Dear Saratoga Little League Participants:

Welcome to another fun and exciting season of Saratoga Little League Baseball!

Saratoga Little League's Board of Directors has focused on the improvement of the overall safety of our league. We are addressing the well being of our Players both from a physical and psychological standpoint. From the physical standpoint, we have improved our fields, posting Safety Signs regarding batting and we are purchasing new player equipment to keep our players safe. From the psychological standpoint, this will be the sixth year of implementation of our Code of Conduct Policy with a Three Strikes and You're Out implementation.

The Code of Conduct Policy is for the most part, standard throughout the Little League. A copy of this Policy can be found on our Web Site. What is unique in our Saratoga Little League is the implementation of our Three Strikes Policy. Game Monitors will attend random games that are played this season. Game Monitors, Managers, Coaches, Umpires or Members of the Board can file a Code of Conduct Incident Form to be later reviewed by the Code of Conduct Review Committee. If the Committee determines that the Player, Manager, Coach, Umpire or Volunteer did not adhere to the Code of Conduct, a Strike will be assigned to his/her record as outlined below. Strike One is a Suspension for 1 - 3 games; Strike Two requires forfeiture of Position and Strike Three is suspension from the League. In addition, Umpires have been instructed to halt a game until an abusive Fan or Parent leaves the field if they are directly involved in a Code of Conduct violation. Strikes were assigned last year, and many parents have commented on the change in the behavior exhibited by many of our Little League members.

Please read the section in the manual on Manager and Coach responsibilities as this section has additions based on our agreement with the City of Saratoga. We can lose the use of the Congress Springs Fields if we do not adhere to this agreement.

In an effort to help our managers and coaches comply with our safety standards, the Board of Directors has put forth a mandate of safety rules to be followed as outlined in our Saratoga Little League Safety Manual. Each team will appoint a Team Representative who will assist the manager and the designated coaches of that team to insure that the safety guidelines are met whether at practice or during a game.

National Little League mandates that all Volunteers must fill out a Volunteer Application Form. They are only allowed to volunteer after the Safety Officer, has made a background check for Sex Offenders. All information must be filled out on the form (including Social Security Number) and a photocopy of the Volunteers Drivers License or Government issued ID must be attached. There are no exceptions to this rule. This is to protect our children and our ability to hold Little League Tournaments at our facility is at stake. This information will be secured by the Safety Officer and shredded at the start of the next season.

This year we are again using Choicepoint to perform background checks on all Saratoga Little League Volunteers.

Choicepoint requires that all Volunteers include their Social Security Number on the Volunteer Application.

I have also included an overview of Saratoga Little League's Insurance Policy on the Web Site. Please do not hesitate to email me at safety@saratogall.org if you have any questions regarding insurance or any other safety related issue.

In closing, remember that safety rests with all of us, the volunteers of Saratoga Little League. Always use common sense, never doubt what children tell you, and report all accidents or safety infractions when they occur. Now, let's play ball and play it safe!

Very truly yours,