MUKILTEO LITTLE LEAGUE PURPOSE

Mukilteo Little League provides baseball and softball programs for youth living within the Mukilteo School District boundaries in accordance with International Little League structure, rules, and regulations.

MUKILTEO LITTLE LEAGUE HISTORY

The Mukilteo Little League was formed as corporation in Washington State in 1977, although Little League Baseball, Incorporated's records indicate that Mukilteo Little League has been a chartered league since 1957. Mukilteo Little League is a separate league entity from Little League Baseball but obtains its tax exempt status through Little League Baseball's group exemption. This is a special way a 501 (c)(3) organization can achieve tax exempt status. However, we file tax returns annually and prove we meet the requirements of a nonprofit organization just like all other nonprofits.

PROGRAMS OFFERED

Baseball programs are offered to youth (typically boys although a few girls play baseball) ages 5 through 16. Divisions include Tee Ball, Rookie, Farm, Minors, Majors, Intermediate, Juniors, and Seniors. Softball programs are offered to youth (typically girls) ages 7 through 16. Divisions include Rookie, Farm, Minors, Majors, Juniors, and Seniors. Girls ages 5-6 are combined with the boys in the Tee Ball baseball division. Mukilteo Little League also offers a "Challenger" division for children with disabilities ages 4 through 16, if there are enough registrants. Mukilteo Little League has not had a Challenger team for the past several years; any applicants are referred to Pacific Little League's program.

The Mukilteo Little League's regular season is March through May, with All-Stars and tournaments held during June and July. In July and August, the league also offers a summer baseball program for boys ages 6 through 12 and a summer softball programs for girls ages 7 through 12.

The Mukilteo Little League maintains ball fields under an agreement with Snohomish County. The ball fields/land is owned by Snohomish County but the Mukilteo Little Leagues maintains the ball fields in exchange for sole usage of those fields.

The purpose of Mukilteo Little League is to offer baseball and softball programs to youth in the Mukilteo community. The programs are baseball and softball leagues run during the regular season and summer season. Related educational training is offered to players, coaches and umpires so that they can improve their skills and enhance the quality of the Mukilteo Little League programs.

WHO RUNS THE LEAGUE

Because the Mukilteo Little League is run solely by volunteers who care about the baseball and softball programs, nearly all members of the Board of Directors are parents of a player or former player. Essentially, the league is run by parents of the youth we serve. Because of the Mukilteo Little League's philosophy that every child who wants to play baseball/softball should get to play, some children whose parents are on the Board of Directors receive scholarships because they cannot afford to pay the registration fee. However, no child is given preferential treatment and any family who asks for a scholarship is granted one, regardless of their financial means or circumstances and regardless of whether a family member is on the Board. All families are eligible for scholarships.

SOURCES OF REVENUE

Approximately 70% of the league's revenue comes from registration revenue.

The Mukilteo Little League relies heavily on sponsors for the league teams to help cover the cost of running the league (field maintenance, uniforms, etc.) since registration fees collected do not cover all the costs. We award scholarships so that families who cannot afford to pay the registration fee can still participate, so sponsors are critical to our success. We solicit sponsors by mail, phone, email, and in person. Solicitation is mainly done by the Sponsorship Manager and the President.

We accept donations from families participating in our baseball/softball programs if they want to contribute beyond paying the registration fees. They can pay extra through the online registration system when registering, or through our website (a PayPal account).

Occasionally we might receive some grant money from Snohomish County or other organizations to help cover the cost of maintaining the ball fields. Snohomish County paid approximately 1/3 of the cost of the clubhouse. In 2017 we received a grant from the City of Mukilteo and Snohomish County for field improvements.