The 2020 season will definitely be one to remember. As you are probably aware, the governor has released the state guidelines for our return to play. You can find them here: State Guidelines These are the minimum standards we must achieve to begin the season. To address them, our league has been meeting to start the planning process. Below we will share what we know and what we are still working on. There is one thing for certain, this year will be different. We will make sacrifices and changes that we would never have considered in past seasons. Some changes will be short term and others may be permanent. We need everyone in the North Newark Community to help make this work. This includes all of you – our parents and guardians. We must have your support to ensure this all works. If we don’t, it will put our season at risk of being canceled or closed down by the health department. Please remember, this is new to us all. There is no script or playbook on how to implement the guidelines at our park. All we have is a group of dedicated volunteers doing all they can to make the best experience we can for our kids. You may not agree with everything we decide but we ask that you respect the decisions made because they were made with the best interest of the kids in mind. We really appreciate your patience as we move forward.

We are planning to hold an 8-week season with a target of 12-14 games for Varsity, Farm, and Derek Holland divisions. We are targeting 6-8 dates for T-ball. This would be in-line with our normal league schedules.

Here are some key dates for this season. These are subject to change as needed but we are working diligently to meet them as listed.

June 1: Start of practice. The governor set May 26th as a start date but we need the extra time to put everything in place to meet the standards.

June 6: Hit-a-thon. The hit-a-thon is our largest fundraiser. We know that times are tough for many and we are sensitive about the timing of our fundraiser request at this time. We need to raise what we can to address normal operating costs and especially to help offset additional costs due to the state guidelines. You can access our hit-a-thon page here: 2020 NNLL Hit-a-thon. This will also allow us to have a good practice of our new park set up before games start.

June 8: Games start. We will kick off league play on this Monday and will follow our traditional game nights.

August 1: Last day for summer season. We will finish up with T-ball on this Saturday.

What we know:

• We will have defined areas for spectators and players. These will be very clearly defined and separated.
• Everyone must conduct daily self-evaluations for symptoms before coming to the park. Anyone experiencing symptoms must stay home.
• Players are expected to wear face coverings when not actively playing. If your athlete has a health condition that prevents this, we will require a doctor’s note be given to their coach.
• Dugouts will not be used this season like they have in the past. We will create team areas with well marked spots for each player to aid in social distancing when off the field. Players will need to stay on their assigned spot when not playing. They can bring a chair, bucket, or pad to sit on but the player alone must handle it. Some suggestions are to use an empty 5-gallon bucket, their backpack, or a seat cushion. Many will sit on their helmet or bat bag as well. Bleachers and benches will not be used for sanitation reasons.
• Coaches and umpires will be required to always wear face coverings.
• Everyone is expected to observe social distancing. We will be marking areas for fans to sit in during the game. The spectator area will be in the outfield. It will be set up to have visual boundaries to help with the social distancing requirements.
• Spectators are encouraged to wear face coverings but it is not required.
• There will be limited seating. We ask that families limit attendance at games to allow each family room to watch their athlete.
• There will be game modifications this season. In response to the state issued guidelines the Board of North Newark Little League needed to make some rule modifications to protect our athletes and provide them an opportunity to play baseball this season.  These changes are for 2020 only and it is expected most, if not all, will change back to our standard playing rules next season. You can read them here: 2020 Rule Modifications
• We will play games at both Evans and Levin. There will be less games played at Evans and more played at Levin than previous years.
• We will require each player’s family to sign an acknowledgement of the state guidelines and receipt of the expectations set for the players and spectators.

What we are still working on:

• We are determining if and how we operate concessions this season.
• How to best set up the park for arrivals and departures
• Game and practice schedules that allow us to properly disinfect and sanitize the park as needed.

What we need from you by Friday, May 22nd:

Starting today, our coaches will be contacting families to ask two questions:

1. Are you planning to play for the 2020 season? We need to know who is continuing for scheduling and team assignments.
2. Are you interested in buying a North Newark mask for $10? The sizes and design are shown below. We need to gauge interest because the order needs to be pre-paid. If there is enough interest we will place one.
   
   

We thank you for your continued support of our players and the league. Together we can make this a fun season for our kids.