All children are welcome on the Little League® field. As we look to provide more opportunities to support the baseball and softball players in our communities, the Little League® District Travel program was established to bring a new, competitive playing opportunity.
The District Administrator or appointed District Staff member approves number of teams entered into the travel program. D.A.s, who essentially are serving as the league president, can restrict to one team per league or allow multiple teams from a league to participate in the District Travel Program. It is recommended that all leagues and Districts work together to provide an opportunity for as many players as possible to participate.
Participation in District Travel and a local league are separate and distinct. All players participating on a District Travel team must be registered in a local league and actively participating on a regular season team. To be selected to an International Tournament team, players must meet all eligibility requirements as outlined in the current year’s Little League Rules, Regulations, and Policies. Participation on an International Tournament team is not restricted to players that participate only on the district travel team and vice versa.
The District Administrator will establish a schedule and should work with local league presidents to avoid conflicts with regular season schedules.
It is recommended that the District U.I.C. schedule and assign umpires. It should be noted that all umpires who participate in the District Travel program must meet all volunteer eligibility requirements.
Whoever operates the District Travel Program is ultimately responsible for the safety of all the participants. This responsibility cannot be delegated to others. The D.A. needs to verify information and apply their own judgement as to the sufficiency of the ASAP Plan and independently review the results of background checks. The D.A. will be held responsible if the ASAP Plan information is incorrect or the background check contained disqualifying information that was missed or not reviewed by a local league.
Little League District Travel Teams are not permitted to play non-Little League teams or in non-Little League Tournaments. All leagues should be reminded to review Regulation I(g) when supporting participation outside of Little League.
Yes. Leagues are permitted to participate against leagues from other districts provided it is reviewed and approved by District Administrators.
No. This is a competitive opportunity, and Little League International recognizes that the District Travel team selection will be different than a regular season team, where it is not permissible for players to be cut or denied a chance to play. However, if there are more players interested in participating on a District Travel team than there are roster spots, the District Administrator is encouraged to find playing opportunities for those players, either through additional teams, player pools, or additional opportunities, that will help foster the love of the game and skill development for these players.
District Travel Programs are encouraged to limit the number of pitches a player may pitch (Example: Pitchers in District Travel games may throw a maximum of 35 pitches), to provide more opportunities for pitchers to also field that position in their regular season games. Communication between coaches and families will be important in making sure all pitching regulations are followed. Pitch Count Logs and Pitcher Eligibility Forms are available through LittleLeague.org, to assist in these efforts.
Yes, the same age range per division applies to the District Travel Program, which does not have to follow the same structure as a local league, as long as it is structured in accordance of Little League regulations.
No. However, District Administrators who operate a chartered District Travel league are able to organize special games tournaments that involve other Little League District Travel teams.