The chief reason was so that most players on a team will spend the majority of the regular season at the same chronological age as their league age. Currently, more than 95 percent of all local Little League programs start their seasons before May 1. Under the old regulation, a baseball player who turned 13 in May, June or July of the current year would have been considered league-age 13 for that entire season. That would be the case, despite the fact that such a player likely would have played most or all of the regular season (which generally ends in June) without having actually reached his or her 13th birthday. Under the current regulation, such a player will have a league age of 12 throughout the 2006 season.

How much research and thought went into this change?

More than four years of study went into this decision, along with years of discussions with Little League's senior volunteers at the local level. Input from individuals after the initial announcement of the change also was taken into consideration.

Why was the July 31 date originally used?

When the July 31 league age determination date was settled upon in the mid 1940s, Little League was confined to Pennsylvania and a few other states, and it was the only youth baseball organization (for 12-year-olds and below) of any significant size. The date was chosen because it was the date used in Williamsport, Pa., schools to divide grade levels. When other youth baseball organizations began springing up (primarily for young teens) in the 1950s and '60s, they adopted Little League's determination date so there would be a smooth transition when a player moved from one program to another.

We recognize that will change is going to affect a number of players and families throughout Green Hornets baseball and we ask for your patience and understanding during this transition period. The follow policies are going to be in force for the coming season and beyond:

Players are not allowed to play up an age group. This means a number of players will be playing at the same age group they were in last year. Any player born in May, June or July that participated on a tournament or select team last year will be allowed try out for the same team this year. This is a "one year" grandfather clause provided to allow those players who have been playing Green Hornets travel baseball to stay with their teammates if desired. Any player born in May, June or July may elect to try out for the younger select or tournament team (basically it is the same age team they played the previous year). All club players will be automatically assigned to the appropriate league during registration, based on the April 30 league determination age.

Thank You again for your patience and cooperation, we look forward to seeing you all on the fields soon!