Frequently Asked Questions

AGE-RELATED

How do I determine my child’s age for registration?

The player must register at the age determined in the Little League Age Chart. The Age Chart can be found on our website under “Resources.”

Is it true that all 12-year-olds must play in Majors?

True. All 12-year-olds, must be drafted or placed on a Major team. See below.

Can a parent request that their child not play in Majors?

Yes. If a parent/guardian does not feel their 12-year-old child would enjoy playing in a competitive division or feel that there may be safety concerns, they may request to have their child eligible for the AAA Divison. Per Little League, the parent/guardian must complete a waiver request form and forward it to the Player Agent and President for consideration. If approved, the Board of Directors will forward it to the local District Administrator (DA) for a final decision. The DA has final approval or denial of the request and cannot be appealed.

BOUNDARY RELATED QUESTIONS

I live in zip code 85XXX, can I register my child to play for CNLL?

Chandler National Little League encompasses some, or all, of the following zip codes: 85225, 85248, 85249, and 85286. To determine your child’s eligibility for baseball, please review the Boundary Map.

I live in North/South Division; can I request my child to play in alternate division?

No, per LL regulations, waivers of divisional boundaries are not permitted within league boundaries, unless a player has moved to the other boundary. Prescribed divisional geographical boundaries must be adhered.

I live in North/South Division; but my child attends school in the other division, can I request my child to play in alternate division?

Yes. A child may play in CNLL in either the division he resides or attends school provided he/she attends a traditional school during the academic year located within the established boundaries of CNLL. However, this excludes home-schools, cyber-schools, sports related schools, sports academies, or pre-school or after-school where a student participates outside of the school where the player is enrolled. He may live in the North and play in the South (and vice-versa) provided the completed (and signed by a school administrator) Little League School Enrollment Form is submitted at registration.

I live in a zip code outside the boundaries; can I still play for CNLL?

If your child has continually played in spring seasons for CNLL, and wishes to continue, the league may request a waiver exemption of the boundaries. This is also true for the child’s sibling. If this is your child’s first year of play, CNLL cannot request a waiver of boundaries. See any Board member to determine what Little League your child must register for play.

Why are there no boundary limits in the Fall Season like there is in the Spring?

The other Chandler Little Leagues do not have a Fall season, therefore CNLL draws from all the Chandler zip codes for the Fall season only.

EQUIPMENT RELATED QUESTIONS

Are helmet masks/”C-flaps” mandatory?

CNLL recommends the use of masks or “C-flaps”; however, masks and/or “C-flaps” for helmets are at the discretion of the parents and must meet Little League standards. C-Flaps are relatively new to Little League so rules are still being developed. However, parents should not drill holes in helmets to attach a non-factory C-Flap. Drilling of a helmet prohibits the use of that helmet in Little League play.

How do I know if my child’s bat is legal?

Prior to the Spring 2018 season, Little League adopted the USA Bat standard for all bats. All non-wood bats must have the USA stamp on the bat. Wood bats must be one-piece solid wood and may not be composite or laminated wood. See the list of approved non-wood bats on our website under Resources>Approved Bats List. For 2019, all Tee Ball bats must also contain the USA bat sticker.

FINANCIAL RELATED QUESTIONS

Are there any fees other than the registration fee?

Yes. Out-of-pocket expenses include the cost of baseball pants, socks, belt, baseball glove, and bat. If the team practices at night when lights are needed, the team is responsible for the fees that the City of Chandler charges. Each team playing during the Spring season is required to have a Team Sponsor. That cost is $300 and may or may not be a fee that comes out of each parent’s pocket. If a sponsor is not found, then the team will split the cost for the sponsor fee. Trophies are NOT included. If the team wants to give out trophies at the end of the season, that is a team cost. There is also a Spring Jamboree where each team is required to provide a gift basket to be auctioned off which could be a parental expense if donations for the basket are not found.

Do I have to sell raffle tickets and what should I do with unsold raffle tickets if I do sell them?

Individuals will receive a like amount of raffle tickets that match the registration fees. Those tickets may or may not be sold at the discretion of the individual. Generally speaking, if all tickets are sold, you keep the money and the child plays for free. Any unsold raffle tickets are yours to use. You may place them in the opening day raffle with your own contact information or family and friends.

GAME/PRACTICE LOCATION QUESTIONS

Where are games held?

All Baseball games, Majors and below will be played at Snedigar Sportsplex. Juniors may play games at the larger fields of the Snedigar Sportsplex, Tempe Diablo, Chandler Nozomi Park, Pima and Foley Park.

Where are team practices?

Practice fields are determined by team managers.

ON-FIELD RELATED QUESTIONS

Why can't players take warm-up swings outside of the dugout?

Over the years Little League has found that the likelihood for injuries to players is greatly reduced if players stay in the dugout.

Why can't coaches warm-up pitchers?

Little League’s position is that adults are here to teach the children and as such should have children warm-up pitchers. Rosters are not limited to nine players only and therefore should have additional players to warm-up a pitcher. This is a Little League International mandate for safety and liability for which CNLL will strictly adhere.

Why do Board members get involved in controversial calls on the field?

Every time there is a controversial call on the field the umpires have a couple of options. They can either get together and discuss the play and confirm or overturn their call; OR they can request the assistance of a Board member who is present at the game.

The Board gets a lot of feedback after one of these situations. Some parents believe the Board member is overturning these calls. Quite the contrary, the Board member’s role is to ensure the umpires are properly considering the rule(s) which would affect their decision and that they are carefully reviewing all the circumstances of the play as it applies to a rule.

Part of the reason for this role is that it is quite unlikely that the Board member actually saw the play. Quite often there are four games going on simultaneously and the Board member has responsibility for all four of the games. Most of the Board members are not experts on the playing rules. Therefore, their role is to mediate the meeting and NOT make a decision on the call. On the other hand, all of our umpires have passed an extensive rules test. For the most part, they have better knowledge of the rules than many of our managers.

Hopefully this clears up the question of the Board member making the decision on the call. All the member does is lead a meeting between the umpires. It is still solely the responsibility of the umpire who made the original call to either confirm or overturn his call.

REGISTRATION RELATED QUESTIONS

How do I register my child to play in CNLL?

There are two ways to register your child. On-line registration is completed through our website and starts around December 1 for the following Spring season. In person registration can be completed at specified sites later in the spring. Watch for announcements on our website and dates that will appear on our Important Dates sheet under Resources. Birth certificate and proof of residency are required.

Why are birth certificates and proof of residency form need to be submitted every year?

Proof of residency is required every year per Little League regulations. Normally, birth certificates only need be provided once. However, if we change the on-line provider, we need to have the birth certificates reloaded also.

I have not received confirmation that I successfully registered my child on-line.

The confirmation comes in the form of an email. If after five (5) business days you have not received the confirmation, contact our Player Agent.

TEAM RELATED QUESTIONS

How is the number of teams in each division determined?

It all depends on the number of players that register. Little League dictates the number of 12-year-olds on a team. We set the number of Majors teams based on that number. Then augment that number with 11-year-olds. The remaining 11-year-olds determines the number of AAA teams. That number is augmented by 10- year-olds. The remaining 10-year-olds determines the number of AA teams, augmented by 9-year-olds. When the players are drafted, the manager may not exceed the number allocated per age group. The Rookie teams and A teams are determined by the number of players in those respective age groups.

When are evaluations?

The date and time of evaluations can be found on the website in the file “Important Dates” under “Resources.” The player participates in the evaluation group of his/her LEAGUE AGE. Evaluations are by League (North/South) and by age group: Majors (11-12), “AAA” (10-11), and “AA” (8-10). “A” division (7-8) and Rookie (4-6) do not get evaluated as their teams are assigned by the Player Agent.

What will happen if my child does not attend tryouts?

Players that do not participate in tryouts are restricted to which division they may play. 8-year-olds may only play in the “A” (Coach Pitch) Division, 9-10 only “AA”, 11 only “AAA” and 12 in Majors. PLEASE NOTE, if a 12-year-old registers after the Draft Day, the child will be placed on a wait list and will only be placed on a Major’s team when space is available (see Parent request above for Minor league consideration). Any player in the “AA”, “AAA” or Majors divisions that does not participate in tryouts is not eligible to be drafted and will be a “hat-pick” which means the player’s name will be drawn from a hat at the end of the draft by a manger to fill his roster.

My child is 8-years-old and wants to play in the “AA” division (9-10 years old), is that possible?

Baseball league age 8-year-olds wishing to be considered in the draft to play “AA” Division must attend the league evaluations. Any 8-year-old that does not attend the evaluations, shall be placed on an “A” division team. League-age 8-year-old kids that are evaluated are not guaranteed a spot in the AA Division as the number of league-age 8-year-olds that can be moved up from the A division is limited.

Can I "bring" a team to CNLL?

Yes and no. Baseball Rookie and “A” Minor teams do not draft, therefore a manager may bring an entire team into the league provided the players meet boundary and age requirements; this is subject to our Player Agent and President’s approval after registrations have been completed. While we make every effort to ensure players get to be with their friends and Managers, we also need to ensure balance in the teams. Managers may not “bring” a team into “AA”, “AAA”, Majors, Juniors or Seniors divisions. CNLL stresses the development of the individual child over the building of a dream team; players in these divisions go through a draft process. This keeps the playing field level and the league more competitive – every team has an equal chance to be good. This has been one of the keys to the success of CNLL.

As a manager can I protect my coach’s child in the draft?

No. Per Little League, Managers may only protect their own child (or children)

Can I request a specific manager?

Yes, but only in the Baseball Rookie and “A” Minor divisions. Request should be made on the registration form. Although every attempt will be made to accommodate requests, the number of players, age balance and other factors influence the process; hence, no guarantees can be made. Additionally, you may only request a manager from the division (North or South) for which your child is registered.

Are 10-year-olds eligible to be drafted into the Majors?

No. 10 year olds will only be eligible for Minors “AAA” and “AA”. Historically, 10-year-olds have less success at the competitive Majors level, which leads to increased frustrations and may decrease their interest in the game. In the Minors “AAA” or “AA”, 10-year-olds have greater opportunity to enhance and refine their skills and enjoy the overall Little League experience.

Is it true that all Majors, “AAA” and “AA” teams will be redrafted?

True. All Majors, “AAA” and “AA” teams are redrafted every year. Following the mission of Little League, it is the goal to focus on the improvement of individual players rather than creating a dream team. Managers will draft accordingly for the season in which they have been appointed and thus avoiding the ‘drafting for the future’ and helps keep parody within the league.

We registered late and were put on a wait list, when do we know if our child is on a team?

This is handled on a case-by-case scenario. The League, division, age and when and/or if a player drops affects the timing on late-list call-ups. There is no guarantee the player will be placed on a team.

How soon will we know what team our child is on?

Managers are required to notify their players within 7 days of the date of the draft for “AA” and above or receipt of their roster for Rookie and “A” divisions.