Along with the typical language used in the game of baseball and softball, there are a number of terms and phrases unique to the Little League® program. A list of some of those terms and phrases are described below to help parents, local league officials, and other volunteers to better understand our program. Many of these terms are Federally Registered Trademarks, and should never be used in reference to any program other than those chartered by Little League Baseball®, Incorporated. They are not generic terms.
Note: Those terms that should always be capitalized are listed as such.
A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Leadership Training Center: The correct name of the complex at the Little League East Region Headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. It is named for the late Commissioner of Major League Baseball, who was an ardent supporter of Little League.
Al Houghton Stadium: The name of the stadium located at the Little League West Region Headquarters complex in San Bernardino, California, at which the annual Little League Baseball West Region and Northwest Region and the West Region Little League Softball® Tournaments are played. It is named for the first full-time West Regional Director.
Board of Directors: At the local level, a group of people elected by the league membership, in whom is placed the responsibility for the management of the property and affairs of the league, under the rules, regulations, and policies of Little League Baseball, Incorporated.
Boys Little League Softball: A program for boys 9-12 years old (league age).
Boys Minor League Softball: A minor division of the Little League Softball charter, for boys 7-12 years old (league age). A league may have further divisions at the local level, such as Minor League Coach Pitch, Minor League Machine Pitch, etc.
Boys Senior League Softball: A program for boys 13-16 years old (league age).
Boys Tee Ball Softball: A minor division of the Little League Softball charter, for boys 4-7 years old (league age). Boys 4-5 years of age (league age) must play only Tee Ball. Exception: If a boy, league age 5, played a season of Tee Ball as a 4-year-old, the league may allow the boy to participate in the Boys Minor League Coach Pitch Division.
Breen Field: The name of the field at which the annual Little League Baseball New England Region and Mid-Atlantic Region and the East Region Little League Softball Tournaments are played. The field is located at the A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Leadership Training Center, home of the Little League East Region Headquarters. It is named for Leon Breen, one of the original volunteers instrumental in the development of the center.
George W. Bush Little League Leadership Training Center: The name of the complex at the Little League Baseball Southwest Region Headquarters in Waco, Texas. It is named for the 43rd President of the United States, the first U.S. President to have played Little League.
Bylaws: See “local rules.”
Little League Challenger Division®: A baseball program for participants 4-18 years old (league age; or up to 22 years old if enrolled in school) with physical and/or intellectual challenges.
Charter: A written contract/agreement between Little League Baseball, Incorporated, and the Board of Directors of a local organization of volunteers interested in operating a Little League Baseball and/or Little League Softball program for a particular year. It is applied for annually by the local league. It is a legal contract committing the local Board of Directors to strict adherence to Little League rules, regulations, and policies.
Charter Committee: A group of personnel at Little League International in whom is placed (by the Little League International Board of Directors) the responsibility for the granting, suspension, termination, or limitation of any part of the charter, as well as the privilege of waiving rules and/or regulations as the individual situation warrants. Members of the Charter Committee are listed in the current year’s rulebook.
Constitution: A document produced at the local league level that governs the way the local league will operate, provided it does not conflict with Little League rules, regulations, and policies. This document must be approved by Little League International to be valid. The membership of the local league is responsible for its enforcement.
District Administrator: A volunteer position at the local level. Districts hold elections once every three years on a rotating basis. Each league in a district (a geographic area within a state or country) receives one vote and can nominate any person. Districts are usually composed of 8-20 local Little Leagues.
Dr. Creighton J. Hale International Grove: A housing, dining, and recreation area on the Little League International complex in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The complex also houses visitor/participants in summer camps, seminars, and schools, and has been used to house victims of natural disasters. It is named for the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League Baseball, Incorporated.
Ground Rules: See “local rules.”
Howard J. Lamade Stadium: The name of the stadium at which the Little League Baseball World Series has been played every year since 1959. It is named for the late Vice President of Grit Publishing, who was a member of the Little League Board of Directors in the 1950s. Grit Publishing donated the funds needed to purchase much of the land for the Little League International complex.
International Tournament: The tournament that begins in early July at the district level and ends in August with a World Series in seven divisions of play: Little League Baseball for 10-to-12-year-olds; Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball for 11-to-13-year-olds; Junior League Baseball for 12-to-14-year-olds; Senior League Baseball for 13-to-16-year-olds; Little League Softball for 10-to-12-year-old girls; Junior League Softball for 12-to-14-year-old girls; Senior League Softball for 13-to-16-year-old girls. The International Tournament is under the administrative control of the Tournament Committee in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Tournament Committee is composed of the same personnel as the Charter Committee. There are also tournaments in 8-to-10-year-olds and 9-to-11-year-olds in baseball and softball, each ending in state tournaments.
Junior League Baseball: A program for participants 12-14 years old (league age).
Junior League Softball: A program for girls 12-14 years old (league age).
League Age: The age attained by a certain date of the year in question as written in Regulation IV(e) in each of the respective rulebooks. This is the factor used by Little League in determining the age bracket in which each child will be placed during that season. Regulation I(a) provides the guidelines for league age per division. More information can be found at LittleLeague.org/LeagueAge.
Little League: Acceptable on first reference to the organization. Also used to identify the regular season division for participants age 9-12 (league age). Whenever used in letterhead or in a title by non-media entities, it should also be accompanied by a registration symbol “®”.
Little League Baseball, Incorporated: The official title of the organization, founded in 1939 by Carl Stotz in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It is the largest organized youth sports program in the world, providing baseball and softball programs to approximately two million participants ages 4-16 in more than 80 countries. Note: The word “Incorporated,” if used, should not be abbreviated.
Little League European Leadership Training Center: The correct title for the Europe and Africa Region Headquarters in Kutno, Poland.
Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball Division: A division of Little League Baseball for 11- to 13-year-old players, with a 50-foot pitching distance and 70-foot base paths. It is designed to accommodate players whose advanced skills permit rules that are closer to conventional baseball (such as leading off bases, pick-off attempts, etc.), on a field that is not quite as large as the Junior/Senior League diamond, but bigger than the Little League field dimensions.
Little League International Board of Directors: Board in whom is placed the responsibility for the management of the property and affairs of Little League Baseball, Incorporated.
Little League International Congress: A Congress of Little League Baseball and Softball District Administrators held once every four years. Part of the agenda at each Congress is to review any possible changes in the rules and regulations of Little League, and to make those recommendations for changes to the Little League International Board of Directors for approval.
Little League International: The name of the 75-acre complex in South Williamsport, Pa., that includes the Little League International Administration Building, Howard J. Lamade Stadium, the World of Little League: Peter J. McGovern Museum and Official Store, the Dr. Creighton J. Hale International Grove, the Jonathan Levin Pavilion, the John W. Lundy Little League Conference Center, Little League Volunteer Stadium, and the Official Little League Gift Shop. In addition to the stadium fields, there are additional practice fields and a lighted and covered outdoor batting cage.
Little League (West, East, Southeast, Southwest, Central) Region Headquarters: These are the names of the various U.S. Region Headquarters of Little League International. They are located in San Bernardino, California (West), Bristol, Connecticut (East), Warner Robins, Georgia (Southeast), Waco, Texas (Southwest), and Whitestown, Indiana. (Central). International Region Offices are located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Caparra Heights, Puerto Rico; Hong Kong; and Kutno, Poland.
Little League Softball®: A program for girls 9-12 years old (league age).
Little League Southeast Park: The name of the baseball stadium at Little League’s Southeast Region Headquarters in Warner Robins, Georgia. Serves as the site of the Little League Baseball Southeast Region Tournament and the Little League Softball Southeast Region Tournament.
Local League: The administrative organization, participants, managers, coaches, umpires, and all volunteers making up a chartered Little League program.
Local Rules (also ground rules, or bylaws): Those rules enacted annually by a local league referring to daily operations not covered in the Official Regulations and Playing Rules and the local league’s constitution.
Marvin Norcross Stadium: The name of the stadium at the Southwest Region Headquarters, the George W. Bush Little League Leadership Training Center, in Waco, Texas. It is the annual site of the Little League Baseball Southwest Region Tournament. It is named for the local District Administrator who was instrumental in the bringing the Little League center for the state of Texas to Waco, prior to the regional center being built there.
Member: See “regular member.”
Minor League Baseball: A minor division of the Little League Baseball charter, for participants 5-12 years old (See Tee Ball for exception). A local league might have further divisions at the local level, such as Minor Coach Pitch, Minor Machine Pitch, etc.
Minor League Softball: A minor division of the Little League Softball charter, for girls 5-12 years old. A league may have further divisions at the local level, such as Minor League Coach Pitch, Minor League Machine Pitch, etc.
8-, 9-, and 10-Year-Old Tournament: A tournament division in baseball and softball for participants of those league ages in baseball and girls’ softball. Teams advance to the state level only.
Official Regulations and Playing Rules: There are three such publications produced each year by Little League in the following divisions: Little League Baseball® (Tee Ball, Minor League, Little League, Little League Intermediate (50/70) Baseball Division, Junior League, and Senior League Baseball); Little League Softball® (Tee Ball, Minor League, Little League, Junior League, and Senior League Softball); and Little League Challenger Division®. The information is also available in the official Little League Rulebook App, found at LittleLeague.org/RulebookApp.
World of Little League®: Peter J. McGovern Museum and Official Store: The correct title for the museum, located on the Little League International complex. “World of Little League” is an accepted, alternate version.
Pitch Count: The method used to determine eligibility of a pitcher in all divisions of Little League Baseball. This regulation, implemented for the 2007 Little League Baseball season, replaced the innings-pitched rule, the previous way the eligibility of a pitcher was determined.
Player Member: Any participant placed on a team in a local league. Player members are not entitled to vote in the annual election and have no duties or obligations in the management or affairs of the local league. They may be entitled to vote during Tournament Team selection, if so stated in the local rules/ground rules of the local league.
Regular Member (or member): A person who is entitled to vote at the annual election for a local league and is entitled to attend any meeting of the membership of the league. Membership, and who receives it, is defined in the local league’s constitution. However, any manager, coach, volunteer umpire, or board member is automatically a regular member by virtue of his/her service.
Residence: The residence for a candidate or player member is the home residence of the parent or legal guardian, as shown on forms of identification that are acceptable to Little League. Residence, as defined by Little League, is detailed in the rulebook.
Rules Committee: A group of officials at Little League International, and members of the International Board of Directors (District Administrators) in whom is placed (by the Little League International Board of Directors) the responsibility for evaluating the rules of the various divisions of Little League, and for recommending for adoption any changes to the rules. Members of the Rules Committee are listed in the rulebook.
Senior League Baseball: A program for participants 13-16 years old (league age).
Senior League Softball: A program for girls 13-16 years old (league age).
Tee Ball: An instructional division of the Little League Baseball and Softball charter, for boys and girls participants 4-7 years old (league age). Participants 4 years of age (league age) must play only Tee Ball. Exception: If a player, league age 5 or 6, played a season of Tee Ball as a 4-year-old, the league may allow the player to participate in the Minor League Coach Pitch or Machine Pitch Division. To aid leagues in providing a positive introduction to baseball and softball, Little League developed a 10-week curriculum that has been shown to improve the Tee Ball experience for players, parents, and coaches which is available at LittleLeague.org/TeeBall.
Tee Ball Softball: An instructional division of the Little League charter, for girls 4-7 years old (league age). Girls 4 years of age (league age) must play only Tee Ball. Exception: If a girl, league age 5 or 6, played a season of Tee Ball as a 4-year-old, the league may allow the girl to participate in the Minor League Coach Pitch or Machine Pitch Division.
9-, 10-, and 11-Year-Old Tournament: A tournament division in baseball and softball for participants of those league ages in baseball and girls’ softball. Teams advance to the state level only.
Tournament Committee: A group of personnel at Little League International in whom is placed (by the Little League International Board of Directors) the responsibility for the operation of the International Tournament. Members of the Tournament Committee are also the members of the Charter Committee, which are listed in the rulebook.
If there are other terms you have seen throughout the Little League program that you are unsure what they mean, or are confused about anything you have seen, please contact Little League Support.