The goal of this league as a whole is to provide recreational softball activities to the community in a fun, safe, child-centered environment. Players will focus on developing softball skills relevant to their appropriate division.

Our Objectives:

• Provide a fun and engaging softball experience for youth in the community
• Promote skill development, teamwork, and sportsmanship
• Foster a positive and inclusive environment where all participants feel valued and supported
• Create opportunities for players to improve their softball abilities to reach their full potential
• Encourage fair play and respect for coaches, teammates, opponents, and officials
• Ensure this league stays a true recreational league, focusing on a stress-free environment for the players

League Age Divisions

Coach Pitch (8U) – The Coach Pitch division caters to children roughly aged 7 to 8, focusing on fundamental skill development in a supportive environment. Players receive controlled underhanded pitches from their coach, fostering a positive next step into the sport with an emphasis on teamwork and development.

Kid Pitch A (10U) - The 9–10-year-old division, with advanced 8-year-olds, Kid Pitch division marks a progression where young players transition to pitching themselves. In this league, kids develop their pitching, hitting, and fielding skills, fostering a more competitive environment while maintaining a focus on teamwork and sportsmanship.

Kid Pitch AA (12U) - The 11–12-year-old, with advanced 10-year-olds, Kid Pitch AA division represents a developmental stage where young players continue to refine their pitching, hitting, and fielding abilities. This league introduces a more competitive aspect to the game, emphasizing skill advancement, strategic play, and sportsmanship as players further develop their understanding and love for softball.

Allowed Players:

This league is open to players born on or after 1/1/2012 and before 12/31/2017.

Registration & Scholarships

 Parents or guardians are required to create an account on FountainCitySports.org to register their child for the league

• Our refund policy is posted on our website
• For registration costs, please see “Fees & Expenses” section below
• FCRC provides scholarships for registration fees to children, who without financial assistance would be unable to participate in FCRC sports programs. More details, including eligibility, can be found in the Scholarship Application
• Payment plans via credit card are offered for early registrants

Age Divisions:

The division age brackets are as follows:

Age divisions are based off 2025 USSSA Softball suggested age charts.  The league age of the player is determined by the player’s age on Dec 31, 2024.  Please utilize https://www.usssa.com/fastpitch/ageCalculator to determine your child’s appropriate division.

 Special Requests:

Special Requests may be submitted using the form found at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewXVtyEkDYsU-ipjgaMJiEMSfy2rrmq10H2sACDvpC9MSDew/viewform?usp=sf_link

• Division Change requests to play down to 6U Tee Ball will only be granted for disability-based reasons in the Kid Pitch divisions.
• A player may request to play down to Tee Ball from Coach Pitch if they have never played before.
• Coach non-requests will be granted if possible.
• Team/Coach Requests will only be granted based on team formation rules or for players living in the same household.
• Request to “Play-Up” will only be granted if a player evaluates in the top 10% of their appropriate division.

Schedule:

The full season schedule will be available online at FountainCitySports.org shortly after the season begins.

For Coach Pitch – Kid Pitch AA: Practices will be held during the week on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. Games will be played on Saturdays...

Makeup Policy: The first cancellation of the week will be made up on the following Wednesday. The second cancellation will be made up on a Friday of the same week. If a third cancellation occurs, it will either be made up on Saturday, rescheduled for another date or completely cancelled.

Team Formation:

All draft level teams will be fully drafted in the fall, except for Property Player saves. Since this is the inaugural year, there will be no property players. *See exception below.  Travel teams will not be allowed to bring their entire team into the league.  There is a recreational league and teams are chosen via draft.  If you played on a team in the Fall, you could remain on that team in the Spring if you choose to do so.  After Spring, teams will be redrafted in the Fall.  External recreation teams may not bring their entire team into the league; those players will need to be acquired during the draft process.

Property Players are those players who played for a registered Head Coach in the immediately preceding Spring season. Property Players are property of the Head Coach, not Assistant Coaches nor Dugout Captains. A person is only considered a Head or Assistant Coach if they are registered as such in the system for the applicable season. Players that skip a season, or request a new team, lose their Property Player status.  A team may have a maximum of 1 Head Coach and 3 Assistant Coaches.

If a Head Coach moves up or doesn’t coach, then one of their Assistant Coaches can transition to a Head Coach and inherit the property of players on their team. If a coach has dropped or lost an assistant, they must obtain their replacement through the draft. If a Head Coach leaves and both Assistant Coaches want to transition to Head Coaches and separately inherit Property of Players, they may do so only if they agree on which players each coach keeps. Two coaches may combine teams only if they take all returning Property Players and the total number of returning players is not more than 10.

For Head Coaches saving Property Players, they must save all returning players unless a parent requests a new coach.

*Children of coaches and assistant coaches will be on the team of the parent and considered a property player.

Evaluations and Draft:

All players should participate in Evaluations. Any player who no-shows for evaluations will be assigned the highest possible score for draft purposes. If a player no-show for evaluations, and is draft eligible, they will be randomly assigned to a team.

Regarding draft pick order, the team with the lowest number of players gets to pick before teams with higher numbers of players. This process continues until all teams have the same number of players. Once all teams have the same number of players, the coach with the lowest team score picks first. Coaches must pick players with the goal of keeping the average team score consistent across all teams. i.e. A coach with a high team score must pick a player with a low individual score. A coach with a low team score can pick any player they choose.

Fees & Expenses:

Awards:

Equipment Requirements:

Coach Pitch 8U through Kid Pitch 12U – The park will provide a Jersey for each player, as well as game balls for the team. Parents/Guardians should provide a glove, batting helmet, cleats, baseball pants, belt and any other personal equipment the player would like to use.

• FCRC will organize the uniform ordering process and teams will pick from standardized designs available through our supplier. Teams may not fundraise or take donations to be able to order upgraded uniforms. Player names will not be printed on uniforms.
• Bats must meet USSSA Softball requirements and have a USSSA BPF of 1.20 or less. “Official Softball” will be marked on the bat.  You must only use bats made by those bat manufacturers listed on the USSSA website as USSSA Licensed Softball Bat Manufacturers and that have the new 2020 USSSA Fast pitch Only Certification Mark OR the previous 2014 USSSA Certification Mark.
• Helmets must be approved and stamped by NOCSAE
• Helmets must be equipped with a NOCSAE-approved face protector - a chinstrap is optional
• Metal cleats are prohibited
• Exposed jewelry is not permitted and must be removed during games and practices.
• The use of defensive face masks is required, and they must meet transparency requirements applicable to batting and catching helmets. If an eye shield is attached, it must be constructed of a molded rigid material that is clear (no tint).

General Rules and Deviations:

All divisions shall follow the USSSA Rules found here https://usssa.com/docs/fastpitch/fastpitch_rules.pdf for the appropriate age division with the following exceptions/clarifications:

Coach Pitch:

Follow USSSA rules with the following exceptions/clarifications:

9’ Pitching Line 35’ from Home Plate w/ 60’ Base Path

Player pitcher must have 1 foot on the line and Coach pitcher must also have 1 foot on the line.

Players must play in softball positions with no more than 4 outfielders in play.

5 pitch limits unless the last ball is foul tipped. Batter may continue to hit for as long as they foul.

No leadoffs and no steals
Teams will use an 11” softball

No infield fly rule

Kid Pitch – 10U:

Follow USSSA rules with the following exceptions/clarifications:

35’ Pitching Distance with 60’ Base Paths

Players must be in baseball positions with no more than 3 outfielders in play.

No leadoffs, no stealing until the ball crosses home plate.  A runner on 1st or 2nd attempting to steal may only advance 1 base even in the event of an overthrow.  A runner on 3rd may not steal home.

No dropped 3^rd strike rule

No in-field fly rule

Balks not called, but pitcher will be notified

Teams will use an 11” softball

If a pitcher walks a batter, then the coach of the batting team may come to the mound and pitch a maximum of 3 pitches.

Kid Pitch – 12U:

Follow USSSA rules with the following exceptions/clarifications:

40’ Pitching Distance with 60’ Base Paths

No Lead offs.  Stealing is allowed when the ball crosses home plate

Dropped 3^rd strike rule is in play

No in-field fly rule

Balks called and enforced
Teams will use a 12” softball

Contact Info:

For any questions, concerns, or additional information, please refer to the following contact information

• FCRC Website: fountaincitysports.org
• FCRC Recreation Commission: info@fountaincitysports.org
• Softball Director: Justin Sanders
  • sanders@fountaincitysports.org
  • 276-219-3169