Dorchester Baseball COVID-19 Safety Guidelines -2021 Season

Baseball season is finally here!  Unfortunately, still is COVID-19, and the rates in Dorchester continue to be on the rise.

Dorchester Baseball is invested in providing a safe and rewarding baseball season, we are also invested in our community.  We want to be transparent and do whatever it takes to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Dorchester.  We are required to follow re-opening standards for youth and amateur sports activities established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.   Some of these guidelines will make this baseball season look and feel a little different than previous seasons, so we wanted to provide some rationale based on the guidelines that have been published by the Department of Public Health.

Outdoor baseball is considered a Moderate Risk Sport per Massachusetts re-opening guidelines that were published on March 22, 2021 which were amended on April 2, 2021. A copy of these guidelines can be access here https://www.mass.gov/doc/safety-standards-for-youth-and-adult-amateur-sports-activities-phase-iv-step-1-effective-32221/download

These guidelines outline the following mandatory safety procedures to ensure the safest possible Dorchester Baseball experience while minimizing the risk of transmission of infection and must be followed by players, volunteers, coaches, and spectators.

We also want to acknowledge the confusion around various re-opening guidelines as they are all different for schools, camps, and other recreational activities. We understand and appreciate the frustration this confusion causes when trying to figure out the differences between what is allowed in a school setting but not allowed during youth recreation activities.  

We ask for your cooperation with the following guidelines. Please discuss these with your players so they have time to process these changes before their first Dorchester Baseball event.

Failure to comply with these guidelines may result in not being able to participate in Dorchester Baseball events.

Thank you for trusting that, while we may not have all the answers, we are using the information available to us to keep our baseball community and Dorchester safe while still being able to play baseball.

Please reach out to Samantha Ciarocco with any questions you may have at

Mandatory Facial coverings:

Facial covering means a face mask or cloth facial covering that completely covers the nose and mouth.  Coverings that are not the appropriate size or frequently slip out of place will not be acceptable.  

Please have players arrive with masks or gaitors that your child can wear comfortably.  Coaches will have limited number of paper masks for when your player’s mask gets soiled during the games.

Participants must always wear facial coverings on the bench or sidelines.

Participants must wear facial coverings in any huddles or time-outs from active play.

Participants should take frequent facial covering breaks when they are out of proximity to other players, using caution to avoid touching the inside or front of the covering.

This requirement applies to all players, spectators, chaperones, coaches, staff, referees, and umpires.

Social Distancing:

To ensure social distancing the following will occur during all Dorchester Baseball sponsored events.

Players will only be able to arrive at the field 10 minutes prior to time of your scheduled event indicated by your coach.

Example:   Your player has a game scheduled for 6pm; your coach requests players arrive at 5:40p for warm-up, your player should arrive no earlier than 5:30p.

            Players need to arrive to the game fully dressed to play.

Players will need to leave directly after the game and not congregate in or around the field after the games have ended.

Game times will be spaced out to allow players from one game to completely vacate the playing area before the next teams arrive to use the playing surface.

Positioning of players while on the “bench” will be distances at 6 feet apart. Players will have an assigned space on the sidelines and stay in that space throughout the game.

Spectators are also required to maintain a distance of 6 feet from other spectators not within their immediate family.

Sportsmanship should continue to occur in a touchless manner, no handshakes/slaps/fist bumps.

Symptom screening:

All players, volunteers, coaches, and staff must comply with all applicable travel restrictions as well as any quarantine or testing requirements after being exposed to COVID-19.

Players, volunteers, coaches, staff, and spectators must show no signs or symptoms of COVID -19 for 14 days to participate in Dorchester Baseball activities.  

We ask that parents complete symptoms screening at home prior to any Dorchester Baseball activity. If your player is displaying any symptoms of COVID-19 please alert your coach that your player will not be in attendance and seek further guidance from the CDC/DPH re: testing and quarantine recommendations.

A list of symptoms can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html

If any individual develops symptoms during the activity, they should promptly inform organizers and must be removed from the activity and instructed to return home.

Game day and practice rosters will be kept by coaches and will be made available by upon request by state officials, local boards of health, or their authorized agents.

Sharing of equipment:

Sharing of any gloves will not be allowed.  Please reach out to your coach if your player does not have his own glove.

All equipment that is shared (helmets, bats, catcher’s safety gear, etc) will be disinfected before each use with approved disinfectant products.

All participants must achieve proper hand hygiene at the beginning and end of all activities.  Approved hand sanitizer will be provided to all players at the beginning and end of activities.  Please provide your player with their own if they have a history of skin allergies to certain sanitizers.

Transportation:

Participants, staff, coaches, volunteers, and parents must comply will all relevant transportation safety requirements, including but not limited to, ensuring that staff, volunteers, parents/guardians are not transporting athletes that are not immediate family members.

Mass DPH states that this means “Carpooling” of players not in your immediate family (residing in your home) is not allowable.  This is true even if your player is in a learning hub/classroom/social cohort or other activities with another player on your team.

This is a change significant for the Dorchester Baseball community.  Historically we have encouraged parents/guardians to reach out to coaches for assistance in finding other parents/guardians of players on their team to assist with transportation to reduce these barriers for families in getting their players to and from games and practices.

 If transportation of a non-family member becomes necessary due to an emergency event, all parties in the vehicle must wear cloth face coverings or face masks and to the extent possible have external air circulating in the vehicle such as opening a window.

Food and Drink:

Participants will only be allowed to drink from their own dedicated water containers.   Please provide players with enough water to last an entire game and take in consideration of the weather when determining appropriate amount of hydration.

Participants will only be able to remove facial coverings to drink when at their dedicated space on the sidelines or when they are able to ensure 6 feet of distance from all other players.

Food will not be allowed by participants during Dorchester Baseball events.  This includes team snacks, sunflower seeds, candy, or gum items.  Please do not have your player arrive to games with these items.

DLL will do its best to maintain a safe environment, and we ask all of you for your support and cooperation.