Q: What division do I register my child for?

Q: What is Little League all about?

A: North Kitsap Little League strongly agrees with the purpose of Little League as set forth in their Rules and Regulations:  "Little League is a program of service to youth.  It is geared to provide an outlet of healthful activity and training under good leadership in the atmosphere of wholesome community participation.  The movement is dedicated to helping children become good and decent citizens.  It inspires them with a goal and enriches their lives toward the day when they must take their places in the world.  It establishes the values of teamwork, sportsmanship, and fair play."

In essence, Little League is a youth development organization, not a baseball/softball development organization.  We feel that baseball and softball afford us a unique opportunity to instill the values described above in our youth.


Q: When/where is registration?

A: Registration for the  Spring Regular Season will open December.  Older division (AAA and up) teams are formed by the end of February, so please plan to complete your registration prior to March 15th. Younger division teams (AA, A, and T-ball) are formed by the end of March. View our Key Dates tab on the homepage to check our Walk-in registration dates.


Q: Where can I find a schedule for practice and games?

A: We do not have preset schedules. Practice schedules are determined once we know how many teams we will have, which are based on registration numbers. The number of teams we have will also dictate the game schedule. Once you are connected to a team, your coach will let you know the practice and game schedule.

Q: What programs will be offered for the upcoming season?

A: For all of our programs, the Little League "League Age" is used to determine a player’s eligibility.  You can determine your child's league age from the Little League Age Calculator on our registration page. North Kitsap Little League offers a wide variety of T-ball, Baseball and Softball programs for kids league-age 4 to 16.  We also offer a Challengers program for mentally and physically challenged youth aged 5 to 22.  

If you have any questions on what program/division of play is appropriate for your child, please contact us at [email protected].

Q: When can I expect to hear about my child's placement on a team?

A: For AAA, Majors, Intermediate, Junior/Senior divisions: You can expect to hear from coaches by the end of March.

AA, A, and T-ball Divisions can expect to hear from their coaches by the end of Spring Break  (according to the North Kitsap School District calendar).

Challenger division can expect to hear from their coaches by mid-end of April.

If you have not heard from your team manager/coach within the appropriate time window described, please contact us at [email protected].

Q: When does the season begin and end?

A: For the AAA Division and above, the first day of games will typically be the last Saturday in March. 

For T-ball, A/AA Divisions, the first day of games will be typically be in Mid April. 

For Challengers, the first day of games will be the 3rd weekend of April. 

A specific game schedule for each team will be posted to your Team Page at www.nkll.org.  After teams are formed, the Team Pages will be accessible to you and your team's manager.

All regular-season games, including the end-of-season tournament for AAA Division and above, will be complete by Mid-June. 

Players in the AAA Division and above will have an opportunity to be considered for Little League's All-Star tournaments following the regular season.  Parents and players in those divisions will be given additional information about All-Stars during the regular season.

Q: What time are games and practices / how many per week?

A: T-ball and Challengers games are on Saturday mornings during the regular season.  All other divisions play a combination of Saturdays, and weekday night games.  Most weekday night games start at 6:00 PM; older divisions (Majors and above) will sometimes play games at 7:30 PM on our lighted "B" Field.  Games that are rained out are frequently made-up on Sunday afternoons.  We will notify the team managers when their game schedule is complete and uploaded to their team page.

Practices are generally held on weekday nights and the frequency varies by division; younger teams will have 1-2 practices per week, older teams will have 3-4 practices per week.  Managers have a fair amount of discretion in determining their practice schedule.

Q: How long do games and practices last and where do they take place?

A: T-ball games are one hour; A Baseball games are 90 minutes; AA, AAA; and Majors are two hours; Intermediate, Juniors and Seniors are two and a half hours.  There are time limits and curfews in place to prevent games from lasting much longer than the times described above.

Most games are played at Snider Park in Poulsbo, but some divisions will travel to play interleague games against other teams in our District (including Bainbridge Island, Gig Harbor, and Sequim).  See the description of our programs for more information on games played away from Snider Park. 

Practice times vary by age; for younger teams practices are 45-60 minutes; older kids may practice for an hour-and-a-half to two hours.  Practices are usually held at North Kitsap School District Fields, Kitsap County Parks, or Poulsbo City Parks (e.g. Raab Park).  For AAA Division and above, managers will be assigned practice times and locations, and will also be given time to practice in the batting cages at Snider Park.  For other divisions, managers have discretion over when/where they practice, so long as it is at a school, county or city field, or some other location that has been pre-approved by our league.

Q: What are the residency requirements to participate?

A: Players must either reside OR attend school inside the boundaries of North Kitsap Little League.  Click here to view our boundary map and for additional information.

Q: What is the registration cost per child?

A: T-ball  - $97 (+ $3 fee if paying online)
A-AAA-  $167 (+ $3 fee if paying online)
Majors and Up -  $187 (+ $3 fee if paying online)

If you are registering multiple children in one transaction, there is a discount of $75 for each additional child after the second. To avoid paying multiple online fees, and to achieve discounts for subsequent registrations, please register all of your children at once. Failure to do so will prevent the discount.

Our Challenger division is always free for the children to participate! 

 Q: What is money from registration fees used for?

A: The registration fees are our league's primary source of funding to pay for our operating expenses, which include playing equipment, field preparation, field maintenance, and annual chartering fees with Little League International.  These fees also go toward funding capital improvements at Snider Park, and to provide scholarship funds for our programs.

Q: What assistance is available for families who are unable to pay the registration due to financial hardships?

A: It is the policy of North Kitsap Little League that no child will be prevented from participating due to financial difficulties.  Please contact us at [email protected] for more information.

Q: Are there any fundraisers required as a part of the registration process?

A: Families are highly encouraged to participate in our fundraisers, but fundraising is not a requirement for registration.  Children will be allowed to participate in our fundraisers regardless of whether they raise any money. More details on this year's fundraising activities will be available in Spring.

Q: What are the expectations of me as a parent?

A: Parent involvement is critical to the success of our league. 

To quote the Little League Official Rules and Regulations:  "The parents of millions of Little Leaguers combined with their children, league officials, umpires, managers, coaches, and countless volunteer agencies including sponsors, represent an imposing cross section of our world.  Parents must take the initiative to make the local program successful.  Little League is not a club in which membership implies baby-sitting benefits and entertainment privileges."

North Kitsap Little League endorses the "Parent Code of Conduct" found on our parent resource page, and expects all our parents to adhere to it during practices and games.   Our parent resource page also contains additional information and helpful links for ways in which you can contribute to the success of our league.

Q: Are there any volunteer opportunities within the league?

A: Yes!  North Kitsap Little League is 100% all-volunteer organization - from the managers and coaches to the umpires, to the Board of Directors, to the concession stand workers.  Simply put, without the generous donations of time and talent from our volunteers, our league could not exist.

When you register your child, you'll be given an opportunity to identify volunteer areas that you could help us with. 

Player safety is a top priority, and all volunteers are required to complete a volunteer application and complete an annual background check.  This is non-negotiable.

Please contact us at [email protected] for any questions about how you could help volunteer with us this year.

Q: What will be provided for my child (uniform, equipment, etc.) and what will I need to purchase for him/her to participate?

A: Every player in every division will receive a uniform hat (or visor for softball) and T-shirt.  Players at the Majors Division and above will also receive a uniform jersey that must be returned at the end of the season.

Parents will need to ensure their child has the following:

-          Baseball/Softball fielding glove
-          Athletic pants for practice
-          Baseball/Softball pants for games (your player’s coach will let you know what color)
-          Male players participating in A Baseball or higher must wear a cup
-          Rubber cleats for A/AA and higher
-          Metal cleats are permitted in Intermediate, Juniors, and Seniors
-          Cleats are not necessary in T-ball

Players may choose to purchase the following items, but they aren’t required:

-          Bat
-          Batting helmet (available to check out from NKLL)
-          Batting gloves

Note that starting in 2018, Little League adopted a USA Bat standard for baseball.  Baseball bats that were approved for 2017 and before will no longer be acceptable (there is an exception possible for T-Ball bats that are 26" in length or less).  

Q: Can I request that my child be placed in a specific division of play, or with a specific coach or teammates?

A: Yes, you way make requests. Please let us know of any such requests when you register your child by entering those in the "comments or special requests" section.  We will do what we can to honor all requests, but please understand that maintaining a competitive balance, particularly as the kids get older, is our priority.   

Children who wish to participate in the AAA Division or higher must attend at least one skills assessment and those assessment results will greatly influence what division the child is ultimately placed in. Teams rostered in AAA and above are done so by a draft. Parent requests are provided for coaches to consider, but coaches are not required to honor parent requests. Fair and balanced teams take priority when drafting teams.  Sibling requests are always honored. 

For T-ball and the A/AA Divisions, we will work to group players by geographic location/schools.  It is usually easier to accommodate requests for specific coaches/teammates at these divisions.

Q: How are managers and coaches selected?

A: For all divisions, the team managers will be nominated by the League President for approval by the League Board of Directors.  The managers then select two team coaches and submit those names for approval by the Board of Directors.  Typically, the managers will be approved in mid/late February and the coaches will be approved in early/mid-March.  If you are interested in being a manager or coach this year, please contact the relevant division Vice President on our Board of Directors or e-mail us at [email protected].

Q: How do players get placed on a team?

A: For the AAA Division and above, a player draft is held to promote competitive balance between the teams.  The procedures for our drafts are in our local rules and regulations.  The drafts are typically 3-4 weeks after skills assessments (if applicable).

For other divisions, the Player Agent for that division places players on teams, generally according to geography/school location, and based on parent requests.

Q: How will All-Star Tournament teams be selected and when does that process take place?

A: All-Star Tournament teams will be selected in early June, using a combination of player voting and manager selections, administered by the board of directors.  The process we use to select our All-Star teams is in our local rules and regulations.  We will be disseminating more information about all-stars to players in the AAA and above divisions during the regular season.  For any questions about All-Stars, please contact us at [email protected].


Q: Where do I find more information about the positions and roles within Little League?
You can learn more about the Board of Director positions and roles by clicking here.

Q: What if I have additional questions?

A: Please ask us!  You can send general questions to [email protected]  or see the contact information for our Board of Directors to reach out to a specific person.


Last updated September 19, 2024