Each summer, Fairfield National Little League (FNLL) offers additional baseball opportunities for players who want to continue competing and having fun after the spring season. This includes both All-Star travel teams and a Summer House League.
All-Star Travel Teams
Teams Offered: At the 10U-12U level FNLL will sponsor two Summer All Star Teams, District All Stars and Tournament All Stars. At the 8U-9U level FNLL will sponsor two Tournament All Star Teams.
The District Team participates in the Little League-sanctioned District tournament within CT where the winner continues on to regional events. The 12U District Team will play for the opportunity to compete in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA. The Little League District Tournament follows the standard rule for pitching and base paths (46/60). The District Team will enter additional tournaments to fill out the summer season if they are knocked out in the early stages of the Little League event.
The Tournament Teams participate in two to three (non-Little League-sanctioned) tournaments. These tournaments typically consist of play with teams from other towns within 1 hour of Fairfield. 12U and 11U tournament teams will participate in both standard rule (46/60) and intermediate rule (50/70) tournaments. 8U-10U Tournament Teams participate in standard rule (46/60) tournaments. Division Coordinators may send out more detailed information on the Tournaments it intends to participate in.
Eligibility: Players are required to have attended a minimum of eight Spring season games (including playoffs) to be eligible to play on a summer All Star team.
Commitment: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. Both Summer All Star teams are a big commitment. Players and coaches will be on the field most days, 6-7 days per week for the 10U-12U Divisions and 5-6 days per week for the 8U-9U divisions. Games and practices can shift unexpectedly due to weather (and other factors), so it is expected that players will be available and flexible. Both the District and Tournament team commitment runs from early June through the end of July. Parents/Players will be asked to sign commitment letters if selected to a District or Tournament Team.
Evaluations/Selection Process: The District and Tournament All Star teams will be selected through a Manager/ Coach evaluation process, which will occur during the Spring season.
Evaluations include a submission by all division managers for interested players across the division (not just their respective team). Division managers will attend games in which they are not playing to evaluate players of other teams in their division. Managers will rank players using a tiered system with commentary on each players ability.
Evaluation criteria include: baseball proficiency (including throwing, catching, hitting, pitching and catching), sportsmanship and coachability.
· Evaluations will be reviewed, compiled and scored by the Player Agent and Division Coordinator with oversight by the Board of Directors. Rankings are then reviewed by the Player Agent and FNLL Executive Board to ensure consistency, completeness and fairness. The District Team is formed first, followed by the Tournament Team. All rosters are submitted to the FNLL Board for final review and approval before teams are announced.
Summer All-Star Managers: self-nominate and are voted on by the FNLL Board based on their eligibility, level of commitment and tenure within the league. The Board-approved Managers will then select their respective team from the compiled evaluations. Upon team approval the manager will choose two additional coaches to support the team, who will also go through a Board Approval process.
Cost: The League is still evaluating cost structures based on tournament entry fee information, but the typical range is $300-$550 per player.
Summer House League (Ages 9–12)
Players who simply want a more relaxed summer experience — are invited to join the Summer House League (run in partnership with Fairfield American Little League). The season runs from late June through July, with 2 games per week and an emphasis on fun and skill development.