2024 Spring Season

2024 Season Reference Information

Missed the parent information session? Download the presentation here.

LAST CALL!

Final Registrations for u9 to u19 (pending availability)

U7 Registration Deadline March 15

Note: If you are looking for information for our Timbits U7 Program (born 2017 & 2018),
please visit our Timbits U7 Page (Deadline is March 15!)

Recent Updates

Feb 28 / 2024: Parent information session presentation can be found here
Feb 25 / 2024: Late registrations (u9+) start to close this week as final stages to prep for the season occur. U7 Timbits registration open until March 15 (corrected date)

FOR ADDITIONAL KEY COMMUNICATIONS, PLEASE SEE OUR NEWS PAGE.

New / Key Changes for 2024 Season

Volunteer & Jersey Bonds
- Volunteer Bond fee is increased to $300. Jersey Bond fee remains $50.
- Our Bond collection process & policy has changed - please see: WHS Bond Policy
Upfront Umpire fee collection removed (will be included in Div 1 Selects fees)
- Div 1 Selects fees for u13+ will be set at $100 for 2024 (will include covering umpire costs)
- U15 & HS teams will not be asked to submit umpire fee upfront (most teams received refunds last year)
- If any teams outside Div 1 receive umpires for the season, WHS reserves right to pass these fees to players o those teams.
*IMPORTANT* Police Checks now required for Team Managers!
- This is a new requirement set out by Calgary Minor Softball
Police Check Process has been updated
- Calgary Police have updated their Police check process
- You will be required to submit a voucher request from Calgary Minor Softball.
- Completed checks will also need to be sent manually directly to Calgary Minor Softball.
- NEW POLICE CHECK PROCESS
New Coach Training
- Calgary Minor will be hosting some new coach training hands-on course early in January (info coming soon)

For reference, our 2023 Parent Orientation Package
2023 u9/u11 Parent Meeting Recording
2023 u13/u19 Parent Meeting Recording

Age Categories

Softball programs differ based on the Year of Birth of each player. For example, U9 will be all players that are under 9 years old as of the end of 2023 calendar year (Dec 31). Age groups align with Softball Canada's alignment.

Age Group	Birth Year	Games	Length (Hrs)	Practices	Evals	Rules
U7 Timbits	2017 & 2018	Tue & Thu	01:15	None	No	Fun activities
U9	2015 & 2016	Mon & Wed	01:30	Weekends	Yes	Modified Rules
U11	2013 & 2014	Tue & Thu	01:30	Weekends	Yes	Full Games
U13	2011 & 2012	Mon & Wed	01:45	Weekends	Yes	Full Games
U15	2009 & 2010	Tue & Thu	01:45	Weekends	Yes	Full Games
U17 & U19	2005 - 2008	Mon & Wed	01:45	Weekends	Yes	Full Games

(Table best viewed on desktop version of site; please scroll left/right to see all columns)

Requests for Age Category Exceptions: Can be made via your registration form, and must be followed with an email to info@westhillsoftball.ca. Exceptions will only be granted to players within 1 year of the desired age category. Determination will be considered based on team sizes, skill level (through WHS Evaluation Process), and safety of all participants. Reasons for exceptions can include but not limited to: preference to play in a more competitive age group, desire to play with a sibling, new players with birthdays late in year (young for age group), or safety concerns. Additional paperwork will be required.

Season Dates

For the 2024 season, Calgary Minor Softball (CMS) will continue with the extended season for Division 1 & Division 2 tier players for age categories U13 to U19. Here are the approximate dates for our 2024 Spring Season *U11 will end at the end of June for ALL Division levels.

Age Category	Preseason	Season Practices	First Game	Playoffs***
U7 Timbits	n/a	n/a	Apr-23	n/a
U9/U11 - All Divs.	Apr 10+	1 per weekend	Apr-26	Jun 10 - Jun 23
U13-U19: Div. 3	Apr 10+	1 per weekend	Apr-26	Jun 10 - Jun 23
U13-U19: Div. 2	Mar/Apr*	1-2 per week **	Apr-26	Jun 24 - Jul 7
U13-U19: Div. 1	Mar/Apr*	1-2 per week **	Apr-26	Jul 8 - Jul 18

(Table best viewed on desktop version of site; please scroll left/right to see all columns)

* Pre-season Indoor practices can start as early as March at the conclusion of evaluations.
** Higher division teams will attempt to have more than one practice per week, based on availability.

SEASON FEES

For reference, please see our 2024 Fees Page

TIMBITS PROGRAM

Our Timbits program is run locally within West Hill Softball and does not participate in a Calgary Minor Softball League. For more information about the program, please visit our Timbits Program link.

PRE-SEASON SCHEDULES & KEY DATES

For all our Key Dates Before & During the Season, please see our Key Dates page

All New Families to West Hill Softball MUST attend our Preseason Parent Meeting. Communication will be sent to all those registered.

PLAYER EVALUATIONS (Mandatory)

Evaluations are run for all programs U9 to U19, and is mandatory for all players. Evaluations are necessary to ensure placement of players on teams at appropriate levels (Division 1, 2, & 3) and specific teams. For more information and dates, please see our Evaluation Page.

u9 will again be split into TWO Divisions, "Senior" and "Junior" and all players will go through an evaluation session.

MODIFIED U9 GAME RULES

The Modified game (6 players on field, Home Run line, Coach pitch) will be used for the U9 group (for both Junior & Senior Divisions). You can read about the Modified rules on the Calgary Minor Softball Modified Rules page

GAME TIMES

Game nights start at 6:45pm across all CMS Games. (u7 Timbits start at 6:15pm)
Players (u9+) are asked to arrive 30 to 60 minutes prior for warm-up & preparation, based on their age category & level

PRACTICES

In addition to the game schedule, coaches will schedule practices on a weekly basis, typically on weekends (Saturday or Sunday mornings, or Sunday late afternoon / evenings). Practices will typically be scheduled for the same time each weekend.

Practices will start either indoors or outdoors in early April. Additional fees may be collected for some team-based indoor practices (to offset the gym costs).

Division 1 & 2 teams may have additional practices during the week or weekend. They may also have indoor practices as early as March.

CALGARY MINOR SOFTBALL OPENING WEEKEND - April 26-28

All teams will participate in opening weekend, which will consist of 4 games across any of Friday, Saturday & Sunday. This is a great way to get into the season quickly! Game play is the best way for players to be introduced to the game quickly.

TOURNAMENTS

Each team has the opportunity to participate in various weekend tournaments within the city and across the province or beyond (including our own WHS Tournament on June 14-16 weekend)

Teams/coaches are encouraged to participate when/where they can for great team development. SIGN-UP EARLY, spots go quickly in many tournaments.

Updated tournament listings can be found at https://www.softballalberta.ca/tournaments/listings/.
Once teams are finalized for the season, teams can determine if they would like to play in tournaments during the season.

Typically, Division 1 and 2 teams would aim to play in 2-4 tournaments. Division 3 teams aim to play in 1 or 2 tournaments, if possible.

CITY CHAMPIONSHIPS / PLAYOFFS

For all age categories & divisions, each team will qualify for a city-wide league playoffs referred to as "City Championships". You can find the general Calgary Minor Schedule on their website (use "Schedules" menu).

SOFTBALL ALBERTA PROVINCIALS

Note, provincial participation is considered part of the program for all Division 1 teams ("B" or "C" Level), Division 2 teams ("C" or "D" level), and some strong Division 3 teams ("D" level). WHS Teams & players are encouraged to register and compete at Provincials.

REGIONAL QUALIFIERS: In many age categories and divisions, teams will be required to qualify to attend provincials weekend. These qualifiers are currently scheduled for the June 21-23, 2024 weekend.

PROVINCIAL DATES: (As of January 1, 2024 - subject to change) Please keep these dates in mind when planning your summer vacations, but visit the Softball Alberta Provincial site for the most up-to-date and official dates and locations for Provincial Championships.

Softball Alberta 2024 details for reference listed below:

Dates	Categories	Level	CMSA Divisions
June 21-23	Qualifiers	All	All
June 29-July 1	All U11	All	All
July 5-7	U13-U19	'D'	Low Div 2 & Strong Div 3
July 12-14	U13-U19	'C'	Low Div 1 & Strong Div 2
July 19-21	U13-U19	'B'	Strong Div 1