The release process can be a daunting process for families. There are specific actions that must be taken and you must know that all requests may not be approved.
KEEP IN MIND THAT THE RELEASE PROCESS IS FOR PLAYERS WISHING TO PLAY ON AN OBA REP REGISTERED TEAM. If you are wanting to play River League, House League or on a Select Team, a release from your local association is not required.
Our Western Counties Baseball Association Constitution outlines release requests.
It can be found in the Document Library found here.
Some applicable items are listed below:
Section 11(c) :
"All players wishing to play competitive baseball as a member of an OBA rostered team must register with their home Local Association for the upcoming season prior to the date noted in Section 11 h)."
Section 11(d) :
"Players with valid releases from the prior year may choose to register with the Local Association they played with last season."
Section 11(g) :
"If a Local Association is unsure as to whether they will be fielding a team, a player may apply for a “Permission to Practice” form from the Local Association that would allow the player the opportunity to work-out with another specific team within WCBA, until a decision is made by the Local Association, at which point this form expires. The “Permission to Practice” form is not a release."
Section 11(h) : "Local Associations must determine the age categories in which they will be fielding teams by April 1st. After this date, players registered in categories where no team is to be fielded or are unsuccessful in making the team in his/her age group are free to seek a position with a team in another centre within WCBA.
NOTE: This is not a release. The player must register with his/her home centre the following year."
Section 11(l) : "If a player wishes to register with a team that does not currently hold their playing rights, the OBA prescribed release process must be followed. Refer to the
OBA Constitution and Bylaws Section RP1.5. The WCBA Registrar may be contacted for clarification of the requirements."
Section 11(l) : "If a player wishes to obtain a release to play with another Local Association, a written request must be submitted to his/her Local Association and to the WCBA Registrar. If the Local Association fails to provide a ruling within 14 days of receipt of the request, the player may appeal, in writing, to the WCBA Registrar. WCBA will convene a hearing within 14 days of the appeal at which the player and the Local Association will be allowed in person to present their case. If the release is denied by WCBA the player may then appeal to the OBA for a final decision."
Some important points:
- Register with your home association. If you do not know your home association, visit this page to see our boundaries. If you live in an area without a functioning local baseball association offering, you are free to go to the association of your choice. In this case, that club is now considered your local association going forward.
- Teams have until April 1st to declare the OBA REP teams they are going to field. You can request a release from your local association at any time HOWEVER, the WCBA will not consider a release appeal hearing until after April 1st. Section 11(g) could benefit you during this period.
- If your local association fields an OBA REP team, you will require a release to play with another club. This request is made directly to your local and their contact information will be found on their website.
- If your local association does not field an OBA REP team at your level, you are free to move to another local to play ball for the summer. HOWEVER, the next season you must register with your location association again.
- In 2020 and 2021 the Executive of the WCBA voted to suspend the enforcement of local boundaries to encourage players to keep playing ball as some associations struggled to field full OBA REP teams. These two years do not count towards your player eligibility for a local release under under 11(f).
The WCBA Technical Committee will only get involved in the release process if a player is denied a release and the family wishes to initiate an appeal.
If you want to initiate a local release appeal or a WCBA release,
complete this form and send it to
[email protected]. You will receive an acknowledgement of receipt however appeals will not be considered until after April 1st.