For

Setting Your League’s Schedule

players along fence

Whether your local league has several teams in a division or plans to play teams in other local Little League® programs, before any games are played, a schedule needs to be set.

Here are some basic questions that every Division Coordinator, Vice President, and Field Maintenance Crew Chief should consider before your league or district officials sit down to plan the season ahead.

Field availability

  • When will fields be available to use (consider climate and weather)?
  • What is the total number of fields available for a division?
  • How many fields are needed for games per night?
  • How many fields are needed for practices per night?
  • Can more than one game be played on a field on a given night (consider fields with lights and Little League curfew)?

Logistics

  • What is the plan for rain dates?
  • When will games begin on weeknights (keeping in mind traffic concerns and distance of commute for your families)?
  • What will be the amount of time/days between each team’s games for baseball pitchers to get appropriate rest (according to the pitching regulations – See Regulation VI)?
  • How many games per week need to be played from the start of the season to meet the requirements for tournament eligibility for each division?
  • Are doubleheaders to be included?
  • Will the division continue playing games after tournament teams are announced? Tournament teams cannot be announced until June 1.

Teams and Travel

  • How many teams will be playing against each other in a given division?
  • What is the projected number of games to be played beyond the required 12-game minimum?
  • Will there be a special games tournament hosted at your facility; or road trips for your league’s teams?
  • Is there an expectation of a home and home situation for each team participating in interleague play?
  • Are umpires, game managers, and other game operations staff going to be the responsibility of the host league?

Once you have these areas covered and answers in place, your league, or district, can break out the calendars and move toward setting a day and time for your league’s annual scheduling meeting.