News story

New Major and Major-Plus Regional Restrictions for 2005

Jan. 1, 2005 – Senior Softball-USA

Beginning on Jan. 1, 2005, Senior Softball-USA will adopt the "Bordering States Rule" for Men's 50, 55, 60, 65 and 70 age divisions and ALL skill levels. This is the same regional restriction recognized by most other National Senior Softball Organizations.

"We are adopting the Bordering States restrictions to ensure that team rosters are the same when teams play in almost all National Senior Softball Organizations," said Terry Hennessy, chief executive officer of Senior Softball-USA. "This move helps us to ensure that the teams we rate in the National Team Rating System have consistent rosters wherever they play."

Senior Softball-USA was the first organization to establish regions. Other associations began following suit about 6 years ago, with most eventually adopting the Bordering States Rule, which allows teams to use players from bordering states (except California and Florida).

THE CALIFORNIA AND FLORIDA EXCEPTIONS WERE INSTITUTED BECAUSE OF THE NUMBERS OF SENIOR SOFTBALL PLAYERS IN THOSE STATES COMPARED TO OTHER STATES.

California has twice as many players as Florida, and Florida had almost twice as many players as the next largest senior softball state ˆ Arizona.

States in the Northeast (New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey) TOGETHER account for only about HALF of the senior softball players in Florida.

The California-Florida exception was based on the desire of National Organizations to create a fair playing field for ALL teams. This is a good-faith move by Senior Softball-USA to institute a rule that is both fair to teams and consistent with the established boundary rules for most associations.

Senior Softball-USA will evaluate this rule at the end of 2005 to determine whether it needs to be modified and is open to suggestions for changes in 2006 after teams have had a chance to compete under the new guidelines.

The Bordering States restrictions do not apply to Women's Divisions and Men's 75 and 80 Divisions. Women's Divisions and Men's 75 Divisions may draw players from East or West of the Mississippi River. The 80 Division has no restrictions.

Senior Softball-USA also allows snowbirds, players living in more than one area of the country, to play in multiple regions. Snowbirds must, however, declare at the beginning of the season which team they will play with in the championships.

"We believe this move is good for the sport and will simplify things for managers and teams," said Hennessy, who is a founding member of the National Team Rating Committee along with Ridge Hooks (executive director of SPA) and RB Thomas (president of ISSA).