I'm thinking about starting a TB team in my area. I'm not familiar with TB but learning a lot through reading and talking to a few parents I know that have kids playing TB. Was trying to find out about age limits and age cutoffs. My DD is 8 but turns 9 in March. What's the cutoff for her to have to move up to 10U? Any other advice about starting a team would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Starting a new TB team
- Thread starter catmaster
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There is no under age limit, a 10YO can play 18U.
Whatever age they are they are Jan. 1st is the lowest level they can play. So your DD could still play 8U all next year even after she turns 9 in March.
There is no under age limit, a 10YO can play 18U.
Whatever age they are they are Jan. 1st is the lowest level they can play. So your DD could still play 8U all next year even after she turns 9 in March.
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I won't be the only one to say this... Don't do it unless you are rich and don't have a real job lol.
I coached for the last few years and that was enough, nevermind the stress of running the whole thing. Once my DD is done with TB then i will look at starting my own team.
I coached for the last few years and that was enough, nevermind the stress of running the whole thing. Once my DD is done with TB then i will look at starting my own team.
Make sure your reasoning for starting a new team is solid as opposed to just having your DD join an existing team or organization.
Doing it properly can be rewarding, but it is time consuming and there will be rough times as players, parents and others come and go as they develop over the years. At some point you will need to cut someone - maybe a friend or yours or your DD. Are you OK with the conversation that tells a parent that their kid isn't good enough at this point to get off the bench or play their preferred position.
If you are determined to move forward here is some things you need:
- Field time. Access to fields for starting teams is sometimes problematic or expensive or both
- Budget for all activities. Either handled by someone other than you, or at least open for people to see where money goes
- While you are right now 8U eligible, pitching and catching will become important REAL soon. Who do you have?
- Support from people who have done this before. This board can help, but the ear of someone local who has gone through this before will be critical
- Players... seriously if you only have 4-5 in mind, you may still probably better joining in with another team.
- Go watch and look at local travel ball tryouts, practices and tournaments. Where will your team fit in? Is there competition locally to start or is really going to be 'travel'
- Honest assessment - are you qualified or willing to put in the time to be qualified. Do you know the game? Do you know how to coach kids travel at some level of experience (even in other sports)? And same with your assistants.
Thanks for the great advice and questions to ask myself. I've pondering this for several months. If we had an 8U team near by I would probably go that route. The closest one I found was 40 minutes away and practice wasn't going to fit my schedule. I coach rec ball and have coached numerous soccer and basketball teams. So I'm not concerned there. If I can find good quality assistants I will probably go ahead with it.
Just do it. You'll find your way. Your being here is a big plus! Your players will benefit from your being here
If the closest one is that far away, would I be correct in assuming you are in a smaller town, and not in a bigger metro area? If not disregard the following.
Starting a TB team in smaller areas has some tougher challenges. I was involved with a start up team in my area. We are in a town of about 12,000, and about twenty minutes outside of a big metro area. The biggest challenge was having a smaller pool of girls to draw players from. We managed to get enough girls for a team, but just getting 11-12 girls doesn't make a TB team. You have to have pitchers and catchers, which we managed to find. The next problem was the skill level of the girls was all over the map. Some were very good, and some were just learning. That can create it's own set of issues when deciding what level you should play at, and then the crazy parents start grumbling about the weaker players holding the team back. When your talking about TB, the commitment level has to be very high. Then the willingness of all 12 families to travel becomes an issue. Our team lasted one season. The girls who were serious about playing moved on to established teams in the bigger city, others realized TB wasn't for them.
It can be done, but know the difficulty in finding 11-12 girls in a small community with similar skills, and a serious level of commitment for the time, travel, and expense of travel ball. A rec team is no problem, but TB requires so much more. Good luck in whatever you decide.
- Nov 29, 2009
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Here are your biggest obstacles. If you are able to find enough players to fill a travel team who would you play? If the closest team you found is 40 minutes how far are the other teams? You'll be doing a lot of traveling to play even practice games not to mention tournaments.
It sounds like you're in a small community. Good assistants and people who actually know the game can be a very difficult thing find in a small community. From the little bit you've posted it sounds like you have limited experience with softball and would be learning as you're going. It's NOT baseball with a bigger ball. Not a good thing when parents are expecting you to lead and teach their DD's.
I would recommend doing what you needed to to do and put your DD on a team in an established organization. Take the time to work with your DD so she can reach her full potential as a player.
