League Structure Guidelines

Most age groups within KVBSA are structured into multi-tiered leagues to promote competitiveness. These leagues are identified as Community, Advanced, and Open. The Community league is geared toward newer teams or those teams which draw from a smaller pool of players. These teams would be classified as AA in USSSA. The Open league is geared toward the highly competitive teams which recruit talent from a broad pool of players and would be classified as AAA or Major in USSSA. The Advanced league is between Community and Open and geared toward teams that are high AA or AAA.

Team managers determine which league within an age group they wish to participate, although a team's previous season record will serve as a guide to place teams in the most appropriate league.

In recent years, KVBSA age groups have supported the following leagues:

  • U8
  • U9
  • U10 - Community, Advanced and Open
  • U11 - Community, Advanced, and Open
  • U12 - Community, Advanced, and Open
  • U13 - Community, Advanced, and Open
  • U14 - Community, Advanced, and Open
  • U15
  • U16
  • U18

Within these leagues, teams are separated into divisions based on number of teams, geography, talent, or a combination of these except for 14U which usually splits based on Early start (April) versus Late start (following high school season). The structure is determined during age-specific meetings scheduled throughout February and early March.

While KVBSA allows flexibility in determining the divisions within each league, we have defined some guidelines on how divisions and game schedules should be setup.

League Structuring Meetings

During the month of February and early March, KVBSA holds a meeting for each specific age group to define the league structure within that age group. This includes assigning teams to divisions and identifying the number of games to be played against each opponent.

NOTICE TO TEAMS

Once the league structure for a specific age group is defined:

  • A team MAY NOT change leagues or divisions
  • The registration fee is 100% non-refundable

Therefore:

  • All teams should have a representative at the league structure meeting. This representative should fully understand their responsibility to select the appropriate league and division.
  • Any team failing to send a representative to the league structure meeting risks being assigned to a league or division which is not desired and changes will not be allowed.

Each age's league structuring meeting will be facilitated by Jeff or Steve and will follow this general outline:

  • Teams will identify the league they wish to participate in (Community, Advanced, or Open where applicable)
  • Each team's selection will be reviewed in the context of the previous season's record
  • League selections will be confirmed
  • Identify and select the divisions appropriate for the number of the teams in each league
  • Teams identify the division they wish to participate in
  • KVBSA approves the finalized structure
  • Teams may begin scheduling

Teams MAY NOT begin scheduling until KVBSA approves the final structure.