The BMBL Exec Board has decided that BMBL will continue to observe these COVID rules for the 2021 Spring/Summer Season. With the advent of vaccines but also variants of the disease, the situation remains fluid. We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we navigate through the pandemic and offer a safe baseball opportunity for the youth of Boyertown.

The top priority of BMBL is the safety of our players. While multiple studies have shown that outdoor activities have a low risk of COVID-19 transmission, BMBL has used CDC and PA Department of Health guidelines to create a set of rules to further protect our players, coaches, umpires, and spectators. Participants of our league will be asked to follow the rules on this page until further notice. Teams that play in external leagues and tournaments will follow the rules established by those leagues or tournaments for games and the rules on this page for all other team activities, such as practices. We will publish external league rules on our website as they become available to us.

The rules on this page are meant to supplement established BMBL rules. These rules are subject to change, as we learn about what works and as new guidance is made available from state and federal authorities. In cases where a rule on this page conflicts with an established BMBL rule, the rule on this page takes priority.

CDC: COVID-19 Considerations for Youth Sports
PA: COVID-19 Guidance for Sports

The BMBL primary point of contact for COVID-19 concerns and questions is BMBL President Scott Rath

BMBL Parents,

As our league plays baseball in the 'new normal', we'd like your help in making this a successful, safe, and enjoyable experience for all participants.

Our top priority is the health of your child and the other participants in our league. We need your help to achieve this in the most effective manner possible. Before you leave your house to come to the ballpark, please do a simple check. If your child has any of these symptoms, stay home! The same goes for yourself or any other family members who will be spectators. You will be able to recognize if your child is not feeling okay much more quickly than the rest of us. While we have informed all of our coaches that they have the authority to send a child home if they are exhibiting symptoms, none of us want to see it come to that.

As we play baseball during the ongoing pandemic, it is important that we all exercise an extra measure of patience and understanding. Please remember that your coaches and league leadership are all volunteers. We are all doing our level best to provide an opportunity for your child to play baseball while ensuring a safe environment for everyone. None of us have ever experienced anything like this global pandemic before. We may have to adjust our rules and processes as we learn. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate these uncharted waters!

BMBL

The rules in this section apply to all BMBL teams across all age groups for any organized team activity (practices, scrimmages, games)

• BMBL is recommending teams use Gamechanger, so higher-risk fans can watch games from home.
• We will be using the RSVP feature in Gamechanger to track attendance for games and practices. In the unlikely event that a participant tests positive for COVID-19, we will then be able to notify anyone they may have come in contact with.
• If any individual (player, coach, umpire, spectator) tests positive for COVID-19 during the season, that individual must not attend any BMBL events until they have received clearance from a doctor. Please contact the BMBL COVID-19 point-of-contact Scott Rath so we can notify participants who may have come in contact with you.
• If any individual (player, coach, umpire, spectator) is experiencing ANY COVID-19 symptoms, that individual must not attend any BMBL events until they meet the criteria outlined by the CDC.
• Any individual (player, coach, umpire, spectator) who has recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19 should not attend BMBL events for 10 days after exposure.
• Players will not be able to share equipment with other players (bats, batting helmets, catcher's gear). Contact BMBL if this creates a financial hardship for you - we have a limited amount of used, sanitized equipment available.

The following rules are specific to team practices and are in addition to the General Rules listed above

Arrival

• Please arrive at the designated practice time, not earlier. If you are early, please wait in your car until the coach arrives at the field.
• Players are encouraged to ride to the field only with members of their immediate family, where possible.
• When arriving at the field, all participants will be asked to use hand sanitizer. (BMBL will provide)

At Practice

• As of today, all team practices must be outdoors.
• No use of dugouts or benches
• Players should place their equipment on the outfield foul line, separated by 6 ft
• Any equipment contacted by players must be individual and not shared, except baseballs.
• Practice drills should be designed to keep participants 6 ft apart where possible.
• For station work, the team should be divided into groups of 4 that stay together as they rotate through the stations.
• If a participant uses the bathroom/port-a-potty during practice, they must use hand sanitizer when they return to the field before rejoining practice.
• Participants should maintain physical distance before and after practice and between drills.
• All coaches must have a face mask with them and must wear it when they need to get within 6 ft of a player.
• No shared food or drinks. No team snacks.
• No high-fives or fist bumps.
• No seeds or spitting.
• No one without BMBL-approved clearances is allowed between the foul lines or in the dugouts.

After Practice

• All participants are encouraged to use hand sanitizer before leaving the field.
• Please gather your belongings and leave promptly, so the next team can use the field.
• Coaches: use BMBL sanitizing solution to sanitize all surfaces anyone came in contact with.

The following rules are specific to BMBL in-town games (games between two BMBL teams) and are in addition to the General Rules listed above. Teams participating in external leagues will use the game rules from their league.

Arrival

• Please arrive at the designated game arrival time (listed in Gamechanger), not earlier. If you are early, please wait in your car until the coach arrives at the field.
• Players are encouraged to ride to the field only with members of their immediate family, where possible.
• When arriving at the field, all participants will be asked to use hand sanitizer. (BMBL will provide)

Game rules - all ages

• Each team will be allotted 2 game balls, for use when their team is on defense.
• Electronic scoreboards will not be used.
• Any equipment contacted by players must be individual not shared, except baseballs.
• If the baseball goes out of play, it must be retrieved by a participant who used pre-game sanitizer. If a spectator touches the ball, it must be sanitized before use.
• If a participant uses the bathroom/port-a-potty during the game, they must use hand sanitizer when they return to the field before rejoining the game.
• All coaches must have a face mask with them and must wear it when they need to get within 6 ft of a player.
• No shared food or drinks. No team snacks.
• No high-fives or fist bumps.
• No seeds or spitting.
• No one without BMBL-approved clearances is allowed between the foul lines or in the dugouts.
• Spectators are encouraged to maintain 6 ft separation between family groups, as per CDC guidelines.

T-Ball additional game rules

• Players will sit with their family during the game when they are not on the field.
• Player equipment should stay with their family.

After the game

• All participants are encouraged to use hand sanitizer before leaving the field.
• Please gather your belongings and leave promptly, so the next team can use the field.
• Team meetings should occur in an area where players and coaches can spread out.
• Coaches: use BMBL sanitizing solution to sanitize all surfaces anyone came in contact with.