Parent's Guide to Little League All-Stars
By Bill Rennie
Del Mar Little League Board Member, Manager/Coach and Parent
For most people, the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn. – aka “The Road to Williamsport”–
represents the ultimate climax of the Little League season. But the “Road to all-stars,” where millions of kids
and their families participate annually in postseason tournaments, can be just as important and exciting as the
“Road to Williamsport.” Unfortunately many parents find themselves unprepared for the confusion and
scheduling issues that can accompany Little League Baseball postseason play. It's the intention of this article
to help guide parents through the process to ensure everybody has a great all-star baseball experience.
The Planning Stages
While Little League seasons take shape throughout the world, wheels are already turning as Little League
Boards plan the full season, including all-star teams and postseason play. Most parents and players are fixated
on things like: when and how do I register; what does “league age as of April 30 mean” (age of your child as
of April 30 for the upcoming season); in what Little League boundary do I live (which determines the Little
League in which you must sign up); in what division will my child play; who’s going to be on my team; what
team am I going to be on; who’s the manager; when do practices start; how do I volunteer to coach or
manage; when do games begin; when will the schedule be posted; on what days will practices be held; on
what days will games be played and at what fields?
Then, after questions begin to get answered, other questions pop up, like what color pants will our team
select, what equipment should I buy or when’s picture day? All are valid questions as the excitement builds for
the start of the upcoming season and eager Little League families scramble for answers. At this point no one
is thinking about the end of the season or what might be in store should their child happen to be selected for
an all-star team.
Before families know it, options for postseason play, including all-stars are being presented to them. At this
point many families are caught off-guard and are saying to themselves, “Oh no. I’ve already given work my
vacation schedule and we didn’t know Johnny would make all-stars, so how are we going to tell our in-laws
that we have to bail on the plans we’ve been making for the past six months....'
The Road to Williamsport (Explained)
Since Little League is played in many countries throughout the world, seasons are often defined by climate and
a host of other factors. In some cold weather climates, the all-star season happens during the middle of a
season and in warm weather climates it might typically happen at the end of the season. In Southern
California, some Little Leagues start practicing at the end of January, with games beginning in February, while
other regions are still under a deep freeze. Be sure to inquire how your league’s all-star season unfolds.
Regardless, all leagues eventually funnel into the postseason experience which is defined as the “Road to
Williamsport, where a championship team is eventually crowned sometime in August.” All-star teams start by
playing in their District, then winners progress to Sectional Championships, then on to the Division
Championships and then on to Regional Championships, where the winners of the Regional Championship
have earn the right to go to Williamsport.
In contrast, the “Road to all-stars” actually begins when the season starts. Throughout the season, players
start defining themselves through their performance, attitude and leadership qualities as potential all-star
candidates. Players are selected to teams according to the criteria approved by each league’s Board. I would
suggest learning how your league determines its all-star players. Some leagues let the kids select their peers
(which in my experience have proved to be incredibly accurate), others let the managers and coaches select
the players and some use a combination thereof.
How the Little League All-star Process Works
Every Little League is eligible to send three all-star teams into postseason play. There’s officially a 10-year-old
all-star team (comprised of 10 & 9-year-old players), an unofficial 11-year-old all-star team, comprised of 11
year olds), and an official 12-year-old all-star team (comprised of 12 & 11-year-old players). Only the 12-yearold all-star teams have the chance to go all the way to Williamsport. The 11 and 10-year-old teams only
compete through Sectional or Division Championships. Each team must carry a minimum of 12 players but 13
players are preferred and on occasion a manager might carry 14 players, but rarely. Little League wants as
many kids as possible to experience all-stars, so if a manager of an all-star team doesn’t carry 13 players, then
they must drop a coach and only allow one coach to be part of the experience. If a team carries 13 players,
then the manager is allowed two coaches.
As a result, each league sends between 36 and 42 players into all-star competition. Is your child one of the
12-14 players in his or her age group that’s all-star material? If so, be prepared. It’s an awesome experience
and one that you and your child will remember forever. Oh yeah…one more thing. Be prepared to turn over
your original birth certificate along with three approved documents showing proof of residence within the Little
League boundary in which your child has been playing.
These documents must be approved by the District Administrator prior to the start of all-star competition and
kept by the manager in a binder throughout the all-star season. The manager must have this information with
him at all games. If you can’t produce these documents then the dreams of your Little Leaguer to play in allstars will go up in smoke. In other words, don’t play in a league in which you live outside the boundary and
don’t register for a division for which you cannot produce the proper documents and birth certificate…it will
catch up with you at all-star time.
Whether you know it or not, the “2008 Road to All-Stars” has either started or is about to start for your
league, so find out how your league handles all-stars now! Teams will be selected and announced on June 15,
2008 (leagues are not allowed to post, announce or practice with all-star players before that date), which
officially marks the beginning of the “Road to Williamsport.” World-wide all-star games start on June 26 and
District, Sectional, Division and Regional tournaments must be completed by August 10th, so that all Regional
Champions can make the last leg of the long trip to Williamsport. The 2008 Little League World Series is
August 15-24.
Fun Fact: Major League Baseball teams play 162 games each season. According to Larry Burch, California
D31 Administrator, it would take 6 MLB seasons to schedule the number of games played by all-star teams on
the Road to Williamsport from June 26 through the Championship game in Williamsport on August 24. That’s
one awesome logistical feat, orchestrated by the all-volunteer organizations that make up Little League
Baseball year after year.