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Thank you very much for your interest in USA Baseball and the 2009 USA Baseball 16U Championships! The name is different but the quality of the tournament experience remains intact. The Junior Olympic brand spoke for itself as the premier 16U tournament each year since its inception in 1996. Through these Championships, USA Baseball will continue to provide an opportunity for 144 teams to showcase their ability against teams from all across the country as well as provide the exclusive opportunity for players to be considered for the 16U National Team.
The 16U Championship - West will be held in Peoria and Surprise, Ariz. (72 teams), and Palm Beach County, Fla. (72 teams) will again be the host for the 16U Championship - East.
In Peoria and Surprise, games will take place at the Peoria Sports Complex (Mariners and Padres) and the Surprise Recreation Campus (Rangers and Royals), a total of 20 available fields. The games for the 16U Championship - East event will again be held at the Roger Dean Stadium Complex (Marlins and Cardinals) and the Santaluces Complex (former spring training site of the Expos), for a total of 15 fields in Palm Beach County. As you may know, top-notch facilities help make the USA Baseball Championships a fantastic tournament experience.
To see the USA Baseball 16U Championships format, click here.
The 2009 USA Baseball 16U National Team will once again be selected exclusively from the pool of more than 2,400 participants in the USA Baseball 16U Championships. The 2009 USA Baseball 16U National Team pool of candidates (36 total between both tournaments) will be announced on June 26. The final team will be selected out of the 16U National Team Trials to compete in the IBAF 'AA' Youth World Championships in Taichung, Taiwan later in the summer. If you have any questions, please contact Jeff Singer via email: jeffsinger@usabaseball.com.
Players born May 1, 1992, or later are eligible to compete in the 16U Championships. Please note, however, that only players born January 1, 1993, or later will be eligible to be selected to the 16U National Team. As such, USA Baseball requires that at least eight players on each team's roster be born on or after this international age cutoff.
When: June 19-27, 2009
Where: Peoria & Surprise, Arizona (72 teams) or Palm Beach County, Fla. (72 teams).
Age Limit: 16U - May 1, 1992 (oldest eligible birth date)
Costs: $2,000* ($500 deposit due with application and $1,500 team fee due by May 6, 2009)
*Teams that use USA Baseball's FREE housing service, Concorde Travel Management, will be eligible to receive a $500 rebate check. To qualify for the $500 rebate check, teams must accumulate at least 40 room-nights (i.e. 5 rooms for 8 nights or 6 rooms for 7 nights, etc.) Local team (within 100 miles of tournament site that do not require hotels) registration will be $1,700.
Note: USA Baseball adopts new on-field rules for coaches
BENEFITS
- Minimum of 7 scheduled games –- weather permitting
- Outstanding facilities (MLB Spring Training complexes of the Mariners, Padres, Rangers, and Royals in Arizona, and the Cardinals and Marlins in Florida).
- Free housing service to guarantee affordable and convenient housing for the entire family.
- USA Baseball gifts and discounts.
- 36 players will be selected as participants in the USA Baseball 16U National Team Trials.
TEAM ROSTER REQUIREMENTS
- 15-player roster MINIMUM.
- 20-player roster MAXIMUM.
- At least eight players must be eligible for international play (i.e. Jan. 1, 1993, or later birthdays).
APPLICATION PROCESS
Due to the popularity of this event, USA Baseball will receive many more applications than spaces available for the USA Baseball Championships. It is NOT first come, first serve; however, the sooner your team applies, the better its chances of ultimate acceptance. Applications will be evaluated after each of the following application deadlines: January 28, February 18, and March 18. All completed applications (on-line registration accompanied by a $500 deposit in the form of either a check received at our offices in Durham, N.C., or a Credit Card** charged online) submitted by the first deadline of Wednesday, January 28 will be reviewed and teams will either be accepted or wait-listed in the coming days. If your team is wait-listed, it will again be considered after the next application deadline. Deposit checks will not be cashed and Credit Cards will not be charged until the team is accepted into the final tournament field. Deposits for accepted teams are refundable until March 27.
**Credit Card charges will include a 5% convenience fee
Once accepted, teams must submit the remaining team fee ($1,200 if local or $1,500 for all others) and a roster with a maximum of 20 players (minimum of 15 with at least 8 players born January 1, 1993 or later) and a maximum of 5 coaches or adult personnel to USA Baseball no later than May 6. After May 6, each team will have the right to make a maximum of 2 roster changes by June 3.
