The Mission of the League’s Safety Plan is to increase the awareness of the opportunities to provide a safer environment for all Little League participants. Having a league safety program is instrumental to the well-being of players, volunteers and parents. The Little League ASAP is a safety program designed to educate league members as outlined below.
Bats should remain in equipment bags, in the dugout, or on the ground until they are needed. Most serious on field injuries involve a bat. An example of this could be a player who decides to take a practice swing in the dugout and hits another player. No one holds a bat, except when going to the plate.
The manager or coach will never leave a player alone at a field. It is very important parents are there to pick their child up on time.
No alcohol or tobacco is allowed on the field.
Be extra cautious when entering and leaving busy parking lots.
Players should eat a snack before practice or games, hungry ball players don’t concentrate well. Provide players with plenty of water for practice and games.
Routinely check equipment for safety concerns.
Arrive to practice and games early to allow for proper warmups.
Have a pre-season team safety meeting. Ask parents if any player has any medical condition you need to be aware of. Examples are asthma, diabetes, allergies, or physical restrictions. Take a poll of parents who are trained in first aid or CPR and record the information for future reference.
Do not leave any player after practice or games unattended. Each team must have two adults wait with any child for the parents to arrive.
It is the manager’s responsibility to inspect the team’s equipment before each use and exchange any broken or defective gear.
Pitching machines, if used, must be in good working order and must be operated only by managers and coaches.
Each field is equipped with a first aid kit. It must be present at all team activities. It is mandatory that a phone/cell phone be available at all practices and games in case of an emergency.
Before every practice and game, a representative from each team will be required to walk the field in order to inspect the field for rocks, holes, glass, and any other dangerous conditions.
Both managers shall agree on the fitness of the playing field before the game starts. Once the game starts the head umpire shall be the sole judge on the weather and condition of the playing field. In the case of the lower divisions; the home team manager will make the decision on a rain out.
Games and practices will be canceled if; lightning strikes within a 10-mile radius of the field, if there is standing water in the field of play that is unable to be cleared or absorbed with proper field maintenance, or if ambient temperatures are below 32° F or above 100° F.
Catchers must wear a catcher’s helmet (with face mask and throat guard,) chest protector and shin guards. Male catchers must wear a long-model chest protector, protective supporter and cup when squatting behind home plate. They will wear the mask, helmet and cup when warming up the pitcher before innings or in the bullpen and designated warm up areas. A mask will be worn during infield warm-up.
No adult, coach or parent is permitted to warm up pitchers while in a squatting position on or off the game field.
All batters, base runners, and base coaches must wear a batting helmet that is NOCSAE approved.
Players cannot wear jewelry. Medical alert jewelry is permitted.
Players who are ejected, ill or injured should remain under supervision until released to the parent or guardian.
No injured player or player wearing a cast shall be permitted on the field during regular game play
Do not allow players to play on playground equipment during practice.
No Climbing fences at any field.
Use shoulder and arm warm-up and stretches before throwing.
Team warm-up should be in parallel lines throwing the same direction.
When running multiple drills, allow enough room for players to maneuver without collision.
Teach basemen proper positioning to avoid collision with base runners.
Call for a fly ball. The louder the better.
Teach the proper technique of sliding.
No headfirst sliding. Dive backs are ok.
No on deck batter’s circle, the next batter up will be given time to swing the bat when they get to home plate
Visit www.littleleague.org/playing-rules/rules-regulations-policies/ for a complete list of rules and regulations