Do You Have What it Takes to Manage or Coach?

Thank you for your interest in becoming a manager or coach in the Niceville-Valparaiso Little League. As a prospective manager/coach, you must recognize that you will hold a position of trust and responsibility. Above all, managers/coaches are leaders and mentors who shape the physical, mental, and emotional development of our young people. A successful manager/coach not only teaches the fundamental skills required to become a successful baseball player, but will instill in our young people a love and respect for the game that will last a lifetime.

For managers, there are significant commitments that you must agree to before being selected to manage a team:

1) Know the rules: Carefully study Local Rules, Little League Baseball's playing rules/regulations and be able to interpret them correctly, while instilling in your players a respect for these rules.

2) Be an Umpire: Little League Baseball is strongly committed to the concept of the volunteer umpire. Volunteer umpires are used at all levels of Little League play, including the Little League World Series. The Little League Manual states, "It is essential that the umpire, as well as manager and coach, participate in the same degree of volunteer service." While we strive every year to recruit and train as many volunteer umpires as possible, quite frankly, there are never enough volunteers. Therefore, as a manager, you can expect to umpire a significant amount of games in your league. You must attend a mandatory umpires' clinic prior to the season. If you plan to share umpiring duties with your coach, then he/she must also attend the clinic and be certified.

3) Attend a Coaches' Clinic: Niceville-Valparaiso Little League has a standing agreement with "Simply the Best Baseball" to teach basic and advanced coaching skills. Coaches certification and training not only helps us to standardize techniques that will stay with a young player throughout his Little League career, but provides attendees with additional liability insurance. Attendance is mandatory for all managers and highly encouraged for coaches.

4) Be Available for Key Events: Although the Board of Directors are responsible for organizing and staffing key projects, managers and coaches are critical in filling in the gaps for a few season milestones. As a manager, you will be tasked to attend and assist in Tryouts, Draft, and Opening Day activities, and Player Agent meetings.

5) Be Responsible for all Team Administrative Duties: Although you will most likely delegate some of these duties to your Team Mom and other parents, you will still be ultimately responsible in ensuring that fundraisers, snack bar details, uniforms, equipment pickup/turn-in, dugout cleanups, and other administrative requirements are handled promptly and completely.

Again, thank you very much for your interest. If you feel you can meet the above criteria, please fill out a Manager/Coach application (PDF: 146KB). You will be contacted later for an interview. The league president will ultimately appoint all managers and coaches, subject to Board of Director approval.

For further information, please call Randy Sims at 678-2952.