Spring Season Sign-ups
Spring Season Tryouts
Spring Season Costs
Draft Procedure
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Questions and Answers about Spring Season Sign-ups (^top of page)
Q: When are Spring season sign-ups held?
A: Spring season sign-ups are held multiple times throughout the year. Typically, we offer one sign-up date during the prior Winterball season (frequently held on the last Saturday before Thanksgiving), and one during early January.
- Banners announcing the dates are posted at the UFLL field entrance as well as on the SW corner of Benson and Baseline.
- Flyers announcing the sign-up dates (and tryout dates) are handed out at all local elementary schools. A copy of the 2010 flyer can be downloaded here.
- Sign-up dates are always posted on the UFLL website.
The 2010 Spring season sign-up dates are posted as described above.
Q: I used to be able to register on-line. Can I do that this year?
A: Nope, not anymore. Because Little League International mandates that three proofs of residency be validated for each participant, we now require you to sign-up in-person. We tried to take advantage of on-line registration a few years ago, but parents were still required to show up in-pefrson and show the proof. Furthermore, it was a logistical nightmare to match the proofs of residency with the on-line registrations, and that in-person portion of the process took nearly as long as the whole in-person registration process.
Q: OK. If I can't register on-line, is there any way I can be better prepared when I show up at sign-ups to help speed the process?
A: Absolutely! You will fill out two or three forms when you arrive to sign-up. One form currently must be filled out in-person because it is legal size in triplicate form. The other two can be filled out in advance before you come to the location. A Medical Release form is required for each child participting in the league. Medical Release Forms can be downloaded here and filled out ahead of time. If you are planning on voluneering as a Manager, Coach, Team Parent, or otherwise expect to spend time with other children in the league, a Volunteer Application must be completed. Volunteer Application Forms can be downloaded here. (If you are applying as a volunteer, a copy or your drivers license will be taken and a Megan's Law background check will be completed. You can use your D.L. as one proof of residency.)
All Spring Season players must reside within Upland Foothill Little Leagues boundaries. Click here for a boundary map. Don't attempt to sign up if you don't live within the boundaries! Three proofs of residency are required, along with an original birth certificate. Passports cannot be substituted for original birth certificates. Only one proof of residency can be a utility bill. Click here for examples of valid residency proofs. Have these with you. Exceptions will not be made! We will verify them and return them to you.
The more seriously you take these requirements now, the better prepared you will be, and the less time you will waste (for everyone involved!) in a losing battle to convince us to make an exception!
Q: What do I need to bring to the registration to sign my child up?
A: Use the following as a checklist:
- Original Birth Certificate (Abstract Birth Certificates and Passports are not accepted!)
- All Spring Season players must reside within Upland Foothill Little Leagues boundaries. 3 proofs of residency are required (only one can be a utility bill). Click here for a boundary map. Click here for examples of valid residency proofs.
- $195.00 (Check or Cash only payment methods) per child. ($40 will be refunded at end of season to those who fulfill the snack-bar commitments. An additional $20 can be recouped by reselling two discount cards for local retailers.)
Q: My child was born on (sample date). What is his "league age" and is he old enough to play in the upcoming Spring season?
A: The Little League age is determined by a child's age on April 30th, 2010. Click here to review the AGE CHART for the 2010 season. These dates are mandated by Little League International ...we' are sorry, there are absolutely NO EXCEPTIONS to this chart even if your child was born one day too late (i.e. May 1st) to be in an older age bracket (including T-ball)
Q: What division should I sign my child up for?
A: In general: 5-6 - T-ball; 7-8 Farm; 9-10; Minor; 11-12 Major. That said, there are plenty of considerations that fall outside of "general:"
- If a 6-year old has played T-ball in UFLL as a 5-year old and has a written recommendation from the previous T-ball manager, that player may petition to play in farm ball as a 6-year old. Ultimate decision lies with the Player Agent.
- 8-year olds may try out for the Minor division. Taking into account Manager/Coach options and the number of eligible 9 and 11-year olds, the number of 8 year olds that will play in the Minor division in any given year is determined at draft time. 8-year olds will be drafted as necessary to fill Minor division rosters after all eligible 9- and 10-year olds have been drafted. There is no guarantee that all 8-year olds who try out for Minors will be selected to a Minor team.
- All 9, 10, 11, and 12 years olds who previously played on a Major division team are automatically placed on the same team for the remainder of their Major division eligibility.
Q: What happens if I missed the Spring season sign-ups? Can my child still play?
A: That depends.
Every child wishing to particiapte MUST register. UFLL makes every effort to advertise multiple sign-up dates in many locations well in advance of those dates. Children not registered WILL NOT be able to participate! This is a chance you should not take! DO NOT MISS THE SCHEDULED SIGN-UP DATES!!!
There is no garauntee that make-up registration dates will be scheduled. If they are scheduled, they will be announced only on this website, www.ufll.org, and likely without much advance notice. If registering late, you should expect to pay a late registration fee in addition to the advertised registration fees.
T-ball and Farm divisions may form a wait list to replace roster players that drop once teams are formed. Any wait-list would be formed immediately following the last scheduled sign-up day. Wait list sign-up instructions would be announced via the UFLL website. You should sign your child up on the wait-list immediately if it is offered. This too is a chance you should not take! DO NOT MISS THE SCHEDULED SIGN-UP DATES!!!
Questions and Answers about Spring Season Tryouts (^top of page)
Q: Does my child need to tryout?
A: The answer to this question depends on the division your child will be playing in:
- T-ball and Farm division players DO NOT need to tryout. They are placed onto teams by the division Player Agent.
- Players who participated on a Major division team the previous Spring season (does not include Winterball season) DO NOT tryout. They are placed on the same Major division team as a "returning player."
- Anyone wishing to play in the Minor division MUST tryout.
- Anyone wishing to play in the Major division MUST tryout (with the exception of those placed as "returning players").
Q: My child played in the Winterball season. Will he be on the same team during the Spring season?.
A: No. Based on your child's "league age," he will either need to tryout (and be drafted) or be returned to his previous team. See "What division should I sign my child up for?" above.
Q: I haven't seen any information about the tryout dates. When are tryouts held?
A: Tryouts are announced when sign-ups are announced. They are typically held on two Saturdays in January.
- Banners announcing the dates are posted at the UFLL field entrance as well as on the SW corner of Benson and Baseline.
- Flyers announcing the tryout dates (and sign-up dates) are handed out at all local elementary schools. A copy of the 2010 flyer can be downloaded here.
- Tryout dates are always posted on the UFLL website.
The 2010 Spring season tryout dates are posted as described above.
Q: I signed up for the Spring season. When will I be contacted to tell me what team my child is on?
A: Parents are notified independently by league coaches once the teams are formed. This is generally completed for all teams by the end of the first week in February and the timing is slightly different for each division. This is especially true for the Major and Minor divisions.
Please note that this is a sensitive time period for players who wish to be drafted in to the Major division. It is important to understand that players selected to a Major division team may formally find out what team they are on before those kids who are selected to Minor teams are notified.
Furthermore, those waiting to hear from a Major manager may be disappointed to hear from a Minor manager instead. This would be an indication that your child was not selected to a Major division team. See the FAQs related to the draft procedure below.
Q: I signed up for the Spring season but have not been contacted about my child's team schedule. Who do I contact.
A: First, read the FAQ above regarding the timeline to expect to be contacted. Next, if you have not been contacted by the end of the first week in February, please contact, via email both Player Agents list on the Board/Contacts section of this website. We will make an effort to inform via the website when all teams are formed so that you have a better idea when to begin expecting that call from your child's manager!
Questions and Answers about Spring Season Costs (^top of page)
Q: How much will the Spring season cost?
A: The cost of 2010 Spring season is $135 per child, plus a $40 snack-bar deposit per child and $20 for two discount cards for local retailers. The snack-bar deposit is refundable at the conclusion of the season to families who fulfill their snack-bar obligations during the season. The two discount cards ($10 cost each) can either be resold or used to obtain discounts from local retailers. Total amount due at signups is $195 per child.
Q: Is there a discount if I have more than one child playing in the league?
A: No. The registration fee, snack bar deposit, and $20 for discount cards are required for each child who participates in the league.
Q: Do I have to pay a snack-bar deposit for each of my children?
A: Yes. The snack-bar deposit is required for every child who participates in the league.
Q: What is the "snack-bar deposit" and how can I get it back?
A: The snack-bar deposit is a monitary deposit made at the time of registration. It is used to help ensure that the snack-bar is properly staffed throughout the course of the Spring season. It serves as a source of funding to hire the staff necessary to operate the snack-bar when parents choose to exercise a "snack-bar buyout" option.
For those parents who choose to work their designated snack bar shift(s) throughout the year, the snack-bar deposit will be refunded. The refunds will be organized through the team parents, and will be paid at the conclusion of the season.
Q: I have two children in the league and paid two monitary snack-bar deposits. How do I get my full deposit back?
A: Your snack-bar desposit was calculated based on the participation of your two children in the league. In order to receive a complete refund of your deposit, you must complete two snack-bar shifts for the team(s) your children are on.
Q: How do I schedule a shift in the snack bar? How do I know when I am supposed to work in the snack bar?
A: Answers to questions about snack-bar scheduling are addressed here.
Questions and Answers about Draft Procedures (^top of page)
Q: What is a "draft?"
A: The "draft" is a method of selecting players to a team in any given season and division. In UFLL, the draft is implemented in the Major and Minor divisions only, and only during the Spring season.
Q: How does the draft work?
A: The "draft" is a method of selecting players to a team in any given season and division. In UFLL, the draft is implemented in the Major and Minor divisions only as follows:
Major Division:
- Following a manager-selection process and all posted tryout dates, Major division managers gather to selected players to their teams for the current season.
- Managers take turns selecting players based on a manager's individual weighted observations of players during tryouts, as well as other factors they may choose to account for.
- A "Draft Round" consists of each manager selecting a single player from the eligible remaining players ("draft pool").
- from section 1.01 of the UFLL Local Rules: "The Draft System": (a) The regular season draft will be conducted as recommended in Little League Regulations, Plan A. Once a tryout program has been completed, the last place team from the previous regular season gets the first choice in every draft round of the draft, the next to last place team gets the second choice, and the remaining teams select in the reverse order of the previous year's finish during the regular season. Results from the playoffs will be excluded.
- Special rules and considerations are adopted for Manager's with children on the team and for returning players (no re-draft - see below).
Minor Division:
The Minor division draft works essentially the same as the Major division draft with four significant exceptions:
- There are no standings kept at the Minor level so standings from the previous year are not available to determine a draft order. The draft order is selected by lottery.
- The draft pool consists of all players not selected into the Major division, plus any 8 year-olds hoping to play in the Minor division (see "What division should I sign my child up for?" above.
- A re-draft process is conducted. See below for a description of a re-draft.
- In addition to manager's own child(ren), each team can "protect" the children of two coaches as well. "Protecting" children means that they are not eligible to be selected by other managers during the process of drafting. Special rules and considerations are adopted for the draft to identify where in the draft order these "protected" children are assigned to the Manager's team.
T-ball and Farm Divisions:
There is no draft in T-ball and Farm divisions. Players are hand-selected (primarily by an equal age distribution ratio) by the Player Agents to teams in these divisions.
Q: What is a "re-draft," and how does it differ from the "draft?"
A: A "Re-draft" is the process a reselecting, through a draft process, players who were drafted in previous years within the same division. In practice, a re-draft process is no different than the draft process. However, a re-draft process differs from a draft process in that in a re-draft scenario, all players eligible for a division are placed into the draft and re-drafted (even if they had been selected to a team in the prior year) to a new team each year.
Not only is it possible that a player may be selected to a different team than the prior year, it is also possible that the player might not be selected into the major division even if he was there the previous year.
In UFLL, the "re-draft" is practiced only in the Minor division. In the Major division, once selected to a team, a player will remain on that team as long as he remains eligible for the Major division. There is no draft in the T-ball or Farm divisions.
Q: When does the draft take place?"
A: The Major division draft takes place approximately two weeks following the last scheduled tryout date. The Minor division draft takes place approximately 1 week after the Major division draft. (Please read this for an understanding of some of the sensitivities surrounding the draft announcements: "When will I be contacted to tell me what team my child is on?")
Q: What happens if I miss the draft dates?"
A: Little League International mandates all players at the Major and Minor divisions MUST tryout. UFLL announces at least two tryout dates as soon as Spring registration (sign-ups) is announced. If you do not make the tryouts, your child will not be able to play. The only exception is for 8-year olds who had hoped to play in the Minor division. At the Player Agent's discretion, they could be placed on a wait-list (if one is formed) and added to a Farm division team should a roster position become available at that level.
This is a mandated rule, and there is no room for consideration. Please do not miss the scheduled tryout dates if your child's Little League age is 9, 10, 11, or 12. (See "My child was born on (sample date). What is his "league age" and is he old enough to play in the upcoming Spring season?" above for a description of "league age".)
Q: My 8-year old was placed on a Farm team even though he tried out for Minors. How come?"
A: Following the Major draft process, the draft pool is set for the Minor division. Little League International mandates that all 9, 10, 11, and 12 year olds not selected to a Major division team MUST be placed in the Minor division. Each Minor team carries a roster of 11 players. (This is a UFLL goal to allow more playing time per player.)
These parameters allow the UFLL Board to determine how many teams will constitute the Minor division, which then dictates the number of slots available for 8 year old players in the Minor division. Manager and Coach's options where 8-year old's are involved will also reduce the number of openings for 8-year olds in the Minor division.
If your child was placed on a Farm team, it is because all Minor divsion team rosters were filled before your son was selected to a team in that division.
