RESIDENCE AND SCHOOL ATTENDANCE
PLAYER ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
Each local Little League determines the actual geographic boundaries of the area from within which it shall select players. These boundaries must be described in detail and shown on a map and dated when making application for a Little League charter. Players will be eligible to play with that league only if they reside or the physical location of the school where they attend classes is within the boundaries provided to and approved by Little League Baseball, Incorporated.
I. A player will be deemed to reside within the league boundaries if:
A. His/her parents are living together and are residing within such league boundaries, OR;
B. Either of the player’s parents (or his/her court-appointed legal guardian) reside within such boundaries. It is unacceptable if a parent moves into a league’s boundaries for the purpose of qualifying for tournament play. As detailed later in these rules, the penalty for violation of this rule may, in Little League Baseball, Incorporated’s discretion, result in the disqualification of a player, team or entire league from regular season and/or tournament play.
“Residence,” “reside” and “residing” refers to a place of bona fide continuous habitation. A place of residence once established shall not be considered changed unless the parents, parent or guardian makes a bona fide change of residence.
Residence shall be established and supported by documents, dated or in force between February 1, 2019 (previous year) and February 1, 2020 (current year), from THREE OR MORE of the following categories to determine residency of such parent(s) or guardian:
1. Driver’s License
2. Voter’s Registration
3. School records
4. Welfare/child care records
5. Federal records
6. State records
7. Local (municipal) records
8. Support payment records
9. Homeowner or tenant records
10. Utility bills (i.e., gas, electric, water/sewer, phone, mobile phone, heating, waste disposal)
11. Financial (loan, credit, investments, etc.) records
12. Insurance documents
13. Medical records
14. Military records
15. Internet, cable or satellite records
16. Vehicle records
17. Employment records
NOTE: Example – Three utility bills (three items from No. 10 above) constitute only ONE document.
Any documents submitted as proof of residence must show customary usage or consumption to demonstrate bona fide continuous habitation as determined by Little League Baseball, Incorporated in its discretion.
II. A player will be deemed to attend school in the boundaries if:
A. The physical location of the school where they attend classes is within the boundaries established by the local league. Note: This excludes home schools, cyber schools, sports- related schools, sports academies, or preschool or after school where a student participates outside of the primary school the player is enrolled.
“School attendance” refers to the (place) physical location the player in question attends school during the traditional academic year. Once established, a location of school attendance shall not be considered changed unless the child is enrolled and attends another school or is no longer enrolled in the previous school.
School attendance shall be established and supported by a document indicating enrollment for the current academic year, dated prior to October 1, 2019 and with the physical location of the school, from ONE of the following categories to determine school attendance by such player:
1. Official/Certified School enrollment record
2. School issued report card or performance record
3. A Little League issued school attendance form completed by the principal, assistant principal or administrator
It is recommended that the league require some proof of residence or school attendance within the league’s boundaries at the time the player registers. Players and their parents/guardians are advised that a false statement of residence or school attendance may lead to ineligibility to play Little League Baseball or Softball. Under NO circumstances does ANY person have the authority to grant a waiver that allows a child to play in a local Little League program IN ANY DIVISION, when that child does not qualify under these residency requirements. Any league who accepts any player outside of their boundaries and fails to properly document compliance with the “Residence and/or School Attendance Player Eligibility Requirement” or obtain a waiver through the Charter Committee may result in the disqualification of a player, team or entire league from regular season and/or tournament play.
If the claim for residency or school attendance is challenged, the above materials must be submitted to Little League Baseball, Incorporated, with an affidavit of residency or school attendance from the parent(s) or guardian. Little League Baseball, Incorporated shall have the right to request additional documentation in support of the claim of residency or school attendance. The parent(s) or legal guardian will be required to provide said documentation to obtain eligibility. Little League Baseball, Incorporated shall decide the issue in its sole discretion, and that decision will be final and binding. Residency or school documents must illustrate that the residence or school attendance (as defined above) was inside the league’s boundaries throughout the regular season (as of June 15 of the year in question).
In the case of a Regulation II(d) Waiver Form, or a Regulation IV(h) Waiver Form, the proof of residence for the FORMER residence of the parent(s) that was within the current league’s boundaries must be obtained. This proof of residence for the former residence must be supported by the same documentation as noted above.
Tournament Requirement for Non-Citizens: A participant who is not a citizen of the country in which he/she wishes to play, but meets residency requirements as defined by Little League, may participate in that country if:
1. his/her visa allows that participant to remain in that country for a period of at least one year, or;
2. the prevailing laws allow that participant to remain in that country for at least one year, or;
3. the participant has an established bona fide residence in that country for at least two years prior to the start of the regular season.
Exceptions can only be made by action of the Charter Committee in Williamsport. Any request for a waiver pertaining to the eligibility of a player must be submitted in writing, by the president of the local Little League through the district administrator, to their respective Regional Director not later than the date prescribed in Regulation IV(j). Requests submitted after that date will not be considered.
PROOF-OF-AGE REQUIREMENTS ACCEPTABLE FORMS OF PROOF OF BIRTH DATE
1. Original proof of age document, if issued by federal, state or provincial registrars of vital statistics in the country in which the Little Leaguer is participating.
2. If country of participation differs from the country of proof of age document, original proof-of-age document issued by federal, state or provincial registrars of vital statistics, or local offices thereof, are acceptable proof of age, provided the document was filed, recorded, registered or issued within one (1) year of the birth of the child.
3. An original document issued by federal, state or provincial registrars of vital statistics, or local offices thereof, listing the date of birth, with reference to the location and issue date of the original birth certificate, is acceptable. (The original birth certificate referenced must have been filed, recorded, registered or issued within one (1) year of the birth of the child.) Also issued by these agencies are photocopies of the certificate of live birth with the certification also photocopied, including the signature, and include the seal impressed thereon. Such documents are acceptable without “live” signatures, provided the original filed, recorded, registered or issued date of the birth certificate was within one (1) year of the date of birth.
4. For children born abroad of a parent or parents who are U.S. citizens, any official government document issued by a U. S. federal agency or service, is acceptable. For military dependents, Department of Defense identification cards and military hospital certificates are acceptable. These must be originals, not copies, and must refer to a filing, recording, registration, or issue date that is within one (1) year of the birth of the child.
5. A “Statement in Lieu of Acceptable Proof of Birth” issued by a District Administrator is acceptable.
NOT ACCEPTABLE AS SOLE PROOF OF BIRTH: Baptismal Certificate; Certificate of Blessing; Certificate of
Dedication; Certificate of Circumcision, etc.; Hospital Certificate; photocopied records; passports. NOTE: Little League International has authorized the Regional Directors for Latin America, Europe (including Africa), and Asia/Pacific, to adopt a policy that excludes No. 1 above. Local Little Leagues and districts in those regions will be informed of the regional policy.
HOW TO OBTAIN ACCEPTABLE DOCUMENTS PROVING DATE OF BIRTH
Certified copy-of-birth records may be obtained from the Registrar of Vital Statistics of each state, province or local office where the child was born. For U.S.-born persons, addresses of these offices or bureaus, fees required, and other pertinent information are supplied by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (National Center for Health Statistics). A database listing the method for obtaining birth records from any U.S. state or territory is available at the following Internet address:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/howto/w2w/w2welcom.htm
Individual states may also have on-line instructions on how to obtain “rush” birth records. To find out a state’s latest policies regarding birth records, go to the Internet site listed below and type “birth records” into the search field, designate the appropriate state, then click on “SUBMIT.”
http://www.firstgov.gov/
Persons in the U.S. who need a copy of a non-U.S. birth record should contact the Embassy or the nearest Consulate of the country in which the birth occurred. Addresses and telephone numbers for these offices are listed in the U.S. Department of State Publication 7846, “Foreign Consular Offices in the
United States,” which is available in many local libraries. Copies of this publication may also be purchased from the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402. Such proof-of-birth records must meet the criteria for acceptable proof listed above.
HOW TO OBTAIN A “STATEMENT IN LIEU OF ACCEPTABLE PROOF OF BIRTH”
When an “Acceptable Proof of Birth” as described previously is not available, then the appropriate number of items in EACH of these FOURgroups are required so that the participant may obtain a “Statement in Lieu of Acceptable Proof of Birth,” which is required for such a participant to be eligible for regular season or tournament play:
Group 1 – Any one (1) of the following, provided the date of birth is listed: a naturalization document issued by the United States Department of Justice; photocopy of birth certificate; original birth certificate or government record of birth if not containing a filing, recording, registration, or issue date within one (1) year of the date of birth; passport; PLUS…
Group 2 – Any two (2) of the following, provided the date of birth is listed: Baptismal Certificate; Certificate of Blessing; Certificate of Dedication; Certificate of Circumcision; or any other religious- related certificate; Hospital Certificate; School Record (must be dated, and date of issue must be at least two years prior to current season); Social Security document; Welfare Department document; adoption record. Any item in this group must be an original document, not a copy; PLUS…
Group 3 – Any two (2) of the following: A written, signed and notarized statement from…
… the doctor who delivered the child;
… a hospital administrator where the child was delivered;
… the principal or headmaster of the school the child attends;
… a Social Worker with personal knowledge of the child’s date of birth;
…a Priest, Rabbi, Minister, Mullah, or other titled religious figure with personal knowledge of the child’s date of birth;
… the child’s pediatrician or family doctor.
NOTE: In each statement in Group 3, the writer must describe his/her responsibilities or his/ her relationship to the child, and must attest to his/her personal knowledge that the child was born on the date claimed; PLUS…
Group 4 – A written, signed and notarized statement from one or both parents, or the legal guardian (as appointed by a court of jurisdiction), attesting to the date of birth claimed.
The league president will forward the above documentation to the District Administrator (or, if the team is traveling, the Tournament Director). If in the opinion of the District Administrator, such evidence is satisfactory, a “Statement In Lieu of Acceptable Proof of Birth” will be issued. This statement will be considered to be acceptable proof of age from that point forward, throughout the child’s Little League experience, provided all the information submitted is accurate. (NOTE: If the District Administrator is unable to review the documents, they may be submitted to the appropriate Regional Headquarters.)
NOTE: Situations where players use the name of an adopting family or the name of the family with whom they live, but whose births are recorded under the surname of the natural father or mother, will be handled as follows: The president of the league will obtain from the parents or guardian a document that qualifies under Proof-of-Age Requirements, as well as a copy of the adoption papers (if the player has been legally adopted. If the player was not adopted, a notarized statement from the mother and/or father or legal guardian (as appointed by a court of jurisdiction), saying that the player living under one or the other of their surnames is the same player for whom the birth certificate was issued) is also required.
These documents will be submitted to the District Administrator. If the documents are found to be acceptable, a “Statement in Lieu of Acceptable Proof of Birth” will be issued and all original documents returned. The information submitted will be kept confidential.