Welcome to San Mateo American 2025 Spring Ball Registration! 

Introduction

We have recently transitioned to our new League Management System, Sports Connect, that will require you to register a new account if you do not have one already.  With the new platform, registration is more streamlined and intuitive and should take you approximately 5-10 minutes to complete.  Should you run into any issues or have questions about registering your child, please reach out to us at [email protected].  We're happy to help and will respond as soon as possible.

• NEW PLAYERS: You will need proof of the player’s age (birth certificate), dates of medical vaccinations, and at least three ways to prove residence (in PDF or JPG format). Click HERE and HERE for the Little League guidelines and eligibility requirements.  

• NEW PARENT/GUARDIAN: You cannot register your child without creating an account first. If you are new, click HERE to join.

Little League Levels of Play

Frequently asked questions

What are the Levels of Play?

At SMLLA, we name most of our levels after divisions of Professional Baseball.  For example, Single A, Cal, Pacific Coast League (PCL), and Majors.  The progression is  Wiffle Ball -> T-ball -> Single A -> Cal -> Minors -> PCL -> Majors -> Juniors. 

How do I know which level of play is appropriate for my child? 

Based on baseball ability, your child  could be placed one level up or down.   Any child can waiver down in any division. For example: your 10 year old isn't ready for PCL (typically 10-11’s), you can ask to keep them in Minors (9-10’s).  

What is the draft? 

For Single A through Juniors, SMLLA builds teams for the spring season via a draft.  All of the players attend an assessment session in early January where they throw, catch, field, pitch and hit.  Later, Managers of each division draft players one round at a time.  It is up to the manager to select a participant for any given division. The league can't guarantee a participant will be chosen to any specific division. However, every player will be selected for a team.  For Wiffle & T-Ball, teams are built by the league taking into consideration buddy requests & school info. 

What is the difference between Age and Baseball Age? 

Baseball age is set by Little League International and is the age your child will be as of August 31, 20254. This means that some kids will have a higher baseball age than their actual current age.  See the 2025 Little League Age Chart.

What is the difference between San Mateo American and San Mateo National? 

San Mateo has two little leagues. For players that are league age 8 or older, you are required to play in the league affiliated with either your home address or the address of the school your child attends, subject to certain exceptions. You can determine your eligibility for San Mateo Little League American using the Little League Finder tool.

Questions?  Email us at [email protected].

San Mateo Little League American Boundary Map

For those new to SMLLA, our district map is below. You can check to see if you reside in the boundary HERE.  If you do not live within our boundaries there are exceptions which allow you to play in our league.  Please click HERE for a list of exceptions and required forms.

Starting with the 2025 season, children at the youngest level of Little League Baseball (League Age 4-7) will have the ability to register for any Little League program they choose, without respect to any geography- or school-related eligibility requirements. Those players who register under this option will also be fully eligible to participate in all aspects of league play, including International Tournament play, for the duration of their Little League careers provided they have continuous and unbroken participation from the time they are League Age seven within the specific league where initially registered and provided all other participation eligibility requirements have been met.

Players League Age 8 or older as of the 2025 season (born before September 1, 2017 for Baseball) will continue to utilize the current boundary requirement based on residency or school enrollment. Opportunities and waivers will continue to be available as an option for players should they be interested in switching leagues that are outside of these requirements, based on approval and potential stipulations from the Little League International Charter Committee.

Please click HERE for additional information regarding the updated Little League eligibility guidelines for 2025, including relevant FAQs.

Note on Registration: If you (i) are registering a player that is League Age 4-7, (ii) enter an address that is outside of the SMLLA boundary, and (iii) select “Other/None of the Above” from the school list, you may receive a message prompt during the registration flow that indicates the player is not eligible to participate in this league. You can ignore this message by pressing the “Continue” button and may proceed through the registration process.

2025 Spring Registration Fees

Registration fees are the primary source of funding to operate our league.  These fees pay for our field permits, umpires to officiate each game, insurance, equipment (balls, bases, etc), etc.  SMLLA takes pride in providing a fee structure that is extremely competitive compared to other youth sport options.  In fact, for the Spring 2025 season, SMLLA has lowered the registration fees across most age groups. As a volunteer organization, we need people to coach, keep score, prepare the field, etc.  Thank you in advance for volunteering your time in any capacity possible.  Your help keeps our fees competitive and creates lifelong bonds among players and families.  

SMLLA will automatically apply a $50 discount for additional siblings registered.

Notes regarding registration fees:

• Please register early to ensure a roster spot for your player! 

• Registration fees are based on the baseball age of your player.  The division that your player ends up in will be determined at a later date following player assessments and baseball draft (as further described below).

• We are a non-profit and 100% volunteer-run organization. We ask all parents and guardians to volunteer your time in helping us provide the best possible program for our kids. If you are unable to volunteer, a $100 per family opt-out option assists us in procuring the resources needed to run the league.

Financial Aid Request

Some families have generously donated funds to allow those in need to offset their fees. 

Our financial aid program has been made possible through the generous donation from our corporate and individual sponsors. We ask that aid recipients reciprocate their benefit by donating their time through various volunteer opportunities available. Parents can volunteer by: Coaching, Scorekeeping, Field Preparation, Field Supervisor, and Umpire. Training for all volunteer positions is provided by SMLLA. Click below for details and to apply.

Financial aid details

Financial aid application

If you have questions, please email [email protected].

What to Expect

• Uniform:  Parents are required to order their child's jersey through the Nike/SMLLA portal. Cost is around $30. More information will be provided by the team manager. 

• Baseball Draft: Teams from Single A - Majors are selected by draft based on player capabilities observed during SMLLA assessments. Buddy requests are not allowed in Single A – Majors. Player assessments are tentatively scheduled for January 11, 2025 (10-12 year olds) and January 12, 2025 (7-9 year olds).

• Buddy Requests:  We do NOT honor buddy requests for baseball (ages 7+). Buddy requests can be made for wiffle and t-ball, but are NOT guaranteed. Please have the parents of both buddies complete the buddy request. 

• Season:  Team practices start in early February and last until late May. Games start in early March and last until around the end of May. Playoffs are typically late May and/or early June.

• Times/Dates/Locations:  Games are determined by the league.  Practice Time/Date/Location are selected by the team manager.  The best way to influence the specific Time/Date/Location for your team's practices is to become a team manager.

Disclosures

• If you are registering more than one player in your family this season, you will receive a $50 discount on the second (and third, if applicable) child's registration fee.  In order for the registration system to recognize that your family is registering multiple players, please register all of your players at this time.  On the My Account Page, there is a link at the bottom of the Players section to "Add Another Player" - please click on this link to ensure that all of your family's players are registered within the same order. Failure to do so will result in a forfeiture of your family's discounted rates.

• SMLLA’s web pages are double encrypted for maximum Security and Privacy. In addition, SMLLA adheres to a strict Privacy Policy.

Contact Us

To get in touch with us via email, you can reach out to the following addresses based on your specific inquiry:

• Registration - If you have questions about player sign-ups, please email us at [email protected].

• Financial Assistance - For questions regarding financial assistance, please email [email protected].

• Sponsorships - For inquiries regarding sponsorships or donations, kindly contact us at [email protected].

• Player Agent - If you need information about rules, eligibility, or age groups, feel free to email us at [email protected].

• Inquires About SMLLA - For news inquiries or information about other leagues, you can reach us at [email protected].

• General - For all other questions, our team is here to help at [email protected].