District 9 2021
Season Guidelines
Safety First
League:
Must have a Staff person or Team Volunteers on hand at all games/practices to Monitor Compliance of the Guidelines
Staff/Volunteer must wear face covering, when interacting with team players or coaches, unless doing so would be contrary to their health or safety due to medical conditions
All common surface areas must be sanitized/disinfected before and after events (dugouts, bleachers, door handles to concession, field houses, concession counters etc.)
Bathrooms must be sanitized/disinfected frequently
Concession Stands can be opened if approved by leagues local health director – Workers must wear masks
Games/Practices should be scheduled with a minimum of a half hour in between to avoid large groups of players and spectators at the fields at the same time
Hand Sanitizers/Wipes should be provided for common areas
Guidelines and social distancing reminders should be posted at fields
One way in and one way out of fields should be marked, where possible
Players:
Players are not required to wear face covering while on the field – but can be utilized at parent/player preference
Players are required to wear a face covering when not on field of play or engaged in practice, unless doing so would be contrary to their health or safety due to medical conditions
Players should bring their own bat, helmet, glove, batting gloves, water bottle and hand sanitizer
No spitting, sunflower seed eating, or gum chewing is allowed
No handshakes, high fives or physical body contact allowed
Catchers gear if shared must be sanitizer/disinfected between uses
No player’s personal equipment bags should be allowed in the Dugouts. Bags should be spaced six feet apart outside the dugout to avoid direct contact by others
Coaches:
Coaches must always wear face coverings and practice social distancing
Must complete a daily self-health screening and refrain from being present for any league activities and follow local health guidelines if symptoms are present
Coaches to organize practices to allow for social distancing – split players into smaller group activities, avoid stacking of players for drills or use of batting cages
No team huddles are allowed
No shared water jugs are allowed
No spitting, sunflower seed eating, or gum chewing is allowed
No handshakes, high fives or physical body contact allowed
Parents/Spectators:
Are encouraged, but no longer required, to wear face coverings
Must practice social distancing
Are not allowed in dugouts or stand near dugouts – must stay in designated area along outfield fence
Should complete a daily self-health screening for themselves and for their children and refrain from being present for any league activities and follow local health guidelines if symptoms are present
People with an existing medical condition should not come to the field
Should bring their own chair
Should not hang around the field before or after the games/practices to socialize
Umpires:
Must wear a face covering, unless doing so would be contrary to their health or safety due to medical conditions
Position themselves behind the pitchers – far enough to practice social distancing but still be able to call balls and strike
Umpire can be positioned behind catcher, if so catcher is required to wear a mask
Must complete a daily self-health screening and refrain from being present for any league activities and follow local health guidelines if symptoms are present
General Game Notes:
Only 3 players (batter, on-deck batter and player in the hole) should be in dugout when team is on offense, rest of team lined up along fence outside dugout or in stands – practicing social distancing and wearing face coverings
Leagues should have a minimum of two weeks of practices before starting any leagues games, to avoid any injuries to players.
Pitchers should be limited in number of pitches/innings in the first few weeks, in order to build up their arm strength – then follow Little League guidelines for pitch limits