About Us
The Welles Park Parents Association ("WPPA") is a parent volunteer organization that operates in cooperation with the Chicago Park District to provide baseball and softball instruction to neighborhood children. The association is NOT affiliated with the city of Chicago or the Chicago Park District. The association has obtained both Federal and State tax exempt charitable organization status. While WPPA's home base is Welles Park in Lincoln Square, the league uses a number of other parks throughout the northside, including Winnemac Park, Legion Park, River Park, Mather Park, Hollywood Park, Athletic Park, Chase Park, Green Briar Park and Rodgers Park.
Chicago Park District personnel are not responsible for the operation of WPPA, which is organized and operated by parent volunteers. Accordingly, please direct any questions or inquires about WPPA to the appropriate board member, not Chicago Park District personnel. General inquires and questions can be emailed to info@wppachicago.org.
Philosophy
The goal of our program is to teach baseball/softball fundamentals and good sportsmanship to kids in a positive and enjoyable atmosphere. We consider our youth program an instructional league. Participants in WPPA are separated into leagues or divisions based on their ages. Each age group has rules variations designed to match the skill level of the participants. This allows the children to experience success while developing the skills needed to compete at the next level.
We believe practice is essential in developing the skills players need to succeed in game situations. Regardless of the players’ age level, all coaches are required to hold regular practices. No coach should put any of their team members in situations for which they are not prepared.
Before each season, our more experienced coaches evaluate the players and a draft is conducted in each league/division. The goal of the draft is to evenly distribute the talent and create competitive teams so that the season is enjoyable for all of the kids. Hopefully, this makes the season more enjoyable for the coaches too, as we try to avoid situations where a few coaches have "stacked" teams.
We believe that our goals as an instructional league are also consistent with the spirit of competition. In our program, we keep score, publish standings, and (with the exception of the Rookie League), we have playoffs and league championship competitions. We believe that these are important measures of success and improvement. We also believe that teamwork and sportsmanship are an integral part of all good competition. We hope the kids will take these values with them as participants in our WPPA community and beyond.
Welles Park Parents Association does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion/creed, gender, gender expression, national origin/ancestry, disability, or sexual orientation in any of its activities or operations. We are an inclusive baseball and softball community.