Softball Team Formation Policy

Macdonald Minor Softball forms “A” Teams that participate in the Winnipeg South West Youth Softball League. The primary focus of the “A” Leagues is fun, skill development and participation. “A” League players often have a practice and two games per week.

Age Convenors

Each age division will have an Age Division Convenor who is responsible for forming Macdonald Softball teams. Age Convenors should not have a child playing softball at the level for which they are the convenor. Convenors should have both softball experience, as well as organizational and problem solving skills.

Evaluations

Evaluations for all players U11 and older will take place in the spring of each year, typically from mid-March until early April. The evaluations will assess the skill levels of All players in the following areas: hitting, fielding, throwing and running. There will also be separate evaluations for all players wanting to be either a pitcher or a catcher. These evaluations are a critical component of team formation for league teams and for players who want to attend Provincial championships. All evaluators involved do not have a child playing at the level for which they are evaluating and are unbiased.

- If a player cannot attend, we strongly encourage the parent/player reach out to their respective age convenor to potentially make other arrangements to have their daughter assessed. - If a player wants to attend the Provincial “A” championships, they must attend evaluations.

Rosters

With the exception of U9, optimal roster size for all teams is generally 12 players per team.

U9 - minimum of 5 players, max of 9 players

U11/U13/U15/U17 - minimum of 10 players, max of 13 players

U19 - minimum of 10 players, max of 15 players

Team Formation

U9:

The age convenor will seek to create teams that are balanced and community based. There are no evaluations at this age, so for communities that have more than 1 team, balance is created by having a mix of younger and older players on each team.

U11, U13, U15, U17, U19 Team Formation:

The age convenor will create teams that are balanced based on total player evaluation scores. An effort will be made to keep communities together. However, the primary goal will be to create teams that are balanced at the beginning of the season. That being said, it should be recognized that teams will develop and improve at different rates throughout the season.

The following sequential process is generally used to create balanced teams:

1) Coaches - Minimum of 2, preferably 3 coaches are designated per team.

a. Players, whose parents are coaches, are placed on the team

b. The majority of the time, teams are hosted in the community where the head coach resides, while factoring in diamond availability.

2) Pitchers - Minimum of 2, preferably 3-4, are designated to each team a. Every team will have a balance of pitching depth. b. If a player does not plan to pitch or practice these skills, please DO NOT identify them as a pitcher during evaluations.

3) Catchers - Minimum of 1, preferably 2, are designated to each team

a. If a player does not plan to catch or practice these skills please DO NOT identify them as a catcher.

4) Players - Complete the roster with players to achieve desired roster size.

a. Total player scores as a team should be balanced across all Macdonald teams at the age level

i. Some teams may have more higher evaluated players but they would also have more lower evaluated players…. Other teams may have a lot of middle evaluated players, but the goal is to create teams where the team totals are similar.

The goal is to finalize rosters by the 3rd week of April so that team practices can be scheduled.

Provincials

Macdonald Minor Softball Teams are all eligible to participate in “A” Provincials. “A” Provincials are usually hosted the during the first 3 weeks of July, depending on age level.

Macdonald Minor Ball recognizes that not all players want, or are able, to attend Provicincials. Therefore, Provincials are not included in the registration fee. For any player who wants to participate in Provincials, Macdonald Minor Ball will be collecting a $50/player Provincial Team Fee, which will be used to pay for the registration in the Provincials tournament. The registration deadline and payment details will be sent to all players in early May, once regular team formation has been completed.

As the Provincial teams need to registered in RAMP for insurance purposes, no registrations will be accepted after the date indicated and all registrations are non-refundable once paid

Provincial Team Formation

Number of Teams and Players Participating

The number of Provincial teams formed in each age category will depend on the number of players committed to participating in “A” Provincials.

10-19 players = 1 team Only 13 players will be selected to play in Provincials

20-29 players = 2 teams Only 26 players will be selected to play in Provincials

30-39 players = 3 teams All players will be selected to play in Provincials

In the event, 14-19 players want to attend provincials, Macdonald Minor Ball will select a 13 player team who want to attend Provincials based on evaluation scores conducted in March/April. The 13 player roster will include:

I) Head coach’s child(if applicable)

II) Assistant coaches’ children (if applicable)

III) Minimum 3 pitchers

IV) Minimum 2 catchers

V) Top evaluation scoring players to complete the 13 player roster

**Provincial Team Fees that are paid will be refunded in the event the player is not selected to play in Provincials.**

**Provincial Team Fees are not refunded if the player decides to NOT participate in provincials after the Provincial registration closing deadline.**

If there are enough players to form multiple teams from Macdonald to attend provincials, the following process will be used to form the teams:

1) Ensure each provincial team has a Certified Head Coach and minimum 1 Assistant Coach

2) Ensure each provincial team has a minimum of 2 pitchers and 2 players who can play the Catching position

3) Form balanced teams based on evaluation scores

Any questions can be directed to the respective age convenor or to the Macdonald Vice President of Softball.