THE MANAGER’S HANDBOOK
This collection of very useful information has been put together to help Managers become accustomed to their role and hopefully make their job worry free.
Please take a little time to look through these pages. We do hope you will appreciate the helpful tips. If you are new to the sport it is recommended that you print yourself a copy of the handbook and keep it with you for the season.
If there is something you require that is not available here please do not hesitate to seek help. Contact details are noted in the communication section further on.
CONTENTS:
Communication & Reference Guide
Where to find reference material e.g. documents, forms etc.
The Beginning of the Season
During the Season
The End of the Season
Other Information & The Paper Work
Details of Grounds
Wet Weather Information
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Managers
COMMUNICATION AND REFERENCE GUIDE
WEBSITE
This is our main communication tool, please get into the habit of logging on and looking
around and please encourage your team also. Every document and form used by the club
can be found here. All information will be made available here as it comes to hand. We ask
that the managers remind players and parents to log on and have a look as there is some
great information to be found which can really be a help to parents, players, coaches &
managers. There are also links to other baseball related sites that are well worth
exploring. The web could always do with a few photos to keep it lively so if you have any of
the teams or players please send them in to: webmaster@seasiders.com.au
www.seasiders.baseball.com.au
www.manlywarringah.baseball.com.au
www.mwbu.baseball.com.au
“OFF THE BAT “– OUR NEWS BULLETIN
From time to time we produce a news bulletin of what’s happening within Seasiders and
Manly Warringah Baseball. When a publication is due Managers will be informed and hard
copies displayed at the canteen. The most popular way to read the latest news is on the
website. The bulletin along with all current dates, Coaching/Umpiring clinics, canteen
rosters, future events, team news, gala days, representative player information, photos
etc. Should you wish to submit an article please contact the Editor at
newsletter@seasiderss.com.au
TEAM Folders
From time to time there is information to share with families. If there is anything
that needs to come direct to you or your team manager it will be placed in the team
folder. These are at the canteen every Saturday morning from 7.30am and are to
be collected by someone from each team prior to your game. The manager will
arrange for this to be collected. (Managers, see Managers Role under the
Information page on our web site).
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MANAGER’S CO-ORDINATOR
My job is to assist the managers as much as I can. You will be getting regular updates from me throughout the season. I will most likely do this via email, or by dropping a letter into your team folder.
However, please remember it’s a two way street and you are welcome to contact me too with any queries or problems.
Name: Julie Gunning
Email: manager@seasiders.com.au
Tel: 0410 375 259
COACH’S COORDINATOR
If there is anything you do not understand or need clarification about please feel free to give our coach’s coordinator Neil Giordano, a call. Neil has a long standing within the game and will endeavour to help however he can.
Name: Neil Giordano
Email: cripleyg@bigpond.com
Tel: 0414 996 180
UMPIRE’S COORDINATOR
If there is anything you do not understand or need clarification about umpiring please feel free to give our umpire’s coordinator Gordon Blinkhorne, a call. Gordon has been involved with umpiring for a long time within the game and will endeavour to help however he can.
Name: Gordon Blinkhorne
Email: blinkycares@westnet.com.au
Tel: 0412 146 899
Umpiring
We also have affiliation with the Manly Warringah Baseball Umpires, and would suggest that if you have any problems or questions regarding Umpiring you contact this group they have a large amount of knowledge and may even be able to help with umpiring duties if you run out of options.
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QUICK REFERENCE – WHERE DO I FIND IT ON THE WEB?
www.seasiders.baseball.com.au
Resources
Baseball Terms
Code of Conducts
Child Protection Form
Diamond Sizes
JF Diamond setup Procedure
Hot Weather Procedure
MSBC Pitch Count
MSBC Umpires Handbook
MSBC Managers Handbook
MSBC Coaches Handbook
Registration Forms
Result Sheets
Welcome to Seasiders Booklet
Accident/Incident Report Form
Scoring Handbook
T Ball Terms
Wet Weather Procedure
Competition Info
MWJBL Club Competition
NSWBL Championship
Open Baseball
Minor League Summer
Major League
Teams
Minor League Winter
Governance
Age Matrix
ABF Anti-harassment Policy
ABF Baseball Rules V6
ABF Anti-doping Policy
ABF Insurance Claim Form
ABF Insurance Policy
By-Laws (Club)
Constitution (Club)
Constitution (MWJBL)
Committee Details
Image Policy
MWJBL Playing Rules
Meet the Committee
Zooka Game Procedure
Zooka Manual
John Fisher Local Ground Rules
Grounds
John Fisher
Aquatic
Bicentennial/Flat Rock
Rat Park
Regimental
St Matthews Farm
Meritorious Awards
Hall of Fame
Honour Board
Life Members
Tom O’Connell Trophy
Peter Bemrose Coach of the Year Trophy
Paul Harradine Player of the Year
Our Teams
Team Mangers & Coaches
Seasiders Teams
Team Reports
Photo Gallery & Newsletters
Merchandise
Wind Jackets
Fleeces
Kit Bags
Hats
Belts
Open’s Playing Shirt
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THE MANAGER’S ROLE
The key role of the Team Manager is to be the link of communication between the Club and your team’s players and their parents.
The Manager needs to deal with all the day-to-day issues of the team so the coach is free to coach.
THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON
i. Uniforms- At the beginning of each season all players will receive a club uniform consisting of pants and a top. All new players will also receive a cap. For returning players who have lost their cap new ones can be purchased from the canteen.
ii. Team Lists – You will be given a list of all you team members. The first thing you need to do is make sure all the details are correct. Once this is done make a copy of the list with each child’s name, their parent’s names, and a contact number and distribute to each player. Ask parents to keep this near the phone or in a place where it can be found at short notice. This really helps for times when you need to contact the players at short notice, for example if training is cancelled. You can start a ‘ring-a-round’. (See section in During the Season – Communication). Make sure you include your phone numbers and the team coach’s numbers as well.
iii. Player Code Of Conduct Forms – you have to make sure that all players read and sign this form. The little ones will need their parents to read through it with them and make sure that they understand. Once completed you need to get them back to me the Manager’s Coordinator or Mary Joyce via the team folder. These forms are available to download from the ‘RESOURCES’ page on our web site. Please note that no player can play till the form has been filled out.
iv. Child Protection Forms- Anyone who comes into contact with children in a position of authority or has the responsibility of looking after children MUST sign a child protection form. Therefore both the Manager and the Coach must sign these forms and then get them back to Mary Joyce. These forms are also available to download from the ‘RECOURSES’ page on our web site.
v. Competition Draw Once the draw is available on the web it may be an idea to print it out and hand it to parents and confirm game time and venue by email each week.
vi. Umpires Code of Conduct Forms- Anyone who umpires your team must read and complete this form. Once completed you need to get them back to either the Manager’s Coordinator or Gordon Blinkhorne (Umpires Coordinator) via the team folder. These forms are available to download from the ‘RESOURSES’ page on our web site. Please note that no player can play till the form has been filled out..
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DURING THE SEASON
i. Communication The most important of all the Manager’s roles.
*Between you and your team’s coach- do not forget this partnership. The coach ‘coaches’ the team and runs the game on Saturday. The manager looks after all the other details so the coach is free to do this. Keeping your coach updated with everything is just as important as keeping the players and their parents updated.
*Between you and your team players and parents- this is vitally important. Depending on the information that has to be disseminated depends on how you choose to do it.
For general information, if all players have access to email, it is often easiest to send a group email to your players. However it is NOT recommend you use email for wet weather and game day changes. This is not fool proof enough as not everyone has time to check their emails as they are flying out the door at 7.30am on their way to a game. Sometimes is it easiest to grab the parent’s attention for 5 mins after the game on Saturday and pass on any info to them as a group.
For changes on game day or training and/or game cancellation due to wet weather the “Ring-A-Round” is the best way to make sure everyone is notified. It also saves you making 12 phone calls. The Ring-A-Round works by using the team lists it was suggested you hand out at the beginning of the season. It involves a call from you to the first player on the list. That player then calls the next player and so on down the list till the last player has to call you. If someone gets no-answer or an answering machine they need to call the following person so the chain is not broken, and they then call you so you know that person has not been advised. Once you have had the call from the last person on the list you can be confident that everyone is informed. A news bulletin is published occasionally and published on our website, please encourage teams to read it.
*Between your team and the Club (and visa versa)- If there is anything that your team needs from the Club, it is up to you to contact the person you need- be it gear, uniforms, umpires etc. However, if you are not sure who to go to, please give the Manager’s Co-ordinator a call.
ii. Fundraising and Social Events– encourage parents to take part.
Each year we need funds to keep the club running so there will be some fundraising and social events that will be organised. The details of these will come separately, but you will need to make sure every one in your team has been advised.
iii. Rosters – Get the parents involved - you should not and can not do it all on your own - draw up a roster ASAP for these things below.
If you have any difficulties working out your team rosters, give the Manager’s Co-ordinator a call. Remember we cannot expect our kids to play as a team if the parents do not function as a team too!
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NB: If you find your team will be without an umpire at a home game please call The Umpire’s Co-ordinator as soon as you can and we can try to arrange someone to help out. The more notice you give the better chance we have of finding someone.
*Collection Of The Team Folder– Each team has a folder that will have information that needs to be passed onto players and parents every now and then such as team photos details, fundraising events etc.
This MUST be collected from the canteen (hanging on the whiteboard) at John Fisher prior to EVERY GAME every Saturday and returned by about 12.30pm the same day. If this is not collected you and your team may miss out on important information.
*Canteen Duty – Each team is responsible for taking their turn on the canteen. The club raises valuable funds from the canteen and therefore it is essential we have your (and your team’s) support. I know it can be an inconvenience, but when it is shared by everyone and not just the same parent each week it is not that difficult to manage. It is also a great way to get to know other club members. Once the draw has been finalised we will have the canteen roster drawn up and placed on the web site. Your team will be rostered on when you have a home game a few times throughout the season (the total number of teams we have registered will govern how often each team will need to be rostered on).
*Scoring - Every team has to have a scorer. It is best if all parents have a go at this, especially the T-ball parents as it is not hard to score a T-ball game and it helps you learn more about the game. Baseball however is a little harder to score, but I would still recommend having at least two to four parents able to take a turn. You need two people involved at each game of baseball, one to actually score and the other to take the pitch count. The club has some experienced scorers and it can be arranged to have your team’s parents taught how to score. See section on scoring for more information.
*Umpiring- At every home game your team must supply an umpire. You will have approximately half of your games at home during the season. The Manly Warringah Baseball Association holds umpiring courses at the beginning of the season. I will keep you updated on when these are to be run. It will be great to get 2 of your parents into these; again so one person is not wholly responsible for umpiring. This is also a great way to learn more about the game their children are playing. There is also a local Umpiring association (Manly Warringah Baseball Umpires) who can offer a wealth of assistance you can contact them at mwbu.baseball.com.au
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*Writing Up The Match Report Each Week – This is the fun part – every team at the end of every game should try to submit a match report to the club. This is then placed on our website in “Game Reports” under the “Our Teams” section. The children get real buzz out of seeing their names in print each week. It is up to you as manager how you wish to organise this. Some teams have a roster and a different parent is responsible for writing this up. In other teams there may be a parent, who can see themselves as the next great sports journalist, and you cannot get the pen out of their hands. Other teams have either the coach, manager or the players themselves write it up. Please make sure this is submitted each week, the kids really do enjoy reading about themselves and there have been some very funny reports over the years.
To submit the match report, simply email your report to Brian Joyce at webmaster@seasiders.com.au (Don’t forget to put details of the game. eg. Date of game, your team name, who you played and the score/result)
iv. Ground Set Up and Pack Up – As you are no doubt aware we only have two time slots for our games. They are, 8.30am and 10.30am. The early game teams are responsible for making sure the diamonds are set up. There will be ground stewards to help with this, but since your team needs to arrive at least half an hour prior to the game you should have parents there to help if needed. It is advisable that this duty also be put on a roster. The teams who play the second time slot are responsible for packing up the diamond, making sure all rubbish is cleaned up and returning the sulo bins with the bases in them back to the canteen.
v. Making It Fun – There are many ways you can help make Saturday baseball/t-ball fun for everyone. These are limited only by enthusiasm and your imagination…
*Player of the match certificates – The little ones love getting a certificate.
*Stickers – again, a favourite for the little ones.
*Special mention in the team match report for birthdays, great play, most improved player or even a quote of the week (kids can say some of the funniest things when you least expect it).
*Weekly (or less frequently) treats for the players after the game.
*Organise some fun team building events – for example - player vs. parent games, team BBQ or lunch at McDonalds after the game.
vi. Team Photos- We aim to have photos taken before Xmas so that they can be used for gifts. Details will be sent to you in advance so that your team has plenty of notice. The club insist that every player must take part in the photos but there is no obligation to purchase a photo, however every photo purchased helps the club with fundraising.
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THE END OF THE SEASON
i. Uniforms- These need to be returned to the gear steward at the end of the season CLEAN. It is up to you if you wish to ask players to bring a change of clothes to the last game and you wash all uniforms yourself, or if you ask your players to wash and return them to you.
It is helpful for each player to return the uniform in a bag clearly marked with their name. This helps in keeping track of who has returned them.
All uniforms issued to the team at the start of the season must be returned. The uniforms are not cheap costing over $100 to replace. So the expense of a uniform not returned will need to be covered by the player.
ii. Presentation Day – Every player gets a medal/trophy at the end of the season. Our presentation day is usually in the afternoon of the last game of the season at John Fisher Park. We start with the AGM when next seasons committee is elected, and then present medals/trophies and a few club awards to the teams. The canteen opens and the BBQ is fired up and weather permitting it is a nice way to finish up the season. Taking a note of players who aren’t present is a good idea so that you can arrange to get their trophy to them.
iii. You Get Your Life Back!!!!! – Now you remember that life out side of baseball does exist… (It’s not that bad –really!)
OTHER INFORMATION
“The Paper Work”
THE RULES SUMMARY
Every player will have access to the rules though our web site.
The T-ball managers may find it useful to download a copy of the terms and definitions of tee-ball from the web site.
Over the years, we have found that a lot of parents yell things at the kids from the side line that are not right and the kids get very confused. Things like “tag up, tag up”, which the little kids don’t understand and is often used inappropriately. So please read these and feel free to hand them out to the parents in your team. The kids may find them helpful as well.
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DEFENSIVE OUTS
It is a requirement of the Australian Baseball Federation junior competitions that all players field a minimum number of defensive outs. The reason for this in to ensure every player in included and has an equal amount of time on the diamond.
Simply, one defensive out (DO) is given to a player when an out that has been made while he has been fielding. So when a batter or runner is out, all players in the field at that time are credited with one DO. In T-ball and games of baseball where runs are restricted, a player would be credited with 3 DO’s if on the field for the whole inning.
Therefore there is a maximum of 3 DO’s per player on the field per inning. At the end of each inning there should be 27 DO’s recorded, 3 for each of the 9 players on the field.
These are recorded on the result sheet and handed in at the completion of every game. The T Ball U7 & U8 do not have to complete a result sheet as they play ‘non competition’ games, where results are not recorded.
THE RESULT SHEET
These must be filled in by the HOME TEAM in ALL divisions except the Rookie Ball div 4 & 3 at the end of each game. The coach of the HOME team must make sure that this is handed in at the canteen at the ground of play. I have found that this is best done by the scorers as they can record who sat out in each inning (the DO’s), fill in the score and get the coaches and umpire to sign the form while you and the coach are wrapping up the game and packing up the kit etc. Please ensure the scorer has completed the result sheet correctly. This will prevent your team not being awarded your “win points”.
If you are playing a team from North Sydney and you are at their home ground can you also fill in a result sheet and bring it back to John Fisher canteen. The reason is that at those grounds there is no canteen and because they are out of our area it can take a long time for the results to get to MWJBL.
The information is then forwarded to the Manly Warringah Baseball League’s recorder no later then 6pm on the “game day” and it is then downloaded into the competition tables on the MWJBL website. The recorder is also responsible for recording the defensive outs and will contact clubs where teams are not complying with the rule.
You can find a copy of the result sheet (there is one for t-ball and one for baseball) on our web site under the ‘RESOURCES’ page.