Early Spring 2025 Kickball Huntington

Additional Info

HOW TO JOIN SEMI PRO:

Players can join as a 'franchise group' or as 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.

You cannot join Semi Pro and be placed on a franchise of your choosing, nor is a placement guaranteed.

2025 SEMI PRO DATES

• Apr-27 season opener Sunday
• May-30
• June-27
• Jul-25
• Aug-29
• Sep-26
• Oct-24 grand finale

2025 Semi Pro Constitution

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

ESTABLISHING FRANCHSIES

• The number of franchises is expected to be 6-8 and is ultimately determined by the number of signups.
• 2024 Semi Pro players will have the choice to stay with their franchise, start their own franchise, or enter the 2025 Draft pool.
• See '2025 Proposal' below for full process for 2024 returning players.
• If there are more franchise groups than needed, all players will vote on which franchise groups get accepted. 
• Franchises will each select draft pool players to create 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).

TOURNAMENTS

With the exception of the season opener, tournaments will be held Friday nights from 7pm to 11pm. 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.

• 6 Team format: 2 evenly seeded pools (1/4/5, 2/3/6). Play every team in your pool once, and one 'across' crossover game. (3 pool play games each). The top 2 teams in each pool advance to single-elimination playoffs. No playoff games for 5 and 6.
• 8 Team format: 2 pools of D1 and D2 (1/2/3/4, 5/6/7/8). Play every team in your pool once (3 pool play games). D1(1) and D2(2) play for championship. ELO games for seeding for D1(3) vs. D2(2) and D1(4) vs. D2(1). No playoff games for D2(3) and D2(4).
• We will not have 7 franchises, either 6 of 8.

SEASON OPENER

The season opener (4/27) is the only tournament on a Saturday. That tournament will be a 7 time-slot tournament.

• 6 Team format: Play every team once. Top 4 to single elimination tournament.
• 8 Team format: 4 Pool play games. All 8 teams to single elimination tournament.

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.

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.

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

• Each franchise can cut one player without cause per tournament.

Withdrawn, dropped and 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: 3 times per year (and not at the grand finale), each Franchise is allowed to bypass the available player pool to use a temporary player. The replacement player cannot be used a second time by any franchise for the remainder of the year. If the replacement player wishes to continue playing, they must enter as an Available 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: Each franchise can cut one player without cause after every tournament, provided that their roster size does not stay below 13 total players (min 7m & 5f). Cut players will be converted to 'Available Status' and go into the draft pool.
• 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.
• Injured Reserve: When the captain and player mutually agree, a player can be placed on injured reserve. The injured reserve status is in affect for a minimum of 3 tournaments, in which the player does not count against the roster cap and is ineligible to play. The franchise can add a player through the regular draft process to make use of the roster spot. After 3 months, the player can come off injured reserve (player choice, not captain choice), at which point they are eligible to play and count towards roster caps. Captains must reestablish a legal roster.

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

PRICING

There is a $80 joining fee.

• The joining fee will be prorated down $65 after the first tournament and down to $50 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 $260 for the complete year of semi-pro.

IMPORTANT DATES

• Dec-07: Registration for 2024 Opens
• Mar-16: Deadline for returning players to withdraw from 2024 Franchise
• Mar-16: Deadline to join
• Mar-16: Franchise group declaration deadline. Voting beings (if necessary)
• Mar-21: Voting Ends, Results announced
• Mar-23: Initial Draft held
• Mar-24: Franchise identities revealed and jersey order
• Apr-27: First Tournament

CHANGES FROM 2024

8 Teams

Now that we've proven the Semi Pro format, we have the option to go to 8 teams. That gives chances for more people to play, more people to be in leadership roles, more varied opponents, and more options for player/team fit. We determined that running Semi Pro on 1 turf field with 8 teams is preferred as the chances of getting two lighted side-by-side turf fields is uncertain. The 8 team format we produced maximizes field time and gives meaningful games for all teams throughout every time slot.

Season Opener

Since the season opener is on a Saturday, it gives us the chance to run a longer tournament (7 time slots compared to 5). Playing a longer season opener gives players more kickball, a chance to get a first look at more franchises and allows a more accurate sorting of franchise ELOs. Each game will be adjusted down 1-inning in length, to prevent too much wear and tear on player's bodies.

Franchise Exemption

(Also previously called the Core 6 Exemption). The Core 6 designation is gone in 2025. That previously allowed franchises to bypass the draft pool to replace an absent player who was a member of the team's original Core 6. 28 exemption players were used in that way in 2024. While we enjoyed getting new talent exposed to Semi Pro, it must be balanced with opportunities for draft pool players and maintaining a fair playing field. In 2025 the rule has been rewritten to allow the use of a maximum of 3 exemption players per franchise throughout the year, and no requirement for it to be in place of an absent player.

Injured Reserve

This provision allows captains to replace injured players for long terms, without losing their roster flexibility or having to rely on rotating sub players during the time. Captains and players mutually agree to go onto injured reserve and after a minimum of 3 months, the player can decide to come off injured reserves. It is the captain's responsibility to reestablish a legal roster.

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.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions