League Operating Instructions

ETL Operating Instructions

*Date Modified: Nov 22nd, 2025 Author: Jared Wood*

1.0 Eastside Travel League

The Eastside Traveling League (ETL) was officially incorporated in 1997 as a nonprofit entity under EIN 91-1997096. The ETL is officially recognized as a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization serving youth basketball in Western Washington. The founding members were Jerry D'Ambrosio, Phil Smith and James Harris. Originally, the league was composed of boys basketball teams in grades 6 through 9. Founding members were as follows: Bellevue, Bothell, Eastlake, Eastside Catholic, Inglemoor, Interlake, Issaquah, Juanita, Lake Washington, Mercer Island, Mt Si, Newport, Redmond, Renton, Sammamish, Skyline, Snohomish and Woodinville.

Membership for the league remained mostly static for the first 10 years. In the 2006-2007 season, Warren Sheldon took over the role of President. In the 2008-2009 season, 5th grade boys teams were added to the league. In approximately 2014, Richard Locke took over as President. In 2016, William McIntyre took over as Commissioner and was replaced by Jared Wood in 2023. 4th grade boys were added in mid 2010's and girls were added in 2018. For the 2021-2023 time frame, the WESCO and NPS leagues were administered by the ETL.

In 2023 as part of league rebranding efforts, the name was officially changed to Eastside Travel League to align with the go by name for the last decade.

1.1 Mission Statement

To develop and promote boys and girls youth feeder basketball in grades 4-8 in order to deliver the highest caliber players to the respective high school programs.

Our mission and league motto is "Creating Future Legacy Now."

1.2 Organizational Goals

The goal of the governing body of the ETL is to provide clear direction, leadership and execution of all league matters. Transparency in league operations is a top priority as well as ensuring inclusion of members in appropriate league voting matters. The Executive Board will provide direction and requirements to the commissioner who will in turn ensure league affairs execute in accordance with bylaws, league operating instructions and all federal and state requirements of such an organization.

1.3 League Structure

See bylaws.

1.4 Feeder Program Concept

In order to enable the mission of the ETL, member programs must exist to feed their respective high school program. A feeder program is any program that limits their eligible participants according to their respective school boundaries. Eligibility will be established and verified by the ETL Executive Board. Members should strive to be organized, incorporated and executed in a similar fashion to the ETL construct. While this is not a requirement, it is considered a best practice.

1.5 Bylaws

Bylaws will be maintained and digitally available to members via the secure portal on the www.eastsidetravelleagur.org website. Bylaws can be updated no more than once per league year (1 September- 31 August)

1.6 Information Retention

All pertinent league files and information will be stored and maintained digitally on the ETL Google Drive. Executive Board members and Officers will be granted access to relevant folders on a need to know basis. The commissioner is ultimately responsible for the overall organization, structure and maintenance of the organizational drives.

Correspondence between program members, commission and/or board of directors shall be kept for 12-months (including emails).

Board of Directors materials, minutes and decision support shall be kept in a company shared drive for a period of 3-years.

1.7 Conflict of Interest

Any conflict of interests between the board of directors or league officers should be immediately disclosed to the Board of Directors President. The Board of Director President shall disclose any conflict of interest at the following board meeting and decisions shall be retained in the Board Minutes.

Any conflicts of interest should be documented and addressed by the board of directors.

1.8 Operating Instructions

League operating instructions will be maintained by the commissioner. A yearly review and update will be accomplished by August 31st in order to allow teams to structure their programs for tryouts in September. The Executive Board will review and comment on the operating instructions before publishing to the website.

2.0 Finances

2.1 Treasurer Role and Responsibilities

See Bylaws.

2.2 Financial Controls

The Treasurer is responsible for creating and enforcing league financial controls with inputs from the Executive Board and Officers.

2.3 Segregation of Duties

To ensure proper financial transparency, the following roles are responsible for:

• Day to Day Banking Management: Treasurer
• Monthly Banking Statement Review: Treasurer and Secretary
• Online Access to Bank Account: Treasurer, Secretary and Commissioner
• Online Access to Financial Statements: Treasurer, Commissioner and Independent CPA.

2.4 Dual Authorization

All transactions over $5,000, with exception to paying league officials and board approved compensation, require a dual authorization in writing (email suffices) from the ETL Board Secretary. The authorization will be retained in the Secretary folder on the ETL Google Drive.

2.5 Financial Policies and Procedures

2.5.1 Budgeting Policy

An annual budget will be developed and approved by the Board of the Directors and shared with Program Members via email by July 31st each year for the upcoming basketball fiscal year (Sept 1st - Aug 31st) by the Treasurer. Per ETL bylaws, at the annual member meeting the proposed budget will be approved by a majority vote of the members.

On a quarterly basis, the budget to forecasted actuals will be reviewed by the board with explanations for all large variances (10% or $5,000)

2.5.2 Expense Reimbursement

The company will reimburse members and directors for all business related expenses. Reimbursements over $75 require an itemized receipt. Receipts will be stored on the Treasurer Folder on the ETL Google Drive.

2.5.3 Cash Handling

The withdrawal of cash if strictly prohibited. If cash is received, it must be deposited directly into the ETL account within 5-business days.

2.5.4 Financial Reporting

Quarterly, the Treasurer shall furnish to the board of directors the Statement of Financial Position (Balance Sheet) and Statement of Activities (Profit and Loss) within 30-days of quarter end (March 31, June 30, Sept 30 and Dec 31)

The statements should be generated from the Accounting Software with any notes about material adjustments

Materiality for the company is $5,000.

Within 4-months of the FY ending, the Treasurer shall be responsible for submission of all IRS filings.

2.5.5 Record Keeping and Documentation

Financial Records, recipes and IRS return support shall be kept for a period of 3-years or until the IRS status.

2.6 Bank accounts

The only bank account to be used is with Bank of America titled under the name of Eastside Travel League ending in 8902. No other accounts or financial entities will be used.

3.0 Secretarial

3.1 Roles and Responsibilities

See Bylaws.

3.2 Registered Agent

The Secretary shall also be named as the Registered Agent with the Washington State Secretary of State and perform all duties required of such a position.

3.3. Meeting Minutes Procedures

At all member meetings as well as Executive Board meetings the following will be required to be captured by the Secretary:

• Attendees as well as absent members or Executive Board members/officers.
• Nature and outcome of any formal vote or decision.
• Any communications or actions requiring formal communication to all members.

3.4 Voting Procedures

At all member meetings as well as Executive Board meetings the following will be required to be captured by the Secretary:

• The description of the matter, specific enough to be understood by members in writing/those not in attendance.
• Voting record – Yays, Nays, Abstains (that is, specifically voted abstain), Absent.

3.4 Record Keeping

All meeting minutes will be maintained and stored on the ETL Google Drive for a period of no less than 3 years. A record of voting matters will be treated the same.

3.5 Communication Procedures

Following all meetings, a copy of the minutes will be made available to the affected bodies (member or executive) within 5 business days after the meeting. These can be sent digitally or made available via the website. All voting matters will be communicated in the same manner. If alternate means of voting are utilized (email vs live), the results will be sent out within 5 days of a majority approval.

3.6 Financial Stewardship

The Secretary will work closely with the treasurer and commissioner to ensure financial protocols are followed and records are maintained in a manner consistent with bylaws, operating instructions and legal requirements. The secretary will be named on the ETL checking account.

4.0 League Rules and Standards

4.1 Board Position Description

The Executive Board shall have a position known as League Standards who will be responsible for the drafting, implementation, and execution of leagues rules, standard and conduct polices, and discipline.

4.2 Rules Review and Approval

The League Standards board member will present the League Rules to the Executive Board before the start of each season. Any changes to the League Rules from the prior season must be approved by the Executive Board. League Rules will be incorporated into the ETL Operating Instructions and will be available to all member programs before the start of each season.

Any proposed rule changes during the season must be approved by a majority of affected member programs (i.e., if the rule change only affects the girls' member programs, then only the girls' member programs would vote on the rule change).

4.3 League Rules

4.3.1 ETL Playing Rules

Effective for the 2025 – 2026 Season

The Host Program is responsible for making a copy of these rules available to the referees prior to each game. The rules should be kept at the scorer's table during each game.

Coaches have no authority to change or modify the rules published herein. Coaches found playing by modified rules are subject to disciplinary action by the ETL Board.

All grades will play by Washington State high school basketball rules with the following exceptions:

• 4th & 5th grade games are 7-minute stop clock quarters.
• 6th, 7th & 8th grade games are 8-minute stop clock quarters.
• Half time for all grades is 5 minutes.
• Three :60 and two :30 timeouts are granted per game.
• Overtimes are 4 minutes with one additional full timeout per overtime.
• No shot clock.
• 4th, 5th & 6th grade boys' games shall use basketball size intermediate (28.5" in circumference).

4th & 5th Grade Supplemental Rules

• No backcourt press (4th grade Girls only).
• No zone defenses.
• Double teams are allowed only inside the 3-point arc.

TECHNICAL FOULS

Washington State high school rules apply to technical fouls. If a technical foul is called, the opposing team is awarded two free throw attempts and possession of the ball.

DEFINITIONS

No Zone Defense Rule (4th & 5th grade only)

Teams at the 4th and 5th grade level may not play a zone defense at any time.

This rule is intended to eliminate isolation plays by the offensive team and instill team play, while teaching team defensive concepts at the 4th and 5th grade levels.

A zone infraction can only be called if a defensive player is guarding an area – not if the defensive player is attempting to guard his player or trap the ball within the 3-point arc. In the backcourt players must guard a player and adhere to the six-foot rule.

There are no traps or double teams outside of the offense's 3-point arc. Once the ball is advanced inside the 3-point arc, any defensive player may double-team the ball.

If a coach feels the other team is playing zone defense, this should be brought up to the officials. Officials have discretion to assess a technical foul against the coach of the offending team after issuing a warning. Multiple infractions of this rule can result in penalties being assessed by the ETL board.

Mercy Rule (all grades)

Backcourt press is not allowed by the leading team after a 20-point difference in the score has been reached and the leading team must retreat to inside the half-court line while defending.

If the lead shrinks to 15 points or less, the leading team may again backcourt press but only until the 20-point difference is reached.

Should this rule be violated, the leading team will be issued a warning for the 1st infraction. A technical foul shall be issued after the 2nd warning is issued.

If a team is leading by 30 points, the game clock will continue to run unless a timeout or free throw attempts are being made. If the lead is reduced to 20 points or less, normal stop clock rules apply. Any team winning by more than 50 points will be reviewed by the Rules Committee to determine if further action or guidance from the ETL is warranted.

Sportsmanship Rule

Sportsmanship in the games is necessary to reduce demeaning behavior by coaches, players, and/or fans to the referees and to each other.

Each facility host must provide a gym supervisor.

• This person will be present at all games.
• Must identify themselves to the officials and coaches.
• Help maintain acceptable conduct by all present.
• Will remove or calm unruly fans for either team.
• Will provide a copy of the league rules to the officials and review any pertinent rules for that level of play.

PNBOA will make available a copy of the ETL rules to each official. The officials will enforce all rules as outlined for the league.

Unruly fan behavior will result in a technical foul being assessed to the head coach and the unruly fan will be removed from the facility. If the fan will not leave the facility the game will be immediately forfeited.

The second technical foul in the same game due to fan behavior will result in a forfeit by that team.

The second forfeit due to fan behavior will result in the removal of that team from further league play and tournament play.

Ejected Player, Coach and/or Fan: Any player, coach, and/or fan who is ejected from a game will be suspended from that team's next game, whether scheduled later that same day or a date in the future. Verbal abuse of an official will result in immediate ejection from the premises. If an official is physically confronted, that person shall be expelled from the league for the remainder of the season and may be subject to criminal charges.

Program/Game Participation

1. Individual players can only play for one ETL program during a season.
2. Individual players can play for more than one team within a single program.
3. Individual players can play the grade above, but they may not play the grade below.
4. For ETL end of season tournament games, individual players must declare one team to play for, and may not play for more than one team.

4.4 Standards and Conduct Policies

The ETL expects all participants to exercise good sportsmanship and respect toward all players, coaches, officials, and spectators. The ETL has developed codes of conduct to govern the actions of all players, coaches, parents, and spectators.

4.4.1 Code of Conduct for Players

All players must:

• Be a good sport to players, coaches, officials, opponents, and parents at every game, no matter win or lose.
• Encourage teammates and praise good efforts.
• Be honest, fair, and respectful to others at all times.
• Learn and follow all league rules.
• Be respectful of all gym and facility rules.
• Thank officials and opponents after games.

4.4.2 Code of Conduct for Coaches

All coaches must:

• Coach with the goal of creating a positive learning experience for athletes. Winning games is secondary to building a positive youth sports experience for my players, parents of my players, and opposing teams.
• Put the emotional and physical well-being of youth participants ahead of a personal desire to win.
• Under no circumstances engage in an argument with a referee or official. Any discussions or conversations with officials or referees will be in a respectful tone.
• Not belittle or ridicule anyone involved in a youth sport event in public, private, in-person or online.
• Treat opposing coaches and athletes with respect and represent their community in a positive manner.
• Do their part to keep sports fun and positive for every youth participant.

4.4.3 Code of Conduct for Parents and Spectators

All parents and spectators must:

• Put the emotional and physical well-being of youth participants ahead of a personal desire to win.
• Respect players, coaches, officials, spectators, and families at all times.
• Respect the decisions of officials and coaches.
• Not engage in any violence or verbal threats or use any profanity.
• Model good sportsmanship for all youth participants.
• Not belittle or ridicule anyone involved in a youth sport event in public, private, in-person or online.
• Do their part to keep sports fun and positive for every youth participant.

Policy for Behavior Towards Officials

The ETL is committed to creating a game day environment wherein respect is afforded to all participants, including our partner game officials. As a league, we understand that the current culture in youth sports has had a detrimental effect for our partner officials' organizations; specifically, by hindering their ability to recruit and retain game officials.

The Sportsmanship Rule should be followed at all times. See section 4.3.1 for amplification and ramifications for infractions.

Referees and gym monitors must work together to ensure a gym atmosphere that allows for safe, respectful interactions between players, volunteers, officials, and spectators. The ETL empowers both officials and gym monitors to take the necessary steps to create an optimal playing environment. To that end:

• Officials who deem any person(s) in the gym to be abusive towards official(s) may remove that person with the assistance of the gym monitor or home coach if the gym monitor isn't available or able to assist. Official discretion will be exercised when determining if a warning(s) is/are warranted.
• Gym monitors may remove any person(s) in the gym who act abusive towards other fans, volunteers, players, and coaches. Gym monitor discretion will be exercised when determining if a warning(s) is/are warranted.

4.5 Discipline Policies

Violations of league rules, standards, and conduct policies will be reviewed by the Disciplinary Committee consisting of the League Standards board member, ETL Boys Representative, and ETL Girls Representative. The Disciplinary Committee will present its recommended action to the Commissioner. The Commissioner can either follow the recommendation of the Disciplinary Committee or modify it as is seen fit. The Commissioner will then present the recommendation to the Board of Directors for approval. The disciplinary action will then be communicated by the Commissioner or League Standards board member to the offending party.

If a complaint is against or directly involves a member of the Disciplinary Committee, the President shall appoint a replacement. If a complaint is made against the Commissioner, the Disciplinary Committee will present its recommendation directly to the Board of Directors for approval. A board member shall abstain from voting on any disciplinary matter that is against or directly involves that member.

5.0 League Eligibility

5.1 Board Position Description

The Executive Board will have a position known as the Player Agent who will be responsible for the overall drafting, implementation and execution of all eligibility related issues for the league. Any level of play issues or league suitability matters will be handled by the Player Agent in conjunction with the Commissioner and Executive Board.

5.2 Eligibility Guiding Principles

• A. That all players in the league play for the Program that feeds where they will attend high school.
• B. That all players in the league currently live and attend school within the boundaries of an ETL member program.

5.3 Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to play for ETL programs feeding Public/Private (CPC) High Schools, players must either:

1. Boundary Residence. Reside within the boundary of the public high school they represent. For private schools, the player must currently be enrolled in the elementary or middle school program for said high school; or
2. Employee Attendance. Have a parent or legal guardian who works for a school or the school district, that allow their child to attend and the player currently attends school within boundaries of the feeder program in question; or
3. Open Enrollment. If the player attends a school via Open Enrollment:

• a. School enrollment and high school feeder path are verified via Skyward or an equivalent district system.
  • b. The Program Director must register the player as an Open Enrollment participant at the time of roster submission.
  • c. The player and family will choose, one time and one time only, which program they will play for. That program will be their home program for as long as they continue to attend the school and participate in Open Enrollment for ETL; or

1. Choice School. If the player attends a "Choice School":

• a. School enrollment and high school feeder path are verified via Skyward or an equivalent district system.
  • b. Choice School program participation must be documented at the time of roster submission.
  • c. The player and family will choose, one time and one time only, which program they will play for. That program will be their home program for as long as they continue to attend the school and participate in the Choice School program for ETL.

Any player who meets one of the requirements above (1 through 4) does not have to submit a waiver request to be eligible. Any player not meeting one of these requirements must get an eligibility waiver approved to participate in ETL.

5.4 Eligibility Review and Approval

The process for team roster approval is:

A. Waivers will be extremely rare. Though we understand programs/parents/players/coaches will have internal issues, players may want to play with friends, or families may at some point relocate, those reasons will not be sufficient to issue a waiver into a member program. Be advised that holding your player out of tryouts to your designated member program in the hope of obtaining a waiver is a risk that ETL in no way has any recourse to affect after the fact.

1. Designate a program representative. Ideally a program board member to collect a fully complete team packet and submit to the Player agent via the eligibility portal for review and approval.
2. Each ETL program must submit rosters for each of its teams prior to the start of the season per the prescribed process. All information must be completely filled in. Players must be on the roster submitted at the beginning of the season in order to be eligible for ETL regular season, and postseason participation.
3. All players listed on roster must submit a current Skyward/Qmlativ equivalent print screen, report card or progress report from their school. Parents can black out any of the grade performance for privacy reasons. Player name, address, grade and DOB must be present on document submission.
4. Roster submission is required to be completed by October 31st of the league year.
5. Team schedules will be held until the full roster has been approved with all documentation.
6. All rosters are to be held CONFIDENTIAL to protect players' identities. Safety is of prime concern to the League. Keeping player identity protected is crucial to that safety. Any request for roster information is made to the ETL Executive Board. Only League Directors may request a copy of another Program's roster. If access is granted, the Director will review the info with the understanding that each roster is to remain protected information.

Players may play up a grade during the ETL season but cannot play down a grade. Example: A 6th grade player may play up on a 7th grade team, however a 6th grader may not play 5th grade.

5.5 Eligibility Waivers

The process for waiver approval is:

1. If the player is coming from another ETL Program member, both the ETL Executive Board and originating ('releasing') Program must approve the waiver. The Executive Board majority is required to approve all waiver approvals. A minimum of 5 business days is required for all waiver approvals.
2. Waivers will not be granted if the proposed receiving team/program has made cuts to kids within school and feeder boundaries. The requesting program is responsible for documenting and presenting to the league Executive Board all applicable and relevant data.
3. All eligibility issues or disputes will be reviewed by the league Executive Board. During an eligibility dispute for any particular player, the player under review is not eligible to play in an ETL game until their dispute is settled. All communication for issues or disputes will come via program Youth Director or program President.
4. The consequence for a Program having an ineligible player will be determined by the ETL Executive Board. The Executive Board reserves the right to apply any consequence it deems appropriate including permanent or partial suspension of the player and/or program, other consequences or no consequence.

*In situations where the same junior high or middle school feeds different high schools, waivers are created where the player wants to play in a program other than the one his home address dictates.

*In school districts where the boundaries are known to be changing due to school addition, ETL uses the boundaries in place up until the feeder program representing the new high school is actually a member of the league. At that time, the new boundaries will be adopted by ETL. Similarly, if a school is closing, the boundaries remain in place until the program actually leaves the league.

6.0 League Scheduling

6.1 Executive Officer Description

The ETL will be scheduled by an Executive Officer named League Scheduler. The League Scheduler is compensated per direction of the Executive Board and works closely with the League Commissioner to plan, schedule and execute all aspects of the regular season and postseason games.

6.2 Scheduling Overview

6.2.1 Gameplay dates

League games will be scheduled as follows:

Game Weekends

• Dec 6-7
• Dec 13-14
• Dec 20-21
• Jan 3-4
• Jan 10-11
• Jan 24-25
• Jan 31-Feb 1
• Feb 7 (8th makeup only due to Super Bowl)
• Feb 21-22
• Feb 28-1 March
• March 7-8 Boys Last Regular Season Weekend, Girls Playoffs
• March 13-15 Boys Playoffs, Girls State Weekend
• March 20-22 Boys State Weekend

School Holiday Breaks:

Winter Break

• All: Dec 20-Jan 4

Mid-Winter Break

• BSD Feb 14-22
• CPC Feb 14-22
• ISD Feb 14-22
• LWSD Feb 12-16
• MISD Feb 14-22
• NSSD Feb 14-22
• RSD Feb 14-22
• SVSD Feb 14-22
• TSD Feb 14-22

6.2.2 Gym Availability

Members will provide gym availability by October 31st of each league year to the ETL. Each member will provide dates and times for 9 days of hosted games. The ask is to provide an additional 3 dates from which the ETL can choose 9 of those 12 weekend games for game play.

Each day should include at least 75 minutes of court time per team. Example, if a program has 5 teams, 375 minutes of court time is required to host 5 games. If multiple gyms are provided, this can meet this requirement. For members providing gyms for both boys and girls, this requirement will be 750 minutes). Programs need to be clear what time games will begin vs what time the gym will be available. As a best practice, gyms should be open 30 minutes prior to the start of the first game of the day.

If members are unable to provide the requisite gym time, a plan to host off site should be arranged with the League Commissioner and Scheduler.

If members are able to provide additional days in excess of 9, those days will be used to ensure the minimum number of league games are scheduled for the league.

6.2.3 Blackout Weeks

Programs can request 1 blackout weekend based on the dates listed in section 6.2.1. Every attempt will be made to accommodate but not guaranteed. This request must be made with the league scheduler prior to Oct 31.

6.2.3.4 Home and Away Games

If programs are able to provide 9 days of hosted games, the League Scheduler will make a reasonable attempt to balance home and away games. This is based on the total number of season games. The goal is to provide 50% +/- 1 game for home and away distribution.

6.2.3.5 Expected Number of Games

For divisions with 18 teams, 17 games will be scheduled. This will enable every team to play each other once.

For divisions with less than 17 teams, 16 games will be scheduled. Divisions with less than 17 games will be scheduled for 15 games. Teams in these divisions can expect to play some teams twice. In these instances, a randomizer matchup program in Exposure will be used to set opponent matchups.

6.2.3.6 Publication of Season Schedule

The League Scheduler will publish the entire season schedule no later than November 23rd of the league season. This is predicated on programs ensuring the Google Document for Gym Availability is completed by October 31st on the league season. For programs with limited access to their gym schedules, coordination with the League Scheduler must be initiated by October 31st of the league season.

6.3 Game Changes

Game changes can be allowed under the following conditions:

• Teams must ensure any changes made fall within the previously established game times for the host gym. Requests made outside of this footprint will be denied.
• Teams must coordinate the change with each program and team before requesting the change.
• Gaps in schedule or one off (no games immediately before or after) games will need PNBOA approval and will incur a $52 surcharge to the requesting program.
• All requests must be made by 8:00 pm Tuesday of the game week.
• Game requests will be made using the ETL Google Form located on Boys/Girls Portals
• All game requests are subject to referee availability

6.4 Game forfeitures and No-Shows

A team unable to play a scheduled game for any reason shall incur a loss due to forfeiture. The score will be recorded as 25-0 in the Exposure App.

Procedures for Forfeitures and No-Shows

• Forfeitures outside of 48 hours prior to game time results in a 25-0 loss on record
• Forfeitures inside of 48 hours and no later than 24 hours prior to game time will result in a 25-0 loss as well as a $100 fine.
• Forfeitures inside of 24 hours prior to game time will result in a 25-0 loss and a $200 fine.
• All fines must be paid before ETL tournament or program will not be allowed to participate unless arrangements with commissioner and treasurer are made.

6.5 Score Reporting and Disputes

Scores are to be reported by the teams (normally home but away can as well) no later than the end of the day via the Exposure app or desktop application. If scores aren't reported by Wednesday at 4:00 pm the program director must input scores. Scheduler will send weekly reminders Wednesday after 4pm to program directors. There will be a separate score reporting login each team will be responsible for. This unique username and password will allow teams to update scores on the Exposure app or desktop application.

7.0 Referee Operations

7.1 Referee Overview

The ETL will use the same referee assignors for the boys and girls. This is driven by both established business practices as well as the ability of a singular assignor to accommodate both sides of the operation.

7.2 Selection of Referees

The selection of referee assignors will be based on past performance, precedent, league input as well as Executive board recommendation. The final decision will be made by the league commissioner after careful consideration of all factors. The commissioner is authorized to enter into any contracts with referee unions or assignors.

7.3 Payment of Referees

Referees will be paid either monthly or bi-weekly depending on the agreement set forth in the contract provided by the referee entity. No later than 2 weeks after the last game of the season will all invoices be paid in full by the Treasurer.

7.4 Feedback Mechanisms

If there are situations that arise during the course of the season that require league involvement, the Commissioner and League Standards Member (Executive Board Member) will work with the member programs to address, mitigate and resolve all issues arising from player, staff, spectator or facility participants. The commissioner retains the ultimate authority to make judgements and recommendations concerning any disciplinary action.

8.0 League Tournament

8.1 Eligibility and Seeding

The ETL League scheduler will publish and distribute the League Tournament seeding guidelines and protocols by December 31st of each league season.

8.2 Host Program Selection

The commissioner and Executive Board will select host program sites based on facilities, historical performance in said capacity and overall standing within the ETL in terms of league participation (meetings, votes). In the event there are multiple programs offering to host, consideration will be given to setting up a long-term rotation of hosts in order to offer this event to multiple programs.

8.3 Host Policies and Procedures

TBD.

9.0 Insurance

9.1 Coverages and Scope

The ETL will provide general liability insurance for every member program commensurate with the limits and coverages required for the school district hosting games. The insurance policy will only cover ETL games and is not intended to cover weekly practices. The ETL recommends obtaining a practice policy through AAU to satisfy that requirement. D and O coverage will be in place for the Executive Board and Officers.

9.2 Authority and execution

The ETL Commissioner will be responsible for procuring D and O policies for the ETL as well as the general liability policies for member programs.

9.3 Agent of Record

The commissioner will ensure an agent of record is current and viable prior to the 31st of July each league year. Any changes must be made prior to this date to ensure continuity of coverage for league policies which renew in August. For the 2025-2026 league season the agent of record will be Dominik Kunigk of D.O.K. Insurance Agency.