This course will support inexperienced and experienced umpires in learning the basics of umpiring Little League Baseball® and Softball. Designed to introduce learners to the basics of umpiring, the course aims to encourage and equip prospective and current umpires to take the diamond. Learners will explore the building blocks of working the plate, where to stand when working the bases, what to call and how to call it, and be introduced to the Little League® “Rules to Know.” This course will build a solid foundation for all interested in umpiring and empower learners to be successful in their role as a Little League umpire.

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Developed in coordination with the Little League® Resource Guide, and focused on providing league administrators with everything needed to operate a successful Little League Program, this course provides an overview of administrative responsibilities and best practices based on the seasonality of the local league.

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Developed in coordination with the Little League® Resource Guide, and focused on providing league administrators with everything needed to operate a successful Little League Program, this course provides an overview of administrative responsibilities and best practices based on the seasonality of the local league.

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The Little League® International District Administrator Tournament Prep Course was developed in cooperation with the Little League International Tournament Committee and Little League’s Operation Department. From tournament administration to game operations, this course provides the overview needed to operate a successful and memorable tournament experience for participating leagues, players and fans.

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The Little League® International Tournament Administration Preparation Course was developed in cooperation with the Little League International Tournament Committee and Little League’s Operation Department. This online course is focused on preparing Little League officials on the local level.

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Focused on ensuring children have a positive, well-rounded experience on and off the field, this program is a FREE educational resource that provides coaches with an understanding of the impact that mental, social, and emotional well-being has in youth sports through detailed information, interactive scenarios, and a variety of additional resources. Over time, Little League® will continue to evaluate this course and look to provide additional opportunities for extended learning.

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Through this course, which navigates Little League volunteers through real-life scenarios that are being faced in local leagues all around the world each year, coaches will have a better understanding of the impact they have on their players, both on and off the field. NOTE: Completion of this course is required for all tournament managers and coaches. After completing the program the first time, volunteers are strongly encouraged to go back to review all the content and resources available within the Diamond Leader course, however, they are only required to complete the program once and will only receive one certificate that will be valid for tournament coaching eligibility.

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This month, we will explain and outline a manager’s parameters for appealing if a Little League Softball® batter-runner has improperly touched the double first base. The situation described below is dictated by the Little League Softball rulebook is applicable in all divisions of Little League Softball that utilize a double first base.

Situation:

In a Major Division softball game, a double first base is being used. (In this situation the base is white and orange; meets Little League field standards; and is properly installed on the softball field). A ground ball is slowly hit toward center field. The shortstop fields and throws to first base, but not in time to record an out. In the path to first base, the batter-runner touches the white portion of the base, and the umpire rules the runner safe. After overrunning first base the runner attempts to return to the base, but her progress is halted by the first baseman, who applies a tag. The base umpire rules the runner out, prompting the manager to ask for time out to discuss the call. After receiving time from the home plate umpire, the offensive team’s manager ask that the player stay at first base while she discusses why the base umpire changed her ruling.

Explanation:

For guidance on this situation, look to Rule 7.15 – Procedures for Use of a Double First Base -Note 2 and Note 2(c) in the current edition of the Little League Softball Rulebook and the Little League Rulebook App.

According to Rule 7.15 Note 2, If there is a play being made on the batter-runner, and the batter-runner touches only the white portion, and the defense appeals prior to the batter-runner returning to first base it is treated the same as missing the base. The penalty is the batter runner is out. Note 2(c) states that the batter-runner must use the colored (orange or green) section on their first attempt to tag first base.

Additional related information is available in the Little League Rulebook App (Rule 7.15), on Little League University, and the current edition of the Little League Softball rulebook.

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At Little League® International and in our Region Offices, calls and emails come in all year long about situations that are happening at one of our local leagues. Many of these calls and emails inform us of some positive initiatives spearheaded by our millions of volunteers. However, there are also negative situations. Situations featured in our “Don’t Let This Happen” series detail a real-world scenario, how it has impacted a league, and how you might learn from it.

The names have been changed in the following scenario, but the situation is real.

The Situation

A local league wants to utilize its social media platforms and its website to promote recruitment of volunteers and player registration. In doing so, the league’s Public Relations/Social Media Coordinator downloaded various youth baseball, Little League World Series, and Major League Baseball images found through a Google image search that she felt would “fit” with the various promotions. Soon after posting the photos and promotions on the league’s website, the Public Relations/Social Media Coordinator receives an email request from the original license holders, stating the photos need to be removed immediately, or royalties in excess of a thousand dollars are to be paid for the photos that the local league used without permissions.

The Outcome

Immediately after being notified about the copyright infringement, the league consulted with its District Administrator and soon after, the Region staff. After elevating the situation to the Communications Department at Little League International in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and based on the assessment of the situation, the league removed the posts from its social media pages and website and were required to work with the photo owner on any further actions.

The Solution

Through this experience, the league learned about the importance of obtaining permissions prior to using photos, even if they may have been taken at a Little League event. In this situation, the goal of using the photos was to promote local league activity and there was no malicious intent. Regardless of the intentions, leagues are required to respect copyright restrictions and are not permitted to use photos found on the Internet without first receiving permission from the owner of the photo(s).

To avoid this type of promotional misstep, Little League International strongly encourages its leagues to utilize photos taken of their own leagues, with permission from the parents/guardians of all involved. To help obtain those permissions, leagues are encouraged to download the Sample Form Release and Waiver from the media section of the Forms and Publications page on LittleLeague.org, customize it, and have parents/guardians sign these documents during registration. Keep the form on file with the League Secretary, then encourage league officials and parents to provide photos to the league’s Public Relations/Social Media Coordinator. The submitted photos would be used exclusively for online promotion and sharing of information about the league. Additionally, look to see if any of your league’s volunteers have a photography background, and try and set up a day to take photos of all your players, including team photos and action shots that can be used throughout the year.

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As with all volunteer organizations, having important, operational documents, such as constitutions, bylaws, and financial statements, in an easy-to-access place that leadership teams can easily access is essential for easy administration. That’s where the Data Center Filing Cabinet comes in.

Available for leagues and for districts, the Filing Cabinet will provide organized digital storage for these documents.

League Filing Cabinet:

• Constitution
• Local League By-Laws
• Financial End-of-Year Statement
• Annual Budget(s)
• Meeting Minutes

D.A. Filing Cabinet:

• Financial End-of-Year Statement
• Annual Budget(s)
• Meeting Minutes

While individuals will have the opportunity to upload most of these files themselves, for leagues looking to have access to their constitution, they will work through their appropriate Region Office to work through this process, to ensure it is the correct document and for region staff to provide support.

To get started, any individuals in the Data Center as League President will have access to the Filing Cabinet, which will appear as an option on the left-hand side of the page. The League President will be able to provide authorization to other board members designated on the Data Center as well by clicking on Manage/View Officers and providing that level of permission to additional League Officers within the Data Center.

For District Administrators, they will be able to provide authorization to other board members designated on the Data Center, as well. D.A.s will also have access to local league filing cabinet for leagues within his/her specific district. Assistant District Administrators will not.

The Filing Cabinet will accept a variety of file types including: PDF, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, and common image file types, with the maximum file size being 25 MB. There is also a recycle bin to access previous files, as well.

Should you have additional questions, suggestions, or information, please contact Little League International Support.

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