Dear Five Town Little League Community:
After much deliberation, the Five Town Little League Board of Directors has voted to cancel the Spring 2020 Little League season. The Board reviewed the guidance and checklists published by the public health community and determined that our league cannot provide enjoyable baseball and softball programs while also ensuring the health and safety of our volunteers, our players, and our community as a whole.
We are holding open the option of some kind of Little League events in late summer or fall. Whatever form those might take, we are closing the book on the traditional spring Little League season in light of the current conditions.
Parents of 12-year-old veterans of our softball and baseball programs should watch for a separate message about plans to honor their children this summer.
Parents (or guardians) who registered their children for any of our 2020 programs may request a refund of their fees (less the 3% credit card processing fee and the $1 per registrant fee charged by SportsOffice) by emailing the Board at mainefivetownlittleleague <at> gmail.com. Please include your mailing address in your email request.
If registrants wish to donate some portion of their registration fees to the league, please email us at the same address so that we can credit that amount and provide you with a donation receipt for your tax records. Your donation will allow us to cover fixed costs, like our league liability insurance premium for 2020, which we are required to carry even if we don't have a season. Would you like to donate some portion of the registration fee you paid? Either way, please let us know by July 1, 2020 to help us close out our fiscal year.
We did not easily reach this decision. The Board considered all possible ways to construct baseball and softball training options that would be both fun and responsible to our community health. Ultimately, we determined that we could not serve both interests under the current conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Five Town Little League will not sponsor any baseball or softball activities, we encourage you to responsibly use our public facilities at Marge Jones Park in Rockland, True Park in Hope, and the Lincolnville Town Sports Complex. The State of Maine encourages families to follow the “Project Play: Return to Play” guidelines published by the Aspen Institute (viewable at: https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/return-to-play). Consider playing baseball and softball among members of shared households using owned and sanitized equipment. Play catch. Take batting practice. Play “pickle” and “pepper.” Use our community facilities however you can to responsibly experience the fun of softball and baseball.
Thank you for your patience and support. Let’s do our part in 2020 so that we can play ball in 2021.
RESOURCES:
Maine COVID-19 Prevention Checklist (Community Sports)
Aspen Institute: Project Play “Return to Play”
US CDC Considerations for Community Sports:
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