1999 PNLA League Meeting Notes

League Meeting Notes                                                              31 October 1999

 

  1. Call to Order � Team Introduction

 

  1. Review of League Responsibilities � Matt Cone discussed the differences between league, team and individual responsibilities.  The following were listed as league responsibilities:

 

    1. Conduct Annual League Meeting
    2. Administer the rules by which games are played
    3. Run the Division Championships
    4. Promote the sport and create avenues for growth
    5. Administer the All-Star Team Selection
    6. Administer admittance of new teams to the league
    7. Act as arbitrator for team disputes
    8. Manage league communications: PR, Email and Web Site

 

  1. Review of Individual Team � Dave VanNoy covered what are considered individual team responsibilities:

 

    1. Scheduling games
    2. Team insurance
    3. Securing and paying for fields
    4. Securing and paying referees
    5. Recruiting players
    6. Promote sport in the local region � Team were encouraged to consider sponsoring a HS team for 2000

 

  1. Suggested Team Budgets � Mark Brick discussed the cost associated with the league to assist coaches in determining their annual dues:

 

    1. Refs per game - $60 per ref
    2. Fields � depends on the field (QAB is $60 per game)
    3. Portland tourney - $375
    4. League meeting - $15
    5. Insurance � approx $3 per player with K&K insurance.  US Lacrosse membership is $40 per player and covers Lacrosse magazine as well as insurance
    6. Division Championships - $50 per team

 

  1. League Business � The following topics were discussed in open forum:

 

    1. Proposals for new teams � Dwight Emmons introduced a new Portland B division team while the Vancouver Barbarians asked to be admitted into the PNLA.  The new Portland B team was admitted on a probationary basis while the Vancouver team was admitted as a friend of the league to play a limited number of exhibition games.  The Portland B team will be allowed to play in the Division Championships unless they forfeit a game during the 2000 season.  Vancouver may be formally voted into the league in 2001.
    2. 2000 All Star Team � Several ideas for changing the voting format and playing schedule for the 2000 All Star team were discussed but the league decided to leave the voting format as it is while trying to arrange some All Star games at the end of the season.
    3. League Championships � Both the A and B league Championships will be held at the Queen Anne Bowl in Seattle for 2000.  In addition, a 3rd vs 4th game will be added on the final day.  If the teams who are slated for the 3rd place game decide not to play they can be allowed to forfeit.
    4. New Rule Discussions/Clarifications � The minimum stick width remains at 6�.  Players must play at least 50% of their teams games in order to play in the Championships.  Players are discouraged from jumping teams after they have played more than 1 game with a particular team.  Teams may release players after more than 1 game at their discretion.  Players who are penalized for fighting cannot play in their next �division� game.  Expulsion from a game is the ref�s decision but a player is allowed to appeal to the PNLA leadership for reversal.  The league also voted to institute the �Play On� rule.  This allows a team to continue to play if a technical foul is called.  Example:  Team A pushes a player on Team B in the back for a Push From Behind foul but Team B has the ball and is executing a fast break.  The ref will not stop the play to issue the foul.  The league also voted to limit the number of longsticks on the field at one time to 5.
    5. Team Penalty for Forfeiting a Game � Teams must cancel a game 48 hours before the game.  It is the team�s responsibility to insure that the opposing team�s captain as well as the head referee has been notified.  If a team does not give ample prior notification of cancellation they may be expected to reimburse the league to include referee fees.
    6. Expanding the League Season � There was some discussion on moving the league Championships from the 3rd/4th of June to 10th/11th of June to accommodate the B league which now has 8 teams plus Vancouver.  The league voted to keep the tourney on the 3rd/4th of June as there will be a lacrosse festival on June 10th at Marymoor and refs will be hard to find.  In addition, if the tourney were pushed out it would mean 3 weeks of no games for the A league players.

 

  1. Other Items � The following items were also discussed at the league meeting:

 

    1. Ref Updates � Bubba discussed that refs are going to be in short supply again this year and encouraged teams to either provide a team ref or have players step forward to ref full time.  He emphasized that refs will be extremely short from Feb-Apr, as many refs will be doing the HS and College games.  The league voted to have Charlie Reed put on notice that his conduct on the field is not always within the standards expected of a referee and that he may be barred from refereeing in the future.
    2. Western States tournament � The Western States tournament will be held on March 18th-19th and teams were encouraged to attend if they are able.
    3. Website � The Walax.com website has been an excellent tool for league information dissemination as well as league growth.  Matt will have less time to maintain the site in 2000 but he is handing some of the duties over to others who will be committed to keeping the site up-to-date.
    4. US Lacrosse update � Teams were encouraged to have their players join US Lacrosse to help the growth of lacrosse on the West Coast.

 

  1. Division Scheduling � Teams completed their schedules and were encouraged to get them to Matt Cone asap so they could be posted on the Walax.com site.

 

  1. Meeting Adjourned.

 

 

 

 

Mark Brick

PNLA Secretary

 

Lax News | Calendar | Lax Talk | Men's Teams | Women's Teams | Get on List | Send E-Mail | Home