Starting A Girls' Youth Baseball League

[NotAboutEgo]

Ideas, comments, recruiting tactics, finding fields, getting sponsors, equipment/uniforms/supplies, dates of season, advertising, fundraisers, age divisions, number of games per season, game rules, practices, umpires, clinics, web hosts for team web sites, etc., etc., etc.

Got info???

[5LilPlayers]

Starting with the basics, you should have:

Non-profit status! (great at those fundraisers, from what I hear, so people can claim donations as tax write-offs)

Insurance - of course!

Mission statement (so people know exactly why you're doing what you're doing, league goals, etc.)

Decide what the league will supply and what is up to the individual teams. (the league's fundraisers could cover nothing but game balls for each team, or you can try to raise enough to fund the entire league's teams - from gloves, bats, and practice as well as game balls, down to uniforms, and more)

Decide on what umpires to use. (pay professionals or recruit the parents of the players)

Rules (EX: if you're going to "give the girls a break" and use slightly smaller fields with shorter mound distances, say so in the "Rule Book" - as well as anything else normally used [infield fly rule] or slightly altered [playing with no mounds - fields with mounds can be difficult to find] needed in the rules)

Ya know, I just wrote up a whole list of things, but I'll be darned if I can remember it all. LOL

ADDED:
YEA!! Found my little list! LOL

You should also decide on:

Fundraisers (examples below) - the league needs money, but if you can find some willing, you may have to spend a few to make a few, such as with renting a hall/booth for recruiting purposes, making up flyers (cheaper, for the most part, to do them youself but you'll still need a lot of paper and ink), small items - personalized with the league name or not, etc.

Coaches/Players/Volunteers - Can't have a league without these, obviously, but I wrote it specifically about how to find them...you can read below for the "advertising/recruiting" ideas.

Uniforms - of course. From "top of the line" complete ones down to pants and t-shirts instead of real jerseys. I think, cost-wise, it's best to go with t-shirts, at least until the league is established and more people are willing to give (donations and/or sponsorships).

Coach Information Packs - there is a great site (www.discountofficesupplies.com) where you can get small 1/2" - 1" binders for around $1 each, or less, to use for this purpose. Put whatever you feel is necessary in them. I like the idea of having a rule book inside, as well as local places and online shops for uniforms, some fun drills so the kids don't get bored with the constant repetition it takes to learn the skills needed for their position(s), and a few web sites with valuable information (tips & tricks and well as where to get the best equipment at the best prices).

It was also suggested to us to have a league library. Since our league deals with 3 cities (hopefully more once the word gets out) in 2 states, this isn't possible for us. However, if you are in a large enough town (several teams per age division), it's possible. You charge $1 to rent out coaching manuals (maybe $2 for VHS and/or $3 for DVD's) for one week. There are several great books and videos out there...just don't forget to figure in the prices of these when you do league fundraisers so you can have a specific "Fundraising Goal" (be it for individual fundraisers or a goal "total" that includes any/all fundraisers you conduct for a year or season). All money "earned" from the rentals (and don't forget "late fees"!) goes back to the league.

Also, don't forget to work on the birthdates of the girls. Make sure to print this on as many documents as possible...as well as in the rule book....for cut-off dates for your age divisions. "On or before 'this' date means they're eligable for 'that' age division"...so there's no confusion as to which division each girl belongs in.

[5LilPlayers]

I'm going to seperate my posts as much as possible from here on out, so each aspect can have its own "category" if/when necessary.

You never know what will work in your area, so here's a list of things to try:

LARGER IDEAS:
Poker Tourneys - find a place large enough (or use someone's home for smaller ones). Poker in general is so popular now, it's hard to think this idea won't go over well. If it does draw a good crowd, you could do a couple...Texas Hold 'Em one time, 5-Card stud another, etc.

Bowling - call local alleys (some do these often and no the procedure)...if none in your area do, ask them if you can have the alley for a few hours (or if you're lucky...all day). If it's normally $3 a game, ask if they'll do $5 or $6 per game...or if it's $5 and hour, ask if they'll agree to $10 an hour...get them to include shoes, too. Then whatever's left after the normal fees goes to the league.

Golf Outing - pretty much like the bowling concept, except people will be paying for and playing a round of golf...or even set it up at a putting range instead of a "full scale" 18-hole round.

Comedy Clubs - charge $2 or more over the normal cover charge...whatever is made over the normal cost of the tickets goes to the league.

Look around your area, what's popular? Almost anything people will pay for could work as a fundraiser of thise sort.

In conjunction with these, it also wouldn't hurt to run a silent auction or a couple raffles during the event. Ask local businesses if they'll contribute coupons or gift cards.

TO DO WITH THE BIG IDEAS FOR THE LEAGUE OR FOR INDIVIDUAL TEAMS:
Cookbooks (being a girls league, that means the possibility for a lot of parents in the stands , and new ideas - especially of the "easy" or "10 minute prep" types - will be greatly welcomed by most).

[U]Cookie Dough - the league purchases one of several package deals available online or off...distributes them to the girls and the girls can ask local businesses to have a stand where they sell it. "Cookie Dough" includes all food items here. I just used it as an example. Several sites do cookie dough, as well as gourmet coffees, pies, brownie mixes, pizza kits, etc. That I know of, two big chains (Pizza Hut and Little Caeser's) even offer their own brand name kits to use for fundraisers, too. And of course, any bulk foods store (online or off), you can buy individually wrapped candy to sell (as a fundraiser itself and/or during the games).

League/Team Items - there are several sites (www.funimpressions.com and www.funexpressions.com to name just two of them) where you can get personalized things with your league (or the teams') name(s). Anything from t-shirts or backpacks to pencils and pens. Some even sell those rubber/silicone bracelets that are so popular now. Prices can get kind of expensive for the bigger things, of course...but most of the products aren't bad. Also, you can buy inexpensive solid colored shirts and make some yourself with the iron-on things sold at office supply stores...and they now make transfers for black and darker colored shirts as well as white/light colored ones.

Holiday Items - popular more around Christmas time, but you can do off-season fundraisers, too. Who doesn't need an extra roll of wrapping paper or want that "cute bow" to put on a present for their child or a niece/nephew?

Candles - plain and ordinary to the more exotic, people love candles...for emergencies as well as decoration or the scented ones to perfume the room a bit.

Innovative Ideas - there are several sites (www.orientaltrading.com, www.gelstuff.com, www.kwikcrafts.com, www.misterart.com, www.crayola.com) where you can buy moderate to inexpensively priced items and have the girls on the teams make something to sell (for the league or their own team). Jewelry to simple "scratch art" projects. Nothing says "love" like something hand-made...especially if your league is going to include younger girls. Who could resist a scratch art bookmark made by an adorable little 5 or 6 year old? Make up small kits from dollar store items the kids can sell to other girls (or adults with daughters, nieces, etc.) with the colored plastic goodie bags filled with a small bottle of nail polish, some wild colored fake nails, etc...or for even smaller kids, maybe an inexpensive "doodle book" (smaller ones are typically 3 or 4 for $1 at most stores) and a small pack of crayons, plus maybe a smaller (one-color) pack of air dry clay for either gender.

Baseball Themed Items - Oriental Trading (link above) has several small items (usually sold in lots of 12) such as baseball shaped kick balls, pens that looks like little wooden bats, etc. And several card sites offer blank decks to let you create your own custom cards...you can make suits such as home plates, bats, balls, hats, mitts, diamonds (as in a baseball diamond!), or maybe players..."pitchers", "umpires", "announcers", "fielders", or "catchers".

Just a few ideas to get you started, though I may be back to edit this later as I think of more. I had an entire legal pad sheet filled with ideas, but it seems my children misplaced it for me. LOL

ADDED:

MLB/Minors Tickets - a lot of Major and Minor league teams offer tickets that you purchase for the normal price, then you can mark up to sell for your league and whatever's left, you keep. Here in Toledo, field level seats are only $8...you can purchase a block of seats at that price (best to "take orders" as they're not returnable)...then sell to friends and family (or have the girls get a table at local businesses) and sell them for $15 to help the league (or individual team). The league/team would make $7 per ticket...doesn't seem like a lot, but even selling "only" 100 tickets would mean $700! A lot of the time, if you sell over a certain amount of tickets, they have deals where you can get a table for your league/team where you can have pamphlets and/or sell other merchandise to help raise even more money. The Mud Hens even have a special where if you sell 250 (or more) tickets, a member from your organization can throw out the first ball for that day's game and they announce your organization on the big screens during the game. Wouldn't it be great to see your league's name "in lights"? Especially if it's a night game! ;)

ADDED TO AGAIN:
Another idea for a fundraiser (catering more towards the younger set) is to get some things from Oriental Trading (yes, I love that site! LOL) in their carnival section. The games are pretty small, inexpensive, and easy for younger kids to play. Mini-bean bag games, mini-bowling game, milk jugs and rubber baseballs, weighted rubber ducks (and an inflatable pool), etc. They also tell rolls of 1,000 tickets prety cheap. Some single rolls (for games) as well as double rolls (for raffles - so you can raffle off a few smaller objects to pique the parents' interest) in all sorts of colors and/or designs. All you'd have to do is find a park that would allow it or if a willing company has enough "field space" to set up in a nearby space...it's a great way to get kids in, as well as parents, to see "what it's about". NOTE: This could also work as a good way to recruit girls and possibly other types of volunteers, too. You can buy inexpensive toys/games from Oriental to use as the prizes for the games as well. Also, they sell pinata's too...you could buy 2 or 3 of them, space out the times to do them throughout your event, and charge $1 for 5 or 6 whacks at it. Don't forget to "hide" a few small rolls of tickets for the games in the pinata's as well. Charge 20 or 25 cents to play the games, or kids can purchase a short stack of 10 tickets for $1. There are also a few items on Oriental that are sold by the gross (144 items) really cheap or lots of tattoo designs for $1.95 - $3.95 for 6 dozen that could be used for "small" prizes, up to bigger things by the dozen (small stuffed animals, tons of inflatable items) for "large" prizes, with a great variety for "medium-sized" prizes, as well. I'm sure there are other things you could do as well, locally buying small items and such, but I just love Oriental's selection (the schools around here use the site to get prizes for their end-of-the-year carnivals) and their prices generally can't be beat.

[5LilPlayers]

As with all suggestions of this type, different things work better for different areas...experiment to see what works best in your area.

Ads - all cities have local papers, from large "main" papers to sometimes smaller papers geared towards a specific group. Here in Toledo, we have "Toledo Parent" (obviously geared towards those with kids), "Toledo Living" (for senior citizens), and a few others, as well as the main one, "The Toledo Blade". Be it one or several, call and ask about pricing for an ad. After searching the papers, I have figured it best to advertise somewhere in the sports pages, but if this isn't possible a simple ad in the "Wanted" section will work, too.

Radio/TV/Newspapers - if you know someone who works at one of the local radio stations, newspaper offices or for local news shows, all the better, but even if you don't, they're almost always looking for good "human interest" stories anyway. Call around and see if any are willing to get you in the studio or (for newspapers) if they're willing to interview you over the phone. Be sure you have everything in place first (mission statement, tax exempt status, basic rules and the like). The more professional you look/sound and the more information you can give the public, the better, of course. Also, by this step, make sure you have a phone number people can call and/or an address (preferably a P.O. Box) where people can write to for more information...unless you're willing to give out your home address.

Stores & Other Places - most small stores allow "reasonable advertisement"...make up some flyers (include your mission statement, a phone number and the basics of the league "GIRLS Baseball", with the age group(s) you want to start with) and take them around to local stores (chain stores as well as the "mom & pop" varieties), talk to the managers and ask if you can put up a flyer in their front window...and possibly leave a small stack of the flyers by the registers. Smaller businesses & chains are more likely to allow you to do this. Don't forget to target where kids go, too. Get a booth at the local county fair (or arts and crafts shows, RV shows, etc.), ask at the movie theaters, roller rinks, Putt Putt golf courses, malls (a lot of them have bulletin for such things in their food courts or the like), gyms geared towards kids (YMCA/YWCA)...and especially at local batting cages!!

League/Team Items - same as with fundraisers...but look for the least inexpensive ideas possible. T-shirts/hats are GREAT ways to advertise your new league and a lot of bigger cities/towns have at least one or two print shops (or you can get them online) where shirts are only $2 or $3 with a small set-up fee ($25 - $75) for your font/logo. You can make up "back-to-school" packs (for advertising, fundraising or "league ending" get-togethers)...on www.orientaltrading.com (as mentioned above) they have tons of things you can personalize (different types of pens and pencils) and they have a bunch of "do-it-yourself" kits that include 12 one-subject notebooks, memo pads, or folders that you can decorate (or print, if your printer will allow heavier items) with the league name and/or logo. Also, you can buy bumper sticker packs at local office supply stores to put your league name/logo on as well as other items such as cards - making your own is getting more popular so you can get a pack or two that includes the envelopes and "announce it" to friends and family first that have daughters/nieces/granddaugthers in the age group(s) you're including.

Since we have the name for our league already, I did print off some basic t-shirt transfers. $10 for 10 transfer sheets at Office Depot - for younger kids, you can squeeze 2 - league name only - transfers onto one sheet, and I found plain white t-shirts for the kids for a quarter at a local resale shop, plus my husband and I got a simple 3 pack of "undershirts" for around $4 at K-mart. I did them with just the league name (we're still working on a logo) in a "child-friendly" font for now. Even the baby (almost 2) now has a shirt to help us advertise. Granted, the font size had to be changed a bit to get it on there for her. LOL Wear the shirts (or hats, if you can get them made) and wear them often!

Word of Mouth - tried and tested for tons of things from new perfumes to that teacher no one wants their child to have in school. LOL Word of mouth, especially in smaller towns, can sometimes work better than any other form of "advertisement".

For the Slightly Younger Set:

Tattoos - many places now offer custom-made temporary tattoos and kids love tattoos. I've notice that my kids don't really care what's on the tattoo (as long as it's not "too girly" for my son! Get some custom-made ones with the league name/logo...or team names...and let the girls' younger siblings (or the girls themselves) wear 'em.

Once the league has been established:

Bring-a-Buddy - this was suggested to us. What happens is Girl A brings a friend (Girl B). Girl B plays on the Girl A's team, and Girl A gets a $10 gift certificate for a local toy store. I have thought of more than just toy stores, too. Maybe a free coupon for a local video rental chain or a ticket to a (child-friendly/age appropriate) movie, a pre-paid round of miniature golf, batting cage tokens (what kid's favorite part of baseball ISN'T hitting?), etc....or the gift bag idea from the fundraisers. Girls who play hardball ARE still girls afterall..and what "tween" or teen wouldn't love a little bag (or inexpensive decorative box from the local dollar store) that includes a small bottle of nail polish, maybe a new comb or brush (with glitter in the molded plastic), some ponytail holders (or other type of hair clips), maybe some SUBTLE make-up (please, no bright blues or purples LOL), a Bonnie Bell lip gloss, or some other "girly-type" products?

Okay, now that it's 15 minutes after I was supposed to get off of here, I must go...gotta get the kids ready for the Mud Hens game tonight. 5 baths/showers in 3 hours....this should be interesting! LOL Hopefully I won't be too tired tonight so I'll be able to hop on and continue this list later...if not, I'll be back on tomorrow to continue it...as well as however often I think of more things or as things are suggested to myself and my fellow league founders. (Come on you two, get posting! LOL)

ADDED:
Still haven't found my full list for this yet, but more ideas:

Contact the local Superintendant of Schools and ask if you can give flyers out to the schools in your area.

You can post your registration form on Craig's List (www.craigslist.com). This is the technological age...not many people aren't online, in some way, shape or form. Being online as well as off, could bring in more girls who wouldn't have heard about your league in other ways.

Parades! Yep, make a small banner, and walk in any parade you can. This was another idea that was suggested to us. While walking, you can hand out flyers about your league (don't forget to include your mission statement and logo) to all the kids you see...and what kid doesn't love a parade?

[SoxSon]

This is quickly turning into a valuable resource. Keep it up! :)

[Baseball Mum]

Girls who play hardball ARE still girls afterall..and what "tween" or teen wouldn't love a little bag (or inexpensive decorative box from the local dollar store) that includes a small bottle of nail polish, maybe a new comb or brush (with glitter in the molded plastic), some ponytail holders (or other type of hair clips), maybe some SUBTLE make-up (please, no bright blues or purples LOL), a Bonnie Bell lip gloss, or some other "girly-type" products?



This reminds me of when my daughter started playing years ago. She was the only girl on the team and all the Mums really looked out for her. (Woebetide any of those boys who thought she'd be batgirl all the time because she was the girl). My daughter hadn't had a lot of hits and one of the Mums of a boy promised her a bottle of nail polish if she got one. A bottle of pretty pink polish was there at the next game.

Now time has marched on and these two young people have honed their skills and are now playing in the same Major League team - and the Mum came up just the other day and said "T, I'll give you a bottle of nail polish if you hit to the outfield." I think she's getting a list of colours ready :laugh

[5LilPlayers]

This reminds me of when my daughter started playing years ago. She was the only girl on the team and all the Mums really looked out for her. (Woebetide any of those boys who thought she'd be batgirl all the time because she was the girl). My daughter hadn't had a lot of hits and one of the Mums of a boy promised her a bottle of nail polish if she got one. A bottle of pretty pink polish was there at the next game.

Now time has marched on and these two young people have honed their skills and are now playing in the same Major League team - and the Mum came up just the other day and said "T, I'll give you a bottle of nail polish if you hit to the outfield." I think she's getting a list of colours ready :laugh
I think the nail polish (or something like it) could also be a good incentive, too...for things like that. Coaches all have to teach the basics, of course, but there are ways to make it fun. With girls, you could hold "mini-home run derby's" or fun competitive fielding drills and the prize for the winner could be given a bottle of nail polish or something else girly.

The only thing with nail polish/make-up is you have to make sure the parents agree, of course. My friend wasn't allowed to wear colored nail polish until she was 16 (until then, it was clear only, which kind of defeated the purpose)...and her mom had a strict no-make-up policy until she was 18 (not even the Bonnie Bell stuff!). I did kind of feel sorry for her, but I wasn't the nail polish/make-up type, so I didn't "really" get why she was so upset. LOL

Hmm....should I do a post with some of the more fun drills I've seen/heard of?

There's a great resource at www.baseballtips.com/instruction.html that has quite a few good drills (most could be turned into competitive competitions). They have a bunch of articles from coaching to positions, even charts for pitchers based on age and how often one should pitch, how long to rest the arm based on how many innings/pitches are thrown, and what types of pitches a child should be allowed/able to throw at what ages.

[5LilPlayers]

NOTE: Our league is not this far along yet, but from what I've found online and off in my research, I think "go with what you know" sums it up best.

If you (or someone you know) works for a local store or local chain of stores, hit them up first, once your teams have been formed. Local photography studios, mom & pop gas stations, etc. If your child is playing for one of the teams, all the better if you work there yourself or are really close to the person who works in these places.

Added bonus which I've heard about: Add the sponsor's name to the girls' uniform hats and/or shirts (you can put their name under the girls' numbers on the backs of their shirts/jerseys or around the back of their hats) and it can help to give them a little "Sponsor's Plaque" with the team picture, too...as big or as little as the league/team can afford that the business can hang somewhere prominent in their store to show their support.

After talking to my fellow founders of the Michigan-Ohio Girls Baseball League (MOGBL), we have pretty much decided we're going to put sponsor's names on the hats and shirts. Kids (at least I did) often wear the shirts after the season's over, since it's highly unlikely they'll outgrow them in the 2 to 4 months they'll be playing. Whether the same company decides to sponsor that team the following year or not, they'll get almost a whole year of advertising.

It was also suggested to us that if the team can find a sponsor of this type, to charge $250, which should be plenty to get their uniforms and any extra equipment needed, plus it helps pay for the sponsor plaque. But you can charge however much you feel is necessary...plus you can divide it by 2 or 3 different sponsor's if you can get more than one business to help.

It's nice to have the team be named after a single sponsor (if you have only one)...but who'd want to be known as (at least in the USA) "The Roto-Rooters" (for those overseas, "Roto Rooters" are a company that deal with clogged up sinks and toilets, etc.) or something along those lines? There are certain businesses that it just wouldn't work, hence the sponsor name on the hats/shirts.

[5LilPlayers]

For equipment to score cards to books and videos on teaching proper mechanics, there are scores of sites available. Just do a little Google search for "Baseball Equipment"...too many for me to name.

Most do have options for getting a free catalog so you can order by mail (just don't forget to check the shipping times, don't want to start your season, only to realize those balls you ordered won't arrive for "2 - 3 weeks")...or you can order online (best to have a league account and/or team account). A lot of local sporting goods stores just don't have any good discounts or the like.

EXAMPLE:
www.baseballexpress.com has a membership (I think I paid $20 for 3 years) and it covers a lot. At times, they'll ask members to try new products (bats, practice balls, gear and more) and the members get to keep that product...all you have to do is send in a little form rating the product. They have "bulk discounts" available for teams/leagues, as well as offers to get items you need tax-free (tax exempt status number is needed) for entire leagues...great way to get game balls cheap!

Other supplies you may need can easily be bought at office supply stores. You'll need a lot of paper (flyers, mailings for team and/or league announcements, game schedules, etc.) and ink cartridges (for printing the above, of course). Remember, it takes more than just a couple bats, balls and willing girls with mitts to create a league. Most office supply stores don't have those "bulk discounts" like other places, but if you start getting organized in the fall for the following season, all those "back-to-school" sales can be a real life-saver on the league/team budget for items you know you'll use most.

[NotAboutEgo]

Will post info soon. Have been really busy and my laptop is down right now.

[NotAboutEgo]

Talk with city leagues to see if they will help establish a girls' baseball league. Some cities are open to expanding their programs. Also, if you know anyone personally who is invloved with any city leagues or non-city leagues, ask if they will expand/help establish a girls' league.

Hook up with groups and organizations (like Don Bosco Hall, Girl Scouts, etc.) for finding players, coaches, and volunteers and help with establishing the league.

If there are MLB and/or Minor League teams and Independent League teams in your area, see what they can/will do to help. Minor League teams are really good about helping in some capacity. Perhaps pro women's leagues and teams of other sports would want to help out as well.

Find women-owned businesses and women's organizations that may help somehow.

[5LilPlayers]

For the MOGBL, we're doing two divisions to start with, then expanding from there.

For starters, we'll have two teams. One with 9 - 11 year olds and the other with 12 - 14 year olds.

Plans are to add one or two divisions each year until we have:

5 - 6 yr. olds
7 - 8 yr. olds
15 - 16 yr. olds
17 - 18 yr. olds

If these do well, we may divide the original divisions up a bit more (9 - 10, 11 - 12 and 13 - 14).

In years to come, I'd love to see enough girls playing that we'll need to divide them further by doing EACH individual age from 5 - 18 yr. olds...at least 14 total teams for each area.

Ask around your area, see what age group(s) are most interested in playing and start with that/those group(s).

Do a poll of co-workers' daughters/neices/granddaughters.

Go to popular local diamonds where girls play softball (slow or fast-pitch) and ask the girls themselves - this idea works better if you know a girl who plays since any adults not involved with the kids in this day and age are often questioned about their motives. But you can always bring a few flyers if you don't know any of the girls personally so if a parent does question you, you can simply explain why you're there, hand them a flyer, and hope they'll call.

Talk to your daughter's Daisy/Brownie/Girl Scout troop about it.

Anywhere that girls gather is a great place to poll the kids, as well as parents to see if they'd let their daughters play.

ADDED:
Don't forget to randomly ask girls in your neighborhood if you're in a larger city. "Farm country" doesn't work as well since neighbors can be so far apart.

Ask people you have classes with...if you belong to a quilting bee, go to jewelry making classes, take a class in college, don't forget to ask the people there, especially if you know they have kids.

[5LilPlayers]

The easiest way, I think, is to call your local Parks & Recreation Department and see what's available. Since it is baseball, one of your first questions should be "Does <insert field's name, or close park's name> have a mound?" as well as "Does it have a grass or dirt field?" You want the girls to get used to the real thing as early as possible...hence, parks with mounds and grass fields are best if you can find them.

Another Idea:
Go to Google (or other search engines). Do a search for local youth baseball. I accidently stumbled upon a site that lists every diamond within a 30 mile radius just by typing in 'Toledo, Ohio Youth Baseball'. It has a drop down menu listing all the parks, and when you click on them, it shows you information about the fields...the diminsions, if they have an actual mound, if they have a consession area, etc. as well as at least one number to call to ask about using the field for games/practices.

I think finding "proper" fields has been our biggest difficulty so far.

[NotAboutEgo]

As far as umpiress, the same goes... do a search for umpire organizations in your area. Also, you can go through the phone book, ask around especially at local softball and baseball games, etc. A lot of umpires do both baseball and softball and umpire at many levels. Getting college-certified umpires may be overdoing it for the younger age divisions, but it would be good for the high-school aged divisions.

I recommend getting official umpiress for games. If you use volunteers, you jeaopardize the integrity of the game and also the integrity of the players as well as their enthusiasm, learning the proper rules, etc. The last thing you'd want is a brawl between parents and teams and umpries because you have someone who really doesn't know the game well enough from an umpire's perspective and also people who don't umpire as a hobby or even as a second income usually aren't very comfortable doing it.

[5LilPlayers]

GRR I had a whole nice little thing typed up earlier...and half the neighborhood lost power for a few before I could send it! I'll try to re-create it now:

Clinics, I think, are best given at the field(s) the girls will be playing on. Drills done will give the balls hit/thrown the "real feel" as it bounces across the grass/dirt of the fields so the girls can see more easily how a ball may react when hit at a certain angle or to a specific spot on the field and be more ready for it in practice as well as game situations.

If it's not possible to get the field on the days you wish to hold clinics, a moderate to large indoor area will do. Ask around at local schools and halls. The down side to indoors is that you may have to rent a place and since it's inside, the balls won't have the same hop/roll as they do on the actual field, since it will most likely be a tiled or concrete floor, possibly wood.

Whatever you do, it has been suggested to us to hold several clinics (combine them into one week, if possible) where you can get coaches who've been coaching for a few years to teach all the basics based on positions played, as well as one or two days for the basics (fielding, hitting, etc.). See if any coaches have specific or more advanced training in certain levels of fielding (one coach who's taught sliding could teach a clinic, another who's better at teaching how to play 1st base could take the firstbasemen aside and work with them, etc.).

It's always best, especially with the very young, to make sure they play more than just one position in case another player gets injured so they can fill that spot (and know what they're doing) if needed...as well as for the girls to learn the proper techniques/mechanics of all aspects of the game.

[5LilPlayers]

The Season Itself
First, I think we of the MOGBL would all recommend starting the first few seasons of the new league after the normal softball season ends in your area.

It gives the girls a chance to play both if they wish. The girls will be in better shape physically (baseball can be a lot more demanding). Plus, without being able to predict how fast your league will grow, the girls will still have something to fall back on if the league doesn't work out quite as you expect it to.

The MOGBL are going with a June to Sept. season. September it gets a bit cooler but still warm enough to play a few weekend (or make-up) games.

Games - at least 10 per season, per age division, for the first couple years. Then, let the girls have a say. If they'd like to play 15 or 20 games, that's not too unreasonable, especially for the teen divisions. Just be wary of "over-play" per season. Some girls will beg for more games (I know I would have played every day from March until October if we had been allowed!)...but keep it reasonable for each age group.

Practices - I'd suggest no more than 2 or 3 per week "pre-season" or during the season, but only 1 or 2 if they have a game that week. Practices don't have to be long to be good, either. Try to limit them to 30 - 40 minutes for the youngest ones, and an hour for the tweens and teens. Divide the team into groups as often as possible so the coach can work with one group while the assistant works with the other, on different things, then switch the groups at the half-way time. If there is a willing parent or two to help, you can divide the team even further and limit each activity to 1/3 or 1/4 of the practice time before the girls switch.

[5LilPlayers]

There has to be some madness to your method....er...method to your madness.

Game Rules
If you plan to (try to) affiliate with Little League at some point, start having the girls play by Little League rules as early as possible. Otherwise, you can set your own game rules.

"Honor Rules"
Also can be called "Rules of Conduct"...but to me, that's boring. LOL Whatever you call them, make sure there are certain rules (and "punishments") for infractions such as foul language, yelling at the coaches or teammates, etc. EXAMPLE: 1st and 2nd offense, benched from a game, 3rd offense, benched from 2 games, 4th time the girl is barred from the team for the rest of the season...depending on which honor rule is broken. Also be sure to have a "parent's section"...no yelling at the coaches, umpire or their own children...(as well as other things - here, a parent caught smoking in plain sight of the kids, at any sporting event, is escorted from the field area)...or the parent will have to leave the grounds.

Make sure the "big rules" (ones that will NOT be tolerated for any reason) are clearly defined first. Foul language could include even "butthead" or similar put-down for younger kids to the really "bad" words - especially from the parents. Children are already growing up too fast...we don't need "us" to be one of the reasons. This is supposed to be a fun...and in some cases, new...experience for the girls we're creating these leagues for.

A Note on Safety
On and off the field, we want the girls to be safe, obviously. Remind them in their rule books not to go with anyone they don't know (especially the younger ones) and coaches should at least know, by sight, those who regularly pick up/drop off the girls when a parent/guardian can't.

In this day and age, we can't be too careful with our kids. Get inexpensive (washable) black stamp pads and all adults (coaches to volunteers) must willingly provide a proper thumbprint. No print, no helping! Also, you can impliment a rule that coaches and assistant coaches (or other types of volunteers - for fundraisers, etc.) must arrive at the same time, 10 - 20 minutes before that activity starts so that A) No adult is ever left alone with any child and B) No child is left at the field (fundraiser site, etc.) alone too far in advance. Background checks are best, of course...but cost-wise, especially the first year or so of the league, this may not be possible.

[5LilPlayers]

You'll need quite a few of these. On ones you can print (or have printed) you should have at least the league name and logo on them, maybe the mission statement as well. They sell generic medical forms at quite a few of the office supply stores now and for those, it's best to get something that looks a little more official.

Making your own:

We're still in talks about this, and it will be a while before we need them, but I suggested 3 different forms (NOT including medical) as follows:

Player Form
For girls over 8 or over 11 (depending on your league's age divisions)...girls over the limit can fill in their own player forms...younger ones, a parent can fill them out.

Player forms should include their name, birthdate, full address, and phone number...possibly an email address if you want to send schedules/announcements that way instead of using more paper. Possibly include a section where the girls can write down any "Prior Baseball Experience" (unless you know all the girls in your area have never played before). Then add a small section where the girls must pick at least two of each: Positions Wanted to Play and Jersey Number. Do the jersey number on a first come/first serve basis. All girls, but especially the younger ones, should learn to play at least 2 different positions, and the more jersey numbers they pick, the more likely they will be to get one they want.

Parent/Guardian Form
By filling this out, it's also the parent(s)/guardian(s) giving consent for their girl to play.

Custodial Parent(s)/Guardian(s):
To include name, address, phone (home, work, cell and maybe a spot for "other phone"), and girls' name(s) who are playing (maybe the name of the team she's on...or they are on - if siblings or foster children are playing on seperate teams), as well as an email address if you plan to email instead of sending flyers or postcards for any changes in the schedule or the like.

Other Parent(s)/Guardian(s):
same information as above.

A short list of names and phone numbers of any other adults (18 and up or 21 and up) who may need to occassionally drop-off or pick-up the girl(s). Also have room for them to fill out the relationship of the adult(s) to the girl(s) playing.

Volunteer Form
Volunteers do NOT have to have/know a child in the league.

These should include name, full address, home phone as well as best times to call and/or a " call no earlier than/no later than" spot, plus cell phone. Have spaces for multiple children so the parents/guardians can write the child's(ren's) names and the teams they're on, if they have any daughters in the league.

Then a clearly defined section listing all aspects of volunteering (Coach, Assistant Coach, Consessions, Helping with Fundraisers, etc.) as well as an "I'll help wherever I'm needed" line...all with a small spot that they can just check off (or circle). Include in this section a space for "Volunteer Experience" (if they check "coach" - maybe they could add how many years they've been coaching...if they check "Help with Fundraisers" - they can add that they've worked with other organizations as part of, or coordinator of, other fundraisers, etc.). The experience section doesn't have to be filled out, but it could help you a lot later on.

[JeepingBaseball]

My goodness.... excellent information here!! Way to go girl!! I'll be sure to be exploring them all.

I, too, am trying to start a league. However, I'm more focus on a women's baseball team, not a youth team. I figured if the women's league kicks up, then after a while, try the youth league with the women from the women's league involvement for youth baseball.

I'm focus on the north Atlanta, Georgia metro area, as there's currently no baseball available for either women or girls. But the women's population is huge as well as the kids. Plus nearly 50% of the Brave's attendance are female, which leads me to believe baseball is loved by us just as much as it's for the guys down there. It's worth a shot for me. Plus I do already have a ton of support waiting for me as I happen to know alot of business owners in that area. Every little bit helps!

[5LilPlayers]

My goodness.... excellent information here!! Way to go girl!! I'll be sure to be exploring them all.

I, too, am trying to start a league. However, I'm more focus on a women's baseball team, not a youth team. I figured if the women's league kicks up, then after a while, try the youth league with the women from the women's league involvement for youth baseball.

I'm focus on the north Atlanta, Georgia metro area, as there's currently no baseball available for either women or girls. But the women's population is huge as well as the kids. Plus nearly 50% of the Brave's attendance are female, which leads me to believe baseball is loved by us just as much as it's for the guys down there. It's worth a shot for me. Plus I do already have a ton of support waiting for me as I happen to know alot of business owners in that area. Every little bit helps!
Oh yeah...and the more 'little' bits you get, the better it helps.

I'm not to sure about women's, but I know my co-founders started a women's team almost 10 years ago (I'm sure you've heard NotAboutEgo talk about the Detroit Danger), so she's been putting a lot of what she knows from that into practice for the girls league.

Fundraisers, you could probably do a lot of the same things...and of course, any league/foundation/organization that can should file for non-profit status. And of course, a lot of the advertising/recruiting could work the same, but instead of trying to put up/hand out flyers where the girls hang out, put them up where women do...sewing shops, scrapbooking places, Michael's or the like, where they offer jewelry making classes, etc. Newspapers, more adults read them anyway...so it's more likely in a "major" city paper that they will be the ones seeing the ad. That's why I'd like to go for the area parenting magazine here (free publication that we can pick up at local grocery stores, burger joints, etc.)...figure the girls might see them, or at least moms like me (who loved to play...or those who wanted to but couldn't) will see them and hopefully ask their daughters if they want to play.

Generally, this really could be a guide for adult leagues as well as the little ones.

Twice as much work, but you could try to do the adults league, as well as a girls league...but stick with the older girls (maybe 14 or 15 yr. olds - 17 yr. olds)...then you'd at least have a sort of "farm system" with girls who really knew the game for the following few years who could "graduate" to the adult league. Then just keeping adding age divisions on down to as young as you want to go with your league.

Okay....note, I was going to post about the web hosts, thing...but I think that's more NAE's field on that one. I'm not all that computer literate yet, and I've only had one (very cheesy) site....I wouldn't know where to begin. I can, however, tell you where some of the best deals are to get equipment! LOL

Hmm....should I post the sites I've found so far? A lot do have links to where you can "order" (for free) a catalog, for those who don't like to order online.

[pigeon63122]

My daughter is looking for a Girl's Baseball Team in St. Louis, MO. She is 10 years old. I'm willing to put a team together if I can find a league to play in.

[5LilPlayers]

I've been researching almost daily for new leagues/teams, but so far, I haven't found anything in MO at all.

Even if you can't find/form an official league, if you can find enough girls, even creating 2 or 3 teams in such a large city hopefully shouldn't be too much of a problem. The real "problem" may be in the advertising, as you'd have to do it all word of mouth or fork over the cash yourself for ads in the local paper(s) and the like. Claim it as recreational, make sure you note that players/parents know it's "at their own risk" for playing (though still get medical forms)...as long as you have the parent's signature somewhere, it'll show that they understand that and can't sue you.

The more official the better, of course...but in some areas, it is still rare to find all-girl leagues...and in some areas, it's still rare to find "boys" leagues that will allow a girls team to play in their league.

Anyone else know of leagues/teams in other areas....newly created or older ones?

[pigeon63122]

Thanks 5LilPlayers. Those are very good suggestions. Sounds like I'd better get started soon if I'm going to have something ready by Spring.

[NotAboutEgo]

Thanks 5LilPlayers. Those are very good suggestions. Sounds like I'd better get started soon if I'm going to have something ready by Spring.

Hi Pigeon,

There aren't any girls' baseball leagues in MO at this time, as far as my experience tells me. I think it's great you want to start a league for girls' baseball! If you have any questions about it, please post them here.

While you are working on starting the league, if you can get one girls' team together before you are able to get more teams together, you could consider having that team play in a boys' league until you get the girls' league established.

Good luck and please keep us posted on your progress!

[5LilPlayers]

Anyone else with questions/comments/ideas??

I'm pretty much tapped out at the moment...other then a variety of sites I don't know if I should post or not. I have sites for "Girls Leagues", "Women's Leagues", "Equipment", "Youth Equipment" (some sites cater to kids' equipment), "Uniforms", and some "miscellaneous sites" that I never wrote down what I was searching for when I found them or were links that were on other sites I found. Though I do have to look back through the Fundraiser ideas to make sure I got everything I could possibly think of. LOL

Maybe I will post the links to the girls/womens sites I've found in a bit...but I don't know about all the equipment/uniform sites and such.