By Laws
Maine Valley 8-Ball Association
(Est. 1991)
By-Laws, League Rules & Regulations
(Amended June 2010 in BOLD)
To ensure that consistency is maintained in the Maine Valley league system throughout the state. The Maine Valley 8-Ball Association operates as a league system that provides sanctioned players from multiple Leagues and divisions a platform of control and parity. The League operates independently of any Charter Holders financial status; therefore is considered to be an entity of its own. All cash, awards and prizes earned by participating teams and players as well as compensation for services provided shall be reviewed each year during the month of April by the Board of Advisors The Association shall operate on a not for profit basis carrying a minimum balance of $500.00 and a maximum of $1000.00 from one league season thru the next.
A. Purpose:
1. To promote sportsmanship, goodwill and unity among players of the game.
2. To provide a standardized set of rules, methods, and scoring procedures and reports to enhance the game so it may be played in an organized and competitive manner.
3. To promote business opportunities and goodwill for sponsoring locations.
B. Sanctions and fees:
1. All players are required to pay a one time $15.00 sanction fee due the first time a player plays. Sanctions run from 1 July to 30 June. Teams using non-sanctioned players will lose those players scores.
2. Team fees are $32.00 per team per week not $8.00 per player. Shortages have gotten out of hand therefore effective 1 January 2009 any shortages not paid within two weeks will be dealt with as delinquent as listed in paragraph 3 below.
3. Delinquent teams will be assessed a penalty of one (1) Round point for each $4.00 delinquency not to be redeemed. Furthermore, if the shortage is not paid in full the offending team will not be eligible to participate in the end of year State tournament. If any player is in arrears in sanction fees or weekly league fees; that player is not eligible to play in any Maine Valley sanctioned events.
4. If the league secretary is unable to determine who is responsible for a shortage in a league envelope, the Home team will be considered the delinquent team as listed in paragraph D of this document.
C. Officers:
Director:
The Director is the overall manager of the Maine Valley system; and is responsible to ensure that all matters concerning league play are within Association By-Laws as well as any league rules that may apply. The directors’ decisions on all matters of rule interpretation, schedules, protest decisions and league management considered within the guidelines set by the Association By-laws shall be considered final.
Secretary/Treasurer:
The secretary/treasurer position is responsible for maintaining all league finances, schedules, and standings.
Area Coordinators:
Are appointed by the State Director; Area coordinators are sitting members of the Board of Advisors. Area Coordinators are entitled to monetary compensation for administrative tasks as determined and approved by the Advisory Board.
The Coordinator is the key communication link between the player representatives, captains and players. He/she will hold periodic captains meetings as necessary; provide input to local media sources; sit and chair the protest and Rating Review committees within their area. As designated, area coordinators may also responsible for the collection of all match score sheets and league fees insuring they are delivered to the league office for posting or insuring that the funds are deposited weekly and a receipt forwarded to the league office. He/she must be an active, sanctioned player and is required to maintain a current phone number with the league office at all times.
Player Representative:
Appointed by the Area Coordinator as the “go to person” to assist the area coordinator in ‘passing the word’ and any other matters that involve their specific league or division; they will also serve as a sitting member of the league protest committee, providing their respective teams, are in no way involved in the protest. Player representatives must be currently sanctioned and maintain a current phone number with the league office.
D. Team Captains Duties:
Are required to provide and keep a current phone number on file with the league office
Shall be present or send an acting captain to all league meetings called by the Area Coordinator, Failure to do so, may result in Round point penalties as approved by the Advisory board.
The captain shall insure that all team players are sanctioned and aware of league rules and regulations.
The captain is responsible for collecting all fees as well as addresses required for sanctioning. And to ensure weekly match fees are collected prior to beginning play.
Home team captain is responsible for the accuracy of the score sheets and to ensure that the envelope is properly sealed and funds verified.
Both HOME and Visiting captains must verify and sign score sheets at the completion of each match. The home team is responsible for maintaining the score sheets during a match and completing the totals box after the match. Failure to do so may result in administrative action resulting in point standing reductions for repeat offenders.
Team captains are responsible for settling any disputes that may arise during a match.
E. Teams:
A team may use a player from another team in the same league if they are short; providing both team captains agree. A non-roster substitute may play with any team; however, after playing a 3rd time, the team captain must either add such player to their roster, or lose all points made by such player on the match in violation. The player must be a sanctioned VNEA sanctioned player of the Maine Valley 8-Ball Association. State tournament teams will be limited to a roster of 6 players with the low four (4) TRS ratings used to classify a team.
Falsifying a line-up by writing the name of a sanctioned player and using another player is prohibited. Any offending Captain will be suspended for a period of no less than one year.
(a) The offending team will be assessed a 10-0 loss for each game the offending player played.
(b) A second offense will result in expulsion from the league, with no participating players from that team allowed to play on any other league teams for a period of no less than one year.
(c) Team rosters must total a minimum of 22 TRS points based on the lowest four TRS totals.
For tournaments, the following team TRS totals apply:
Open Division TRS 22 thru 28 /Sportsman No 5’s TRS 29 thru 35/Recreation No 7’s TRS 36 thru 40
(d) No roster changes allowed after 1 February. A team may not drop any player from the season roster to compete in a lower division. Exceptions to this policy must be requested through a teams area coordinator and approved by the Director. Players who play on two separate teams in separate leagues must have a minimum of 32 games with the participating team before he /she can play with a team in the state tournament. Those players may be on both rosters for the state tournament; however once that player plays for one team, eligibility for the second team is lost. Obviously, no player will be allowed to play for more than one team in the same league, except as a league-sub. Teams must have three players with a minimum of 12 weeks (48 games) with the participating team in any line-up for any round; the fourth player must have a minimum of 8 weeks (32 games) with that specific team, violation of this by-law will result in team disqualification!
(e) The Rating Review committees in each area are tasked with reviewing player ratings periodically throughout the league year; rating changes will be in effect upon receipt and approval by the State Director. Teams that have players advanced at any time during the current season will be placed in the appropriate State playoff division. Any player ratings changed later than 1 March of the given year will take effect 1 July of that year with the exception of (N) rated players. Players that are Rated (N) will assume their assigned ratings immediately upon classification.
F: Age Requirements:
The legal drinking age requirement as listed within the current VNEA rules is superseded by this by-law. It is the team captains’ responsibility to ensure that location owners are made aware prior to the match that a minor is on the scheduled team. The establishment owner has the final say on player participation.
Under 21 players are limited to Maine Valley 8 Ball League and Quebec Invitational events if qualified.
G: Spring Session Add-Ones:
Teams entering the league in the 2nd half and register to play in the State tournament will be paid 50% of year ending prize money. Teams that drop out at any time without completing the entire season are not entitled to any prize money.
H. Matches:
a. A maximum delay of 15 minutes is allowed to start a league match.
b. Forfeits must be paid for to receive match points; the offending team must pay up all fees due, within the two week period following the match date or be subjected to the penalties as described in paragraphs B 3 & 4 of this document.
c. To reschedule a match, team captains should make every attempt to reach an agreeable time and date. If a team shows up short and cannot field a team, a forfeit is a legitimate call; however, the opposing team captain can be as lenient as they chose and reschedule the match. Otherwise a minimum of 24 hours is required. Matches should be made up before the next scheduled league match unless prior arrangements are made with Area coordinator.
d. Playing on two tables is not encouraged; however, common sense needs to be used; if a match is running inordinately slow; a decision may be mutually made, to finish the match on two tables if they are available.
E. Playing out of order: If players inadvertently play out of order during a match; the game is restarted upon realizing that the wrong players are playing. If the game is completed before it is realized, the game then gets moved to where it would originally have been played.
f. At times, a captain may ask to allow one of their players to play all their matches back to back! This is acceptable to the league on certain occasions; both team captains must agree. This is not to be made a regular practice. All players must play all their matches on a league night unless a verifiable emergency exist. Failure to complete a match will result in t the offending player’s loss all scores for that nights match.
g. All former VNEA players that have a TRS rating and do not have a posted handicap shall play their first 4 weeks according to the following Default scale. 1 thru 3 =11 handicap,4 & 5 = 10, 6 & 7 = 9, 8 = 8, 9’s will play as 7’s while 10 rated players will play as 6’s. Non Rated players (N) will play by averaging the first weeks play and according to total points divided by total games: thereafter as posted on the weekly stat sheet. If a division remains intact from the previous season the Archived handicaps will stay in place.
H. League Fees:
Teams shall pay $32.00 per league match
I. League/Division Champions:
1. The team with the most round point winning percentage at the end of a session will be the division champion. If a team wins both sessions they are considered league champions. Division winners will be awarded 50% of the entry fee for the State Tournament. If a team wins both the Fall and Spring sessions they will be entered in the State tournament at no charge.
In case of a Round Point tie, the precedence for breaking the tie is listed below:
a. Most total points w/handicap
b. Most games won
c. Most total points without/handicap
d. Play-off match
J. All Association Tournaments:
All state singles and team tournaments will be held in a public facility such as a pool hall or a rented or leased neutral site. No association tournaments will be authorized in bars or private clubs.
Any team or player in financial arrears with the association is not eligible to participate in any level of tournament play.
The Secretary will review all teams and participants placing them in the appropriate division. Cash payoff for the state finals will be based on the current balance of league funds less debits as of 15 April of the current playing season and the number of teams registered in a division.
Teams that play the fall session and drop out in the spring are not entitled to play in the state tournament.
If a match is tied at the completion of their division format, the teams will replay the last round as listed on the score sheet, the teams will alternate breaking; a coin toss will determine who breaks first. If the match is still tied at the end of the extended round the match will go into sudden death overtime with the visiting team naming their player first to be followed by the home team!
Any State team or singles champion, who chooses to participate in the International Championship tournament in Las Vegas, shall have their entry and Awards banquet fees paid for by the Association.
Only one 32 game (8 weeks) player may play in any one round. Violating this rule will result in the loss of the entire round.
Teams are no longer permitted to add players after 1 February
If a player plays for multiple teams, and is not released; the team which he or she has accumulated the highest number of matches will be considered the original team.
State Team Formats:
Open Division teams will play the 24 game format and use the TRS team differential X 2
Sportsman Division teams will play the 20 game format and use the TRS team differential X 2
Recreational Division teams will play the 16 game format and use the team differential X 2
Example of team differential handicap:
Team A has a team TRS of 29 and Team B has a team TRS of 35!
The difference is 35 - 29 = 6, so multiply 6 X 2 = 12; Team B gets 12 points posted up-front added to the first match score. So for example the first Team A player scores 5 and the Team B player gets 10 add the differential of 12 = 22, the match score is A-5 B-22 after game 1. There is no further adjustment and the match continues scratch from that point!
Sponsoring Establishments and Private Clubs:
When private clubs sign up to sponsor a team in the league, the sponsoring club is responsible for ensuring that all visiting players are provided a sponsor when their team is assigned that location as Invited Guest of that club in accordance with the specific clubs rules and policies. Visiting teams consequently are responsible for adhering to all policies and By-Laws pertaining to visitors of that club. If any league player has any objections to the rules, policies and By-Laws of a participating private sponsoring establishment: the visiting team captain shall make the necessary adjustments to schedule an alternate player to fill in on that week of play.
Shall provide the necessary tables for all teams scheduled in their establishment for league play.
Maintain measures to safeguard the “Envelope” until a league representative picks it up. If the envelope lost, it is the establishment’s responsibility to make up the lost revenue. Consequently establishments are encouraged to have the home team captain collect the fees from both teams, verify the contents and turn them over to the location management before the match begins.
Have the right to remove any player from any team that is not meeting establishment behavior standards.
Shall maintain and keep the equipment in good playing conditions at all times.
K. Perfect Match Award:
40 Zip (40-0) will entitle a player to an all expense trip to the International Championships the year the feat is accomplished. To be eligible, the player must have completed the feat in four innings. Once the player misses and allows his or her opponent to the table the award is lost.