AGSL Frequently Asked Questions

R E G I S T R A T I O N

What are the fees for the Spring and Fall seasons?

What is the time commitment, and when do you practice and play games?

Each coach will select how many practices per week and what days they are going to fall on.  So we can't really tell you what days practices are going to fall on.  The typical time commitment for each division is as follows:

6u - 1 practice and Saturday games
8u - 1 practice, 1 batting cage, Monday night & Saturday game
10u - 1 practice, 1 batting cage, Tuesday night & Saturday games
12u - 1-2 practices, 1 batting cage, Wednesday night & Saturday games
14u - 1-2 practices, 1 batting cage, Wednesday night & Saturday games 

What are the differences between a Spring AGSL season and a Fall AGSL season?

During a Spring season, scores and standings are reported and displayed, and teams in 10U, 12U and 14U compete in a single-elimination playoff to determine age group champions.  All-Star teams are formed for the 8U, 10U and 12U age groups.  All players in all age group receive participation trophies.  Team pictures are taken only in the spring.

AGSL's Fall season is more instructional and less competitive than the Spring season.  No scores are reported or standings are kept.  There are no playoffs or All-Star teams.

How do I register for an Ashburn Girls Softball League season?
Ashburn Girls Softball League accepts only online registration and payment.  You may register during open registration by visiting our website and clicking on the registration link.  Our registration system accepts VISA, MasterCard  and PayPal

Can we request a specific coach or teammate during registration? 

Teams in the 10U, 12U and 14U age groups are formed by a draft process, so requests for teammates in those divisions will not be considered during a Spring season.   For the 8U divisions, we still strive for team parity even though there is not a draft.   We will try to accommodate requests for other divisions, but we cannot guarantee that they will be accommodated.

 

Can we request specific schedules? 

Carpooling, practice night and specific coach requests will be provided to the coaches at draft; however, with the exception of sister rules, specific requests cannot be guaranteed. 

Will I receive a registration confirmation email?

Yes, you will receive an automated registration confirmation email from  .  If you don't receive your email confirmation, check your spam and/or junk email folders.

 

When and how will I find out about my player's team assignment?

Team assignment notifications are made via the coach in a few weeks before practices begin.  Practices will begin approximately two weeks before the season begins, which is around April 1 in the sprng and September 1 in the fall.

 

Do we need to provide a copy of the player's birth certificate? 

No, AGSL does not require players to provide copies of their birth certificates.  

 

What is AGSL's refund policy?

In an effort to help stabilize team rosters, control disruptions (caused by late player registrations, player drops and withdrawals), and to account for payment processing fees, AGSL has adopted the following refund policy.  This refund policy applies regardless of the reason for the player drop or withdrawal.

Spring/Fall Season:

• Drop or withdraw on or before the close of regular registration - refund is amount paid minus $25.
• Drop or withdraw on or before the close of late registration & prior to opening day - 50% refund
• Drop or withdraw on or after opening day - no refund.

All refund requests must be sent to both the AGSL Treasurer and Director of Players (email).  Refunds will be credited back to the credit card used for player registration.  All refunds will be processed once registration closes.

L E A G U E   O P E R A T I O N

How does AGSL assign players to teams?

10U and above is via a player draft by the coaches.  8U and below are assigned by the director of players

Can my League Age player move up an age group?

Players may request to move up an age division for either the Fall or Spring season by sending an e-mail request to the AGSL Director of Players. Requests to move up are considered on a case by case basis. During the spring season, a player may be asked to attend evaluations for two age levels if they have requested to play up. Note: All requests will be considered but we cannot guarantee that all will be honored.
 
 

Can my League Age player stay down an age group even though her DOB requires her to move up?

The league By-Laws prohibit a player from playing below her required age group
 
 

What equipment does the league provide?

The league will provide each player with a team jersey and socks. Each team will be provided with batting helmets, bats and catcher's protective gear. Players are welcome to purchase their own if preferred. Each player is required to provide their own softball pants, cleats, a glove and a protective face mask. 

Here is a checklist of items you will need, along with size charts for gloves, helmets and bats. 

 

When are the practices and games?

Fall Season: Practices for the Fall AGSL season are expected to begin the last week of August.  AGSL will not schedule practices during Labor Day weekend, but managers will have the discretion to request practice fields for their team through the AGSL Scheduler.  Games for teams in all divisions are expected to begin the first to second week of September.  The Fall season ends the last week of October.  Due to the more instructional nature of AGSL's Fall season and dwindling daylight, playoffs during AGSL's Fall season and standings are not posted.
 Team-specific practice and game schedules for the Fall season are available until after Loudoun County finishes their field allocations in late August.
 
Spring Season: Practices are expected to begin around mid to the end of March, subject to change based on the weather and when Loudoun Parks and Recreation open the county fields.  The regular season generally starts in mid-April for all teams.  The regular season will end in late May or early June. 

In addition:

• Weeknight practices and games will generally start at 5:45pm or 6:00pm, except 5:30pm in the Fall due to limited daylight
•  Game times on Saturday vary by age division, with younger groups playing as early as 8:00AM and older groups playing as late as 6:00PM.
• Typical game days  for each age division are 6U and 10U on Tue/Sat; 8U on Mon/Sat;12U and 14U on Wed/Sat
• Scheduled days and times of play are subject to change depending on number of players/teams, field availability, holidays, and rainouts.
• All dates are subject to change based on weather/field conditions and field availability.

Will we be able to pick our practice night?

Scheduling games and practices for dozens of teams and hundreds of players across more than 20 fields is a challenging effort.  The Director of Scheduling will determine the practice night(s) for each team.  AGSL attempts to use block scheduling (e.g., teams generally play the same day/night each week), but there may be times when you practice or play on a day other than your normal practice/game day. 

 

Where will practices and games be played?

All of our games and practices will be scheduled in the immediate Ashburn area at fields within our league boundaries.  AGSL has access to a number of school and county fields.  The availability of these fields is subject to the discretion of Loudoun Parks and Recreation.  

 

Are games typically scheduled during holiday weekends?

Games will NOT be scheduled during the Loudoun County Spring Break period or Memorial Day weekend.

 

How many games will each team play?
The exact number of games played by each team will be determined based on total registration and field availability.

During a Spring AGSL season, teams in all age divisions (excluding 4U Tiny T-ball) will play approximately 12-15 games and the season ends with All Star games in the 8U, 10U and 12U age divisions.

During a Fall AGSL season, teams in all age divisions (excluding 4U Tiny T-ball) will generally play 10-12 games depending on field availability and available daylight for weeknight games.

 

Why does AGSL solicit volunteers?

Ashburn Girls Softball League is a volunteer organization.  The league asks each family to make a volunteer commitment in one or more areas.  This volunteer activity has the potential for being extremely rewarding.  The league also offers a $ 50 opt-out fee per family in lieu of volunteering.   Contact an AGSL Board Member to learn more about volunteer opportunities including Head Coach, Assistant Coach, Team Parent, Snack Shack Coordinator, etc. 
 
 

How do I contact an AGSL Board member with a question or comment?

Send an email to one of AGSL's Board of Directors.  Contact info is available on the AGSL website.

 

What is AGSL's mailing address?
Ashburn Girls Softball League
P.O. Box 555
Ashburn, VA  20146
Since AGSL is run completely by volunteers, the league does not maintain an official office location, or have a central phone number.

C O A C H E S   &   U M P I R E S

How do I sign-up to be a Head Coach or Assistant Coach, and what qualifications do I need?

You can sign-up as a Head Coach or an Assistant Coach on the AGSL website by completing the Coach Registration via the Register Online link

First time AGSL Coach applicants should list any past playing and coaching experience in youth sports, not limited to Softball.  AGSL will be holding coaching clinics and meetings prior to the season for those that do not have any coaching experience or to those that want to continue learning better coaching techniques.  Applicants will be selected based on the above qualifications by AGSL Board Members. Note: All Head Coach and Assistant Coach Applicants will be subject to a background check.

I signed up as a Head Coach Applicant for the upcoming season.  How many coaches/players can I select if I'm chosen as a Head Coach?

Selected head coaches in ALL age divisions can select ONE assistant coach whose player will automatically be assigned to the same team prior to the draft in the Spring season or prior to formation of teams by the Director of Players in the Fall season.  Once the teams have been formed, the head coach may then select another assistant coach or two but only one person is considered an official assistant coach.
 
What umpires are used by AGSL?

AGSL hires umpires from LOA Umpires are used for the 10U, 12U, 14U and 18U age divisions.
 

When is the draft held for the spring season?

Spring teams are formed via a draft in the 10U, 12U and 14U age divisions. The draft is open only to the head coach and their designated assistant coach.  The draft is roughly three weeks before the season begins.
  
Frequently Asked Questions - Website

 The registration system says there is an issue with cookies on my computer, or nothing happens when I try to login to the AGSL website.  How can I fix that?

To check if your browser is blocking cookies, do the following in Internet Explorer:
 
- Click Tools/Internet Options
- On the resulting dialog box click the Privacy tab at the top
- Click the Advanced button

We recommend the following settings for most users:

• Check the Override box
• Accept - First-party Cookies
• Block - Third-party Cookies
• Always allow session cookies
• Save your settings, then close ALL instances of your browser, then try it again.

If it still doesn't work, try accepting all cookies temporarily, complete your registration, then reset your cookie settings as detailed above.

Is my registration data secure?
 
All sensitive data is properly encrypted once you login to the AGSL website.  You can verify that AGSL is using the secure https protocol by logging in to the registration system, right-clicking on any webpage, selecting Properties, and noting the use of https in the web page address.

Ashburn Girls Softball League has partnered with League Athletics and Authorize.Net, a leading internet payment gateway since 1996, to offer safe and secure credit card transactions for our website.  The Authorize.Net Payment Gateway manages the complex routing of sensitive customer information through the credit card processing network.  They adhere to strict industry standards for payment processing, including:

• 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology for secure Internet Protocol (IP) transactions
• Industry leading encryption hardware and software methods and security protocols to protect customer information.
• Compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard

Please note that AGSL uses a "stealth redirect" from www.agsl.org to the service provider (League Athletics) who hosts our registration site.  What this means is that the www.agsl.org url will probably not change while you navigate within our website.  

All sensitive data is properly encrypted once you login to the AGSL website.