9'ers Division to Expand 8 Year Old Eligibility 

The Board has decided to expand the opportunities for 8 year olds to participate in the "9'ers" division.  This division was put in place last season to create a bridge experience for younger kids to develop pitching skills as well as face kid pitching prior to entering into the Minors division.  

Board Approves Full Partnership with Positive Coaching Alliance

The Board has approved investing in a full partnership with the Positive Coaching Alliance.  That means we will have a guest speaker come to Seattle to present the Double Goal Coach material in-person.  In 2009 NCLL joined the PCA for the first time and had coaches take an online course.  The Double Goal effort has received very strong support from coaches and parents.

A Stanford University based organization, the PCA has three primary goals:   

1. Replace the "win-at-all-cost" model of coaching with the Double-Goal Coach^®, who wants to win but has a second, more important, goal of using sports to teach life lessons;
2. Teach youth sports organization leaders how to create an organizational culture in which Honoring the Game is the norm; and
3. Spark and fuel a "social epidemic" of Positive Coaching that will sweep this country.

To learn more about the Positive Coaching Alliance, go to their website: www.positivecoach.org

Board Approves Registration Fees For 2010

The Board has approved the following registration fees for the 2010 season:

Baseball: Juniors, Seniors, Big League: $130

Baseball: Coach Pitch, 8/9ers, Minors, Majors: $115

Tee Ball: $85

Girls Fast Pitch Softball (all levels): $115

These rates are the average of the Seattle Little Leagues.  The board expects that the increases will reduce the need for fundraising - though not eliminate it completely.

Board Approves New Pre-Season Player Program & Gym Rental

The Board has approved partnering with Mark Linden of Baseball Positive to offer a series of pre-season player development sessions starting in January.  As of right now, the sessions will take place over 5 weeks, each session is an hour. 

• TRACK #1 is for 8-11 year olds and is focused on hitting and pitching.  This track is intended for kids in the 8/9'ers and Minors divisions. 
• TRACK #2 is for 11-14 year olds with a sole focus on hitting.  This track is intended for kids in the Majors and Junior programs.
• TRACK #3 is for 11-14 year olds with a sole focus on pitching.  This track is intended for kids in the Majors and Junior programs.

In addition, the Board has approved renting the Wallingford Boys & Girls Club gym for league purposes for 5 hours each Saturday for 6 weeks starting in March.  This will afford each division an indoor facility for at least a few times during the practice season.