KICKBALL RULES

Rules are still being drafted and formatted. These rules are not to be considered final and are subject to change.

1. General Rules
1. All rules of the field owners must be obeyed. If using a field that is owned by the Charlottesville Parks & Recreation department, all of their rules regarding conduct and prohibited items must be obeyed. Failure to abide by those rules may result in ejection from the league.
2. Player Restrictions: All players must have signed the kickball waiver form (done electronically at the time of registration) and must be 18 years of age by the start of the season. Balances must be paid in full prior to the first team game – unpaid players or teams will not be permitted to play. If a team makes use of a player not on their roster or within the kickball league, the outcome of the game will be a forfeit.
3. Apparel: All players must be wearing their issued shirts of the appropriate sport and season. Failure to wear the correct league shirt will result in the player in question not being allowed to play in the game.
4. Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Acting in an unsportsmanlike manner will result in an ejection from the game and an additional one game suspension. Two ejections from any CVSSC sport over the course of a one year period will result in a year-long suspension from all CVSSC sports and activities. This conduct rule includes sponsor venues - reports of disruptive behavior or causing a disturbance will not be tolerated and may result in additional suspensions not limited to those listed above.
5. Disputing Calls: Calls may only be discussed with the referee(s) by the captain or assistant captain of either team. Verbally abusing a referee will result in ejection and further punishment may be awarded by the CVSSC.
6. Rain Outs: The CVSSC will attempt to make up any rained out games, provided fields and referees can be obtained. There is no guarantee that rained out games will be made up.
7. Completed Games: A full kickball game plays 7 innings. In the event of inclement weather or other disruption, a game is considered complete after 4 full innings have been played or the allotted game time has elapsed.
8. Overruling: The rules below may be overruled at the discretion of the head referee. For example, the head shot rule may be overruled if the head referee determines that a player was struck in the head as a result of a baserunner ducking, thus lowering their head into the area normally occupied by a body part legal for contact with the ball.
   
2. Equipment
1. Kickballs will be provided by the CVSSC. Outside balls may not be used.
2. No metal cleats or spikes are permitted.
3. Gloves are permitted.
4. Players may wear protective equipment as long as it does not provide a performance advantage. The referee has final decision and may order the equipment removed.
   
3. Referees
1. All games must be officiated by two referees. The home plate referee will be the head referee, and the assistant referee will be located out in the field (first base).
2. The head referee has the final word and can overrule the first base referee.
3. The CVSSC may require a team to provide one or two referees for a game in an adjacent time slot to said team’s game time. Failure to provide the required number of referees will result in a $25 fine per absent referee, which will be awarded to a charity of the CVSSC’s choice.
   
4. Roster
1. The team captains are encouraged to exchange rosters/kicking lineups prior to the start of the game.
2. The home team captain keeps the official scorebook. The visiting team captain is also encouraged to keep score and confirm the score with the home team captain during and after the game to reduce the opportunity for score disputes. After the game, both team captains should report the final score to scores@cvillesocial.com in a timely fashion, ideally within about 48 hours.
3. A maximum of 10 players are allowed on the field, with a minimum of 4 female players required. A team may field with no fewer than 8 players, while still meeting the minimum female requirement. The fielding team is required to provide a pitcher and catcher, but may use their own discretion to distribute the remaining fielding players.
4. If a team is unable to field the required minimum number of players by 5 minutes of the scheduled game starting time, the result will be a 7-0 forfeit loss.
5. There is no maximum number of players allowed on a player roster or kicking lineup. Not every kicking player is required to play in the field.
6. No more than 2 male players may kick in a row in the batting order (there is no limit to the number of female players who may kick consecutively). If there are not enough female players present to satisfy the gender requirements of the lineup, female players are allowed to bat again in the order to meet the rule.
7. Any eligible player that shows up while a game is in progress and wishes to play is added to the end of the kicking order (making sure that the gender rules above are obeyed).
8. Substitutions: Players from other kickball teams are allowed to sub for teams who are shorthanded, but only up to 10 players total OR the number of players that brings the team to a legal roster number- and gender-wise. For each sub player picked up from within the team’s division or a lower skill division, the opposing team is awarded 1 run at the start of the game. If the sub player comes from a higher skill division than the division in which the team plays, the opposing team is awarded 3 runs. No outside players are to be used as subs; all substitutes must be currently in the league and on an active kickball roster. Subs must wear their CVSSC league shirts.
9. All players must be on the team roster. In the event of injury or other extenuating circumstance, the league may approve placing a replacement player on the roster. If another team challenges a player on a roster, ID will be compared to the online team roster, so please remember to bring a government-issued ID to the field (ID may also be necessary for the sponsor bar).
10. Any roster challenges or protests must be submitted to the league within 48 hours of the conclusion of the game in question. After the time limit expires, the game will be considered final and cannot be challenged.
11. Kicking order challenges (such as players kicking out of order) should ideally be made as soon as the violation is recognized to allow the referee to act, but absolutely must be made to the referee no later than 15 minutes after the conclusion of the game. Both team captains and the head referee must be present, and the decision is made at the discretion of the head referee.
    
5. Base Coaches
1. Two members of the kicking team should coach at first and third base. Base coaches should assist the fielding team in the retrieval of balls ruled foul by the referee.
2. Base coaches may switch with other members of the kicking team in order to maintain the order of the kicking lineup.
   
6. Kicking
1. Kicking Count: 4 balls are required to walk a kicker, and 3 strikes constitute a strike out. A foul ball counts as a strike, and a foul ball on a two strike count results in a foul out.
2. All kicks must be made by a part of the leg below the knee. Any ball struck by a leg below the knee (shin, ankle, foot) is considered a kick. A ball struck at or above the knee is considered a foul ball, and if caught in the air results as an out, but is dead once it hits the ground and runners may not advance on the play. A ball struck by the non-kicking foot (i.e. plant foot) is a dead ball.
3. A swing that does not contact the ball is a strike.
4. The strike zone is defined as an area one foot to either side of home plate, and extends one foot in the air above the plate. Any part of the ball that crosses one of these barriers is considered a strike. The head referee should draw lines to indicate the strike zone. At a park with a short backstop (e.g. Quarry Park), the referee may draw a strike zone slightly ahead of the plate to give kickers more space to approach the ball.
5. Batters must make contact with the ball at or behind home plate. Contact with the ball in front of home plate results in a “dead ball foul” – in this situation the ball is considered live in the air, but is dead once it hits the ground. A ball caught in the air results in an out and the play is then dead; therefore no baserunners may advance. If the ball is not caught, the result is a foul ball/strike for the batter. If the batter had two strikes at the time of the infraction, the dead ball foul would result in the third strike and the batter would be out.
6. Double Contact: If a player kicks the ball twice or makes a second contact with the ball behind the plate or in foul territory, the ball is dead. If a player kicks the ball and then makes a second contact with the ball in fair territory, it is considered the same as if the player were struck by the ball and the player is ruled out.
7. A walk to a male kicker with a female kicker due up next results in the female being given the option of taking an automatic walk. This rule is in effect regardless of the number of outs in the inning (unlike softball).
8. A kicked ball must travel on its own momentum up to or beyond the rubber of the pitcher’s mound, or over lines drawn perpendicular to the 3^rd or 1^st base path connecting with the nearest corner of the pitching rubber to the base path. If a ball comes to a stop before reaching this distance, it is ruled foul. If a fielder elects to touch the ball before it has come to a rest AND been ruled dead by the head referee, it is considered fair and runners may advance.
9. A kicked ball that clears any fair part of an outfield fence is considered a home run. This can occur either on the fly or by bounce.
   
7. Ball in Play
1. When the ball is controlled by the pitcher and the pitcher is on or in the immediate vicinity of the pitcher’s mound the play is considered over and the runners may no longer advance. As each field is different, it is the referee’s discretion as to what constitutes “immediate vicinity” at each field – feel free to consult with the referee for an assessment of this area before the game.
2. A runner who is more than halfway advanced to the next base when the pitcher is ruled to be on the mound is awarded the base. If a runner is ruled not to have passed the midpoint along the base path, the referee will return that runner to the previous base once the play is ruled dead. This rule excludes runners who are on their way to first base.
3. Any play where the ball is unintentionally popped or deflated will be halted by the referee and replayed. The kicker and all baserunners will return to the locations where they were at the start of the play.
4. Any runner who is not on a base and is struck with a ball below the head and neck level is ruled out. If the runner is ruled to have ducked or slid, and therefore lowered the level of their head/neck into the area of a legal body part for contact, the runner will be ruled is ruled out. A ball that strikes a player in the neck or head is still live, and the runner may continue to the desired base.
   
8. Pitching
1. The pitching of ‘fireballs’, or pitches with excessive speed, shall be ruled a ball at the referee’s discretion. The call will come after the pitch has crossed the plate, so kickers may swing at their own risk.
2. All pitches must bounce at least twice on their way to home plate in order to be considered for a strike. The second bounce may be on the plate.
3. The pitcher is allowed to follow through on the pitching motion, but may not follow the ball to the plate until contact has been made with the ball by the kicker.
   
9. Fielding
1. The pitcher and all fielders (excluding the catcher) are not allowed to advance beyond the fair/foul line (see rule 6h) until the kicker makes contact with the ball. The pitcher is allowed to follow through on the pitching motion, but can advance no further. Failure to abide by this rule results in the play being ruled dead and all runners being ruled safe at the immediate bases to which they were advancing.
2. The catcher must remain behind the plate (imaginary line drawn across the top of the plate perpendicular to path from the pitcher’s mound) until contact is made with the ball by the kicker. The catcher must also remain out of the path of the kicker attempting to kick a pitch, or an obstruction call may be made, resulting in the pitch being ruled a ball.
3. A kicked fly ball in foul territory that is dropped by a fielder attempting to make a catch is ruled foul as long as the ball is completely beyond the foul line into foul territory. The location of the fielder is irrelevant – it is the location of the ball that matters.
   
10. Baserunning and Scoring
1. All baserunners must stay within the base lines while advancing between bases. Any runner judged to have left the base path to avoid a play will be ruled out at the referee’s discretion.
2. Fielders must stay out of the base lines and not impede the runners. A fielder deemed to be impeding a runner shall be awarded the base to which they were attempting to advance. Fielders who are attempting to make an out at a base must orient themselves out of the baseline to not impede the runner. Fielders who are attempting to make an out by tagging a runner with the ball are allowed within the base path for fielding, tagging, and run-down purposes, but must attempt to avoid bodily contact with the runner. Should the runner attempt to make physical contact with a fielder in the process of making a play, the runner is to be called out.
3. One baserunner passing another baserunner on the base path will result in the passing runner being called out.
4. Leading off or stealing bases is not allowed. A runner may not leave the base until the kicker makes contact with the ball. A runner who violates this rule will be called out.
5. All ties go to the runner.
6. First base may be safely overrun by a kicker advancing to first base. The runner may only be tagged out if, after overrunning the base, an aggressive move is made towards second base (evaluated at the referee’s discretion).
7. A safety base will be placed in foul territory next to first base for the kicker to run through. If a fielder obstructs the path of the kicker/baserunner through the safety base, the runner will be ruled safe. If the runner uses the main base in fair territory while the first baseman is attempting to make a play, the runner may be ruled out at the discretion of the referee if the runner is determined to have interfered with the play.
8. Rule Difference between Divisions: Feet first sliding is only allowed in the Varsity division as a safety rule. For the JV and Rookie divisions, a baserunner determined to have made a feet-first slide will be ruled out. Head-first sliding is allowed in all divisions.
9. ‘Tagging up’ is permitted. Once a fly ball is first touched by a fielder, a runner may attempt to proceed to the next base, as long as the runner goes back to tag, or is already in contact with, the originating base at the time the fielder makes contact with the ball. The baserunner only needs to wait for the fielder to make contact with the ball – there is no need for the runner to determine whether or not a catch has been made.
10. Overthows/Out of Play: For all fields with a surrounding fence, a ball can only be considered “out of play” if it goes over, under, or in some other way beyond the fence. On any field without a fence, the area of “out of play” should be predetermined and announced by the referee to both team captains.
    For any ball thrown beyond the surrounding fence out of play, the play will be ruled dead, and all baserunners will be awarded one base. Any ball that is contained by the fence, or remains in fair territory, is not considered an “overthrow” and remains live; baserunners may advance at their discretion.
11. Any ball kicked off-target by a defensive player cannot be considered an “overthrow” regardless of where it goes (even over the fence). Baserunners may advance at will.
12. A run scores when a baserunner touches home plate before the third out of the inning is recorded, except when the third out occurs as the result of a force play or the kicker is declared out before arriving at first base.
13. The winning team is the team that has scored the most runs at the end of seven (7) innings, or the team that has the most runs at the end of the last completed inning should the game time expire.
14. Intentional delay of a game to take advantage of the expiration of the game time is not permitted. The penalty is at the discretion of the referee, but recommended penalties are to call the stalling player out or ejection of the player from the game.
    
11. Outs
1. Each half of an inning is completed when the defensive team has produced three (3) outs.
2. Examples of outs (this list is not exhaustive):
1. A count of three (3) strikes, or a fouled ball on a two strike count.
2. A kicked ball caught by a defensive player before the ball makes contact with the ground, either in fair or foul territory.
3. A baserunner who fails to tag up after a fly ball is caught is either tagged with the ball or the base from which the runner had departed is tagged by a defensive player in possession of the ball before the baserunner manages to return.
4. A defensive player in possession of the ball tagging the base in which a runner is forced to advance before the runner has arrived at the base.
5. A runner leaving the base before the batter has made contact with the ball.
6. Kicking out of order (any skipped kicker is ruled out if the at-bat has completed; if the at-bat is underway the skipped kicker assumes the balls and strikes of the kicker that passed them in the order and the at-bat continues).
7. A ball making contact with a baserunner below the head or neck when the runner is not safely on a base.
8. A runner making intentional contact with the ball while safely on base.
9. A runner passing another runner on the base path.
10. A runner deliberately running into a fielder to try to draw an obstruction call.
    
12. Injury Substitutions
1. In case of an injury, a time-out may be called by the head referee and a player of the same sex substituted into the lineup for the injured player. The injury substitution will not result in a one (1) run penalty, unlike substitutions for lack of players.
2. If a substitute player is not available, an out must be taken the injured player’s position in the lineup.
3. Players removed due to injury who wish to return to the game may resume their original place in the kicking lineup.
   
13. Frequently Asked Questions
1. Runners that run through first base using the fair side base rather than the safety base in foul territory can be ruled out by the referee if they affect the outcome of the play.
2. Runners to first base that are impeded from reaching the foul side safety base by the fielder are ruled safe.
3. A kicked ball that rolls foul and then returns to fair territory before reaching the base on the foul line OR being touched in foul territory by a fielder or base runner is considered fair.
4. A kicked foul ball touched by a fielder or base runner while in foul territory is dead, excluding a caught fly ball where runners can tag up and advance.
5. The runner, advancing to first base, must continue to move toward the base. If the runner stops or reverses direction, the runner should immediately be ruled out vocally by the referee. Note: this only applies to runners advancing from home to first base.
6. Players that overrun or advance beyond second or third base, when a force play was an option at that base, have avoided the force out (possible by tagging the base) and now that runner must be tagged by the ball in order to record an out.
7. The referee should actively and vocally call a play dead in the instance of a foul ball, overthrow, or other such situation to keep players from progressing too far only to be called back.