Zero Tolerance Policy

1. Honoring the game

Honoring the game is at the center of PG PONY. Our players learn sportsmanship, respect and self-control from watching the adults around them. This policy sets the standard of conduct for everyone at a PG PONY practice, game or event, and explains what happens when someone falls short.

It applies to every player, manager, coach, umpire, board member, volunteer, parent, relative and fan, before, during and after any PG PONY practice, game or event, at home or away, including the stands, parking areas, and anywhere else at or near the field. It also applies to messages, posts and comments about league games, players, coaches, umpires or families, including on social media.

2. What we expect

• Cheer positively, for every player on both teams.
• Leave coaching to the coaches and calls to the umpires.
• Treat opponents, umpires, volunteers and other families with respect, win or lose.
• Talk to your coach about concerns privately, away from players, and not during or right after a game. Wait 24 hours after a game to raise anything about that game.

3. What isn't allowed

No one covered by this policy may:

• Fight, push, hit, or threaten to hurt anyone.
• Use profane, obscene or abusive language or gestures, or heckle, taunt or make insulting remarks to or about players, coaches, umpires or fans.
• Harass, bully or demean anyone, including because of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or any other characteristic protected by law.
• Confront, follow or block an umpire, or approach an umpire on the way to or from the field or their vehicle.
• Throw a bat, helmet or other equipment in anger or protest, or use unnecessary roughness on the field.
• Enter the field during a game unless they are an authorized coach or a player in uniform, or are asked to help by the umpire or a coach.
• Use air horns, whistles or other artificial noisemakers.
• Drink alcohol, use cannabis or illegal drugs, smoke or vape at any practice, game or event, or be there under the influence.
• Bring a weapon to any practice, game or event, except for law enforcement officers on duty.
• Post or send messages that threaten, harass or humiliate a player, coach, umpire, volunteer or family.
• Retaliate against anyone for reporting an incident.

Threatening or striking an umpire or other sports official may also be a crime under California law. Any concern about abuse of a child is handled under the Child Safety Policy, not this policy.

4. Umpires

• Only a team's manager, or the coach acting as manager, may talk to an umpire about a call or a rule, and only calmly and respectfully. Players, other coaches and fans don't argue with, question or shout at umpires, ever.
• The path between an umpire's vehicle and the field is off-limits. No one approaches an umpire before or after a game to discuss calls. Concerns about an umpire go to the league, not to the umpire.

5. At the game

• Who's responsible. When two PG PONY teams play, each team's manager is responsible for their own team's fans. For intercity games in Pacific Grove, the PG PONY home team's manager is responsible for keeping order, and for away games, each PG PONY manager is responsible for their own team's fans.
• Ask first. A manager, umpire or board member who sees a violation asks the person to stop. Managers are expected to step in when their own team's fans cross the line.
• Removal. If the behavior continues, or is serious, the person is asked to leave the field and the surrounding area, and the game can be paused until they do. Umpires may also eject players, coaches or fans under the rules of the game.
• Immediate ejection. A player, manager or coach who uses profanity, makes unsportsmanlike gestures, argues with or shouts at an umpire, throws equipment, or uses unnecessary roughness may be removed for the rest of the game, and may face further discipline under section 8.
• Danger. If anyone is threatened or hurt, call 911 first.

6. Reporting an incident

• Report any incident to the league as soon as you can, ideally within 72 hours and no later than 7 days after it happened. Email the President at president@pgpony.org, or tell any member of the executive board. Managers must report any incident involving their team, including any ejection.
• Include what happened, when and where, who was involved, and who saw it. Photos or videos help, but don't film players to do it.
• If you report by phone, the person who takes the report writes it down, and a different committee member follows up.

7. How incidents are reviewed

• Conduct Committee. Incidents are reviewed by the Conduct Committee: the President, the Vice President and one other board member appointed by the President. A committee member who was involved in an incident, or whose child or team was, steps aside, and the President (or Vice President, if the President steps aside) appoints a replacement.
• Gathering facts. Two committee members talk with the people involved and any witnesses, and always meet with someone in pairs. A player under 18 is only interviewed with a parent or guardian present.
• Hearing from the person. Before any discipline beyond a verbal warning, the person is told in writing what they're accused of and may respond, in writing or in a meeting with the committee.
• Decision. The committee decides whether the policy was broken. It may give a verbal or written warning itself. Any suspension, dismissal or bar is decided by the Board of Directors by a two-thirds vote at a duly called meeting (Bylaws Section 2.5), on the committee's recommendation. Decisions are given to the person in writing. For a player under 18, the decision goes to their parent or guardian.
• Players. Player misconduct is also handled under Bylaws Section 2.6: the President notifies the player's manager and parents or guardians within 24 hours, and a panel of three voting Directors, including the Director for the player's sport, reviews it with the manager and player.
• Timing. The committee aims to decide within 14 days of a report. For a serious incident, it may ask the President to call a board meeting promptly so the board can vote on a suspension.

8. Discipline

The committee recommends, and for suspension or more the board decides, the step that fits how serious the conduct was, whether it was repeated, and whether the person accepted responsibility. It doesn't have to start at the first step.

• Verbal warning. Given at the time by a board member who saw it.
• Written warning. The person is told in writing what they did and that another violation will lead to a more serious penalty.
• Suspension. The person may not attend any PG PONY activity (practices, games, events, fundraisers) for a set number of games or days.
• Dismissal for the season. The person may not take part in any PG PONY activity for the rest of the league year (November 1 to October 31).
• Barred. The person may not take part in any PG PONY activity for a set number of years, or permanently.

The committee may also require a person to complete sportsmanship training, apologize, or pay for damage, and may remove a manager or coach from their role. A team may face forfeits or other penalties only when its manager or coaches took part in the conduct or failed to act to stop it. Players are not penalized for the conduct of adults they can't control.

A suspended or barred parent may still drop off and pick up their child at the curb, unless the committee decides otherwise for safety reasons. The league will work with the family so the player can keep playing.

9. Appeals

• Within 30 days of a written decision, the person (or a parent or guardian, for a player under 18) may appeal to the Executive Board, by email to the President at president@pgpony.org, or by mail to P.O. Box 317, Pacific Grove, California 93950.
• The appeal should include their name and contact information, the name of anyone appealing on their behalf, why they believe the decision is wrong (including any facts the committee missed or got wrong), what they're asking the league to do, and any supporting documents.
• The Executive Board hears the appeal within 14 days of receiving it, may ask to speak with the person, and gives a written decision within 7 days after meeting. Changing or overturning the original decision requires a two-thirds vote of the Executive Board; otherwise the original decision stands. Members who were involved in the incident or the original decision don't take part. The Executive Board's decision is final.
• Discipline stays in effect while an appeal is pending, unless the Executive Board decides otherwise.

10. Records

• Incident reports, statements and decisions are kept confidential, in secure, access-controlled storage set by the President, never in personal email. Only the Conduct Committee, the executive board and anyone hearing an appeal may see them.
• The league keeps a list of anyone currently suspended or barred, shared with managers and board members only as needed to enforce it.
• Records are kept for at least six years.

11. Agreeing to this policy

Each year at registration, parents and guardians agree to this policy for themselves and their family, and every manager, coach and volunteer agrees to it when they sign up. The board reviews it every year before registration opens.

12. Non-waiver

Nothing in this policy limits PG PONY's authority under its bylaws or the rules of PONY Baseball and Softball to discipline any player, manager, coach, umpire, board member, volunteer, parent, relative or fan when, in the league's judgment, doing so is in the best interest of its players or programs.

Questions

Email the President at president@pgpony.org, or use the Get help page to find the right person.