Fall League Players and Parents,
Thank you for your patience as we organized the rostering and scheduling of this year's fall league! In total we have a record of over 800 players on 68 teams between baseball and softball. We have coordinated all of it in roughly a 16 day span trying to accommodate all teammate requests as best we could.
Below are details for FM Fall League.
There have been MANY requested roster adjustments over the past week. I believe everything should be confirmed and in place now. An updated roster for individual registrants and small groups has been posted. Please double check the rosters posted on the baseball and/or softball page. (www.fmfallball.com)
The schedule for week 1 is posted on the baseball or softball page at www.fmfallball.com. We will have the schedule for weeks 2-4 posted as soon as possible in the Tourneymachine app. We will be using the Tourney Machine app with the league schedule for any changes, weather announcements etc. Schedules will be placed into the tourney machine app as soon as we can. You can find the schedule in the Tourney Machine app HERE. To receive schedule or weather announcements direct to your phone, please go to your teams page in the App and in the top right corner select the uniform with a number in it where it says "Follow". In case of weather we will send messages directly to you through that notification. One other thing of note, the BY on the schedule stands for a Ball Yard individual sign up team.
Teams that registered as a team please wear whatever uniform you would like. Players who signed up as individuals will wear their own uniforms from summer or a shirt representing where they are from. Each player will receive a fall league cinch bag first week to store/carry cleats, organize valuables, etc... This will replace our traditional fall league shirt as making sure everyone received the proper sizes was often a challenge.
For individual sign up players playing on Ball Yard (BY) teams, please arrive 1 hour before game time to your field. If you were an individual sign up that has been placed with a group/team please arrive 1 hour before game time unless you have been instructed otherwise from your team coach. Most coaches are just receiving contacts so they may be reaching out to you soon.
If your team is listed first on the schedule please go to the 3rd base dugout. If your team is listed below your opponent please go to the 1st base dugout.
Coaches- Game balls will be in your dugout when you arrive Week 1. You will find them in a black cinch bag with white logo. Please bring this bag with you each week as these will be your game balls for the season. Each team will provide game balls to the umpires that day. 3 for baseball and 2 for softball. You will also find a coaches booklet with the game balls in your dugout with league rules, scoresheets, and lineup charts to help you stay organized. With 17 fields in use all across the FM metro I will be bringing these items before the first time slot and leaving them in the dugouts. If you play the early time slot, the additional bag of baseballs and booklet is for the teams coming for the later time slot so please leave them in your dugout for the next team.
With many players traveling an 1 hour to 2 1/2 hours away to play, and during the school year, it is very difficult to coordinate practices for individual teams. In the past with so many other fall activities individual signup teams have not normally practiced as individual signup players. Teams are more than welcome to coordinate practices if they are able to do so.
Please keep in mind that the umpires during fall league are willing to take time out of their weekend outside of the summer season to allow these games to take place. Many of them will be umpiring 4 straight games from 12:30pm-7:15pm with little break. So we encourage Coaches, Players, and Parents to please respect the calls that are made. Without the umpires, our young ball players would not be able to play. Because they will be umpiring for 5 hours straight and with a severe shortage of umpires in the fall, many fields will have umpires not behind the plate.
If you are interested in umpiring or know someone who would be please let us know at info@fmballyard.com.
Also we would like to remind everyone it is fall ball. There will not be championships to be won during this season. This is a great opportunity to help prepare yourself for when that hit, pitch, or play really matters next summer you are ready to play your best in that moment. We hope everyone has a fun fall season!
Thanks!
Mike Skogen
FM Fall Ball