UPDATE on CLL 2020 SEASON – June 8
At long last, there might be a light at the end of the tunnel. Coronado Little League and all other District 32 leagues have been holding out hope that the 2020 Spring season could become the 2020 Summer season and there are signs that it might happen. The Governor has permitted the opening of “day camps,” which all youth sports seem to be interpreting it to mean that teams may practice, but not scrimmage or play games yet. The next step will be for San Diego Supervisors to apply that state-level permission to the County and then the City must approve. Expectations are that the County and City will approve “day camps” forthwith. The last hurdle will be when the Port District will fall into step and allow organized activities (practices) at Tidelands. BOTTOM LINE: CLL practices are expected to begin sometime in mid- or late June IF the fields are made available.
If CLL practices (and later, games) resume, be assured that comprehensive protocols will be in place to minimize the exposure of players and adults to COVID-19.
The CLL Board of Directors has not acted on whether all divisions will be invited to open (practice) this month, but concern has been expressed as to whether T-Ballers (4 and 5 year olds) can be reasonably expected to comply with social distancing and other health-protective practices. Therefore, there is a good chance T-Ball will not resume. If you disagree with that perspective, we welcome your input and you can email us HERE.
In the very near future, expect to receive a message from your child’s/children’s coach, inquiring whether your family wants to resume playing baseball. We fully expect attrition (COVID-19 concerns, vacations, other summer activities, etc.) and we understand that. We will just need to know how many players want to return for a summer season, which will start very shortly. If we have enough players in each of the divisions from AA through Juniors (and if we can get the Tidelands fields), then we will reshuffle teams to get them balanced and play baseball. There will be no playoffs. There will be no trophies. There might not be any standings. There will just be the opportunity for the kids to be on a team and get outside to play organized baseball.
A CLL Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 23. Hopefully, practices will be underway by that time and the Board discussions will be about scheduling and conducting games. Hopefully, by then, we will know whether Tidelands will be open for playing games.
SEASON REFUNDS
Independent of the commencement of practices (and games), our CLL Treasurer, Bill Berk, will be sending everyone an e-mail regarding refunds. It has been decided that CLL will offer a refund to each player. Refunds at the AA through Juniors level will be $100, and $50 for each T-Ball player. Once you receive Bill’s e-mail, you can (1) confirm that you want to accept the refund, (2) consider the 2020 registration fees a donation to CLL (and use a receipt Bill will provide), or (3) ignore Bill’s message. The offer of the refund will remain open until August 1, 2020. If we have not heard from you by that date, we will assume you are donating your registration fees to CLL (sincerest thanks), and refunds will not be available after that date. August is when we need to budget for the 2021 season and we will need to count on the money we have in the treasury as of that date.
As always, thank you so much for your support of Coronado Little League. Our Spring 2020 season will certainly be memorable (for all the wrong reasons), but we are hoping to salvage what we can of the season, subject to players’ availabilities to play and access to fields. Stay healthy and hopefully, we’ll PLAY BALL very soon!
UPDATE on Cll 2020 season – May 21
UPDATE on Cll 2020 season – May 13
CLL UPDATE
We are anxious to get our players back on the ball field and parents in the stands. But unfortunately, we are still waiting. As far as Little League International is concerned, practice and games can resume. However, LLI emphatically instructs all leagues to comply with state and local orders with respect to youth sports resuming. In California, the shutdown of youth sports has not been lifted yet. Specifically to Tidelands, the Port District has those fields closed through June.
District 32 (our district) is committed to re-starting the Juniors Division as soon as possible because for most Juniors players, this is their last year of Little League. When our Juniors Division can resume, it seems logical to hope that our Intermediate Division can resume too, because we have exclusive use rights to Bradley Field. We will have to iron out logistics regarding AAA, AA, and T-ball, as our only practice/game fields are at Tidelands, and soccer has permitted use of Tidelands starting in the summer.
Once the state has given the green light to start up youth sports, we will need to confirm that all local governments are also going to acknowledge that directive.
We are hoping to re-start play July 1. This is our “best guess” as the situation continues to change daily; we will do whatever we can to get as many players/teams back on the field as soon as we can. When we resume play, there will be protocols that every team and league must follow to protect participants from contracting/spreading coronavirus, including keeping up with social separation guidelines while still allowing the kids to play. These guidelines have not been circulated to our district/league yet, but we should be receiving them soon and will post them on our website when we have them.
Please stay healthy and hopeful that we’ll have a solid game plan in the near future.
UPDATE on Cll 2020 season – March 31
CLL Parents and Players,
We received an update about the Little League International position on season suspension. They extended the suspension through May 11 recently, which isn’t far off from the newly extended federal distancing order through April 30. Our most recent notice indicates that Little League International is committed to resuming the 2020 season as of May 11. Little League International wants all Little Leagues to have an abbreviated season, followed by the usual post-season play. Obviously, if spread of the coronavirus increases exponentially and the “stay at home” federal and/or state order is extended past April 30, that will force an extended Little League shut down. However, at this point, Little League International is not giving up on this season, and, if at all possible, it is determined to get kids back to playing baseball in May and in the post-season.
Coronado Little League will follow the directive of federal and state mandates and follow suit with what Little League International is recommending. We are hopeful that our season will resume in May, but are taking this situation one day at a time.
We will keep you, our baseball family, apprised of any changes and we hope to see you out on the ball fields very soon. Please continue to stay healthy and safe during this trying time and please feel free to contact us with any questions.
Best Regards,
Coronado Little League Board of Directors
:: Original letter from Little League International ::
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Dear Little League Volunteers, As information continues to become available regarding the increasing spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), we wanted to provide you, our leagues and district administrators, with additional guidance on the implementation of the Little League® program in your local communities. Little League International operates more than 6,500 programs in more than 84 countries, and therefore, we recommend that our leagues exercise an abundance of caution and implement a temporary suspension of all league activities until no earlier than April 6. While each community is being affected differently by the coronavirus, the Little League International Board of Directors and staff feel that it is in the best interest of our volunteers and participant families to delay the implementation of the Little League season to begin no earlier April 6. If your league chooses to continue to operate in its local community, then we strongly encourage you to seek the counsel of your community municipalities, public health departments, and local school districts. For those leagues that have already begun their seasons, we kindly ask that you postpone all league activity that may involve the gathering of individuals for games, practices, events, or meetings. If you have not started your season, we kindly ask that you modify your schedule and season plans to start no earlier than April 6. Should Little League determine that the recommended delay of the season will extend past April 6, we will provide timely notification and information regarding the impact of such a delay. We are committed to communicating with you on a consistent basis, providing you with additional information and best practices to work through the coronavirus pandemic. Please look for our official communication via email, on our website (LittleLeague.org/Coronavirus) Over the course of the next few weeks, Little League will continue to provide additional guidance on the impact of delaying the season on player eligibility and tournament participation, charter and insurance status for the year, A Safety Awareness Program plan deadlines, and guidance for communicating with parents and families in your communities. At this time, no decision has been made regarding delaying the start of the Little League International Tournament, however, it is our hope that Little League seasons can continue uninterrupted after April 6. Based on Little League International’s recommendation that you suspend your season until April 6, Little League will be considerate of the missed game play opportunities as we establish a new policy for tournament eligibility for the 2020 tournament season. It is our hope to alleviate any concerns of the impact of the situation on the tournament season and that your league and its families can focus on the health and well-being of your community at this time. We will continue to work with our medical advisors as we closely monitor the situation, and we are advising all our leagues and families to follow the guidelines set by the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), your state’s public health department (click here for a listing of state public health departments ), and other county and/or local authorities including precedents set by area school districts and government agencies. We encourage you to share this information with parents and membership of your league to ensure they are up-to-date and informed. As the situation continues to develop, Little League International will do our best to continue to keep our leagues, volunteers, and families informed. We encourage you to stay in touch with Little League and share any additional feedback or questions from your local communities by emailing SeasonUpdate@LittleLeague.org. We will be thinking of our global Little League community during this difficult time. Sincerely,
Stephen D. Keener |
character awards!
If your child received a character award at 2019 Closing Ceremonies, you can pick it up at the concession stand at Bradley Field during a weekday or weekend game once the season resumes. Congratulations on the award!