League News

ENYTB Protocols re: Players Release Requests...

There is always much confusion about releases. Many people think there is a release form. There is not.

When a player or family member or representative acting on his behalf, seeks a release on the player's behalf, all that is required from the player's prior ENYTB club owner or club rep, is a an email or piece of paper with the player's name, the word "RELEASED", the club owner's (or club rep) signature and the date of the signature shall be sufficient.

Alternatively, releases, like virtually everything else in this league, can be processed online via this website by the club rep. Each roster contains a release button next to each player's name. By simply clicking the release button, a club owner or his rep can release any of its players.

Finally, if the club owner or his club rep prefers, a call to the league office shall suffice as well.

A key element in the League's successful growth strategy has been its ability to strike a balance between the interests of players and league members in the matter of player movement within the league. ENYTB's rules have evolved over a decade and a half, and rely much more heavily on "roster protection" than they do territory. The League rejects both extreme views on free agency. It believes that total free agency would NOT provide the stability and continuity required to maintain club programs from year-to-year. At the same time, the opposite extreme where players are limited to playing for one club forever based solely on their place of residence is unnecessarily rigid, leading to much player dissatisfaction and less overall participation.

SUMMARY Of ENYTB's RULES re: ROSTER PROTECTION

• By definition, any player who did not participate in the league in the prior year is a free agent in the current year i.e., they are free to play for any club/team of their choice.
• Once a player chooses to play for a member club, he becomes that club's "protected" player until he is released or that team no longer participates in ENYTB.
• Certain members (full franchise members) enjoy limited territory protection for their teams aged 15U and younger. Players that reside in the area of a franchise member and who have never participated in ENYTB, are eligible for a non-discretionary release unless offered a roster spot by their home area club prior to Mar 1st. To qualify for a non-discretionary release, the player and his family must, if requested, give their home area club an opportunity to persuade them to play for their club instead. When this protocol is followed, the player qualifies for what we call non-discretionary release, granted by the league.
• Members are not allowed to tamper with another member's protected players i.e., they are not permitted to talk to current league players about playing for their organization. This means no personal tryouts, no working out with their team and no discussion with the player, or anyone acting on behalf of the player, related to the prospect of the player playing for their team. All of the latter are forms of tampering.
• To change teams, a player must REQUEST a "release" from his current club,or qualify under any of the various league exemptions, as described in Article XVI of the League's Constitution. A player and/or his family may request another member to request their player's release on their behalf. This can be done via the website.

ENTERING AN ONLINE RELEASE REQUEST ON BEHALF OF A PLAYER

At the player's request, a team can officially request a release on behalf of that player via the website. When this approach is followed, the player is committed to play for the team making the request on his behalf should they choose to do so and should the request be granted. The advantages of this approach are as follows: the player does not need to have further contact with his prior club/team; and, the request must be answered within 15 days or it is automatically granted by the league. When this approach is followed, the team being asked to make the request must be careful not to tell the player that it is willing to make the request on the player's behalf BEFORE the player asks him to do so.

SUMMARY

There are two entirely separate website processes for granting releases:

(1) Method #1 - player makes release request to his present club and if the club agrees, the club rep clicks the release button located next to the player's name on roster. End of story, player is free to play for the ENYTB team of his choice; and,

(2) Method #2 - player asks another ENYTB club/team to request his release for him.

NOTE: this method usually requires that the player and team, for whatever reason, have prior knowledge of each other such that the player knows he wants to play for that team w/o any discussion, enticement or inducement from the team and the team has prior knowledge of the player's abilities and already knows that it would like to have the player on its roster were he a free agent, w/o tampering with the player or encouraging him to seek a release.

When a player asks a team to request his release on his behalf and that team agrees to do so, the team can use the website to process the release request online by simply trying to add the player to his roster and when rejected, by replying yes to the following question: would you like to request a release for this player?

This online request method allows for "cold" requests i.e., neither the player nor the team requesting the release on the player's behalf is required to have any prior discussion with the player's current club before processing the release request. However, nothing is stopping such discussion from taking place. In fact, when the player's current club/team receives a cold request, it is alright for him to contact the player or the team entering the request to discuss the circumstances of the request.

Both release methods above are equally valid. Method #1 is very direct and very simple while Method #2 is more explicit and can be impersonal.

NOTE:Both approaches are entirely consistent with the league constitution in that the club rep/owner, with certain specified exceptions, has the final say as to whether any player from any of their teams is released.

Mechanics Of Processing A Release via Method #1:

To release a player on the website using this approach, the club rep must be logged-in with club level access. If you don't have club level access you must ask your club rep or club owner to release the player for you.

Go to Team Registration > Roster > ENYTB and select team.

Find player's name on team roster and scroll to the far right of the page and click the button that says [RELEASE] and voila, player leaves your roster and the website records and date stamps his release and updates his league status to "Free Agent". Now another team in the same age division can add the player to his league roster via the website. When the player is added to the league roster of another club/team, his new league status is recorded and dated. Thus, he is now a protected player for his new club/team.

This approach is commonly followed when the request for the release is made in person, by telephone call or by email from the player or the team seeking the release on behalf of the player.

NOTE: Until 2008, this was the only way to release a player.

Mechanics Of Processing A Release via Method #2:

This method of release can be initiated by anyone with team level or higher access privileges e.g., manager, coach or club person.

NOTE: To go this route you must have been approached by the player, told him you can't talk to him about joining your team until he is released by his previous club and he asks you to request a release for him.

To request a release on behalf of a player, a team needs to try to add the player to its online roster. When the system determines the player is ineligible to be signed w/o a release, your request to add him to your roster will be rejected. You will then be asked by the website if you would like to initiate a release request for the player. If you answer yes, an email will be sent to the player asking him to confirm the request.

NOTE: Many players fail to respond to the confirmation request, which aborts the entire process. If you follow this release method, tell the player to look for an email from the league (sender = runmyleague.com) and to reply to it.

If the player confirms that he wants the release, his current club/team is then informed by an auto-email of the release request and who is making the request.

The club is then given 15 days to grant or deny the request.

Once again, per our constitution, the club rep/owner, not the team, has the final say as to whether any player from any of their teams is released.

When the player's current club rep replies to the league player agent that he is granting the request, the player is released by the league. At this point the website moves the player from roster A to roster B, updates his player record accordingly, and everyone is informed of the result via auto-email.

If the release is denied, then no release is given and all parties are informed of the denial by email.

If the club/team fails to respond to the release request within 15 days, the player is automatically released by the league.

If the player is a "restricted player" the player's home area club is given 15 days to request an opportunity to present their program to the player and his family. If the player and his family comply with that request, the player is given his release if he still wants it. If he does not comply, the release can be denied. These so-called non-discretionary releases are available only until April 1st.

After April 1st, all releases are discretionary regardless of whether the player is protected or restricted. By definition, discretionary releases can be denied. However, to deny a restricted player a release, the home area club must offer the player a position on a team roster in the same age division.