FAQ's

* Note one practice is at the league batting cages (for 8U only 2 times at batting cages per season). Practice days are determined by team - each team has a different day scheduled as we assign teams to available playing fields.

10U will play some games on Friday evenings under the lights at Ortega

12U & 14/16U will play some games on Saturday evenings under the lights at Ortega

As a guideline, last season’s game schedules for each division are posted on our Forms/Info page.

2. Where are practices and games held?

Locations of all fields can be found on our Field Locations page. Sunnyvale Girls Softball League has access to five fields and practices are held at one of these fields.

For games, at the younger divisions, we interleague with Cupertino Girls Softball League on the weekends so some games will be at their fields at Monta Vista Park in Cupertino. The 12U and 14/16U divisions interleague with many of the south bay softball leagues so games can be as far south as Branham Hills and as far north at Atherton on the weekends. Most weekday games are played at Ortega Park or Sunnyvale Middle School.

3. How long does the season run?

Our season runs from the second weekend in March through the end of May. Teams are selected in February and practices begin March 1^st when we are issued field permits from the City of Sunnyvale. For important league dates check out our Calendar page.

4. Does my daughter need to tryout to make a team?

All registered players are placed on a team so no player needs to “tryout” to make a team. We do hold Player Evaluations for all divisions’ 10U and above so that teams can be balanced. For player’s 8U and below, we will place you on teams based on your address and any noted preferences on your registration form. All players (including 8U) may “tryout” for the next age division level up by also coming to that division’s evaluation time (i.e. 12U player would come to the 12U evaluation and then stay for the 14/16U division evaluation).

5. I have a 12 year old (or any age) daughter that would like to learn to play softball. She has no experience at all. Is this the right league for her?

Yes – this is the place. Sunnyvale Girls Softball league was established to educate and develop softball skills, sportsmanship and character through the game of softball. Our coaches are trained to teach the basics of catching and throwing a ball, proper batting and (most important) windmill pitching in a fun friendly environment.

The league has a policy of equal playing time for all players (everyone pays the same so should play the same). We use a continuous batting order lineup which means that we start at the top of the lineup and everyone bats before we start at the top again. All players should have equal participation between infield and outfield assignments.

Registration

7. I recently did an online registration last week for my daughter. Do I still need to attend one of the in-person registration days?

No, if you have registered online, you do not need to attend the in-person registrations.

8. I signed up my daughter a while ago to play in the spring. What is the next date or contact that I need to make?

We complete our team selection in February. You should be called by your coach no later than March 1^st. During that call you will learn when and where the first team meeting or practice will be. If you haven’t heard from us by then please eMail us or call (408) 380-1210. Also for important league dates check out our Calendar page.

9. We registered online a few weeks ago but never submitted birth certificates or residency information. Should I just mail in copies?

If you registered online, please bring a copy of the birth certificate to the player evaluations. For 6U and 8U players your coach may request to see the birth certificate at one of the early practices.

We do not need to see residency information as Sunnyvale Girls Softball can accept players from anywhere.

10. My daughter would like to play with a friend. Can they be on the same team?

We definitely take friend requests and do everything possible to keep friends together on the same team. This is especially true for the younger divisions. At the older divisions (12U and up), we sometimes need to break-up the girls a little to make sure the teams have equal talent.

Please put your friend request (or any other request) in the comments section of the registration form.

11. What all is included in the registration price?

Sunnyvale Girls Softball League is a non-profit organization (501c3) and all fees collected are used to run the league. These fees include the cost of the uniforms, umpires, field usage, insurance, etc. More detail on the league budget can be found in the Forms/Info page.

12. Why does 6U and 8U cost less than the older divisions?

There are basically 3 things that drive the difference in cost as the players get older. The most costly item is for umpires. We use more experienced (and more costly) umpires for the older divisions. In addition, the younger players practice on the grass backstop fields (we don’t pay extra for them) and the older players get more expensive uniforms.

13. We have registered our daughter - when will we find out what team she is on?

14. What is the deadline to register for the Spring Season, and when do practices and games begin?

Our final registration opportunity is at our player evaluations the first Saturday in February. After that time, we will accept registrations only if there is room on a team and the coach is willing to take a new player.

Practices begin the first week in March and games begin on opening day for most divisions (older). For important league dates check out our Calendar page.

15. I just wanted to confirm if a player can live outside of Sunnyvale to play on this league?

Sunnyvale Girls Softball League does not have any boundaries – a player may live outside of Sunnyvale and play in the league.

16. My daughter is a freshman in high school this year wants to play on the high school Softball Team. Can she also play in the Sunnyvale Girls Softball League?

If your daughter is playing for a high school team, she will not be allowed to also play for any other team during the high school season. She can (and should) play on one of the travel teams during the summer and fall months.

If for some reason, she decides not to play for the high school team after the team tryouts, we would welcome her to play on one of our teams.

Age Divisions

17. What does the division designation (6U, 8U, etc.) mean?

The age determination is based on the player’s age as of January 1^st. The divisions are the age and under so a player who is 9 would play in the 10 and under division (10U). Players may play in a higher division if they tryout and are accepted into that division. Players may play down a division only through special SGSL board approval.

18. If my child turns 7 in March is she U6 or U8?

The age cutoff for ASA divisions is the player’s birth date as of January 1^st. So to determine the division for your player – if your player is 6 on January 1^st, then she would normally play in the 6 and under (6U) division.

19. What is the youngest age that can play in your league?

The 6U division is for girls that are 5 and 6 years old (as of January 1^st). However, we all develop at different rates and the league normally has a few 4 year olds that play in the league each year. The key is the players ability to stay focused and be part of the team.

20. What is the difference between the different age divisions?

Obviously, the divisions are each tuned to match the skill level of the players at each level. The major difference between the different divisions is the pitching;

6U – T-Ball with coach pitch after the first half of the season (Tee is still used if player doesn’t get a hit after a few pitches).

8U – Player pitch with coach backup

10U – Player pitch with coach backup for first half – then player pitch only

12U & 14/16U – Player pitch only

Division rules can be found in the Forms/Info page

Player Evaluations

21. We played in the league last season do we need to attend player evaluations again?

Yes, we would like to see all 10U and up players at the player evaluations. Player Evaluations are held for all divisions’ 10U and above so that teams can be balanced. Your player likely improved significantly last season so it is good to see them again. In addition, we often have new coaches (moving up from a lower division) that did not have a chance to see your player last year.

22. My daughter is in the 6U division, does she need to go to player evaluations?

Players in the 8U division and below do not need to go to a player evaluation. For player’s 8U and below, we will place you on teams based on your address and any noted preferences on your registration form.

23. My daughter is a pretty good player, can she play in a high division?

All players (including 8U) may “tryout” for the next age division level up by also coming to that division’s evaluation time (i.e. 12U player would attend player evaluation for 12U and then stay to tryout for the 14/16U division).