Pickering Baseball Association: Request for Player Release Policy
The Pickering Baseball Association is not mandated to release any player. The PBA
encourages residents of Pickering to play for the PBA.
Requests for “Release” from the PBA must be made in writing, via letter-mail or e-mail to the attention of the PBA President, Director of Rep, with a copy going to the Secretary.
Only the parent (or legal guardian) of a child may request a release for their
child, as a matter of privacy and because the rights and choices for any child are the sole responsibility of the parent(s) or guardian(s) and may not be directed by anyone other than those persons.
All releases must be approved first by the PBA Executive Board and then (if approved by the PBA) Releases will be forwarded to the EOBA. Players wishing to leave the EOBA must apply to the EOBA for their EOBA release.
The EOBA meets monthly, and all releases are discussed at those meetings.
No releases will be considered until all tryouts are completed and team rosters are submitted. Each release request is reviewed on an individual basis, and decisions are made based on the merits of each individual release request. However, in keeping with the premise that the PBA encourages Pickering players to play for the EOBA, if any player requesting a release has made a Pickering team, their release will not be granted.
Any requests to appeal the decision of the PBA Board must be made, in writing, to the Secretary of the EOBA, copied to the Secretary of the PBA, within 30 days of
notification of the PBA decision.
As a consideration of the PBA Release process, the requesting player must attend at least two (2) of the PBA fall tryouts for his / her age group, in order to be considered for a full release from the PBA, following all the requirements of the Tryout Policy.
The PBA no longer provides a “Permission to Practice” (PTP) letter to players
seeking a release. This is in accordance with OBA ruling.
To better understand why PBA players choose to play baseball elsewhere, the PBA asks that specific details are included with all requests for release as to why players (or parents) wish to leave the PBA, so that we can hopefully address those issues for future players and ensure mistakes are corrected, where possible.
Although we endeavour to respond to all release requests within 24 hours, if you do not receive a response within 48 hours it is the responsibility of the individual requesting the release to follow up with the PBA.