Richfield Girls Fastpitch

May 15, 2020    

Back to the Diamond Update

A collaboration of Statewide, Community-Based Baseball and Softball Organizations

As we navigate through this fluid situation, we would like to thank you for your patience and understanding as our organizations continue to work toward safely returning youth baseball and softball athletes to ball fields in 2020.

As many of you know, the Gopher State Baseball League, the Metro Baseball League, and Minnesota Softball have come together to create a unified voice for youth baseball and softball in Minnesota. One of our main priorities through this collaboration was to author the “Safe Play: Back to the Diamond” guidelines. These guidelines and supporting documents were constructed to inform policymakers how we can safely start playing baseball and softball in Minnesota by creating a template for our leagues and others across the state. Those efforts have allowed us to become a leading voice within a statewide task force created by the Governor and led by the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission with the goal of getting many different youth sports restarted in a safe and healthy manner, as soon as possible.

Each day this week, we have met virtually with the youth sports task force. The goal of the task force is to formulate a universal return-to-play scorecard that all sports would use to create guidelines specific to their sport.  Those sport-specific guidelines will then be evaluated by the Governor’s office and the Minnesota Department of Health as they make decisions about which sports can safely reopen.

The task force and statewide youth sports organizations are in the process of finalizing the scorecard and, early next week, will present it to state officials for approval.  Once the scorecard is accepted, our Safe Play: Back to the Diamond guidelines will be quickly modified, if necessary, and submitted immediately for consideration.  

https://www.startribune.com/youth-sports-walz-administration-working-toward-return-to-play/570481072/

Based on what has transpired, here is our proposed Minnesota youth baseball and softball timeline:

• May 26 - Begin BB and SB tryouts and practices following CDC, MDH and Safe Play: Back to the Diamond guidelines (State of Minnesota may push this back to June 1)
• June 15 - League games with spectator traffic and distancing guidelines in effect and managed

As always, thank you for your time and dedication to youth baseball and softball!

Brian, Tom, and Dan

(Details out of email from MN Softball )

Playing Softball in 2020 - status

Good Afternoon,

Here is your May 5, 2020 “Back to the Diamond” update from Minnesota Softball/USA Softball Minnesota, Gopher State/MYAS, MBL/MBT. Projected timeline and plan included below.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as our organizations continue to navigate through this fluid situation to understand how we can proceed safely with the 2020 softball season.

Our organizations have unified in order to create the “Safe Play: Back to the Diamond” guidelines to inform policymakers how we can safely start playing baseball and softball across the state and to create a template for leagues across the state.

Minnesota Softball understands that the entire youth softball community has been watching the news and listening to local radio for updates regarding our collaboration and proposed guidelines. Through this effort and with assistance from you, we have gained connections to work with Governor Walz and his task force on our proposed plans and our “Back to the Diamond” safety guidelines.

We are currently working with the Governor’s task force and others involved with making this decision in the safest and healthiest way so that we can get kids back onto the field. This will only take place if it falls within the State of Minnesota guidelines for the following timeline.

Proposed Minnesota Youth Baseball and Softball Timeline:

• May 11 - Statewide communication to baseball and softball associations with guidelines & requirements.
• May 18 - Begin baseball and softball practices with no more than 16 people on the field, including coaches and players.
• June 1 - League games with spectator traffic and distancing guidelines in effect and managed. Tournaments: Possible trial events to be held the weekend of May 29-May 31, with the tentative start dates of tournaments on June 5-7.

We expect to hear something from the Minnesota Governor's office this week and that will help determine what, if any, changes need to happen with our plan.

Wisconsin Update:

We have begun communicating with Wisconsin Sports Services (https://www.wisportsservices.org/) to get the ball rolling. There is a zoom meeting tonight with the sports leaders from the Madison and Milwaukee areas that I anticipate getting an invite to. Once I get more information, I will send to all of you. Thanks for your patience and reminders to push on Wisconsin government leaders.

We are keenly aware that some families in your community will face a difficult decision when it comes to returning to baseball and softball this season. Please respect each family's decision, and do not hold it against them this season or in future seasons. If your team numbers do change this season, we can work with you as we close in on the proposed timeline above.

As a unified front for a better state of youth baseball and softball, our organizations will continue to do everything in our ability to get your teams back on the diamond, while keeping the safety of the youth baseball and softball participants and their families our #1 priority.

As always, thank you for your time and dedication to youth sports!

Brian, Dan, and Tom
Minnesota Softball

(4/24/2020)

Hello Families,

Quick reminder, our league rules are run by USA Softball (formally known as ASA).  Their competitor is USSSA.  However, USSSA plans to release return-to-play models for all sports next week.

Also, with our Governor's stay at home order expiring on May 4th, he plans to either extend it or give us better guidance by April 29th/30th to "turn the dial up".

From this, we hope to know more by the first week of May 2020 what FastPitch softball will look like for the rest of Spring/Summer 2020.  Keep an eye on here or our Facebook page for more details.

Thank you,

Jay Garey, 2020 RFA President.

Secure your space today.  Registration opened February 1st, 2020 and closes on March 10th, 2020.  (except 16u & 18u close on Friday the 27th or when a full team is reached.)

Click here to register today - https://richfieldgirlsfastpitch.sportngin.com/register/form/660269204

8u - A couple more to register on the Wait, we'll add another team.
10u - almost full, but there is room 2 more players.
12u - almost full, but there is room for 2-3 more players.
14u - Full.
16u - there are still a couple spots.

Please see the photo below for all of the fields location information.

The schedule for the BIG WEST Summer League is on the right under Calendar.  Field locations and teams are listed.

A Big Thank You to the Richfield Foundation for your very generous support of our organization!

Thank you to the Optimists for their continued, generous support of our organization - Bringing out the best in kids!