13^th DISTRICT DART LEAGUE
BY-LAWS

Revised October 2002 

Amendments included

TEAM AND SPONSORSHIP REQUIREMENTS

1.       Each team must be sponsored by a private club or tavern and have access to their facility for weekly dart matches, and any makeup and playoff games, if required.

2.       A Club or Tavern may sponsor more than one team, but shall be responsible for dues and assessments for all teams sponsored.  The sponsorship dues are forty dollars ($40.00) per team on a one-time basis as long as they retain a team in the league.

3.       Each team will consist of a minimum of 5 players, and no more than 12.

4.       Each team is required to submit a final roster by October 31^st, and will not be allowed to draft any new players until the final game of the 1st half, and only then for a period of 4 weeks.  After January 31^st the roster is closed for the remainder of the season.  Any players added during the year must pay their dues as if they were on the roster since September. (Dues will be defined later.)

5.       Each team shall designate a Captain.  The Captain or other designee will attend a monthly league meeting that is held on the last Thursday of the month.  The meetings will begin at 7:30 sharp and are held at a different sponsor facility on a schedule that is determined in the beginning of the season.  Any team without a representative at the meeting will forfeit the following weeks handicaps. No league meeting shall be valid unless conducted by the President or officer of the league. The President may call special meetings as often as he/she deems necessary.  If a team fails to have a representative for the meeting, the team will retain their handicaps, but they will forfeit 9 points per man per game(45 points per game).  The points will be deducted off the final score of each game.  The purpose of this change is so that the penalty for missing a meeting will be fair and uniform across the league.

6.       The sponsorship fees and other collected revenues will be deposited in the 13^th District VFW Dart League bank account.  It will be necessary to have two (2) league officers’ sign any checks to make them valid.  These monies will be used strictly for league expensed (postage, stationary, trophies, etc.)

7.       The playing season shall commence on the 2^nd Tuesday after Labor Day.  The league Secretary and President are to be notified of all teams petitioning to enter the league by the last Wednesday in July. On this day a league meeting will be held to decide on the scheduling for the season; i.e., Halves, Holidays, etc. The league will consist of no more than sixteen (16) teams. For a new team to enter the league a team needs to quit or be banned. If teams petition for more spots than spots are available teams or facilities with prior membership will be considered first.  

8.       The league Secretary shall make up the season schedule and distribute the same to each team Captain by the August meeting.  A Post sponsoring more than one team will be insured of having a home team every week.

9.       At the regular league meeting in August, officers will be elected, and playoff implications will be discussed.  Final playoff decisions will be made no later than the October meeting.

10.   On each match night, the team will collect $4.00 from each player present.  In return, each team will receive an amount of “tickets” equal to the cost; 16 tickets with a face value of twenty-five cents ($0.25) per ticket.  These tickets are to be used for drinks only.  Any unused tickets are non-refundable.  This is to guarantee the home Post money for the night.  Any Post that refuses to comply will lose their guarantee.  During the match any player that throws a seven (7) will receive an extra “ticket”. A player shooting an eight (8) receives two (2) tickets & player shooting a nine (9) receives three (3) tickets or a drink of his/her choice.

11.   All matches will start promptly at 8:00PM .  Should the away team not arrive before 8:30 , it shall be the home teams’ option to call a forfeit and be credited with four (4) wins for the night.  Should the home team not show the visiting team would be awarded the same option. No more than ten (10) minutes should elapse between games, but sportsmanship should be a prevailing factor regarding this rule.

12.   In a sponsored facility where there is more than one (1) dartboard, no team player will be allowed to “practice” on the vacant board while shooting in a game in progress.

13.   In the event any team does not have the normal (5) men necessary to play a game, the team may play the match with no less than (3) players to avoid a forfeit. For example, if a team has only three players, the three can play and the two vacant positions will be awarded a total of nine (9) points each, in the handicap column.  Although the chances of a team with less than (5) players can defeat a team with (5) is unlikely; the purpose for this, is to give the players that do show up a chance to increase their average, or qualify for the playoffs, or add to their personal totals of 7’s, 8’s and 9’s.The team that didn’t forfeit may go to any club or bar & shoot (3) games, (5 guys a game), just like a match & turn those scores into the league for personal stats and team tie breaker stats. This decision is made by the team & is not mandated by the league.

14.   If for any reason a weekly match must be postponed, the team captains involved must agree on this decision.  Furthermore, these games must be made up within two (2) weeks.  In the event a match is postponed during the last four- (4) weeks of the season, the make up will be played within the same week.

15.   The league will not tolerate violent behavior of any kind.  Complaints of violence lodged against any player(s) in a league match or a league function will be investigated by the executive committee, where the player(s) current and future membership will be decided.

16.   In the event of the introduction of a new by-law, or an amendment to the existing by-laws, the motion shall be brought to the floor, for three (3) consecutive meetings, and must have the vote of sixty (60) percent of the league captains for approval.  Only one vote per team.  League officers, other than Captains, will not have the right to participate in any voting except the league president, who shall vote only in the event of a tie.  

GOLDBERGS

Goldberg is a “slang” word for a shooter who throws no points in an inning.  When a player throws a ‘goldberg’, he is obliged to contribute to a pool where the highest shooter in the game wins the pool.  Usually this is about $0.10, but teams have developed their own set of rules regarding this.  This is an optional set of rules, most of the teams use this for post season parties

SCORE SHEETS

  The league uses a standard turn-in sheet that is the responsibility of the home team to deliver, E-Mail, or regular mail the game information to the statistician  by Saturday of the week a match is shot.  This keeps the averages up to date and avoids errors.  Any home team that fails to return a score sheet on time will forfeit their handicap for the following week and will continue to lose their handicap until the sheet is delivered. By definition, this means that any team violating this will forfeit 9 points per man(45 points per games) for as long as the score sheet is not turned in.  The points will be deducted off the final score of each game.  The purpose of this change is so that the penalty, for failing to turn-in a score sheet, will be fair and uniform across the league. Go to the home page links to download a sample score sheet.

AVERAGES

Averages and stats are calculated on a weekly basis, by the league statistician, based on information supplied by the captains on the turn-in sheet.  All results and stat recorded will be considered final unless protested in writing on the weekly turn-in sheet within ten(10) days of posting.

DUES 

All league players must pay dues to help the league operate, in addition to the sponsorship dues paid in.  These monies will help cover the cost of awards, the banquet, newsletters, and stats.  The dues total is $60.00 per man per year.  Teams may decide how the funds are paid.  All players’ dues must be paid from the first week of the season.  The league treasurer will keep a list of all players and their dues paid.  The Captains will turn in all dues monies for the 1^st half before the 2^nd half begins.  Any team that fails to pay their 1^st half dues by a date set by the League, will forfeit 9 points per man per game for as long as the dues go unpaid. (45 points per game). The points will be deducted off the final score of the game.  The purpose of this change is so that the penalty for failing to pay dues, will be fair and uniform across the league. Also, it allows the league to postpone dues until after the 2^nd half has begun to make it more convenient for teams to get their dues in.