Novato North Divisions & Player Information

Novato Little League North Provides Our Community's Youth With an Opportunity to Learn and Compete in America's pastime

District Eligibility:

Kids ages 5 – 13, living (or attending a school) within the league's boundaries are eligible to participate. Generally speaking, this encompasses families living within the San Ramon, Rancho and Pleasant Valley elementary school district lines, as well as any student 13 or under attending Sinaloa Middle School, Good Shepard Middle School or Our Lady of Loretta.

Visit LittleLeague.org's League Finder tool to look up your home address and confirm if your player lives within the Novato Little League North district boundaries.

Age Groups & Divisions:

Players are separated into divisions based upon varying combinations of age and skill.

AGE GROUPS: Age in Little League (known as "LEAGUE AGE") is based on the age that a player will be on August 31st of the baseball season that they are (or will be) playing in. For example, a player who will turn 8-years-old on June 30th of a current year's spring season is considered to be "League Age 8-years-old"—even though he is actually 7-years-old for the duration of the spring baseball season (which ends mid/late June). To determine the League Age of your player, you can use LittleLeague.org's League Age Calculator or the chart below:

 

DIVISIONS: Novato Little League North's youth baseball divisions include:

• Tee-Ball (Ages 5 – 6)
• Rookies (Ages 7 – 8)
• Minors AA & AAA (Ages 8 – 10)
• Majors (Ages 10 – 12)
• Intermediate "50/70" (Age 13)
• Challenger League (Ages 5 – 21)
  • A fun, supportive & adaptive baseball program for individuals with developmental challenges

Please Note:

• All 12-year-olds are placed on Majors teams barring extenuating circumstances that warrant a waiver (e.g., brand new to baseball or safety concerns).
• All 11-year-old 6th graders are placed on a Majors team, unless safety concerns and/or parental preference warrants placement on a AAA Minors team.
• All 10-year-old 5th graders who are not drafted in Majors will be placed on a AAA Minors team, again, subject to safety concerns or parental preference.
• All Rookie & Tee-Ball teams are assembled by the League's Player Agents in an attempt to balance team sizes and skill levels. While you are welcome to request that we pair your player with another, there is no guarantee that it can be honored.

Team Drafts & Rostering:

Many factors go into determining the appropriate division for each player. These include age, previous experience and, very importantly, the draft.

The draft moves in stages from Majors to Minors AAA to Minors AA. At each level, managers and coaches select eligible players to fill out their teams. The remaining players are then available for draft by coaches in the next junior division level down. Finally, following this process, all remaining players ages 8+ are assigned to a Rookies team.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE that both objective factors (e.g., age, previous season’s division, etc.) AND subjective factors (e.g., attitude, hustle, speed, capabilities, etc.) are taken into account during the draft, which WILL result in players of the same age playing in different divisions (e.g., various 10-year-olds playing across both AAA and AA). Tryouts also play an important role in helping NLLN to effectively ensure the safety and development of our 8+ league-age players.

Tryouts:

Tryouts are typically held in mid/late January and are a MANDATORY part of NLLN's placement process for all players ages 8+. Tryouts allow us to ensure fair and balanced teams, and even more importantly, that our players are both safe and enabled to learn, grow, and feel successful.

NOTE: Players ages 7 and under do not participate in tryouts. These teams at the Tee-Ball and Rookie levels are focused on learning the basics while having fun and are assembled by the League's Player Agents.

Spring Season Registration and Fees:

Because player placement occurs after the draft, initial registration and fees are based upon each player’s league age, rather than expectations of playing in a certain division. League age is simply determined by how old your player will be on August 31st (see "Age Groups & Divisions" above for more). SPRING SEASON fees are charged as follows:

• 5 – 6 year-olds:        $285
• 7 – 8 year-olds:        $330
• 9 – 13 year-olds:      $385

Player Scholarships:

At Novato Little League North, we believe that every child deserves the chance to play youth baseball regardless of life circumstances. Please contact us to privately inquire further about financial assistance opportunities.

Equipment and Uniforms:

• Uniform jerseys and hats will be supplied by the league
• Practice dri-fit t-shirts will be provided for all Minors AA, Minors AAA and Majors players
• Each team will be provided:
  • Bat(s) appropriate for the age of the players and level of play
  • Pitcher’s safety “halo” hat insert
  • Full set of catcher’s gear
  • Practice and game balls
• Players will be required to supply their own:
  • Helmets
  • Gloves
  • Uniform pants, belt and socks