Santa Cruz Little League

Manager Selection Process

If you are an adult who enjoys mentoring kids, would like to give back to the community and loves the game of baseball, please consider becoming a manager for a SCLL team. We need managers for every division from Tee Ball through Intermediate. You do not have to be a parent of a Little League player to manage a team.

Managing youth baseball can be an awesome, rewarding experience. SCLL provides a lot of support for managers and coaches through clinics, seminars, mentoring and other resources. Experience is not necessary and you do not have to be a parent of a Little League player to manage a team. Please consider volunteering your time to give back to our youth and the community.

To start the process:

Tee Ball, Farm, and A divisions -- When you are registering your player, please indicate your interest as a manager during the volunteer sign-up part of the registration process. A division rep will follow up with everyone who is interested. Managers for Tee Ball, Farm and A do not need to complete the Manager Interest Form or participate in player evaluations.

AA, AAA, Majors and Intermediate divisions -- Manager interest forms are required for new and returning managers for AA, AAA, Majors and Intermediate ONLY. Please make a copy or print out the Manager Interest Form below and return the completed application no later than December 1st. Completed forms can be emailed to [email protected] (preferred) or mailed to SCLL at PO Box 1723, Santa Cruz, CA 95061.

Interviews by the Manager Selection Committee will take place in mid-December. You will be notified of the date and time for your interview. Managers and coaches, like all volunteers in Little League, are required to complete a background check. Following the interviews, the Manager Selection Committee will present its recommendations to the SCLL Board of Directors and candidates will be notified.

Timeline:

Manager applications due: December 1st
Manager interviews: Week of December 16th, 2024
Manager selection: January 7th, 2025
Player Evaluation Weekend: January 11-12 (for AA, AAA and Majors Divisions)
Player draft: January 25th, 2025
Practices Begin: February 1st, 2025
Manager Information meeting: February 24th, 2025

Please note: We don’t know how many managers we will need each year until player registration is near completion. Remember that even if you are registered and approved as a manager, that does not mean that you are guaranteed to get a team.

Manager Evaluation Criteria

Manager shows leadership and recognizes that they hold a position of trust and responsibility in a program that deals with a formative period in child development.

Manager demonstrates an understanding and capacity to work with children and realizes that they are helping to shape the physical, mental and emotional development of young people.

Manager has knowledge of the game and can be a teacher of the rules, etiquette, behavior and safety.

Manager believes that learning and growth happens through both success and failure and that children should not be punished or criticized for failure. Embracing mistakes and overcoming challenges is important to this manager.

Manager recognizes that Little League baseball is about learning the game, enjoyment in playing the game, experiencing team camaraderie, and is not an end in itself. The manager understands the game is not all about winning and it has many different layers of meaning to children.

More information about expectations for managers and coaches