WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Jan. 8, 2007) – One of the items approved by volunteer District Administrators at the 24th Little League International Congress in Houston was a change to Regulation II, which provided that the total number of persons living in one chartered local Little League’s boundary could not exceed 20,000.

The 20,000 population limit was removed for 2008, with the boundary for each local Little League worldwide “frozen” at its status as of April 23, 2007.

Additionally, there are specific requirements regarding the official boundary map for each chartered local Little League:

• Each local Little League must limit its boundary to and draw its players from an area approved by the District Administrator and Regional Director.

• Each league is required to have a current boundary map, approved by the District Administrator, in the regional office files. This approved “official” map is required for tournament privileges for the current season.

• The official map cannot encroach on any other chartered Little League’s boundary. If it does, it is not valid, and the local league’s Tournament Teams are ineligible until a valid map is on file at the Regional Office.

• The official boundary map for a local Little League must be signed and dated by the League President and District Administrator with a copy to be sent to the Regional Office.

• Any changes to the official boundary map for a local Little League made after April 23, 2007 to the approved map on file at the Regional Office must be signed and dated by the League President and District Administrator, with a copy to be sent to the Regional Office.

• The Charter Committee reserves the right to grant waivers and adjust boundaries where needed.

• All requests for mergers and to expand league boundaries by adding additional territory must be provided to the Charter Committee through the District Administrator and Regional Director. The decision of the Charter Committee on these requests is final and binding.

• All leagues currently operating under a divisional format must continue to operate under this method. Exceptions to the divisional format can only be granted by the Charter Committee in Williamsport.

• Any request for newly chartered leagues will be reviewed by the Charter Committee under this regulation before a charter is granted. The decision of the Charter Committee is final and binding.

If your local chartered Little League does NOT have an approved map on file at the regional office, your league currently is not permitted to field any teams for the 2008 tournaments.

The good news: Creating a map is easy.

Local stores usually sell local maps. Just use a highlighter or marker to trace the league’s boundaries.

Remember, the boundaries must follow some identifiable feature on the map. Man-made features, such as roads, railroad tracks, power lines, etc., are easiest to use.

A geographic feature, such as a river or creek, also is acceptable.

“Political” boundaries also may be used, such as county lines, city limits, school zones, etc. However, care must be taken in using these types of boundaries, as they may change frequently.

Whatever option is used, the boundary is considered to be in the center of the feature. So, if the boundary is a road, those residences on one side of the road are inside the league’s boundaries, while those residences on the opposite side are NOT in the league’s boundaries.

The boundary cannot be arbitrary. For instance, a line simply drawn on the map across an area (even if the area is uninhabited) is not acceptable unless the line follows a defined feature as noted above.

Anyone with access to the Internet and a printer can produce an acceptable map. There are several useful mapping tools available on the Internet, such as:

http://maps.google.com
http://maps.yahoo.com
http://www.mapquest.com
http://maps.live.com
http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine
http://www.randmcnally.com
http://www.mapsonus.com

Maps at the above Internet sites can be scaled to include all of a league’s boundaries, then printed.

Once the map is produced, the local Little League president signs and dates the map, and provides the original to the District Administrator.

Then, the District Administrator determines whether the map encroaches on any other local Little League’s boundary. If it does not, the District Administrator signs and dates the map, and sends one copy to the appropriate Regional Office, and one copy to the League President.

Note: As a helpful addition, some leagues also include a written description of the boundary that matches the boundary on the map. If the map is for a new league, the population of all persons living in the proposed boundary also should be provided.

The Regional staff will review the map. If the map is acceptable, it will be placed in the local Little League’s file. The local Little League President and District Administrator will be so informed.

Additionally, the Regional Office will retain a digital image of the map, which will be available at any time for the local league or District Administrator.

Once the map is approved by the Regional Office, it is recommended that the local league and district Internet web sites post the digital image of the map in a public area, so that everyone concerned will know the exact league boundary.

If the map is not acceptable, the District Administrator and local league President will be informed, with an explanation, so a new map can be created.