FAQs

Q. When can I sign up my player for the league?

A. Spring/Summer registration takes place starting in October for Returning Players and Siblings; and then in early January for New Players.  Fall Ball registration occurs in late June/early July.  For more details, please visit the Registration Page.

Q. What are the costs?

A. The league fees vary year-to-year and are listed on on the main Registration landing page.  Credit card and ACH payments are processed through TeamSnap and will appear as "TEAMSNAP*WELLESPARK . . . " on your credit card billing statement or as "TEAMSNAP TEAMSNAP*" on your bank statement for ACH transactions.

Q. How are players assigned to Spring Season WPPA teams?

A.  In all divisions except the Rookie League, players are allocated to teams by way of a pre-season draft held in ahead of the season (target is for late February or early March for the draft).   The draft gives coaches an opportunity to choose players with whom they have developed a rapport in past years while maintaining the spirit of fairness and equitable distribution of talent.   Each year, the board reviews draft procedures and makes adjustments that it feels best serves the mission of the association.  For Rookie, there is no draft and players are assigned to teams based upon parent and coach requests.  When you register your Rookie player, indicate your "play with" requests (i.e., other players with whom your player would like to play on the same team) and we will do our best to honor as many play-with requests as possible.

Q. Is WPPA co-ed?

A. Yes.   WPPA Baseball and Softball accepts and encourages all youth to play baseball in the age appropriate divisions.

Q. Is my child in the league?

A. All Returning Players and their Siblings are guaranteed a spot in the league if they register online during the Returning Player registration period prior to opening registration to New Players (typically prior to January 1st).  For New Players or Returning Players that register after January 1st for our Spring Season, if the league is full then you have the option to be put on our Wait List.  If you are put in the Wait List, you will be notified as soon as a spot opens and you are next on the list.  The latest you will come off the Wait List is the end of March.  Please do not contact WPPA to find out your spot on the Wait List, as the league will just go down the list in order as spots open up.

See the Registration Instructions page of the website for more details.

Q. When will I be notified about my child's team assignment?

A. WPPA's goal to have coaches and teams completely assigned by the end of March each year to the Spring Season team.  Please do not reach out to the league until after April 1 to find out who your coach and team assignment is for the upcoming season if you have not been contacted before then.  If you haven't had any contact from your coach by April 10, please contact the league at info@wppachicago.org.

Q. When does the season start?

A. WPPA typically offers two house seasons: Spring/Summer and Fall Ball.

Spring/Summer: For all house baseball and softball divisions other than Rookie, practices begin in April and practice games (not part of regular season schedule or standings) are usually played the third week April. The regular season games typically start a week after that (the last weekend in April) and the season runs through mid-July when the playoffs conclude. The Rookie division (5-6 year old players) begins practices in April but no practice games, and the season also begins the last weekend of April and runs until late June.

The Liberty league (age 15-18) begins in June once IHSA High School baseball concludes.

Fall Ball: All teams may convene practices in mid-August (Fall Ball is more casual and teams do not practice as much as they do in the spring/summer season, with many teams not practicing during the week at all).  The Fall Ball season typically starts the weekend before Labor Day Weekend and ends in mid-late October, depending on rain-out rescheduling, but no later than October 31 (the Chicago Park District does not permit organized baseball to continue past that date).

Q. When and where are practices held?

A. Coaches will inform you when and where your child's practice will be held.  Due to the limited availability of fields, coaches sometimes schedule practices wherever they can find a field.  Therefore, do not expect to be practicing at Welles Park.  Coaches are asked to practice at least once a week and no more than two times a week while school is in session.

Q. Where are games held?

A. Welles Park is the home park for WPPA; however, games and practices are also held at other parks, including but not limited to Hollywood Park, Legion Park, River Park, Rogers Park, Green Briar, and Winnemac Park.  Maps with field locations and directions from Welles Park can be found by visiting our Field Locations page.

Due to the continually increasing size of the league, more and more games need to be played at parks outside of Welles.  The WPPA works with the Head of the Northside of Chicago Parks along with the directors at each of these park locations to ensure safety and setup for practices and play for our players and their families.

Note that in 2022 games will not be held at Welles or Winnemac due to the grub infestation.  Alternatively, we will be having games at Horner, Portage and Athletic Field parks.

Q. How many games a week will my child play?

A. Scheduling is always dependent upon the number of teams in the league and field availability. Generally speaking, during the regular season your child will play one or two games each week.  Keep in mind that make-up games for rain outs and playoff schedule (starting end of June and running through mid-July) may result in a child playing more than twice a week.

Q. What time of day are the weekday games?

A. The weekday games are held in the evenings only, usually scheduled to start at 5:30pm.  Games are subject to the time limits stipulated in the WPPA Rules.

Q. Will my child get to play in every game?

A. The WPPA is an instructional baseball league. All children must play a minimum of three or four defensive innings depending on the league in the field each game and every child bats throughout the entire game.  Details can be found in the WPPA Rules.

Q. What kind of equipment should my child have?

A. Your child must have a baseball/softball glove (preferably leather) and helmet with a cage (except at Senior and Liberty age levels where C-Flaps are permitted). Players may also bring a pair of cleats (no metal cleats except in Liberty league), batting glove(s) and a bat (bat rules vary by age level so please confirm with your coach what bats are allowed). When appropriate, an athletic cup for ages 10 and higher is recommended and required for any catcher (when appropriate). The WPPA will provide all other equipment, including uniform jerseys, caps and pants.

Q. Can I sponsor a team?

A. Absolutely! Visit our How to Become a Sponsor page for more information.

Q. How do I suggest rule changes?

A. The Board considers rule changes every winter for the coming spring and fall.  Anyone who is interested in proposing a rule change should contact secretary@wppachicago.org with an explanation of the proposed change and a description of the purpose behind the rule change.

Q.  How do I contact the Board?

A. Emails for all board members are available on our board page.

Q. How do I join the Board?

A. At the end of each Spring house season, a general call for board volunteers will go out to the WPPA community.  If you are interested in joining the board, please be sure to respond.

Q. I still have questions, how can I contact the WPPA?

A. For general inquiries please email info@wppachicago.org.