All, District 13 is slated to HOST the State 10-11 Baseball tournament in 2025 (July). In talking with the other District staff a suggestion was made to ASK early for any League that would like to host. Besides the great honor it is to host a state tournament it's also a lot of work. There are some unfair things to consider as well: 1. It's unfair to expect to go to send a team to state tournaments without being willing to host one yourself. You see each season we play district tournaments to select teams to go to state. However, someone else is hosting that tournament. As a District we should take our turn at hosting a State tournament. Then we are pulling our weight as part of Little League 2. It's unfair to have the same leagues hosting all the tournaments (District, State, etc). This puts the burden of doing tournaments on the same people each year. Each league should host a tournament in a cycle. So far since I have been DA Liberty Lake, West Plains, and Deer Park have hosted. That's cool... but with the advent of two tournaments this year (State and District), we need EVERYONE to consider hosting a tournament. Benefits of hosting the State tournament: 1. It is additional revenue for the league (they can charge for merch, concessions, RV parking, pictures, make money from contract food vendors, etc) 2. It is a great tool to use for PR for your league - the press likes state level tournaments 3. It helps the town your are in . 13 teams means at least 450 people show up just to play the games, not to mention family, friends, and other spectators. This makes an impact on the local economy and puts a focus on the town statewide. Some state tournaments draw about 5,000 people over the course of the tournament (Like state majors). This means hotels, restaurants, sporting goods stores, local attractions all benefit. 4. It gives a sense of pride to the hosting league and their players. 5. It helps your board and parents better understand the bigger picture of Little League So what does it take to put on a State tournament? Well first it takes participation of your whole Board. Next, lots of Volunteers. Three fields that meet Little League safety standards, and a desire to do something more. Mark can help round up umpires and the District staff is there to pitch in where needed. It's good for your league in that players get excited about either being in or being part of helping put on a state tournament. Most leagues experience a boost the following year in terms of new volunteers wanting to be part of the league and more players interested in playing in the league. Is it a ton of work? Yes no doubt. Are the rewards worth it? I think so. Do we need to be more supportive at the State level and take our turn at putting on tournaments when it's our "turn"... Absolutely... So please let me know your thoughts and if you would entertain putting on the State 10-11 for 2025... Best Regards, JP District 13 Administrator PH 509-995-4200 http://www.wadist13ll.org<http://www.wadist13ll.org/> EMAIL dadist13@wadist13ll.org<mailto:dadist13@wadist13ll.org> [cid:image002.png@01DB0FF2.CF1DCAA0]
