Media Guidelines

Media Credentials will be obtained by e-mailing the Media Director include your name, contact phone and media are not transferable and cannot be issued to anyone under 18. All Media Credentials are coded to indicate reserved areas in the press sections. While credentials do not guarantee reserved seating, they do provide access to the both the restricted and unrestricted areas of the complex. Photo Credentials are printed with specific access level codes.

Accommodations are extremely limited in the immediate area during the World Series.

There is no special parking area for the news media covering the World Series at the Pyle Center adjacent to the Lower Sussex Little League Complex. Handicapped Parking is very limited, so an early arrival is suggested, particularly for the night games and games later in the tournament.

Upon check-in, you will be required to produce some documentation to show that you are a member of the working media, as well as a photo ID. After you have picked up your credentials at the Media Relations Center at Camden Yards ball field, you may want to familiarize yourself with the surroundings. The Media Relations Department can help with story ideas and information that you may need.

Reserved seating will be noted on credentials. Media credentials will also allow seating stadium seats, if available. No member of the media will be permitted on the field at any time, except official photographers under certain circumstances.

Will be assigned space as available, and will be permitted on the field only for special pre-game ceremonies. No cameras of any kind are permitted in the dugouts at any time. Flash pictures are expressly prohibited during any game.

The Official Photographer of the Little League Softball World Series have been allowed special access during games and their representatives will have access to all areas of the ball fields.

Solicitation/sales of any kind by any other photographers or their agents on Lower Sussex Little League property is prohibited, unless approved in writing by District III Little League Softball.

There are photo access locations on both fields for photographers:

• The upper Press Box at Layton other than during TV games
• The lower press box [may be limited to ½ innings per game]
• The First Base lift tower, however access will only be possible between each half inning
• The area on either side of the press box
• Any seating area. [Photographers who use the seating areas must not obstruct the view of spectators]
• The photographer’s area in the outfield

Any media desiring photographs of Little League Senior Softball World Series action can request copies of any available official photos through the District III Little League Softball Media Office. Photos will be available in digital format for the standard fees.

Team practice schedules will be distributed only to team coaches and managers who may, or may not, wish to share those schedules with the media. These practices are generally open to the public, but all observers (including media) must obey the wishes of the manager of the team practicing.

Lineups are available from the Press Box Announcer just prior to the game.

Note: Although the lineups are generally available an hour before each game, please note that Softball rules allow either team to alter lineups at any time up until the official exchange of lineups just before the game.

Members of the media are to refrain from “cheering” for a particular team in the press box, at the post-game briefing or in the Press Section, and should conduct themselves professionally and courteously at all times.

Little League Softball Committee anticipates making the official box scores available after each game, with copies available online at Gamechanger.

Ten minutes after each game, credentialed members of the media are invited to a post-game media briefing at the interview area at the Camden Yards Field. The Little League International Media Relations staff will escort team managers and/or coaches (and a limited number of players.) to the Media Interview area.

Credentialed media may request certain players for this session, but managers can elect to exclude any players from the session.

(Note: Players from the losing team will not be included in this briefing. They may be interviewed separately, but only one hour after the game. [See “One on One Player Interviews.”])

Members of the media wishing to conduct one-on-one interviews with players must first obtain the consent of the team manager or coach who must be present throughout the interview. (No one-on-one interviews with players are permitted until one hour after the end of the game in which a player participates.)

Requests for interviews must be submitted to the Security Office between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Requests will be forwarded to the coach or manager of the player, as soon as possible.

If the player and manager/coach agree to the interview, the coach and player, or manager and player, will meet the media personnel at the security gate and escort the media personnel to the interview area inside Camden Yards Field. Interviews also may be conducted before or after practices (see below), at the discretion of the team manager. Media personnel must not request interviews during practices.

Any coach, manager, player or umpire may decline any interview.

Reporters from radio stations and networks are also welcome at the Little League World Series. Radio reporters may cover the games but are limited to five or fewer reports, each a minute or less, per game. The reports must not contain descriptions of action currently taking place.

Television crews from local affiliate stations are welcome at the Little League World Series. All games will be televised on ESPN+ and or the ESPN family of network. It must be understood that Little League International and ABC/ESPN have the right to restrict or prohibit ANY camera crews (including ABC affiliates) from operating at any game-related activity.

Special access to the complex and parking for Video Trucks may be arranged by contacting Roy Lamberton, Media Relations, 302 629-3221 as soon as possible.

Video taping of non-championship games to obtain B-Roll footage is permitted, subject to Little League approval, and adherence to the following guidelines:

1. Shooting of B-roll footage is allowed, provided it:

• Not restrict the view of spectators;
• Does not utilize facilities (camera stands, etc.) reserved for use by ABC and/or ESPN;
• Does not take place in the stadium seating areas during games televised by ABC/ESPN;
• Does not interfere with the hand-held cameras used by ABC/ESPN.

(Interference, in this case, includes being deemed visible by ABC/ESPN in any location in which ABC/ESPN cameras are operating or likely to be operating. Because ABC/ESPN cameras might be on the field one hour prior to each game, no other cameras/crew will be permitted on the field during this time.)

2. Cameras/crews, other than those operated by ABC/ESPN, must cease operating and vacate any area immediately if requested to do so, during games, by any ABC/ESPN crew.

3. Shooting of B-roll footage is limited to five minutes of filming from any area of the stadium. When the five minutes is completed, the camera must be moved to another location, at least 50 feet away.

4. Shooting of B-roll footage is limited to a total of 15 minutes per game, and may not be broadcast until the game is completed.

5. Brief, live reports during games are permitted, subject to these provisions:

• There must be no report on the action taking place, except a brief update on the score or previous action,
• The camera must be located on Patio in front of the Concession Stand, one of the unused fields in the complex, or in the outfield at the Camden Yards field
• The reporter must be in the shot at all times;
• The report must be one minute or less;
• There must be no more than four live reports per game.

6. Camera lights must not be used where they may be visible by players on the field. (This applies during day and night games.)

There are no limits and restrictions by ABC/ESPN/Little League on reports of activities not related to the games, when such activities are conducted off the playing fields in areas in which media personnel are permitted. (Examples: news conferences, pin trading tent, pavilion and sponsor areas are not restricted by ABC/ESPN/Little League policies.)  Note: Sale of video images of the Senior League Softball World Series is not permitted without express written permission from Little League Softball, Incorporated.

It may be required to coordinate Remote Pickup Frequencies for both radio and television facilities. Part 74 of the FCC Rules stipulates that any itinerant use of RPU frequencies must be coordinated. If you plan any RPU use on any frequency with any power, including wireless microphone use, please call Roy Lamberton at (Cell Phone) 302 629-3221 for assistance.

The Little League Softball Committee provides a live high speed internet connection (WI-FI) both in the Media Center and through an 802.11b wireless connection. Use of a personal laptop or similar device is suggested. Passwords should be obtained from the media coordinator.

Little League Softball Committee is providing extensive coverage of the Little League Softball World Series on the Internet at the World Wide Web Address (URL) of: http://www.seniorsoftballws.org. Internet news providers are welcome to cover the Little League Softball World Series. However, no live reports are permitted on any sites except www.littleleague.org.

Static images (no video) of games or other Little League Softball World Series activities may be posted on the Internet, but must not be posted until at least 30 minutes after the conclusion of the game or activity. Internet reporters must comply with all media credentialing requirements.

Recognizing the fact that many members of the media covering the Little League World Series are at the complex throughout the day, Little League provides food at no charge for credentialed working media only.

During games, a Media/Hospitality Room will be available in the Media Relations Center above the concession stand, in which food will be available, only working media will be permitted in this room.

Guests and non-credentialed media are not permitted in the Media/Hospitality Room, and food and drinks must not be taken from these rooms.

Note: Media personnel will not be permitted to sign for food at the concession stands.

Private telephone connections are not available at the Lower Sussex complex.

All media persons should expect to provide and use their own cellular telephones.

It is Little League policy that no organization, group, company, etc., is permitted to sell or distribute leaflets, placards, posters, promotional material, or any other items at the Little League Softball International Complex without written permission from Little League Softball, Incorporated.

World Series Tournament Director Martin Donovan, is available during the Little League Softball World Series to answer any inquiries regarding Little League rules, regulations, policies and principles, as well as specific inquiries regarding the Little League World Series. Please direct all such inquiries or any other background interview requests to them through the media relations office.

Any news organization or person in violation of these guidelines (or others subsequently published by Little League Baseball, Incorporated or the District III Senior Softball Committee) whether or not such violations occur on Little League property, will be subject to revocation of World Series media credentials.

The Lower Sussex Little League Complex is located adjacent to the Pyle Center in Roxanna, Delaware. The facility is the home of the Lower Sussex Little League and has hosted several final rounds of the Eastern Regional Major League Softball Tournament. The Fields in the complex are named after Historic Local Major League baseball fields.

• Bruce Layton Field, formerly Ebbets Field (named for the longtime home of the Brooklyn Dodgers) has been the primary field for past finals and is the premier softball field in the complex. It is named for Bruce Layton, who was instrumental in obtaining the Little League Senior Softball World Series for Lower Sussex Little League..
• Connie Mack Stadium, named for the legendary home of both the Philadelphia Phillies, (and the old A’s), underwent extensive renovations and the addition of lights several years ago.
• Comisky Park is named for the historic home of the Chicago White Sox, and is modified each year to provide an additional playing field for the World Series.

All 3 fields are traditional Softball “skin” surfaces and should be in peak condition for the World Series. They are equipped with TV quality lights.

The Lower Sussex Little League grounds crew has proved capable of restoring fields to playing condition regardless of weather conditions.