OK, I admit it, I am getting old... Seeking Advice on Starting Senior League

petebanta

Addicted to Softballfans
I am 43, and playing Co-Ed for 10+ years. I would like to play with all guys (constant girl issues are getting old), but do not think I could deal with all the immature (and faster) 20-somethings there (God, was I THAT F'n annoying?!?!? I suppose so...). So, I have been thinking about senior level... Problem is, we have none in our area... :(

So, I was thinking of trying to organize one for next season. There are a few Men's leagues around, and I bet quite a few 35+'s like myself, who wouldn't mind playing against peers vs trying to keep up with the kids w/ 'tudes.

Anybody here ever start a Senior Legue? Any advice on strategies to get it together (ie. Partnering with local Parks & Rec, etc.). I've started teams, but never a league, or been a league admin, so not sure how to proceed...

Is there a better senior softball association to be affiliated with? What are other equipment considerations (ie. Differences in bats/balls?)? What about some sort of insurance? I imagine that is a must-have...

Hoping to get more helpful answers here from a mature crowd than what you usually get over in the troll-infested Slow-Pitch board...
 
mmm this will be tough,first will be getting the players interested in playing.maybe try and get a practice scheduled for ya's and see how many would be interested in playing.i would say you need at least 4 teams(up to 12 players) to start a league.ask the local parks and recs for a little help(for insurance and days avail for play and such).advertise that you want to start something,you need to get it out there for anything to happen.also let open rosters happen so you can get games in.

good luck...
 

fldiverr

Addicted to Softballfans
Sound advice from Bob. So I will second his comments. That is definitely a good way to go to get started.
 

hitsone

Well-Known Member
Bob, gave you the main ideas.
Fields are #1. Find out who controls them then what thier requirements are. We actually have a local park that is privately administered and has it's own liaility insurance co. You can also check with various ins co's about private insurance which will save you lots of money if you don't worry about sanctioned tourneys.
Try to get one night a week for the whole league at the same complex. It allows players to be on several teams in other leagues.
Once you have an idea of fields get out there and sell the idea to individual players.
Once you have some commitment you can canvas them for what they want in a 35+ league.
It will be a big hassle, Might be better to try to form a 35+ team to enter into your league.
good luck
 

smarkley3

Certified Trap Hoe
So Cal Seniors

The only senior leagues we have around here play during the day and I still have to work. Long Beach has senior on Saturday but it's 55+ and I have 2+ years to wait.
Anyone interested in doing something week nights, I know other guys (and some girls) that would play?
 

petebanta

Addicted to Softballfans
Thank you for feedback & ideas! Keep them coming...

One thing in our favor, is Burlington is considered one of the most active communities in the country (lots of folks into outdoor activities). There may be a bunch of people not playing in other leagues, for lack of wanting to play with annying 20-sometings (God, was I like that!?!?).

Fields are in short supply, and taken up by many guy/girl/co-ed younger leagues. I have even been considering talking to Parks & Rec about making a proper, multi-field facility on available city lands, or maybe building my own complex on nearby private land. There are literally only 2-3 really nice fenced fields, with proper dirt infield for softball. They lie miles apart. I know one place with 2 side-by-side, but it is meh. There is demand...

Anyone have experience in that arena (that arena being arena-building)? I would LOVE to have one of those fancy 4-5 field clusters I've seen for leagues & tournaments!
 

smarkley3

Certified Trap Hoe
Wow!!!!!

Dont think I would tackle that :eek:!
We have enough fields and while they are not well maintained they are playable. I been trying to get a local city league to do it but does not look like it's gonna happen. I guess I will just have to wait the two years and drive to lon beach:(. I played Co Ed last night 2 ABs and one inning in the field. It's almost not worth the hassle.........
 

franknwhit

Game on!
Have not even heard of any Senior League teams in Vt. If a weekend league was put together might be able to put together a team from Rutland to come up and play, or do what the Senior Baseball League does. Each team having a field to play games on weekends and take turns traveling.
 

TXangler

Addicted to Softballfans
Our senior league has been running since 1981 and they’ve overcome a lot of the obstacles associated with forming and maintaining the league, as well as dealing with a bunch of grumpy old men.

First, you need all the volunteers you can gather and retired guys are the best recruits you’re ever going to find. You need people that like to do lots of work for nothing in return but the satisfaction of being part of a great organization.

The number of fields depends on the number of players. We have around 300 players that make up 28 teams, divided into 4 divisions (by skill level), and each team play 2 nights a week. We do it all on 2 fields. Unless you have more than 12 teams you will only need one field to get started and still have each team play 2 nights a week over a 4 night period (like Mon-Thu).

We use fields located within a county park where there are 10 other diamonds besides ours. We do all the field maintenance and this is where the volunteers come into play. Nobody uses the fields but us and they are locked when not in use.

The only way to go is have players register and then form teams out of the pool of players by skill level.

Check out our website. It kinda lame but if you click on the general info tab it will describe how the league is set up. Also, in the newsletter tab the Mar2011 edition has a blurb about how the league was started by 28 guys back in 1981.

www.hcssl.org
 
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