April 29, 2021 – The Falmouth Little League Board of Directors has voted unanimously to follow the new Community Sports Guidelines from the State of Maine CDC and the updated recommendations of the Falmouth Department of Parks and Community Programs
UPDATED FALMOUTH LITTLE LEAGUE POLICY ON FACE MASKS
1. Players and coaches are no longer required to wear face masks on the playing field during practices and games.
2. Face masks only need to be worn when 6-foot social distancing cannot be maintained for a substantial period of time. This applies to coaches, players, and spectators at the game. Common sense should prevail. If several players come into close contact for 30 seconds during a practice drill or during a game, no masks are needed. If a whole team clusters together in the dugout for several minutes to stay dry during a rain shower, everyone should mask up.
3. All players and coaches must bring a mask to every practice and game and have it at the ready at all times.
DUGOUTS POLICY
4. If your team uses the dugout, everyone must mask up on the bench.
If you prefer to play the whole game without wearing face masks, then don’t use the dugout and space your players 6 feet apart along the outside of the sideline fence between the dugout and the outfield corner
5. Avoid big groups clustered together in the dugouts or on the field for extended periods of time. The Falmouth Little League Board recommends that coaches direct their players to park their equipment bags outside of the dugouts along the outside of the sideline fences during practices and games and maintain the standard 6-foot distancing when their team is off the field waiting to bat. Only the on-deck hitter should be in the dugout area.
IF THE COACHES CHOOSE to place more than two players (or the whole team) on the bench inside the dugout area before or after the game, or during the half-innings when their players are waiting to bat, EVERYONE IN THE DUGOUT MUST MASK UP.
6. To reduce risk of injury, all bats should be stored inside the on-deck area of the dugout during practices and games. Players should only touch their bats when waiting on-deck or batting at the plate. If a player has a personal batting helmet, that should stay with the player’s equipment bag outside the dugout along the sideline fence.
7. Tee Ball games are played on makeshift fields created on the Big Legion Field outfield grass with no dugouts or sideline fences. Coaches and parents should work together to keep players as spread out as possible during practice time before the game and during the game when they are seated waiting to bat. Coaches may decide to require Tee Ball players to wear face masks if too much clustering for extended periods of times cannot be avoided.
Our plans to safely and responsibly play games in all age divisions.
