LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT
LL Tournament Info - Holden Baseball All Star Guidelines
The Basics
The Little League International Tournament is the most widely known youth sports tournament in the world. There are six levels of tournament play in Little League Baseball®. The tournaments start at the District level, and teams must win their way to advance through the International Tournament. The 8-to-10 Year Old and 9-to-11 Year Old Tournaments culminate at the State Level, while the Little League level will conclude at a World Series Tournament. Leagues pay a one-time fee to enter each team into the Little League International Tournament, with 100 percent of that fee returning to local Little League teams that advance through the International Tournament to help offset costs.
Player Eligibility
Players are eligible for Tournament Play provided they meet the criteria established by Little League’s “Residency and School Attendance Player Eligibility Requirement.” In all divisions, any eligible player who has participated in 60 percent of the regular season games by the start of Tournament Play in their respective district is eligible to play. The local league Board of Directors may waive the requirement for Little League players to participate in a percentage of their teams’ Little League regular season games for illness or injury.
Selecting a Tournament Team
The method of selecting a Tournament Team is to be determined by the local league Board of Directors. While methods vary, Little League recommends multiple groups within a local league participate in a fair selection. These groups may include players, league officers, team managers, team coaches, and volunteer umpires. Little League believes players should have a say in who makes a Tournament Team. It is the organization’s experience that players are often objective in the selection process, have an intuitive respect for fellow players, and appreciate the opportunity for their opinions to be heard.
HOLDEN’S ALL STAR PROCESS
During the final weeks of the little league season, the players in the Major division are given ballots. One ballot has all of the 11 and 12 year old players eligible for selection to the majors division team. The other ballot lists all of the 10 and 11 year old players eligible for the 11 year old team. They are asked to vote for 10 players on each ballot. The instructions are to vote for the players they feel have displayed the most all-around baseball skill throughout the season. They are asked to consider the pitchers they would not like to face as a hitter; as well as the hitters they would not like to face if they were pitching. They are asked to consider players who are great teammates, and who play the game with respect and integrity.
From these player ballots, a list of approximately 18 players, at each of the majors and 11 year old level, is put into a pool of candidates. Some may appear on both lists. If there is time and the weather is appropriate, a tryout day for this selected pool of players is held at the field. If a tryout can not be held, all selected pool players will be considered.
Immediately following the tryout, or on the day chosen for selection, all of the head coaches from the Majors teams, the Head Coach of the all-star team (if not a head coach), and the division director will meet to discuss the players. After the discussion they will decide on the size of the roster, and each will then vote for 10 or 11 players, depending on the roster size. Any unanimous selections will be assigned to the team. This process of discussion and vote will continue until there in a team in place. The Head Coach will then have the authority to name a player, of their sole choice, onto the team.
This process is then repeated for the 11 year old team. If the Head Coach of the Majors all-star team is not a head coach for a regular season team, that coach must leave the selection meeting.
The 10 year old district team is chosen by a selection committee, which can include participation and input from the Head Coach, the league player agent, other league officials, and coaches at both the Majors and Minors divisions (the pool of 10 year old candidates is derived via a collaborative nomination/grading process involving league officials and coaches at both levels). If weather/scheduling permit, there is a tryout and the pool of candidates will receive an invitation from the league. While fielding the most competitive team possible is always the goal, experience in these types of games is the focus for this group. This team is to prepare the players for the higher 2 levels, if they are chosen in subsequent years.
Earning selection on the district all-star team one year does not ensure selection the following year. Each year is a new voting process as outlined above.
Playing on the District all-star team is a privilege not only earned by skill on the field, but also by conduct, effort, and teamwork throughout the spring season. There is a commitment component that may require the player and family to forgo trips, vacations or gatherings during the tournament run. All team events are mandatory - emergency absences can be discussed with the head coach.
This tournament runs form late June and potentially into the middle of August. Players must be available for games and practices which may be 6 or 7 days per week during the run. All players who are offered a spot on any of the teams have the option of declining their invitation. While there is a minimum play component to this tournament, depending on the size of the roster, it may be just 1 at bat per game or 1 at bat and 2 innings in the field. No player is guaranteed full game participation at any time.