How Northwood Little League is Responding to the Coronavirus

 

Updated 8/17/2020

The Northwood board is actively monitoring guidance around the coronavirus from our local school districts, the city of Irvine, Little League International, and the CDC. The following frequently asked questions details our current response to the COVID-19 situation, and will be updated with new information as it becomes available.

Will there be a 2020 Fall Ball season?

Currently, the State of California has released health guidance for youth sports that permits team-based practices only. As a result, Northwood Little League will be proceeding with a practice-only Fall Ball season to run from September to November. You can find the state’s guidance here.

Why is it a practice-only season?

At this time, the State of California’s guidance only allows for team-based practices. The City of Irvine will not permit games or scrimmages on city fields in accordance with those guidelines. The state has not released guidance on playing games within youth sports. In addition, both high school sports and college sports within California have been postponed until December at the earliest. Given this reality, it is highly unlikely that games will be permitted to proceed during this fall season.

My school is currently remote-learning only. How are Little League and other youth sports allowed to meet?

The CDC ranks team-based practices as the second lowest level of risk for youth sports (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/youth-sports.html). Restricting youth sports to outdoor activity and to small, stable cohorts or pods are options to limit exposure to the coronavirus that are not available to most schools.

What steps is the league taking to ensure the safety of its players and volunteers?

Northwood Little League has approved a COVID-19 Return to Practice Protocol that is available on our website, and has been reviewed by the City of Irvine to be compliant with the state guidance. It includes guidance around the use of shared equipment, sanitization, face coverings and modified practices to adhere to social distancing requirements. All participants must review and be familiar with the protocols. In addition, training sessions will be held for all volunteers and participants.

How will players be organized in Fall Ball?

In order to comply with the state guidance, players will be organized by teams of no more than 10-12 players. We will organize teams to honor buddy requests as much as possible. Players will not be allowed to practice with teams other than their assigned team.

What will happen with the registration fees for Fall Ball?

Since Fall Ball will be a practice-only season, Northwood Little League is charging a greatly reduced flat fee to participate, regardless of age or division.

Players from the spring season that opted for a Fall Ball credit in lieu of a refund can choose one of the following:

1. Register for Fall Ball using the unique promo code that will be sent out by email. If a player has credit remaining after registering for the fall season, they can elect to receive a refund of the remaining amount.
2. If the player is not registering for the fall season, he or she can request a refund in place of the fall ball credit.
3. Donate the refund to the league - all donations are greatly appreciated and would go directly back to improving the players’ experience in the league.

What WAs the refund policy for the spring season?

The board approved the following partial refund policy for registration fees for the 2020 spring season. All registered spring players are eligible for the same refund policy.

Partial refund amounts will be as follows:

League Age	Refund per Player
League Age 4	$36.00
League Age 5	$56.00
League Age 6	$62.00
League Age 7	$78.00
League Age 8	$82.00
League Age 9	$90.00
League Age 10	$92.00
League Age 11-14	$96.00