League Rules & Regulations

Affiliate Guidelines

The affiliate program is in place to provide coaches with an option to pick-up players from a lower category/division in the event of unforeseen circumstances where their roster would drop below the original size. Coaches have the option to bring their roster size up to its original roster size utilizing affiliates. For example, if a team’s original roster size is 16 players and 3 players are injured and unable to play that coach can potentially affiliate 1 – 3 players. This is not in place to add depth to the team’s current roster, but as an emergency backup plan. Coaches will still be required to provide information and reasoning for the player who is being replaced. ‘AA’ and ‘AAA’ teams may affiliate up to 7 players from a lower category/division of play.

• Only players playing in Baseball Alberta leagues (House League, ‘A’, ‘AA’ and ‘AAA’) are eligible for teams to use as affiliate players and be eligible to be picked up for Provincials/Westerns/Nationals.

• No Affiliate players will be permitted for play at the Provincial Championships.

• If a team’s roster falls to 10 players or lower for the Provincial Championships, that team may apply to Baseball Alberta to pick-up 1 player from an Association at Baseball Alberta’s discretion. Teams must provide doctor’s notes or other supporting information for the lack of players in order to activate this process.

• No affiliates will be allowed for the ‘A’ division.

• All affiliate players must be approved by Baseball Alberta prior to them being eligible to play.

Each ‘AAA’ team may draw from their own ‘A’/’AA’ base (including lower age categories within 'A'/'AA') or from ‘A’/’AA’ or lower age categories in 'A'/'AA' within a 75 km radius. Each ‘AA’ team may draw affiliates from their own Association house/’A’ league or from any Association within 75 km who does not have a ‘AA’ team at that age category. In the event that there are teams that do not have any Associations within the 75 km radius then that team may apply to Baseball Alberta for affiliate approval from outside of the 75 km radius. In order to affiliate a player, the coach must contact the player’s team coach for contact information and then discuss the option with the player’s parent(s) unless the player is 18 years of age.

Each team must submit the Affiliate Player Application (completed and approved by the affiliate’s parent unless 18 years of age) along with a $25 processing fee to Baseball Alberta at least 3 working days prior to first game to be played. Baseball Alberta will forward an updated Affiliate Player Tracking Sheet with the approved player’s name on it.

In order to utilize an affiliate, the coach/team manager must contact the affiliate player’s team coach to determine availability and to also discuss how the player will be utilized (coaches should come to agreement of innings/pitch counts to be pitched as those innings may affect the affiliate player’s team). If the affiliate’s team has a league (Provincial League or house league) game, that player will not be available. If that team has a tournament, the player will only be available if approved by both the coach and parent/player. If that team has a practice or exhibition game scheduled, the player will be deemed available. Any coach abusing this process may be disciplined by Baseball Alberta. If deemed available after due process, the coach must then contact the player’s parent(s) unless the player is 18 years of age.

The Affiliate Player Tracking Sheet must be provided to the Official Scorekeeper along with the line-up card. The official line-up card must identify the player with “AFF” beside the player’s name. The Official Scorekeeper will fill in the date of the game played (regardless of whether that player ever plays an inning and once on the official line-up, that player will be charged with one game played) and return the Tracking Sheet to the team. The Official Scorekeeper will identify Affiliate Players on the Game Summary Sheet and Baseball Alberta will update each team’s master Affiliate Tracking Sheet to be kept at Baseball Alberta.

Affiliate players may only sign with one team and may only play up to 5 games throughout the entire schedule. Once a player’s five (5) games are complete, that player’s eligibility for Affiliation will be denied for the remainder of the season. (The Registrar may only extend affiliate player’s maximum number of games in the event that a team loses a player(s) to Team Alberta/Team Canada opportunities and has used up all available affiliate player games).