WHEN DOES REGISTRATION BEGIN?

Registration for the spring season begins in October and continues through January for the older divisions and into February for Junior Baseball, Senior Softball, and Challenger Divisions.

DO WE NEED TO LIVE IN OAKLEY AREA TO HAVE OUR CHILD PLAY HERE?

Little League requires that each player either resides or attends school within our boundaries. 

We also understand that you may desire to have your child(ren) play out of the area so that your child(ren) can play with friends. However, any out-of-area player that plays at ECLL is ineligible for any postseason All-Star teams unless they attend an eligible school that is within our boundary. PRIOR TO REGISTERING TO PLAY, PARENTS MUST CONTACT THE REGISTRAR at [email protected] TO SEEK APPROVAL FOR AN OUT OF AREA WAIVER TO BE SUBMITTED BY THE LEAGUE. Waivers are not automatic and are subject to the League whose boundary you are in and District 4 Little League approvals with final approval determined by the Charter Committee of Little League International.

If you move from our area after the season begins, please notify us so we can submit a waiver request as a result of your change of address. This also applies to players who moved out of our area since last season and still want to play at ECLL.

In what age group or division will my child play? What does League Age mean?

Placement is all done by league age. League age is the age of a player as of a certain date in the calendar year. Little League International publishes a seperate league age schedule for boys and girls.

In answer to where your child will play, players are either placed on a team or drafted onto a team.

Players league age 7 and older will be place in a pool and drafted onto a team. There are no cuts. It is at the manager's discretion to elect to draft a player or not, within the guidelines of the ECLL Bylaws. The only exception to this rule is for those players who do not attend a skills assessment event. Please see our Rules & Policies/Bylaws for more information about the drafting process.

Players with a league age of 4, 5 or 6 will be placed onto a team by the Lower Division Coordinator.

DO I NEED TO ATTEND AN IN PERSON EVENT?

You only need to attend if you have never played at ECLL in the past or would like to try on the uniforms. Little League International requires that we verify birth certificates and residency of each player in our league.  Should your player make an All-Star team we will need to collect actual copies of forms, but we will do that at a later time.  This is just for us to confirm you live in the boundaries.

This also gives us time to answer questions parents may have about schedules, practices, coaching, volunteering, etc. We want to be open and allow a friendly, personable face to answer any questions or address any concerns you may have.

HOW MUCH ARE THE REGISTRATION FEES?

Registration for ages 4-6 is $225 and $275 for ages 7 and older. There is a $50 discount for each additional child. We also charge an additional $75 Volunteer Deposit per family. This deposit is completely refundable based on your family’s volunteer participation. For more information on our volunteer policy, please go to our Volunteer Information page. Players in our teenage division are not charged a late registration fee.

We offer a Early Bird Discount prior to November, register early to take advantage of these discounts.

Payment plans are available online during checkout. If you are in need of a partial or full scholarship, please contact our League Treasurer directly so we can help. We just want the kids to play ball!

WHEN DOES THE SEASON START?

Practices typically begin in February and Opening Day is the second Saturday in March. Opening Day consists of a player parade, announcements, games, and plenty of fun!!

WHEN ARE PRACTICES HELD AND GAMES PLAYED?

Practice schedules are determined by each team’s manager and coaches. Prior to the season opening, this is typically two practices per week, possibly more for the older divisions. Games are typically held two times per week; one weekday game on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday and one game on Saturday. Weeknight games begin at 5pm for the first couple weeks of the season to give us enough light to complete a game. They then move to 5:30pm. Saturday games typically begin at 9am and the last game at 4:30pm.

HOW IS THE PLAYING AGE DETERMINED?

For Baseball, the playing age is based on the age your child will be as of August 31st of the current year. For example, if your child turns 4 on or before August 31, 2025, then their playing age is 4 and they are eligible to play this season.

Softball playing ages are the determined using the age the player was as of December 31st of the previous year. For example, if you daughter turns 9 on January 1st, 2025, then she will play as an 8-year-old for the 2025 season. 

WHEN ARE TEAMS FORMED AND PLAYERS NOTIFIED?

Player Evaluations, for players age 7-14 are in January. You will be contacted via email by the division Player Agent with a specific evaluation date and time. Major, Minor, 50/70 and Junior teams are drafted the first week of February. Farm and T-Ball/Coach Pitch teams are assembled the following week. Team Managers will contact players once teams are formed.

WHAT EQUIPMENT WILL MY CHILD NEED TO PARTICIPATE?

Players should bring cleats or athletic shoes and a glove to all games and practices.

Players will be provided with a uniform shirt and hat. Families will need to purchase pants, socks and a belt (about $15). The manager will advise parents on what color pants/belts to purchase. Only molded plastic cleats are allowed in the 4-12 year old divisions. Metal spikes are only allowed in 50/70 Intermediate and Junior divisions.

Players are welcome to bring their own bats, but they must meet official Little League standards for their division of play. All bats used must have the official USA Bat logo. 

WHAT ARE PLAYER EVALUATIONS? HOW LONG DO THEY TAKE? DOES MY CHILD HAVE TO PARTICIPATE?

Player evaluations are for all children age 7-14. The physical part is fun and easy. Players will receive three grounders in the infield, three flies in the outfield, throw three pitches from the mound, and three-five pitches to hit from a pitching machine or coach, and then they run from home to first base. The division vice presidents, player agents, and team managers and other board members observe each child and evaluate their performance. Players are not only scored on their ability to catch or hit, but on enthusiasm, attitude and determination and sometimes by their parents’ actions as well.

Each age group takes about an hour to get through depending on the number of attendees. Players should arrive 20-30 minutes prior to their start time to check in and warm up.

If your child misses their evaluation date, we host a make-up weekend a week or two later but space is limited. Please be sure to plan to have your child at one or the other. Younger players that miss evaluations are still placed on teams, but it can disrupt the balance of the teams. Players placed on a waiting list will be used to add to a team if there is a player dropped or injured. 

HOW DO I BECOME A COACH OR MANAGER?

If you’re interested in coaching or taking a team, please contact the VP of the division you are interested in. All managers and coaches are approved by the League President and Board of Directors. 

CAN I REQUEST THAT MY CHILD TO BE ON THE SAME TEAM AS HIS FRIEND?

For Lower division children ages 4-7 years, you can request a Buddy Option during your registration process. The Division Director will do their best to honor all the requests when assembling the teams, however, there are no guarantees. Teams for players 7 and older are assembled using a draft system, so buddy requests are not allowed.

I HAVE 2 CHILDREN (SIBLINGS) CAN THEY BE ON THE SAME TEAM?

When you register, you can complete the field for a Sibling Option. This may be possible, but is dependent on each of the players ages and skill levels. Though we will do our best to make this happen, it is not guaranteed.

WHAT IS THE CHALLENGER DIVISION?

The Little League Challenger Program is Little League’s adaptive baseball program for individuals with physical and intellectual challenges. Any individual with a physical or intellectual challenge may participate. If an individual can participate in the traditional Little League Baseball or Softball program with reasonable accommodations, they should do so.

Typically, games are 1-2 innings long and last about an hour. All players play defensively and bat every inning. The Challenger Division helps establish strong bonds of friendship between Little Leaguers from other programs and Challenger children in an atmosphere of sharing and caring. We allow “buddies” for players who want or need them. Buddies are individuals who assist Challenger athletes in the areas of batting, base running and defense, but only as needed. Often buddies are peer athletes who are participating in the Little League Baseball or Softball program.

There is no cost to participate in Challenger Baseball. The only things the players have to supply are shoes and a glove. We supply uniforms and equipment. The children keep their uniforms.

I HAVE 2 (OR MORE) CHILDREN, DO I HAVE TO MEET THE VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS FOR EACH CHILD?

The volunteer deposit is per family. The minimum volunteer requirement will depend upon how many kids you have. Please see the Volunteer Service Policy for more details.

MY CHILD IS 7-YEARS-OLD, BUT I WANT HIM TO STAY IN T-BALL/COACH PITCH?

All children with a playing age of 7 or older must attend the player evaluations. 7-year-old players who do not attend evaluations are automatically placed in the Farm division. We review all participants prior to placing them on a team. Any potential safety concerns are discussed at that time. It’s important to understand that your child will be playing with other children who are the same age and skill level as your child and has a great time playing more “real” baseball.

MY SON IS BETTER THAN MOST KIDS HIS AGE, CAN HE PLAY UP A DIVISION?

Little League has set guidelines that help leagues determine the ages for each division of play and together our focus is on both the physical and emotional development of each player. Therefore, our baseball divisions are as such: 4-6 year olds will play in the T-Ball/Farm- no exceptions. 7 year olds will play Single A, 7-8 year olds will play in the AA BB division, 9-10 year olds in the AAA BB division, 10-11 are eligible for both the Minor and Major divisions, but are drafted based on their player evaluations. 12 year olds may only play in Major. 13 year olds in 50/70 and 14 year olds in Juniors. It is always our goal to let the players play with children of their same age and maturity level rather than their potential for the MLB. In our experience, it is much more enjoyable for the child to be a star among their peers than the pretty good player among older kids. 

MY CHILD CHANGED HIS MIND AND DECIDED NOT TO PLAY BASEBALL. CAN I GET A REFUND?

We understand that sometimes children change their minds or situations change. Our refund policy allows for this as long as teams have not yet been formed. Our refund policy is clearly stated on our website, is included as part of your registration.

I WOULD LIKE TO DONATE TO THE LEAGUE OR BECOME A SPONSOR, HOW DO I DO THAT?

As a non-profit, we welcome all the help we can get. We have a team sponsorship program for all levels of businesses. For more information, please visit the Sponsorship tab on the Home page of our website.

I HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT WERE NOT ANSWERED HERE, WHO CAN I CONTACT?

Please email [email protected] for any additional questions. We will return your email as quickly as possible.