Roles and Responsibilites of a Bocce Team Captain

Published by Larry Boress

Sep 24, 2024

A Captain’s Roles and Responsibilities

The Captain of a Bocce League Team has the following roles and responsibilities:

ORGANIZATION:

§ Create a team name of no more than five words.

§ Identify 6-12 players: If you need extra players, contact the Bocce Club Membership Chair - Marj Mancuso at [email protected].

§ Identify another team player to serve as the Alternate Captain in case the captain cannot be present at a match, meeting or available to receive emails. The Alternate Captain should NOT be the captain’s spouse or partner, since they both can’t be off for vacation or illness.

§ Send the names of the team captain and alternate captain, their emails and phone number to Marj Mancuso at [email protected]

READ AND STAY UPDATED ON THE RULES AND TAV BOCCE CLUB MAILINGS:

§ Read, understand, review updates and communicate league rules to your team members so they understand and adhere to league rules.

o Keep a copy on your phone or bring to games.

o There is also a copy of the rules in the back of the notebook for putting in your match scores in the equipment box in the Kiva and Mita court areas.

• Questions about the rules should be sent to [email protected].

• At tavbocce.com, under “UPDATES AND DOCUMENTS” you will find the following:

• The TAV Bocce Club Bylaws

• The current League Rules governing the upcoming season, and any changes in the rules from past seasons.

• Slides from the Captains Meeting for the current season

• How to view your team’s standings

• How to use the laser measurement tool

• A Captain’s Roles and Responsibilities

• Final standings of the last season

• Make sure Bocce Club emails are not in your spam file.

• Complete Bocce Club surveys sent to you as captain of your team, each season there is important information about the upcoming season and playing times.

ROSTERS:

§ Each team can have a minimum of 6 players and a maximum of 12 players.

§ Once you have your team members, you are to put their names into your roster on SportsPlus.

§ You can make changes in the roster throughout the year.

§ At the start of each Winter Season, you are to collect $20 dues from each player

§ Either send or drop off the team’s dues to Mark Whisler, 13049 Running Deer Trail, Peoria, AZ 85383, or

§ Make a Zelle payment to tavboccet[email protected] prior to the person playing.

§ If payment is not made for an individual, the person cannot be placed on your roster.

§ If you have new people join the team after the Winter Season who have not played on any team in 2024, they are to pay Bocce Club dues of $10 and drop off a check to Bocce Club Treasurer.

TEAM ORGANIZATION:

• Download the SportsPlus app: https://sportsplus.app

• This is the TAV Bocce Club’s primary software for listing of captains, team players, schedules, standings and our website

• Register on the SportsPlus app as Captain

• If you forget your login or haven’t done so, please contact Marj Mancuso at [email protected] and she will send you a password reset link.

• At SportPlus, you will have the ability to:

• Add, edit or delete players on your roster

• Check your team’s schedule

• Obtain information on other teams and their captains

• Once your team is formed, it will be placed on the TAV Bocce Website – www.tavbocce.com.

• At tavbocce.com, you will find information on the Bocce Club Board, Committee Chairs, Scorekeepers, your team, your contact info, other teams’ captains, your schedule and upcoming games and standings.

PRACTICE TO GET BETTER:

• Captains are allowed to reserve a court once a week, seven days in advance, for practices.

• Practice different types of shots and situations and get familiar with different courts.

• Instruct players not to loft the balls but roll balls to protect the playing surface.

• Set a practice time that is convenient to team – if possible, practice on the next court you’re playing on and use Reserve My Court to set the time and place.

• To reserve a court for practice at the Mita or Kiva courts, download and be registered on the Reserve My Court app: https://login.reservemycourt.com/login

• If you haven’t already done so, on the app, ask to be upgraded to “Captain.”

Team members and other residents may also register on ReserveMyCourt, but they can only reserve a court two days in advance.

BEFORE A MATCH:

• Have your team arrive to practice 15-30 minutes prior to a match on the court you’re playing on.

• If another team is still playing, do not interfere with the match- there is no guarantee of practice time before a game.

• Set up the court for play with balls and equipment from the box.

• The code for equipment boxes at the Mita and Kiva Courts: 1001

• Use the grass blowers to clear leafs and debris.

• Identify who will keep time. One person per game is all that’s needed, from either team.

• Determine who plays during each game and which side they play from.

• Make sure everyone who is present and wants to play can play at least part of a game.

• Meet prior to the match with the opposing captain to:

• Flip a coin to determine who first throw the pallino first, with the losing team choosing what color ball to throw.

JUDGING AT MATCHES:

• Determine who will judge for your team (The Captain or a non-playing player)

• Each team is to have a judge.

• A judge is to:

§ Make rule determinations as needed, in consultation with the other judge/captain.

§ Determine, by sight or measurement, which color ball is closest to the pallino.

§ Announce the score after each frame, which will be the number of balls from the winning color that are closest to the pallino – maximum four balls.

§ Ensure the score is changed after each frame to the correct number

• There is a training program for judges, as well as a video on the tavbocce.com website.

DURING A MATCH:

• The Captain can stand at either end of the court, but cannot stand alongside the court and coach players

• The Captain cannot show players where to throw a ball, only tell them

• The person keeping time should announce when 20 minutes have past and when five minutes are left in the game.

• The Captain is allowed to make substitutions once one team reaches 6 points or the game has gone 20 minutes, whichever comes sooner, but only at that time, not later.

• Captains are not to stand over the judges when they are making a measurement or call.

• If the judges make a sight call that a Captain doesn’t agree with, the Captain must request a measurement immediately after the call and before the balls are moved.

• If a Captain disagrees with a judge’s ruling or believes a rule is being interpreted wrong, there should be a discussion with the opposing team captain and a review of the rules.

• The rules are in the notebook with the scoring sheets in the equipment box.

• If the Captains cannot agreement on how a rule should be interpreted, they should call the Bocce Club President or Vice President for clarification.

• Captains are to come to an agreement whenever there is a question about a situation or interpretation of the rules.

• If a game is tied after 45 minutes, one extra frame is to be played by the same players who threw the last ball, from the same side.

• Flip a coin to determine who throws the pallino.

AFTER THE MATCH:

• Sign the score sheet in the notebook found in the equipment box and making sure that it is CORRECT (this includes the score differential, the date & time slot)

• If the next team to play on the court you just finished on is present, ask the incoming captain if they would like for you to replace the equipment (INCLUDING leaf blowers & batteries) or leave it out for them.

• If you are the last team on the court, make sure all equipment is safely used & correctly returned to the storage box and locked.

RESCHEDULING MATCHES:

§ If a game needs to be rescheduled due to a request by the opposing Captain, rain or other reasons:

o Contact the scorekeeper for the courts you were to play on and inform that person that you didn’t play and when you plan to make up the game.

o Mita Court Scorekeeper: Dave Elm - [email protected]

o Kiva Court Scorekeeper: Richard Roberts: [email protected]

o Get agreement with the opposing captain on a day/time to replay the match, and use the Reserve My Court app to reserve the same court you were to play on.

o If another captain has reserved the court you need for the rematch for his/her team’s practice, contact that captain ahead of time and inform them of the need to use that court to make-up a game.

o If you can’t use that court for some reason, the makeup game should be played on an adjacent court in the same area.

If you are contacted by another captain who needs a court that you’ve reserved for a practice to enable the other team to play a make-up game, you are to relinquish the court.