Page Text: Players should have the following equipment:
Baseball (Fielding) Glove — 10-11.5” is most common, with smaller generally being better for most ages.
Bat — Please refer to the chart below for size guidance. Bats MUST be USA certified or wood. Bats marked as USSSA or non-certified bats are strictly against Little League policy.
Protective Cups — All male players at the A Level and above are required to wear protective athletic cups.
Batting Helmet — While FCKLL teams are outfitted with league-provided helmets, many players choose to wear their own helmet. Please be sure of a snug fit, and the helmet must meet NOSCAE certification standards.
Baseball Cap — FCKLL will provide players with a team hat, typically provided by our sponsor the Washington Nationals. However, during the early season, parents should provide players with a cap to wear to practice.
Water Bottle -- Please make sure player's bring water to practices. Coaches will not provide water.
The league outfits all teams with specialty such as catcher’s gear, catcher’s glove, first aid kits, baseballs, and other practice equipment. If you choose to purchase your own youth catcher's gear, please make sure the catcher's helmet is NOSCAE certified to meeting Little League's compliance standards.
Skill Assessments
Skills Assessments
As per Little League's rules, FCKLL conducts skills assessments (aka evaluations) to determine the skill level of players and ensure that players are drafted at the most appropriate level and that teams are competitively balanced. At the skills assessment, the managers and coaches rate each player’s ability to hit, throw, run, field fly balls, and field ground balls.
Timing and Dates
Plan for the skill assessment to last approximately 90 minutes from player drop-off. Only players, coaches and League officials are allowed at the assessment (we encourage parents to either remain in their vehicles or nearby - having dozens of parents watching kids assessing can create nervousness and we want this to be a fun activity).
Typically assessments happen over two weekends in early-March (see FCKLL's Calendar for details). Each division has specific dates. Players only need to attend one of these assessments (not both dates), and we strongly urge you to attend the date for your registered division. If you have circumstances that won't allow your player to attend the assessment for their division's date, or you have siblings in multiple divisions, please coordinate the date with our Player Agent .
FCKLL will communicate precise timing and other details approximately two weeks prior to the assessments.
Who Must Attend?
Children who are League Ages 8-12 , and who did NOT previously play on a MAJORS team the previous SPRING, must participate in the skills assessment (i.e., rising Majors players must assess; returning Majors players do not assess). Any League Age 7-year olds who would like to be considered for the AA draft also must participate in a skills assessment. If you would like your 7-year old to have a skills assessment, please contact the Player Agent to discuss.
What to Bring
Residency/DOB documentation -- FCKLL asks you to submit all proof-of-residency documents , including three documents proving residency (i.e., property tax bill, rental agreement, utility bill, driver's license, etc.) and one document proving age (birth certificate or passport). This can be done electronically during registration, or documentation can be brought to the assessments.
Bat, Glove, Helmet, Water -- Players should come equipped to play ball. Each player should bring his/her glove. Bats and helmets are normally provided, however if the league is operating under COVID pandemic conditions, either bring your own bat/helmet, or contact the Player Agent to arrange for an un-shared bat/helmet.
Warm Clothing -- League assessments will typically be held outdoors. There may be lengthy periods where players are waiting in a line, so please dress appropriately.
Activities
Players will have a brief warm-up, conduct throwing, fielding, hitting, and running exercises. There will be instructors at each station, and a group of coaches observing and taking notes. Most players attending will be picking up a baseball for the first time in several months. There is no need to prep for assessments.
Draft Eligibility
When the skills assessments are over and the scores are compiled, the player agent creates a list of players eligible for draft selection at each level by tabulating the scores each child receives for hitting, fielding, running and throwing.
Finally, and most importantly, please encourage your child to relax and enjoy the assessments. We promise to make it a fun experience!
Team Assignments and Draft
Tee Ball and Single A
For Single A, T-Ball Sluggers, and T-Ball Rookies teams, a player’s parents may request the team for which he/she plays. If no request is made, players are assigned by home/school area. Every attempt is made for each team to have a similar number of each age group to balance the competitiveness of teams. Teams are formed by the Player Agent. Once teams have been assigned in late February/early March, the Manager will contact each player’s family with the practice schedule.
Please keep in mind we can't accommodate any team, manager, or carpool requests at AA, AAA, and Majors. If you have requests for teammates/coaches at Single A and Tee Ball please include that information in registration form or via email to the Player Agent .
AA, AAA, and Majors - Balancing the League
Everyone involved in Little League wants what is in each child’s best interest:
Each child wants to have fun playing baseball.
Parents want their children to have a positive experience.
FCKLL wants the teams to be selected so that each child has a fair opportunity to participate and contribute. The skills assessment/tryout and draft is the Little League-approved method for achieving these goals.
Although FCKLL is sensitive to the wishes of parents regarding the level into which their child is drafted, it is Little League’s policy that a child will play at the level at which he/she is drafted. This rule means that by registering to play baseball, a child (and his/her parents) agree to play at whatever level the Managers determine is best, based on the child’s ability. If you wish an exemption, you may discuss your situation with the player agent; however, all exemptions, detailing the reasons for the exemption, must be submitted in writing to the player agent. Exemptions may be granted to have siblings playing together on a team. FCKLL’s job to ensure that each player is playing at an appropriate level. The draft is the method which most successfully:
Distributes talent into the appropriate level of play (i.e., Majors, AAA, AA), keeping the League strong and growing.
Distributes talent evenly throughout each level, making the games more competitive and fun.
Promotes the safety of the players (if a player is playing above his/her skill level, he/she could be hurt. If a player is playing below his/her skill level, he/she could hurt others).
The list of Major-eligible players (i.e. they earned the minimum required rating which indicates that they have the skills necessary to play in the Majors) is presented to the Board of Directors at a special meeting. Once the Board approves that list, only the players on it are eligible to be drafted into the Majors. Typically, there are more players on the Majors-eligible players list than there are available positions on Majors teams. Not every child on the list will be drafted to the Majors. The remaining players are included in the AAA draft and are available to be called up to the Majors to fill vacancies that may occur during the season. Once the Majors teams have completed their draft, a list of AAA-eligible players is prepared for that level’s draft. A similar process is used to prepare for the AA draft. Not every child who attends tryouts will be drafted onto a Majors, AAA, or AA team. Those not selected in the AA draft will be placed on A teams.
Resources for Parents
Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA)
FCKLL strongly advocates the PCA approach to coaching . This approach centers on teaching youth athletes to balance both the spirit of competition, through an effort-based approach, with continuous learning of life lessons, through embracing mistakes. This method is a proven approach, and created in conjunction with leading youth and sports psychologists, and professional coaches, based out of Stanford University. Parents play a critical role in the health of the coach/player relationship. The following resources have been provided to FCKLL by PCA, and are free for our parents to use. Resources for coaches are similarly posted on the Coach's Corner webpage.