The Five Town Little League Board of Directors voted tonight to suspend all official, in-person pre-season baseball and softball events through Sunday, April 26, 2020 to combat the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus within our communities.  The Board reached this difficult decision after reviewing the decisions made by both MSAD #28 (Camden and Rockport) and School Union #69 (Appleton, Hope, and Lincolnville) to close their schools until after April school vacation week.  Little League International has recommended that all local leagues immediately suspend all league activities until a date no earlier than April 6, but to “follow the guidance of their local authorities, evaluating school district closures, and local health department recommendations before resuming season play.”

The Board is tentatively re-scheduling Majors Baseball and Softball Tryouts for Saturday, May 2, 2020.  We hope to run pre-season clinics for all levels – Minors and Majors – of Baseball and Softball during the week of April 27 to May 1.  The weather will dictate whether these clinics take place indoors or out on the fields at Marge Jones Park, True Park, and Lincolnville Town fields. Thereafter, we plan to hold our Opening Day on Saturday, May 9, 2020, and proceed with our regular season with as little disruption as is possible. 

We also plan for the Tee Ball season to proceed as originally scheduled with our Opening Tee Ball Night taking place on Tuesday, May 5, 2020.

These plans may change as information about the severity of the outbreak and responsible community response becomes clearer, but this is our plan as of today.

For more information about Little League International’s recommendations to local league efforts to respond to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, please visit Little League’s FAQ page here:  https://www.littleleague.org/player-safety/coronavirus-update/

For more information about the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendations for reducing introduction and spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus throughout the country, please visit the US CDC’s page here:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

We appreciate the patience and understanding of our Five Town Little League community as we do our part to reduce the spread of the virus throughout our country, one community at a time.

We regret to announce that we have canceled our March 17 "Coaching the Coaches" clinic with Coach Nick Caiazzo from The Edge Academy, in Portland.  We hope to reschedule an event with Coach Nick on a later date.

"Coaching the Coaches" clinic on Tuesday, March 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.  The Clinic will take place at THE PITCH, in Warren.  The program is designed to provide ideas and specific practice plan tips for coaches of players of all ages and programs -- Softball, Tee Ball, and Baseball.  

We hope you will join us.  Leave the kids at home, pack your sneakers and athletic clothes, and grab your glove -- join Nick for this event and take advantage of this opportunity to become a better coach for your players.

We're asking for a $10 per person contribution to defray costs.  Please talk with me if you need any help with that request.  

We hope you can make it on March 17.  Attendance numbers are capped, so please RSVP as soon as possible to let us know you are going to attend.

Here's the Facebook event page we set up for the Clinic.  Please check it out:  https://www.facebook.com/events/2581759785435931/

RSVP to Rick Thackeray at rthackerayjr at gmail.com

The Majors Baseball Tryout is Saturday, March 28, at 9:00 am (check-in at 8:30 a.m.) at Camden-Rockport Middle School gym.

The Majors Softball Tryout will take place on Saturday, March 28, at 4:00 pm at THE PITCH, in Warren. (Check-in at 3:45 pm).  All softball players (Majors and Minors) must attend this session.

Registration is live for all four programs -- Baseball, Softball, Tee Ball, and Challenger.  Please visit each of those program pages for more information about what program is right for your player.

Visit "Active Seasons" now to start your registration!

All Softball Players should register for BOTH the "Spring Softball" and "March Clinics" to ensure that your player is place on the team best suited to her ability level.

Baseball Players who played MAJORS in 2019 or who want to tryout for MAJORS this year should register for BOTH "Spring Baseball" regular season ("MAJORS") and the "Pre-Season Clinics."  Players intending to play AA/Coach Pitch or AAA/Kid Pitch Minors this year should only register for the "Spring Baseball" and choose "MINORS."

REGISTER NOW!

Please email Rick Thackeray at rthackerayjr@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Camden Hills HS Varsity Coach Paul MacDonald is partnering with Five Town LL to provide three days' worth of PRE-SEASON indoor baseball instruction at the CHRHS gym.  We hope you will take advantage of this great developmental opportunity and sign-up today.

• Sign up for Regular Season (Minors and Majors) here.
• Sign up for Majors Pre-Season here.
• Majors Pre-Season clinics are open to 2019 Majors players, and players who will Try-Out for Majors in 2020
• MINORS PRESEASON will take place in APRIL & is included with Regular Season Registration (More details TBA)
• Majors Pre-Season Dates:  Sunday, March 8; Sunday, March 15; and Sunday, March 22. 
• All three sessions will run from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. (tent.)
• Clinics will take place at the Camden Hills Regional High School gym.

Follow this direct link to register now.

Follow Five Town Little League on Facebook (click on link)

If you have any questions about registration for any of our programs, please visit http://ftll.sportsoffice.com or email league president Rick Thackeray at rthackerayjr@gmail.com.

The "March Pre-Season Softball Clinics Series" is designed for all softball players.  New this year, the clinics will take place at THE PITCH, in Warren.  The dates and times are:

• Monday, March 23, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 24, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
• Friday, March 27, from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.
• Saturday, March 28, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m.

The Majors Softball TRYOUT will take place from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. at THE PITCH, immediately following the final clinic on Saturday, March 28.  All players ages 9-12 who have not previously been selected for one of our MAJORS teams are eligible to tryout.  

The per-player cost to participate in the Clinics Series & Tryouts is $10.00 and must be paid through our registration portal here before players can participate.  (available on February 1, 2020)

Please arrive to the clinics with a glove and a clean pair of indoor gym shoes/sneakers.  Players will not be allowed on the field at THE PITCH wearing wet, muddy, and/or snowy shoes.

Dear Five Towners,

Mark your schedule and clear your dinner plans for next Tuesday, April 14!  Five Town LL is the featured fundraiser guest that night at FLATBREAD COMPANY, in Rockport, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. A portion of every food dollar spent at Flatbread that night will be donated back to Five Town LL’s softball, baseball, and tee ball programs.

We are looking for interested baseball, softball and tee ball players willing to proudly wear their 2019 uniforms and/or team hats to spend a few minutes greeting Flatbread guests and showing the community why our programs are important.   

We will be raffling off a few items in the Flatbread lobby including:

• Tickets for four to a Portland Sea Dogs Game.
• An unspecified item donated by the Boston Red Sox
• other items TBA

This will be a wonderful evening of baseball and softball community cheer, and a great way to solve your Tuesday night dinner planning woes.  Grab your friends and come on out to Flatbread, in Rockport, for our big season kick-off fundraiser!

See our Flatbread Night Facebook Event Page to keep up with all developments and "check in."

Five Town Little League is in the process organizing a CHALLENGER division for children with physical and intellectual disabilities. We are excited about this opportunity and we want hear back from parents that are interested in signing their children up!

This program will not work without parents and friends willing to step forward and volunteer with coaching and team organization. Please contact program coordinator Dana Jackson at dana.jackson@charter.com or 207.458.2341 or Moriah Hersey Grant at moriahgrant@gmail.com  to learn more!

Please visit Little League International's Challenger page to learn more about this amazing program:

https://www.littleleague.org/play-little-league/challenger/

Saturday, April 25, is FIELD CLEAN-UP / WORK DAY for all of our baseball and softball groups. We need all hands on deck! We need all players’ families to assist and make sure our fields to be in playing shape in time for next week’s opening day! Please bring rakes, edging spades, shovels, hoes, yard waste bags, and wheelbarrows!

LINCOLNVILLE RESIDENTS (and other people who like to paint!):  The town has asked FTLL to help improve the town facilities by painting the dugouts at the Babe Ruth baseball field.  We're hoping for a crew of 6-7 people to handle this effort.  Please notify Rick Thackeray if you're ready to do it!

OTHER MAJORS BASEBALL and SOFTBALL FAMILIES
The Marge Jones Field Work Day will take place on Saturday, April 25, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

AA and AAA MINORS BASEBALL FAMILIES
The True Park Field Work day will take place on Saturday, April 25, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

See you on Saturday!

Follow Five Town Little League on Facebook for in-season updates and highlights.

https://www.facebook.com/fivetownlittleleague/

We have posted our Parental Code of Conduct in the right column and made it a part of our Consent/Waiver/Release during registration. Please read it carefully in order to understand our requirements.

Children from Appleton may be eligible to have their Little League registration fees covered through the generosity of the folks with the Jeff Landwehr Memorial Fund.   Priority for these scholarships is given for children who have a demonstrated need for assistance, but it is the goal of the Landwehr Fund to assist as many Appleton children as possible on a first come, first serve basis.  So, do not delay in registering.  Please contact Ken Butler at kpbutler@tidewater.net for more information or visit the Jeff Landwehr Memorial Fund's Facebook page