Operating Guidelines

Presidency Rotation

Rotating each year will be the MAC League Presidency. The MAC League President will take on the role of scheduling and running MAC board meetings, scheduling, and running the Coaches Meeting, making rule updates, and building out the game schedules. As new towns are added to the league they will go to the end of the current rotation.

League Administrator

Starting in 2025, instead of having a town provide a President for that year, the MAC League is going to trial having a League Administrator run the program instead. The League Administrator will provide all of the duties that the annual President would have previously conducted. The goal is to have this a three year term position.

• The League Administrator cannot individually make decisions regarding league rules & operations. Their job is to bring forward information to the board, and the board makes decisions.

Concerns

If a player, parent or coach has a concern with anything to do with the league, they are to report it to their local towns MAC League Representative.

• If it is a rule in question that needs to be adjusted, the MAC League Rep will work with the MAC League Administrator to write a clarification and present it to the MAC Board for majority approval on the rule change/clarification.
• If the concern is for a non-rule issue, the MAC League Rep will raise it at the next scheduled MAC League Board Meeting to determine a resolution. A MAC League Rep may call an emergency meeting of the MAC League Board if the concern warrants it.

League Finances

The town hosting the league presidency for that year shall be responsible for upfronting any league wide costs (trophies, scheduler fees, website fees, etc.). At the end of the season, the league president will provide a report to all towns with all costs, divided up equitably between the towns by the total number of competitive (Minors & Up) teams each town has in the league that year.

Team Building Agreement

A town with multiple teams at the same level must be built evenly. This does not mean that both teams must have a similar record and be .500. The MAC League Board will meet and discuss instances where unbalanced teams are formed at the beginning of the season. 

Exemption: Balanced teams that become unbalanced during the season due to injury, player call-up, player movement where call-up becomes permanent or non-player participation are exempt from this ruling.

It is recommended that all towns have a Major A level team. To avoid league imbalance, it is strongly recommended that towns that do not have a Major A level team should not have multiple Majors level teams.

Safety Protocols

Each individual town/league will determine their own safety protocols based on the guidelines provided by the State of Massachusetts, their local town government as well as their local board of health requirements. The protocols that each town adopts for their home fields must be adhered to by any visiting teams and their spectators.  

Player Participation

• Players who are up to Babe Ruth League Age 8 (age as of 5/1) are allowed to play in the Rookies.
• Players who are up to Babe Ruth League Age 10 (age as of 5/1) are allowed to play in the Minors.
• Players who are up to Babe Ruth League Age 12 (age as of 5/1) are allowed to play in the Majors.
• Players who are up to Babe Ruth League Age 16 (age as of 5/1) are allowed to play in the Juniors.
• Players who are up to Babe Ruth League Age 18 (age as of 5/1) are allowed to play in the Seniors.
• Rookies team rosters are recommended to have 10 players minimum and 12 players maximum.
• Minors team rosters are recommended to have 12 players minimum and 14 players maximum.
• Majors team rosters are recommended to have 11 players minimum and 13 players maximum.
• Juniors team rosters are recommended to have 12 players minimum and 15 players maximum.
• Seniors team rosters are recommended to have 14 players minimum and 18 players maximum.
• If there is an older player that may have a safety issue for them playing in their age-appropriate division, that town my request a waiver from the board for them to play in a lower aged division. If a waiver is granted and after the season starts it is determined that the waiver should not have been granted, that player would be required to be moved and play in their league age-appropriate division.