Chelsea youth baseball, softball registration now open

Published 9:54 am Wednesday, August 2, 2017

By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Sports Editor

CHELSEA – Fall is quickly approaching, which not only means the end of the hot summer heat, the change of leaves and the return of high school athletics, it also is the time of year when youth sports make their return to the Shelby County area and the Chelsea Youth Club is one of the first holding registration for their fall baseball league.

The CYC fall baseball registration opened on the morning Wednesday, Aug. 2, and will last online until Monday, Aug. 14.

The fall baseball season, which is affiliated with Dizzy Dean Baseball Inc., begins in early September, but no evaluations are held in the fall unlike the city’s spring league as it is conducted in a more laid back environment.  This makes it the perfect opportunity for a beginner to be introduced to the sport, as well as a chance for other players to improve their skills in anticipation for the popular spring season.

This year’s season will start the week of Monday, Sept. 4, with six games scheduled for the season before the end-of-season tournament begins on Oct. 16. Teams will also take part in two practices per week with the first beginning Aug. 19, which will be a couple of days after the Aug. 15-17 draft to determine which team each player will be a part of.

There are seven different leagues in which each of these young players can take part in: A T-Ball league for 3 and 4 year olds, 5U coach pitch/T-Ball hybrid, 6U coach pitch/T-Ball hybrid, 7U coach pitch, 8U coach pitch, 9/10 minor league and 11/12 major league.

A fee of $70 will be charged for all kids competing in T-Ball, while the rest of the leagues will cost $85. CYC baseball will provide jerseys and hats for each player as well as four coaches per team; and pants can be ordered for an additional $17 or purchased at most local sporting goods stores.

The goal of the CYC Baseball Program is to provide a program where kids can learn the fundamentals of baseball, have fun, and learn to compete in a team environment.  The program has grown to over 450 kids in spring and almost 220 in the fall league.

In-person registration dates will be Sunday Aug. 6 and Sunday Aug. 13 at the County Road 11 sports complex press box from 2-4 p.m. and also on Saturday, Aug. 12 at the Chelsea High School football field on Blue/White day.

If you would like to register online that option is available as well by visiting Sportssignup.com/Chelsea-Youth-Club-Online-Registration.start. If you have any other questions you can contact David Ingram at dingram@uab.edu.

Fall softball registration is also available from July 31 until Aug. 27 online with evaluations taking place on Aug. 20. Softball practice will start slightly later on Sept. 10 and games will begin later in the month on Sept. 24. Games will take place mainly on Sundays this fall with a few on Thursdays. If you have any questions about registration, email softballregistrar@chelseaparkandrec.com.