Q: What age groups can play at Poway National Little League?
A: PNLL offers baseball programs for boys and girls who are "League Age" 4 - 14 with various divisions. To determine your child's "League Age" for the Spring 2025 season,
click here. Here are the general age ranges for each division:
T-Ball 4-6
Rookies 5-7
MAPS 6-8
Minor B 7-10
Minor A 8-11
Majors 10-12
Intermediate 11-13
Juniors 12-14
Q: Which division is right for my child?A: Our Director of Player Development has put together a helpful guide for determining which lower division is right for your child. From Minor B and up players will be drafted based on abilities
T-Ball
1) Hit the ball off the tee with "correct" swing mechanics
2) Hit a thrown ball, 2 out of 5 times
3) Know how to field a ground ball
4) Can throw the ball 20 feet in the correct direction
5) Will attempt to catch the ball on the fly
Rookies
1) Hit a thrown ball consistently, 4 out of 10 times
2) Demonstrate proper fielding techniques/position
3) Demonstrate ability to play catch
4) Understanding of where the ball needs to go once fielded
5) Basic understanding of rules (# of outs, force plays, etc)
6) Basic understanding of baserunning fundamentals
Maps
A new divison between Rookies and Minor B. If your child has played rookies before, but doesn't seem quite ready for kid pitch and the faster pace, Maps would be a good option.
Minor B
1) Ability to throw and catch from base to base
2) Consistently field and throw across diamond
3) Consistent hitting 6 out of 10 times
4) Understanding of rules and situational plays
5) Ability to throw accurately
Q: Where is PNLL located?A: Our fields are located at 12321 Ninth St., Poway (near Pomerado Elementary School)
Q: What are the boundaries for PNLL?A: *NEW FOR 2025 SPRING* Players ages 4-7 can now play in any league you wish without the need of a waiver. Older siblings are welcome to join them.
Children ages 8 and up, same as before: If your child lives or goes to school within the boundaries that previously made up during the Spring Season.
Click here to enter your HOME or SCHOOL address in the League Finder tool to find out. If
ONE of those is a match, you are eligible to play in our league. There are no boundary restrictions to play during the Fall Season which runs from September through November.
Some of the schools within our boundaries include:
- Painted Rock Elementary
- Pomerado Elementary
- Valley Elementary
- Chapparal Elementary
- Meadowbrook Middle School
Q: How many seasons are offered each year at PNLL?A: We offer baseball in the Spring and Fall. The Spring season begins with player assessments that occur around the end of January or early February for the Minor A through Intermediate divisions. There are no player assessments for T-Ball, Rookies or Minor B. Practices begin in February and games usually start the first or second week of March. The regular season runs through the middle or end of May which is followed by tournaments for the Minor B through Intermediate divisions. The Fall season starts the week after Labor Day with practices and the first games occurring in Week 1. The season runs through the middle of November and there are no post-season tournaments.
Q: My child is an age that qualifies him/her to sign up for different divsions. What should I do if I'm not sure which one to choose?
A: If your child is eligible to play in an upper division that has age overlap (Minor A, Majors, Intermediate), sign him/her up for the division that you feel he/she is best suited for and the one that would be your preference. The assessment and draft process helps ensure that players end up in the division that's right for them and will ultimately determine the division in which your child plays. At assessments, players are grouped by age, not necessarily by the division they signed up for. For instance, if you have a League Age 10-year-old that you signed up for Minor A, there's a chance that he/she could be drafted by a Majors team. Same with an 11-year-old who signs up for Majors and is drafted into Intermediate. If you're signing up for TBall, Rookies, or Minor B, choose a lower division if your child is new to the game (or sports in general), and higher if you feel he/she is experienced or athletic enough to move up.
Q: What if my child is new to the game and the divisions he/she has the opportunity to choose from are beyond his/her skill level? Are there options to "play down"?
A: You would be surprised how quickly kids in this age range who are brand new to a sport will catch up to their "more experienced" peers. We always encourage parents to keep their players in their designated age groups unless, of course, there are special circumstances which we are always happy to address.
Q: What if I think my child is the next Fernando Tatis? Are there options to "play up"?
A: Not really. One of the great things about recreational youth sports is that you play them with other kids around your own age and grade level. Just because a child may excel beyond his/her years at athletics doesn't mean that he/she has matured as fast in other areas of life. Not to mention, the higher the division, the later the midweek practices and games could be, which will impact when your kids go to sleep. We have purposely aligned our divisions this season to allow players to start all-kid-pitch sooner than prior years. It's possible, however, that there may be occasional circumstances where playing up could be a consideration.
Q: Can I request to be on a team that has a practice day that suits my schedule?
A: Unfortunately, no. We have over 400 players spread out among nearly 40 teams and we are unable to accommodate that type of request.
Q: What is PNLL's refund policy?A: PNLL incurs costs each season, including but not limited to utilities, groundskeeping, equipment purchases, uniforms, registration processing, and other year-round operating expenses The PNLL refund policy is as follows and all requests
MUST be submitted in writing to the PNLL President.
Communication through managers/coaches/volunteers will not be accepted.Refunds (less administrative/processing fees) are available upon request based on the below schedule:
*Refund requests prior to the pre-season registration deadline for any season or clinic will be honored (less any administrative/processing fees)
*If the pre-season registration deadline has passed and a refund request is made prior to Opening Day/First Game of the division your child is placed in/First Day of a Clinic - a refund will be honored at a 50% rate (less any administrative/processing fees)
*Refunds after Opening Day/First Game/First Clinic will not be honored, no exceptions.
There are no guaranteed minimum number of games or practices during a season. If games and/or practices are cancelled due to the effects of conditions outside of the league's control, registrants are not entitled to a refund, either partial or in full. Such conditions include, but are not limited to, inclement weather, rain, high winds, fire, earthquake, quarantine, pandemic, epidemic, acts of government, local orders, etc.
In the unlikely event that we are unable to place your child on a team due to a lack of parent volunteer coaches, you will receive a full refund. Team placement priority will be given firstly to families with a parent who has volunteered and been approved to be a Team Manager. The next priority will be given to families by order of full registration date (including in-person documentation check and payment of registration fees).
Q: My child is on the wait list. How will I know whether or not he/she will be placed on a team?
A: If a spot opens up, you will be notified by email. The email will state how much time you will have to claim your spot (depending on demand, it could be just a few hours). It's difficult to know what the chances are of being activated from the wait list which is why we encourage families to sign up as early as possible. Unfortunately, we are limited by the number of fields we have available to us as well as by the number of parents who step up to manage teams. Although our policy for admitting wait list players to the league is on a first-come-first-served basis, we will consider moving players up in priority if, prior to team assignments being made, a parent or guardian is willing to manage a team and is approved by the board to do so.