Five specialties.
One learning community.

Clear responsibilities. Shared technical direction.

SICS leadership handles strategy, budgets, partnerships and organizational policy. A technical coordinating committee—the five council chairs and a Technical Director—aligns terminology, age expectations, resources and assessment frameworks. Councils lead positional expertise; separate accountable functions handle competition, rankings, safeguarding, data, credential administration and appeals.

Seven responsibilities in every council

1. Chair: leads priorities, delivery and cross-council coordination; ensures international voices influence decisions.
2. Standards & Research: reviews evidence, sources, recommendations and revisions.
3. Coach Education & Certification: develops learning objectives, competencies and assessment criteria.
4. Athlete Development: adapts guidance to age and readiness, with qualified safety/medical review as needed.
5. Assessment & Performance: defines useful, contextualized player/team indicators—not competitive rating bonuses.
6. Member Participation: facilitates working groups, questions, Practice Labs and annual member feedback.
7. Events, Publications & International Exchange: coordinates event content, reviewed resources, podcasts and global knowledge exchange.

Working groups include coaches beyond the board. Shared specialists support hitting, baserunning, physical development and safety without creating additional position councils.

Annual council delivery

• 12 monthly coach sessions: eight instructional/discussion sessions and four Practice Labs.
• One annual open council direction meeting with documented outcomes.
• Age-appropriate written player resources and team-development tools.
• Position-specific certification and recognition criteria, with independent administration and conflicts controls.
• Reviewed resources developed from the previous year’s council work.

Study → discuss → test → independently review → publish → improve. Begin with SICS Practice Recommendations; wider authority must be earned through credible work and adoption. Appointment criteria, term limits, quorum/voting thresholds and appeals procedures must be finalized in formal charters. Sponsors cannot purchase recommendations or board seats.

SICS provides guidance and standards; Pivotal provides optional paid personalized training. Disclose interests and manage recusals. Purchases must not influence rankings, awards or certification outcomes.

Annual council direction meetings may coincide with the Congress. Members must have a remote participation option without purchasing a convention ticket; this does not imply free access to every paid convention session.

Smaller events throughout the year

Regional host-led clinics, position workshops, international exchanges and selected practical certification assessments, separately administered. Initial planning target: two to four smaller in-person events across SICS annually—not per council. Expand as hosts, demand and funding develop.

These supplement rather than replace the monthly online membership sessions. Smaller-event and assessment pricing/inclusions will be published before registration; no free admission or credential pass is implied.

Choose a practical, financially viable first Congress location. Consider international rotation only when attendance and host partnerships support it. Budget events separately from council operations, including translation, travel and accessibility.

International participation with real influence.

• Recruitment target: at least two directors based outside the founding country on each seven-person board, selected for expertise. This is a target, not a claim of completed appointments.
• Regional advisors and member working groups beyond the boards.
• Seek credible club, academy and federation partnerships through explicit agreements.
• Prioritize English and Spanish resources with reviewed translations.
• Rotate online session times and provide recordings to improve access across time zones.
• Include international presenters, case studies and contributions throughout the year.
• Develop smaller events outside the founding country as qualified hosts and viable partnerships emerge.

Regional advisors represent SICS—not national federations unless formally authorized. Global presence must be demonstrated through actual contributors, partnerships and participation, not implied recognition.