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All league: Personnel, including
the officers, managers, coaches, umpires, auxiliary, field workers,
etc., should be volunteers interested in providing the benefits of a
Little League program to the youth of their community. Each league
is guided by a Board of Directors, usually five to 25 adult
volunteers from the community. There are now more than 7,400 Little
League programs in more than 100 countries around the globe.
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Throughout World War II, Little League’s growth was hampered by
the fact that many fathers in the U.S. were in the military. By
1946, there were only 12 leagues patterned after the Little League
model originally devised by Carl Stotz in 1938 in Williamsport,
Pennsylvania, with its first season in 1939.
In 1947, the board of directors for the original Little League
decided to organize a tournament for all known Little League
programs (there were 17) and called it the National Little League
Tournament. It was later renamed the Little League Baseball World
Series.
The 11 teams that participated in the first series in 1947 were:
Williamsport (Original) Little League; Williamsport Sunday School
League; Maynard Midget League (Williamsport); Lincoln League Stars
(Williamsport); Brandon Boys League (Williamsport); Milton (Pa.)
Midget League; Montour Little League (Montoursville, Pa.);
Montgomery (Pa.) Little League; Jersey Shore (PA) All Stars; Lock
Haven (PA) All Stars; and Hammonton (NJ) All Stars. The champion was
the Maynard Midget League of Williamsport, which defeated the Lock
Haven All Stars in the final game, 16-7.
More than 2,500 spectators witnessed the championship game, and
the results were printed in newspapers around the country. The
publicity helped spread Little League nationwide, and within a few
years, Little League programs were in every state. When Little
League added other programs (Senior League Baseball, Big League
Baseball, softball divisions, etc.), it added tournament play and
World Series tournaments in those divisions. There are now 11 World
Series tournaments played every year in the various divisions of
Little League.
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 Better
than any other youth sport activity, baseball and softball have
become the thread that has sewn together a patchwork of nations
and cultures around the world. Children in diverse nations such
as Israel, Jordan, Russia, Germany, Japan, Canada, Australia,
Poland, Mexico, China, Venezuela, South Africa and the U.S. have
discovered baseball and softball -- Little League Baseball and
Softball - are ways to bring their people a sport that mirrors
life itself. |
 All
local Little Leagues are required to conduct background checks
on managers, coaches, board of directors members and any other
persons, volunteers or hired workers, who provide regular
service to the league and/or have repetitive access to, or
contact with, players or teams. Individuals are also required to
complete and submit a Little League Volunteer Application to
their local league. Select from the links below to learn more
about this vital aspect of Little League’s mission.
Stephen D. Keener, president and
chief executive officer of Little League, appears on CNN
Headline News to explain the newest phase of the Little League
Child Protection Program. |
 TEXAS
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OKLAHOMA
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COLORADO
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LOUISIANA
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NEW MEXICO -
MISSISSIPPI - ARKANSAS -
ARKANSAS
Waco, Texas |
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