South Boulder Little League has several levels of play for boys and girls ages 4-16.  The divisions for 2013 will vary depending on registrations.  There will be divisions in T-Ball, Rookies, Minors, Majors/Intermidiate/Juniors and Seniors. Depending upon the level, the playing fields are slightly different in terms of length of base paths, distance from pitching mound, and distance to the outfield fences from home plate.

South Boulder Little League has established age brackets for each division to ensure players develop appropriately in terms of skills, knowledge, and sportsmanship. There are situations where some players may play down a division due to safety risks. Exceptional players of lower age may try out for Majors. The division for 2013 are:

South Boulder Little League is managed by an elected Board of Directors that administer the league in line with established bylaws. The league is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization.

The length of the season varies depending on the division:

T-ball and Rookies will run from April 3 until May 24
Minors and Intermediates will run from April 3 until June 3 including the end of season tournament
Seniors will run from April 7 until June 21

The season is extended into July for players that are selected to the District 2 All-Star tournament teams. Please consider your vacation plans if you have a child that may be selected to these teams.

SBLL Intermediate and Minors games are held at the city of Boulder baseball fields at Aurora-7 (A-7) fields, next to BCSIS.  Rookies A & B use the fields at Mesa, Eisenhower and New Vista schools. the location of T-ball games are yet to be decided.

All teams in South Boulder Little League are scheduled for games usually twice a week. Game days are typically Monday through Friday. Sometimes weekend games are scheduled for special reasons, such as make-up games and inter-league tournaments.

Weekday games generally will begin at 5:30pm. Managers determine when to show up before game time, but it is recommended that players arrive at the field at least 45 minutes prior to game time so they can properly warm up, and managers can get the line-up cards ready prior to the start of the game.

We will do are best to adhere to the following days for the 2013 season:

Intermediate games will be played on Mondays, Wednesdays and sometimes Fridays
Minors will play on Tuesdays, Thursdays and some Fridays
Rookies A will play Tuesdays and Thursdays
Rookies B will play on Mondays and Wednesdays
T-ball will play Mondays and Wednesdays

An exact schedule of games for 2013 will be posted by Mid-March.

South Boulder Little League uses paid umpires for the upper divisons (Minors, Intermediate, Seniors). Anyone at least 3 can be an umpire if they desire. Umpire clinics and instructions on rules is provided. A plate umpire and a field umpire are used in games, unless a scheduling issue arises causing a shortage of available umpires. In the T-Ball and Rookie divisions, coaches manage the flow of the game, with possible help from volunteer parents.

Are you interested in becoming an umpire? Contact Renae Foxhoven .
 

South Boulder Little League targets the beginning of March for Intermediate and Minors teams to start practicing. The goal is for teams to be in a position to begin practices at least 3-4 weeks before Opening Day, which is the first or second week of April. Actual first practices will depend upon weather and formation of teams.  Rookies and t-ball teams generally only practice an hour or less before each of their games.  Some coaches may call additional practices but these are optional.  Seniors will not begin practice until late March or early April.

Practice location, frequency and duration are up to the team manager. Managers can schedule field practice times at the SBLL fields, coordinating with other teams. Generally, most Rookies teams do not practice if they do they are no more than one time per week for anywhere from 60-90 minutes. Minors, Intermediate and Seniors teams usually practice one time per week for one to two hours. T-ball teams do not have any practices, although coaches may start warmups 30 minutes before the game time.

Players should arrive at their first practice with an adequate glove. Some bats are provided by the league, but you are welcome to bring your own. (Please note that Little League international just outlawed composite bats so make sure that your child's bat complies with the new rules: see here). Please make sure all personally owned equipment is labeled with a name and phone number so SBLL can return it if lost. A baseball bag is recommended to transport bats, batting gloves, water bottles, hats, and other items. Batting helmets and catcher's equipment are provided by the league.

South Boulder Little League will provide each player a team jersey and a team hat. Due to individual fittings, players need to provide the baseball pants, belt, and socks. (Children playing in the T-ball and Rookies division can wear sweats and tennis shoes.)

In the majors and minors divisions your team manager may ask that baseball pants and socks be color coordinated, so check with him after teams are assigned.

Rubber cleats are highly recommended, and steel spikes are not allowed. All players should bring a windbreaker, jacket, or sweatshirt to every game and practice, especially early in the season.

Minors and Majors teams will be formed after tryouts and assessments take place in February. T-ball, Rookie and Juniors teams will be formed by mid March. If you get your registration in early, it makes it easier for SBLL to get the teams formed sooner.

South Boulder Little League allows friends to request to be on the same team together in the T-ball and Rookie divisions. In the Minors and Intermediate divisions, players are distributed based on assessments and a balanced draft to promote even and competitive teams. In the Juniors division, there may only be one team. If there are enough players for more teams, they are drafted onto the teams after tryouts.

If any parent desires for their child to play outside the division set forth for their child's age (either up or down in division), then such parent must make such request of the SBLL President in writing.

The SBLL President shall provide a written determination to the requesting parent within a reasonable period after the request is made.

In the event the requesting parent desires to appeal the SBLL President's determination, the requesting parent must provide a written notice to the SBLL President of such desire, after which the SBLL Board of Director, at their next scheduled meeting, shall either affirm or reverse the SBLL President's determination.

The goal of the draft for Minors and Majors is to improve the Little League experience by simply emphasizing balance among teams for a safe, fair and fun level of competition. Juniors, Rookie and T-ball Divisions do not draft players to a team. Players for those divisions will be assigned to teams by the SBLL Division coordinators, based on age and player/coach requests.

• All players in 3rd to 7th grade are required to attend an assessment for their age group.
• On assessment day, players are grouped according to grade. They will go through several drills, and coaches will assess them on throwing, fielding, running and hitting.
• Majors coaches will draft players from all tryout attendees, 11 and older.
• Minors coaches will then draft players from all of the remaining tryout attendees.
  • The Minors team draft order will be determined by lot.
  • A Minors coach's child must be reserved, and is counted as the third pick in the draft.
• Players unable to attend the tryouts will be placed on Minors teams (by the Minors Coordinator and Player Agent) with an emphasis on balancing player ages.
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T-ball games are about 1-hour long. Rookie and Minors games can not start a new inning after 1 hour 30 minutes. Majors and Junior games do not have a time limit, but are 6 innings long.

Every team has a manager approved by the Board of Directors. Each team's manager can have as many assistants as they can find for practices, but only two assistant coaches are allowed in the dugout during games. Any manager or coach that comes into contact with players MUST submit a national Little League volunteer application to the league president, and undergo a background check before being allowed to coach.

The team manager oversees the management of the team throughout the season. They are responsible for setting a practice schedule, developing a practice format, creating a lineup card for every game, and ensuring kids get their minimum playing time in each game. Managers are the focal point of the team and must be committed to following through with managing the team from mid-March to June. Time commitment is usually around 8-10 hours a week depending upon division. Managers need to be able to commit to be at all practices and games. Managers also must attend a manager's meeting with the division coordinator. Managers may be assisted by a volunteer team parent that helps with things like scheduling and contacts.

Two assistant coaches are allowed in the dugout during games. However, a manager may elect to use more than two coaches during practice. Coaches provide support during practice to ensure kids get enough attention while developing their skills. Coaches are under the guidance and direction of the manager. Typically, a manager will design a practice format and have assistants take care of coaching small groups of players, assisting with batting practice, hitting fungos, or other assistant duties. Assistant coaches should commit to be at all practices and games, generally about 6-8 hours a week depending upon division. All actions of an assistant coach during games are the ultimate responsibility of the manager.

Absolutely. South Boulder Little League does not tolerate foul language or taunting at any level by the players, parents, managers, or coaches. Any spectator, player, manager or coach that is warned is subject to being ejected from the premises and banned from the fields for additional games.

South Boulder Little League Minors and Majors teams play an entire regular season with the final standings establishing the seeding for a post-season double-elimination tournament. This approach allows all of the teams to work on developing the skills of each and every player on the team. Managers do not have to win every game, and as a result, they can play kids in positions where they can learn without the overriding pressure to "not lose". The end product is a playoff tournament where every game is a good contest, and the lower seeded teams often rise up. This is by far the best approach to overall player development.

South Boulder Little League has many fundraising options, such as team sponsors, logos on the SBLL website, and indiviual donations. Teams donate gift baskets for the opening day silent auction. Registration fees and donations are used for Little League fees, equipment, field rental, uniforms, umpires, and other costs.

If at any time you have a problem or just want information, you can e-mail the league at any time. You can discuss any concerns with your child's manager, then with the division's coordinator (who is a Board Member assigned to oversee that Division) and the SBLL Player Agent. Contact information is on the South Boulder Little League web site under the "Board of Directors Board" link. You are also welcome to attend a Board meeting and express your concerns directly to the Board with prior approval from the President.

The league's web site is at www.sbllbaseball.org. The site offers all the information you need to stay informed about events, schedules, rules, board member contacts, sponsorship information, baseball clinics, etc. If you have a question that is still unanswered, please contact the league at

Games may be canceled in case of bad weather or field conditions. SBLL decides on whether to hold games by 3 PM on the day of the game. A notice is put on the front page of the SBLL website.   If there is not a notice posted on the web site by 3PM, then assume games will be played. If bad weather occurs later, umpires will decide on playing the game for Minors, Majors and Juniors, and coaches will decide for Rookies and Tball.