Marin Girls Softball: About Us
About Us
About Marin Girls Softball:
Marin Girls Softball is a volunteer-driven recreational league for youth fast pitch softball in Marin County. We are a recreational program - any age-eligible child can register and all registered kids play. We have financial options available for those unable to afford part or all of the registration fees.
Our goals for our players are:
Have fun
Learn to play fastpitch softball
Develop friendships through teamwork
Honor the game, the officials, the volunteers, teammates and opponents through good sportsmanship and fair play.
Our players:
We have almost 800 players
They comprise more than 60 age-group teams, determined by school grade
We serve grades K through 8
Rookies are grades K, 1 and 2 (some Districts have a Kindergarten-only age group)
Minors are grades 3 and 4
Majors are grades 5 and 6
Seniors are grades 7 and 8 (plus 9th graders if not playing on a HS team)
Our geography:
We have eight different Districts:
-San Rafael
-Ross Valley
-Tiburon
-Mill Valley
-Twin Cities- -Ross Rec (rookies only)
- -San Anselmo
- -San Francisco (seniors only)
Players participate on teams located within and organized by the District where they live or where they attend school. See the individual District web pages on this website for player registration, District clinics and other administrative functions.
Our season:
2008 League play starts March 15 and ends in late May. Typically, a team plays one weeknight and one Saturday game each week. Except that Rookies teams typically play only a Saturday game each week. League games are not played on Sundays except as make-up games and then by special arrangement and only by approval of both teams. See the "Schedule" web page on this MGS website for game dates, times and locations. The schedule will be posted around March 1, 2008. Teams will have pre-season practices through our March 15 Opening Day. See your District web page or your team coach for the practice schedule.
Player Registration and Team Formation:
Player registration is conducted by the districts in the November - January time frame. See your District web pages for their specific dates, forms and procedures. Players have the opportunity to participate in skills assessments administered by each District. See your District web page for dates and times. Teams are formed through drafts conducted by the coaches within each District. Teams are assembled based on many factors, as set by each District. The MGS goal is good team chemistry and reasonably equal skill levels between teams.
Post-Season Play-Offs:
There is a post-season tournament at the end of the league season for Minors, Majors and Seniors. Rookies do not keep score and do not have play-offs. Play-offs will be completed in early June. Details will be posted on the "Schedule" section of this website as the season progresses.
All-Stars:
The MGS "Fastpitch Series" includes District teams in two age groups: 8th grade and under and 6th grade and under. The Fastpitch Series also includes teams from San Anselmo, Novato and San Francisco. The Fastpitch Series is played on two successive Sundays during the season. The 2008 dates, barring rain, are May 4 & 11. Fastpitch Series team selection is a District function. There is no post-season All-Stars program (see "Summer Softball" below). See the MGS Fastpitch Series web page for more information.
Clinics:
Teaching the game is a core value for MGS. We support our players and coaches with numerous clinics and other learning opportunities both during the pre-season and during the league play season. Most clinics require a moderate participation fee. We can provide scholarships.
The MGS Winter Indoor Pitching Clinic runs from November through March on Sunday afternoons (except holiday weekends) at Marin Academy. All players through 8th grade are invited to learn this important skill. We also offer MGS batting instruction for all age groups outdoors on weekends from March 25 to April 15. Sonoma State University brings their nationally ranked softball team coaches and players to Marin on March 25 for a great clinic offered to MGS players. And two local high schools offer clinics taught by their coaches and players. The Redwood HS clinic is March 8 and the Tamalpais HS clinic is March 8. See the "Clinics" web page on this website for dates, times and details.
In addition to these all-MGS clinics, individual MGS Districts offer other player skill development clinics, including clinics specifically for Rookies in some Districts. Other topics include pitching and batting. These are typically offered outdoors during the league play season. Any District clinic is open to MGS players from other Districts on a space-available basis.
Last but not least, MGS coaches can participate in an evening clinic offered by the coaching staff of the Stanford University softball team on Tuesday, Feb. 12 at Marin Academy. This clinic is offered at no cost and is also being made available to rec ball coaches from the leagues in San Anselmo and Novato. We are also developing other "Coach the Coaches" clinics. Check back for more details.
Summer Softball:
In addition to our league-play recreation program, we also manage a summer season competitive program called Tremors. The Tremors program has teams in age groups that roughly correspond to our Minors, Majors and Seniors. The Tremors play as ASA "B" level teams. Under B level rules, all Tremors players must come from the MGS recreation league. Under B level rules, teams cannot be formed until May of each year. Unlike the spring recreation season, summer softball is played as a series of weekend tournaments, not league play. Tremors plays in June, July and August. Unlike the spring recreation season, Tremors selects players through competitive try-outs. While the goal is to offer many players a summer softball experience, some players will not make the team. Most tournaments are played within the greater Bay Area at a moderate driving distance from Marin County. Some tournaments may require overnight stays.
In 2008, the Tremors program is offering a 16 & U team for older players in the area. This team will play in ASA "A" events through the summer.
The most highly motivated and highly skilled players may also try to earn a place on the roster of an ASA "A" level team. MGS has entered a partnership with the Marin Blue Angels to strengthen opportunities for MGS players to excel at the game, including the possibility of playing as collegiate athletes. ASA A level teams can operate year around and their players can be recruited from any location, so earning a place on such teams can be highly competitive. Many "A" programs have December or January try-outs, so check their websites for dates and locations.
If you are interested in additional information about competitive softball in Marin, please call Tom Boyer, President of MGS Softball, (415-412-6541), and he will gladly help in any way he can.
Our Charter:
MGS operates under the sanction and rules of the Amateur Softball Association (ASA). ASA sanctions recreation leagues like ours nationwide, provides the rules for high school and collegiate softball and sanctions competitive softball up to the level of the Olympic Games. MGS is a non-profit 501( c)(3) tax-exempt organization For those people who are looking for specific District information, click on the appropriate District tabs on the yellow site links to the left. We continue to strive to be the best possible organization for assisting any and all interested girls in enjoying the fantastic sport of fastpitch softball as well as serving as an active part of the larger softball community.
Other Softball Information:
We have provided links to good and interesting resources where additional softball information and services can be found. Check out the "Great Softball Links" tab for additional information.
Contact Us:
Feel free to contact either Tom Boyer, (415-412-6541) or our Webmaster (scarsella@comcast.net) with suggestions, complaints, and or information. We look forward to hearing from you.