RESOURCES

PART FOUR – CANADIAN FAST PITCH CHAMPIONSHIPS

ARTICLE 1 – ORGANIZATION AND PARTICIPATION

1.1    Introduction

1. Softball Canada will organize and supervise Canadian Championships in categories determined by the Annual Meeting provided that a host organization is found to execute the championship.
2. Provincial/territorial associations in good standing with dues paid are eligible to send teams to a Canadian Championship.
3. Provincial/territorial associations must confirm their participation in the Canadian Championships by June 7th of the year of the event and must submit the registration fee for each registered team no later than June 30th.

1.2    Participants

a) Team Representation

i) Canadian Championship events will be hosted ranging from five to six days, with the maximum number of teams dependent on the host capacity.

(a) No province/territory be allowed more than 4 teams, including the Host Team.

(b) The defending champion does not count as one of the 4 provincial/territorial teams.

ii) If the number of teams intending to participate exceeds the host’s capacity, entry will be awarded as follows:

(a) Initially to each province/territory in good standing, a host team and the previous year’s champion when applicable.

(b) On a pro-rata system based upon provincial/territorial registrations in the respective categories.

iii)  A host team is determined by the provincial/territorial association where the Canadian Championship is to be held. Said team must have participated (as a team) in the provincial/territorial competition played to determine the provincial/territorial representative to the Canadian Championship.

iv) If there is more than one team eligible to represent the host committee, the applicable provincial/territorial softball association shall determine the manner in which the host committee team is to be decided.

v) In all Canadian Championship categories, the previous year’s champions are eligible to attend their respective Canadian Championship, subject to the following:

(a) They are responsible for all of their own expenses.

(b) At least seven (7) players from the championship roster are still on the current roster and in attendance. If the previous champion does not have seven (7) returning players, the provincial/territorial body can declare their Provincial Champion (or top seeded team) as Defending Champion.

(c) They follow Softball Canada’s team and player registration procedures.

(d) They must compete in the Provincial/Territorial Competition which determines representation to the Canadian Championships for the current year. Applicable to Provincial/Territorial Associations without All–Star status.

b) Managers and Coaches

Managers and Coaches are eligible to participate in Canadian Championships under the following provisions:

i) They are signed to the current Softball Canada or Provincial/Territorial Team Registration Certificate of their team.

ii) The Head Coach is Competition - Introduction Certified in the National Coaching Certification Program and is in attendance at all games and on the team’s bench. All Assistant Coaches are Competition - Introduction Trained at U20 and below categories.

iii) If the Head Coach is not fully Certified and in attendance at all games and on the team’s bench, then all coaching staff will not be allowed on the field or in the coaches box at a Canadian Championship. If the Head Coach is Certified and in attendance at all games and on the team’s bench, then the coaching staff (coach, assistant coaches, and manager) may go on the field. If an Assistant Coach is not Trained they will not be allowed on the field or in the coaches box.

a) A province/territory sending a team to a Canadian Championship without the Head Coach Competition - Introduction Certified will be fined $2,500 (Two Thousand, Five Hundred Dollars).

iv) Managers and Coaches may not participate as players unless they are so registered.

c) Playing Rosters

i) Roster Size

       Team roster sizes will be as follows:

	Minimum	Maximum
Players (including pick-ups)	11	17
Coaches and Managers	1	5
Masters	11	20

ii) All–Star Rosters

a) Provinces/territories participating in Canadian Championships may be represented by an All–Star team provided the previous Annual Meeting has so ruled.

or

b) The following provinces/territories have been allowed All–Star status in all categories:

1. Newfoundland & Labrador
2. Nova Scotia
3. New Brunswick
4. Prince Edward Island
5. Quebec
6. Manitoba
7. Saskatchewan
8. Nunavut
9. Northwest Territories
10. Yukon
11. Ontario (Senior, and U23 only)
12. British Columbia (Senior, U20 Male and U23)
13. Alberta (Senior, and U23)

iii)  Affiliated Team Representatives

When no designation occurs, representatives must use their affiliated rosters.

iv) National Team Player Additions

A provincial/territorial team representative may add players to replace National Team athletes who are unable to participate due to National Team activities providing that:

a) Players have signed a Softball Canada or Provincial/Territorial Team Registration Certificate by the registration date with the province/territory seeking to pick them up.

b) Approval to pick up these players is received from their provincial/territorial association.

c) The players are eligible for Canadian Championship play.

d) The pick-ups are made by the end of the coaches/managers meeting at the Canadian Championship and have Provincial/Territorial written approval.

v) Player Additions

A provincial/territorial team representative may add up to 3 players providing that:

a) Players have signed a Softball Canada or Provincial/Territorial Team Registration Certificate by the registration date with the province/territory seeking to pick them up.

b) Approval to pick up these players is received from their provincial/territorial association.

c) The players are eligible for Canadian Championship play.

d) The pick-ups are made by the end of the coaches/managers meeting at the Canadian Championship and have Provincial/Territorial written approval.

vi) Coaches Additions

A provincial/territorial representative may add a coach or manager providing that:

a) Coaches/managers must have signed a Softball Canada or Provincial/Territorial Team Registration Certificate by the official registration date within the province/territory seeking to pick them up.

b) Approval to pick up these coaches is received from their provincial/territorial associations.

c) The coaches are eligible for Canadian Championship play.

d) The pick–ups are made by the end of the coaches/managers meeting at the Canadian Championship and have Provincial/Territorial written approval.

e) The total number of signed coaches and managers does not exceed five (5).

vii) Additions Due to Injury

In the event that a player is injured while participating in a Softball Canada National Team activity and unable to participate in a Canadian Championship, the province/territory so handicapped will be allowed a replacement or pick-up subject to the following considerations:

a) Where applicable, the injured player must have been on the roster of the provincial/territorial championship team.

b) The replaced player will not be eligible for any of the Canadian Championship.

c) The player picked up must meet all existing eligibility requirements.

1.3    Penalties for Non–Participation and Late Entry

a) A province/territory withdrawing a team(s) after the June 7th deadline will forfeit their registration fee and be fined an amount equal to $1000.00. Any withdrawal after July 15th will result in a fine of $2000.00. This penalty will be equally divided between Softball Canada and the Host.

b) A province/territory withdrawing from a Canadian Championship before completing their schedule will be fined $1000.00 that will be equally divided between Softball Canada and the Host.

c) A province/territory registering a team after the June 7 deadline will be assessed a late fee of $500.00 to be paid immediately upon notification.

d) Failure of a team to appear in any Canadian Championship game shall result in that team being suspended for the remainder of the championship and will be assessed a $1,000.00 fine and disciplinary action reviewed by the Directors of Softball Canada.

e) Host to receive their portion of fines no later than September 30 of the year of event.

ARTICLE 2 – TOURNAMENT PROCEDURES

2.1    Tournament Format

a) Qualifying Round

i) That Softball Canada will execute various formats at the Canadian Championships depending on the number of teams that are participating in a championship, the length of the event and the number of diamonds that are available. Softball Canada will maintain a minimum of 6 scheduled games in all formats.

ii) Event formats may include round robin pool play, modified pool play or multiple seeding rounds to determine Championship and other placement rounds.

b) Championship Round

i) In all championships, a modified version of the “Page System” will be used.

ii) In championships with 7, 8 or 9 teams, 6 teams will play in the championship round. The top 4 teams will have 2 “lives” and the next 2 teams will have a single “life”.

iii)  In championships with 10 or more teams, the format will be determined based on number of teams, length of the event and diamond availability. If the 8 team format is used, the top 4 teams will have 2 “lives” and the next 4 teams will have a single “life”. 

c) Ranking in the Qualifying Round

Final standings in the qualifying round shall be established using the following criteria and will revert back to i) after each criterion if the tie is broken.

i) Won/Lost records. If still tied, then:

ii) Winners of games between tied teams. NOTE: In order to use this criteria, all subject tied teams must have played each other and one team must have defeated all the teams they are tied with to be ranked higher. If still tied, then:

iii)  Difference PLUS or MINUS of total runs scored, with a limit of 7 PLUS or MINUS per game allowed.

a) If teams are still tied within iii) the least (fewest) amount of runs scored against in all games will be used. If still tied, then:

b) The total runs scored in all games will be used. If still tied then:

c) Positions will be settled by a coin toss.

d) Tie Breaking

The above criteria ranking establishes the standing in the qualifying round. However, if a tie exists for the last playoff position or where it represents the difference between 1 or 2 “lives”, the tie will be broken as follows:

a) If tied for 2 “lives” they will be ranked using the criteria in 2.1 c)

b) If tied for last playoff position, tiebreaker game(s) will be played.

2.2    Model Draws

a) Qualifying Round (Two Pools)

i) Seeding of teams in each section will be determined by the Softball Canada National Office.

ii) Where there are 2 teams from the same province/territory, they will be in opposite sections.

b) Championship Round

 Six Team Playoff



Eight Team Playoff

Twelve Team Playoff

2.3    Scheduling

1. In the qualifying round, the host and provincial team will be allowed a daily prime time game.
2. Two hours will be scheduled between game starts.
3. Softball Canada is responsible for rescheduling games, if necessary.
4. No protests may be made on the rescheduling of games.

2.4    Unfinished Championships

If for any reason, any Canadian Championship cannot be finished, the following formula shall be applied to determine final standings and medal awards:

NOTE: the team that is awarded the gold medal will be eligible to compete next year as the Defending Champion providing all criteria of a defending champion is met.

1. If the qualifying round cannot be completed, medals will be awarded on the basis of the standings at that time.
2. If the qualifying round is completed and no games played in the double life section of the championship round, the qualifying round standings shall be used to award medals.
3. If games 1 and 2 of the championship round have been played, the “A” side finalists will receive the gold and silver medals, with the gold going to the team finishing higher in the qualifying round. The bronze medal will go to whichever of the remaining “B” side teams finished highest in the qualifying round.
4. If after game 7 (game 5 in six team playoff), the “A” side final, and before game 9 (game 7 in six team playoff), the winner of game 7 (game 5 in six team playoff) will receive the gold medal and the loser the silver medal. The bronze medal will go to whichever of the remaining “B” side teams finished higher in the qualifying round.
5. If after game 9 (game 7 in six team playoff), the gold medal will go to the winner of game 7 (game 5 in six team playoff), the silver medal to the winner of game 9 (game 7 in six team playoff), and the bronze medal to the loser of game 9 (game 7 in six team playoff).
6. The final scheduled game of the championship is complete if at least five (5) innings have been played should the game not be finished. (Note: In this situation if the home team is leading after 4½ innings of play, the game would be considered to have completed 5 innings of play.)

2.5    Awards

a) A team trophy will be awarded to the winning team of any Canadian Championship tournament.

b) A team trophy will be awarded to the runner–up in all Canadian Championships.

c) When medals are awarded (for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners), no more than 22 will be provided.

d) Except for the “Top Player of the Championship Round”, all individual awards are based on the qualifying round(s).

i) Recipients of these awards can be announced prior to the start of the championship round.

ii) These awards should be presented between games C1 and C2 of the Championship Round as time permits.

e) In order for players to qualify for individual awards, the following will apply:

At bat: A player must have at least 2 plate appearances times the number of games the team has played, rounded to the highest whole number.

In the circle: A pitcher must have pitched in 10 innings or more.

f) Teams travelling by vehicle and participating in the Bronze Medal game shall have the option of having the medal presentation immediately following the game. The team must declare they want this option when submitting their line-up sheet to the Game Control Official, 30 minutes prior to game time.

2.6    Official Softball

a) The official softball to be used at all Canadian Championships will be determined by the Directors of Softball Canada.

b) The official and exclusive softball for the Fast Pitch Canadian Championships will be as follows:

i) All male Canadian Fast Pitch Championships will use the Rawlings K-Master C120YCC (COR 47).

ii) All female Canadian Fast Pitch Championships will use the Rawlings Red Dot PX2RYLC (COR 47).

2.7    Dress and Equipment

a) Uniforms

i) All players participating in a Canadian Championship must play in identical uniforms.

The Softball Canada representative in consultation with the tournament Umpire–in–Chief shall judge the acceptability of uniforms. Players unacceptably uniformed will be dealt with as follows:

a) If possible, a player will be warned before a game appearance.

b) A player participating in a game will be instructed to immediately correct the uniform deficiency.

c) A player failing to correct the deficiency will be ejected from the game.

ii) Coaches appearing on the field must wear uniforms identical (similar) to the players or any combination of dress shorts, slacks or track pants and shirts as near to the team colours as possible in all categories and Coaches’ footwear must be completely closed in (no sandals, crocs or similar footwear permitted). Both coaches are required to be dressed in similar fashion.

EXCEPTION: In the U23 Men’s and Men’s categories no shorts are allowed.

If, in the judgement of the Softball Canada official representative, the coach or manager’s uniform is not to the representative’s satisfaction, this coach or manager shall not be permitted to coach.

iii)  All players appearing on a game sheet must wear a uniform number on the back of their uniform shirt/sweater. NO number may be repeated.

iv) At all Fast Pitch Canadian Championships, each team must have at least two sets of uniform tops (one dark coloured and one light coloured). The home team will wear their dark coloured uniform. The away team will wear their light coloured uniform. If a team fails to wear the proper uniform colour, they will lose the game.

b) Masks, Throat Protector and Helmet

At ALL Fast Pitch Canadian Championships, the catcher while receiving warm–up pitches prior to and during a game, must wear their mask, throat protector and helmet.

c) Double Base

The Double Base (Safe–base TM system) will be used at first base for all Canadian Championships.

d) Bat Compression Test

Bat compression testing will be conducted at the U20 Men’s, U23 Men’s, Men’s and Master Men’s events on an annual basis. Failure to meet the bat compression test will result in the bat being an illegal bat and not permitted for use at the Canadian Championships. Bats approved for use will be marked, and any bat used that is not so marked will be considered an illegal bat.

Note - The protocol that will be followed to determine whether bats are suitable for play at the Canadian Championships will be available on the Softball Canada website. All bats will be compression tested to the current WBSC standards. If the bat passes compression testing, it will be approved for Canadian Championship play regardless of certification stamp(s).

2.8    Mixed Orthodox Rules

a) There shall be no more than six players of either gender on the field and in the batting order at any time, nor no fewer than three. The offensive and defensive components when using a DP shall count as one player and shall be of the same gender. They may play in any position including pitching.

b) Substitutions must be male for male and female for female unless substituting to replace a gender in excess of the minimum three.

c) Metal cleats are not allowed.

d) Absolutely no slingshot, sidearm or submarine pitching is to be allowed. Legal pitches will be either a figure eight or bowling ball style.

ARTICLE 3 – GAME PROCEDURES

3.1    The Game

a) Home Team

i) In the Qualifying Round, home team will be determined by a coin toss at the Coaches/Managers meeting prior to the start of the championship.

 NOTE: Teams not represented at the Coaches/Managers meeting will not have choice of inning.

ii) In the next round of play, Home teams will be determined by the previous round standings, the higher placing team will have a choice of inning.

a) If two or more divisions were in the previous round, the highest placed team from the division pairings will have choice of inning in the first game.

b) In subsequent games, the higher ranked team of all divisions (of the previous round) combined will have choice of inning.

c) If teams of all divisions combined (of the previous round) are ranked equal, a coin toss will determine the higher placing team.

Exception: In the Championship Game, if there is only one undefeated team in the Championship Round, that team will have choice of inning (i.e., home or away).

b) Game Length

In all Canadian Championship games, 7 innings will constitute a legal game, except if tied after 7 innings, it must be continued until a winner is declared.

EXCEPTION: Softball Canada Canadian Championship Supervisors can shorten games in the qualifying and championship  round to 5 innings where weather threatens the completion of the Championship.  The Championship game will be 7 innings except in the case where Playing Rule Rule 1.2.4 applies.

c) Game Interruptions

If for any reason a Canadian Championship game is interrupted prior to the completion of an official game, the game shall resume at the exact point in which it left off. (Includes number of outs, count on batter, etc.)

d) Tie Breaking

i) The tie breaking procedure used in extra inning games shall be applied in all Canadian Championship games except the final championship game (i.e., C10). See Fast Pitch Rule 1.2.1 c) of the Softball Canada Official Rule Book.

ii) The procedure will come into effect after 7 innings have been played.

3.2    Protests

a) The Protest Committee for all Canadian Championships shall consist of three (3) people selected by the Softball Canada Supervisor as outlined below:

i) the Softball Canada Supervisor or Assistant Supervisor.

ii) the Umpire In Chief or Deputy Umpire in Chief.

iii)  an individual appointed by the Softball Canada Supervisor.

b) All game play protests must be made at the time of the play in question (i.e., before the next pitch). The home plate umpire must announce the outcome of the protest.

c) There shall be no protests on:

• the rescheduling of games.
• the contents of a line–up card.

d) Upon arrival of the Protest Committee, the protesting team will supply the committee with the protest fee of $100 (cash or certified cheque). Failure to do this will nullify the protest and the game shall continue immediately. If the protest is upheld, the fee will be returned after the game.

3.3    Smoking and/or Liquor Prohibitions

a) No smoking, vaping, liquor and/or other recreational impairment inducing substances shall be allowed within 100 feet of the benches or on the playing field area.

b) The offending person(s) will be given one warning and the team manager shall be advised that the warning has been given. A second incident will lead to the ejection from the game.

3.4    Discipline

If there is an incident on the field of play including foul territory that causes the players on the bench to join into the altercation, then all involved players will be ejected immediately from the game and also be given a minimum of 3 games suspension. The Disciplinary Committee can also add to the suspension if the incident is deemed as a major infraction. If a second offence occurs, it will result in the removal of that player or Coach from the balance of the Championship.