By now some of you may have seen an announcement that Rowayton Little League, Norwalk Little League and Cal Ripken are merging. This is true and the complete merger will take at least a season to fully complete. Overall this is good news for Baseball / Softball in Norwalk - running three competing leagues does not allow us to provide the best program for our kids. So the good news is that plans are underway to unify these independent organizations under the name of Norwalk Youth Baseball.
We understand that you may have questions about the merger or how it will impact our kids and the community as a whole. So we put together a list of questions below to help. We understand that this is not an exhaustive list, so if you have additional questions or would like to speak with someone, please reach out to us at [email protected]. The most important thing is putting out the best product for our kids so that they can participate and have fun playing ball in our community.
Thank you for your patience, and thanks for your continued support as we embark on a new chapter for Rowayton Little League.
Best,
RLL Board
*****
Is the Merger Good for Baseball / Softball in Our Community?
Yes. We are not the only program in Fairfield County to merge. Stamford merged three separate little leagues and several other programs in the immediate region have combined efforts in recent years. Let’s face it, there’s a lot of competition and many more options for our kids today - so with all of the challenges facing youth sports and volunteer organizations like Little League, it just makes sense to roll this up under a single unified group. Long term this is the right thing to do.
How Will The Merger Effect RLL for the Spring of 2024?
Since Rowayton Little League and Norwalk Little League were partially merged to begin with, there will be no significant effect on RLL for the Spring Season. The only difference is that our AA, AAA and Majors kids will get more exposure to a broader group of ballplayers and teams. Parents should still register their Rowayton Little Leaguers at rowaytonlittleleague.com and pay attention to our email communications throughout the season.
How Will the Merger Effect RLL After 2024?
The current plan is to keep our charter and continue to run co-ed programs for kids ages 4 to 8 at the Rowayton Elementary School fields. This is what we have done since 1959 and we hope to continue to run this amazing community sports tradition well into the future. Once our kids reach AAA, (9 and 10 year olds), they can sign up for Norwalk Youth Baseball and participate in the larger Norwalk sports community.
What if My Child Wants to Do More than What RLL or NYB Offers?
There are several spring, summer and fall travel options for older (8+) and more advanced players or kids looking to improve their skills outside of our more inclusive "house league.” For instance, Norwalk Tides (affiliated with Babe Ruth) runs programs for kids 13+, and perhaps you’ve heard of Turn 2 Sports who just opened an indoor training facility by Sono Ice House? Because of our experience with Turn 2 and the proximity to Rowayton, we partnered with them to run our Winter Clinics. Turn 2 also runs a Spring travel program for kids 8-12. Please be advised that all Little League aged players on Turn 2 Travel teams are required to participate in Rowayton Little League. It’s important to understand that any Spring Travel should be considered an addition to our house league, not an alternative to it.