FAQ
- When does Registration start?
- Why didn’t I receive a Registration form in the mail?
- Can I register late?
- How does Billerica Little League determine a player’s age?
- How old must a player be in order to play in Billerica Little League?
- Does Billerica Little League offer Tee Ball?
- My child missed the age cut off by 2 days (or 2 months). Why can’t he play with his classmates/kids his own age?
- My child is really good, can he move up to the next division?
- I have twins/triplets; will they be assigned to the same team?
- Can my child play on the same team with his friends?
- Can I request a specific coach for my child?
- When are practices?
- How long are the games?
- When does the season start?
- When does the season end?
- What division will my child be in?
- When are tryouts?
- When are the make-ups for tryouts, if I’m unable to attend on the scheduled date?
- If I attend tryouts am I registered?
- How are league assignments (American/National) determined?
- My child is between the age of 9 and 12 but not on a Major League team. What are the tryout requirements?
- My child is 13, what are the tryout requirements?
- My child is between the age of 14 and 16 but not on a Major League team. What are the tryout requirements?
- What happens if my child doesn’t attend tryouts?
- What does the player need to do if they have a medical or religious restriction on the date for tryouts?
- What happens if my child didn’t return his uniform last season?
- What happens if my child attended tryouts but didn’t register on time?
- What happens if my child was on a Major/Senior Major team last year; but they weren’t registered on time?
- What happens if my child is drafted to a Major League team but refuses the call up?
- What if a player is new to town after tryouts or early registrations?
- What are the office hours for Billerica Little League?
- I have some additional questions who can I talk to?
1. Registration begins on September 1 for the following season. On occasion, our on-line registration may be available earlier than that date.
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2. In order to reduce cost Billerica Little League has greatly reduced our use of bulk mailing for Registrations. Our League will use email as the primary means of informing families when registration begins. If your email address changes, please send a message to
. Please include the family name and phone number.
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3. Late registrations are always accepted. However, there are restrictions for players over 9 years of age. Those restrictions are outlined in other sections of this document. Additionally, players may be subject to a “Wait List” based on available space in a given division.
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4. Since Billerica Little League is chartered by Little League International, we follow the age requirements established by that body. For the official age chart, please review this link: http://billericalittleleague.org/Page.asp?n=69026&org=billericalittleleague.org
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5. In order to play in Billerica Little League a player must be 4 years old on or before September 1st of the year prior to the Spring season.
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6. Billerica Little League does offer Tee Ball. This is offered for players that are league aged 5 or 6 based on the Age Chart in the following link: http://billericalittleleague.org/Page.asp?n=69026&org=billericalittleleague.org
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7. Every league, whether they have a national affiliation (Little League) or not (BYB and Soccer), set rules for player distributions and ages. In our case we follow the age requirements sent down by Little League International. We use those rules to structure our leagues. Every age group has a mix (65/35) of players in different grades. As a league we understand that this can cause some anxiety in players, especially in the first couple of years in Little League. There will never be a set of rules that pleases everyone, but this is how our league is structured.
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8. All players must play in the league associated with their designated age group, based on our by-laws, which are published on our web site. Once a player reaches 9 years of age, the League holds tryouts. Only players that attend tryouts are eligible for our league drafts. Based on the results of these tryouts, players will be drafted to one of our Major League teams. Players not drafted are assigned to a Minor League team. Player over the age of 12 will be drafted to teams in their respected league.
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9. Until the age of 9 parents with children the same age will be placed on the same team, unless the parents request otherwise. Once a player reaches the age of 9 they may be drafted by coaches based on the results of our annual tryouts. All teams from the Minors up to our Senior Leagues keep score. If a parent wishes to refuse a call up, there are implications to refusing a call up based on the players age. The implications are outlined in this document.
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10. Parents, with children under 9 years of ages, may place a request with the league to have their child place with a certain player. That player must be in the same designated league as the player making the request. As a league we will attempt to accommodate your request. However, we can not make any guarantees that all requests can be honored.
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11. Parents, with children under 9 years of ages, may make a request for a coach. That coach must be in the same designated league as the player making the request. As a league we will attempt to accommodate your request. However, we can not make any guarantees that all requests can be honored.
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12. The town usually releases the fields to us on April 1. Once the league has determined the fields to be safe, practices will be scheduled by the appropriate Player Agent for each league. The number of practices and the times for practice vary based on age groups. The Instructional and Farm teams typically have one practice during the week starting at 5:30 PM and another on weekend. The weekend practice can be any where between 8:00 AM and 5:30 PM. The upper division may have multiple practices during the week.
There are managers that will begin having indoor practices or taking their teams to the batting cages. This is a choice that the manager makes for his team. This is outside the normal practice schedules that the League manages.
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13. Games in our Instructional and Farm leagues have a 2 hour time limit. The games start at 5:30 during the week and any time between 8:00 AM and 5:30 PM on Saturdays. In the upper divisions the games are played to completion; weather and day light permitting. There are other rules that apply to night games that can be found in the League’s by-laws.
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14. Our season usually begins during the last weekend for April vacation. The season starts with a parade that typically runs from the High School to the Pollard Field.
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15. The season, depending on weather runs until the end of June. In divisions with town championships, games may extend into early July.
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16. Players are assigned to a division based on their age, as of April 30th for the upcoming season. Our divisions are:
Ages 5 and 6: Tee Ball
Age 7: Single A
Ages 8 - 10: Double A and Triple A
Ages 9 to 12:
Majors – Based on tryouts
Central – After Majors draft, based on tryouts
Minors – Remaining players and players that did not attend tryouts
Ages 13 to 15:
Sr. Majors – Based on tryouts
Sr. Minors – Remaining players and players that did not attend tryouts
Ages 16 to 18: Big Le ague - Tryouts held in Spring
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17. Under normal circumstances the League will schedule tryouts on the Saturday after the town’s Yankee Doodle Celebration weekend. If, due to weather conditions, a make up date is required, the tryouts would be the next Saturday following the original date.
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18. As a League we only schedule tryouts on one Saturday in September. If rain forces a cancelation, the make-up date would be the following Saturday. We ask our volunteers to give up a full day to conduct the tryouts. As you can image it’s hard to coordinate any type of event, especially one that involves hundreds of people, without inconveniencing someone.
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19. Attending Tryouts is a separate event from Registration. Players that are required to attend tryouts in order to be eligible for a certain league’s draft, still must submit the registration form with payment by October 15th in order to be registered. Also please be aware that registrations are not accepted at any of the league’s tryouts. You must either register on-line or mail in the registration form.
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20. Player Assignments (ages 9 to 18)
Players are assigned to either the American or National League based on the month in which they are born.
Players born in an odd numbered months are assigned to the National League.
Players born in an even numbered months are assigned to the American League.
All players over the age of 13 will be placed in a common pool for team assignment.
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21. TRY OUTS – 9 to 12 Year Old Major League
All players not returning to either a National Major or American Major League team should attend tryouts when those tryout are scheduled.
Players requiring a medical waiver should attend the tryouts and make themselves available to the appropriate Player Agent to receive credit for attending tryouts.
Players should ONLY attend the tryout at their appointed time. The times will be posted on the Billerica Little League web site.
Tryout times are based on a players age, with 12 year olds going first and 9 year olds going last.
Players wishing to change their scheduled time MUST contact their Player Agent for a new time slot.
Tryouts take place at the Vining Elementary School.
National League tryouts take place on the upper field.
American League tryouts tale place on the lower field.
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22. As of the 2011 Season Billerica Little League no longer offers a Junior Division.
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23. TRYOUTS – 13 to 15 Year Old Senior Majors League
All players not returning to either a National Senior Major or American Senior Major League team should attend tryouts when those tryout are scheduled.
Players requiring a medical waiver should attend the tryouts and make themselves available to the Senior Major Player Agent to receive credit for attending tryouts.
Players should ONLY attend the tryout at their appointed time. The times will be posted on the Little League web site.
Players wishing to change their scheduled time MUST contact their Player Agent for a new time slot.
Tryouts take place at the Locke Middle School.
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24. Restrictions for NOT attending tryouts
Players that DO NOT attend tryouts:
Are NOT ELIGIBLE to be drafted to a Major League team
Are NOT ELIGIBLE for call up at any point to a Major League team during the up-coming season
Are NOT ELIGIBLE for District All Star selection for the up-coming season
Are NOT ELIGIBLE to return to their previous Minor League team and/or coach
Players under the age of 12 will be assigned to a Minor League team
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25. Players with medical or religious restrictions:
Players should attend the appropriate tryout for their age and league as posted on the League’s web site.
They should make themselves known to thef person responsible for checking in for registration.
They are not required to wait in line.
The player will be presented to the managers and coaches conducting tryouts.
The player will be credited with attending tryouts.
There will be no restrictions placed on the player regarding draft eligibility, provided they meet the league’s registration requirements.
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26. Failure to return your uniform
Players in the Central Majors, American Majors, National Majors, Senior Minors and Senior Majors that failed to return regular season uniforms or All Star uniforms:
WILL NOT be allowed to register. While you may register on-line, the league will not accept the registration.
You WILL NOT be considered registered on-time unless the uniform is returned by October 15, 2009.
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27. Failure to register on-time but attend tryouts
Players that DO attend tryouts or obtain a waiver BUT DO NOT register on time:
Are NOT ELIGIBLE to be drafted to a Major League team
Are NOT ELIGIBLE for call up at any point to a Major League team during the up-coming season
Are NOT ELIGIBLE for District All Star selection for the up-coming season
Are NOT ELIGIBLE to return to their previous Minor League team and/or coach
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28. Players that Failure to REGISTER on-time and are to RETURN to a Major League Team
Returning Players that DO NOT registere on time:
Will be REMOVED from their Major League team
Are NOT ELIGIBLE for call up at any point to a Major League team during the up-coming season
Are NOT ELIGIBLE for District All Star selection for the up-coming season
Are NOT ELIGIBLE be eligible to pitch at any level in the up-coming season
Will be assigned to a lower division team, space permitting
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29. Prior to the start of the season, Players that REFUSE to accept being drafted to a Major League team
Over the age of 9:
Will be assigned to a lower division team
Are NOT ELIGIBLE for call up at any point to a Major League team during the up-coming season
Are NOT ELIGIBLE for District All Star selection for the up-coming season
Are NOT ELIGIBLE to pitch in the up-coming season
Players age 9:
Will be assigned to a lower Division team
Are NOT ELIGIBLE for call up at any point to a Major League team during the up-coming season
Are NOT ELIGIBLE for District All Star selection for the up-coming season
Are allowed to pitch in the up-coming season
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30. Players that move into town after tryouts or early registration should notify the Registrar that you are new to town via email or written response
Prior to the a league’s draft:
The player will be declared eligible for the appropriate league’s draft
Have no restriction placed on them in regards All Star selection
After the Draft:
The player is available for call up prior to or during the up-coming season as a replacement player
Have no restriction placed on them in regards All Star selection
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31. We do not have office hours. This is a volunteer organization. However, there is a posted schedule of League Meetings. You are encouraged to attend and address any question or issue you may have. The normal meeting schedule is:
The first Monday of every month August through March
The first and third Mondays April through July.
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32. If you have additional questions you can:
Call Billerica Little League @ 978-670-1549 and leave a message. It could take a day or two for a return call.
Attend one of our General Meetings the first Monday of every month.
Send an email to
– This mailbox is check every couple of days.
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