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International Tournament Finances: What League Officials Need to Know

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The Little League® International Tournament, that starts with Districts and leads to one of our World Series events, is just another way that your community can come together, make lifelong memories on the baseball and softball field, and support healthy, fun opportunities for the children in your league. It’s good for League Officials and parents to understand the tournament finances and financial implication of participating in the Little League International Tournament.

Little League International Tournament Entry Fee: $200 per Tournament Team

At the start of the International Tournament, each league is assessed a $200 entry fee per tournament team enrolled. Little League International uses the funds raised through these fees to help offset the direct financial assistance that Little League International gives to leagues for teams advancing beyond the district tournament. The reimbursement helps to defray travel expenses in the form of a credit based on mileage traveled at the Section Tournament and above. Leagues advancing to a Regional Tournament will receive an additional $250 credit and all leagues advancing to any of Little League’s seven World Series events are provided with transportation and accommodations by Little League.

Little League International’s Tournament entry fee is only charged at the start of the tournament, and 100 percent of the funds gathered through that fee go back to Little League’s tournament reimbursements to local leagues, which is also supplemented through the support of Little League’s official sponsors. League credits reflect in a league’s outstanding balance in the Data Center once applied. A negative outstanding balance reflects an overall credit for the league.

District, Section, and State Tournament Fees: Vary

Tournaments below the regional level are hosted by local league and district volunteers as determined by the District Administrators in each state. Tournament hosts are responsible for covering all costs associated with the tournament including, but not limited to, game balls, pins, banners, awards, field maintenance, umpire-related expenses, etc. To cover these costs, hosts may charge an entry fee to each team participating. To effectively budget for tournament season, reach out to your District Administrator prior to June 1 to inquire about local tournament fees/locations for the district, section, and state tournaments.

Tournament hosts are encouraged to provide all leagues participating with a copy of the budget/expenses for each tournament. Entry fees charged should only be used to cover the expenses directly related to the operation of that tournament.

Tournament Mileage Reimbursement

Leagues advancing beyond the District Tournament are eligible for reimbursement, in the form of a credit, at a rate of $1 per mile for each round-trip mile to the tournament site above 150 miles. Little League International is able to provide this reimbursement thanks, in part, to the tournament entry fee. To receive this reimbursement, leagues must work with their District Administrators at the conclusion of the tournament to submit their mileage requests through the Little League Data Center. When submitting, make sure to have the following information available:

  • Tournament Level
  • Tournament Dates
  • Tournament Location

Please note that mileage between your league and the tournament location will be automatically calculated. Once approved, credits will appear in the Data Center within several business days.

Tournament Fundraising

To help leagues and parents in offsetting their tournament-related costs, Little League University has a series of tournament fundraising resources: