Question: Our city sports complex is looking at implementing a city league for our youth baseball and softball programs. If your city runs a youth league, what equipment do you provide your teams with? What registration fee do you charge? Is there a board of directors that “governs” the league or is there a paid employee who is in charge of the league? Any input would be much appreciated!

Answer:

Fayetteville: We operate the youth softball and youth soccer leagues for Fayetteville. A paid employee operates each league. We provide the following:
Soccer – uniforms (jerseys, shorts, socks) for each player. A coach’s bag with instructional kit, 10-12 disc cones, and 2-3 soccer balls for each volunteer coach. Fees range from $50-$95 depending on age and whether or not you sign up for both the fall and spring seasons. Approximately 1700 participants in 2011.
Softball – uniforms (jerseys, shorts, socks) for each player. A coaches bag for each team with instructional kit, 3 helmets, 2-3 bats, 5-6 practice balls, and catcher’s equipment for older teams. $60 fee per player. 411 participants in Spring 2011. The softball bags are quite a bit more expensive, so we inventory each one before handing them out and after they are returned. We use large army duffle bags, which are inexpensive and very durable. We also provide game balls, tees, and pitching machines for the actual games.

Springdale: Our Kiwanis Club runs the baseball program. Please contact Jay Pounders (jay1950@swbell.net). The Parks & Recreation Department runs the youth softball program. We provide a tee-shirt, catcher’s equipment, 6 practice balls, and two bats. We also put out a new game ball for each game. We also provide the pitching machines for the 10 & under age group plus a supervisor to manage practices and games. We have a team of three staff who serve as a sounding board for the paid program director in softball. We charge $40.00 per player and solicit team sponsorships of $125.00 per team.

Nashville: We have a separate Nashville Baseball Association formed by volunteers with by-laws. Boar members of the Association are delegated as commissioners over each age group. We play T-Ball, then Dixie 7/8 9/10 11/12 13/14 15 & up. Baseball Association runs the registration. This year it was $30 per player. Team sponsorships (solicited by the association) are $250. With these funds the association pays for umpires, insurance, catching equipment, bats and helmets (all but the gloves), baseballs, and jerseys (t-shirts for the younger ages) and caps. We have a couple of fundraisers to supplement this. Our first play date is a Jamboree and admission is charged on this day only as a fundraiser. We also hosted/ran two tournaments during the year as fundraisers. We draft teams anew each year. This is all done volunteer. We use city park facilities. Softball has a separate association with similar situation, but they don’t all draft each year.

Hot Springs: The City of Hot Springs offers a youth Softball program. The City supplies 10 softballs per team, 5 batting helmets, 3 bats, full catchers gear, and weekly pitching machine accessibility to each team. The individual registration fee is 30 dollars per player. The City of Hot Springs Recreation Superintendent governs and regulates all league and tournament play, schedules practices for the teams, schedules and pays umpires and scorekeepers, schedules games, revenue collections, and concessions.

Rogers: Our City runs the girls softball league, and a separate baseball board runs the boys league. In both leagues, the catcher’s gear, batting helmets, and practice balls are provided by the league. Some bats are provided, too, but many kids have their own bats. Tees are provided to the t-ball divisions.

The baseball organization has its own Board of Directors. The girls program falls under the umbrella of the “Rogers Community-School Recreation Association”, which also set policies for youth leagues for soccer, basketball, and football.

I believe it is an advantage to have a board to make rules, to set policies, and to guide/advise the full-time director. That way, many viewpoints are considered when making policy. Also, it takes the heat off the director. If all decisions come from the director, and he has to defend them, that can be a very lonely, frustrating job.

Bryant: Bryant has parent volunteer associations for both leagues.

Farmington: The City of Farmington is currently taking over the league. The league in the past has provided the teams with a bag that includes catcher’s gear, a few balls, catcher’s glove, and a few helmets. They have also provided the pitching machines for the machine pitch teams. The City plans on continuing this. We also are going to purchase shirts for the T-Ball teams. As far as registration fees go, we are charging the following

These fees pay for the cost of your umpires and insurance for each team. This will also cover the cost for the T-shirts for T-ball. The reason the cost is different on boys and girls is b/c umps for softball don’t get paid as much. We just formed a new “ball board” who is going to be involved with helping make decision regarding the park, such as rental rates for fields, the registration fees for the league, and a few other items. I am paid through the City and am the Facility Manager/Program Coordinator. I am the Farmington Coordinator for the Washington County league.

Little Rock: We sponsor a youth Softball program, no youth Baseball, the equipment purchased for the Youth Softball program are uniforms, Bats, Balls, Gloves, Helmets and Batting Tees. The registration fee for the youth Softball program is $20.00 per person and there’s no board of directors that governs the league how every there is a paid employee in charge of the league.