Middletown Little League – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General

Q: Where can I find registration info and costs?
A: Visit www.middletownlittleleague.org to register and see pricing.

● Check the Registration tab for costs by division
● Check the Divisions tab for details on each age-based division

Tee Ball and Tee Ball Clinic

Q: What’s the difference between Tee Ball Clinic and Tee Ball?
A: It mostly comes down to age and format.

● Tee Ball Clinic: for 4-year-olds (camp-style)
● Tee Ball: for 5–6-year-olds (team-based)

Tee Ball Clinic (age 4)

● Camp-style with skills and drills
● No official teams and no designated team coaches
● Volunteer instructors run each station
● Saturdays at 9:00 AM for 1 hour
● Scheduled for 6 weeks, starting late April and ending on the same day as our
season-ending Celebration in June
● A few Saturdays are left open for make-up sessions
● We typically host a parent welcome Zoom meeting in March

Tee Ball (ages 5–6)

● Players hit off a tee in practices and games
● In games, everyone hits each inning
● Kids rotate through different positions during the season
● This division is developmental and fun, not competitive
● We typically host a parent welcome Zoom meeting in March

Eligibility

Q: Is my child eligible to play Middletown Little League?
A: Eligibility is set by Little League International. To check your address/school, use the
official Little League League Finder: https://www.littleleague.org/play-little-league/league-finder/

● Your child may play if their school is in the MLL boundary
● Boundary rules apply for the Spring season (for ages 8 and up)
● Boundary rules DO NOT apply for the Spring season for ages 7 and below
● Fall season has no boundary restrictions

Q: How is my child’s “Little League age” determined for baseball and softball?
A: Baseball age is based on your child’s age on August 31. Softball age is based on your child’s age on December 31. You can confirm both using the official League Age Determination page: https://www.littleleague.org/play-little-league/determine-league-age/

This is consistent across all U.S. and international Little Leagues, and we can’t make
exceptions.

Extra softball detail (as provided):

● The softball age determination date is December 31 of the year prior to the
current season
● Players must be age 4 prior to January 1 of the current season year and under
age 17 to play
● Players turning 17 on January 1 or after in the current season year are eligible
and considered age 16 for the current season

Q: Where can I download the Medical Release Form?
A: Download it here: https://www.littleleague.org/downloads/medical-release-form/

Our League ID is 230-1911

Q: We live outside the Middletown Little League boundary—can my child still play?
A: It depends on your child’s age and school.

● If your child is under 8: they can play in any Little League (boundaries aren’t
enforced until age 8)
● If your child is 8 or older: if they attend a school within the Little League
boundaries (even if you don’t live in-boundary), you can submit the School
Enrollment Form found here: https://www.littleleague.org/downloads/school-enrollment-form/

This form is not required for children under 8

Q: What forms and documents are required to be submitted when registering
A: Birth Certificate, Proof of Residency or School Enrollment form. While there is not a boundary restriction for players league age 7 and below, the
league still needs to collect this documentation. If an out of boundary player 7 or below registers for Middletown Little League, and then chooses to stay in our league for age 8 and above we would be verifying they're previous and current address are out of our boundary, but they were properly registered at said address for those previous year(s).

Q: Can my child “play up” in an older division?
A: In most cases, no. As a Little League chartered organization, we follow Little League
rules for league age and division placement. For Spring 2026:

● Baseball: age is based on 8/31/2026
● Softball: age is based on 12/31/2025

We know this can be confusing because some other sports use grade level for divisions. Unfortunately, we can’t move players up based on parent requests, grade, or skill level.

Exceptions (limited):
● Some exceptions may be made in Tee Ball and Rookies (for coach schedules and certain circumstances)
● For Minors and up, there are no exceptions

Equipment

Q: What equipment does my child need?
A: Here’s what players should have:

● A glove that fits your child well
● Protective cup (males): strongly recommended
● Fielding face mask (females): strongly recommended
● Rubber cleats (helpful on damp/wet grass)
● Helmet

What the league provides:
● MLL a complete set of catcher’s equipment for each team

Good to know:
● Bats are not provided by MLL (many players bring their own, and some are willing to share)
● Softball batting helmets: if you provide your own, it must have a face mask/cage attached

Location, Practice Times, and Game Times

Q: When are practices and games (Spring)?
A: Practices are usually once a week, on a day set by your coach. Saturday times are typically:

● Tee Ball Clinic: 9:00 AM – 9:45 AM
● Tee Ball: 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
● Rookies Coach Pitch: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
● Minors: 2PM Saturday and one weekday around 6PM
● Majors: Two week day games. Typically Tuesday and Friday at 6 or 8PM

Q: When are practices and games (Fall)?
A: Practices are usually once a week, on a day set by your coach. Saturday times are typically:

● Tee Ball: 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
● Rookies Coach Pitch: 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
● Minors: 2PM Saturday and one weekday around 6PM
● Majors: Two week day games. Typically Tuesday and Friday at 6 or 8PM

Q: Where are games and practices held?
A: Most games and practices are at Bodman Park and McMahon Park. We also use
other fields located in Middletown, NJ.

Q: When does the season start and end?
A: Spring season: usually starts the first week of April and runs through the end of June; Fall season: usually starts the first week of September and runs through the first week of November

Coaching and Volunteer Opportunities

Q: How do I sign up to coach?
A: Just like registering your player—you’ll sign up to coach through our online portal.

Q: How do I sign up to volunteer?
A: We’ll share volunteer needs throughout the season, and signups are usually sent out
via SignUpGenius.

Requests

Q: How is my player assigned to a team?
A: It depends on the division. Tee Ball + Rookies (baseball) + Rookies (softball) Teams are formed by team managers and player agents based on:

● Requests (when available, not all are accommodated)
● Team size
● An attempt to group kids from similar schools

All other divisions
Players go through assessments, then teams are formed through a draft, where
managers select based on:

● Player skill
● Availability
● Positional needs

Q: Can I request a specific coach, teammate, or team?
A: You can make requests for Tee Ball and Coach Pitch.

● We’ll do our best to accommodate requests, but we can’t guarantee specific
teams, coaches, or player pairings
● Requests are NOT taken for Minors, Majors, and above