club sport KICKBALL TOURNAMENT RULES Revised 10/27/09

IMPORTANT: Remember, everyone is out there for fun and it's only a game. No back talking or abuse of the umpires will be tolerated. These are not "professional" kickball umps and mistakes may be made. Please treat them with respect, anyone not doing so will be asked to leave.

NO ALCOHOL ON THE FIELDS OR IN THE DUGOUT. PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE CITY RULES REGARDING THE SPECIFIC FIELD YOU ARE PLAYING ON!!

ROSTERS/LINEUPS

1. Everyone playing must be 18 and must sign the team's roster before playing.

2. Any additions to rosters must be made by the start of your 2nd game and ALL players to be eligible must sign before they play and must be signed in by the start of their 3rd game. If a player is not signed in on the roster by then, they are not eligible for the playoffs.  Playing with ineligible players in the playoffs may result in a forfeit. This call will be made by TBCS staff. Pickup players are NOT allowed for ANY games.

3. Kicking lineups must be presented to the umpire before each game. Once the lineup cards have been submitted to the umpire, they become official and you may add players to the bottom only. All substitutions must be given to the umpire as they are made. 

4. 5 men and 5 women is the standard line up. No two males may kick consecutively.  If two men kick consecutively, an automatic out is recorded in between the two male kickers.

5. A team must have at least 7 players (with a minimum of two females) to start a game.

6. Any player kicking out of order will be considered an automatic out. If a girl shows up late, they may go into any automatic out spot on the line-up card. Captains must notify umpire of any changes to line-up cards.

GAME PLAY

1. Forfeits: Forfeit time is game time. Umpires call game time.  A forfeit is a 7-0 win.

2. The inning in progress at the end of 40 minutes will be the last inning and completed. The ump will enforce this rule and will keep teams informed of time remaining.  Please respect your ump's call in this matter, as they must keep all games on time in fairness to all teams and to keep the tournament running on time.  Pool play games may end in a tie.  In the case of rain or other event, the league has the right to call a game as official depending on the length played.

3. Each team gets 4 outs per inning. 

4. Pitch to your own team. Pitcher must pitch from within the pitching circle or near the mound. They must not interfere with the fielding team. If interference is called, the umpire can call the runner out.

5. One pitch per kicker. A missed kick, foul ball or a catch on the fly is an out.

6. A real or imaginary line runs perpendicular to home plate.  If a kick is made in front of this line the the batter will be called out.

7. THERE IS NO BUNTING IN KICKBALL! A legitimate effort must be made to kick the ball. Any kick that is intentionally bunted will be counted as an out. This will be a judgment call by the umpire on whether a legitimate effort was made. A kick that is mis-hit will not be called a bunt. This is the sole discretion of the umpire.  Questioning of this judgment can lead to ejection or additional bases being awarded. Calling "BUNT" can lead to a runner being called safe or player ejections!!!  This is the referee's call to make and will be left to his or her discretion. "A bunt is any kick in which, in the opinion of the umpire, the kicker's leg does not complete a forward motion, and instead stops without any follow through."

8. No leadoffs. All runners must be in contact with the base at the time the ball is kicked.  Any runners not doing so will automatically called out and the kicker will re-kick.  Runners cannot tag up until a fly ball is caught. No stealing bases. Charging defensive players is not allowed and may result in an out and/or ejection. Offensive players CANNOT initiate contact with defensive players.

9. There is a 8 run per inning rule. When a team brings in the 8th run, it is counted and is also the 4th out. This rule does not apply in the last 5 minutes of the game. (NOT APPLICABLE during playoffs, see below).

10. Outs can be made by throwing to the baseman or by hitting the runner with the ball. Runners may only be hit from the shoulders down. If a player ducks into a throw that was aimed below the shoulders, the runner is out. Throws to hit the runner must be made 2 HANDED and come from below the shoulders (like a basketball chest pass or 2 handed underhand throw). No overhead throws, even 2 handed, are allowed. Any blatantly hard or dangerous throw, regardless of how it is thrown, will result in the runner being called safe and may result in the ejection of the player.  The umpires discretion will be used in whether or not a throw is legal.

11. Fielding: there is a maximum of 10 fielders with no more than 5 men in the field. There can be no more than 6 infielders (including the catcher), and no one may be positioned between the pitcher and home plate.  "The pitcher" is determined by an imaginary line drawn from first to third. All infielders must stay behind this line until the ball is KICKED.

12. Outfielders must stay behind the outfield boundary line (cones or grass), regardless of who is up to kick until the ball is kicked. If this rule is violated, the ball remains alive until the umpire calls time out. The umpire will then decide which is more advantageous to the kicking team, the kicked ball or an automatic pass to first base.

13. Sliding is permitted

14. Since catching a fly ball in kickball is no sure thing, there is no infield fly rule. HOWEVER...there is a no "cheese" rule. If the umpire thinks a fielder intentionally misses or does not try to catch a fly ball in an effort to make a double play, or any other more advantageous play, both runners will be called safe.

15. A play is not dead until the ump calls time or the ball is in the possession of the pitcher.

PLAYER CONDUCT

1. Only the captain is allowed to dispute calls with the umpire. Any excessive arguing or abuse of the umpire can result in the ejection of the player.

2. EJECTIONS:  Players ejected from any tournament game may be required to serve a one game suspension pending league review. Fighting, wrestling, or pushing will not be tolerated and may result in ejection from the tournament altogether. Verbal abuse of officials or players, foul language, and continued rough play could result in player ejections.

3. Any player or fan is encouraged to root for their own team but rooting against teams or use of disparaging language is discouraged and could result in penalties of players or dismissals of fans. Any fans of teams may be asked to leave by Club Sport staff. Refusal to leave could result in forfeiture of games

PLAYOFFS

1. The winner of each pool will advance to the playoff/knockout round.

2. Pool winners will be based on the following criteria: 1) winning percentage, 2) head to head record 3) run differential,  4) coin flip.

3. There is no per inning run limit during the playoffs.

4. PLAYOFF time: There will be extra innings during tournament games where play ends in a tie. Extra innings will start with a runner on second base (base runner is the one who made the last out in the previous inning). CHAMPIONSHIP GAME has no set number of innings, but the PLAYOFF RUN RULE will apply.

5. PLAYOFF Run Rule. There is a 10 run rule after 7 innings. (Playoffs ONLY!)

MISCELLANEOUS

1. No jewelry can be worn during the games (for the safety of all players).

2. Cleats: No metal spikes are allowed. Wearing Metal cleats is an ejectable offense.

3. ALL TEAMS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN TRASH!!!

4. TBCS reserves the right to adjust and/or insert rules due to game day time restrictions or to ensure fair play.

5. Most importantly, HAVE FUN!!!