PANIC, and OUTRAGE over New Out of Catchment Rule!
Posted November 18, 2012
However on the Cloverdale Baseball Association website they certainly let their feelings be known by calling it; "possibly one of the worst rule change decisions to be voted in by BC Minor Member Associations in recent history, "
This rule now puts a limit on the number of out of catchment players that are permitted on Bantam AAA Teams.
The number of out of catchment players permitted on a given Bantam AAA Team will now be determined by the total number of bantam players registered in that association (or the total number between the associations if the associations merge at the Bantam AAA level to field a single team between them), based on this chart.
48 or fewer Bantam Players - 5 out of catchment Players Maximum
49 - 70 Bantam Players - 4 out of catchment Maximum
More than 70 Bantam Players - 0 out of catchment Players
We have been flooded with calls from parents and fellow coaches trying to figure out how this new rule will be implemented and what affect it will have on Associations, teams and most importantly the players. There are many questions and not too many answers out there at this time.
On the question of why this new rule change came about we do know that it was first proposed in a September 3, 2012 Bantam AAA Analysis and Proposals Report. The report stated that associations "having a larger player pool to draw a team from offers a competitive advantage independant of skill development programs."
After this report the MOTION ON BANTAM Imports was added to the BCMBA 2012 Rule Change package. It was moved by Dean Martin President of Kamloops Minor Baseball and was seconded by Langley - Aldergrove Minor Baseball President Rob Ross. The motion was passed at the November 17, 2012 BCMBA meeting.
There are many other questions out there that have many people wondering what the 2013 Baseball season will bring to them. Since many Bantam AAA teams are picked in mid February before most association registrations have closed many coaches are concerned that they will not know how many import players they are allowed?
What happens if there are late registrations? In the past many associations would accept registrations and form wait lists and if they got enough they would form another team or add players to an existing team so kids could play baseball. Do the associations now turn players away or do they except the late ones and tell an out of catchment player that made a team and registered on time that he now can't play? If a coach has to tell a kid that he now can't play where does he go to play AAA?
Associations have a February 1, 2013 deadline to declare if they are putting in a Bantam AAA team. At that time if they do not put in a team the players from that association are free to pursue to play AAA somewhere else. Many parents and players are concerned that there could be no spots left at that time and they will be left out in the cold.
Many people believe that last year there were more out of catchment players playing than import spots available. Many are wondering where all these out of catchment players are going to play in 2013? Will this mean that some boys will now have to leave BC Minor to play at the level that they prefer?
Will there be more teams in the Bantam AAA league? If there are more teams will the quality of the league drop? Will associations continue to merge if it puts them at too high of numbers? These are just a few of the questions that people are asking.
This ruling may also have a hand in the Bantam AAA league losing one of its premier lower mainland parks. However speculation on that may be seen as detrimental to baseball so lets just hope that this rumour does not come into fruition.
No doubt, there will be many more questions and as time goes on but when will the answers come?
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