Team Mom’s Guide
This list is, by no means, comprehensive and is even redundant in places with
information given the coaches. But, hopefully this will provide a resource for teammoms
helping set up select teams, or veterans encountering a new situation. Some answers are
definitive while others are suggestions and we tried to make that clear throughout.
Always, if you have specific questions, you team’s age group coordinator is the best
resource for answers.
Paperwork requirements:
What forms are required and who should have copies?
The sportsmanship contract, and medical release forms can be printed out for each
team member from the AA or AAA homepage. These forms must be completed at the
time of registration . We suggest having three sets of the previously mentioned forms, as
well as your proof of insurance, USSSA roster, and all player’s birth certificates: two for
coaches and one with the teammom.
Should I have my team’s paperwork at all games?
We strongly suggest you have the sportsmanship contracts, medical release forms,
birth certificates, and proof of team insurance at all games and all practices. Accidents
and injuries occur at any time and the medical release information, in particular, is vital.
We also suggest you have a print out of your USSSA roster with you at games and
tournaments so it will quickly resolve any questions about player eligibility.
Who do I contact with paper work questions?
Contact your age coordinator whose information is available on the AA or AAA
homepage for any questions for CFSA league play only.
Rosters:
Who verifies that my roster is official?
Once a roster is submitted at registration, the age coordinator verifies the
eligibility of the players and will contact you if there are any questions.
How do I post my roster?
Login to your USSSA account that you were assigned when you registered with
USSSA and add players to your USSSA roster. They are password protected to allow
only those designated by the team to add or change information like stats, photos, etc.
Each team’s coach is responsible for the accuracy of the information posted.
Insurance:
What are our options for buying team insurance?
Insurance is REQUIRED. You may purchase team insurance through
www.texasusssa.org or purchase it from CFSA at the time of registration.
How is a claim filed and who has to file it?
There are two things to do after an accident or injury: complete and submit a
claim form provided by your team insurance company, and fill out a CFSA incident
report that can be printed from the website http://www.cyfairsports.org/documents/incidentreport.pdf, or from the CFSA homepage click on “safety
director” and there’s a form link there. Submit the completed form to the safety director
and your age coordinator.
Who do I contact with any insurance related questions?
Who ever you bought your team insurance policy from.
Team administration:
How do I get a “doing business as” license to open a team account?
First we suggest you have several options for your DBA name before you go to
the County Clerk’s Office. It is a very simple process, but they do make sure no one else
is using the name you’ve selected before granting the license so you may have to go with
your second or third choice. This can be taken care of at the Bear Creek courthouse annex
on Clay Road, you don’t have to go downtown. It is a simple form that must be filled out
and the DBA is effective immediately. The fee is currently $15.
When can I open a team bank account?
You can take your DBA paperwork and go straight to the bank and open an
account. A social security number is required to open the account, so know beforehand
who’s going to take on that responsibility.
Can my team organization become a non-profit for tax purposes?
The process for creating a 501c3, not-for-profit organization is at the IRS website
at: http://www.irs.gov/publications/p557/index.html
Is there a limit on the number of sponsors my team has?
You can have as many sponsors as you wish. We suggest you make every effort
to make sure the sponsors know when you’re playing and where in case they’d like to
check out their team. Also, know before you ask a potential sponsor how you will be
publicly thanking them, i.e. on your website, banner at the games, etc.
Uniforms:
What elements constitute a uniform?
The key to selecting team uniforms is that they all have to be the same. They must
have numbers on the backs of the jerseys/shirts/vests and we suggest they be at least 6”
tall. Names on the shirts are NOT required. If you purchase team jackets for cold weather
play, add 6” numbers to the back and they are considered “legal” on the field.
Some specialized uniforms, with custom artwork for example, may take as long as
4-6 weeks for delivery. So, make sure you ask questions about turn around time before
going through all the machinations of selecting shirts, pants, hats and placing an order.
You’ll also want to ask how many shirts are required to place an order—some companies
only order in batches of a specific amount, so you can’t piece meal an order if a parent
decides they want a shirt later.
What additional information is good to know about uniforms?
It is a good idea to have a “blood” shirt—a uniform shirt for a player to change
into should his get damaged or stained (like with blood from a blow to the nose). CFSA
will make any player leave the field if he/she has blood on their uniform. Also, absolutely
no jewelry is allowed except medical alert necklaces, and those must be taped to the
player’s chest under his/her shirt.
What are the safety equipment requirements for players?
A c-flap is required on batting helmets in 9U and 10U and becomes optional after
that. An athletic cup is required for any player playing catcher from 7U on. The CFSA
strongly recommends that all players wear athletic supporters beginning in 9U.
Additional safety equipment details are in the CFSA Baseball Rules on the website in the
section called “equipment” and those rules override any information on this list.
Scorekeeping:
Which team keeps the official scorebook?
The home team has the official scorebook.
How do I learn to or get answers about scorekeeping issues?
A link is provided on the CFSA homepage called “The Official Scorer” that takes
you to a complete guide to scorekeeping. Also, in the USSSA by-laws, which are part of
the CFSA baseball rules posted on the website, Section 10 is all about scorekeeping.
Who reports the score?
Usually both coaches (or teammoms) email the score to the age coordinator. If
there is a discrepancy, the league checks with the umpire. What the game official says is
the score is the official score. At the end of each game, the umpire gives a receipt to the
coaches and we suggest you hang on to those until the end of the season.
Conduct issues:
What is the formal process for reporting conduct concerns about my team or a
situation with another team?
The coach should formally notify the age coordinator with details of any incident
and witness contact information, preferably within 24 hours of the incident. The age
coordinator is responsible for conducting the investigation and addressing the situation.
Please remember that the coach is ultimately responsible for the conduct of his assistant
coaches, players and team’s parents.
Field Care and Usage:
What are the maintenance requirements of my team after a game?
All trash in the stands, dugout and fields must be picked up after a game and the
field raked. We suggest bringing a trash bag with you to each game and taking the trash
home to discard. This would ease the burden on the field managers who are volunteers.
We also suggest assigning raking duties to parents so that it’s not the coaches out there
after every game. If you are the last team to play on the field for the evening, please turn
the lights out when you leave.
To whom should I report safety concerns about field conditions?
Please contact the field coordinator as listed on the AA or AAA homepage.
How does my team get time to practice on CFSA fields?
From the baseball homepage of the website, click on the “Fields” page, click on
the complex you’d like to use, and the list of field coordinators and their contact
information is posted. Contact the appropriate field’s coordinator who will be able to tell
you about availability and team requirements for usage.
How do I find out if games or practices are rained out?
From the CFSA baseball homepage, click on “Fields” and then on the link that
says “click here for rainout status”. Games are called as early in the day as possible. We
suggest not just emailing parents, but calling all as well when a game has been rained out
to prevent an unnecessary trips to the fields. Just because it’s raining where you are, the
fields may be dry, so communicate to your parents that unless you, or someone with your
team, contacts them, they should please show up on time!
Volunteering:
Do we have to provide volunteer services to CFSA during the season?
All teams are required to perform volunteer service or pay $200 for a “buyout”.
Teams will be notified of when and how many hours they need to provide. This service
could be field maintenance during a tournament, trash detail, or grounds keeping
depending on the needs of the league at that time. We suggest asking parents who are not
involved in coaching to fulfill this responsibility which usually ends up being fun and no
one typically works more than a couple of hours at a time.
Who verifies that my team has fulfilled its volunteering duties?
It is vital that all volunteers check in and back out at the volunteer table at
whatever work day they’ve been assigned to assure an accurate record of the time served.
What if we don’t meet the volunteering requirement?
Teams who do not fulfill their volunteering requirements during the season cannot
participate in the playoffs.
Who do I contact with volunteering questions?
Contact your age coordinator whose information is available on the AA or AAA
homepage.
Team Photos:
Who is responsible for setting up team photos?
The CFSA has an official photo day at the beginning of each spring and fall
season where the photography is contracted with Wade’s Photography. The date is posted
on the baseball homepage.
What if my team has a conflict on photo day, like playing an out of town
tournament?
You can contact Wade’s Photography directly to make other arrangements at 281353-1819.
Can a team make arrangements with their own photographer?
Wade’s Photography is the only professional photographer allowed to use CFSA
owned or leased fields for team photos.
How do I get the team photo on the CFSA and USSSA websites?
Registered teams have a webpage on the CFSA/USSSA website and posting is as
simple as clicking the link that says “click to upload photo” and the prompts take you
through the process. You can change the photo as often as you’d like throughout the
season.
Tournaments:
Do we have to play in tournaments as a select team?
Select teams do not have to play in tournaments, but the more games a team plays
together, the better they become as a team.
How do I get information about playing in tournaments?
There is a tournament link off of the baseball homepage taking you to all the
CFSA tournaments, and a link from the USSSA site to tournaments, that provides details
on registration, fees, etc. Each tournament has its own coordinator and their contact
information is provided so you can contact them with further questions.
If we have a team sponsor for a tournament, is that fee a tax deduction for them?
Only if a team has created its own 501c3 is sponsorship a tax deduction, although
if a sponsor’s name is put on a banner, website, or shirt, it can be written off as
advertising.
Other random thoughts that don’t really require much elaboration: when ordering
trophies from any of the area shops, please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery. Team parties
and game snacks are totally up to each team, just be sure to clean up any mess left behind
by post-game treats.
If you have any suggestions that would make this list clearer, better, or more
helpful, please contact Sheila Hansel Maul at mikemaul@ev1.net.