About us
Welcome to Sammamish Little League
Sammamish Little League
Sammamish Little League is a volunteer-led not-for-profit youth sports program that give boys and girls age 5-18 yrs the opportunity to play baseball, softball and T-ball in a positive, community-oriented environment where teamwork, sportsmanship, and opportunity are emphasized. In 2016, Sammamish Little League served to more than 1000 athletes in spring and summer programs, including 60 T-ball, baseball, and softball teams and one of the few Challenger Division programs for developmentally challenged youth in the region. A complete list of Sammamith Little League programs can be found HERE for baseball and HERE for softball.
Sammamish Little League serves the southern half of the Sammamish plateau from NE 8th St in downtown Sammamish to the Sammamish-Issaquah municipal border. You can view the official Little League boundaries HERE.
Organization and Charter
Sammamish Little League is chartered by Little League, Inc. to operate as an independent 501(c)(3) organization under official Little League Rules. We are governed by our constitution and bylaws (charter, affiliation, membership requirements, etc.), local rules (variations from official Little League rules) and operating guidelines (for league administration). League administation and operations are overseen by our Board of Directors. You can find the latest Sammamish Little League governing documents at our Forms and Documents page.
Sammamish Little League is a member of the 9th District in Washington state.
It’s the goal of Sammamish Little League to build into its athletes the ideals of good sportsmanship, honesty, loyalty, courage, and respect for authority and to help make them good citizens. The Sammamish Little League bylaws explicitly states that the goals of attaining exceptional athletic skills and winning are secondary to the goal of molding future citizens.
The Little League “brand”
A “brand” is a feature, image or impression held in the minds of customers that distinguishes one organization’s product or services from those of another organization – it’s basically that thing that makes your organization unique in the minds of those on the outside. Building a brand can take years or even generations to accomplish, but its value cannot be overstated because it always makes an impression on the customer and begins creating trust in your brand (your proven reputation) even before the relationship has begun – trust that you will do for him what you have done for customers before him. Some argue that establishing a strong brand is the most important thing you can do for the long term success of your organization.
Does Little League have a “brand”? You bet. It’s a great brand; it’s multi-faceted; and yes, it took generations to build. The building process began when the founding members organized their first teams around values they decided would be most important for their league; values like…
- Community and Citizenship;
- Teamwork and Volunteerism;
- Providing opportunities for everyone;
- Emphasizing sportsmanship over competition; and
- Celebrating character qualities over great performances.
As the Little League bug spread throughout the U.S., the Little League organization held fast to its core principles and values, resulting in a consistent, positive experience for Little League families. This was the birth of the Little League brand. As its popularity spread and leagues were formed across the oceans, the experience of Little League families remained consistent, further strengthening the Little League brand.
What sets Little League apart from all other sports leagues is its unyielding commitment to operate by and live out the core principles and values of the founders.
When a community looks into starting Little League in their town, they can take comfort in knowing the “Little League” name is the most recognized and respected name in youth sports and that they will be supported by a charter, an organizational model, a philosophy, and resources that have proven their worth over Little League’s 80-year history.
When a family is choosing between sports league for their child, there’s no doubt what they will get by joining Little League because the Little League brand is well-documented. Their child will be valued and encouraged to try their best. There will be celebration with success and failure alike, because what’s celebrated is the effort and not the result. The league’s children and adult volunteers are the highest priority.
But if there’s one quality of Little League that stands above the rest it’s this: The essence of Little League is the people, their communities, and the everlasting bond between them.
Contact Us
General inquiries: Find the list of SLL contacts with emails at our Board of Directors web page.
Public relations: Sammmamish Little League does not have a designated public relations representative. To request a comment or statement regarding any public matters relevant to Sammamish Little League, please contact President of the SLL Board or one of the Executive Committee members of our Board of Directors.
Our mailing address is:
Sammamish Little League
3020 Issaquah-Pine Lake Road SE, PMB #346
Sammamish, WA 98075
League ID# 447-09-09
State UBI# 601751932
Federal ID# 91-1741815
Our History
Sammamish Little League is a third-generation league, having been chartered out of the North Issaquah Little League, which was previously chartered out of the Issaquah Little League, the first in the area.
Issaquah Little League was established in 1971. It covered the entire Issaquah school district and grew to over 2,300 participants by 1996. In 1997 the league split into two separate leagues, with North Issaquah Little League serving the plateau region of Issaquah (now called the Sammamish plateau) and Issaquah Little League serving Issaquah proper. The City of Sammamish was incorporated in 1999 and experienced population growth through the 2000s. By 2010, the population of the Sammamish Plateau was large enough to serve a second league, so North Issaquah Little League split into the two leagues we have today: Eastlake Little League in the North and Sammamish Little League in the South. Those two leagues continue serving the Sammamish Plateau community.
Little League, Inc.
In 1939, Carl and his two brothers managed the first three Little League teams (Lycoming Dairy, Lundy Lumber and Jumbo Pretzel) with the first official Little League game played June 6, 1939 at Park Point in Williamsport with Lundy Lumber defeating Lycoming Dairy 23-8. A granite monument now marks the location of home plate was for that first historical game. The next day, the Williamsport Sun reported the results with the same fanfare as a professional game. They called it the “Little League” that year and the name stuck – Little League baseball was born. The next year, three teams grew to four and the Little League concept began to spread to other towns. By the time the Baby Boom hit in the years following World War II, parents around the country were eager to involve their children in Little League Baseball.In 1938, an oil company clerk named Carl E. Stotz had the idea of creating an organized baseball league so his boys and their friends could keep occupied and motivated during the long summer in Williamsport, PA. The children all enjoyed baseball, but Stotz didn't know of any leagues for them to join. So he decided to organize something on his own. Carl gathered a number of neighborhood children, who were excited to volunteer their time in whatever way needed, as they were excited by the prospect of playing on a “regular team with uniforms, [their] own cap, a new ball for every game and bats [their] size”.
From those humble beginnings, Little League has become the world’s largest organized youth sports program as it has grown to nearly 180,000 teams with leagues in all 50 states and in 80 countries. 2.4 million children play Little League baseball or softball each year. A complete account of the history of Little League is available at the Little League website. The Little League mission and pledge can also be found on the site.
Little League Values
When you know the story of how the first Little League was formed and compare that to Little League today, you can still clearly see the values (spoken or unspoken) that have remained central to the Little League mission throughout the years. Here are a few:
Community-centered
Founder Carl Stotz started the first “little league” by recruiting kids from the local neighborhoods. Today’s leagues and teams are still formed according to neighborhood and school zones.
Volunteer-led
The first Little League was started by volunteers with a shared purpose – and it wasn’t only the adults who got into the spirit of volunteerism (the kids helped Carl Stotz experiment with equipment!) To this day, volunteerism remains a central theme in all Little Leagues.
“Baseball for all” philosophy
Stotz's idea to form a league was borne out of his desire to make baseball available to anyone who wanted to play. This remains core to the Little League philosophy, which does not permit any eligible candidate to be turned away because of race, gender, physical limitations, or an inability to pay fees or purchase equipment. A shining example of this is the Challenger Division, a baseball program for youth with developmental disabilities. It’s truly fantastic!
“Your” little league
Little League, Inc. gives local leagues the flexibility to make it the community’s league by encouraging community events, adopting local rules and programs, and allowing community volunteers to decide what to make of their local league.
GALLERY OF OUR PLAYERS
