SWPLL FAQ
What is SWPLL?
SW Portland Little League (SWPLL) is a non-profit provider of baseball and softball programs in SW Portland, Oregon. SWPLL is chartered by Little League International, a world-wide organization perhaps best known for the Little League World Series every August. SWPLL is also part of Oregon District 4, an administrative unit of several Little Leagues west of the Willamette River. SWPLL came into existence in the early 2000's by the merger of the prior SW Portland and Mt. Sylvania Little Leagues.
Who runs SWPLL?
SWPLL depends entirely on the time and effort of volunteers. The league is managed by a Board of Directors that is elected annually at our annual meeting in November. Parents, grandparents and friends serve on the Board and in all the other roles that are needed to make the League work -- everything from coaching teams to organizing raffles to working at concession stands. The quality of product the League provides is entirely dependent on the input of its volunteers, and everybody has something to contribute.
SWPLL relies primarily on registration fees to pay expenses. The league has a small amount of sponsor income, and in the past has staged fundraisers from time to time. Like all things in life, costs keep going up, and the SWPLL Board tries its best to keep registration fee increases to a minimum.
SWPLL has four primary areas of expense - uniforms, fields, equipment and umpires. The Board is always watching for ways to control expenses without compromising the programs offered.
What Programs Are Offered?
SWPLL offers both softball and baseball for players ages 5 to 14. A player's age is determined as of 12/31 of the preceding year for softball. For example, in 2022 a softball player born 1/1/2010 is age 11. Recent changes by Little League International to the age determination for baseball makes it too complicated to explain here; please see the "Registration" tab for more information.
One of the most common questions that parents ask is, "What is the correct level of play for my child?"
Tee ball:
- Teeball is designed to help 5-6 year-olds begin the long journey of learning baseball and softball fundamentals as well as some rules and how the game is played. The ball is hit off of a tee and all coaches are allowed on the field of play to assist the kids. Towards the end of the season, coaches may agree to pitch softly to the kids, using the tee as a backup. Fundamentals and safety are stressed. There is no such thing as too many parent "assistant" coaches at this age level. In the past SWPLL has offered both co-ed and all-girl Tee Ball teams. Generally, almost all kids are ready to move on after one year of playing Teeball
Baseball (mostly boys but girls are welcome):
- Single A is designed for 6 and 7 year-olds with some knowledge of rules or with a year of Teeball experience. The coach pitches to his/her own team the entire game, from a designated spot (usually in front of the regular pitching mound). Fundamentals are the focal point. An agreed upon number of coaches are allowed on the field and the pitching coach acts as the umpire. The goal is to get all the kids swinging aggressively at the ball.
- Double A is for ages 7 and 8. In Double A ball there is a mixture of pitching machines, coach pitch, and occasionally player pitch. As always, the emphasis is on fundamental skills, including pitching, and the players begin to develop the ability to hit competitive pitching from an opposing player. Typically the season begins with either machine or coach pitch with a transition to player pitch as the season progresses.
- Triple A follows the general rules of baseball and softball. Players pitch the entire game with official umpires (called balls and strikes with walks), sliding, stealing and the ability to advance bases on wild pitches. There is the usual emphasis on sportsmanship and fun, however, this level is competitive and scores are kept along with the win-loss records of each team. Triple A is primarily composed of players age 9 and 10, although advanced 8-year olds can try out for AAA.
- Majors is for 11 and 12 year olds, although advanced 10 year olds can try out. No player below the age of 10 may play Majors. The rules of play are the same as for Triple A except for local league options such as limiting the number of runs per inning.
- Juniors is for 13 and 14 year olds and will be offered if there is enough interest.
Softball (girls): Please see here for more info.
If this information doesn't answer your questions, please contact the Player Agent for your sport (Baseball or Softball) or League President. They will be happy to assist you in making the right choice for your child.
Any player wishing to play AAA, Majors or Juniors (baseball or softball) MUST attend an evaluation session. Little League requires that all 12 year-olds play at the Majors level unless the league has been requested to address special circumstances. For more information, please see the Player Evaluations page.
How Are Teams Created?
- Assignment - Teams are formed by grouping players that have common backgrounds. This is often done by school, grade, and age. We are a diverse group that covers many schools and we intentionally try to mix at least 2 schools together. Friendships and childcare arrangements are also used to make roster decisions. When those items fail to yield an obvious answer, and especially for those who register late, registration order is used to direct a player to a team.
- Draft - Teams are formed through a well defined selection process where managers take turns choosing players from a pool of players determined by the Player Agent. This makes keeping large groups of players together (i.e. friends or "last year's team", etc) difficult if not impossible. The league still encourages families to make their needs and requirements known so that every consideration can be given. But families have to expect less control over placement when this form of roster is used.
- Roster Preservation - When in use, players returning to the same level of play will be retained by the team for which they played the prior season.
Little League International requires that all teams at the Majors level and above be formed by use of a draft. SWPLL also uses a draft at the AAA level for baseball. Depending on the composition of returning players, SWPLL may utilize roster preservation at these levels as well. All non-draft levels of play use assignment to roster teams.
How much does it cost?
Fees change every year. No player is turned away due to financial hardship. Those needing financial assistance should contact the registrar@swpll.org. Everyone who is eligible is encouraged to apply for the T-Mobile Little League Call up Grant.
Here are some frequently asked questions, along with their corresponding responses that might help prior to the beginning of the season.
Q. When will we be contacted by our coach?
Majors and AAA rosters are drafted by the coaches within one week of the final safety evaluation/tryout. All other rosters are created 7 to 10 days after the registration deadline. This can be extremely complicated and time consuming. The coach of your team should contact you shortly thereafter. For drafted teams, this usually means the first week of March, and for all other teams it is in mid-March.
Q. How often and where do the teams practice?
Practice length and frequency increases as participants move to higher levels of play. The details of practice time, location, and duration are issues to each team to work out individually. The availability of the coaches' volunteer time weighs heavily in this decision. In general, you can expect no or one practice per week at Teeball, one practice a week for A and AA, and two or more practices per week at AAA and above. Practices usually start during Spring Break for AAA and above, April 1 for A and AA, and mid-April for T-ball.
Q. When are the games?
Almost all our teams play on Saturdays. T-ball will have no more than one game per week. A and AA may have one more game per week on a weekday evening. AAA, Majors, and Juniors could have up to three games per week.
Q. How long do games last?
A. Each level is different. T-ball games usually last about an hour. Single A and Double A usually last about 2 hours with a lot of freedom granted to the coaches for adjusting this time down based on the attention span of their players. AAA games last from two to two and a half hours. Majors play a full 6 inning game unless forced to cut the game short because of scheduling.
Q. What equipment do I need to provide for my player?
All players need a glove in order to be on the field. If you are unable to purchase a glove for your child, let the coach know. There are often limited supplies of lost gloves from prior seasons that are available for loan.
The league provides jerseys, hats, bats, helmets, balls and catcher's equipment. Cleats are optional, and metal cleats are prohibited. Beginning in single A, most players wear grey baseball pants. Girls in softball are often provided with headbands.
Most players provide their own helmet due to concerns about lice. Many players also often have their own bat; however, before purchasing a bat please read the information on the home page about Approved Bats. If a bat is not on the approved list, it cannot be used in league play. Many a parent has been disappointed to find out the expensive bat they purchased cannot be used. This is a safety issue - many expensive bats are engineered to put the ball in play with a level of force that can be dangerous to younger players.
Q. Can I request my child to play with a specific team, coach or teammate?
Yes you can!! You should have been prompted to fill in this request during registration. If you have a preference that was not noted, send an e-mail requesting your preference the VP for the level you requested and to the Player Agent for your level. Requests are not guaranteed but we make every effort to honor requests. Requests should not be made for levels that are selected with a draft (AAA baseball, and Majors and above in both sports).
Q. How can I help?
We absolutely love volunteers! Please reach out to Communications to learn more about volunteer opportunities.
Thanks for joining the league. Have a great season!