The appropriate level for your child is determined by our bylaws based upon league age and prior experience. Please consult the table below for a summary of the requirements at each level.
Not sure what league age your child is? Please Click Here

League Age            X=Typical Placement  (*)= Less Typical Placement

Spring Divisions

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Must Drafts (LA)3

Information

Tee Ball

X

X

[email protected]

Farm

X

X

[email protected]

Rookies

X

X

[email protected]

Minors

(*)

X

X

X

8

[email protected]

Majors

(*)

X

X

10

[email protected]

Juniors

(*)

X

X

X

12

[email protected]

Not sure what league age your child is? Please consult https://www.littleleague.org/play-little-league/determine-league-age/

EARLY REGISTRATION IS STRONGLY ENCOURAGED as we do reach capacity in most levels each year. FAILURE TO REGISTER IN A TIMELY FASHION MAY RESULT IN WAIT-LISTING IF THOSE CAPACITY LIMITS HAVE BEEN REACHED.

After registration closes, there is normally late registration available for a limited time based on SPACE AVAILABLE and most levels are assessed a late fee. After registration closes, if teams are at capacity, a waiting list will be maintained until practices begin. There are no refunds for Minors and Majors after January 12th. No exceptions. Refunds are given on a discretionary basis - and when approved are subject to deduction of processing fees.

PLEASE NOTE: Ross Valley Little League is for the residents of Ross, Kentfield and Greenbrae. Our area is determined by the Little League District 3 and Little League International. If you live outside of these areas, it is best to contact the league in your area for registration. Please note that different leagues have different registration periods and deadlines. Not all leagues follow the same schedules as RVLL.

Tee Ball

Tee Ball is a child's first introduction to organized baseball. It is intended for league age 4 and 5 year olds. The emphasis is on familiarizing children with the most fundamental elements of the game: how to swing a bat, field an easy grounder, run on the basepaths, and throw a ball. We want it to be a fun experience, and help them learn about teamwork and basic sportsmanship. No score is kept, no outs are recorded, and everyone bats every inning. We also use a super-cushioned safety baseball in all practices and games.

Team assignments are finalized at the end of February and parents are notified via email of their child's assignment - this includes the day/time of the week that the teams will practice. Tee Ball in Little League is not organized like a Rec Department sport. Parents do not choose the day/time of practice. Children are assigned to teams and the teams are balanced for numbers and ages. Please do not request any changes to team assignment, it is disruptive to the other teams as it requires reshuffling. Please embrace meeting new friends and families as much of Little League baseball is about creating a community in our busy lives. Playdates are fun - but you can do that outside of baseball!

We'd love to let your children play with their buddies and make every effort to satisfy parents requests for specific team assignments. Buddy requests can be made during the registration process. Parents can request up to TWO specific buddy names, and there is a specific field in registration for you to do this. There are NO GUARANTEES that we can satisfy your requests, but we do our best.

During registration, you may enter up to 2 specific names here (no more than 2). These names MUST be specific. Do NOT enter, for example, other Ross 1st graders. We will ONLY look at up to TWO specific children's names. Otherwise, we will be unable to assist you.

League Age 4 & 5: Introduction to baseball.
Questions? Contact League Commissioner at [email protected]

Farm League

Farm League is for league age 5 and 6 year olds that have either previously played Tee Ball. It provides players the first opportunity to hit a pitched ball, thrown gently by coaches. As with Tee Ball, the emphasis is strictly in instruction, skill development and fun. Scores are not kept and the entire team bats every inning, regardless of outs made. We also use a super-cushioned safety baseball in all practices and games.

Team assignments are finalized at the end of February and parents are notified via email of their child's assignment: this includes the day/time of the week that the teams will practice. Farm League in Little League is not organized like a Rec Department sport. Parents do not choose the day/time of practice. Children are assigned to teams and the teams are balanced for numbers and ages. Please do not request any changes to team assignment, it is disruptive to the other teams as it requires reshuffling. Please embrace meeting new friends and families as much of Little League baseball is about creating a community in our busy lives. Playdates are fun - but you can do that outside of baseball!

We'd love to let your children play with their buddies and make every effort to satisfy parents requests for specific team assignments. Buddy requests can be made during the registration process. Parents can request up to TWO specific buddy names, and there is a specific field in registration for you to do this. There are NO GUARANTEES that we can satisfy your requests, but we do our best.

During registration, you may enter up to 2 specific names here (no more than 2). These names MUST be specific. Do NOT enter, for example, other Ross 1st graders. We will ONLY look at up to TWO specific children's names. Otherwise, we will be unable to assist you.

League Age 5 & 6: Coach pitch
Questions? Contact League Commissioner at [email protected]

Rookies League

Rookie Ball is for league age 7 and 8 year olds. Players at this level graduate to a machine-pitched baseball, though with the same, cushioned safety ball used in the prior levels. 

Rookie league continues the prior emphasis on instruction over competition. During the regular season, no scores are kept and outs may be recorded. There is an end-of-season playoff tournament at which scores are kept and a standard 3-out inning is introduced for the first time.

Team assignments are finalized at the end of February and parents are notified via email of their child's assignment. Rookie team assignments are made with an eye towards balancing team 

competitiveness, which is a change from the Farm and Tee-Ball philosophy. No special team or Buddy requests are considered at this level or above.

The time commitment typically includes one game during the week and one game on the weekend along with one or two practices during the week and weekend. Practices begin at the end of February.

League Age 7 & 8 : Machine pitch; score kept only in playoffs
Questions? Contact League Commissioner at [email protected] 

Minors League

Minors is for league age 9, 10, & 11 year olds. Most children play for a total of 2 years before graduating to Majors.

Competition is part of the game. The kids play a standard 6-inning game, with three outs per side. Scores and standings are both kept throughout the regular season, and a seeded playoff tournament is used to determine a champion, who goes on to represent the RVLL in a Tournament of Champions against other local leagues.

Instruction and participation, however, remain paramount in Minors: AAA play. Every player is in the batting order at all times. No child may sit out more than 2 innings in a game. The goal is to continue to hone their abilities, learn new skills, and have fun.

Minors registrants participate in mandatory Evaluations in January at Marin Catholic.  Following the evaluations, the Minors coaches hold a draft to determine rosters. All evaluation and draft-related information is strictly non-public. 

Roster assignments are completed in February, at which time parents will receive notification as to where their son or daughter has been placed.

Most games and practices are held at Bacich School.

League Age 9, 10, & 11: Kid pitch; competitive play
Tryouts Mandatory: Saturday January 25th at Marin Catholic High School
Questions? Contact League Commissioner at [email protected]

 

Majors League

Majors is for league age 10, 11 & 12 year olds. It is a competitive league in which tryouts are held to determine qualifications. Tryouts are at Marin Catholic High School. Non-qualifying league age 10 and 11 year olds are released to the Minors where they are drafted as part of the Minors team assignment process. All league age 12 year olds are assured a place on a Majors team, unless the player's parents agree their child would be better served with a season in the Minors.

Players will be notified in the weeks after Tryouts as to their league assignment (Majors vs. Minors).

Majors play is considered a competitive league, and is actually the age group that competes in the Little League World Series. The skill level of the Majors players is materially higher than the Minors. Majors teams play inter-league games against other little leagues when possible. Standings and scores are kept throughout the season, which culminates in a playoff tournament. The Majors playoff champion competes in a Tournament of Champions against other area league champions at the end of the season.

Typically, Majors teams enjoy one game during the week and one on Saturday. There is a scheduled practice every Sunday as well as some practices during the week.

Most practices are held at Bacich School on the Majors’ diamond near the batting cages, with games at Bacich and the opposing out of league opponents fields such as Joe Wagner and Strawberry.

League Age 10, 11, & 12: Tryouts; competitive play
Tryouts Mandatory: Saturday January 25th at Marin Catholic High School
Questions? Contact League Commissioner at [email protected]

 

Juniors League

Overview. The RVLL Juniors program is designed for league age 13, 14, and 15-year-old players.

RVLL holds a mandatory Juniors tryout, usually in late January. Information gathered during the tryout is used in a player draft after the tryout to help ensure that the competitiveness of RVLL teams is as equal as possible. Tryout results are not used to exclude players from participation in Juniors.

The RVLL Juniors program enables aspiring high school baseball players to further develop fundamental baseball skills and knowledge that will help them to succeed in high school. Juniors is also appropriate for players who do not plan to play high school baseball. RVLL encourages all players who meet the age eligibility requirements to participate, and all players who properly register and attend the mandatory tryout will be assigned to a team.

League composition and schedule. RVLL Juniors teams compete in a league that includes teams from RVLL as well as from four other Little League programs in southern Marin, Twin Cities, Tiburon, Mill Valley, and Sausalito. The number of league teams varies from year to year depending on the number of players registered in each community.

RVLL teams begin practicing in early March. Games begin in late March and continue until the first or second week in June. In recent years, the league has had 10 or 11 teams with an 18-game schedule when 10 teams and a 20-game schedule when 11 teams. The schedule is designed so that each Juniors team plays all other teams twice, once as the home team and once as the away team. Teams typically play games twice a week, with one game on Sunday and one during the week, usually on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. RVLL Juniors teams typically practice every Saturday with a second practice on a weekday if desired by the team.

Games are played at five fields in southern Marin, Endriss Field and Moody Field at Redwood High School in Larkspur, Drake High School in Fairfax, Alto Field in Mill Valley, and Albert Park in San Rafael. Games at Albert Park are played under the lights on Wednesday evenings. RVLL practices occur in four locations, Endriss Field, Moody Field, Drake High School, and Red Hill Field in Fairfax.

Transition to Juniors. Juniors games are played on full-size baseball diamonds similar to those used in high school, college, and professional baseball with 90 feet between bases and 60 feet from the pitcher's mound to home plate. The transition to Juniors may pose physical challenges for former Majors players, at least initially, given the longer distance between bases, the longer pitching distance, and the need to make longer throws and to hit the ball farther than in Majors. New Juniors players may also need to expand their knowledge of baseball strategy to cover a range of new situations and to learn additional fundamental baseball skills that were not relevant in lower Little League divisions, such as the proper technique for leads and stealing for base runners and for holding and picking off runners for pitchers.

Coaching. Juniors coaches are expected to have extensive baseball coaching experience and to be able to teach advanced fundamental baseball skills and strategy. Juniors coaches seek to create a positive atmosphere on their teams, encouraging players to be good teammates who support one another and to respect their coaches and opponents. The primary goal of RVLL Juniors is to ensure that all players have a positive, enjoyable experience, regardless of their future baseball goals and their motivations for participating in Juniors.

Other. Juniors does not maintain formal league standings during the season, and there is no league-wide post-season playoff. Each Little League program with Juniors teams is entitled to enter a team in the Juniors Tournament of Champions (TOC) after the regular season and determines independently whether to have a post-season playoff among its Juniors teams to help select its TOC representative. Toward the end of the regular season, the RVLL Juniors Commissioner and Juniors coaches determine the best method to choose a RVLL TOC representative for that season, including how to incorporate playoff games into the selection process along with other factors such as regular season records.

League Age 13, 14, & 15: Advanced play- full sized baseball diamond
Tryouts: As needed
Questions? Contact League Commissioner at [email protected]