Frequently Asked Questions

What is "Chandler Youth Baseball"?
What is "PONY Baseball"?
What's the difference between PONY and Little League?
Are players allowed to play in an older age bracket?
Are players allowed to play in a younger age bracket?
Can 4-year-olds play in CYB?
How is a player's age bracket determined?
How are teams formed (Spring)?
How are teams formed (Fall)?
When is registration?
What is required to be a coach?
Does CYB need coaches?
When does the season start?
When does the season end?
How many games are there?
Where are the games played?
When are the games played?
Does CYB have post-season tournament teams?
Are players awarded trophies?
Are uniforms provided?
Do players have to live in Chandler to play in CYB?
What is involved in sponsoring a team?
Can girls play in CYB?
Is insurance provided for players?
If we drop out before the season starts can we get a refund?
Can a player request to be on the same team as another player?
Can a player play in CYB if he/she is playing in another league?

What is "Chandler Youth Baseball"? (return to top)

Chandler Youth Baseball (CYB) is a locally run, non-profit baseball league for kids, ages 5 thru 18, formed in 1969. Since 1998 CYB has been associated with PONY Baseball of America. CYB is run by an all-volunteer Board of Directors elected annually by its members. See the CYB By-Laws for more details.

What is "PONY Baseball"? (return to top)

PONY stands for "Protect Our Nation's Youth". PONY Baseball of America is a non-profit corporation, started in 1951, and is a national competitor to the better known "Little League". As a member of PONY baseball, CYB may enter teams in post-season PONY tournaments. In 2007, CYB sent nine all-star teams to various PONY tournaments. Three of the teams played in the Mustang & Bronco PONY Regional tournaments, held at the Snedigar Sports Complex in Chandler. Two CYB all-star teams (Mustang & Pony-13) advanced to the PONY Western Zone tournaments in California.

What's the difference between PONY and Little League? (return to top)

There are three major differences between PONY baseball and Little League:

First, the field size for PONY increases gradually, starting at 60' between the bases for ages 9 & 10 - then 70' for ages 11 & 12 - 80' for ages 13 & 14 - 90' for ages 15-18. The pitching distance increases also. By contrast, Little League keeps the 60' distance thru age 12, then jumps up to 90' at age 13.

Second, starting at age 9, PONY leagues play "real baseball" - players may lead off their bases, pitchers learn pickoff moves, etc. Little League requires baserunners to stay on their bases until the ball is pitched.

And, in sharp contrast to Little League where all rules are dictated by Williamsport, PONY does not tell CYB (or any local league) how to run their program. We can make whatever rules our parents and coaches feel contribute towards making the game a better experience for our kids.

Are players allowed to play in an older age bracket? (return to top)

In general, the answer is "yes" - as long as the parents feel that their child is ready and realize that he will be playing against children at least two years older. However, for players ages 9 and up, we strongly recommend that they play primarily in their normal age bracket - and, if stronger competition is desired, play on an additional team in the older bracket.

Are players allowed to play in a younger age bracket? (return to top)

Unfortunately, mostly due to liability constraints, we generally do not allow players to play in a younger age bracket during the spring season.

Can 4-year-olds play in CYB? (return to top)

Yes, if the parents feel that their child is mature enough to play T-ball with 5 & 6-year-olds.

How is a player's age bracket determined? (return to top)

A player's age for the season is determined by what his age will be on April 30. For example, if a player's 11th birthday is on April 15, he must play in the Bronco division - even though he will only be 10 when the season begins.

How are teams formed (Spring)? (return to top)

Shetland & Pinto (ages 5-8):  Teams are formed either by coach request or by neighborhood. We also honor any requests for two or more kids who wish to play together on the same team.

Mustang, Bronco & Pony (ages 9-14) - recreational:  Coaches may protect three players (and up to three more if they recruit one or two sponsors) and the remainder of the team is drafted (see below).

Mustang, Bronco & Pony (ages 9-14) - competitive:  Coaches bring in a full team of 12 players. Coaches who have fewer than 12 players may recruit players from those registered.

Colt (ages 15-18):  Coaches may protect up to nine players and the remainder of the team is drafted (see below).

Tryouts/Draft:  Non-protected players are requested to attend a tryout session which the coaches use to evaluate the players. The coaches then draft the players onto their teams. (Note: no players are cut at these tryout sessions; all registered players are placed onto teams.)

How are teams formed (Fall)? (return to top)

All divisions:  Teams are formed either by coach request or by neighborhood. We also honor any requests for two or more kids who wish to play together on the same team. Coaches may bring in a full team of 12 players or they may bring in a partial team and have it filled with other registered players. There are no tryouts or drafts in the fall season.

When is registration? (return to top)

Registration for the spring season is generally held in January, but, registration for ages 13 and older extends a little later. The exact dates for registration sessions and deadlines are announced in the fall and posted on the web site.

Registration for the fall season is held in July.

What is required to be a coach? (return to top)

No special training is required to coach in CYB. We do provide a training program in January for coaches who desire it.

Does CYB need coaches? (return to top)

Generally, yes, we are usually in need of coaches, especially for the younger age divisions. Please fill out a Coaching Application online or download a printed form and mail it in- and/or check the box (either Coach or Assistant Coach) on the registration form if you are interested. Please call or email if you are considering coaching and would like more information.

When does the season start? (return to top)

The 2010 spring opening days are scheduled as follows:

• Ages 5-12 - Saturday, March 27 at Arrowhead Park
• Ages 13-14 - Monday, March 29 at Pima Park
• Ages 15-18 - Saturday, April 17 at Espee Park

The fall season will begin immediately after Labor Day.

When does the season end? (return to top)

For the spring season...

• Shetland & Pinto divisions (ages 5-8) - final games should be around mid-May
• Mustang, Bronco & Pony (ages 9-14) - post-season tournament should be completed in early June
• Colt (ages 15-18) - season should be completed in early June

The fall season is generally completed by the first weekend in November.

How many games are there? (return to top)

The normal spring season is 14 games (12 for Shetland; 18 for Colt). In addition, for the Mustang, Bronco & Pony divisions (ages 9-14), there is a post-season double elimination tournament. Also, for the Mustang & Bronco divisions, all-star games are held at the end of the season.

The fall season is 12 games for Shetland, 14 games for Pinto, and 16 games for Mustang, Bronco, Pony & Colt.

Where are the games played? (return to top)

Fields for the 2010 spring season are:

• Shetland & Pinto (ages 5-8) - Desert Breeze Park (Opening Day at Arrowhead)
• Mustang (ages 9-10) - Arrowhead Park, south fields
• Bronco (ages 11-12) - Arrowhead Park, north fields
• Pony (ages 13-14) - Pima Park, west field
• Colt (ages 15-18) - Espee Park, field #1

Fields for the fall season are the same as in the spring, except that Shetland & Pinto play all of their games at Arrowhead Park.

For the location of these parks, click on maps.

When are the games played? (return to top)

Games are generally scheduled randomly on all weekday evenings and on Saturday morning. Evening games for T-ball (Shetland) games start at 5:30 only; other divisions have two games per field scheduled each night.

Does CYB have post-season tournament teams? (return to top)

Yes. Our association with PONY baseball allows us to send teams for ages 9 and up to post-season PONY tournaments, the first-round of which is generally held in Scottsdale. Winning teams continue to advance - up to the PONY World Series. All players (ages 9-18) who participated in the spring season are invited to tryout for these teams in the late spring. (No tournament teams are selected in the fall season.)

Are players awarded trophies? (return to top)

For the spring season, all players in the Shetland & Pinto divisions (ages 5-8) receive participation trophies at the end of the season. In the older divisions (9 and up), trophies are usually awarded for 1st, 2nd & 3rd place during the regular season and medals for 1st & 2nd place in the post-season tournament.

Medals are given out to all Shetland & Pinto players in the fall season..

Are uniforms provided? (return to top)

Yes - shirts and hats are provided for all levels, with socks included for ages 9 and up in the spring. Pants are not provided. Shirts and hats are also provided for the coaches.

T-shirts & hats are provided to all players and coaches in the fall season.

Do players have to live in Chandler to play in CYB? (return to top)

By agreement with the City of Chandler, we are allowed to register three players per team who live outside of Chandler. These are accepted on a first-come first-serve basis. For the purposes of this rule, players who live outside of Chandler but attend school within the City of Chandler are considered residents.

What is involved in sponsoring a team? (return to top)

CYB needs local businesses to sponsor our teams to help keep our registration fees low. The cost to sponsor is $300. The sponsor receives a plaque with the team picture and sponsor banners are displayed on our fields. In addition, a list of our sponsors is passed out to all of the players and is published on our web site.

Can girls play in CYB? (return to top)

Absolutely - and a number of girls do play in CYB every year, especially in the younger age divisions. For those girls who prefer softball, we recommend Chandler Girls Softball.

Is insurance provided for players? (return to top)

Yes. We purchase supplemental insurance for all of our players through Gagliardi Insurance. Any players injured during practice or games are covered. An insurance claim form is available on our web site.

If we drop out before the season starts can we get a refund? (return to top)

Generally, the answer is no, our policy is to not provide refunds. The main reason for this is that we need to discourage dropouts. We have a short window in which to plan out our teams and the season and when players drop out it causes problems. Even when those players are replaced (and they usually are), it causes additional work for our volunteers. Even so, we do recognize valid reasons for players dropping out (e.g. injury) that are beyond the control of the players or their parents, and we thus provide a Refund Request form on our web site which can be printed, filled out and mailed in, then evaluated by the CYB board which will make a determination.

Can a player request to be on the same team as another player? (return to top)

Yes. All such requests are honored for the Shetland & Pinto divisions (ages 5-8) in the spring and for all divisions in the fall. And, for ages 9 and up in the spring, two players may request to be drafted together by the same coach (sorry - no more than two players).

Can a player play in CYB if he/she is playing in another league? (return to top)

CYB has no restrictions regarding a player playing in other leagues at the same time. We do ask that the player notify his/her CYB coach so that the coach is aware of possible conflicts, etc. And if that player is a pitcher, the player is expected to work with his/her coaches to avoid excessive pitching innings which could cause injury.