To the families of the Staten Island Little League,

We’re sending this message today to provide an updates in a number of areas.

First – Start date is looking like a reality

• We are closing in on a likely start date to resume baseball activities for late June - early July. The district has asked Governor Cuomo to allow practices to resume with phase 3 of the reopening plan, while game play will continue to target phase 4. Regardless of the exact date, it appears at this point we will definitely be having a season, however, there will be some adjustments. A list of requirements will be communicated in the coming weeks, and Zoom meetings will replace the “must meetings” we traditionally hold, to ensure parents are informed of the steps we as a league are taking to try and prevent the spread of Coronavirus. These requirements will include both in game changes for players and for spectators.

Second – Structural changes for T-ball & Coach Pitch

• T-ball & Coach divisions will follow a clinic style format, with hour long sessions at least once, and possibly twice per week. Players will still be split into teams and get uniforms, but there will not be specifically scheduled games or practices for any individual teams. As the season progresses we may begin scheduling games, but will play that by ear.
• The reason for this decision, is all players will be required to wear masks and socially distance, and we are not confident that players at this age will observe those rules in a game setting. Rather, we will split everyone into smaller groups and spread them across the fields for fundamental skills training along with fun baseball related games they can play.

Third – Fall Ball

• Since the season is starting so late this year, we will either extend directly into what is typically the Fall Ball season, or start Fall Ball anew for those that want to play, for no charge.
• If you already paid for Fall Ball as part of the bundle, we will credit your Fall Ball registration towards next season.

Fourth – Refund policy & options

• We have received some requests for refunds already, and also a number of questions about how that works. We want to be clear that Staten Island Little League completely understands and empathizes with all families that decide that playing baseball or softball is not for them this year. For that reason we are providing guidance on refunds as well as additional options for how you can support the league, while also not playing and not losing the fees you’ve already paid. If you are choosing anything besides playing the season, please email [email protected] to inform us of your choice. If you do not contact us, we will assume you are playing the season.

1. Play the Season – if you decide to play the season, the registration fee you’ve already paid will apply.
2.  Registration Credit – if you decide not to play this year, but still want to support the league financially, we can credit your registration fee for next season. This has a number of benefits, the first being that the league is able to keep the funds over the off-season to cover overhead expenses, which is much needed due to the delayed start date and drop in participation this year. Second, your registration amount from this year will be applied for next season, and if the fee for your division increases, you will not be charged the difference. Please note that the per family field maintenance fee will be charged next season.
3. Tax Credit – Representative Rose has introduced a bill into the House which would allow registration fees which have been turned into donations to the league to be deducted from your income when filing taxes, as a tax credit. This has not passed, and is not guaranteed to be an option, but if it does become viable, anyone choosing this option would need to pay registration fees for next season since the money paid this year would now be a donation. If this option does not get passed through congress, and you do not receive a refund, we will apply your fee as a registration credit for next season.
4. Refund – If none of these options work for you, that’s completely fine, we will refund your entire registration cost. Please note that the per family field maintenance fee, which was $35 this year per family (not per player), is not refundable and will be used towards upkeep of the facility. If this creates a hardship, please contact the league and we can discuss directly.

This was a lot of information, thanks for taking the time to read our message. For those that have hung in there, we hope to have players on the field within the next few weeks. For those that have decided not to play, we hope to see you in the Fall, or next season. Please be on the lookout for emails about Zoom meetings so we can provide additional information about the start of the season… and if you’re receiving this and haven’t registered yet, and want to, there’s still time