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International Tournament Finances: What League Officials Need to Know

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The Little League® International Tournament, that starts with Districts and leads to one of our World Series events, is just another way that your community can come together, make lifelong memories on the baseball and softball field, and support healthy, fun opportunities for the children in your league. It’s good for League Officials and parents to understand the tournament finances and financial implication of participating in the Little League International Tournament.

Little League International Tournament Entry Fee: 

As leagues enroll there Little League International Tournament teams through the Data Center, there is a $300 entry fee per tournament team enrolled at the Little League, Intermediate (50/70), Junior League, and Senior League divisions of play. The Tournament Entry Fee for the 8- to 10-Year-Old and 9- to 11-Year-Old divisions is $150. Little League International uses the funds raised through these fees to help offset the direct financial assistance that Little League International gives to leagues for teams advancing to Region and World Series tournaments.

Little League International’s Tournament entry fee is only charged at the start of the tournament, and 100 percent of the funds gathered through that fee go back to Little League’s tournament reimbursements to local leagues advancing at the highest levels of the International Tournament, helping leagues as they continue through the tournament.

Starting in 2024, any mileage reimbursement for these levels of play will only be available for teams advancing to Region Tournaments.

District, Section, and State Tournament Fees: 

Tournaments below the region level are hosted by local league and district volunteers as determined by the District Administrators in each state. Tournament hosts are responsible for covering all costs associated with the tournament including, but not limited to, game balls, pins, banners, awards, field maintenance, umpire-related expenses, etc. To cover these costs, hosts may charge an entry fee to each team participating. To effectively budget for tournament season, reach out to your District Administrator prior to June 1 to inquire about local tournament fees/locations for the district, section, and state tournaments.

Tournament hosts are encouraged to provide all leagues participating with a copy of the budget/expenses for each tournament. Entry fees charged should only be used to cover the expenses directly related to the operation of that tournament.

Tournament Fundraising

To help leagues and parents in offsetting their tournament-related costs, Little League University has a series of tournament fundraising resources: