Proposal for Allowing Players to Change Teams During the Season

Currently, players are not allowed to change teams during a season if they have played one or more games already. However, some exceptions have been made regarding this, based on individual circumstances and the discretion of the Executive Committee. In an attempt to eliminate the arbitrary nature of allowing players to change teams, there are the following two proposals:

Proposal # 1:
If a player wishes to change teams during the course of a season, the following conditions will apply:

First, and foremost, BOTH captains must agree to the switch. To verify this, all three parties (the player, the original team's captain, and the new team's captain) must confirm with the Executive Committee that the change is agreed upon. It will be up to the player and the captains to come to an agreement.

A player will only be allowed to switch once per season (so a player is only allowed to play for a maximum of two teams per season).

A player is NOT eligible to change teams if he or she has played five or more matches for his or her original team.

No switches can be made after the 15^th week of the season.

If a team drops out for whatever reason, players who did show up for that teams games should be allowed to change to another existing team. However, a) only one player from the dropped team can join any other given team (2 or 3 players cannot all migrate to the same team), b) each case will be dealt with individually, c) final approval must come from the executive committee, and d) team captains must be informed of any roster changes resulting from this.

Proposal # 2:
If a player wishes to change teams during the course of a season, the following conditions will apply:

First, and foremost, BOTH captains must agree to the switch. To verify this, all three parties (the player, the original team's captain, and the new team's captain) must confirm with the Executive Committee that the change is agreed upon. It will be up to the player and the captains to come to an agreement.

A player will only be allowed to switch once per season (so a player is only allowed to play for a maximum of two teams per season).

A player is not eligible to change teams after Week # 3 of the season. Three weeks should be enough time for a player to determine if their team is a good match for them or not.

Any new player that joins a team after Week # 3 and plays at least one match (game) will have to stay with that team for the remainder of the season. New players have the option of waiting a few weeks or more to see which team best suits them.

If a team drops out for whatever reason, players who did show up for that teams games should be allowed to change to another existing team. However, a) only one player from the dropped team can join any other given team (2 or 3 players cannot all migrate to the same team), b) each case will be dealt with individually, c) final approval must come from the executive committee, and d) team captains must be informed of any roster changes resulting from this.

Please give us your thoughts regarding this here on the forum. At the captains' meeting, we will vote on either keeping it the way it is, or adopting Proposal #1, or adopting Proposal #2.

If you have a third proposal, please present it here before the captains' meeting. We will not be coming up with any new proposals at the meeting.

Hey Lenny,
I would be in favor of modifying a few of the items mentioned, and are as follows;
1) I think it should be at the discretion of the player and new captain only. If there is some reason why the player wants to change, it could probably be as a result of some personal differences. By allowing the current captain a veto, it might mutate into a personal issue. I think the current captain should certainly be informed, but not necessarily have a vote on the issue.
2) Some players are picked up on the night when a match is played, due to insiufficient players in a team. Team rosters are littered with players who have only had 2 or 3 games a season. These players are sometimes excluded from later matches when the roster of regular team members is once again filled. So, I would propose that a player in this situation not be locked into a team after week 3, or whatever. I think it would be more fair if the player who was picked up for a couple of matches have a game limit set. This would allow that player to participate in another team, and get more games in.

Mark, I agree with both of your variations. However, I think both of those variations would have to fall under the discretion of the executive committee on a case-by-case basis.
Lenny Erickson

I'm conflicted on this issue.On one hand, I think that if a member has made a committment to join a team, that is a promise that should be upheld. It is also a promise that most players make before the previous season's end. I feel that ifthey have played at least one game with a team, they have shown actionable intention to join. Allowingplayers to change teams also brings up a complicated issue about dues. If one player has already payed for one team, should they be allowed to ask for their money back if they leave before the 3rd/15th week?Also, if a player is joining a new team, should they have to pay? How many captains use the bait of not having to pay dues in order to obtain a top player? How many teams offer more than just paid dues to entice good players away? I'm not saying it's happening, but I'm saying this rule would make it more likely to happen by far.
On the other hand, if a member of my team really doesn't want to play, I don't want to force them to, even if he/she is an amazing player. Teams are more than the individual pieces. Ideally, they are a group of like-minded (or interestingly different)individuals who enjoy spending time with and competing together. I do support the commitee's ability to act on a case by case basis. However, my vote for allowing this change to league rules will most likely be negative. What we have works, why fix it?Paul Riddle

Paul, the reason that this proposal was made was because nearly every season the executive committee has to deal with this sort of situation. It is stressful to all concerned, because if the committee allows one person to change teams, then that case is cited every time someone else wants to change teams for whatever reason. If someone's request is denied, than there are cries of favoritism (which is ridiculous, because I, in fact, don't like anyone).
If we have a less-strict, yet more specific rule regarding this, than most cases that come up will probably fall under the allowed conditions, and the arbitrariness of the decision-making process will be reduced.
I completely agree that every player should honor their commitment to play on a team, but it simply isn't always that simple.
Lenny Erickson