St. Anthony (SABSA) Softball FAQ s (and Answers) Why is the online registration period so early in the year? Softball Associations open registration in early January to allow time for various needs: allow time for Players to shake the rust off in Open Gyms and Clinics, announce and hold evaluations/tryouts, assign players to teams, assign teams to the best level of play, and partner with other Associations if necessary to attempt to get all interested players a place to play during the upcoming season. What are the age requirements for Softball? Introductory/6U, and 8U Softball, for younger and/or less-advanced players, list suggested age brackets on their respective pages. Please follow those links. Fastpitch teams are chosen by the age of the player on 12/31 of the previous year. 10U: 10 and under as of 12/31/prior year 12U: 12 and under as of 12/31/prior year 14U: 14 and under as of 12/31/prior year What are the Registration fees? Registration fees are published before registration each year. Fastpitch Softball fees cover longer seasons, tournament fees, and professional Umpires, which make Fastpitch Registration fees higher than Introductory/6U and 8U fees. Successful fundraising helps keep St. Anthony with typically some of the lowest Registration fees in the area. What do the Registration Fees cover? Registration fees cover Website Registration cost, Evaluation/Tryout expenses, Insurance, team League Fees, Tournament Fees for one in-season tournament, Gate fees and Tournament Fees for the Qualifier and State Tournaments (for 10U, 12U & 14U), Team Equipment expenses, Umpires, Field & Biffy use fees, and Coaching Materials and Education. The Gate fee, paid by the Association on behalf of each team to the State Tournament host Association, allows admission to all tournament games for all family members and friends. Fastpitch Leagues formerly charged spectators at the Gate for State. What if my player decides not to play after registration? Can I still get a refund? A small portion of the Registration Fee is non-refundable, as it is not possible for SABSA to obtain a refund from the website operator, and some expenses begin before the seasons, based on registration numbers. Refunds are not offered at all after the Friday before Evaluations/Tryouts weekend.
What about Uniforms? SABSA has two Uniform Jersey styles. Intro/6U and 8U Players wear a T-shirt style Jersey. Fastpitch (10U/12U/14U) Players wear a more Racerback style Jersey. SABSA purchases each player the first jersey of each type that they need. Additional, or subsequent jerseys of the same type are at Player expense. Please note that a Player can wear a particular jersey for a number of years, so when in doubt between sizes, choosing the larger size may defer the expense of the next Jersey purchase. What Equipment does SABSA provide? SABSA provides team bats, some helmets, Catcher s gear, and at least one Defensive Mask per team. (SABSA requires ALL Pitchers to wear a defensive mask, and strongly encourages 3 rd & 1 st Basemen to wear a Defensive Mask). What other Uniforms pieces or Equipment will my player need? Each player is required to supply their own black baseball pants, royal blue socks, cleats, glove, hair ties, and sunglasses. Some players have also worn visors. These are still available from our Uniform vendor (at player expense), but our experience has been that sunglasses provide a better form of protective equipment than visors, so we have discontinued supplying visors. Without visors, hair ties are even more necessary. Players desiring to play Pitcher or Corner Infield positions are strongly recommended to purchase their own Defensive Mask. Most of the additional Uniform pieces, and Defensive Masks are available through the SABSA Online Store, open on the website from the beginning of Registration through early April. Players are also encouraged to acquire their own sliding (shin) pads, sliding shorts, batting gloves, helmet, bat, and equipment bag. When does the season run? Play generally begins in early May and ends mid-july, with the (Fastpitch) Qualifier and State Tournaments. Game days and end-of-year Tournament Dates are usually fixed by the end of April. Families of Fastpitch Players are respectfully requested to make every attempt to schedule family vacations around Qualifier and State Tournaments. Additional information will be provided to parents after the League meetings.
Does St. Anthony hold Evaluations or Tryouts? SABSA partners with the St. Anthony High School Varsity Coach, staff, and Volunteers, holding Evaluations to review player skills, form teams, and choose the level of play (A,B,C) believed to be most appropriate for each League team. Registered Players and their parents will be notified of the specific date and time for Evaluations, which are held at different times for different age groups. SABSA works hard to find a place for every Registered Player to play. However, in the event that the numbers of players do not work out to accommodate this, the Evaluations may effectively be considered Tryouts, and results will weigh heavily on which Registered Players will not be placed on a team. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that all Registered Players attend Evaluations. Who will be my child s Coach? All Coaches are volunteers. If you are interested in being a Head Coach or Assistant, please note your interest on your Player s registration form. Coaches are required to pass Background Checks. Coaches for all age divisions are determined after teams have been selected. In the event that there is more than one Candidate for Head Coach for any team, Candidates will be interviewed by the Coach Selection Committee, through an interview process. The Coach Selection Committee makes their recommendation to the SABSA Board, who has final authority on the decision. When are teams determined? Teams selections are recommended to the SABSA Board by the Evaluations Committee, shortly after Evaluations have finished. The SABSA Board makes the final decision on all team selections. How are teams formed? SABSA stresses forming teams within the natural age group and according to ability, which gives the best chance of similarly-abled players improving individually and collectively. We believe that the most fun, satisfaction, and progression happen among the more similarly-abled players on each team. Because of this, after the natural age group, ability should be the most strongly considered element in deciding the level at which a player should compete. Unlike some sports, Softball age groups change every 2 years; because of this, teammates often change from year to year. This offers amazing opportunities to forge new friendships, as players get to know each other while they play together, and each new year s team is likely to have some different players than the year before. The opportunities for new friendships discussion is one that parents can use successfully with their players, and a little team-building effort from team parents (treats, ride-sharing, team parties, etc.) can go a long way towards forging new friendships.
Because of the relatively small size of our community, SABSA must occasionally balance some player desires with consideration to filling out teams at every age group possible. Players and parents are asked to please acknowledge this need of our programs, and we very much appreciate your assistance. Can my Player request to play with a friend? Yes, these friend requests can be made via a separate, written request for consideration, while Registration is open. Such requests will receive consideration during team formation, but team makeup and skill levels do have a higher priority than friend requests. This question sometimes involves the implication of a younger player wanting to play up to be on the same team with a friend. (An example would be: a 12-year old wanting to play with her 13-year old school classmates/friends at 14U). And, whether because of a friend, or not, although not encouraged, players may submit a written request to the Softball President at the time of Registration, to be considered for playing up. Please note that such requests may be honored, or declined, at the Board s discretion, and the demonstration of the requesting Player s advanced ability (as best shown through Evaluations) is the strongest argument in favor of allowing a player to play up. The Board may also occasionally request a player to play up to fill out a team. If your player is asked, it is likely because of a need to fill out a team to provide an opportunity that a lot of other girls will (also) benefit from, but it is definitely evidence of the Board s confidence in your player s demonstrated abilities. (Note that Playing down is not allowed under League rules). How often do teams practice? Teams usually have at least two practices per week prior to the season starting. Once the season starts, practice days and times may vary. Practice will normally last 1 ½ - 2 hours each session. How often are the games, and how far do we travel? 8U: One game is usually played one night a week. 10U: Doubleheaders are played one night a week against the same team. 12U: & 14U groups: Doubleheaders are played twice a week against the same team each night. 10U home games are usually played at Wilshire Park or Emerald Park; 12U home games are at Wilshire Park or Central Park; 14U home games are played at Central Park.
Away games are hosted by nearby communities. At 8U, St. Anthony participates in the 8U Northern League ; away games are in close-proximity neighboring communities in the north-central suburbs. For Fastpitch, St. Anthony participates in the Suburban League, which sets up the game schedule for the season. The league makes every effort to create divisions based upon a team s geographical location. If for some reason there are not enough teams within our geographical location to create a division within a particular age group, teams could possibly travel further than anticipated. Distances to State Tournaments at the end of the season may vary. What about Tournaments (Fastpitch)? Tournaments may vary according to team. Your Registration fee pays for one inseason weekend tournament for Fastpitch teams, and your child s team may choose to participate in more, at team expense. For tournaments, games often begin on a Friday night and may conclude on Sunday. Depending on the tournament, teams are usually guaranteed at least 2-5 games. The Fastpitch Qualifier and State Tournaments are held once the regular season has concluded. These tournaments follow a double-elimination format. The Qualifier determines which teams will advance to the State Tournament. The Qualifier and State Tournaments are also included in the Registration fee. Other Tournaments are optional, and teams coordinate their own attendance at these tournaments. A good source of Tournament information is the Fastsports website: www.fastsports.com