GUIDELINES FOR SAFE RETURN OF SPORTS

Last week, the California Department of Public Health released its guidelines for youth sports. After almost a year of researching and monitoring the spread and effects of Covid-19, a thorough plan has been developed that will allow our players to safely return to the field.  

Last year, baseball was categorized as “High Contact” with respect to its risk level for spreading Covid-19. This year, however, our risk level has been downgraded to “Moderate Contact,” which is the second least restrictive tier. This is good news! It means that, according to the California Department of Public Health, it is safe to play baseball as soon as the current Stay at Home orders are lifted. When the orders are lifted, and LA County returns to the “Purple Tier” (widespread), we can safely begin practicing in cohorts (teams) like we did for Fall Ball.  Once LA County moves into the “Red Tier” (substantial), we can safely return to competitive baseball.

Please read more information here:

State Guidelines

https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/outdoor-indoor-recreational-sports.aspx

City Guidelines

http://longbeach.gov/globalassets/health/media-library/documents/diseases-and-condition/information-on/novel-coronavirus/health-orders/appendix-w---youth-sports-leagues

LVLL’S UPDATED SPRING SCHEDULE & ONGOING COMMITMENT TO SAFETY

Your Board has followed every order and restriction set since the start of the pandemic last February.  Our goal has been, and always will be, the safety of our players and community.  For the Spring Season, we have decided to postpone Evaluations until the Stay-at-Home order is lifted.

We strongly believe, and have been given every indication from the City, that our season can begin soon. The City of Long Beach has accepted our application for field permits, and everything is moving ahead towards our season’s start.

Below are the new dates for the start of our season:

February 13th - Evaluations
February 22nd - Practice begins
Mid-February TBD - Coach Pitch Hat Ceremony
March 13th - Opening Day

Registration has been open since November, and we are on track to have the same number of players as last year.  PLEASE register today! We are asking all Village families to not wait until the last minute- signing up now is the best way you can contribute to our season’s success. We had a last- minute surge in registration for Fall Ball and were forced to turn some families away because we didn’t have enough volunteer coaches in place.  Also, a last-minute surge could delay the season start because we will need to add safety measures for the additional players.  Remember the placeholder fee is 100% refundable if a season does not occur.

See you at Heartwell Park soon!