Regulations

Player Eligibility for Mixed Slowpitch Nationals:

As part of the BSF's efforts to "Improve the Nationals", we're tightening up on co-ed slowpitch player eligibility.

ALL players MUST be rostered on the BSUK web site to a registered Team - last rostering 1st August.
Players should be 16yrs of age in order to play.
ALL players MUST be eligible to play in the National Championships:
Qualification for 2008 Nationals is 1st August 2007 to 31st July 2008

Tournament/Independent Team - 4 separate dates of play in BSF-sanctioned Tournaments.
League Composite Team - 5 separate League Games in the League. Players on a league composite team have to play five separate league games for a normal league team from which composite team players have been drawn. If the League Composite Team also participates in other Tournaments, then these Tournament dates will be counted towards eligibility
League Team - 5 separate League Games for that Team.

However, the enforcement of the rule, will change. We are asking each team to use the website to record their line-up at every game during the season. The website will keep a total of the number of games and tournament dates played by each player and will therefore be able to provide the BSF Tournaments Officers with a definitive eligible roster for each team which will be available for inspection at the Nationals. Only players on that eligible roster will be allowed to play.

To prove players eligibility:
After each Tournament or League game, you MUST register their participation on the BSUK web site. You have 7 days after the event to enter this information, after which players will no longer be able to credit these games/days towards their eligibility criteria. NO exceptions!!

Why is 31st July chosen as the cut-off date to qualify for Nationals?:

We have to have 1 full year to allow teams to get their players qualified.

London Regionals is a Tournament which teams from London need to play in so they may get entry to Nationals. Its is held mid-August. Teams that play Regionals must use players that have "qualified" for Nationals play. Regionals is a non-qualifying Tournament.

Time is required for organisers of teams and Nationals to gather all the information for qualification, dispensations etc so we use that particular weekend.

Qualifying Tournament

Qualifying Tournaments

A full list of Tournaments thats can be used to qualify players will be published here in due course.

Here's how to record your team line-up for league games:

You MUST have rostered your players prior to recording your line-up
Go to your team's Fixtures page and click on the fixture for which you want to record a line-up
You will only be able to record your line-up once the game's score has been entered
Click on the LINE-UP button (if you keep stats for your team, click the GAME STATS button)
Build the line-up by picking the players from those on your roster on game day
Click the SAVE LINE-UP button (if you keep stats for your team, click the SAVE STATS button)

Recording your team line-up for tournament dates is slightly different:

You MUST have rostered your players prior to recording your line-up
Go to your team's Tournaments page
Click on the tournament date for which you want to record a line-up (if the tournament isn't in the list, click on the link "Select from list to edit or click here to add a new tournament")

Steps 4-6 are the same as for league line-ups

Co-Ed Nationals and Rostering of Players within a Club System

A Club may use any of their players in any of their Club teams at Tournaments.

After each Tournament (within 7 days), we (Liz or Lesley) need a list of the players who played for each team in your club system. This can be recorded via the BSUK website (for those teams who have a separate roster on the BSUK website) or a simple email to us with the list of players, and which team they played for at that Tournament.

Scorebooks should be retained for checking at Nationals.

You can continue to register your players participation in Tournaments on the website, for overall playing dates, but we need a breakdown of who played for which team at which Tournament...

On or before 31st July 2006 (the closing date for ALL teams rosters) we must receive a final roster of players for each team that will be participating in the Co-Ed Nationals. Players at this point become locked to that squad for the Nationals. This does not affect any other event.

Each player in this FINAL roster MUST be eligible for that particular team. ie played on 4 separate dates for that Team.

These simple rules will clarify the Club Rostering system, and enable Club Managers to have fluidity within their Club, but also to ensure that Club Teams are finalised and locked, in line with other Co-ed teams as of the 31st July, for Nationals Eligibility.

We hope that these steps are clear - and easy to implement for your Club set-up

The Seven Day Rule IMPORTANT:

You MUST record your line-up within SEVEN days of the game.
If you add players to the line-up after seven days, the game will NOT count towards their Nationals eligibility. A red Q will be shown on your Line-Up screen against players entered before the seven day deadline. The seven day rule will come into effect from Monday 7th June. Until the 7th June, all line-ups recorded will be treated as fully eligible.

PROBLEMS:

The player I want to include in my line-up doesn't appear in the drop down list?
Players must have been on your roster ON GAME DAY - you probably added this player too late. Contact the office with a list of any players whose roster start date you need to backdate.

I don't have access to the internet or I don't have time to use the website?
If you do not use the website to record your line-ups, you must do the following:
1. Have a line-up card or scorebook signed by the opposing team manager and umpire (if there is one) at every game
2. Type out a list of all the players you wish to roster for the Nationals, listing (separately for each player) the games they have played for your team this season
3. For each game, give the date, opposing team, venue and name of umpire (if there was one)
4. Photocopy your line-up cards and/or scorebook and send them, together with your Nationals roster to: Tournaments Officers BSUK 5th Floor, Aerial House 74a Charlotte Street London W1T 4QJ
5. Your documentation must be posted to arrive at the office NO LATER THAN 7 days before the first day of the Nationals to which they relate

I have a question that is not covered here?
Contact the BSUK office at liz.graham [at] britishsoftball.org

Qualifying Tournaments for Nationals

This is a list of the events held in the UK that the BSF class as "Qualifying Tournaments". Such tournaments MUST be "Open" events ie there are no bars to entering and meet the minimum criteria for holding Tournaments.