Dear Medford National Little League Families:
As the 2021 Spring playing season approaches, MNLL is working hard to determine the best and safest way to return to play after having to cancel the 2020 season.
We will be looking for advice from Little League International and CDC to come up with plans and safety measures to keep players, spectators, and volunteers safe. We hope to have this plan in place and ready for distribution by February 15th, 2021. It will be sent via email and will be available on our website.
We would like to start out by saying that 2020 has not been an easy year for MNLL, but we have been able to sustain to continue forward as a league. The board would like to thank you for your understanding in the 2020 Spring season as we were all at a loss on what to do regarding playing.
Due to changing guidelines, at this time, we have not set in stone any dates for in-person registration or document collection. In addition, we may also have to modify how skill assessments are done. These are items yet to be discussed as we move forward. Information will continually be updated on Facebook, our website, and via email.
Our only concrete date at this time is to open online registration online on January 1st, 2021.
Measures that will be reviewed and discussed, then possibly implemented for the 2021 playing season include:
- Following ALL mandates set forth by the State of Oregon regarding group size limitation and mask requirements.
- Limiting spectator attendance to games.
- Limiting team sizes
- Limiting practice times for teams.
- Installation of hand washing stations and hand sanitizer stations throughout the fields.
- Having a "One-In and One-Out" rule for restroom facilities.
- Limiting volunteers in the concession stand.
- Modifying concession food to include ONLY prepackaged food.
- Registration to take place ONLINE ONLY to prevent gathering.
- Board meetings to be conducted via Zoom.
- Other safety measures yet to be evaluated
This is new territory for all of us and your patience is much appreciated as we navigate a plethora of rules and regulations to ensure we can play in the Spring.
One safety measure MNLL would like to implement is the requirement for players to have their own bat, glove, and helmet. This item has been discussed at length and decided on by the board for safety reasons. We wanted to let everyone know now so they have time to purchase equipment prior to the season. It is likely that other leagues in the valley will be requiring the same thing and it would be wise to purchase your necessary items earlier rather than later. See bat requirements here: Bat Rules - Little League
We understand that not everyone can afford these items. MNLL has applied for an equipment grant through Dick’s Sporting Goods and will likely be granted 10 full sets of equipment to be spread over different divisions.
In addition, we are working toward having an equipment exchange, which will likely take place in late February or early March. Logistics of this must be worked out to allow for proper equipment sanitation and social distancing for equipment pick up and drop off.
If you can not afford your own helmet and bat, MNLL will do its best to ensure your child is properly equipped. Our goal is to have as many children as possible with their own gear.
Finally, we still have several board positions open and are looking for members! We need a secretary, vice president, coaching coordinator, and fundraising officer. Please email us if you are interested in filling any of these roles.
Thank you for taking the time to read this email. We will continue to keep you updated via email, Facebook and our webpage. Do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Andrea Noble
On Behalf of the MNLL Board