by Little League Europe/Africa Region
When the 26th Little League International Congress convened in Minneapolis on April 4-7, there was a large European presence – in fact the largest presence ever, with 16 countries attending.
In total, 1.000 volunteers attended the Congress, which also was the main starting point for Little League’s 75th anniversary. Of those attending, nearly 450 are volunteer District Administrators, or delegates, who serve as liaisons between the local leagues (clubs in Europe) and Little League International.
“For each congress, the number of European District Administrators has risen, as well as the share of District Administrators who also have a mandate and a link to the respective National Federations, which is a crucial part to get the Little League program further developed and strengthened in Europe”, says Kristian Palvia, District Administrator of Sweden, and also the Field Director for the Europe and Africa region in the Little League International Board of Directors.
During the congress, the focal point was to debate and vote on 16 proposed changes to the Little League rules. 14 rule changes passed, among these the most interesting point from a European point of view is the new age limitations rules, which aligns Little League – as the first U.S. based program – with the age limitations of the International Baseball Federation.
Starting in 2015 with a three-year transition period, the age groups for all Little League Baseball age groups will be determined by the age of the player as of December 31st the year in question, not May 1st which was the previous rule. This will help simplify the participation in Little League in Europe as the calendar year will determine which of the age groups the players should participate in.
“For international purposes, the new age determination date will be very important as it is easier to explain the new age limits as opposed to the current determination date in the middle of the year. With the previous rule that is used today, the league age for the kid depends on which month he or she was born, but starting in 2015, if your son is born in 2003 he will be considered 12 years regardless of when during the year he is born”
A list of all the proposed rule changes, and the results of the votes, are available here (link http://www.littleleague.org/media/llnewsarchive/2014/January-April/2014CongressVotingResults.htm
Also, 18 volunteers from around the world were recognized for their work with baseball and softball and promotion of Little League around the world; Gijs Selderijk from the Netherlands received the 2014 District Administrator Little League Meritorious Service Award, while Ghislaine Ethier from France received the 2014 Assistant District Administrator Commendation Award for the Europe/Africa region.
“It is only fitting that Little League recognizes Gijs and Ghislaine for the work and dedication that they put in, not only for the benefit of Little League, but for the benefit of baseball and softball in Europe” says Kristian Palvia.
The below-mentioned Countries were present in Minneapolis during the Congress:
Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany District 1 and District 2, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and Ukraine.
In Europe, Little League hosts nine continental tournaments yearly, open to regional/district teams from all affiliated countries in Europe and Africa. The winners of these tournaments advance to the respective Little League World Series tournaments, played in the United States in July and August each year.
“Even if Little League is most known for its tournaments I would like to stress the other values as well, from the Coaches Resource Center and Umpire Resource Center, to the possibilities to give more kids the opportunity to develop as players between the club level and the national teams levels, with the regional structure that Little League divides its programs into”
In 2014 the Europe/Africa qualifying tournaments are played as follows:
Little League Baseball 11-12 years 14-21 July Kutno, Poland
Little League Intermediate (50/70) 11-13 years 6-12 July Prague, Czech Republic
Junior League Baseball 12-14 years 29 June – 6 July Kutno, Poland
Senior League Baseball 13-16 years 6-12 July Novara, Italy
Big League Baseball 15-18 years 7-10 July Ronchi dei Legionari, Italy
Little League Softball 11-12 years 24-28 July Kutno, Poland
Junior League Softball 12-14 years 16-20 July Brzeg, Poland
Senior League Softball 13-16 years 16-20 July Brzeg, Poland
Big League Softball 14-18 years 7-10 July Ronchi dei Legionari, Italy
For more information on Little League in the Europe/Africa region, please visit the website www.eteamz.com/llbeurope/