Saddleback Little League: F.A.Q.

How much does the program cost?

Travelball teams typically charge an initiation fee and monthly fees. There may additional costs for tournaments, as well as your traveling expenses for out-of-town games. Your annual costs for travelball can run up into thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars per year.

In comparison, we at Saddleback Little League have kept our registration fees the lowest in the area thanks to the generous support of sponsors and the dedication of our volunteers. Travelball teams have to pay for coaches and umpires, and those costs get passed on to you. Because of our volunteers, we don't incur those expenses and adults and teens have the opportunity to learn how to coach and umpire. As part of Little League Baseball, we are able to get insurance at a lower cost. Because we are purchasing supplies, uniforms, and field time for a whole league instead of an individual team, we can get discounts that we pass on to you.

What type of training do the coaches receive?

Saddleback Little League sends our coaches to annual training by Al & Al, a respected training organization. And this year, we're providing additional training and offering roundtables and guest speakers throughout the season. This training is provided at no cost to our coaches.

Will this program help my child be a better baseball player?

Saddleback Little League is putting a greater emphasis on player development and participation. Our program is designed to fit a child's physical skills and readiness at different age groups. Some youth baseball programs push children too quickly, introducing them to strategies or having them play on larger fields before they are ready. To encourage development, we introduce new rules in some divisions halfway through the season. This helps children develop at a more appropriate pace.

Playing time is key for helping players improve. Saddleback Little League follows Little League minimum play rules, and managers are being encouraged to give players even more playing time than Little League requires. In a travelball team, developing players may wind up getting less playing time because of the increased demand on travelball teams to win. (If a travelball team doesn't win, players may drop out. So, there is financial pressure for travelball teams to win, even at the expense of player development.) Although Little League managers want their teams to win, Saddleback Little League is educating managers on the importance of player development as the key to winning.

What about safety?

Saddleback Little League strictly follows Little League rules on safety. One example is the pitch count rules. These were designed by Little League Baseball in consultation with orthopedic surgeons to protect young players' arms. Without these rules, players may be pushed to pitch more often and risk permanent injury.

But doesn't my child need to play travelball in order to make it to a high school team?

No. Saddleback Little League players have been selected to play on the El Toro High School Chargers. Players are picked based on their skills in tryouts, not which baseball organization they belonged to.

Making a high school team should not be a primary consideration for enrolling your child in a baseball program. Only a small percentage of players in youth baseball programs of all types (including Little League, PONY, and travelball) are picked for a high school team. Only a few of those high school players get college scholarships, and full scholarships in baseball are rare.

The main reasons for enrolling your child in a youth baseball program is so he or she can learn how to play and enjoy baseball, to gain valuable life lessons from participating in sports, and to learn to make physical activity a part of their lifestyle -- something that will keep them healthy for a lifetime. This is why Saddleback Little League's program continues through age 18. If your child doesn't get on a high school team, he or she can still enjoy playing baseball.

Isn't a bigger league a better league?

Not necessarily. It's the quality of the program and the experience your child receives playing baseball that counts, and that's our priority at Saddleback Little League. To provide kids in AAA and Majors a greater variety of competition, we're forming a conference with nearby leagues. Kids will be able to play with a larger number of teams while still enjoying the benefits of being part of a community league.

Wouldn't it be better to be with an organization without boundaries?

Little League boundary rules prevent leagues from recruiting players from out of an area, which would shut local kids out of playing. Also, families don't have to travel to another city several days a week to practice and games. League boundaries enable us to build a community league where friends and classmates can play together and everyone has a chance to participate.

Will my child have fun?

Baseball should be a fun activity for your child and your whole family. By focusing on player development, we at Saddleback Little League provide a fun learning environment where your child can grow. We are also planning many fun activities during the season.

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The choice of a youth sports program is an important one. It can determine whether your child continues to enjoy and benefit from playing sports or winds up getting burned out physically and emotionally. Look at your child's abilities, interests, and goals, and then pick the program that best fits your child's desires and needs. We hope that when you evaluate programs carefully, you choose Saddleback Little League.

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