Early Spring 2024 Kickball East Rockaway

Additional Info

7 Semi Pro Dates

• Apr-21: Winner Them.
• May-31: Winner Rough Riders
• Jun-28: Winner Rough Riders
• Jul-26: Winner Riptide
• Aug-30: Winner Rough Riders
• Sep-27: Winner Riptide
• Oct-25: Winner Rough Riders

Player Movement Log

October Available Players:

• Bryan Carlin Riptide
• *Sofia Georgiadi Kickball Liberation Front
• *Lisa Maybe Kickball Liberation Front
• *Dennis Abruzzi Rough Riders
• *Laura Molinar Rough Riders
• *Devon Mintzes The Cavalry

October Drafted Players

• Kent St. Charles Riptide
• Steve Somma Kickball Liberation Front
• Joe Hopkins Them

September Available Players

• *Gabby Cunzo Rough Riders
• *Ali Mehring The Cavalry
• *Taylor Geen Kickball Liberation Front
• Kent St. Charles Boot Camp
• Louis Mele Kickball Liberation Front
• Joe Hopkins Them
• Bryan Carlin Riptide
• Carly Lange Kickball Liberation Front

September Drafted Players:

• Evan Spector Kickball Liberation Front
• Ryan Morahan The Cavalry
• James Gisondi Them
• Steve Jacofsky: Riptide

August Available Players:

• *John Quartuccio Rough Riders
• *Danielle Rosario Rough Riders
• *Mariu Cipriano Riptide
• *Cole Landro Riptide
• *Caitlin Brown Them
• Steven Costanzo The Cavalry

August Drafted Players:

• Brianna Donlon Kickball Liberation Front
• Vicky Labetti Kickball Liberation Front
• Josh Harel Kickball Liberation Front
• Kristina Marinaro: Rough Riders
• Louis Mele: Rough Riders
• Nick Meyer: Boot Camp
• Nicole Peralta: Riptide

July Available Players:

• *Marissa Bazzini Kickball Liberation Front
• *Atissa Roufeh Kickball Liberation Front
• *Christine Olivas Kickball Liberation Front
• *Amanda Brennan Rough Riders
• *Dan Chambers Boot Camp
• Josh Harel Them

July Drafted Players:

• Matt Calderon Kickball Liberation Front
• Marissa O'Brien Kickball Liberation Front
• Amanda Rynd Them
• Leandro Nogueira Them
• Michael Barbour Boot Camp
• Megan Rooney The Cavalry
• Nick Ciccone Rough Riders

June Available Players

• *Evan Spector Rough Riders
• *Brianna Donlon Rough Riders

June Drafted Players

• Vicky Labetti Riptide
• James Gisondi Riptide
• Katlyn Coolbaugh The Cavalry
• Brett Murphy Boot Camp
• Enriques De Jesus Kickball Liberation Front
• Lorena Waters Rough Riders

May Available Players

• Leandro Nogueira Riptide
• James Gisondi The Cavalry
• *Nick Tonini Riptide
• *Amanda Rynd Riptide
• *Melissa Luciano The Cavalry

May Drafted Players

• Christina Kahl Kickball Liberation Front

April Available Players

• *Joe Payton Boot Camp
• *Rachel Oliver Boot Camp
• *Kristen Bagley Riptide
• *Christina Kahl The Cavalry
• *Kat Tuechler Them

*indicates core 6 replacement

Semi Pro Constitution

The Semi Pro Constitution provides a framework for the government of Semi Pro. It is the contract between LI-Kick, Franchises and Players. It will create a level playing field, while offering stability and mobility to players. It can only be amended with the approval of 66% of franchises.

TOURNAMENTS

Each tournament will be in the vein of Friday Night lights. Expect 3-pool play games into brackets in the span of 4 hours. Playing ‘tournament rules’ of 6m/4f with a straight through order (max 2 men back-to-back). There will be a winner of each tournament. Winners will receive medals and will take home the ‘LI-Kick Chain’ until the next tournament. Franchises will carry forward their ELO.

SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFTS

There will be a supplemental draft of Available Players held 2 weeks before each monthly tournament The supplemental draft serves two purposes. One, it will allow new players to join & franchises to add officially add players to their roster for the remainder of the year. Two, it will allow franchises to use temporary players to account for absent players at the upcoming tournament.

SUPPLEMENTAL DRAFT PROCEDURE

The draft will be held roughly 2 weeks before the next tournament.

Incoming Players have until the day before the draft to declare their entry in the draft pool (must pay the joining fee)

Current Players have until the day before the draft to announce their move to a withdrawal status.

• Players can only withdraw if they've attended the two most recent tournaments.
• Withdrawn players are entered back into the draft pool with no guarantee of getting drafted again.

Captains have until the day before the draft to announce their drops

• Players can only be dropped if they've no showed two consecutive tournaments.
• Dropped players are entered back into the draft pool with no guarantee of getting drafted again.

Captains have until the day before the draft to announce their cuts.

• Each franchise can cut one player per tournament.
• Cut players are entered back into the draft pool with no guarantee of getting drafted again.

The draft order will be in reverse order of ELO. The 'Incoming Player Draft' will be used to to permanently draft players onto franchises. Next an 'Available player Draft' will be used to to add temporary players onto franchises on an 'as needed' basis for the next tournament. Franchises that select players in the incoming player draft will move to the bottom of the queue in the available player draft.

Franchises must come out of the draft with a legal roster of 7-8m, 5-6f and 13 total players minimum.

PLAYER STATUS DEFINITIONS

• Available Players: These are players who are currently in the Semi Pro draft pool. Available players are eligible to be drafted onto a franchise and only available players can be used when a Franchise needs a temporary replacement player.
• Franchise Exception: In the case an absent player was a member of the original 6 franchise group, the franchise can use any player as a replacement. The replacement player cannot be used again in any Semi Pro tournament or on any other franchises for the remainder of the year. If the replacement player wishes to continue playing, they must enter as an Available Player.. When a core six player is no longer a rostered member of a franchise due to trade/drop/withdrawal/cut, the captain may designate an existing rostered player of the same gender as a core six player.
• Withdrawn Players: Sometimes a player finds themselves on a franchise they don’t vibe with. After attending two consecutive tournaments, a player may withdraw themselves from their franchise and convert their status to 'Available', in hopes of getting picked by a new franchise in the next supplemental draft.
• Dropped Players: A captain may not want an unreliable player taking up a roster spot. If a player no-shows two consecutive tournaments, the captain may issue a drop. The player's status will be converted to 'Available' and they will enter the supplemental draft.
• Cut: After the May tournament, each franchise can cut one player per tournament, provided that their roster size does not stay below 13 total players (min 7m & 5f). The cut must be made within 13 days of the end of the most recent tournament. Cut players will be converted to 'Available Status'.
• Guest Player: In the case a franchise does not have enough players to enter a tournament, the players on that franchise that can play may enter the supplemental draft and be picked up as guest players for the tournament.

-Franchises are allowed to trade with an approval of 66% of franchises.

-There is a potential to add expansion franchises based on space, demand and permits.  

PRICING

There is a $70 joining fee.

·        The joining fee will be prorated down to for $50 for incoming players after the 2nd tournament.

·        Players will receive a refund if they are cut/dropped and don't want to continue as an available player.

The cost to enter a tournament is $360 per franchise.

A player that plays in all 7 tournaments on a franchise of 14 will pay $250 for the complete first year of semi-pro.

ESTABLISHING FRANCHSIES (completed 3/22/24)

• Semi Pro will start with 6 franchises.
• Players can join as a 'franchise group' or a 'draft pool' player.
• To join as a 'franchise group', you’ll need to join in a group with exactly 3m and 3f.
• 'Draft pool players' will get drafted onto a franchise.
• If there are more 'franchise groups' than needed, all players will vote on which franchise groups get accepted. Those franchise group not accepted will be moved to the draft pool.
• There is no guarantee of getting drafted if the quantity of draft pool players exceed the number of needed players.
• The 6 franchise groups will each select 7 draft pool players to create 6 franchises of 13 players each (minimum 7 men and minimum 5 women). After the first tournament the franchise cap will increase to 14 players (max 8m and max 6f).
• Players will belong to their franchise for the first year of Semi Pro.

Grand Finale Amendment (Approved 8/14/24)

Player Movement

The draft going into the second to last tournament (September) is the last draft and last chance for incoming players to join.  

Franchises can still sub for Core 6 Players and use subs from the existing pool as long as they meet the substitution requirements outlined in the Constitution.  

Tournament Schedule

The October Tournament groups are made the same way (1/4/5 and 2/3/6)

The difference for the Finale is the crossovers are ‘high-low’ so the higher seeds have the advantage. Cross overs are 1v6, 2v5 and 3v5

So the schedule would be 

• 1 Plays 4/5/6
• 2 Plays 3/5/6
• 3 Plays 2/4/6
• 4 Plays 1/3/5
• 5 Plays 1/2/4
• 6 Plays 1/2/3

That takes up the first 3 time slots.  

4th Time Slot, Relegation Game: The losers of each pool play a ‘relegation’ game. The loser of the relegation game is disbanded from Semi Pro (more on this in the 2025 Plans).

5th Time Slot: Championship: The winners of each pool play for the Semi Pro Championship. The winner of this not only wins October, but also wins Semi Pro 2024 and keeps the chain.    

No Semi Finals: The winners of the pools go directly to the championship without having to win a semi final game. I’ve proposed this because the highest seeds have the rightful advantage of the easiest schedule and adding a semi-final round cuts into the scheduling advantage earned by the highest seeds. This also creates 2 ‘all eyes’ games for the relegation game championship Therefore the two second place teams do not have a 4th game. .  

Closing

This proposal gives all 6 franchises a reason to be there and a chance to win, while ceding an advantage to the teams who have played the best over the course of the full series. It also is a ‘first over the line’ proposal in which the team who wins October, also wins Semi Pro and does not create a situation where a team might lose October, but still win Semi Pro because of another ranking, and no team’s fate is sealed no matter how bad their full series record is.

Grand Finale Ammendments (Approved 9/11/24)

• The relegation game and championship will be 9-inning games.
• If replacing core players for the Grand Finale, you can only replace 'half +.5' of your core.
• Before the Grand Finale, franchises will be allowed to make 1 cut and draft players from the existing player pool.

2025 Proposal (Approved 9/11/24)

Semi Pro returns in April of 2025 and begins a new 7 tournament series. We disband one franchise and add 3 expansion franchises to go to 8 total. There will be a call for franchise groups of 3m/3f just like we did to start Semi Pro.  

Disbansion

The franchise that loses the relegation game is disbanded. All their players are automatically released into the draft pool and the franchise does not return for 2025.

Step 1 of Expansion: Withdrawals 

All players have the chance to withdraw from their franchise and enter the player pool. Players may also withdraw from their franchise to attempt to start their own expansion franchise.  

Step 2 of Expansion: Salary Cap 

There will be a salary cap for returning franchises. It will be no fun if one franchise amasses so much talent that they keep winning and there is no mechanism to hold them back like a salary cap does in pro sports. The salary cap would be set at ‘12 player points’. Members of your franchise core are worth 2 points and drafted players are 1 worth 1 point. You would need to cut players to get your franchise under the cap. Cut players go into the pool. Teams that don't 'spend' all 12 of their player points on their own players will be able to spend their left over player points by selecting players cut by other teams. Their is a soft cap of 6 roster spots. Teams will forfeit expansion draft picks if they choose to exceed the 6 player soft cap.

Step 3 of Expansion: New Player Joins

All throughout this time, new players can join the player pool for 2025. 

Step 4 of Expansion: Voting for 3 Expansion franchises

All players on franchises and in the pool get to vote on the 3 franchises to be established. 

Step 5 of Expansion: The Draft

Exact rules on the 2025 draft TBD and Year 2 of Semi Pro begins.

SAL'S PROMISES

This is our attempt to emulate a pro sports season, and like the pros, the reality is that not everyone who wants to play will get the chance. But I make two promises to all players.

1. No one who doesn't get picked will have to pay.
2. Once we establish Semi Pro, we'll attempt to add expansion franchises so more people can play.

Why are we doing this? Semi Pro addresses many issues. As much fun as it is to always play with your friends, this typically results in all the top talent being consolidated onto lopsided 'super teams' with really just 2-3 teams having a legit chance of winning a 12 team league, and paradoxically creates a situation where the top teams express frustration there aren't more quality opponents, while the bottom teams are equally frustrated about losing to the established teams. The structure of Semi Pro ensures that talent will be evenly distributed. Semi Pro also creates a contiguous 7-month structure which address the 'come and go' nature of weekly leagues that last just 7 weeks and run multiple times a week. Finally, there is a lack of competitive tournaments in the Northeast with many national tours looking over the area. Semi Pro is creating our own eco system of competitive tournaments.