Standards for Exceptional leadership & volunteer service

District Structure and Education

District Structure

District Structure - objective

•To provide an overview of the benefits of establishing a district structure regarding incorporation, staffing, and how it relates to service of constituent leagues.

Importance of a District Staff

• Keys to overall success.

• Effective management of local league personnel.

Importance of a District Staff

• The D.A. may appoint assistants and/or area administrators.• The responsibility for overall administration of the district may not be delegated, and the

authority of the A.D.A. cannot supersede that of the D.A.

• A.D.A.s should have served in a local Little League, preferably as a League President, although this is not required.

• Experience should include exposure to all facets of the local Little League operation.• He/she should be a resident of the district area.• He/she must have sufficient time to devote to multiple district activities, including

attendance at the district meetings and Leadership Training Seminars.

Importance of a District Staff• All assistants should attend a seminar during their first year as an

assistant, which will assist with:• Carrying out their mission of service to a geographical area.• Adding extension programs (all baseball programs, softball programs and

Challenger Division) in their assigned areas.• Developing and implementing training programs for umpires, managers,

and league officials. • Promoting Little Leagues in all non-chartered areas of the district. This is

a primary function of every assistant.

Importance of a district staff• A.D.A.s are appointed by the D.A. to serve the district. • It is important for the district to update and maintain all district

staff positions on file at the Regional Offices and with Little League International.

• Implementing Little League initiatives to improve experience and increase participation (Special Games, Little League Days, assisting with tournament operations).

Structure of staff

• A.D.A. appointed positions should include:• Treasurer• Safety Officer• Secretary • Information Officer• Umpire in Chief• Information Officer• Divisional Officers

TREASURER• Maintain district financial records.• Prepare district financial report.

• Report should allow transparency to local leagues.

• Accountability to local leagues and Little League International.

Structure of staffSAFETY OFFICER

• Responsible for district safety plan.• Should work with local leagues on

ASAP plans and questions regarding the ASAP Program. • Coordinate training and

developmental sessions.

Structure of staff

SECRETARY• Maintain meeting minutes.

• Distribute meeting minutes correspondence to appropriate parties.• Coordinate emails and distribute various communications.

• Maintain communication files.

• Maintain communications directly from Little League International with

district assistants and local leagues.• Coordination and maintenance of

district website and social media accounts.

• Work with media outlets and disseminate additional information.

INFORMATION OFFICER UMPIRE-IN-CHIEF (UIC)

• It is recommended to have a designated position for a Baseball UIC, and a

position for a Softball UIC.• The UIC assists in umpire assignments

for tournaments.• Coordinate rule seminar trainings

• Assist in the interpretation of rules and regulations

Structure of staff

• Divisional Officers can include:• Softball A.D.A.• Challenger A.D.A.• Minor/Major Baseball A.D.A.• Teenage Baseball A.D.A.

• Should assist with Interleague, Combined Teams, tournament sites, and hosts. • Can help leagues and league Vice Presidents with District-wide and local

league marketing efforts for registration and publicity throughout the season in attempts to boost awareness.

Structure of staffDIVISIONAL OFFICERS

Washington district 1 district structureDistrict Administrator – Ed Lundberg• Positions within the district:

• Director of Baseball• Director of Challenger Leagues• Director of Communications• Director of Finance• Director of Interleague• Director of League Management and

Organizational Structure• Director of Player Development

• Director of Player Agents• Director of Safety• Director of Softball• Director of Tournaments• Director of Umpires

Washington District 1 responsibilities • Director of Communications: Oversees the organizational aspect of all district

communications. The District website meets all their demands for an online presence in terms of registration and scheduling. An effective website could help with consistent communication from the district to the constituent leagues and families.

• Director of Finance: Oversees the organizational aspect of all finances within the district. This individual establishes a budget, files the appropriate paperwork with the government, and maintains district financial records. This individual also creates a financial template and guideline for leagues to follow.

Washington District 1 responsibilities • Director of Interleague: Oversees the interleague program. This individual

coordinated off season meetings to gather feedback from mangers, coaches, and league officials with regards to structure and playing agreement for each division. Also responsible for creating schedules for interleague, tracking pitch counts, and keeping standings.

• Director of League Management and Organizational Structure: Oversees the organizational structure for the district. This individual works very closely with the D.A. to make sure that best practices are being implemented. This position identifies the key documents each league needs to complete each year and creates a system in which leagues can upload said documents.

Effective District StructureMaintaining an effective district structure allows for:

• Delegation of Tasks• Meeting Planning• Tournament Management• Training and Development

• Various Perspectives

• District Representation

Delegation of tasks

• MEETING PLANNING• Little League International mandates a minimum of five (5) scheduled meetings,

comprised of an agenda and goals, with local league personnel.• Overview of program updates, reminders, and education initiatives from Little League

International.

• Field and host assignments and locations.

• ASAP: Section and State levels• Affidavit and Player Verification review.• Tournament structure and format.• Tournament umpire assignments.

TOURNAMENT MANAGEMENT

Delegation of tasks

Delegation of tasks

• TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT• Little League International Congress and Little League International Regional

Roundtable.• Regional Clinic Seminars• District Training

• Umpire• ASAP• Rules and Regulations

• Little League International Initiatives and Programs.

Various perspectives

• Allows all local leagues to see the district structure and design.

• This allows for flexibility with decision making while considering multiple views

• Baseball vs. Softball• Rural vs. Suburban• Experienced vs. New

District representation• Local league meetings and training

• Tournament games and functions

• Little League International and Regional seminars

• Community-based initiatives

• A form of organizational structure recognized by law that provides local leagues with permanency,

stability, and protection that may otherwise be lacking.

• Incorporation is not required, but strongly recommended.

What is Incorporation?

Establishing Incorporation for the districtBenefits of Incorporation

• A level of recognition that business contacts, donors and future league

officers will appreciate.• Added personal liability protection

for district and league officers.• A means of holding title to property.

How does my district become incorporated?

• District and leagues would first obtain consent from Little League Baseball, Incorporated to use the words “Little League” in their name by submitting their incorporation paperwork and consent form for review.

• Once approved, your district or league would file and maintain them with state government offices.

• A bulletin detailing the procedure is available at LittleLeague.org/Consent.

• A district or league wishing to use the words “Little League” in its corporate title must first obtain consent from Little League Baseball, Incorporated. Consent is given to an individual district or league only after the following documents are properly submitted and approved:

• Approved Constitution/By-Laws• Articles of Incorporation• Financial Statement• Completed Consent to use the Words “Little League” in Corporation Title form (six copies)• Letter of Intent form, complete with League ID number and Federal Employer Identification

Number (E.I.N.)

• Once all the above items are received and reviewed by Little League International, the executed consent forms along with the other documents will be returned.

• This information should then be forwarded to the state office where the incorporation will take place.

How does my district become incorporated?

District Education

District Education - Objective

• To provide an overview of the educational requirements needed to fulfill duties as a District Administrator, as well as the necessity to train district staff in order to provide the best service to constituent leagues.

District education

• The role of the D.A. increases each year, creating greater need for trained, qualified personnel at all levels.

• The Little League volunteer leader of tomorrow must, of necessity, personify those standards of leadership, understanding, and resourcefulness, which are implicit in the basic concept of Little League.

• In accepting the responsibilities of leadership, the District Administrator’s primary consideration must always be gauged towards the best interests of Little League Baseball and Softball.

• In carrying forward all duties, the District Administrator should be aware at all times that he or she is the representative of the local leagues to Little League Headquarters.

District education

• The D.A. must be knowledgeable of and support the principles of the program as adopted by the Little League International Board of Directors.

• The D.A. should be thoroughly acquainted with policies, rules, and regulations, and must have the capacity for good judgment and common sense to provide counsel and assistance to local leagues.

• An intimate knowledge of the social, geographic, and community factors of the district will not only assist the leagues effectively, but provide valuable and necessary information to Little League Headquarters for use in shaping the future course of the program.

District education

District education

• Education is the most important tool for both our children and adults.

• Education empowers with knowledge of our program while allowing to directly shape the future with continued learning and growth.

D.A. Educational requirements and expectations1. Attendance and participation in annual Little League organized

training and development sessions.

• Little League International Congress

• Little League Regional Roundtables

• Regional Clinics and Seminars

• Regional Roadshows

2. Training and development within online seminars.

• Webinars

• Little League University Training Videos

• www.LittleLeagueU.org

D.A. Educational requirements and expectations

3. Knowledge of the overall Little League program.• Little League Rules, Regulations, and Policies• Little League Divisions of Play• Financial Responsibilities• Tournament Structure and Operations• Communication and Responsiveness• ASAP• Forms and Documentation

D.A. Educational requirements and expectations

District Education• Training, development, and

educational opportunities available through:

• Little League Official Website• www.LittleLeague.org

• Little League University • www.LittleLeagueU.org

• Little League Publications• D.A. Bulletin• ASAP Newsletter

District insight And best practices• Trainings:

• Coaching, Umpiring, Interleague Rules, League Safety Officer, Affidavit, Tournament Rules, etc.

• Virginia District 7 (Bob Sherrill) hosts a League Safety Officer training in which the District Safety Officer holds a session for the League Safety Officers focusing on the ASAP plans and league safety training requirements.

• Virginia District 7 also hosts a Manager and Coaches Tournament Rules and Requirements training in which the District Umpires Association and District Staff provide an overview of tournament rules and requirements geared towards League President and Managers/Coaches of tournament teams.

District Insight and best practices• Meetings:

• Virginia District 16 (LaMott Smith) requires each member of the District staff to attend at least 1 local league meeting per year to represent the district and share their role with the respective league.

• Each member of the District staff is given a local league to mentor and support throughout the season.

• Mr. Smith, as the D.A., attends each league’s first meeting of the year to introduce himself and to explain the role that he and the District staff plays.

• By doing this, the D.A. is able to get to know both the President and the league intimately. This allows the D.A. to determine the best way to communicate and mentor the league, as well as pass along ‘best practices’ from one league to another.

• Mr. Smith also meets individually with each District staff member for the same purpose. Years of management has provided evidence that every staff member is motivated and learns differently. Being able to identify that early in the relationship permits better communication and more feasible coordination.

• Meetings (cont.):• Washington District 4 (Mike Ray) holds strategically timed meetings to deliver pertinent

information to local leagues.• October – All presidents attend a meeting to approve the budget for the season. Presidents’ training

session including information on Board of Directors duties, league accounting procedures, and best practices is conducted as well.

• November – Presidents and Player Agents attend a meeting/session to go over the ins and outs of conducting registration, try-outs, draft procedures, and team formation.

• March – District meetings with Presidents to help facilitate interleague agreements, as well as to discuss how to recruit and retain umpires.

• June – Three separate meetings are held to review, discuss, and provide approval of Tournament Affidavits.

• The District has a comprehensive website that is utilized to communicate information to local leagues, managers, coaches, and parents. Extremely effective and convenient to have desired information readily available.

District Insight and best practices