Stories about the change appeared in the media, on the Little League
web site, and in the Little Leaguer e-newsletter last spring. Little
League is again releasing details of the change as local leagues
begin planning registration drives for the 2006 season.
The league age determination date is the age a player has attained
as of a specific date, for the purpose of placing the player in a
particular division. The old date in the baseball and softball
divisions of Little League was July 31.
Starting with the 2006 season, the date in all divisions of Little
League Baseball will be April 30 of the current year/season. The
date in all divisions of Little League Softball will be Dec. 31 of
the previous year. Click
here for the 2006 age charts.
For example: Under the old regulation, a baseball player who turns
13 years old in May, June or July of 2006 would have been considered
league-age 13 for the entire 2006 season. That would have been the
case, despite the fact that such a player likely would have played
most or all of the regular season (which generally ends in June)
without having actually reached his or her 13th birthday. Under the
new regulation, such a player will have a league age of 12
throughout the 2006 season.
Under the old softball regulation, a player who turns 13 from
January through July of 2006 would have been considered league-age
13 for the entire 2006 season. Under the new regulation, such a
player will have a league age of 12 throughout the 2006 season.
USA Baseball represents amateur baseball in the U.S. as a member of
the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International
Baseball Association Federation (IBAF). Virtually every major
national youth baseball organization in the U.S., including Little
League, is a USA Baseball National Member. USA Baseball recommended
that the league age determination date be changed from July 31 to
April 30, for the 2006 season for all youth baseball organizations.
The change was made in softball to reflect the fact that most
national youth softball organizations use Dec. 31 as the league age
determination date. More than four years of study went into the
decision, along with years of discussions with Little League’s
senior volunteers at the local level.
“We realize that our local leagues will take a little time to become
accustomed to the new league age determination date,” said Joe Losch,
vice president of operations and corporate secretary for Little
League Baseball and Softball. “We are confident the changes can be
implemented, and the transition will be a smooth one.”
Also, the Little League International Board of Directors approved a
change that provides an option for 12-year-olds to “play up” in the
Junior Division. Since the change affects other aspects of the
program, Little League has been gathering questions and comments
from the field on the issue, and has taken all of these into
account. See the question/answer segment below for more information.
Below, Little League has prepared a list of questions and answers
regarding all changes made in conjunction with the new league age
determination date. Check back at this page often for the latest
information.
| 1 |
Q |
What exactly does “league age determination date”
mean? |
| |
A |
The league age determination date is the age a
player has attained as of a specific date, for the purpose of
placing the player in a particular division. For more than 55
years in Little League, that date was July 31. Click
here for the 2006 age charts. |
|
| 2 |
Q |
What is the new league age determination date for
baseball? |
| |
A |
The age of a baseball player as of April 30 of the
current year is that player’s league age for the current season.
Click
here for the 2006 age charts. |
|
| 3 |
Q |
What is the new league age determination date for
softball? |
| |
A |
The age of a softball player as of Dec. 31 of the
previous year is that player’s league age for the current
season. Click
here for the 2006 age charts. |
|
| 4 |
Q |
What was the reason for the change in baseball? |
| |
A |
The chief reason was so that most players on a team will spend the
majority of the regular season at the same chronological age as
their league age. Currently, more than 95 percent of all local
Little League programs start their seasons before May 1. Under the
old regulation, a baseball player who turned 13 in May, June or July
of the current year would have been considered league-age 13 for
that entire season. That would be the case, despite the fact that
such a player likely would have played most or all of the regular
season (which generally ends in June) without having actually
reached his or her 13th birthday. Under the current regulation, such
a player will have a league age of 12 throughout the 2006 season. |
|
| 5 |
Q |
What was the reason for the change in softball? |
| |
A |
The change was made in softball to reflect the
fact that most national youth softball organizations use Dec. 31
as the league age determination date. |
|
| 6 |
Q |
Will this help our league retain more 13-year-old
players in the transition to the Junior League Baseball Division
where the diamond is the standard size? |
| |
A |
Absolutely. One-fourth of those players who would have been moved up
to the Junior League Baseball Division (where they were the youngest
of the young) would have another year of eligibility in the Majors
Division, and thus may be better prepared for the larger diamond. |
|
| 7 |
Q |
In baseball, what about those players born in May,
June or July who would have been league-age five in 2006
(eligible for Tee Ball Baseball), but now will be considered
league-age four (not eligible)? |
| |
A |
For one year only, those players will be permitted
to register and play in the 2006 Tee Ball Baseball season. They
also will be eligible to be placed on a machine-pitch or coach
pitch division in Minor League Baseball in 2007 if they have
completed a year of Tee Ball Baseball. |
|
| 8 |
Q |
In softball, what about those players born from
January through July who would have been league-age five in 2006
(eligible for Tee Ball Softball), but now will be considered
league-age four (not eligible)? |
| |
A |
For one year only, those players will be permitted
to register and play in the 2006 Tee Ball Softball season. They
also will be eligible to be placed on a machine-pitch or coach
pitch division in Minor League Softball in 2007 if they have
completed a year of Tee Ball Softball. |
|
| 9 |
Q |
What if a 12-year-old player wants to try out for
the Junior Division? |
| |
A |
Any player who is league-age 12 may try out for a
Junior League Division team. However, a local Little League’s
board of directors could decide that players who are league-age
12 in the league will not try out for the Junior League
Division, and will be eligible for only the Little League
(“Majors”) Division/Minor League Division. If a player is
selected to and participates in one or more regular season games
on a Junior League team, he/she will be ineligible to
participate in the Major Division from that point forward in
regular season and/or tournament play. The option to allow
any player who is league age 12 to “play up” in the Junior
Division is in effect for the 2006 season AND subsequent
seasons. |
|
| 10 |
Q |
What if the local league prefers that the
12-year-olds with May, June or July birthdates (those who would
have been league age 13 under the old rule) play in the Junior
Division? |
| |
A |
Any player who is league-age 12 may try out for
(or be retained in) the Majors Division. The local league cannot
overrule this decision on the part of the player/parent(s). |
|
| 11 |
Q |
Is this confusing for leagues with Little League
Baseball and Softball programs? |
| |
A |
It should not be. Little League has made available ample educational
materials, charts, etc., that give clear and concise direction to
volunteers and parents in determining league age. Other programs
with baseball and softball divisions have operated without any
difficulty for several years. Click
here
for the 2006 age charts. |
|
| 12 |
Q |
What is USA Baseball? |
| |
A |
USA Baseball is the governing body for amateur
baseball in the United States, and represents amateur baseball
in the U.S. as a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the
International Baseball Association Federation (IBAF). Virtually
every major national amateur baseball organization in the U.S.,
including Little League, is a USA Baseball National Member. |
|
| 13 |
Q |
How much research and thought went into this
change? |
| |
A |
More than four years of study went into this decision, along with
years of discussions with Little League’s senior volunteers at the
local level. Input from individuals after the initial announcement
of the change also was taken into consideration. |
|
| 14 |
Q |
Is Little League the only organization making this
change? |
| |
A |
No. All indications are that all youth baseball
organization members of USA Baseball have or will adopt the same
change, and most youth softball organizations have made the
change previously. Little League participants make up more than
60 percent of the overall baseball/softball total. |
|
| 15 |
Q |
Why was the July 31 date originally used? |
| |
A |
When the July 31 league age determination date was
settled upon in the mid 1940s, Little League was confined to
Pennsylvania and a few other states, and it was the only youth
baseball organization (for 12-year-olds and below) of any
significant size. The date was chosen because it was the date
used in Williamsport, Pa., schools to divide grade levels. When
other youth baseball organizations began springing up (primarily
for young teens) in the 1950s and ‘60s, they adopted Little
League’s determination date so there would be a smooth
transition when a player moved from one program to another. |
|
| 16 |
Q |
Why doesn’t Little League use the determination
date that schools use? |
| |
A |
There are local Little Leagues in every state of
the U.S., and scores of countries around the world. Schools in
the U.S. use widely different dates to determine the grade in
which a child will be. Some use Jan. 1, some use a summer date,
and some use a date in the fall. There is not one specific date
that could be used that would allow students that are in a
particular grade to also be on the same Little League team. All
local Little Leagues worldwide must have the same league age
determination date. |
|
| 17 |
Q |
What about having 13-year-olds in the Majors?
Won’t that upset the balance? |
| |
A |
No. The overall average age difference in all divisions of baseball
will only be about three months greater. Little League has been
advised, in consultation with experts in this field (including Dr.
Barry Goldberg, Director of Sports Medicine at Yale University and
Chairman of the USA Baseball Medical and Safety Advisory Board),
that the physiological differences (based on this change) in
children of this age will be miniscule, and negligible at most. The
overall age difference in softball will be seven months greater –
also a negligible difference particularly since the field is the
same size. |
|
| 18 |
Q |
Is it a safety problem having 13-year-olds playing
with nine-year-olds? |
| |
A |
No. The age difference between the potential oldest player on the
field and the potential youngest player will not change. In
baseball, just as the league-age 12-year-old players will be an
average of three months older, the league-age nine-year-old players
also will be an average of three months older. In softball, just as
the league-age 12-year-old players will be an average of seven
months older, the league-age nine-year-old players also will be an
average of seven months older. Thus, this will not result in a
safety problem. |
|
| 19 |
Q |
Does this change mean that one age group will have
to “skip” a year and move up sooner? |
| |
A |
No. Every player in all divisions will still have the opportunity to
have one full season each year at each age group. No player will be
forced to “move up” any sooner than he/she would have under the old
league age determination date. |
|
| 20 |
Q |
Does this change mean that some players will
receive two years of eligibility at a certain age? |
| |
A |
Yes. Baseball players with birth dates in May, June or July
will be the same league age for the 2006 season as they were in
2005. Softball players with birth dates from January through July will be the same league age for the 2006 season as they were in
2005. For example: A player who was born on July 15, 1993, is a
league age 12-year-old for the 2005 season. That player will AGAIN
be a league-age 12-year-old for the 2006 season. Remember, however,
this will only be the case for one year. Click
here
for the 2006 age charts. |
|
| 21 |
Q |
Will it be difficult for local leagues to
institute these changes? |
| |
A |
It should not be. For baseball, the simplest way of explaining it is
this…A baseball player’s chronological age on April 30 of the year
in question is his/her league age for the current year. For
softball…A softball player’s chronological age on the previous Dec.
31 is his/her league age for the current year. Click
here
for the 2006 age charts. |
|
| 22 |
Q |
What if a team has more than the eight players who
are league age 12 next year, in violation of Regulation III (c),
as a result of some players having an “extra” year as league age
12-year-olds? |
| |
A |
For one year only (2006), an addition to Regulation III (c) will allow
teams to carry more than eight players who are league age 12. After
that, the limit of eight players who are league age 12 will again
apply. (Note: The limit on 12-year-olds who can pitch in a week
remains.) |
|
| 23 |
Q |
Within our local league structure, could our local
league board of directors maintain that league-age 12-year-olds
in our league will not be eligible to “move up” to the Junior
Division, even if it means they will be playing a second year as
a league-age 12-year-old? |
| |
A |
Yes. A local Little League’s board of directors could decide that
players league-age 12 will not try out for the Junior League
Division, and will be eligible for only the Little League (“Majors”)
Division/Minor League Division. |
|
| 24 |
Q |
Within our local league structure, could our local
league board of directors maintain that all league-age
12-year-olds in our league must “move up” to the Junior
Division? |
| |
A |
No. In all cases, any player who is league age 12 must be permitted to
try out for and, if selected, play in the Little League (“Majors”)
Division. |
|
| 25 |
Q |
Could our local Little League permit a player who
is league age eight in 2005, and will be league age eight again
in 2006 (because of the change in the league age determination
date), to “move up” to the Little League (“Majors”) Division in
2006? |
| |
A |
No. However, the local Little League board of directors may choose to
request a waiver from the Charter Committee in Williamsport. The
Charter Committee in Williamsport will review all the facts
presented, and its decision is final. The process for applying for a
waiver of any rule or regulation is on Page 11 of the rulebooks.
Note that this applies only to the Little League (“Majors”)
Division. The alignment of the Minor Division (machine pitch, coach
pitch, player pitch) of players 7-12 years old is entirely up to the
local Little League board of directors. |
|
| 26 |
Q |
Where can I find separate age charts for baseball
and softball for the 2006 season? |
| |
A |
They are posted on-line at
http://www.littleleague.org/leagueofficials/forms.asp .
Also, an age chart appears in the rulebooks. |
|
| 27 |
Q |
What if a child was league age 10, and will be
league age 10 again in 2006 – and the local league only allows
11-12-year-olds in the Little League (“Majors”) Division? Could
that child be considered 11 so he/she could “play up?” |
| |
A |
The local Little League cannot reclassify any player as having a
league age other than that prescribed in the regulations. However, a
local Little League Board of Directors has always had the ability to
"move up" players league age 9, 10, 11 or 12 to the Major Division
as it sees fit. Thus, for players who will be league age 9 or 10 in
2006 or any other year, the local league board of directors could
allow them to try out for and be selected to a Majors team. This
option is entirely up to the locally elected Board of Directors and
cannot be overridden by any other party. Note: For Tournament play,
only players who are league age 11 or 12 may be selected to the
Little League (“Majors”) Tournament Team. |
|
| 28 |
Q |
What if our league’s “player pitch” Minor League
Division is limited to players who are league age 9 and 10,
leaving the 8-year-olds in the “coach pitch” Minor League
Division, but there is a talented 8-year-old (who was also
league age 8 in 2005), who is capable of “playing up?” |
| |
A |
Once again, the local Little League cannot reclassify any player as
having a league age other than that prescribed in the regulations.
However, a local Little League Board of Directors has always had the
ability to place players league age 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 in any
Minor League Division it sees fit. Thus, for players who will be
league age 7 or 8 in 2006 or any other year, the local league board
of directors could allow them to try out for and be selected to any
Minor Division team, including teams composed primarily of players
who are league age 9-10. This option is entirely up to the locally
elected Board of Directors and cannot be overridden by any other
party.
Note: For Tournament play, only players who are league age 9 or 10
may be selected to the 9-10-Year-Old Tournament Team. |
|
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