1. When does the season start / end? When are the practices and games?
Fall Season: For all Divisions, games begin in early to mid-September and end the weekend before Thanksgiving. All Divisions will have one game per week on Sunday (generally in the afternoon) and one practice per week. Practice days and times are determined by your child's coach (we cannot guarantee a specific practice day for your child).
Spring Season: Baseball Divisions (ages 7 and up) have mandatory tryouts in early to mid-January, and begin practicing in late January or early February. Games begin in late February and end shortly after Memorial Day. In pre-season, teams will generally practice two days per week. Once the season starts, teams will have two games per week and one practice per week. Each week, all teams will have a Saturday game AND a weekday afternoon game (day will vary each week). Practice days and times are determined by your child's coach (we cannot guarantee a specific practice day for your child).
Tee Ball / Farm (ages 5 & 6) do not have tryouts and begin practice in mid-February. Games start in late February to early March and end in mid-May. Each team will have one Saturday game per week and one practice per week. Practice days and times are determined by your child's manager (we cannot guarantee a specific practice day for your child).
2. Do we need to live in the Sherman Oaks area to have our child play here?
Fall Season: There are no geographical restrictions.
Spring Season: Little League requires that each player either resides or attends school within the SOLL Boundaries. Click below to see:
We also understand that you may desire to have your child(ren) play out of the area so that your child(ren) can play with friends. However, any out-of-area player that plays at SOLL is ineligible for any postseason All-Star teams. PRIOR TO REGISTERING TO PLAY, PARENTS MUST CONTACT THE REGISTRAR at [email protected]. TO SEEK APPROVAL FOR AN OUT OF AREA WAIVER TO BE SUBMITTED BY THE LEAGUE. Waivers are not automatic and are subject to the League whose boundary you are in and District 40 Little League approvals with final approval determined by the Charter Committee of Little League International.
If you move from our area after the season begins, please notify us so we can submit a waiver request as a result of your change of address. This also applies to players who moved out of our area since last season and still want to play at SOLL.
3. In what age group or division will my child play? What does League Age mean?
Click on the "Age Info" tab for division breakdowns, little league age calculator and age chart.
4. When will we hear what team we're on? How are teams formed?
Fall Season: Teams are generally formed in late August. A coach will contact you one to two weeks prior to the season.
Spring Season: For Baseball Divisions (Single A thru Majors), all teams are formed via the Little League draft to ensure fair and balanced teams. Shortly after tryouts have concluded, a draft is held for each of the five baseball divisions, beginning with the Majors draft (ages 11-12) in mid-January, and ending with the Single A draft (ages 7-8) in late Jan. / early Feb. A coach will contact you within a few days after that division's draft. The number of players registered for the league and the number of teams in each division will determine how many players may be eligible for a particular division. No decisions are made about the number of teams in each division until SOLL's registration period is complete.
For players in the T-Ball and Farm Divisions, there are no tryouts or draft, and teams are formed in early to mid-February. We do our best to accommodate "friends" requests, however, no guarantees are made or implied. In addition, such accommodations will not be made for the competitive divisions of AA, AAA, Minors and Majors.
5. I'm concerned about time conflicts and/or transportation issues. Can I make a special request for my child?
(i.e., specific division, team or manager; tryout, practice or game schedule)
Unfortunately, NO. Each Spring, SOLL offers an organized program from February - June with approx. 900 players on more than 50 teams. Each Fall, our program is from mid-September - mid-November with approx. 350 players on more than 30 teams.
When enrolling your child for the upcoming season, you accept the structure of the league. We understand that children and families have commitments outside of SOLL. When enrolling, as would be done for any extracurricular activity, it is up to you, the parents, not SOLL, to adjust your child's schedule accordingly to allow them to attend and participate in tryouts and scheduled team practices and games. This should be carefully considered before enrolling. NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED ONCE YOUR CHILD IS PLACED ON A TEAM.
6. How can I become a Team Manager or Coach? What is involved?
Little League relies solely on volunteers to serve as Team Managers and Coaches. To find out exactly what is required to coach baseball at SOLL, CLICK HERE. It's a lot easier than you might think!
7. What equipment do we need to participate?
SOLL provides each player with a cap, jersey and socks. For a complete list of equipment that you need to provide, CLICK HERE.
8. Why does SOLL have fundraising events?
Our registration fees do not cover all expenses needed to operate our League, so in addition to registration, there is additional fundraising at SOLL. This includes Team Sponsors (2 required for each team), The Spring Raffle, Dodger Night and Field signs for businesses. We ask for your participation to help keep SOLL the best place for your children to play baseball.
But our biggest fundraiser is our Snack Bar. Always open on game days, it's a wonderful gathering place for players and families before, during and after games. Please support SOLL by visiting our Snack Bar as well as purchasing "snack bar bucks" for after-game team snacks.
9. Where is the Lost and Found?
Lost and Found items are stored in our equipment room, located along the east wall of the snack bar building (facing the AAA field). Please ask a League Official for assistance or inquire with the Snack Bar.
Still have a question? CLICK HERE for a list of League Contacts.