SO, you wanna play softball …
Fairfax
Adult Softball (FAS) is excited about your interest in our program and we
welcome your participation. FAS promotes
and administers established softball teams in the largest adult slowpitch
softball program in the nation. FAS accepts team applications from
individuals wishing to form their own team, which is the most common sign up
among participants. We also have an
excellent program for Individual Registration where FAS organizes individuals
into teams. If you are an individual
looking to play on an established team, visit our “Join A Team” link from the
FAS home page and sign up as a “Free Agent” which guarantees you a spot on a
softball team meeting your criteria! If
you are looking to form your own teams, please continue reading the following
information.
To form your
own team, which
is the best way to guarantee playing softball, we have some
suggestions:
Ø
First,
you must find interested and committed individuals. Ask family members, co-workers, friends, and
neighbors, but be sure they will be 18 years of age by December 31. FAS receives numerous calls daily from
individuals interested in joining a team, so we started a “Join a Team” message
board that can be found on the FAS home page to assist managers in recruiting
players. FAS requires a minimum of 12
persons on a team with a maximum of 30 (you need to make sure you have a sub
list of rostered players for those nights when your “regulars” are unable to
play.)
o
In recruiting your players, please know that
Ø
Second,
you select a manager and assistant manager who will be responsible for the
administration of the team and to act as a liaison between the team and
FAS. These are the two persons FAS will
communicate with on all aspects of your season.
Please note that the manager and assistant manager are administrative
positions and not necessarily who you may select to coach or manage your team
on the field. The manager and assistant
manager must both be registered in the FAS system before beginning the
application process. Please visit the
FAS home page, on the left hand side, choose “Manager & Assistant
Registration” under the MANAGER HOME section.
One person can register for both the manager and assistant manager, if
desired, to simplify the process.
Ø
Third,
you must determine how your newly formed team is going to pay the fees required
to register your team. Franchise fees
are different for each season and do change from year to year. For planning purposes, a fair estimate of
just the franchise fee costs would be: Spring is around $700; Summer is around
$600; Mini is around $260; and Fall is around $550. Teams may use any one of the following or any
combination of them: 1) self-sponsored where the cost is split between each
member of the team; 2) team fund raisers like car washes, bake sales, candy bar
sales; or 3) obtain a sponsor to partially or fully pay your team’s fees.
·
In
addition to the franchise fee listed on the application, your team will have
extra expenses to incorporate into your total financial needs for a season.
o
There
is a $31 non-county fee ($30 cash discounted) required with roster submission
which is payable per person/per team/per sport/per season and the season is
defined as Spring (FAS early open), Summer (FAS late open and mini seasons),
and Fall (FAS fall season.)
o
Softballs may be purchased from FAS or another
choice; however, we do encourage teams to purchase from FAS to ensure you are
buying an approved softball and to help reduce program costs through this small
FAS fundraiser. To purchase from FAS,
please check the appropriate boxes on the Application or visit the FAS office. Your team will supply and hit its own
approved softballs. The approved softballs for FAS play will be those approved by
ASA for each division of play and stamped by ASA, ISA, NSA, SSAA or USSSA.
·
Males
in any division of play must hit a 12-inch, .440 max COR, 375.0 lbs compression
softball.
·
Females
in any division of play must hit an 11-inch, .440 max COR, 375.0 lbs max compression
softball.
o
Uniforms are not
required, however, most teams, at the minimum, do wear matching t-shirts or
jerseys. The FAS home page has several
sponsors listed who can make ordering your uniforms easy if you choose to
purchase.
o
Bats can be an expensive item. Generally players have their own bats, but
many teams do purchase one or two community team bats. A list of approved bats is listed on the FAS
homepage under Rules. Please be sure to
visit this list BEFORE purchasing any bat.
Bat checks are strictly enforced at all games, so teams should use only
approved equipment.
o
Players
are responsible for their own gloves, approved footwear (no metal cleats), and
gear. FAS provides bases and officials
for each game.
·
The
majority of FAS teams have some sort of sponsorship.
It can be difficult obtaining funding but perseverance and commitment
will pay off and FAS has some hints to help you. A large majority of sponsors are local
restaurants and bars that you or your players patronize, or that you and your
players promise to frequent as part of your team-game experience. Consider asking you or your player’s
employers who quite frequently consider this a fringe benefit. A retail business that sells sporting goods
or promotes sports is an excellent choice.
Real estate agents quite often lend their support for the publicity.
o
The
key to obtaining a sponsor is to sell your value to them. Sponsorship is an inexpensive method of
advertising and an excellent exposure venue.
A sponsor has their name displayed on uniforms, on the FAS website in
the standings pages which is frequented thousands of times each season, and
said over and over again by players discussing their games with their friends,
neighbors, co-workers, etc. A team
sponsorship is not a charitable tax deduction; however it certainly is an
advertising tax expense credit.
Ø
Fourth, you must register your team by the established deadlines
of March 1 for the Spring season, May 21 for the Summer
season, July 1 for the Mini season, and August 2 for the Fall Season. Registering your team with FAS is easy. Registration
must be done online through the FAS website.
Once the application is submitted, with complete payment received at the
FAS office, you are set. FAS offers the
following programs:
o
SPRING begins play in April and continues for
10 weeks, 10 double-headers. Leagues are
offered for:
§
Men
§
Women
§
Coed
§
Social
Saturday Coed
§
Reston/Herndon
area for Men, Church and Coed.
o
SUMMER begins play in July and continues
for 8 weeks, 8 double-headers. Leagues
are offered for:
§
Men
§
Coed
§
Corporate
Coed (teams comprised of full-time employees of the same firm)
§
Men’s
Masters (must be at least 35 years old by December 31)
§
Men’s
Seniors (must be at least 50 years old by December 31).
o
MINI begins the end of July and continues
for 5 weeks, 5 double-headers; it is a strictly social program with no
standings, no awards, and no playoff tournaments. Leagues are offered for:
§
Men
§
Women
§
Coed
o
FALL begins the day after Labor Day and
continues for 7 weeks, 7 double-headers, and ends with the buy-in fall
tournaments. Leagues are offered for:
§
Men
§
Women
§
Coed
§
Corporate
Coed
§
Social
Saturday Coed
§
Men’s
Seniors
§
Reston/Herndon
area for Men and Coed
Ø
Fifth, there is a mandatory Organizational Meeting held
annually and you or a representative of your team must attend. You will be notified of the meeting place, date,
time, and agenda at least one month prior to the meeting. There are no pre-season meetings for the Mini
or Fall seasons.
Ø Sixth, an official roster is required before beginning play,
and must be submitted and approved no less then 2 business days prior to your
first game. Rosters are completed online
from the FAS Home Page, Team Manager section.
This roster must contain complete information on all players and
substitutes for your team and may not exceed 30 players. Remember that at least 2/3 of your roster
must be
Ø
Seventh,
Practice Fields are allocated in the Spring and Summer programs only. Applications will be made available on line with
an established deadline for each program.
Practice fields are extremely limited; each team is generally permitted
a one and one-half hour practice, once a week.
Practice fields can be obtained throughout the year via email requests
to the FAS office and limited to space available.
Ø Eighth, familiarize yourself
completely and thoroughly with the RULES,
both FAS and ASA. Inform your players of
all rules, especially those regarding conduct. FAS and ASA
rule books will be available for every team participating in any of the leagues
and are always available at the FAS office.
You can review the FAS rules from the FAS Home Page and the ASA rules
are available from their home page, http://www.softball.org.
Ø Last, begin play and enjoy the
camaraderie and fun that can only be found by participating in the Fairfax
Adult Softball program!
Oops, I missed the deadline!?!
If the
deadline has passed, FAS will continue to accept applications until the league
is filled or play has begun. Submit your
application as soon as possible. If the
league is filled, we will put you on a waiting list and should a current
registered team not be able to participate, than you can fill that vacated
position. Additionally, FAS may be able
to take teams from the waiting list and form a new division to play on a day
determined by FAS.