MSLL Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

  1. What does Mount Seymour Little League (MSLL) offer?
  2. Who runs MSLL?
  3. Are there any paid positions?
  4. How can I get more involved?
  5. What are the volunteer requirements?
  6. How do I learn to do the volunteer jobs?

Registration Questions

  1. How do I register for baseball?
  2. Can I register in person?
  3. Is any additional paperwork required to register?
  4. How much does registration cost and what do my league fees pay for?
  5. Are there any options for financial assistance?
  6. What are the residency requirements to play for MSLL?
  7. What is the early-bird rate?
  8. Do I pay full price for all my children?
  9. Can I get a refund if I withdraw or get injured?
  10. Who can I talk to for questions about registration?
  11. Do you accept late registrations?
  12. Can I request placement in a division above/below default for players age?

Season & Schedule Questions

  1. When does the Spring baseball, season start and end?
  2. When is the schedule released for spring?
  3. When does the playoff schedule get released?
  4. Does the schedule include games with other leagues?
  5. What options does MSLL offer for summer baseball?
  6. What options does MSLL offer for fall baseball?

Divisions & Teams Questions

  1. What age groups are there at MSLL?
  2. What is “baseball age”?
  3. How are teams formed in each age group?
  4. Can I request being with a friend?
  5. Can I request being a specific coach?
  6. Which divisions use a draft?
  7. Which divisions require player assessments?
  8. When/where are player assessments?
  9. Can a player get “cut” based on the assessments?
  10. When will I find out which team my player is on?
  11. Can I request a trade after the teams are formed?

Field Location Questions

  1. Where are MSLL games played?

Coaching Questions

  1. How are coaches selected?
  2. Are there any qualifications required to be a coach?
  3. What guidance does MSLL offer to coaches?
  4. Where can I find more coaching resources?
  5. How are coaches selected for the all-star teams?

Game Questions

  1. What time do games start?
  2. How long are typical games in each division?
  3. How much warm-up time is required in each division?
  4. Do all teams make the playoffs? Do regular season results affect the playoffs?
  5. Are all kids given equal playing time at every position?
  6. Are players required to pitch or catch if they don’t want to?

Volunteering Questions

  1. Why am I asked to work in the concession?
  2. How can I learn to score keep?
  3. How can I learn to pitch count?
  4. How can I learn to be a team manager?
  5. How can I learn to do field prep?

Umpiring Questions

  1. How do I apply to be an umpire?

General Questions

What does Mount Seymour Little League (MSLL) offer?

Mount Seymour Little League offers Little League baseball for players ages 4 to 16. We also register players for the CABA U19 program which provides baseball for players age 17-19. We are very proud of our league which promotes fun, friendship, good sportsmanship, volunteerism and skills development to players of all ages and all abilities.

Learn More About MSLL

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Who runs MSLL?

MSLL is a non-profit organization founded in 1953. The board members are elected each year at the AGM and then the board is responsible for approving the volunteers to the executive committee. The executive committee is a 12-member group responsible for the overall operations of the league. Each member of the committee has a defined role.

Learn More About the Executive

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Are there any paid positions?

ALL executive members, coaches, managers and division coordinators are volunteers. The only positions to receive any compensation are the umpires, the Rally Caps mentor coaches and the teenage players who facilitate the AA coaching program.  Umpires are paid as per norm in local Little League; the mentor coaches are rewarded with concession vouchers and the teenage players are paid by the hour to reward their time commitment

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How can I get more involved?

We always welcome anyone who would like to get involved with league operations. Many of our executive roles are highly time consuming and all committee members would welcome assistance. Working with an executive member is a great way to learn more about the league and what each role involves.

Please contact any member of the executive if you would like to learn more about how you can help.

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What are volunteer requirements?

MSLL is completely volunteer run.  The league fees cover league expenses only.  The President and all roles on the Executive board, along with all coaches, managers and division coordinators are all volunteers. MSLL recognizes that some families have more time to give than others. However, when you sign up for Little League and your child is placed on a team where they will be coached by parents who are giving many hours of their time – there is an expectation that you will contribute at least some amount of your time.  This may be through working in the concession, score keeping, pitching counting, field prep, helping on photo day etc.

Learn More About Volunteer Roles

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How do I learn to do volunteer jobs?

The Parents section of our webpage contains all the information you need. This page includes details of the volunteer roles along with How-To guides for each role.

Learn More About Volunteer Roles

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Registration

How do I register for baseball?

The easiest way to register is online via our website. You can also register at one of our two in-person registration session which are held each year in early January.

Learn More About Registration

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Can I register in person?

Yes – we have two in-person registration sessions each year in early January. The registration page shows the date, time and location of these sessions.

View In-Person Registration Dates

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Is any additional paperwork required to register?

If you are registering with MSLL for the first time you will need to provide the following documentation:

  • A copy of the player’s birth certificate.
  • Proof of residency in MSLL boundary (utility bill), or proof of school registration within our boundary (school report)

Once you have completed your online registration, please send a scan or photo of the documentation and email it to registrar@msll.ca or mail them to: Mt. Seymour Little League P.O. Box 30053 North Vancouver, Canada V7H 2Y8

If you plan to register in person you can bring this additional documentation with you.

Learn More About Registration Paperwork

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How much does registration cost and what do my league fees pay for?

Player subscription fees go towards covering the cost of running the league each season.  We have many costs including Little League charter fees, District 5 league fees, field levy and Sports Council BC fees, equipment (bats, helmets, catchers gear etc.), baseballs, uniforms, player insurance, advertising, coaching clinics, umpires etc.  League financial statements are made available at the AGM each year.

View Registration Fees

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Are there any options for financial assistance?

There are several local associations that provide funding to families to help kids participate in sports. These include A4K, KidSport and SportBC. MSLL will also make every effort to accommodate families that have trouble funding their registration fees.

Please contact MSLL Registrar for more information about financial assistance.

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What are the residency requirements to play for MSLL?

To register for MSLL you must reside east of Lynn Creek OR attend a school that is in the Mt Seymour catchment area. If you live anywhere west of Lynn Creek, you must register with one of the other Little League associations on the North Shore – Lynn Valley, Highlands or West Vancouver/Cypress Park.

To verify you live within our league boundaries, please enter your address in findmyleague.com

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What is the early-bird rate?

To encourage our members to register early, and therefore to allow the league additional time to arrange facilities for assessments, form teams, enlist coaches etc., we offer an early bird rate. This consists of a $15 discount for all registrations received on or before the early bird deadline. Each sibling that you register prior to the early bird deadline receives an additional $10 discount.

View Early-Bird Deadline

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Do I pay full price for all my children?

If you register prior to the early bird deadline, each child beyond the first child registered receives a extra $10 discount. Be sure that you register all the children at the same time if you register them online to receive this discount. There is no sibling discount once the early bird deadline has passed.

View Early-Bird Deadline

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Can I get a refund if I withdraw or get injured?

The standard MSLL refund policy can be viewed here: refund policy.

In the case of a significant injury during the season please contact the MSLL Registrar.

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Who can I talk to for questions about registration?

For all questions related to registration please contact the MSLL Registrar: registrar@msll.ca

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Do you accept late registrations?

MSLL tries to accommodate all kids who want to play baseball and therefore will accept late registrations after the deadline if space is available in the appropriate division. If divisions are full players may be placed on a wait list. Payment of registration fees for any player placed on a wait list will not be processed until the player is removed from the wait list and placed on the regular roster of a team in the appropriate division.

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Can I request placement in a division above/below default for players age?

The registration system will automatically place players in the default division based on their age. If you would like to request either a higher or lower division, you can specify that during the registration process.

Learn More About Divisions

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Season & Schedule

When does the Spring baseball, season start and end?

The Spring season starts in the first week of April and runs until the 2nd week of June. Spring game schedules are available on the website from approximately mid-March.

View Schedule

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When is the schedule released for spring?

The schedule for teams from Rally Caps to Majors is released in mid-March and published on our website. Juniors and Seniors games are scheduled by North Vancouver District 5. This schedule is generally published in late March or early April. The MSLL website includes links to the North Vancouver D5 schedule pages.

View Schedule

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When does the playoff schedule get released?

The playoff schedule for Minors AA, AAA and Majors is released in mid-May and published on our website. Juniors and Seniors playoffs are scheduled by North Vancouver District 5. This schedule is published once season standings are clear, so may only be available once all regular season games are completed.

View Schedule

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Does the schedule include games with other leagues?

Spring teams from Rally Caps to Majors play their regularly scheduled games within our own league. Majors teams may play some interlock games against other D5 leagues.

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What options does MSLL offer for summer baseball?

During the summer season MSLL has sanctioned all-star teams for 9/10s, Majors (11/12s), Juniors and Seniors. We also have tournament teams for the 8s, 9s and 11s age groups who play in tournaments through July around the Lower Mainland. We also offer a casual Summer Ball program for players that have completed Rookie Senior.

View Tournament Teams

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What options does MSLL offer for fall baseball?

MSLL offers Fall Ball for players in the 9/10 and Majors age group. Fall Ball runs from September to early October and consists of one or two games per week. Practice time in Fall Ball is limited. Games are played throughout the Lower Mainland against other local Little Leagues.

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Divisions & Teams

What age groups are there at MSLL?

MSLL offers baseball to kids of all ages from ages 5 to 19.

View MSLL Divisions

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What is “baseball age”?

Baseball age is defined by Little League. There is currently a transition to move from defining baseball age as the players age on April 30th to using August 31st as the cut off date.

For details about baseball age refer to the Divisions page or use this handy calculator to check your player’s baseball age:

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How are teams formed in each age group?

In younger divisions teams are formed based on friendship requests and schools per the information provided during registration. Starting in Minors AA, we use a draft to form teams to balance the skill level.

Learn More About Divisions

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Can I request being with a friend?

Friend requests are encouraged for the Rally Caps, Rookie Junior and Rookie Senior divisions and are used to build teams. It is not possible to accommodate every request, but we do try to ensure that kids are with either a requested friend or other children from their school.

In the drafted divisions, friend requests are extremely difficult and will only be accommodated in extreme circumstances. In this case, please contact the MSLL Player Agent to discuss the situation.

Can I request being a specific coach?

To keep the draft fair and balanced we do not allow players to request specific coaches.

If you are concerned about a potential conflict with a coach, please inform the MSLL Player Agent in writing prior to the draft so they can attempt to manage the conflict.

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Which divisions use a draft?

The draft is used to form teams in Minor AA, Minor AAA, Majors, Juniors, Seniors and CABA U19.

Learn More About Divisions

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Which divisions require player assessments?

Player assessments are required for Minor AA, Minor AAA and Majors.

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When/where are player assessments?

Player assessments are held in mid-February in the gym at either Seycove or Windsor high school. All players that are registered for Minors or Majors will receive an email by the beginning of February specifying their assessment time.

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Can a player get “cut” based on the assessments?

Players that are baseball age 12 are guaranteed placement in Majors, 11-year-olds are guaranteed placement in a minimum of AAA and 9-year-olds are guaranteed placement in a minimum of AA. A player may not be placed in a lower division than the previous season.

The number of cuts is dependent on the overall registration numbers, the number of teams in each division and the individual players’ skill level. In general, not all players that tryout for Majors will be assigned to a Majors team – so some will be “cut” to AAA. There will also typically be a few players who are “cut” from AAA to AA.

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When will I find out which team my player is on?

Release of team placement information varies by division. For all drafted teams (AA to CABA U19), you will receive an email from the player agent shortly after the drafts are complete with your team placement and head coach name. AA, AAA and Majors drafts take place in late February; Juniors, Seniors and CABA U19 drafts are in mid to late March.

Teams in Rally Caps, Rookie Junior and Rookie Senior are built by the division coordinators who then provide the coaches with their team contact information. The timing of the release of these teams varies, but is in the early to mid March time frame.

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Can I request a trade after the teams are formed?

Making changes to teams after the draft is complete is highly disruptive and will only be considered in extreme circumstances and if a suitable trade option is available.

Please contact the MSLL Player Agent to discuss your concern.

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Field Locations

Where are MSLL games played?

MSLL’s home park for division from Rally Caps to Majors is Myrtle Park, with some games also being played at Blueridge Park. Juniors play home games at Kirkstone Park, and Seniors/CABA U19 play home games at Inter-river.

All field locations can be found on this map.

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Coaching Questions

How are coaches selected?

During registration, parents can volunteer as either a team coach or an assistant coach. Head coaches for each team are selected from these volunteers. In general, we can find teams for all coaches that want to be a head coach, however if there are more volunteers than teams the selection is made by the MSLL Coaching Committee. Head coaches are responsible for finding their own assistant coaches.

Learn More About Coaching

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Are there any qualifications required to be a coach?

MSLL does not require any formal coaching qualifications. The only requirement is a complete Criminal Records Check and lots of enthusiasm!

Learn More About Coaching

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What guidance does MSLL offer to coaches?

MSLL is in the process of implementing new program to providing coaching guidance to all levels. This process was starting in the 2016 season with coaching manuals that were given to Rookie Junior and Rookie Senior coaches, and the instructional videos that were added to our website. This program will continue to grow over the next few seasons.

MSLL also provides all our coaches with opportunities to attend coaching courses offered by Little League and other organizations. Information about these courses is emailed to coaches and posted to our website.

View Coaching Resources

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Where can I find more coaching resources?

Little League International recognizes and appreciates the challenges that come with being a Little League coach, so it has developed a free on-line coaching resource that coaches can turn to for reference, education, or to stay current with the latest drills and coaching techniques. This website includes drills, practice plans and detailed videos designed for coaches of all baseball levels.

To use the Little League University resource, you need to sign up for a free account at: www.littleleagueu.org

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How are coaches selected for the all-star teams?

Refer to this page for details about the selection methods for all star coaches:

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Game Questions

What time do games start?

Game times vary by Division but in general, weeknight games start at either 5.30 or 6pm and weekend games may start any time between 9.30am and 3.30pm.

View Schedule

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How long are typical games in each division?

Game times vary by Division. Please refer to the divisions page for details.

View Divisions

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How much warm-up time is required in each division?

Required warm up time increases as players move up through the divisions and varies per coach preference. The following table is an approximate guide:

Rally Caps: 5-10 mins
Rookie Junior: 15-30 mins
Rookie Senior: 30 mins
Minors/Majors: 45 mins
Juniors/Seniors/CABA U19: 45-60 mins

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Do all teams make the playoffs? Do regular season results affect the playoffs?

In Minors/Majors all teams make the playoffs and regular season standings have NO impact on the playoff format. For Juniors, Seniors and CABA U19 all teams make the playoffs, however the regular season standings are used to determine playoff seeding.

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Are all kids given equal playing time at every position?

In Rally Caps, Rookie Junior and Rookie Senior coaches are requested to play each player at every position equally provided they are safe to do so. Starting in Minors AA the playing time at each position is no longer required to be equal, however coaches must provide all players with opportunities to play every position providing they are safe to do so.

Fair play rules also require that coaches sit players in a fair rotation during games, and that players get a balance of fielding in both the infield and outfield.

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Are players required to pitch or catch if they don’t want to?

No – coaches should encourage all their players to try all positions, however they must respect a player’s feelings if they do not wish to play either the pitcher or the catcher position.

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Volunteering

Why am I asked to work in the concession?

Please read this blog post: Why Do I Have To Work In The Concession?

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How can I learn to score keep?

Please refer to the Scorekeeping Tutorial

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How can I learn to pitch count?

Please refer to the Pitch Counting Guide.

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How can I learn to be a team manager?

Please refer to the Team Manager Guide.

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How can I learn to do field prep?

Please refer to the Field Prep Guide.

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Umpires

How do I apply to be an umpire?

Please refer to the Umpires page.

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