skills assessments. Other Board Members shall attend at least one skills assessment to lend their assistance to the Player Agent and Vice Presidents as needed.

Players must attend at least one skills assessment to be eligible for the draft, absent circumstances outside their control, such as illness or injury. When the skills assessments are complete, the Player Agent shall collect the coaches’ confidential skills assessment data, and prepare a summary for all managers to review, assigning players an anticipated round to be drafted in, and a summary and/or average score for the skills assessed.

Draft Guidelines

• All players will either be drafted or assigned to a lower division if not selected for Majors or AAA, except for 11- and 12-year-old players, who will not be assigned to any division lower than AAA. The Player Agent and Managers will make a good faith effort to draft players to their intended level of play, subject to roster size and competitive balance. Only in extreme safety circumstances shall a 12-year-old play AAA. No 12-year-old will play AAA without the approval of the President, VP of Division, and Player Agent.
• Managers shall be assigned a draft number in a randomized manner as chosen by the Player Agent. Managers shall draft in a serpentine format. Managers shall strive to draft the most competitive and balanced team available to them.
• All draft information shall remain confidential. A violation of this confidentiality can result in the removal of the Manager or Coach.
• A Manager and paired Coach are required to draft their child in the round assigned by the Player Agent, based on the skills assessment. Where a Manager has multiple eligible children, or the Manager and paired Coach have children with skills assessment criteria assessed to the same round, the Player Agent shall assign those players into different rounds.

Trading Players

1. Once the draft is complete, the Managers may take up to 48 hours prior to roster announcements to families to make any final trades, after which final rosters are due to the Player Agent.
2. Requested trades must be agreed upon by both Managers in writing to the Player Agent.
3. Trades must be player for player, unless approved by the President.
4. All trades must be for justifiable reasons and be approved by the Player Agent and President.
5. Managers and Coaches are prohibited from announcing their teams until the Player Agent has finalized all rosters.

Section 2 — Mandatory Playing Rules / Substitutions

All Managers and Coaches will adhere to the rules set by Little League International and failure to do so will result in the penalty outlined by the Three Strikes Policy (Article I, Section 4).

Section 3 — Player Replacement

If a player is not able to complete a season for any reason that player may be replaced by an eligible player from the waiting list.

Section 4 — Intended Age for Levels of Play

A player can be placed outside of the Intended Age Levels of Play if approved by the Player Agent and Vice President of the division. Parents will be consulted prior to placing a child in a level of play in which they did not register.

• T-Ball is intended for league age 4 to 6.
• A level is intended for league age 6 to 7.
• AA level is intended for league age 7 to 8.
• AAA level is intended for league age 8 to 11.
• Majors level is intended for league age 10 to 12.
• Juniors level is intended for league age 12 to 14.
• Seniors level is intended for league age 13 to 16.

Section 5 — Dual Rostering

A player may be on the roster of two teams during the same Little League regular season, provided the player is age-eligible to participate at the Majors Division or above and is otherwise eligible under all conditions. The player must be appropriately assessed to determine if they can play at the higher level. Dual rosters may exist for Major and Junior divisions or Junior and Senior divisions. Dual rostering requires the approval of the Vice President of Division. If possible, the intent of a player to be dual-rostered should be disclosed to Managers at the time of the draft.

Section 6 — Proof of Age & Residency

Every player shall present Proof of Age and parents shall provide proof of residency when they are initially registering for Little League. Proof of Age and boundary requirement shall be verified by the President or Player Agent.

Section 7 — Pool Players

Pool Players shall be determined by age and availability and next determined by the order in which they signed up for Pool Play. Only players signed up for pool play may be called in for a game. Coaches cannot assign other teams’ players without consulting the Player Agent or President first unless an equitable arrangement is made with the opposing Manager.

In regular season games played between NPLL teams, players from the player pool shall bat last in the lineup, and not pitch or catch, absent extraordinary circumstances.

Section 8 — Medical Release Forms

Medical Release forms are required for every player and will be kept in the Team Binder that will be at every practice and game. Medical Release forms are required before the first assessment or practice, depending on level of play.

Section 9 — All-Stars

Prior to the spring coaches' meeting, an All-Stars Committee will be formed. This committee shall be composed of the following board members: President, Vice President(s), Player Agent, Coaching Coordinator, and up to three additional board members, who shall be selected by a board vote if necessary. The primary responsibility of this committee is to oversee the All-Stars process and the order in which teams are selected. The All-Star Committee has the responsibility to award the manager assignment for each team.

Teams shall be selected by a combination of a player vote from each team and the Manager’s selection for their roster. If a team’s player vote results in a tie, the Manager will report it to the Vice President of their division, and the All-Stars Manager will make the final roster selections. The All-Stars Manager shall make the remaining roster decisions based on regular season performance, sportsmanship and coaches' recommendations, and availability for the Tournament season.