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SFLL Girls Softball Spring 2008

Structure of the Softball Program
We offer different levels of play for different age/skill groups. We do our best to place girls at the level at which they will be most likely to have success.

Farm is our beginning level. It is coach-pitch with emphasis on skill development, rather than competition. Teams play one game per week, mostly on Sunday, and typically practice one weekday after school per week. No scores or standings are kept and there are no playoffs. Kids are typically in the 6-8 year old range (LL age determined as of December 31, 2007) and consist of k, 1st and 2nd graders. Fees for farm are $50 less than fees for other divisions.

Rookie is our first level of kid-pitch softball. Emphasis is placed on advancing skill development from the Farm level. Teams will play one game per week, mostly on Sunday. Teams will typically practice one day per week. Most players are 8-9 years old, although some 10 year olds will be best suited to this level and players will generally be in 2nd, 3rd and 4th grades.

Minors is next level of kid-pitch softball. Minors emphasizes a higher level of play than Rookie. Teams will typically play one weekend game per week, mostly on Sunday, plus one evening game during about half the weeks. Teams will typically practice once per week during the season and twice per week pre-season. Most players are 10-11 years old, although some 9 year olds will be best suited to this level and players will generally be in 4th and 5th grade.

Majors is our highest level of softball for girls 12 and under. Majors typically includes 12 year olds and some 11 year olds. The Majors teams will typically play one weekend game per week, typically on Sunday. and one evening game during half to two-thirds of the weeks. They will typically hold one regular weekday practice per week, sometimes two if there is only one game in a given week. They will typically practice twice per week pre-season. Players in this division are generally in 5th, 6th and 7th grade.

Seniors is for 13 -14 year old girls. These girls are strong softball players and usually plan to play high school softball. Seniors play two games per week—one on Saturday and one on a weekday evening. Seniors will likely practice two days per week before the season starts and one day per week during the season.

Coaches
Coaches are selected in January. Our coaches are typically parents who have an interest in coaching but they also include former college softball players who don’t have children and are volunteering to coach our young players. We have a significant need for new coaches. Interest in coaching can be expressed by completing an online coaching application (go to www.sfll.org to register as a coach).

Player Placement
We hold Skills Evaluation Sessions (SES) in late January/early February to ensure we have the girls playing at the correct level for their skills. These sessions are run by coaches and involve various drills on hitting, fielding, throwing, running and pitching. The sessions are not meant to be strenuous or intimidating. They are simply a way for coaches to see the girls in action and assess the best possible level of play for each of the girls for the upcoming season. Parents are welcome to provide input in placement decisions.

Team Formation
Teams are formed in mid-February. The primary objective of the team formation process is to achieve competitive balance. We know we got it right when no team wins more than 70% of their games. Typically, teams are composed of players from a wide range of schools and neighborhoods.

Season
The season runs from mid March to early June. The season opens with the LL Parade on March 15 and ends with tournaments/round robins.We try to minimize Saturday games for Majors and below so that girls playing CYO basketball or PAL soccer can avoid conflicts, but some Saturday games are possible. Seniors can expect Saturday games every week. Fields for games and practices are all over the City.

Clinics
SFLL will offer several skills clinics before the season starts, which will focus on skills involved in hitting, throwing, fielding grounders and flies, baserunning, catching, etc. In addition, we will be putting together a series of pitching clinics designed to teach new pitchers to pitch and to improve the skills of returning pitcher. We encourage all interested girls to learn the fine art of softball pitching. Pitchers are in high demand so all girls are encouraged to give it a try.

Registration
For information on registering go to Softball Registration

Contact

P.O. Box 426995 | San Francisco, CA 94142 | (415) 263-0510 (voice mailbox) | Email us