Nebraska Senior Softball
Summer League

GOAL: The goal of Nebraska Senior Softball is to promote softball for seniors, improve physical, mental and spiritual wellness, develop new friendships and renew old acquaintances among active senior men and women, ages 50 years and over, in Omaha and other communities throughout Nebraska, to cooperatively enjoy fitness, fun and fellowship through athletic competition.

LEAGUE PLAY: Official league play will start on Monday, May 2, 2011, with games each Monday and Wednesday evenings at a time to be determined. Games will be played at the LaVista Sports Complex,7346 S 66th St in LaVista, Nebraska (approximately 2 blocks south of 66th and Harrison street). The number of senior league teams will be determined based on the registrations received. Registration will begin Feb 1st and end on Apr 20th for a 24 game season that runs from May 2nd, 2011 through Jul 27th, 2011.

AGE QUALIFICATIONS: A player must become at least 50 years of age during the current calendar year to be eligible to play in the Nebraska Senior Softball League. The age a player attains on his or her birthday in any particular year will be considered to be his or her age for that entire calendar year. New players joining the league will be required to show proof of their age to a League Officer with either a driver�s license or birth certificate.

PLAYING QUALIFICATIONS: With primary concerns for (1) players� safety, (2) competitiveness and (3) the integrity of the game, all player candidates shall possess minimum ability and skills to be pre-qualified in at least three (3) out of the four (4) following drills, before they will be assigned to a league team or as a pool player (registration fee will be refunded if a player does not satisfy the qualification standards):

  1. Hitting: Shall be able to hit a pitched softball (.44 COR) to the outfield grass, either in the air or on the ground, a minimum of 5 times out of 10 strikes thrown.
  2. Running: Shall be able to run 65 feet from home to first base in less than 6.0 seconds in at least one of three attempts.
  3. Throwing: Shall be able to throw a regulation softball a minimum distance of 65 feet within three feet of the target, in 4 out of 5 attempts, without bouncing or rolling the ball.
  4. Fielding: Shall be able to cleanly catch a softball, thrown from a distance of 65 feet; that is within arms reach, in 4 out of 5 attempts.
TEAM CONSISTS: The objective to develop team parity and to balance all league teams by competitive skills while allowing team managers reasonable flexibility in selecting players for their team. Each team will consist of a mixture of players of various skill levels and ages. To prevent having dominating teams in the league, no pre-selected teams will be accepted.

RETURNING PLAYERS: All returning players from our previous season and who register on or before the Apr 20, 2011 will be entered into the player draft system.

NEW PLAYERS: All new registered players will be evaluated for individual skills in practice and pre-season games based on hitting, running, throwing and fielding abilities. All new players who officially register on or before the Apr 20th, 2011 deadline and satisfy the Playing Qualifications standards will go into the Player Draft System. Please watch the web-site neseniorsoftball.com for practice and game schedules.

POOL PLAYERS: Any player whose registration is received after Apr 20th, 2011 may, at the discretion of the league officers, be assigned as a Pool Player until (1) he/she has been evaluated for skills and ability, (2) there is a vacancy available on one or more of the teams, or (3) there are a sufficient number of Pool Players available to form an additional team. Every Pool Player is very important to the success of our league. Each Pool Player who is present at least 15 minutes prior to the start of a game shall be temporarily assigned (for one game only) to a team that has less than the full team roster present. All Pool Players, as well as team roster players, shall be in the batting order the entire game and play a position in the field a minimum of four (4) innings per game unless they are injured or request otherwise.

PLAYER DRAFT SYSTEM: Each registered and qualified player for the draft will be selected by the Team Managers in a fair and equitable serpentine rotating draft system according to the managers� specific needs, by ability and position. During a period of forty-eight (48) hours after the conclusion of the player draft, the co-team managers will be allowed to trade no more than three newly drafted players from their team to other teams, if the respective managers involved are in agreement. All players will be notified of their team assignment after the draft.

SENIOR SOFTBALL RULES: Special senior softball rules will be in effect, including use of a run scoring plate (in addition to the normal home plate) and a double first base (to prevent collisions and injuries), a strike zone mat, courtesy base runners, all players in the batting line-up, and a maximum 5-runs scored per team per inning, to promote a safe, enjoyable and competitive game for all participants. A current copy of the major rules of senior softball is available by going to our website and clicking Policies and Rules. All players/participants are responsible for being familiar with the rules.

PLAYER REGISTRATION FEES AND DEADLINES:
The NSS 2011 Spring and Summer session is a league wide draft season. All new teams will be formed through a designed player draft process.

Returning Players - $115.00

New Players - $90.00 (a copy of your driver's license or birth certificate is required for age verification)

Registrations paid after Apr 20th, 2011 final deadline may be assigned as a pool player until a team roster position is available.

Payment options include personal checks or PayPal.

Checks should be made out to Nebraska Senior Softball and sent to:
Nebraska Senior Softball
PO Box 540101
Omaha, NE 68154

Funding by bank or credit card through PayPal may be made on the Nebraska Senior Softball website.

SPRING TRAINING: Starting Monday, April 4th, 2011, at 6:15 PM, all new and returning players who are officially pre-registered are encouraged to participate in stretching exercises, batting and fielding practice, and pre-season games with other senior players every Monday and Wednesday evenings on three fields at the La Vista Sports for the duration of April. In order to help prevent and minimize injuries during spring training and league play, all players are encouraged to utilize our conditioning and hitting sessions during March at a site and time to be determined."

OTHER INFORMATION: Please contact David Dye, Director of Player Personnel, at 712 256-4039 or email ihv2mnehbs@yahoo.com and he will promptly respond to your questions. Also, be sure to browse our website at http://www.neseniorsoftball.com for additional registration forms and other pertinent information.

Please read this information page, then register online or by mail and pay the registration fee.