CONCORD LITTLE LEAGUE, INC.

2020 SEASON GUIDELINES FOR COVID-19

All adult volunteers, players, and spectators will be mandated to adhere to the guidelines listed below in order to participate as a volunteer or player or attend events as a spectator at any Concord Little League [CLL] activity during the time period that restrictions are in place due to Covid-19.  Failure to adhere to the guidelines listed below will result in disciplinary action by a league official.

At all times the recommendations for youth sports as published by the CDC, State of NH Governor’s Economic Reopening Task Force, and Little League Baseball International will be followed by league volunteers, players, and spectators.  All managers, coaches, umpires, and league volunteers will be required to attend a teleconference on these rules and regulations prior to assuming the volunteer role.  At the player’s first team meeting the Team Manager will conduct a safety briefing with all players and reinforce the guidelines at the beginning of each team activity.

All Board members, coaches, and umpires shall review the LLI Best Practices Season Resumption Guide on the LLI website and will be provided with a copy of the Stay at Home 2.0 Universal Guidelines of the Governor’s Economic Reopening Task Force and the Amateur Sports Specific Recommendations to read and adhere to at all times while participating in a CLL activity.  Important points from these documents include:

GENERAL GUIDELINES

1. Team managers shall screen all players for symptoms prior to allowing the player entry to the field of play/game site for practice [initial phase] and games [later phase]. 

1. The manager will wear a face mask during the screening process and send any player exhibiting symptoms home immediately.Parents of players with symptoms prior to arriving at the field shall contact the manager to inform them that the player will miss practice/game.
2. The parent/person bringing the player to the field may not leave until the player has been screened and deemed without current symptoms and allowed to enter the field.
3. Screener questions will be provided on a laminated card for each manager to be kept with the team notebook.
4. If a touchless thermometer is not available managers will notify parents prior to arrival at the field to perform a home temperature check and text the temperature to the manager prior to leaving for the field.Any player with a temperature at/exceeding 100.4°F will not be permitted to attend practice.The manager will keep a record of temperatures for each player for review by the League Safety Officer or other designated league official.

2.  Hand hygiene will be promoted at all times

1. Each manager will be issued alcohol-based hand sanitizers for inclusion in the team equipment.Additional supplies of sanitizer will be available by contacting the Safety Officer.
2. The bathrooms will be supplied with liquid soap and paper towels for hand washing in the event hands show visible dirt.Hand washing shall be for a minimum of 20 seconds and all paper products will be disposed of in the bathroom prior to leaving and after opening the door using a clean paper towel.
3. Team managers or Team parent reps will be responsible for surface disinfection of the sink, door handle, and any other high touch area in the bathroom at the conclusion of each team event.
4. Hand hygiene is required following screening upon arrival to the field, before/after any snacks, before/after using the bathroom, before/after touching the face or face covering, and upon leaving.
5. All players will be encouraged to keep an alcohol-based personal use size hand sanitizer as part of their equipment.

3. Sanitizing/Disinfecting High Touch Surfaces

1. Before the start of and at the conclusion of every practice the team manager or team parent rep will disinfect all high-touch areas including but not limited to those in the rest room, entry/exit gate handles, baseballs, and field rakes.
2. Spitting, chewing seeds, licking fingers, and gum are prohibited at all times.
3. All persons must either cough/sneeze into the crook of the elbow or into a disposable tissue.The tissue is to be placed in the trash bag immediately after use and hand sanitizer used.

4. Social Distancing

1. Players arriving to the field shall wear a face covering until admitted to the field of play.Once admitted the player shall sanitize hands to remove the covering and carefully store the face covering with his/her equipment as designated by the manager.
2. Each player shall have a designated spot for storing his/her equipment and waiting while on offense that is a minimum of 6’ away from all other players and spectators and behind protective fencing.During practices the equipment can be kept on the field side of the fence.
3. When the team is practicing or playing defense in the field players are not required to wear face coverings.
4. When the team is at-bat players at not required to wear face coverings if proper 6’ social distancing is maintained; when a player becomes the on-deck batter he/she shall enter the dugout and wait behind the screen until called to the plate to bat.
5. Players are not required to wear face coverings when on-base and running; once a player is retired he/she shall immediately return to his/her designated spot and maintain 6’ social distancing.
6. At the conclusion of the practice/game players shall sanitize hands, don the face covering, carefully pack up equipment, and wait at his/her designated spot until a parent/guardian has arrived for pick-up.
7. Any team conference or meeting must adhere to the 6’ distancing guideline and everyone in attendance must wear face coverings during the meeting.
8. No unnecessary contact is to made between players and coaches including a prohibition on hand shakes, fist/elbow bumps, back slaps, and high/low fives.As a measure of sportsmanship players and coaches are encouraged to use hat tips, clapping, and thumbs-up to show support and encouragement to each other.

5. Other

1. Volunteers should not transport players to/from the field if they are not immediate family members whenever possible.If a volunteer needs to transport a non-family member player all persons in the vehicle shall wear a face covering and maintain maximum distance as feasible per vehicle.
2. A dedicated adult volunteer will be present at each team event to monitor proper compliance with all guidelines; this volunteer must have passed the LLB background check, attend an educational session on the guidelines, correct any deviation from the guidelines, and report to the league president or safety officer any non-compliance following corrections.

PHASE 1 – Practice Phase

1.  Practices are limited to 10 persons [9 players/1 coach or combination thereof] per group; all groups shall be self-contained and avoid any contact with other groups at the facility.

1. practices shall be scheduled to allow for 15 minutes between sessions
2. arriving players shall enter at the gate by the 3^rd base dugout, complete symptom screening, and remain stationed 6’ apart with face coverings on until the prior team has left the field
3. leaving players shall don their face covering, exit via the gate at the 1^st base dugout taking all equipment and water bottles with them and going promptly to meet their ride home.
4. the manager of the team leaving the field shall disinfect high touch areas, remove all team equipment, and discard the trash
5. the arriving team shall then take up assigned positions along the first base foul line and begin practice.

2.  All persons attending a practice shall be screened for symptoms and temperature PRIOR to participation and the team manager shall maintain a record of responses/temperatures [see #1 under General Guidelines].  Any person with symptoms shall be prohibited from entering the field.  Should a player or coach develop symptoms at practice they are to don their face covering, be removed from the field to the bleachers by the 3^rd base dugout, have the parent/guardian contacted for immediate pick-up [if a player], and promptly return home. 

3. All practices shall be held outdoors and focus on skills and drills designed to maintain 6’ distancing between players and coaches.  When this is not possible the coach and player[s] shall wear a face covering.

4. All players must use their own helmets, gloves, batting gloves, and bats.  Any player needing assistance in procuring their own equipment shall inform the manager who shall inform the division VP who shall facilitate procurement.  Note that CLL currently provides all players with their own helmet and gloves; bats will be made available on loan for the season for players who do not have their own bat; batting gloves are optional.  Each team shall designate two players to serve as team catchers; if the catcher does not have his/her own catcher’s mitt, mask, chest protector, and shin guards the league will loan the equipment for the season to the catcher. Players are to label their equipment and equipment bag,  maintain both in good order at all times, keep their equipment in their assigned place, and avoid touching other player’s gear.

5. Shared equipment [not baseballs] shall be sanitized by the coach after each use.  Each dugout will be stocked with disinfecting solutions, gloves, paper towels, and trash bags for sanitizing.  Used paper towels are to be immediately discarded in the trash bag; the trash bag is to be sealed and placed in the trash container at the end of each practice.

6. All baseballs shall be sanitized at the end of each practice.  Where possible the number of players who come in contact with the baseball shall be limited [e.g., in throwing drills one baseball is used only by the 2 players in the drill].  At the completion of each drill where more than 1 person touched the ball the player/coach shall sanitize his/her hands using hand sanitizer or soap/water [if hands visibly dirty].

7. No player or player equipment should enter the dugout for any purpose other than serving as the on-deck batter.  Coaches in the dugout must wear a mask whenever a player is in the dugout.

8. Players and coaches must bring and use only their own water/sports drink for hydration in practices and, in Phase 2, games.  All single use bottles must be properly disposed of before leaving the field; all reusable bottles must return home with the player.  Any bottles left behind will be discarded.  A supply of single use water bottles will be maintained in the equipment shed for players needing hydration who forget to bring or finish their drink.  Managers must notify the Safety Officer when there are fewer than 6 water bottles left in the case.

9. No parents or spectators are permitted to be on the field, along the foul line fences, or in the bleachers during practices; they may remain in the parking areas but if they leave their vehicle 6’ social distancing must be maintained. Spectators of any type are prohibited from sitting, standing, or watching practice from anywhere other than the parking areas.  If parking in the outfield parents/spectators must stay a minimum of 6’ away from the outfield fences.  Grass paint will be used to mark off the 6’ distance.

10. Parents/legal guardians must complete and turn into the team manager the LLI Medical Release form, CLL Code of Conduct, and a Covid-19 participation waiver prior to their child’s participation in any team event.

11. Players must read and sign the Code of Conduct indicating that they understand and will follow all the rules for play including adjustments in place for the 2020 season.

PHASE 2 - Competition [this phase will commence when the Governor permits gatherings of up to 50 people]

1. In this phase no more than 50 participants are permitted.  It is unlikely this number will be seen in CLL games as participation will be limited to team players, 3 adult coaches/team, 1 team parent/team, and 2-3 on-field umpires.  Participants do NOT include spectators as they are not permitted on the field of play.

2. All Phase 1 and General Guidelines as listed above or modified in subsequent publication must be followed in Phase 2.

3. No concessions will be permitted in Phase 2.

4. Announcing and scoreboard operation will be permitted with only 1 person or 1 family in the announcing booth; any volunteer performing announcing and scoreboard functions must sanitize the equipment following the manufacturer’s directions [provided on a laminated sanitizing referral sheet] at the conclusion of the volunteer duty.

1. It is recommended that Game Changer be utilized for scoring ease and that each team enter line-ups and keep score
2. social platforms that permit remote “watching” of the game are encouraged

5. Player, Coach, Umpire, and Team Parent pre-screening as outlined in General Guidelines #1 must be completed prior to any person entering the field of play.  Each team manager will complete the screening at the gate by the team dugout; the assigned League Official will complete the screening of all adult volunteers.  Once admitted to the field players shall report to the assigned foul line fence area for leaving their equipment.  Equipment will be relocated to outside the fence once the game begins.

6. Field preparation shall be done prior to any player arriving at the field if at all possible; once players arrive on the field only official coaches are permitted to prep the field.  Field rakes shall be wiped down with disinfectant after each use; disposable gloves shall be available for volunteers who prefer to wear them while prepping/closing the field.  Once all players have left the field parent volunteers may enter to rake and field and put away the bases.

7. All games will be played outdoors; when back-to-back games are scheduled the arriving teams shall report no more than 30 minutes prior to the game scheduled start and the leaving teams shall leave within 20 minutes of the socially distanced team meeting.

1. Grappone Park: arriving visiting team shall meet in the area behind the 3^rd base dugout then proceed to the left field area for warm-ups Arriving home teams shall meet in the area behind the first base dugout then proceed to the right field area and use the space there for warm-ups maintaining proper 6’ social distancing.Following CLL local rules for batting cage use arriving players shall proceed 2 at a time to the batting cage area with one player in the cage for live BP and the other player at the T station warming up for live BP.The T station shall be positioned 6’ away from the batter and pitcher in the batting cage.Once a player finishes live BP he/she shall return to the designated warm-up area and the next player shall report to the T station.
2. Beaver Meadow Field: arriving teams shall meet in the outfield [visiting team in the right field area; home team in the left field area and use the space there for warm-ups maintaining proper 6’ social distancing.

    

3. Frisbee Field arriving teams shall meet in the outfield [visiting team in the right field area; home team in the left field area and use the space there for warm-ups maintaining proper 6’ social distancing.

8. In all pregame and game activities 6’ distancing shall be maintained between players and coaches; when this is not feasible the coach shall wear a face covering.

9. Umpires: Field umpires shall wear a face covering during play as shall the plate umpire if positioned behind the pitcher’s mound;  if behind the plate a face covering is not mandatory.

1. umpires should limit contact with the baseball [have players retrieve baseballs; new baseballs shall be tossed in by a coach of the team on defense from that team’s game balls]. Foul balls shall be retrieved by the player on offense who made the last out of the prior inning.This player shall be stationed near the gate to facilitate ease of baseball retrieval and shall have a face covering on at all times.
2. plate meetings must maintain 6’ social distancing and all participants must wear a mask; players shall not participate in plate meetings
3. managers must request time to communicate with the umpire and be granted time before leaving the dugout; managers must wear a mask and maintain 6’ distance when in conversation with the umpire
4. umpire conferences shall be held at a distance to prevent players from hearing the discussion and maintain 6’ distance between umpires; the plate umpire must have a mask available for use during conferences with managers and fellow umpires.
5. equipment inspection should be visible if possible [if the umpire needs the player present for visual inspection the player must also wear a face covering], if not the umpire should wear disposable gloves and properly disinfect the gloves upon removal.Gloves must be changed before touching a different player’s equipment.

10. All players must use their own helmets, gloves, batting gloves, and bats.  Note that CLL currently does not provides all players with their own helmet and gloves or bats Some helmets and bats maybe made available for players who do not have their own; batting gloves are optional.  Each team shall designate two players to serve as team catchers; if the catcher does not have his/her own catcher’s mitt, mask, chest protector, and shin guards the league may loan the equipment to the catcher based on what we have to provide. Players are to keep their equipment in their assigned place and avoid touching other player’s gear.

11. Shared equipment [not baseballs] such as equipment borrowed for the game when a player either forgets or equipment becomes unusable shall be sanitized by the coach whenever the player is done with the equipment.  Each dugout will be stocked with disinfecting solutions, gloves, paper towels, and trash bags for sanitizing.  Used paper towels are to be immediately discarded in the trash bag; the trash bag is to be sealed and placed in the trash container at the end of each game.

12. Each team shall have their own set of game balls to be used by the team when on defense.  The manager shall mark the ball with the initial of the team name to keep balls separated.  Game balls shall be kept separate from warm-up balls.  All baseballs used in that half inning shall be disinfected in between innings [while the team is on offense].

13. All players and coaches shall sanitize hands using alcohol-based hand sanitizer at the end of each half inning.

14. During games spectators must remain out of all areas in use by players and stay a minimum of 6’ away from the playing field and player areas.  Spectators shall maintain 6’ social distancing from any other spectator not in their immediate household.  

15.  Bathrooms will be locked at all times during games; persons needing to use the bathroom must seek out the league official assigned to the game for access to the bathroom.  Prior to leaving the bathroom the user must wash hands with soap and water, turn off water with a clean paper towel, use this paper towel to open the door then discard the paper towel in the trash container by the door.  The league official will wipe down the doorknob, lock, flush handle, and faucet after each use.