Youth Athletics
By-Laws
Revised August 1, 2021
General League Rules
Participants
- General. All youth athletics participants are under the direct authority of Alleghany County Parks & Recreation and are thus subject to its directions and guidelines.
- Sportsmanship. All players shall conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner at all times.
- No Tolerance. Players are subject to the No Tolerance Policy contained in these by-laws.
Eligibility Guidelines
- Residency. Players on youth athletic teams sanctioned by Alleghany County Parks & Recreation shall be Alleghany County residents. The official address used to determine residency is the current address of the child’s legal guardian at the time of registration.
- Non-Residents. Non-county residents who attend Alleghany County Schools may be eligible to participate with a county sanctioned team that serves the school the child attends if the team has space available and it does not conflict with requirements of the department.
- Recreation Team Boundaries. Participants must play for a team that serves their legal residence. Teams are formed based on the elementary school attendance zone of the participant’s legal residence.
Exceptions. Youth athletics participants must play for their legal residence attendance zone unless they meet one of the criteria listed below. Exceptions not listed in this policy will be dealt with on an individual basis and in the best interest of the County’s program. Any participant found to be playing in an incorrect zone would be subject to disciplinary action, which may include removal from the program.
- If there are not enough participants within an elementary school attendance zone to form a team, the Recreation Department may combine participants from different attendance zones to best serve the department’s programs.
- If a participant moves out of the County or an elementary school attendance zone after registration, the participant may continue to play on that team for that season only. They will then be required to play for teams that serve their new address for all future sports.
- If a County resident attends a school that does not serve their legal residence, the participant has the choice to play within their legal residence attendance zone or to play within the attendance zone of the school they attend. Once a participant chooses an attendance zone to play within, they must do so for all sports. If the participant chooses to go back to their legal residence attendance zone, they must play within that zone until they age out of the program.
If a child that resides outside of Covington or Alleghany County who attends or will attend the new consolidated school system, the parent will have a one-time choice of which organization they participate with. Once a choice is made, that child must participate with that program for all sports until they age out of the program.
Coaches
- General. All coaches are under the direct authority of the Recreation Department and are thus subject to its directions and guidelines.
- Application. Anyone wishing to coach, in any league, must fill out a Coaching Application and a Background Check form. All applications are subject to Recreation Department approval.
- Sportsmanship. All coaches shall conduct themselves in a sportsmanlike manner at all times. Coaches must encourage sportsmanship and safety above all else. The purpose of our leagues is to promote sportsmanship, build character, and teach the fundamentals of each sport.
- No Tolerance. Coaches are subject to the No Tolerance Policy contained in these by-laws.
- Accountability. The Head Coach is responsible for the conduct of his/her players and assistants.
- Certification. All coaches MUST be certified by the National Youth Sports Coaches Association. NYSCA provides liability insurance coverage for coaches during that particular sports season. Coaches must be certified before practices begin. Any coach that is not living up to the Code of Ethics pledge will be suspended from the league, and his/her certification will be revoked by NYSCA. Contact the Recreation Office to get certified.
- Mandatory Reporting Form. All coaches MUST complete the Mandatory Reporting Form. This form recognizes that as volunteers in a youth program, you are bound by law to report child abuse and neglect to child protective services within 24 hours.
- Disciplining Players. Coaches will be allowed to institute disciplinary action against their players, subject to NYSCA guidelines.
- Meeting with Parents. Each year, the Head Coach must conduct a preseason meeting with the parents/guardians of the players. At this meeting, all expectations and/or team rules must be communicated to the parents.
- Approval for Fundraisers. Each fundraiser must be pre-approved through the parks & recreation office by either the Director or Recreation Supervisor.
- Financial Accountability. An accurate financial record of fund raising must be maintained in the Recreation Office. This duty rests solely upon the individual Head Coach. Therefore, each coach must report how much gain is received from each fund raiser, including all receipts for expenses incurred that are directly tied to the fund raising activity. Coaches must submit this information as soon as you can. Ideally, the Recreation Office would like this information the day after the fund raiser takes place.
Parents
- Transportation of Children. Transportation to and from practices and games is the responsibility of the parent(s), not the coaches.
- Sportsmanship. All parents are expected to act in a sportsmanlike manner at all youth sporting events.
- No Tolerance. Parents are subject to the No Tolerance Policy contained in these by-laws.
- Equipment Responsibility. All equipment will be returned to the Recreation Office following the child’s last game, or the parents will be billed for the replacement value of all articles not returned. No child will be allowed further participation in our programs if these conditions are not met.
- Registration. It is the parent(s)/guardian(s) responsibility to register children for youth league athletics. All three forms must be filled out completely. The three forms include; the Health History/Medical Release form, the Assumption of Risk & Indemnification Agreement, and the Parent and Child Code of Ethics form. All three forms are attached to these by-laws.
- Closed Practices. Practices may be closed at the coach’s discretion. If parents become a problem at practices, the coach may request parents to drop their children off and require them to return later to pick them up.
All Spectators
General.
All persons in attendance at any Youth League activity are under the authority of the Recreation Department.
- Sportsmanship. All spectators are expected to act in a sportsmanlike manner at all youth sporting events.
- No Tolerance. Spectators are subject to the No Tolerance Policy contained in these by-laws.
- Food & Drink in Gyms. During practice and games, food and drink are not allowed in the gyms.
Officials
- Certification. All referees/officials MUST be certified by the National Youth Sports Officials Association (NYSOA) and/or the Virginia High School League (VHSL). NYSOA provides liability insurance that will cover officials throughout the season. Officials must be certified before officiating games. Contact the Recreation Office to be certified as an official.
- Coaches that Officiate. Youth League coaches may not be referees/officials in the same league & age division in which they coach.
Injuries
- Physicals. Each child is encouraged to have a physical prior to participating in any Youth Athletics Program sponsored by the County/City Recreation Departments.
- Indemnification. Alleghany County, Bath County, the City of Covington, the Town of Clifton Forge, their officers, agents, and volunteers are not liable for any injury that may result from the negligence of persons conducting this program. Alleghany County recommends that participants secure adequate medical insurance to cover any injury that may arise from participation in Alleghany County’s recreation programs.
- Coaching Safely. Coaches are instructed to coach in a manner that allows for the maximum amount of safety possible at all times.
Protests
- General. Only qualified personnel of the Recreation Department can make on-site decisions pertaining to the interpretation of by-laws and eligibility.
- Judgment Calls. There shall be no protests concerning a judgment ruling of any official.
- Qualified Personnel Defined. Qualified personnel are those that work directly with the youth athletics programs, within the Recreation Office, on a full-time basis.
Cancellations and Postponements
- Authority to Cancel. The authority to postpone a scheduled youth league game or reschedule a game that has been postponed rests solely in the hands of Alleghany County Parks & Recreation.
- Forfeits. Teams that fail to appear for scheduled games will have to forfeit the game.
- Cancellation Announcements. All cancellations will be made public on the Parks and Recreation Sports & Cancellation Line; 962-PARK (7275). If public notification of cancellation is not made by that time, the decision to play will lie in the judgment of the site supervisor at the game site.
Make-Up Games
- Rescheduling Games. Recreation Staff will handle all scheduling of make-up games. Make-up games will be scheduled at the earliest, most feasible date.
- Postponing Make-Up Games. Teams will not be allowed to postpone any make-up games. Refusal to play a make-up game will result in forfeiture of that game.
No Tolerance Policy
- General. The goal of the Alleghany County Parks and Recreation Department is to provide a fun, safe, positive and supportive atmosphere for the players, staff and spectators of Alleghany County’s athletic events. The Department has taken a proactive, no tolerance stance towards any unsportsmanlike act or conduct. Any participant, coach, spectator or official may be disqualified from future participation in the County’s athletic programs for any unsportsmanlike conduct and actions.
- Examples of Infractions. The below infractions are in no way a complete list of intolerable actions during a youth sporting event. The purpose is to show examples of infractions and their possible consequences. Alleghany County reserves the right to vary suspension length based on the severity of the action as well as the history of the individual. Note: If a parent is suspended, the child is suspended also.
One Game Suspensions. Infractions that may warrant a one game suspension:
Receiving a technical foul, or flagrant foul during a game for unsportsmanlike conduct
Not complying with request of game personnel (official, scorekeeper, sites supervisor)
Multiple Game Suspensions. Infractions that may warrant a multiple game suspension:
Using obscene language or displaying flagrant gestures or other unsportsmanlike conduct
Ejection from a game for inappropriate conduct
Ejection of a participant from a game for rules violations (i.e. Two Technical Fouls)
Failure to provide Alleghany County, officials with the name/s of player/s, coach/s or spectator/s involved in any infraction when requested to do so
Failure to play all participants their required playing time
Use of tobacco by a coach, participant, or game personnel during a scheduled game or practice
Year Long Suspensions. Infractions that may warrant a yearlong suspension:
Verbal threats or harassment made by a player, spectator or game personnel preceding, during or following a game
Providing false registration information about a participant which makes them eligible to participate in the County’s programs
Multiple suspensions
Lifetime Suspensions. Infractions that may warrant possible lifetime suspensions:
Physical violence towards a player, coach, spectator, scorekeeper or official preceding, during or following a game
Bringing a firearm or weapon into any County facility or park by someone who is not a law enforcement officer
Being under the influence of drugs or alcohol on or around Alleghany County facilities
- Reinstatement After Ejection. Also, please note that any person ejected or removed from Alleghany County’s events or facilities will not be allowed to participate in or spectate at any Departmental activity until given permission from authorized County personnel. Again, our goal is to provide a safe, fun, and positive environment for all participants of Alleghany County’s programs and to ensure that everyone is aware that there is no place for inappropriate conduct or actions at any of our events.