REGISTRATION, SEASONS AND DIVISIONS
Please visit the registration page to access the link to TeamSnap for registration
BC Baseball sets standardized divisions across all baseball associations in BC. There are eight divisions, with Mosquito 11U*, Pee Wee 13U, Bantam 15U and Midget 18U levels offering three levels based on player tryouts:
· A (also known as Single A or listed with no “A” in the name)
· AA (also known as Double A), and
· AAA (also known as Triple A)
* Note: Mosquito11U only has “house” for Spring baseball (i.e. AA and AAA not available)
**Players must tryout to make the AA or AAA teams.
The division you register your child for depends on your child’s birth year. Please see Divisions Page for more information.
All divisions have a spring season, which typically runs from April to June. Fall and Summer baseball seasons are also available provided there are enough players registered. Fall ball is from September to early October – approx. 1-month long. Summer ball is from mid June until the end of July with Provincials (if the teams(s) qualify) played on the August long weekend. In order to play Summer ball, players must have played in the Spring season.
A or Single A: Our house baseball league for anyone who wants to play ball regardless of skill level or experience; all teams for Tadpole division and higher are evaluated and drafted equally
AA or Double A and AAA or Triple A: Players must tryout to make the team; requires a higher commitment level; teams are selected by skill level of individual players
Our division is for families who live North of Colebrook Road and South of 86th Avenue, and between 120th and 152nd Streets in Surrey.
BC Baseball has a process in place for requests to play in other areas. The first step is to complete a Player Movement Request form from the BC Baseball website (Click ‘Resources’, then ‘Documents’, and scroll to find ‘Player Movement Request’). Please see the form for full details and the process to follow.
At the Tadpole 9U level, live pitching is introduced. A tee is still used from time to time as players get accustomed to live pitching. A pitching machine is also introduced at this stage.
Fees
The cost per child per season depends on the division/level your child will participate in. Fees include:
· Session Registration Fee: Fee amount varies depending on the division you are registering for – please check the association home page of the website for the latest fees
· Volunteer Bond: $150 volunteer bond, which you will receive a discount code for next season if you complete your requirements. T
· Uniform Deposit (only applies to Blastball, T-Ball and Tadpole): $100 post-dated cheque, which is only cashed at the end of the season IF you do not return your uniform
Refer-A-Friend Program: Note that our Association will discount your registration fee by 25% for each new player you refer to our club. You can also earn rebates for bringing new sponsors to the Club.
Registration and the volunteer bond are due upon registration. The uniform deposit cheque must be provided to your coach on the first day of practice or at opening ceremonies. Please put the cheque in an envelope with your child’s name and division on it. For the Spring season, cheques should be post-dated for June 30.
Note that if the cheques are not submitted, the player is ineligible to play with their team until the cheques are received.
NCBA
For the Spring season, please post-date your cheques for June 30 of the same year.
REFUND POLICY: If you have registered and for any personal reason you need to cancel, your refund request must be submitted in writing to the NCBA registrar. A full refund less a $30.00 administration fee will be issued if received by the registrar prior to March 1st . A 50% refund will be issued if received between March 2nd and April 15th less $30 administration fee. No refunds after April 15th . Please allow 30 days processing time.
Uniforms and Equipment
Players are required to purchase their own:
· Glove
· Helmet
· Jock* or Jill* (*required for T-ball and up)
Although not mandatory, cleats are highly recommended.
Our Association provides the rest of the uniform: socks, hat, t-shirt or jersey, a belt and pants (may vary by division), as well as team bats and balls. Belts must be returned at the end of the season. For T-ball and Tadpole players, the jersey, belt, and pants (if provided) must also be returned.
Mosquito and older: The association supplies uniforms that players get to keep – there is no separate uniform deposit (the cost is built into the overall registration fee).
Players receive and keep socks and a baseball hat. Players at Mosquito and above also receive jersey’s that they keep. All other uniform items must be returned at the end of the season.
A Uniform coordinator will email you the date to pick up your uniform. Uniform pick-up is held beside the concession stand at Unwin park.
You can drop off your child’s uniform – ideally in a labelled bag – at the closing ceremonies, at the room beside the concession stand at Unwin park.
Team Placement
For Blastball, T-ball, Tadpole and Mosquito divisions, teams will be created within one or two weeks prior to the Opening Ceremonies. You will receive an email from the division coordinator the division coordinator or your child’s coach will email you to let you know which team your child is on as well as any pertinent information for their team.
Unfortunately, we cannot support specific team or coach requests.
Yes, you can request for your child to play up one age division (ex. a second year Tadpole player is eligible to potentially play in the Mosquito division). To start the process, parents should start a conversation with their coach (or vice versa). The coach will then put in a request to the President and VP for that division who will then observe a practice (without the player knowing) to determine if the player is physically and emotionally ready to be moved up. If both the President and VP agree that the player should be moved up, a motion to BC Baseball for approval is made. Approval must be received prior to the player moving up.
Practices and Games
Our home park, Unwin park, is located at 68th and 134th Street in Surrey. Each baseball diamond is marked with a number. A map that displays each field’s location is available at: http://www.newtonbaseball.com/page/show/987268-fields-
Blastball and T-Ball: all practices and games are held at Unwin park
Tadpole: all practices and most games are held at Unwin; to introduce players to travelling games, approximately 2 games are held at another location in the Surrey, area each season
Mosquito, Pee Wee, Bantam, Midget and Junior Mens: almost all practices are at Unwin except the AA or higher levels
Note that Bantam and Midget AA/Double A and AAA/Triple A level teams also use other parks and facilities for practices, games and specialized training.
Parents are encouraged to ensure their child attends all practices and games.
Blastball: 1 practice/game per week on a weekday; actual day of week is determined by the coach and division coordinator; 1 game on weekends
T-Ball: 2 practices per week on weekdays at 6pm for 60-75 minutes; 1 game per week on the weekend for approx. 45-60 minutes at either 10am, 12pm or 2pm - the game time varies each week.
Tadpole: 1 practice per week; 1 game on a weekday (5:30pm or 6:00pm start; arrive 30 min early), 1 game on the weekend, typically at 10am, 1pm or 3pm, on Saturdays or Sundays – the game time and day varies each week
Mosquito A, Pee Wee A, and higher: typically 1 or 2 practices per week based on coaches’ discretion and 3 games per week (2 weekday games, 1 weekend game) - the game time and day varies each wee.
Double A (AA) teams: play 2-3 times per week and practice 1 to 2 time per week
The full games schedule cannot be set until all the teams have been created as scheduling is done based on the number of teams. For the Spring season, the schedule is typically published one week prior to opening ceremonies.
Your coach may have specific requests, but generally speaking, the guidelines are:
Practices: arrive 10 minutes before a practice
Games: arrive 30 minutes before a game
Baseball Canada has a guidelines and best practices program for coaches and associations to follow. The name ‘rally cap’ comes from past history where cap = baseball hat and where players would receive a different color hat to denote what level they have achieved. Although Newton Baseball does use the rally cap guidelines for how a practice is led and for coaching, we do not give out colored baseball hats.
Weather
It depends. The daily field status is posted on our website by 4pm each day. A red light = park or a particular diamond is closed; a green light = open. Coaches are responsible for rescheduling missed games.
Key Dates and Events
Spring season: typically takes place between April (just after Easter Long weekend), and ends close to Father’s Day
Summer season: typically takes place for the entire month of July, with Provincial playdowns held the week before or on the long weekend in August; this season is for Tadpole division and up
Fall season: runs from September to mid- October (weather dependent)
For Tadpole and up teams, there are typically two tournaments: May long weekend (Ross Tournament) and July long weekend (Cook Tournament). Most teams play in one tournament per season. Some teams also play in additional tournament of their choice and in August (Provincial Playdown), which teams have to qualify for.
Blastball and T-ball level teams do not participate in tournaments.
The entire Newtown Canadians Baseball association gets together twice a year at Unwin Park – at opening and closing ceremonies. Parents and players for all levels are highly encouraged to attend. The ceremonies typically include a pancake breakfast, a visit from a local MLA, coach/team introductions or recognition, etc. There is also a vendor on site selling fanware or team swag. The raffle prize draw also takes place at the closing ceremonies.
The Summer Sizzler is our annual event where we show our appreciation to coaches and volunteers. The event includes a live band, dinner, dance, and a silent auction. Parents are invited and encouraged to attend and if possible, to donate items for the silent auction. This is not a fundraising event and the funds raised are used to offset the costs of the event.
One time per year, BC Baseball brings together a team of ex-pro, USA/Canada coaches to visit each of the Associations to run coach and player clinics. All divisions are encouraged to participate. The Coaches Caravan is typically held near the beginning of the Spring season.
It depends on the season. For Spring, they are typically held in early April.
Although attendance is optional, parents and coaches are highly encouraged to attend and learn more about all the things happening with our Association. This meeting also provides a platform for you to express any concerns or to share ideas. The AGM is generally held in September as the year end of the association is August 31.
Volunteering
Each player’s parent or caregiver must meet a volunteer requirement of 2 shifts per family registered per season (Spring will consist of 1 reg season plus 1 tournament and Summer will be 1 shift).
There are lots of other ways to volunteer – for example, volunteering as a coach, team parent, or doing work around the park, etc. If you identify a new volunteer job that you would like to do, contact the volunteer coordinator and likely credit can be received for the project. For example, the FAQ section of our website was created by a volunteer who then earned their volunteer credit.
New policy discussed at AGM
Yes. At the start of the season, you will be required pay $150. Once the requirement has been confirmed filled you will receive a code for a discount of $150 for the following season. Refunds will be considered by written request only.
You will also have the option to pay $250 at the time of registration to opt out of volunteering all together. This will help cover cost to fill vacant positions.
The most common volunteer opportunities available are:
· Concession Staffing Sessions (training provided on site at the beginning for your session)
· Team support, like coaching, assistant coaching, coordinating, team management, tournament directing, etc.
We welcome your creative suggestions on ways to volunteer. For example, this FAQ was built by a parent volunteer. If you identify a new volunteer project you would like to tackle, please contact the volunteer coordinator and see if project is eligible to put towards your volunteer requirement.
Visit our Parent resource page: https://www.newtonbaseball.com/club-resources/parent-resources/.
Yes. Parents are encouraged to sign up to volunteer at the tournaments, even if your child is not playing.
You do not need any experience to coach any division. We have resources for you to refer to on the Newton Canadians Baseball website and we run coaching development clinics during the winter, as well as, provide continuous support throughout the season.
No, children are not allowed in the concession at any time.
You must be 16 years of age or older to sign up to work in the concession. There are NO substitutions or volunteers allowed younger than 16 without prior approval from the Concession Manager. You will be required to follow all food safety guidelines set out by the association.
Team & Player Photos
Team and individual pictures are typically taken on the same day as the opening ceremonies. A schedule is emailed out in advance.
Yes. To help with tracking, please bring a completed photo order form for each player, even if you are not ordering any extra photos.
Fundraising
No. There is no additional requirement for fundraising. However, teams may choose to do additional fundraising. Ideas (what you would like to do and how you will use the funding) must first be proposed to the Newton Canadians Baseball Executive.
Yes. Teams may choose to do additional fundraising. Ideas (what you would like to do and how you will use the funding) must first be proposed to the Newton Canadians Baseball Executive.