As we move through the spring and into the season and beyond, we will continue to monitor state and local guidelines as they pertain to the COVID-19 virus. We will strive to stay informed as the pandemic landscape continues to evolve while working with local and regional guidelines in aiming to insure a safe, fun and worthwhile EUGENE LITTLE LEAGUE season. Thank you to everyone for your patience, understanding and flexibility in partnering with us to take these preventative measures in stopping the spread of COVID-19 and keeping everyone healthy.
General Guidelines for Participants and Spectators
The league and its families acknowledge that there is a degree of Covid-19 related risk when we gather in groups to play, coach and spectate youth baseball and softball. If a family is not comfortable taking this risk, they should not register for the Spring 2021 season.
EUGENE LITTLE LEAGUE strongly encourages those at higher risk for severe COVID-19 complications (persons over age 65 or with underlying medical conditions) and their family members to continue to stay home to reduce their risk of exposure.
EUGENE LITTLE LEAGUE will follow all pertinent guidance from the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Oregon Schools Activities Association (OSAA), and other state and local guidance to be compliant with all Covid-19 guidelines and keep our participants and their families as safe as possible.
Teams will keep participant logs for practices and games, to support potential contact tracing efforts with the local public health authority (LPHA). These records are emailed by the head coach to the safety officer at [email protected] after every practice or game and kept on file for at least 5 weeks.
Teams will name at least one parent safety coordinator per event to assist or oversee sanitizing, social distancing, participant logs, and other safety measures.
The umpires will have the authority to stop games if proper mask wearing, physical distancing, or equipment use standards are not maintained.
While EUGENE LITTLE LEAGUE is taking many steps to help ensure everyone’s safety, families must do their part (for instance: staying away when sick, reporting COVID-19 related exposure to the coaching staff and league, following allowable group size to attend ballgames, etc.)
EUGENE LITTLE LEAGUE continues to monitor the COVID-19 situation closely, with the health and safety of our children being the first priority. The Board is aligned with the direction set by the Oregon State Governor, Lane County, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and Little League International.
Guidelines for Practices and Games
Teams will follow Lane County guidelines for outdoor group gatherings currently limiting outdoor events. If more than the allowable number of people are gathered for a practice or game, the coaching staff and parent safety coordinator have the authority to require a certain number of people to wait in their cars.
All players, coaches, and spectators must wear a mask properly at all times. Mask wearing will be enforced by umpires, coaches, and the parent safety coordinator. Those unwilling to abide will be asked to leave the field. Repeat offenders are subject to season suspension and/or indefinite termination from EUGENE LITTLE LEAGUE.
Umpires must stand either in the infield at least 6’ from the nearest player, or must maintain a 6’ distance from the catcher and batter if they choose to remain behind the plate.
Coaches and parent safety coordinators will advise and encourage frequent hand sanitizing.
Players should social distance (6 feet or more) whenever they are not actively engaged in the game. The bleachers will be reserved for players who are sitting out the inning or waiting for their turn to bat. Players will not store gear or sit in the dugout. Areas behind the dugout and behind the fence should be allocated for players with gear spaced out at least 6 feet apart.
No drinking from water fountains. No shared water bottles or snacks, no seeds and no spitting. If eating is necessary, a 6 feet social distance must be maintained and hands need to be sanitized before and after eating. Water bottles should be clearly marked with the participant's name.
No postgame huddles or handshakes. Instead, players will line up on foul lines and tip their caps to the opponent and the umpires.
Spectators should maintain social distancing at all times. Spectators are only allowed in their designated spectator area.
Guidelines About Attending Events
Players, coaches and spectators will complete a “pre-practice/game screening” at home before every event. This will consist of checking for the following Covid-19 symptoms: Fever, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, sweats, chills, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle pain, sore throat, and new loss of taste or smell.
Anyone with a fever (100.4 degrees or higher) or other symptoms suggestive of Covid-19 is prohibited from the field for a minimum of 72 hours following resolution of fever and a minimum of 10 days from onset of symptoms.
Any player or coach exposed (indoors and without a mask) to someone with COVID-19 must stay home for a period of 10 days, but the team needn’t shut down for this type of scenario (2 degrees of separation).
If a player or coach develops one or more symptoms of COVID-19 during the practice/game, they will be isolated away from others immediately, and sent home as soon as possible. Minors will be supervised until they are picked up by a parent.
Any COVID-19 related exposure, symptoms, or diagnosis must be immediately reported to the coaching staff and/or a league official, who will relay it to the safety officer - [email protected].
If any player or coach contracts COVID-19, his or her team will shut down for a period of time, following OHA guidelines.
Guidelines Regarding Equipment
Parents are responsible for cleaning and sanitizing the player’s equipment after each game.
Teams will be provided 1 set of catcher’s gear, and are encouraged to play only 2 players at the catcher position each practice/game to reduce the spread of germs. Otherwise, the catcher's mask must be sanitized in between each player’s usage. The catcher’s gear must be cleaned and sanitized after each event and change in position.
Each team will be responsible for assigning a coach/volunteer to clean equipment during games.
Team equipment (balls and tees) will be designated for each team. If equipment must be shared between groups it will be sanitized before and after use by each team.
The team on defense will provide the game balls for each half-inning. The defensive coaches are responsible for changing out game balls.
Teams will sanitize shared equipment (like balls) after each practice/game.
The parent safety coordinator will ensure the safe and correct application of disinfectants and keep these products away from children.