Within Little League Baseball® and Little League Challenger Division®, Little League adjusted the League Age Determination Date to achieve the goal of making Little League younger. The league age of a Little Leaguer® for these divisions is based on the player’s age as of August 31 of the current year. This date is the same that many schools in many states use for student registration, which allows Little Leaguers to play with their classmates.

Little League structures its divisions to allow children to participate in various divisions based on their league age, so that players and parents can have an enjoyable Little League experience. This provides flexibility to play on more than one regular season team at the Major division or above (e.g. rostered on a Major League Division and Junior League Division team), as well as being tournament eligible based on league age.

All divisions of Little League Softball® will continue to use January 1 as its Age Determination Date.

Little League International publishes official age charts that are the best way to determine a player’s League Age. This is a great, easy-to-use resource to confirm League Ages.

Another way to find a child’s age for the upcoming season is to use the League-Age Calculator.

Players in the Little League Challenger Division®  are placed according to their League Age using the Little League Challenger age chart.  The Little League Challenger Division® offers any physically or intellectually challenged child the opportunity to enjoy the Little League experience.

Little League’s baseball and softball divisions do have slight differences regarding the age classification of players that overlap, allowing players to play at the division of play based on their age and experience. Often, the number of players registering to play in each season allows each local league to structure their offerings based on the age groupings of the players in their league, in accordance with Little League rules and regulations. This allows all participants, from Tee Ball and Coach Pitch through Majors and Senior League, to have the ability to create their own fun, meaningful memories.

Challenger Division