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FAQ's

What is Edina Girls Softball?

Edina Girls Softball is a volunteer, non-profit community based  organization that offer two major programs a highly competitive traveling fastpitch softball and a recreational softball program.  We offer area girls the opportunity to participate in the increasingly popular sport of softball year round.
The traveling summer program is available for girls looking for a relatively high level of skill and competition. The program helps players develop skills necessary to compete at the high school and collegiate levels. The Association offers teams in the 6,  8 and under, 10 and under, 12 and under, and 14 and under. Players are placed on teams based on their ability, skill level, effort, enthusiasm, and number of registrants. The fees we charge for our league programs are priced to cover our costs. We have several fundraising efforts, that allow us to provide scholarships, reduced priced off season training, and top end equipment for teams. Registration does not guarantee playing time as in any highly competitive traveling sport.  Playing time is left up to the volunteer coaches of each respective team.  Players can prepare for placement by participating in a winter skills clinic, including Pitching, Catching, and Hitting.  These clinics are run by paid professionals and are designed to bring every player, from beginner to experienced, to the next level. The summer season begins in March and continues through the state tournaments in mid-July. The association also enters teams into a fall league that plays Sunday afternoons during August and September. The Association will schedule registration dates for each of its programs. Summer registration is in February and fall registration is in July. Winter clinic registration is in October, continuing throughout the winter months.

 

Is Edina Softball part of a league or some larger organization?

Age levels 10U and up are part of the Big West League, which is a sanctioned member of the Minnesota Softball. Edina Softball travel teams compete with local Twin Cities teams during regular season play and may compete with several out-state softball teams at tournaments.

 

What is travel fastpitch softball?

Travel Fastpitch softball is the sport played at the high school and college levels. Girls who wish to play for the Edina High School Softball fastpitch team should choose to play fastpitch softball. 
Fastpitch softball resembles baseball and utilizes skills such as base stealing, sliding, bunting and advancing to first base on a dropped third strike. Fastpitch softball is a highly competitive, dynamic, fast-moving game that requires split-second decision-making and attention to the finer points of the game. The game changes on a pitch-by-pitch basis which makes for a high level of concentration and strategic thinking.
Fastpitch softball attracts talented, athletic girls who wish to compete in the sport at a high level. Girls who participate in the fast-pitch softball program tend to develop softball skills that prepare them to play at higher levels from club teams to high school teams.

Is my daughter too young to play travel fastpitch softball?

Absolutely not!  Fastpitch softball is for girls of all ages.  EGFA fields several 8U travel teams in the summer and fall season specifically for 6-8 year old girls.  Skills develop quickly, the girls have fun and they are prepared to move up to the next age level.

 

My daughter has never played fastpitch softball how can we give it a try?

Fall Season and the Winter Dome Ball are an excellent time to try fastpitch softball. Or if you're new to softball, you could opt to try a recreation team.

How Do I Determine My Daughter’s Age Level?

How Age Levels are determined:
We align to MN Softball age categories 
Age Calculator | Minnesota Softball (mnsoftball.com)

When and how do we sign up for softball?

Registration dates for travel and rec softball are usually in mid-March for the primary summer season. Fall ball registration is in late-July. Then Winter Dome ball in early-November.  

Are there space limitations in the Edina softball program?

EGFA will make every effort to place all registered Edina players on a team, however, at age level 10U and up the number of teams formed will be limited to the extent there are sufficient pitchers, catchers and coaches to support a team. 

Can we sign up for Edina Softball if we don’t live in Edina?

League regulations classify age levels 12U and below as Closed Community Based Divisions.  If you go to school in Edina you can qualify to play with the association.

You may need special approvals to join as a non-resident. It's best to reach out to Edina Softball to confirm.  

  • This non-resident approval is required each season you wish to register with EGFA.  The 14U, 16U, and 18U age levels are classified by the league as Open Divisions allowing girls to play outside their local community based association.  If you have any questions please feel free to email info@edinafastpitch.org.

 

What do you offer for training?

Outside of our in-season training we offer year-round clinics and off-season training for all players who which to develop new skills or refine current skills. Trainining is available on a first-come, first-served basis and is a great way to have fun, build skills and refine specialized skills like pitching and catching.  Edina Softball works with a variety of outside organizations to bring in highly qualified coaches and trainers for these sessions. 

My daughter would like to become a Pitcher?

Pitching is a great skill to develop. It does require commitment from both the Player and the Parents. Edina Softball and other organizations offer individual coaching, group coaching and clinics to develop skills. Most girls who excel at pitching are doing year-round development to refine and maintain their skills. 
 

 

 

What is the financial commitment for Edina Softball?

Registration Fees:  Please see the Summer Season and Fall Season registration tab for current year registration fees.  Player registration fees generally cover the cost of the League team registration fee, participation in league games, fees for tournament play, League membership (10U and up), field rental from Edina Park and Rec and player insurance. 

In 2024 we also instilled a hosting fee for travel teams. The hosting fee covers additional fees associated with tournaments and events hosted by Edina, which primarily impact travel teams. Hosting fees can be waived or reimbursed by volunteering on the EGFA Board either in a committee, as a board member, or during an event. 

Other Costs: EGFA provides some but not all equipment.  You will need to purchase any personal equipment your daughter needs, but does not already have. 

 

What equipment is needed?

Must haves are softball glove, cleats (metal cleats can only be worn by 14U and up), batting helmet with face cage and chin strip, fielding mask (8U-12U required to play any infield position). 

Good to have but not required are; bat, batting gloves, knee pad for sliding, sliding shorts, bat/equipment bag.  

The coaches’ bag stocked by EGFA includes team balls, catcher equipment and a variety of bats. Many girls prefer their own bat, but it is not a requirement. If you would like assistance in choosing a bat for your child, please talk to the coaches at practice. They can assess your child’s strength, size and bat swing speed and give you a recommendation.

Choosing a bat

Your bat must have either the ASA 2000 or ASA 2004 Certification stamp put on by the manufacturer to be legal.

ASA CERTIFIED EQUIPMENT - BAT DIMENSIONS (3/2/2015)

  • Max bat length 34 inches

  • Max bat weight 38 ouncesMax bat barrel diameter 2.25 inches

 

Choosing a Glove

Level Type Position Glove Size
Youth Fastpitch Infield 10.5" - 11"
Youth Fastpitch Outfield 11" - 11.5"
Adult Fastpitch Infield 11.5" - 12"
Adult Fastpitch Outfield/1st Base 12" - 13"

What if I have a financial need?

Scholarships are available on a confidential basis by submitting at time of registration.  Please go to Financial Assistance tab on the left hand side of the Home Plate page.

 

Volunteer Commitment?

EGFA hosts an annual Mayfly Tournament in May. Each family (10U and up) is required to work 8 hours (4 hours per parent).  You have the option to buy-out of your volunteer obligation.

 

How are teams formed?

Our goal in establishing teams is to place players on a team that best positions each player to be successful as an individual, contribute to the team, and maximize play time to learn and improve as a player.  At the younger age level (8U) we seek to achieve this through parity of teams with the primary focus on skills development.  Age levels 10U and up will have an upper team to the extent tryout scores show a clear competitive level differentiation between players, and the remaining teams will be balanced. 

Tryouts follow a blind, closed door process. No one will be allowed in the tryout area except the players and evaluators. Tryout evaluators have fastpitch softball experience and do not have a daughter playing at the age level they evaluate.

The Team Selection Committee consists of the Player and Coach Development Officer as committee chair, two board members and a neutral third party selected by Player and Coach Development and approved by the President and Vice President.  The President or Vice President will be present to assure Teams are selected based on blind score results in a fair and unbiased manner. 

 

How are opponents determined?

Once teams are formed, the coaches will assess the skill level of the team to determine if the team will be classified as A, B, or C for league and tournament play.  See the summer and fall season sections for game locations.

 

What can I do to help my daughter become a better player?

Practice outside of practice.   Just playing catch is probably the easiest and most enjoyable way to help your daughter.  Good throws and good catches are central to playing the game well.  Talk to your daughter’s coach about what your daughter needs to work on to improve and how you can help her.  EGFA supports winter skills fastpitch softball clinics on Sunday’s beginning in November.  EGFA also provides subsidized pitching and catching clinics and has a reimbursement program for private hitting, pitching and catching lessons.

 

What are the coaches’ qualifications?

The majority of EGFA coaches are parent volunteers.  Head coaches (and many of our assistant coaches) have participated in at least one of our coaching clinics as well as skills & drills training.  They also have a binder with the skills and drills that are expected to be taught at each age level.   EGFA has instituted a consistent training program throughout our entire program using the same training methods in an age appropriate manner.  Background checks are conducted on all coaches.

 

How do I become a coach?

At time of registration there is an option to select that you are interested in becoming a coach. You will need to take a concussion certification course and background check will be conducted and approval by the Coaching Committee.  Contact an EGFA board member for more information.

 

I don’t want to coach, but I’d like to help out.  Who do I contact?

At time of registration there is an option to select that you would like to assist in coaching.  You may also talk to your team’s head coach after team formation.  Let the coach know you would like to help and the time commitment that you can make.  Even just being an extra pair of hands at practice can be an enormous help.  If you would like to get involved with a committee or the EGFA board contact the EGFA President.

 

How do I receive up-to-date information?

In addition to the information provided on the EGFA website, every Edina Fastpitch softball team has their own team page.  Once teams have been determined, you will be able to find team specific updates on the appropriate team page.  We recommend looking at the team page daily as well as immediately before leaving for any practice and/or game.  The coaching staff will also have a roster with contact information and may send items needing immediate attention via email in addition to posting to the website. Additionally, SportNgin has a mobile application that can be downloaded and you select your team (a number on your team page will help with search) that will provide you with team messaging and up to date calendar information and game locations.  We also have created a Facebook page that you can link to from our homepage.

 

What is a “club” team?

Most travel teams in the Twin Cities metro are formed by community-based associations, which draw their players from families living or attending schools within their local school district boundaries.  “Club” teams draw their players from anywhere in the metro area, sometimes even from outside the metro area.  Club teams are usually comprised of 14U, 16U, and 18U players.  In 2012 it was decided at the annual suburban league meeting that club teams would play in the A level of the Suburban League.  Club ball is usually more intense, with players often competing with each other for playing time.  Club team tournament play may include out of state travel.  Off-season usually involves dome-ball participation and additional training.  Club teams have paid coaches and registration fees are typically much higher than those of community associations.  Please see our transition to club page for more informationedina softball softball edina edina girls softball girls softball edina 

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