Registration opens January 1, 2010 and is conducted on-line using a link to a “Sport Sign Up” site, accessed from the NCYBA.com web site. Registration ends February 28, 2010. Registration will be accepted after that date but will be subject to a $10 late fee. It is highly recommended that you register prior to February 28, 2010. Registrations after that date will be taken but placement on a team is dependent upon the number of players assigned to teams in the league to ensure all players get a reasonable amount of playing time. There will also be an in-person registration held. Information about when and where this will be held can be found on the NCYBA.com web site once established.

Normally all registrants are assigned to a team, and the number of teams is determined based on the number of registrants. We have always been able to place registrants on a team and have never turned away players based on volume of registrants. We do not expect that to be any different this year.

The cost is determined each year by the Board of Directors and will be communicated through the Sports Sign Up site accessed via NCYBA.com when you register. The Board recently decided to keep registration fees for 2010 for all non-travel teams at the same rate as 2009. Raffle tickets are not issued to children at the 5 and 6 year old levels, but are a part of the registration fee for ages 7 and up.

Opening day is normally held in late April and runs through mid June. Depending on the age group, the number of games played can be anywhere from 1-3 games per week, and can be scheduled any day of the week. Weekday games begin at 6:00PM and weekend games (normally on Saturday only except for re-scheduled rainouts) can be scheduled throughout the day. Your coach will provide schedules once they are established.

All games are held at the NCYBA fields, off Route 9 just north of Boght Road on the right.

Depending on the coach assigned to your child’s team, practices are held anywhere from 1-3 times per week. Prior to the start of the season, coaches will typically practice more times per week, decreasing these as games begin. Usually practices are held at various North Colonie schools (with proper League approval), and at the location of choice for your child’s coach.

Once coaches are identified, players at the 5 and 6 year old age groups are assigned randomly to each coach. At levels above that, tryouts are conducted, after which coaches hold a draft of players in an attempt to keep the teams as evenly balanced as possible to ensure competitive teams are created. Unless there is a significant reason for doing so, special requests for team assignments are not honored as these could prove to make teams un-balanced. Please contact the player agents if you feel you have a significant reason for needing this.

The easiest, fastest, and preferred method of payment is to use the Sports Sign Up link on the NCYBA.com web site.  From there you can register your child and pay using a debit or credit card.  If you need to pay by check, please make the check payable to NCYBA and send it to:

North Colonie Youth Baseball Association
PO Box 1126
Latham, NY 12110

Please remember to include a copy of your child’s birth certificate if this is your first time registering for NCYBA baseball.  Even if you pay using the Sports Sign Up site, a copy of your child’s birth certificate (along with a copy of the registration receipt) should be sent to the address above.  The copy will be shredded after registration is complete.

A baseball glove and athletic shoes at a minimum are necessary (baseball cleats are optional). The league provides shirts and hats, and most people choose to purchase baseball pants and matching socks for the uniform, but that is optional.

At the 5 year old (Minor League) level, the ball is placed on a tee for each batter. At the 6 year old (Rookie) level, coaches pitch to each player. If the player is having difficulty hitting the coaches pitches, the ball will be placed on a tee for the batter. At the 7+8 year old (Junior) level, coaches pitch part of the game, and players pitch part of the game. From the 9+10 year old level and up, children pitch the entire game. More specific rules for pitching and play in general will be explained by your child’s coach. It’s important to note that coaches make every attempt to ensure all players, regardless of skill level are taught the fundamentals of the game, and the safety of the children is of the utmost importance. Children (and parents) can be comfortable that they will “fit in” no matter their skill level.

Although we realize that some children are more capable or less capable than others at their age level, playing up, or playing down is not permitted for insurance reasons.

For children in the 5-8 year old age group, contact Mike MacArevey at 783-5308, or via email at: Mike_MacArevey@KeyBank.com. For children in the 9-12 year old age group, contact Mike Klahr at 783-7540, or via email at: mklahr@nycap.rr.com

The Board of Directors has determined that 4 year olds will be allowed to play tee ball this season. It should be noted that when they return next year as a 5 year old, they will be placed in the same tee ball level they played at as a 4 year old. They will not move up with the other 5 year olds playing tee ball this year.