Brotherhood comes first

1. In the spirit of Brotherhood and Islamic principles, no profanity, in any language, shall be tolerated. A team has the right to place a grievance with the Umpire if profanity was uttered in any language including English. Umpire may warn and/or expel the player(s) from the game/park. OUS Committee will review all Umpire ejections and may add to the suspension period. Repeat offenders will be suspended from future games or the league.

Equipment

1. No METAL cleats or METAL jewelry will be allowed, you will be forced to remove them before entering the field of play.

League Rules

1. Minimum of 8 male players, 18-years-old or over (unless approved by the league under special circumstances), are required to play a game. If any team is found in breach of this rule at the game, team will be fined and game will be forfeited. 
2. A 24-hour advanced notice is required if a team is to forfeit a game. Notifying the league 24 hours in advance will result in a $50 fine otherwise it will be a $100 fine at the game. The Fine must be paid by the team before its next scheduled game or the next game shall be forfeited for an additional Fine of $50. 
3. Substitute player(s) can only be used if the team has at least 5 regular players. Detailed sub rules can be found below.
4. Opposing team MUST supply a non-fielding catcher to a team that has only 8-players to avoid a forfeit. A team with 9 players will not be provided a non-fielding catcher, they must instead play with 3 outfielders and field their own catcher.
5. The trade deadline will be after week 7 or 13 games completed in the season whichever comes first.
6. A minimum of 8 weeks  or 12 games must be attended for a player to play in the playoffs. GMs who wish to seek exceptions to this rule for players who are in situations beyond their control, may appeal to the OUS Board and be subject to a private hearing. Exceptions will be granted only in the event of unanimous approval by the Board. 
7. Use of playoff players: All players must meet rule 6 requirements to qualify for playoffs.
8. Pictures: OUS will require a team picture or individual pictures from all players. All teams are required to participate.
9. Players will adhere to any safety rules or regulations imposed from the league (e.g. COVID).
10. Decisions made by the scorekeeper(s) are to be impartial; a player cannot speak with the scorekeeper to influence their decision. The only time a player is to converse with the scorekeeper is to ask for overall game information such as the score, homerun limits, mercy rule limits and current inning. Any conversation with the scorekeeper in regards to personal stats is strictly prohibited. Warning and fines may be issued if a player participates in this behaviour. Any mistakes/opinions in a player's personal stats should be discussed with a players General Manager who can investigate further with the league management at his own discretion. 
11. If a conflict or disagreement arises during the course of a game, a player can only speak to their own General Manager who can  then convey the player's opinions to the other opposing teams General Manager. At no point should a player have an argument/discussion with another player on the field. Warning and fines may be issued if a player participates in this behaviour.

Game Rules

1. Game is played in 7 innings, Bases are 70 feet apart, Pitching distance is 50 feet, commit line of 28 feet, Strike Mat / Home Plate: A 2 feet by 3 feet mat.
2. A 3 home-run differential (over the fence) is in effect. Exceeding the limit is an OUT.
3. 7-run mercy rule is in effect in every inning from 1st inning to the 6th inning.
4. Only the 7th inning is open or the final inning called by the umpire.
5. If a team is leading by 15 runs or more, the 5th or 6th inning will be the final inning.
6. Batting lineup must be submitted before start of game and not in the middle of the first inning.
7. No player can be added to batting line up after the completion of the 2nd inning or 30 minutes after start time, whichever comes later.
8. After 1 pitch has been taken by a player batting out of order in a lineup and is realized by the other team or an organizer, the player up to bat will be out and the rightful player in the lineup will go to bat.
9. If a player is injured during play and cannot continue then he will be skipped in the batting lineup and NOT deemed as an out.
10. Grace period of 10-minutes from listed time will be observed before a game is defaulted.
11. Any team found delaying the game by the umpire will receive a warning and may forfeit the game.
12. Regular season rules apply for playoffs unless special modifications are made for the playoffs by the league management. These league modifications will be communicated with the league before the start of the playoffs. Only players with minimum games attended are allowed to play. If any team is found in breach of this rule, the team will be dismissed from the playoffs.
13. No new inning shall start after one hour and fifteen minutes.
14. Complete game is 4 innings, 3.5 innings if the home team is ahead: If the score is tied, then both teams will receive a point. An inning is complete when the home team (team batting second) has completed all 3 outs. If the game is called off before the 7th inning is complete, then the score after the 6th inning will be used to determine the winner. 
15. Rainouts: Any games cancelled or stopped due to weather conditions will be deemed as a tie, unless 4 innings are completed, 3.5 innings completed if the home team is ahead. The home team leading after 3.5 innings or if the away team is up by 7 they will be proclaimed as the winner. An inning is complete when the home team is up to plate. If the game is called off before the 7th inning is complete, then the score after the 6th inning will be used to determine the winner. 
16. The umpire based on his clock/judgment will call a game complete after 90 minutes irrespective of whether the inning is complete. The last completed inning will be used as the final score.

Batting Rules

1. Pitch count starts at 0-0.
2. Third strike foul is an out.
3. If a batted ball hits the mat or the plate it will be considered a dead / foul ball.
4. A batter is not allowed to switch sides of the plate after taking the first pitch.
5. Any ball hit in play is considered fair even if it doesn't reach the pitcher.

Base Running Rules

1. Anticipation is NOT allowed. Runner(s) can only leave base once the pitch is hit with the bat, OR the pitch touches the plate/ground.
2. Sliding is permitted except at Home plate.
3. One Ummah Softball enforces a commitment line and any contact by the runner with the catcher on home plate is an automatic out.
4. No player can be tagged out at home plate. Player will be called out if he touches the home plate while coming around to score a run.
5. A maximum of 3 courtesy runners are permitted during a game. The last player ruled out can only be the courtesy runner unless allowed by the opposing team.

Pitching Rules

1. Pitching distance is 50 feet, and Strike Mat / Home Plate: A 2 feet by 3 feet mat.
2. A pitched ball must have a minimum height of 6 feet and a maximum of 12 feet, as per the judgment of the Umpire.
3. The pitcher must have a pivot foot that does not move during the pitching motion.
4. The pitch must be released while the pitcher is standing parallel to the plate but he can stand up to 10 feet behind the rubber.

Score and Standings

1. A Win is two points, Tied games are one point, and a Loss is zero points.
2. The criteria used for tiebreakers are: Points, Wins, Run Differential, Head to Head, Runs Scored.
3. A forfeit is a loss of 10-0. The winning team players are credited with a game played while NONE of the players from the team that forfeited gets a game played credit.
4. A max run differential of 15 runs in a game will count towards the standings.

Stat Tracking and Errors Charged

1. The speed of the softball that is hit by the batter is not considered when charging an error. 
2. The speed of the throw is not considered when differentiating between a hit and an error. 
3. An error will be charged if an infielder is directly planted in front of the softball that is hit to the fielder and is unable to field the softball and/or throw the softball on target to get an out.
4. If an infielder is in motion while attempting to field the ball and is not able to field the ball adequately, this will not be charged as an error.
5. An error will be charged If an infielder is able to make a play on the softball while in motion but is unable to adequately throw the softball(ie misthrow) to the desired base/target to get an out.
6. An error will be charged If an outfielder is in motion(regardless of steps) when a softball is hit but eventually comes to a complete stop and is now planted before the softball reaches them and is unable to adequately field the ball.
7. If an outfielder is in motion while attempting to field the softball(regardless of steps) and is not able to field the ball adequately, this will not be charged as an error (ie the fielder was never planted upon arrival of the softball).
8. If an outfielder fields a softball after a softball has bounced, and throws it to any base but first base to complete a force out, a fielder's choice will not be charged to the batter. If this attempt is missed, an error will not be charged to the fielder. 
9. An error is not charged upon mental error of a fielder unless it also includes one of the above discussed reasons to charge an error.

Umpires and Discipline

1. Each Captain of the team must identify themselves to the Umpire before the start of their game. Only a Captain is permitted to discuss an Umpires call with the other Captain and the Umpire. Umpires decision is Final during the game.
2. Game UMPIRE is the ultimate authority in the park. Any ejection will serve a minimum one game suspension. That player will be skipped in the batting lineup and recorded as an out.
3. If the umpire finds anyone made a play with the intent to injure someone, that player will be automatically ejected and subject to further suspension and a fine.
4. Any argument with an Umpire, resulting in an Umpires decision to eject the player(s) will be an automatic next game suspension for the same player(s) for the first offence. A second ejection will result in a $50 fine and a heavy suspension. The Player(s) will be made aware of their future suspension lengths by the Committee within 5 days.
5. Any ejected/suspended player(s) must leave the park immediately or their team shall forfeit the game and the player will receive additional suspension. OUS Committee will review all Umpire ejections and may add to the suspension period. Repeat offenders may be suspended from future games or season. Suspended players are not permitted at the fields, if seen at the field the team will receive a forfeit.
6. Swearing at a player will result in a 1 day suspension and a $25 dollar fine. This will increase for repeat offenders.  
7. Swearing in general will result in a $25 dollar fine, repeat offenders will receive a suspension.
8. Aggressive behavior towards other players in the league will result in a one game suspension. 
9. Any Physical Altercation will result in an immediate removal from the league and involved parties will not be allowed back into the league.
10. Any behavior described in sections 6, 7, 8 and 9 that happens towards management or an umpire will result in double consequences. 
11. League Management and General Managers of teams are held to higher standards, and thus any incident that they share the fault with will result in double consequences. 
12. Scorekeeper or a Committee member present at the park may serve as witnesses to the facts of a dispute. League Management must be informed with the intent to lodge a complaint and/or appeal at the time of applicable play or ruling or it will be negated.
13. Speaking to a scorekeeper during or after a game in regards to if a hit (whether their own or someone else's) was recorded as a hit or error will result in a $20 fine and will automatically be marked as an error(if it was their own hit in question). The only time a team captain can speak to a scorekeeper is to ask for the score, home run limit, current inning or any other information regarding the overall game.
14. Complaining to League management during a game  will result in a $20 dollar fine. Repeat offenders will be suspended. If you have a complaint or any issue during the game, please speak to your team's General Manager and they will address it accordingly. All players including League Management should have the right to enjoy the game and subsequently deal with league issues after the game has ended. 
15. The One Ummah Softball Management team will convene to hear an appeal for a suspension, warning or fine. The hearing must be attended by the appellant/agent by the following Tuesday night at 8 PM on a conference call. Failure to attend the hearing shall negate the appeal.
16. All players must wear their league uniform; failure to do so will result in a $10 fine payable before the next game.
17. In the absence of an Umpire or Committee Member, two team Managers will mutually decide upon the person responsible to Umpire the game.
18. General Managers are responsible for throwing away all litter/garbage in and around the dugout at the end of each game. Failure to do so will result in a $50 fine. Stat keepers will note which teams are responsible.
19. Any player or players involved in the consumption of any drugs or alcohol near the playing area shall be suspended and the team will be fined $200. The team that this player or players belong to will be put on probation until further notice.

Sub Process

1. Subs are a privilege, not a right
2. On Monday, sub committee will share the link to both the GMs and to the Subs to request/sign up for subs for the week.
3. GMs have until 24 hours prior to game time to request for a sub to allow committee to provide a sub for you.
4. Max of 2 subs allowed per team per game per week, except in a forfeit situation. Forfeit situation has a max of 3 subs otherwise team forfeits
5. Assigning of subs
   1. Forfeit situation gets priority of subs to be assigned – GMs have to let sub-committee know if roll call numbers have changed and the team is not in a forfeit situation
   2. Rest of the teams are on a first come first serve basis
   3. Subs
      1. Assigned to teams on first come first serve basis based on their availability
      2. Sub-Committee has right to alter assigning of subs to allow for fair amount of games played in a given week for subs in order to appease subs and encourage them to continue signing up. (i.e. Sub 1 played 2 games on Thursday and is available for Friday as well, Sub 2, who signed up afterwards, can be assigned on Friday before Sub 1)
6. Outside subs are only allowed in a forfeit situation – Sub committee will communicate when GM can bring an outside sub
   1. Outside sub must be equivalent to a 5th rounder or lower
   2. Outside sub may not be a power bat
   3. Outside sub must be vetted by sub-committee and the board
7. All subs, inclusive of outsiders, are restricted from fielding as a SS or CF, but can field anywhere else
8. All subs must bat at the end of the batting order.