FAQ's - BRIGHTON YOUTH BASEBALL ASSOCIATION COMPETITIVE BASEBALL
Q. What does my registration fee cover?
A. Fees will cover one BYBA uniform consisting of a pair of baseball pants, a jersey and a hat. Fees also cover field prep, umpires, practice fields, utilities and maintenance.
Q. What equipment is provided by the league?
A. Competitive league teams are required to provide their own baseball equipment and gear. Game balls for league play will be provided by the league, tournament balls will be provided by the team.
Q. What days will we play?
A. Games and Practices can be on any day of the week and/or weekends. League games can start as early as 5pm and later games may not complete until after 9pm. Tournaments are on Weekends and can start on Friday nights in some instances.
Q. Where and when will we practice?
A. BYBA has several practice fields in the greater Brighton area, practices fields and times are chosen in early spring by your coach. Practice times during the week are generally 5:00-6:30pm and 6:30-8:00pm, weekend practice times can vary if applicable.
Q. Is there any travel required?
A. Yes, some local travel is necessary. Roughly 50% of all league games will be played at the opponent’s facility. Most often fields are within an hour drive or less. Your coach may enter you into a tournament that will require longer distances of travel, that communication and scheduling will be managed by your coach.
Q. Are there any additional costs?
A. While the registration fees are the only “mandatory” fees required by the association, your coach may require additional funding to meet team needs. Fundraising is a very big part of competitive league baseball and it will likely be necessary that each player/family participate at some level.
Q. What other things can I expect to purchase as part of a competitive team?
A. All players will be required to have a glove, batting helmet, heart guard, protective cup. Players are strongly encouraged to have cleats, and a USSSA Approved 1.15 baseball bat. Some teams have alternate jerseys, team bags, banners, team helmets and team gear. These items are all acquired through team fundraising and/or sponsorships.
Q. Will every player attending tryouts be selected for a competitive team?
A. Not every player may be selected. There are several levels of competitive play, however at times not all players attending tryouts will be selected by a coach/team. If there are enough players remaining to build another AA or A level team, BYBA will create the team and find a coach for that team.
Q. What if my child is selected for an Majors Team but I cannot commit to that level of play?
A. You may opt out at the Majors/Elite Level only, you may select to play at the AAA level instead. You must indicate this at the time of tryouts on the form.
Q. What if a child is selected for a team that they or their parents don’t want to play for?
A. Families can only opt out at the Majors/Elite level of play, all other levels are deemed final and will not be changed.
Q. Can I coach a team?
A. The competitive league has a formal process for selection of coaches headed up by the BYBA coaches committee. All persons interested in becoming a competitive league coach will be required to submit a new coach application prior to tryouts in the fall each year. All applications will be fully evaluated by the committee and applicants will be notified prior to tryouts of committee selections. Please check the Competitive Tab on the BYBA webpage for additional details.
Q. Can I bring a full team over to the competitive league?
A. All 7/8 year old players entering or returning to the competitive league must tryout. Each player will be evaluated during tryouts and potentially selected based on their ability. However, any 9 year old and above team looking to join BYBA (no previous affiliation) may petition the league. Teams will need to provide History, Coaching, Level of Play Fundraising and Roster information. The BYBA Board of Directors will determine admission based on this information.
Q. Can I request a coach that I know?
A. No, all new players must attend tryouts and will be evaluated and if selected it will be based on ability.
Q. My child has already played competitive baseball in Brighton, does he/she need to attend tryouts.
A. If a player is going to be playing at the 9 year old division or higher level and is confirmed with the same team they DO NOT need to attend tryouts. However, there are several instances where a returning player needs to attend tryouts.
1. All players at the 8 year old division MUST attend tryouts, there is no assurance that they will be on the same team as the previous year or with the same coach. For additional information please see the “tryouts” or "FAQ's" sections under the competitive tab on the BYBA website
2. If you are requesting a new team or are interested in trying out for a higher level, you would need to attend tryouts. Note: If you give up your spot on a previous team, you may ultimately lose that roster spot if not selected by another team in the tryout process. Please communicate with your previous coach prior to making that decision.
3. If they did not play the prior year.
Q. How are teams selected?
A. Teams are selected by level of play, Elite/Majors league selects as many players as they need to fill their roster, then AAA, then AA. Existing or returning teams at 9-years and above may not have any roster spots available or they may need several.
Q. Is my child guaranteed a roster spot on the same team if he/she is returning to competitive baseball?
A. No, each coach has the option to add or drop players as necessary. Your coach should communicate to you at the end of the year or prior to tryouts so you have time to attend the next tryout.
Q. What if I my child does not make a team, do I have to pay?
A. You do not have to pay for registration until your player is confirmed on a competitive league roster.
Q. My player is confirmed on a roster but would like to back-out, can I get a refund?
A. You may be entitled to a partial refund, however depending on how far into the season you are will determine if you are eligible for a refund. Once uniforms are “ORDERED”, not received, you are no longer eligible for a refund.
Q. We have a returning team, but our coach is not returning, what will happen.
A. If the team is returning, BYBA will find a suitable replacement for that team, more often than not an assistant coach will assume that role as a head coach.
Q. Are there any rules in place to guarantee play time for my child?
A. There are no rules promising play time, competitive baseball play time is earned based on effort, skill set and is at the coaches’ discretion.
Q. I want my player to play a certain position but he/she is not getting to play that position, what can I do?
A. Talk to your coach about your concerns and find an acceptable solution or plan moving forward. Coaches at the competitive level are not required to move kids around the field or in order of batting. However most coaches will assist you with creating a plan to work with your player outside of organized practices and games to help them improve where applicable.
Q. I will not be able to get my player to all scheduled practices, can that impact his playing time?
A. It is the coaches’ discretion about play time, however it is recommended that all players attend all scheduled practices.
Q. Will school functions, vacations or other necessary obligations be considered by my coach?
A. Yes, please communicate those occasions to your coach as early as possible to ensure they have proper time to plan. Each coach is given a set number of dates they can “Black-Out” as no play days for the team, the more time they have to plan for that, the better opportunity the team has to work around those dates.