FAQs (North London Baseball)

Rep, Select and House League baseball are all leagues at different levels of player skill.

REP

REP is also known as competitive or travel baseball. In Rep, you should expect your player to have one or two practices each week and/or one or two games which usually fall during the week but may be on the weekend.

Teams typically play in 2-4 weekend tournaments per season plus 1 or 2 playoff tournaments. 1 or 2 of those tournaments may require overnight stays. Playing time and positions played in Rep Baseball are fair but not necessarily equal.

SELECT

SELECT is designed as stepping stone from House League into a more competitive baseball style. In order for a player to be eligible for Select, they must have tried out for the Rep team in the same division in either the Fall or the Spring, which ever is applicable. In Select, you should expect your player to have one or two practices each week and/or one or two games which usually fall during the week but may be on the weekend.

Teams typically play in 2-4 weekend tournaments per season plus 1 or 2 playoff tournaments. 1 or 2 of those tournaments may require overnight stays. Playing time and positions played in Select Baseball are fair but not necessarily equal.

HOUSE LEAGUE

All players that are registered are automatically enrolled into our HOUSE LEAGUE Program. The House League program is for players of all skill levels and abilities In late April/Early May each year, coaches evaluate all incoming players, Rookie and above, to assess skill levels so that teams created are competitively balanced. In House League, you should expect your player to have one practice and one game each week which usually fall during the week but may be on the weekend.

Teams typically play 15-20 games (weather permitting) and participate in 1 end of the year playoff tournament in August. Playing time and positions played in House League Baseball are fair and equal so as to encourage skill development and an understanding of the game. By mid-May, you will receive a notification advising that YOUR BASEBALL PLAYER has been placed on a specific team. That team will be the team whose schedule you follow throughout the summer. Summer schedules will be released shortly after the teams are made.

HOUSE LEAGUE SELECT

Players are House League players that tryout to participate on the HOUSE LEAGUE SELECT-Tournament Team. All House League conditions are the same with the exception of a few additional practices related to the House League Select-Tournament Team and playing in 1-2 Select level tournaments a year depending on the team.

Notifications about registration for tryouts will be posted to our website and Facebook page once the league is prepared to begin the process.

Typically, Rep tryouts will begin in the Fall, but in some age groups they may not occur until the Spring. Reasons could vary from age group to age group. Select tryouts will begin after Rep tryouts for any division that will carry a Select Team

Yes, you must complete the registration process for your player prior to trying out for a REP team. The deadline for registration, if you intend to have your player tryout, will be posted to our website when it opens.

Tryout fees are determined by the coach and are usually limited to covering the cost of the rental of indoor facilities to conduct the tryout. You can expect that cost to be per session depending on the length of session and number of participants.

Required equipment

Baseball glove
Baseball cleats
Protective athletic support
Batting Helmet

Optional equipment

Bat (each team is provided a couple of used bats)
Catcher's glove and protective gear (each team is provided a used set of Catcher’s gear)
Batting gloves

For House League players, your registration fee includes the required uniform: jersey, pants and hat. Many families purchase an additional pair of pants.

On average, practices are 2 hours in duration and games are between 1 hour 45 mins and 2 hours depending on the age group. Games are time limited and may be called due to weather, time or darkness.

Games are only cancelled when the fields aren’t able to be used, as determined by the City, or if weather is a safety concern. Fields are not playable when there is a lot of rain with no relief. If games are cancelled, coaches and conveners do their best to get them rescheduled. Your coach will notify you of any cancelled games and you can also find that information on our Facebook page and website.

Players should be registered according to the year of their birth. This should be clearly indicated on the drop down available on the registration form.

Running a league can cost quite a bit of money. Your registration fees and any sponsorships go towards:
Diamond Rentals
Uniforms
Umpire Fees
Equipment (Balls, Team Bats, Catcher’s gear)
Insurance
Misc. Expenses (trophies/awards, website license, etc.)

All minor baseball leagues are required to carry both accident and liability insurance that is renewed annually with Baseball Ontario.

In exceptional circumstances, a player may be permitted to play up one age division with Board approval. This is only permitted for House League players.

Rep/Select players are required to play in their respective age group with the exception of players entering into 8U. If an underage player (7U) can demonstrate sufficient skill during tryouts for the 8U Rep Team, they may be granted permission to ‘play up’ in that division with Board approval.

Yes. All players who register and pay their registration fees will be placed on a team. The exception to this is when our registration fills, in which case a wait list will be started and players will be placed if it is possible based on diamond capacity.

The NLBA understands that sometimes conflicts arise, but every effort should be made to attend the evaluations so that players’ skills can be assessed. Player evaluations give every coach chance to see the players before team drafts take place. Accurate assessment of skills allows our coaches to form teams that are equally balanced.

Yes, registrations can be cancelled. You must notify our Registrar in writing. The applicable dates and associated costs are covered in the refund policy

While requests to be paired with friends are accepted, there are no guarantees. The competitive balance of the league will take precedent and inform whether or not requests can be accommodated.