(KLZA)-- Falls City Recreation has decided to go forward with the 2020 summer baseball and softball seasons. 

The Falls City Rec Board has met with city officials and local healthcare officials after Governor Peter Ricketts announced the decision to allow youth sports to continue under strict guidelines.

The season will be modified to best benefit local players, coaches, their families and everyone else involved.

Some of the modifications include following all youth sports guidelines outlined by the Governor.  Eliminating the t-ball season for this year only.  
There will be no end of season tournaments.
There will be no team sponsorship or team shirts or uniforms.
The primary focus will be on practice to get palyers more active with their peers and outside. 
Some games or scrimmage may be played near the end of June or the first couple of weeks int July.  
There will be a minimum three coaches per team with a goal of four to help ensure that players and their families are abiding by the guidelines.  

If you would like for your child to play baseball or softball this season, you can go to www.fallscityrec.com,click on the Baseball/Softball homepage and click on the link for “2020 Baseball/Softball Player Registration.”  This needs to be completed by Thursday, May 21.  

See the complete release below.  

The Falls City Recreation Board has decided to move forward with having our 2020 summer baseball/softball season at this time. 

Because Governor Ricketts recently made the decision to allow youth sports to continue under strict guidelines with practices beginning June 1 and the earliest possible date for any games to begin being June 18, the Falls City Recreation Board met with city officials and local healthcare officials shortly after that decision was made to decide on what we felt would be best for our community during this time. Together, we decided to move forward with a modified season that we felt would best benefit our players, coaches, their families, and everyone else involved.

With every activity that Falls City Recreation provides for the youth of our community, we aim to provide them with an opportunity to build on skills that can benefit them not only athletically, but socially as well. Our aim for this season has not changed, but it will look quite different in order to best meet the requirements given to us by our state government. Our goal is to provide our youth with the opportunity to participate in an activity outside and with their peers. Something they have not been able to do for the last couple of months.

The following are some of the modifications that we will be making ‘for this season only’ in order for us to be able to provide this opportunity for our community.
All healthcare guidelines for youth sports outlined by Governor Ricketts will be followed
Eliminating the t-ball season
Practice can begin no earlier than June 1 and any type of games/scrimmages can begin no earlier than June 18
Eliminating postseason activities (i.e. no end of the season tournaments)
Eliminating team sponsorships and team shirts/uniforms
The primary focus will be on practicing in order to get players more active, with their peers, and outside
Our plan right now allows for either some games to be played near the end of June or first couple of weeks in July, or the possibility of scrimmages to played with other teams in their league (these details are still being discussed and will more than likely be determined once we are able to begin and input from coaches can happen)
We will require additional coaching for each team (a minimum of three coaches per team, but our goal is to have at least four to help ensure that players and their families are abiding by the guidelines during the entire course of the season in order for us to even provide this opportunity)
It will be required by all coaches to ensure that the healthcare guidelines set forth by the state are being met for every practice and game/scrimmage
If you are planning to volunteer coach, please be sure to read over these guidelines. A copy can be found on the Falls City Recreation website at www.fallscityrec.com on the Baseball/Softball page. Falls City Recreation Board members and city officials will be going over these with all coaches. Then it will be the responsibility of the coaches, with the help of the board, to go over these guidelines with their players and parents.

If you would like for your child to play baseball or softball this season, then you can go to www.fallscityrec.com, click on the Baseball/Softball homepage, and click on the link for “2020 Baseball/Softball Player Registration”. That link will take you into a Google Form that will allow you to easily register your child. This needs to be completed by Thursday, May 21. This is only the initial registration that will allow us to get our initial numbers. If we have youth who are interested in playing this season under these modifications, but probably, more importantly, this season if we are able to get enough volunteer help, then we will move forward with teams. After that point, we will have coaches assist us with getting the official sign-up and usual waivers of liability signed, along with a modified fee for this season which will be $10 instead of the usual $20. That cost this season will be used to help purchase the necessary cleaning supplies that will be required, along with some of our usual expenses for running the season that may not have been eliminated by the modifications.

If you are willing to volunteer to coach this season, then you can go to www.fallscityrec.com, click on the Baseball/Softball homepage, and click on the link for “2020 Baseball/Softball Coach Sign-up”. That link will take you into a Google Form that will allow you to easily register yourself as a possible coach for this season. This needs to be completed by Thursday, May 21. Without sufficient help, we will not be able to move forward with the season under the guidelines put on us.

We want to remind everyone that this continues to be a fluid situation as it has been the past several months. The Falls City Recreation Board will maintain communication with local officials and continue to abide by any guidelines or recommendations set forth by our local, state, and federal governments in the coming months. We understand that these modifications may not be ideal for everyone and you have the right to choose whether your child will participate or not, but they allow us to easily adapt to any changes that might occur while still providing the youth in our community with this opportunity. The Falls City Recreation Board reserves the right to cancel the season as it deems necessary.