Beach City Sports Kickball Rules

Rule #1 - HAVE FUN!

Rule #2 - No Unsportsmanlike Conduct!
 

The first and foremost goal of Beach City Sports Kickball is to HAVE FUN. Your BCS coordinators and umpires are there to provide you with a fair, safe, and fun environment. Enjoy yourself, make new friends, and kick that little ball into the middle of next week! Remember, we are all just a bunch of grown-ups playing a kid’s game and are probably overcompensating for the fact that all of us at one time or another were picked last as a kid and it sucked.
 

  • In general, baseball/softball rules apply to BCS kickball rules. If there is a discrepancy with a BCS League specific rule, it will revert to MLB/NPF rules.
  • Additional rules and policies may be added or amended by Beach City Sports before or during the season. In the event they are, they will be communicated to players. If questions arise during the season, the BCS rules committee will augment the rules and repost modified rules for future seasons.

Drinking in public is illegal in California.  There must be no trace during or after the game of alcohol being consumed.

 

Team Composition & Team Roster:

  • Players must be at least 18 years of age or older to play in any Beach City Sports League. Any team with an underage player will result in a forfeit to their game.
  • All Players must sign a waiver before being eligible to play, including substitutes.
  • All Players are required to check-in at the BCS tent prior to every game, including substitutes.
  • The minimum number of players on a roster is 12 players.
  • Rosters are set in stone after week 3 of the season, and only rostered players are allowed to play during playoffs.
  • The minimum number of players to begin a game is 7 (5 males, 2 females), and there must be a minimum of 4 male players to play a game. 
  • All players who check-in for their games must kick. However, not all players have to play defense if they do not want to.
  • All teams can request for their opponent's batting line up before the start of each game.

 

Duties of a Team Captain:

  • All teams are required to have at least 1 Captain.  Teams are also encouraged to have Alternate Captains to serve in cases in which the Team Captain cannot attend a game.
  • Ensure that all his/her players have filled out the proper Beach City Sports waivers before ever setting foot on the field.
  • Ensure that their team registration is paid in full and on time.
  • Ensure that his/her team has checked-in at the BCS tent prior to the start of every game.
  • Team Captains are encouraged to bring a list of league rules to all games.
  • Ensure 7 registered players are at the game and checked-in in order to avoid a forfeit.
  • Ensure that all his/her players fully understand all league rules.
  • Ensure that all his/her players adhere to the defensive and offensive lineup requirements.
  • Ensure that s/he, as the captain, questions a call with the referee in a calm manner. Players other than the team captain who engage in arguing calls, unsportsmanlike conduct, whining, and/or being a general nuisance are subject to immediate ejection from the game.

 

Playing Field & Equipment:

  • All games will be played on softball diamonds or open fields with bases approximately sixty (60) feet apart.  The pitching rubber is 40 feet from home plate, along the home/second base diagonal.
  • Beach City Sports will provide the game ball. Teams are allowed to bring their own kickball to use for the game as long as it abides by the policies set in place. All leagues play with a 10-inch rubber kickball unless other rules apply.
  • Beach City Sports will provide bases for all kickball fields.
  • Metal spikes/cleats are not allowed at any time. Players found to be using metal cleats will be ejected for the current game. Rubber cleats are allowed in any capacity.

 

Game Duration:

  • All games will be SEVEN innings or a time limit of 45 minutes, whichever comes first (except in playoffs).
  • Games are to be started on-time as scheduled.  Teams unable to field the minimum roster requirements at 5 minutes after their game’s scheduled start time will forfeit.  Also, please remember that this is an optional grace period.  Teams with the ability to field a legal lineup will start even if the team is waiting for additional players. 
  • All innings once started must be finished.
  • No inning will begin after the 45-minute time limit.
  • If a game is tied at the end of 7 innings, extra innings may be played at umpire’s discretion.  If time expires while the score is tied, the game will end and be recorded as a tie (except in playoffs).

 

Playoffs:

  • Playoff Games will remain as a seven-inning game or a 45-minute time limit, whichever comes first.
  • Playoff games cannot end in a tie and will continue until past the time limit until a winner is determined. 
  • Playoffs Specific Extra-Inning Rule - The kicking team will start the inning with a Runner on base. This Runner will be the last kicker out from the previous inning, and they will start on 2nd base.
  • All BCS Kickball Championship Games will be played a full seven inning game. The 45-minute time limit will not be enforced in Championship Games.

 

Mercy Rules:

  • Teams may score a maximum of 10 runs each inning. Teams may score an unlimited number of runs in the final declared inning.
  • If a team trails by 20 or more runs at the end of the 3rd inning, 15 after the 4th, or 10 after the 5th or later, the game may end on a mercy rule unless team captains want to continue the game. 

 

Offensive Lineup Requirements:

  • Teams must kick their fully attended roster, but not everyone has to play defense if they do not want to. Teams must also have their lineup written down and must present to the other team, should they request it. There are no “Designated Fielders.”
  • All players must kick in the same designated order as the initial lineup.
  • Teams must maintain a 1 male - 1 female rotation in the lineup.
  • The standard lineup in our league is normally 6 males & 4 females. In this instance, The first two females in the lineup will kick twice as you work through one complete rotation in the kicking lineup. When you return to the top of the order, the third female in the rotation will kick after the first male in the lineup kicks, and the fourth female will kick after the second male in the lineup kicks.

Lineup Examples:

10 Players - 6 Male/4 Female   9 Players - 7 Males/2 Females   8 Players - 5 Male/3 Female
Male 1 Female 1   Male 1 Female 1   Male 1 Female 1
Male 2 Female 2   Male 2 Female 2   Male 2 Female 2
Male 3 Female 3   Male 3 Female 1   Male 3 Female 3
Male 4  Female 4   Male 4  Female 2   Male 4 Female 1
Male 5 Female 1   Male 5 Female 1   Male 5 Female 2
Male 6 Female 2   Male 6 Female 2   Male 1 Female 3
Male 1 Female 3   Male 7 Female 1   Male 2 Female 1
Male 2 Female 4   Male 1 Female 2   Male 3 Female 2
Male 3 Female 1   Male 2 Female 1   Male 4 Female 3

 

Kicking and Bunting:

  • All kicks must be made by the foot (below the knee).
  • All kicks must be made on or behind home plate.  Any kick made in front of home plate will result in a dead ball situation and a foul will be assessed to the kicker’s strike/foul count. If the ball is caught in the air, the kicker is out.
  • “Double kicking” the ball in fair territory will result in the kicker being called out.
  • Only FEMALES are allowed to bunt.
  • All bunts must be originally kicked on, or from behind, home plate.
  • All bunts must travel completely past the bunt line, or it is considered a foul ball. 
  • NEW STARTING FALL 2024: DASH TO FIRST! - When a Female Kicker Bunts, and she reaches first base before the bunt is deemed "Foul" by the referee, the player will be called safe at first base, regardless of the foul call.
  • Male Players need to make a full attempt at the ball & the ball needs to be aggressively going towards the outfield. Any Male player who bunts will be ruled out.
  • Any excessive delays on the part of the kicking team may result in kicker being issued a strike in their pitch count or ruled out and unsportsmanlike conduct warnings being issued to the offending player(s).

NEW STARTING FALL 2024 - GOLDEN KICKER

  • Each team is allowed one male and one female "Golden Kicker" opportunity per game. The decision to use the "Golden Kicker" can be made at any point during the game.

 

  • If there is a player who is already on base, they cannot come off to become the Golden Kicker.

 

  • Teams are not allowed to use the Golden Kicker for the opposite gender. It must be Male-for-Male or Female-for-Female.

 

  • The "Golden Kicker" will immediately slot up to kick, and the overall lineup will remain unchanged. Teams are not allowed to have two of the same gender kick back-to-back and will continue to alternate genders through their lineup. The player who was originally scheduled to kick will follow after the next opposite gender kicker is scheduled to kick in the lineup. 

 

  • If a "Golden Kicker" is on base at the time in which their original spot in the batting order is scheduled to kick in the normal batting order, then an out will be recorded. If this does not result in the third out of the inning, then the Golden Kicker will remain on base.

 

Balls, Strikes, and Foul Balls:

  • ALL KICKERS START THEIR AT-BATS WITH 1 BALL AND 1 STRIKE.
  • On the 3rd strike, the kicker will be called out. On the 4th ball, the kicker will be awarded 1st base.
  • Intentional Walks in BCS Kickball are permissible and are at the discretion of the referee. 

Strike Zone
The Strike Zone is defined as the area between the white lines on each side of home plate, from the top of the white line that extends in front of home plate and the bottom of the white line that extends past home plate. The strike zone lines are roughly 6 inches from each side of the plate.

  • A Strike will be called if a pitched ball enters On or In Between the two white lines, from the top of the strike zone, and stays on, or in between, the two white lines, for the entirety of the strike zone.
  • A Ball will be called if a pitched ball enters the Strike Zone, and then exits outside the white lines, before the ball has completely crossed the plate.
  • A Ball will be called if a pitched ball enters the strike zone from outside the white lines.

Bouncy Pitches
The umpire has the discretion to call any pitch, while the pitch is heading to the plate, as an excessively bouncy pitch (“Too Bouncy”).

NOTE: Should the field conditions be in such a condition that causes a pitch to become bouncy, it is at the umpire’s discretion as to whether they will call a Bouncy pitch as a “Ball” or a “No Pitch.” 

  • IF THE KICKER AT-BAT ELECTS TO KICK A BALL THAT THE UMPIRE CALLS AS TOO BOUNCY, IT WILL BE A LIVE BALL!
  • Walks may be awarded by the umpire if pitches are consistently and excessively bouncy.
  • A walk may be awarded if any member of the defense passes the Pitcher’s Strip (See: Defense & Defending the Bunt below) before the ball is struck by the kicker.
  • When the kicking team has 2 outs, and a male kicker is walked,  the male is given 2nd base.

Foul Balls

  • Any ball that is kicked out of play.
  • Any ball that lands inside the 1st/3rd base line, and then crosses and lands outside the 1st/3rd base line, before passing over any portion of the actual 1st or 3rd base, and has not been touched by a defensive player.
  • Any ball that goes beyond the bunt zone, and then lands back inside the bunt zone, and has not been touched by a defensive player.
  • Any ball that is stuck by the kicker in front of home plate.
  • Any bunt that is touched before, or does not completely pass, the bunt line.
  • If a “double kicked” ball should hit the kicker while he/she is in fair territory, the kicker is OUT, play is stopped, and any runners must return to their base(s) of origin.

An Out is recorded in the following instances

  • Any 3rd strike or 3rd foul is an out.
  • Any ball, fair or foul, that is caught on the fly (within the field of play) before touching the ground is an out.
  • On any caught fly ball, if a base runner fails to “tag up” or return to his/her base of origin before the defense can touch said base of origin, the runner is out.
  • If the defense, while in full possession of the ball, tags a base to which a runner is forced to run before the runner gets to said base, the runner is out.
  • Any runner who interferes with a fielder trying to make a play on a ball is out.  This includes unsportsmanlike conduct, yelling, heckling, or anything else a player might do to try to intentionally distract a fielder and may be grounds for ejection from the game.
  • Leading off a base and/or stealing of bases is illegal.  Players caught leading off a base or attempting to steal a base will be called out.
  • Any runner struck by a ball, intentionally or unintentionally, while that runner is not safely on a base result in an out. However, the ball must hit them below the head. If it does not, the player is safe. The exception to this rule is if a runner is in a motion that makes a hit above the shoulders unnatural. Example - If a player ducks into a throw during a stride. 
  • If a team is playing with only 2 players of one gender, and both players are on base, and it is that gender's turn to kick in the lineup, an out will be recorded.

 

Base Running:

  • THERE ARE NO LEAD OFFS, STEALING, DIVING OR SLIDING IN BCS KICKBALL!
  • If a runner intentionally or unintentionally gets hit by the ball before safely getting to base, then that player is ruled out.
  • Runners may safely overrun 1st base provided that they come straight back to the base after turning either direction and do not indicate any intention to run to 2nd base.
  • On all fields, there is an orange safety base next to 1st base in foul territory. This base is used for the kicker running to 1st base while the white bag is for the fielder. If the fielder blocks the orange base even if attempting to catch an errant throw and interferes with the kicker’s ability to reach the base, the kicker will be awarded 1st base.
  • Runners hindered or impeded by a fielder NOT making a play on a ball shall be called safe and will be awarded the base to which he/she was running.
  • Runners must make every effort to avoid contact with a fielder trying to make a play on the ball, otherwise they will be called out if interfering.
  • Tagging up on a caught fly ball is legal provided that the runner tags his/her base of origin on the instance in which the ball is first touched by a fielder. Runners may advance at their own peril.

BASE RUNNERS ARE ALLOWED TO ADVANCE AROUND THE BASEPATH, AT THEIR OWN PERIL, WHILE THE BALL IS LIVE AND IN-PLAY.

  • If the ball exits the field of play, based on the ref’s judgement, the play is over, and the runner gets the base they are advancing to (limited to one base progression).
    • The ball is determined as out of play if the umpire deems it a dangerous situation for the fielder (i.e., enter the dugouts, parking lots, public walkways, berms, or outside the fence or fence boundary.)

Defensive Lineup Requirements:

  • A normal kickball defensive lineup consists of 10 players. In some cases, there will be less. 
  • The minimum number of defensive players with which a team can take the field is 7.
    • In this situation, the defense can pull their catcher to play in the field. 
  • The minimum number of female players with which a team can take the field is 2.
  • If a team fields the minimum number of female players (2), they may field no more than 8 total defensive players (6 males, 2 females).
  • There is a maximum of 6 male players allowed on defense.
  • All teams must field a catcher (unless playing with 7 players). The standard defensive lineup is 6 males & 4 females. Teams must have at least one female player positioned in the outfield and one female player positioned in the infield. The catcher and pitcher positions count as an infield position.
  • Catchers must stay within arm’s length of the fence or appropriate distance behind the kicker until the ball is kicked.
  • Catcher’s must stand out of the way of the player who is up to kick.
  • All defensive players must stay in the same position that they started the inning playing. 
  • There can only be 5 players in the infield when the ball is kicked by an opposing team. This includes the pitcher, but NOT the catcher. 
  • Outfielders must stay on grass or designated area of turf until the ball is kicked.
  • Outfielders cannot play in the infield, but infielders can play in the outfield.

 

Pitching, Defense Fielding & Peg Outs:

  • The Pitcher’s Strip is an imaginary line extending from 1st to 3rd base and crossing the pitcher’s rubber.
    • Note: Due to the different fields, the Pitcher’s Mound may, at times, be positioned behind the pitcher’s rubber.
  • Pitchers must keep both feet behind the Pitcher’s Strip at all times before the ball is struck by the kicker, including when they pitch the ball.
  • Pitchers are not allowed to get a running start before they release their pitch.
  • Excessively slow or fast pitching is not allowed (umpires discretion).
  • Pitchers who repeatedly throw unkickable pitches may be removed from pitching at the request of the umpire.
  • No player may cross in front of the Pitcher’s Strip before the ball is struck by the kicker.  
    • The 1st violation of this rule will result in a warning. 
    • Further violations will result in the kicker being offered 1st base, all base runners being allowed to advance to the next base and may result in the offending player being ejected from the game.
  • The Catcher’s Zone: Catchers must stay within arm’s length of the fence or appropriate distance behind the kicker until the ball is kicked. 
    • The first violation of this rule will result in a warning.  
    • Further violations will result in the kicker being offered 1st base, all base runners being allowed to advance to the next base, may result in the offending player being ejected from the game.
  • All infielders on defense are not allowed to advance forward, toward the plate, until the ball is struck by the kicker.
  • There is NO INFIELD FLY RULE IN BCS KICKBALL!
  • A Defensive Player must have possession of the ball when touching a base on a force out.
    • NOTE: Throwing & Pegging the base with the ball will not cause the baserunner to be ruled out.
  • When there is no force out at a base, the defense must tag, or peg the baserunner, to get them out.
  • Players playing at 1st base must touch the White base on plays to get baserunners out on force out plays. Touching the Orange base will not cause the runner to be ruled out.
  • If the 1st base player blocks the orange base, even if attempting to catch an errant throw, and interferes with the kicker’s ability to reach the base, the kicker will be awarded 1st base.
  • Defensive players cannot intentionally drop a ball. If the umpire determines the defensive player intentionally dropped a ball, the kicker is safe AND RUNNER’S WILL ADVANCE A BASE.
  • Defensive players are not allowed to hinder or impede the path of the baserunner, when not fielding a live ball. Defensive players are also not allowed to block the base the runner is trying to advance to. If this occurs, the baserunner will be ruled safe.
  • When a pitcher has possession of the ball, and is within the vicinity of the pitcher's mound, all runners will not be allowed to continue to advance until the next play. 'Vicinity' is defined as roughly 4-5 feet from every side of the pitcher's mound, or at the judgement of the umpire.
  • Any excessive delays by the defense may result in the kicker a base and unsportsmanlike conduct warnings being issued to the offending player(s).

 

Pegging a Runner with the Ball:

YES! This is that same glorious playground game that allowed you to throw the ball at your friends in order to get them out!  However, keep the following guidelines in mind when doing so:
 

  • Sportsmanship ALWAYS comes first. Throwing the ball at your opponents with the full force of your existence when a simple tap or tag would have sufficed will not be tolerated and may be grounds for immediate ejection from the game.
  • Runners can be hit anywhere on the body BELOW the neck.
  • Any article of clothing, item hanging from a player or a player's hair (assuming it does not hit their head) hit by the ball will be ruled out. 
  • Intentional Head Shots:  Intentional head shots will result in immediate ejection, by the offending player, and could face other disciplinary measures by the BCS Administration.
  • Accidental Head Shots:  If a player is accidentally struck in the head by a thrown ball, the runner will be considered SAFE. This will result in a dead ball situation, and all runners will be allowed to advance to the bases that they were attempting to achieve at the point of the foul.
  • If the runner intentionally uses his/her head/knee to block the ball or is struck in the head/knee as a result of ducking, diving, sliding, jumping, etc., the runner is OUT.  This will be left to the discretion of the umpire.
  • If the pegged player makes an intentional move/kick to direct the ball elsewhere (in a way that is advantageous to their team), the ball will be considered a dead ball due to interference, and baserunners will have to return to the previous base they safely achieved.
  • Any unsportsmanlike throw that creates a dangerous situation (malicious or harmful intent) will not be an out.

 

Unsportsmanlike Conduct, Disqualification & Disciplinary Parameters:

  • Yelling, cussing or aggression towards an umpire WILL NOT be tolerated! 
  • Judgment calls made by the umpire shall NOT be contested.
  • We understand that at times you may want to voice your opinion or get clarification about a call or a rule. This is ok, as long as it is done in a calm manner ONLY.
  • Any overly reckless, aggressive, or dangerous conduct may result in the player being ejected from the game.
  • Any individual who by his/her misconduct (profanity, gestures, physical or verbal abuse toward officials, players, etc.) causes himself/herself to be removed from a game is automatically ineligible to participate for the remainder of that game, any other games that day and one full week of games. That person may also be disqualified for future games/seasons.
  • If a player is ejected, that player must leave the game, the dugout, and the BCS permitted area. If the player refuses, then the team s/he plays will be forced to forfeit the game.
  • Excessive aggressiveness, unsportsmanlike conduct towards the umpire or members of the opposing team, and other conduct detrimental to the League, will result in ejection of the game, suspension from the league or a lifetime ban.
  • Any fighting that occurs during a game will result in suspensions for the individuals involved and/or bans from Beach City Sports.
  • All disciplinary decisions are voted on & enforced by the BCS Advisory Committee on a seasonal or as-needed basis. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.