Notes & Rules from the President:

WASHITA VALLEY FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION BY-LAWS Revised: July 31, 2011 www.washitavalley.org MEMBERS: Bridge Creek, Lexington, Lindsay, Purcell, Tuttle, Washington and Little Axe I. PURPOSE 1. To provide a safe and healthful environment for the youth of the WASHITA VALLEY area, to learn the skills and sportsmanship of competitive sports. II. NAME 1. The name of the organization shall be WASHITA VALLEY FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION (WVFA). III. BASIC POLICY 1. Shall be nonprofit, nonsectarian and nonpartisan. 2. The parliamentary authority shall be “Roberts Rules of Order”. 3. The President of WVFA is responsible for the record keeping of all meetings. 4. Meeting shall be recorded and then placed on hard copy. 5. Copy of meeting minutes must be readily available at the next meeting or one week following whichever comes first. Minutes may be faxed upon request. IV. MEMBERSHIP AND DUES 1. To be a member of the organization, a town must make an application to the WVFA. The member towns will review the application and membership will either pass or fail by majority vote. 2. Only the member town(s) representative shall be eligible to vote on official business. There shall be only one vote for each member town(s). 3. When a WVFA vote is taken place, each town shall issue town name to the record and voting decision. 4. The member town(s) in line to host the Round Robin will be considered the HOST TOWN. 5. Host town for the WVFA will pay $350.00 to the Referee Coordinator. 6. League fees will be set at the end of season meeting each year, and are currently set at $200.00 per member town(s). The fee is due prior to the start of the regular season at the Round Robin. 7. Each member town(s) of the organization shall pay the annual league fees. 8. The WVFA shall conduct meeting monthly as necessary, beginning in July, through the football season. 9. A meeting must be held after the final league game of the season to set up the play-off schedule and to set the date for the review of the By-Laws. 10. By-Law changes are to be considered at the meeting, and the WVFA President and WVFA Vice President must notify all member town(s) representative one week prior to the meeting. 11. A member town is not eligible to play in the WVFA until the league fees are paid. V. OFFICERS 1. The Officers of this organization shall consist of President, Vice President and Protest Committee. 2. The President of this organization shall be determined by rotation of the office by the member town(s). The member town shall determine who will be the WVFA President within the organization. The WVFA President cannot hold the office of President in his /her own Town(s). 3. The WVFA Vice-President will be the representative from the next member town hosting the Round Robin. 4. The protest committee shall consist of one representative from each of the member town(s). The Protest Committee will hear all protest, disciplinary action, and any other cases that will promote the good of the organization. Following comments from each side of the protest, the Protest Committee shall have the option of going into Executive Session. It is at this time comments from the Protest Committee will be heard. VI. PROTESTS 1. The Head Official of the game shall be notified immediately that a protest is being lodged and must be made by the head coach of the team making the protest. 2. The protest must then be put in writing, specifically addressing the rule or situation being protested. 3. The protest must be notarized or postmarked no later than 48 hours of the scheduled game time under protest. The protest along with the protest fee ($100) must then be sent to the WVFA President. A copy must also be sent to the local representatives of both towns of the teams involved. 4. The WVFA president will set a date to hear the grievance with the protest committee prior to the next scheduled league game. A coach from the team that the protest is lodged against needs to be present. The ruling and notification will be made after the meeting. NOTICE: All fines will be paid to the order of the WVFA Present’s member town(s). 5. If the protest is found to be valid by vote of the Protest Committee and a member town(s) is caught in flagrant violation of Rules or By-Laws the member town(s) will be on probation for (3) years and/or fined. If caught with another violation during that (3) years the member town(s) will be suspended and/or terminated, and may also be fined. 6. If the protest is found to be invalid by vote of the Protest Committee, the member town(s) being protest shall receive the protest fees forfeited by the member town(s) who filed the protest. 7. Protest towns will be allowed to vote in the protest. VII. GENERAL FEES 1. Gate admission is $3.00 for adults, and $2.00 for age 7-12. Ages 6 and under are admitted free. 2. Cheerleaders in uniform are admitted free. 3. Maximum number of coaches per team is four coaches (4) 12 & Under/10 & Under/8 & Under, Six coaches (6) 6 & Under and Two (2) cheerleader sponsors per age group. These coaches will have coach passes. If coordinators are not coaches, they also receive a pass. All others will pay at the gate. One (1) Photographer will be allowed on their own team sideline and must remain within the coaches box (between the 25 yd. Lines). 4. Player and Cheerleader Team drinks, one per game, will be free and subject to distribution by the home team. 5. Official’s fees are: $30 per official, per game and gasoline allowance of $20. Officials are to receive amount scheduled, regardless of completion. The standard scheduled games are three (3). The six and under will need a minimum of one official and any more than that is at the host town discretion. To avoid the additional fees, officials must be notified of the reduction in number of games 24 hours prior. 6. Any team that does not show for their game shall pay the host team $200.00 forfeiture fee. Said team shall forfeit the rest of their season games until said fee is paid. All notification is to be through WVFA President. 7. All protest fees will be paid to the Washita Valley League President in the amount of $100.00. 8. There will be $100.00 fine per team that does not show up for the Round Robin. 9. There will be 8 officials at the Round Robin Tournament and will receive $80.00 each for the tournament. VIII. ELIGIBILITY 1. Age cut off for all age groups is July 1. 2. A player must play for the schools he attends, or the WVFA town nearest to him, if his town does not have little league tackle football. 3. Any waiver(s) that are required will be on a case-by-case basis and must be routed through the WVFA League President and addressed on a case-by-case basis by the WVFA Representative and approved by a majority vote. 4. Players that have been associated with WVFA since the birth of the organization and are considered ineligible under Sec. VIII, Item 2, have been grand fathered in until they are no longer eligible due to age only. 5. A player participating on more than one team from his/her own town must have a picture and birth certificate for each team and be on each WVFA roster. Each teams coach should also have a picture and birth certificate. 6. Any player eligibility rule changes during the WVFA football season will go into effect the following year. 7. Two (2) Birth Certificates and two (2) pictures (current year) will be required. One (1) will be for WVFA and the other for the coach of that team, must be carried to each game. 8. Following the Round Robin, the Host Town shall copy and distribute a copy of each team’s roster that is participating in the WVFA. Additions to the team roster must be phoned/copied by the WVFA President to each town(s) representative. These additions include move-ins or late registers before cut-off date. 9. A player must participate in at least four (4) games prior to the play-offs, to be eligible for the play-offs. Exceptions: Injured player. 10. Player registration cut-off date is the date of the preseason Round Robin. IX. COACHES and PARENTS 1. Coaches and Parents shall conduct themselves as Gentlemen/Ladies at all times. They should consider the example they are setting for the young people they are coaching and watching. 2. Anyone that repeatedly does not comply with this rule shall be subject to action by the protest committee. 3. It is highly recommended each player’s parents secure a physical examination for each child before they begin practice each year. If a child has any physical problems, the parents should notify the coaches of this respective team. X. GENERAL RULES 1. The WVFA will play by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association’s rulebook, except for the rules specified in the WVFA By-Laws. 2. All eligible ball carriers, I.E. backs, ends, receivers, and punters must weigh in before each game. Players may weigh in gym shorts. Scales will be used to weigh players before each game. Host team has the responsibility of notifying opposing coach about weighing. • A player over the weight limit may line up at tight end but still not carry the ball or be an eligible receiver. An infraction will result in a 15 yard Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty and automatic ejection of the Head Coach. • If an eligible ball carrier is unable to weigh in prior to the start of the game they are considered ineligible, but may weigh in at halftime (with both head coaches present) and the head official notified. The player is then an eligible ball carrier, if they meet the weight requirement, for the remainder of the game. Age and weight regulations: Age Weight 6 & under 70lbs. for ball carrying positions 7 & 8 90lbs. for ball carrying positions 9 & 10 110lbs. for ball carrying positions 11 & 12 140lbs. for ball carrying positions 3. The playing field is as follows: Field Length 100 yards Kick off 40 yard line First Down 10 yards Length of Quarters 8 minutes for 6’s, 8’s, 10’s and 12’s. Half-time 10 minutes Between Games 10 minutes Game Times 10 a.m. for 6’s; 11:15 a.m. 8’s; 1:00 p.m. 10’s; & 2:15 p.m. 12’s. Overtime play begins on the 10-yard line. 4. The official ball shall be a junior size ball. The offensive team shall use their ball if it meets the requirements of junior size by a reputable manufacturer. The 6 & under and 8 & under teams may use Pee Wee size ball manufactured by a reputable Manufacturer. 5. Visiting team will wear target jersey as needed if team jersey colors are similar in season games. Visiting team will supply target jerseys. In playoffs hometown will call if target jerseys are needed. 6. Punting A. The 6 & under and 8 & under teams have the option to punt, take 20 yards, or go for it on 4th down. If a team elects to take the twenty (20) yards, this then considered a dead ball possession change. Inside the 30-yard line will be half the distance to the goal. B. 10-and-under: There will be a regular snap with no rushing. Punter will be allowed two steps from where he catches or picks up the ball to put the ball in play. Only two punt receivers will be allowed back. If a receiver catches the ball in the air then 10 yards will be stepped off in favor of the receiving team. If the ball is touched but not caught, 10 yards will be stepped off against the receiving team. If there is no catch or touch of the ball in the air, then play will begin where the ball is ruled downed. C. The 12-and-under will punt as in a normal junior high game. 7. In the 6 & under and 8 & under there is no crashing on the center (means can’t line up over or in the gaps between the center and guards. You may have a linebacker off the line of scrimmage but you cannot blitz him. The offense cannot run up the middle unless the ball carrier is more than two yards behind the line of scrimmage. The QB cannot do sneaks; he must go back two yards before going towards the line of scrimmage. The purpose of this rule is so teams can get the QB and center exchange. A team may blitz from over the guard and out. The failure to follow these rules will result in a live ball infraction and a penalty of 5yrds. 8. A player injured at the end of the quarter may return at the beginning of the next quarter. 9. Knee braces must be completely covered. 10. Offensive linemen can block with open hands. 11. There will be a maximum of four coaches allowed on the sideline for 12’s and 10’s and six coaches for 8’s and 6’s. 12. Only the head coach is allowed to talk to the official whether on the field or on the side line. 13. 6 & under teams are allowed two (2) Coaches on the field during the game or three (3) coaches if both teams agree. 8 & under teams are allowed just one coach on the field or two (2) if both teams agree. The coaches must be five yards behind his deepest player, so as not to interfere will the play. The penalties for an infraction are as follows: 1st offense is a warning, 2nd offense is five yards, 3rd offense is 15 yards and 4th offense is ejection of the Head Coach. 14. If both coaches agree, a running clock can be instituted at any point in the game if the score of the game is out of hand. Once this has been agreed upon the score at that time will be the final score as long as it meets the + or - 15 point differential. 15. There is a 15-point differential system in place for the league. That means a team can gain up to 15 points or lose up to 15 points depending upon the final score of the game. (If team A wins over team B 14-7 then team A would have +7 points while team B would have -7 points. If team A beats team B 40-20, team A would receive the maximum +15 points while team B would receive the maximum -15 points.) 16. All teams will have a first aid kit. 17. The “Blood Rule“ is in effect 18. No Tobacco products are allowed on the playing field. 19. It is the responsibility of the representative of each member town to call in scores to the WVFA President no later than 9:00 pm Sunday following the Saturday games. This should give the WVFA President two Scores to compare for accuracy. 20. All coaches are eligible to wear headphones. 6 & under and 8 & under coaches may wear headphones in the huddle. 21. Concessions are one of the only fundraisers each home team is allowed. There will be absolutely NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR BEVERAGES ALLOWED, at any WVFA activity. If the home team does not furnish water coolers, teams are allowed one water cooler, but must accompany a coach and coach’s pass. Coolers and ice chest can be confiscated by the host town and disposed of as host town sees fit. XI. THE PLAY-OFFS 1. If two teams are scheduled to play twice during the regular season, the win or loss of the second (2nd) game will be used to determine the record for the play-off. The first (1st) time the teams meet is an exhibition game for funding purposes of the home team program. 2. Four (4) teams will be selected to participate in the play-offs. The selection of the teams will be determined by: Win/Loss and then Head to Head and then point differential. 3. The Host Town of Round Robin will host the Championship. 8 & under will be played in the next town in line for the Round Robin. 10 & under will be played at the next town in line for the Round Robin. 12 & under will be played at the next town in line for the Round Robin. 6 & under will be played at the next in line for Round Robin. 4. The Championships and play-offs require Mandatory weight in and birth certificate checks. This is not an option. Both coaches and a league representative(s) need to be present at weigh-in. 5. If one of the town(s) chooses not to host a play-off round, it would go to the next town in line. The town that chose not to host, must give a 14-day notice before the game or pay a fine of $100.00. The town that takes the play-off will not lose their turn in line. 6. The losing teams in the playoffs will play in a third and fourth place game which will be played in the member town that is next in line to host the Round Robin. 7. First and Second place trophies must be 12 inches minimum. 8. The host of the third and fourth place game will be responsible for providing the trophies. 9. There will be four (4) officials during the playoff games and five (5) officials during the Championship game.