What does Taney Youth Baseball Association offer?
TYBA is an instructional, intramural baseball and tee-ball program for boys and girls ages 3 to 12, with opportunities up to age 15. TYBA also offers a more competitive baseball experience in the summer, by tryouts only. Since 1994, TYBA has grown to approximately 1000 players. For more information about the philosophy of our league, please click here for our Philosophy page.
How do I know in which division to register my child?
All divisions are by age, with “baseball age” determined as of August 31st of the current year. All leagues are coed. If your child will be 3 or 4 on August 31st, register for Pee Wee; if 5 or 6, register for Tee Ball; if 7 or 8, register for AAA; if 9 or 10 as of August 31st, register for Minor League; if 11 or 12 as of August 31st, register for Major League. Our 13-15 division uses your child's age as of April 30th.. Occasionally, children may try out to play in a different division as discussed below (“Can my child try out to play in an older division?”).
When is the Taney season?
The season runs from Opening Day in early April to Closing Day in mid or late June, with practices beginning in March for baseball and tee-ball teams. The season Calendar will be emailed to all TYBA families, and posted online.
How do I register my child?
To register your child, please click here or go to the Registration tab on the top of the website. It is easy to register online, and we accept all major credit cards.
Can I request a teammate, practice field, or coach?
It depends on your child’s age and other factors. There is a space in the online application ("Notes") for Pee Wee or Tee-Ball parents to enter a request. We try our best to accommodate a single teammate request in Pee Wee or Tee-Ball, but we also balance teams for age, gender, and school in order to give all the children the best experience possible.
We regret that we cannot accommodate teammate, practice field, or coach requests in the AAA, Minor, Major, and 13-15 Leagues, because baseball teams are assembled using a “draft” system.
I just registered; now what?
For all children ages 7 and older, there are player evaluations scheduled in late February. You will receive information by email about the times and locations. Evaluations are to allow coaches to meet and observe players, and to help assemble evenly-balanced teams.
For children under 7, you will be contacted by a coach in mid to late March with information about your child’s team.
It’s late March and I haven’t heard from a coach; what do I do?
Please email Taney Youth Baseball Association and someone will get back to you.
What equipment does my child need?
Your registration fee covers your child’s full uniform (which you may keep), field time, all team equipment (bats, batting helmets, catcher’s equipment, etc.), coaches’ training, umpire fees, and a trophy, medal, or pin at the end of the season. The only equipment you provide is a baseball glove, except in Pee Wee (Pee Wee players do not use gloves). Other personal items, such as baseball cleats, are optional, although most players 7 and older wear cleats.
How do you decide what team my child is on?
Pee Wee teams are assembled by age, balancing for gender. We strive for only a six-month age span on any given team. Tee-Ball teams are assembled by the Commissioners, balancing age, gender, and school. Baseball teams (ages 7 to 15) go through a team “draft,” where coaches select players until everyone is on a team. This is why we cannot honor teammate requests (with the exception of siblings) in baseball.
Where and when do teams play?
Pee Wee teams practice and play on Sunday mornings, at Taney (Markward), Palumbo, or one of our other fields.
Tee-Ball teams practice one evening a week for about an hour at either Taney (Markward), Columbus Square, Shot Tower, or one of our other fields. Games are on weekends.
Baseball (ages 7 to 12) teams practice two evenings a week, either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday. Practices and games might be at any of the City of Philadelphia and private fields listed on our Fields web page. Games are scheduled on weekends and/or on the team’s practice night.
There may occasionally be a practice on a weekend day if a team has no game scheduled.
My child can never practice on a specific day of the week; what do I do?
If your child has an unavoidable conflict which prevents him or her from ever practicing on a specific evening of the week between 5:00 and 7:30 p.m., you may indicate that on your application. Please understand that any restrictions may affect which team your child is placed on. Because such restrictions severely hamper our ability to run a fair “draft” for players ages 7 and up, we require that you bring documentation of any conflict to player evaluations in February.
Can I request a specific field?
We regret that because of scheduling demands for a league of almost 1,000 children, we cannot honor requests for a specific practice field.
What are the player evaluations?
Evaluations, which are only for baseball players ages 7 and up, are quick and low-key. Every player who registers before we are full, and who attends evaluations, is assigned to a team; the purpose of player evaluations is to help us create evenly-balanced teams. Players are evaluated in a time slot with their age group.
Can my child try out to play in an older division?
Occasionally a child who is one year younger than the division cutoff may try out to play in that division. If this applies to your child, please register for the division you are requesting, and let us know at evaluations that your child wishes to “play up.”
What if my child has to miss a practice or game?
Please give your coach as much advance notice as possible.
My family can’t attend Opening Day. Can we still register?
Of course! Opening Day is the one time the entire league gets together. Although it is fun, attendance is not mandatory for participation in the rest of the season. Please let your coach know if you will miss Opening Day.
It’s raining; how do I know if my child’s game has been canceled?
Generally your coach will contact you; if you haven’t heard from your coach, the game is probably still on. If in doubt, please check the Home Page of our website. We also attempt to email families when games are cancelled due to weather.
If it is raining on a practice day, please contact your coach to see is practice has been cancelled or moved. We do not post practice cancellations on our website.
What is the difference between Pee Wee and Tee Ball?
Pee Wee, for children who are 3 or 4 as of August 31st, is designed to be a child’s first introduction to baseball. Teams are assembled by age, with consideration to gender and other factors. Players meet weekly on Sunday mornings for about an hour, to practice baseball skills and have fun. There are no scheduled games against other teams.
Tee-Ball, for children ages 5 and 6 as of August 31st, is modified baseball, with practices one evening a week, and a 12-game season. Teams are comprised of both 5 and 6-year-old players. Games are on weekends, and may be scheduled any time between 9:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
You can read more about Pee Wee and Tee-Ball on our Leagues page.
I might be interested in coaching, but I'm not sure I know enough. Can I get training?
Yes! All coaches at all levels are offered FREE training. Taney Baseball provides multiple training clinics before and during the season to help you learn baseball and coaching skills. In addition, Commissioners and experienced coaches are happy to mentor you.
What’s involved in sponsoring a team?
TYBA could not be successful without the support of our sponsors. Sponsors pay $500.00 to support a team for the season, and in return, the sponsor name or logo is printed on all team jerseys. The sponsor is also listed on our website, with a link to the sponsor's website (if available). Finally, we express our gratitude with a beautiful wooden plaque, complete with team photograph, after the season. Please see our Sponsor page for more information.
Are there opportunities for more competitive, inter-league play?
During our regular season, we are an intramural league only. During the summer, TYBA offers tournament baseball teams for ages 7 and up – by tryout only – which play against other leagues. A player must have attended at least 60% of intramural games in order to be eligible. Our 10-year-old and 12-year-old tournament teams play in the Little League district tournaments; in 2014, our Taney Dragons were Mid-Atlantic Champions, and went to the Little League World Series in South Williamsport - they were the U.S. team runners-up!
Whom do I contact if I have suggestions or complaints?
We are always interested in your feedback. Please feel free to email us through this website at any time. Please also feel free to talk to your coach or contact your Commissioner. To find your league Commissioner, please see the Contact Us page, or click here.
Please contact Taney Youth Baseball Association if you have any questions.