Health and safety are important to Fairfield American Little League. We all play a role: coaches, players, families, and umpires. Please review the following information to become familiar with your responsibilities.
ARRIVAL TO FIELD
– Parents and players should self-check for symptoms of COVID-19 before coming to the field. If a player has symptoms and / or a fever, it is incumbent on the parent to keep the player home. This goes for parents, coaches, umpires, and all spectators as well. If you are sick, please stay home.
– If you tested positive, you must isolate. Any player or family member that has tested positive for COVID-19, or been in contact with someone who has, please refrain from baseball activities for 14 days.
– Each field will have a designated drop off / pick up location and procedure to avoid large congregating groups. The procedures for each field will be communicated to parents by their managers prior to the first practice. There will be signs at each field providing instructions.
– Spectators should be limited to a player’s immediate family only – only household relatives. Ideally that is further limited to one parent per player, as the restrictions on June 22 for outdoor sports is still a small number. In any case, it is critical that each parent/family maintain at least six (6) feet of distance from parents/families of other households. Note that this provision has changed repeatedly at a State level; we will modify the policy if needed/as appropriate.
– All parents and siblings must bring and wear mask or cloth face covering while in attendance, unless there is a safety concern due to a medical condition.
– All parents and siblings should bring a chair or blanket to sit on, as the bleachers will be roped/cordoned off. Also, please follow the social distancing guidelines. Please do not congregate in groups.
PRE-GAME
– One coach from each team should take care of all field preparation. The coach should wear gloves and use hand sanitizer before and after handling all equipment. This should take place 30 minutes prior to game.
– The League will provide appropriate cleaning products, including disinfecting spray and/or wipes, to each team for use in cleaning and sanitizing facilities and equipment as needed. It will be a product that is in accordance with state recommended guidelines.
– Coaches should only run warmup drills that observe social distancing guidelines.
– Keep baseballs used during pre-game warm-up separate from game baseballs.
– The pre-game meeting to discuss the ground rules should only consist of one umpire and one coach from each team. All three individuals should wear masks or a cloth face covering and observe social distancing guidelines.
– Each team must keep accurate attendance records for every practice and game.
DURING THE GAME
– All umpires are required to wear mask or cloth face covering.
– All coaches required to wear mask or cloth face covering when unable to easily, continuously, and measurably adhere to social distancing guidelines.
– Players are not required to wear masks when actively playing or when they are in the dugout/sideline area, provided they maintain social distance from other players and coaches. However, each family can choose to have their player wear a mask or cloth face covering at all times.
– Except as noted below re Catcher’s Gear, no sharing of equipment at all is permitted, for any reason. This includes bats, gloves, batting gloves, helmet, eye black, caps, padding, etc. If a player does not have their own batting helmet, that player may use a League-issued helmet, but only after a coach or parent sanitizes it.
– With respect to Catcher’s Gear, players with their own personal Catcher’s Gear are encouraged to bring and use it, and then may not share it with other players. Each team (in the AA and older Divisions only; Sr. Cappy and younger Divisions will play this season without Catchers) will also be given a set of League-issued Catcher’s Gear. This gear can be shared between players on the team, but only after all pieces of the gear are cleaned and sanitized appropriately. Managers and Coaches should make every effort to minimize the exchange of the League-issued Catcher’s Gear to one (1) exchange per game.
– All players must bring their own drinks. There is absolutely no sharing of drinks. Please make sure your player writes their name on their drink container so it is clearly identifiable. Players should either bring their drink container home or throw it away after the game, as to minimize any contact the coaches have with drink containers during clean up.
– No food in dugout of any kind by players or coaches. This includes gum, seeds, etc.
– No spitting.
– There is a maximum of one coach and three players in dugout (depending on size of dugout – keeping with social distancing guidelies). All other players and coaches will be in a designated spot – near or behind dugout, on the 1st or 3rd base lines, or with their family. The designated spots will adhere to physical distancing guidelines. Players will keep their equipment bags in this spot. Players are encouraged to bring a chair for their designated spot.
– Equipment bags should be spaced out minimum 6 feet, in the player’s designated spot outside/away from the dugout or bench area.
– Pay attention for foul balls. One player from each team will be designated to retrieve them from each side of the field. If a ball does come in contact with person other than designated player, a coach or parent will sanitize the ball.
– Change the game ball every half inning to stay with defensive team, and minimize player contact.
– The umpire must remain behind the pitcher for the entire game.
– No group celebrations of any kind during game. We will adhere to policy of tipping caps to replace high fives, fist bumps, chest bumps, hugs, etc.
INJURIES
– If a player sustains an injury that requires attention, there will be one designated coach from each team, and the player’s parent ( if they are in attendance ), that can attend to the player. From this point on, normal injury protocol will be followed.
– As a reminder, normal injury protocol calls for the use of ice packs and first aid kits provided in the equipment box at each field, or call for assistance if needed. Coaches are required to fill out an injury report if player misses game time due to the injury.
POST-GAME
– Instead of the traditional handshake line, players will line up, on first and third base lines, adhering to physical distancing guidelines, and tip their cap to the other team across the field.
– Postgame team meetings in the outfield are permitted, but must adhere to physical distancing guidelines. Managers and coaches should be mindful, however, of the time if there is another game scheduled on the field—as there cannot be overlap.
– Each player and coach is responsible for cleaning up or taking home their own water bottles, their own equipment, and any garbage they may have created.
– Parents are asked to please leave field area promptly after game and follow appropriate field pick up guidelines, as not to cause a bottleneck of people in any one area.
– One designated coach from each team will disinfect high-touch points including their dugout area, gates, the equipment box, etc. using league provided sanitizer/wipes after game. This will happen whether or not there is another game to follow.
BETWEEN GAMES
– There will be a minimum of 30 minutes between scheduled games.
– If players/coaches arrive and the prior game is still going on, they should wait in an appropriately social distanced area, away from the field. No team(s) may use the Mill Hill batting cages while another game is being played on the field.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
– There will be no concession stands at the fields for this season.
– For fields that have fixed location restrooms (e.g., Mill Hill), whether the restroom is open will be determined by the Town. If it is open, only one person may be in the restroom at a time. The Town will determine the appropriate cleaning and sanitizing regimen for the restroom.
– Fields without fixed location restrooms will have porta-potties provided by the Town.