UFLB Announces Dates & Details of first Offseason Owner Meetings
The offseason in any sport is a time for discussion among franchise owners about their league’s future, and Ultimate Fantasy League Baseball owners now know when their first owner meetings will take place and some of the details to be discussed.
The first of two offseason meetings is scheduled for January 15 at 2 p.m. ET, with the second meeting on January 29, also at 2 p.m. ET. Owners will have until Saturday, January 22 to submit any proposals for change, and all franchises must submit their votes by February 5 at 5 p.m. ET or face a fine of $50 USD worth of SCORE Coin (SCO). The meetings will be recorded and available for owners who can’t attend to watch later. UFLB not only has franchise owners spread across North America but also in Finland, Italy and Australia to name a few countries, so picking a perfect time for everyone is impossible. It will be early morning for some, afternoon for others and the evening for a few ownership groups.
There will be certain things that need to be established by owners and those will be a majority rules vote. Other votes, like changing an existing stat category or rule change will require 2/3 of the expected vote — minimum 20 votes in favour to implement change. In case of any ties, the league’s Competition Committee could vote and break the deadlock, or in some cases, a run-off vote will take place if two categories in a multi-option vote are tied or very close.
“These meetings are very important, especially the first ones as the owners are learning and establishing how the league will run,” said Dean Millard, Head of Baseball Operations for UFF Sports. “It’s a chance for owners to exchange ideas and, in some cases, make changes. Not everything happens right away, sometimes it takes ongoing proposals — tabling the same idea more than once, over multiple years, for a change to gain traction with fellow owners — and some things are foundational rules for the UFFS platform that can’t be changed, but you can always ask.”
All submissions for change will be reviewed by the founders of UFF Sports and league administration and — if given the green light — will be up for discussion on January 29 and voted on following the meeting. There will also be some decisions made by the league. All voting will take place via email.
“We absolutely want to avoid making changes during the season,” said Millard, who will also serve as UFLB Commissioner. “That’s why it’s so important for owners to have their voice heard in the offseason. If you have an idea in June, make sure you remember it in January when you can actually propose it. Certainly, owners can discuss potential changes amongst themselves all year long, but to make it a reality, it must be put forward in the offseason meetings.
“We just saw this in the UFHL with hockey, several owners, including myself, discussed changes all year but no one submitted them, so the change didn’t happen,” added Millard. “Lesson learned — take notes throughout the season and save them as potential proposals for the offseason meetings, to ensure they are talking points when that time comes!”
The more detail an owner puts into a proposal, the more information the rest of the owners will have to make an informed decision for the betterment of the league. At the meeting, the owner submitting the proposal may be called upon to make a presentation to their peers or to make their case for the proposed change, so be prepared to win over fellow owners in order to produce the desired voting result.
“These meetings will be paramount to UFLB’s foundation, and I can’t wait to see what kind of ideas come out of them,” said Millard. “I know from UFHL owner meetings that my mind has been changed on a few things, so I encourage owners to approach these meetings with an open mind, and don’t be discouraged if something doesn’t pass one year, you can always revisit it.”
If a proposal isn’t submitted for a specific situation, UFLB will either make the decision or create voting options for owners. Franchises have plenty of time to come up with ideas and can start submitting them at any point.
“One thing we definitely will be deciding is how we divide franchises into divisions, other than the Top 6 bidders, who will choose their division and its name, but we will have options for owners to consider,” said Millard, who — like all baseball fans — is closely watching what happens with the expired CBA in Major League Baseball. “Owners will have to decide things such as how many games at a position qualifies a player to start there, or maybe it’s wanting to add a rule like pitcher limits on rosters, which MLB used to have. There is a wide variety of areas that can be discussed, debated, and could debut when the league’s inaugural season opens on March 31.
“This is an opportunity for owners to really take hold of this league, that we might have built, but the owners will help grow, along with the founders.”
The next deadline to be aware of is December 31, which is when full payment for franchises must be completed. Contact Liz (https://t.me/liz_uffsofficial on Telegram or email lizj@uffsports.com) to make arrangements and avoid a late fee.
