News Detail

14

Jul, 2024

FALL SEASON & BEYOND

Deer Valley Little League Parents and Guardians, 

We hope this email finds you well and that you are all enjoying your summer. We'd like to take a moment to thank every All Star family, player, coach, and volunteer for stellar performances in the post season. We are incredibly proud of each player and how they represented our league.

Fall Ball

This fall DVLL will NOT be offering a fall season. 

We recommend that each family register with our neighboring leagues.

Those families WEST of I17 please register with ARROWHEAD LITTLE LEAGUE

Those families EAST of I17 and NORTH of Pinnacle Peak road please register with HIGH DESERT LITTLE LEAGUE

Those families EAST of I17 and SOUTH of Pinnacle Peak, but NORTH of Union Hills please register with DIAMONDBACK LITTLE LEAGUE

Those families EAST of I17 and SOUTH of Union Hills please register with CACTUS WREN LITTLE LEAGUE

Each of these leagues offer stellar family orientated programs that we know will provide each of you with wonderful experiences for the fall. Most of these leagues have open registration currently, so we encourage each of you to register quickly to secure your spot in their season. 

Going Forward

At the state level, there is a great deal of restructuring of league boundaries. Discussions about such began sometime earlier this year with District Administrators across the state coming together to discuss the future of boundary locations. Many leagues have become land locked while others flourish. In an effort to save the most leagues possible, the discussions have become increasingly more important.

DVLL became one of the leagues discussed heavily when District 2 and the sheer volume of land the district covers was brought to the table. At the present moment the state is leaning heavily on breaking District 2 in half and giving a portion to District 3. DVLL was discussed as being one of the leagues where some boundaries went to District 3. This is very worrisome because of our decreased numbers and the potential of many of our families, who formed lasting friendships, splitting up.

When your 2023-2024 Board met to discuss this issue, many other topics came up. Those issues included the rising cost of our field and maintenance, the increased pressure of another potential lawsuit from the neighbors adjacent to the field (this has been a recurring issue that caused many rules such as no music, blocking off behind the backstop on the South field, and complaints regarding noise and the increase of dirt in the air), the dwindling number of registrations and decrease in volunteers and other various smaller issues.

The board discussion was in depth and included our neighboring league president's and District Staff. Our primary focus was how to maintain our league, with low registrations but increased field fees (DVLL pays the most out of our adjacent leagues, upwards of $50k+ a year), and still provide the family atmosphere we all crave.

The decision of what to do and where to go from here was not a discussion that the Board took llightly. Each issue was carefully thought over and how it would affect each family, player and the league as a whole. We want to be very transparent with each family and the state of DVLL.

At this time, the board unanimously decided to merge our league with an adjacent league that have strong volunteer bases, have loyal volunteers, and who have city fields where our volunteers and coaches would not need to help maintain. Portions that league felt would create barriers for families, are going to leagues that need help with registration numbers or where boundaries were made years ago and broke up neighborhoods (and children in the same school). 

While the merger is not complete and is being reviewed, we are allowed to point families in the direction of where to go (the suggestions above are where each family should go). The board of directors, with guidance from neighboring league president's and District Staff, thought diligently on what was best for each family and while this is certainly NOT what a league ever wants to do, we thought this would provide the best outcome for families, neighboring leagues, and District. The board did not want to position itself in running out of funds and then leave families in a place of massive uncertainty. 

Currently, the merger is under review. Our equipment has been dispersed to the neighboring league who was in need the most (and where our players are going) and is currently held in storage, to be used after the merger is complete. Bank account funds will follow to respective leagues to help bridge the gap of increased monetary needs once all outstanding DVUSD bills come in.

Again, this is still in the works but will be complete in the next month or two, plenty of time before Spring 2025. Once we receive the final approval from Little League International, we will communicate further.

Should you have further questions please reach out to the following:
Mike Butterfield - District 2 Administrator [email protected]
Angelia Harbison - DVLL President [email protected]

Any questions about registrations please contact the respective league. Their website, social media and emails will have the most accurate information regarding their programs.

A heartfelt thank you to each family who graced our fields. You have provided years of memories to many of our volunteers. We thank you for allowing us the gift of sharing a chapter of your child's life. We wish you all nothing but the best and pray that your continued Little League journey brings you just as many wonderful memories.

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