Enhance Your Plan

Looking to improve your league’s ASAP program and go beyond the 15 basic requirements? Here are some highly recommended ideas pulled from leading safety plans from across the United States.

Improve/Grow/Enhance your plan

Conduct supplemental criminal checks on all applicable personnel (i.e. JDP)
Have your safety plan reviewed by your District Administrator or District Safety Officer
Get the parents involved! Have team safety representative (i.e. team parents)
Get the kids involved! Have player safety representatives (i.e. team safety officers)
Allocate part of annual budget for safety
Email link to ASAP newsletter to officers, volunteers and parents; post link on league website
Utilize local safety resources for education and training (i.e. police, fire dept., hospital staff)
Create league safety mission statement

Provide CPR/AED training to coaches, managers, board members and parents
Review concussion laws in your state and provide training to coaches, managers, board members and parents. Check to see if concussion training is mandatory in your state
Provide bicycle and traffic training to players
Provide drug and alcohol abuse education to players and volunteers
Teach coaches/managers about heat illnesses and warning signs
Teach coaches/managers about stopping play and breaks for weather (i.e. stop play for lightning; take water breaks between innings; shade in high heat, etc.)
Teach coaches/managers about sports fundamentals (i.e. proper warm-ups, running safe practices and games)
Involve umpires in safety training and safety importance
Provide Parent Orientation Program on Code of Conduct

Complete a long-range facility plan for safety improvements
Use reduced impact balls, especially for younger ages
Use dis-engageable bases at ALL fields (Rule 1.06)
Use double-first base to avoid collisions of fielders and runners
Use warning tracks in the outfield to protect outfielders
Use protective/padded fence tops to protect fielders
Use fencing or netting to protect spectators from foul balls
Have a cell phone available at all games and practices
Have back guard-rails and side-rails on taller bleachers
Have an AED (automatic external defibrillator) available for use
Have electronic weather detector to alert for approaching storms
Have guidelines for safe equipment usage (i.e. field maintenance equipment, riding mowers, etc.)
Control speed and flow of traffic in and around facilities

Encourage input and suggestions with a “Safety Suggestion Box”
Provide continuous safety messages through bulletin boards, emails and meetings
Encourage and recognize safety efforts from players (i.e. safety poster contest, safety tips, player team safety officer)
Require use of protective cups for players, especially infielders. Protective cups are required for the catcher (Rule 1.17)
Require use of mouth guards for players, especially infielders
Require use of face guards on batting helmets