Torrance Girls Softball League
Click on the link to take you to the information
Torrance Girls Softball League endeavors to provide girls in the South Bay area a fun and safe environment in which to play the sport of softball. Whether beginner or advanced, the league is committed to provide the best facilities, coaching, training, and equipment required for all athlete to succeed at whatever level they aspire to.
Our Core Values:
TGSL By-Laws
Click on the link to open the Torrance Girls Softball League By-Laws
Click here for
2008 TGSL League Operating Rules
Click here for 2008 Inter-league Rules
The League Operating Rules spell out in detail everything from how players are evaluated and teams are selected to distances from the pitching rubber to home plate in each division and other specific playing rules. This is a document prepared by the TGSL Board Members as a supplement to the rules established and maintained by the Southern California ASA. (This organization conducts tournaments, leagues, coach and umpire clinics, sets eligibility standards and holds meetings. Additionally, the Southern California ASA is an affiliate of ASA/USA Softball, which is the national governing body of the game in the U.S. and is a voting member of the U.S. Olympic Committee. For more information about Southern California ASA, visit them at www.socal-asa.com. By clicking here, you can access a PDF document with the Southern California District Staff members.)
The main season of TGSL is Spring Ball and it gets rolling early in the new year. From player evaluations in early January to the subsequent blind draft to form the teams, Division Commissioners, Managers and other board members will be hard at work. A clinic is almost always on tap to help get the girls ready for the season and to teach them some new skills, while team practices soon get underway in preparation for game time.
Each Spring Ball season is really divided into two parts for all divisions except T-Ball. (This younger set simply plays games every week that do not lead up to a final tournament; each T-Ball player receives a trophy at the end of the season.) For the rest of the divisions, the first set of games is to help build up player skills and to get the teams used to playing with each other. Once these “practice games” are over, scores in the next part of the season are kept to establish seeding for a final tournament. First and second place finishers in the tournaments get trophies on Closing Day. The League encourages teams to have their end-of-season parties on Closing Day right at the Levy fields and usually rents jumpers or water slides to help make the gathering fun.
This is a great way for girls to keep their skills sharp and for new players to become more well-acquainted with the game. Beginning right after Labor Day and continuing until right before Thanksgiving, Fall Ball consists of double headers (usually on Saturdays) with a short snack break in between the two games. Games are played at our home Levy fields as well as at the fields of leagues within the area (usually no more than a 30- to 45-minute drive away). It’s great fun to play girls from other leagues and often there is a tournament that the team can choose to participate in. Look for signup information late in the summer (registration is usually in early August). Girls who will be playing up a division when Spring Ball starts should play in that older division during Fall Ball.
TGSL is an organization for girls, run solely by parent volunteers. Please consider how you might help out the league by volunteering.
There are many jobs involved in running a softball team. Please be ready to help your daughter have a fulfilling season by helping out wherever needed. In order to help the managers and coaches focus on running the practices and games, parents are asked to share additional job duties.
Please visit the Team Parent page for additional details and useful templates.
Please respect the grounds at the Levy Curriculum Center by following the same rules that apply at all Torrance schools: no smoking, no dogs and no parking on the grass. Please also be tidy in the restrooms whenever you find them open. Remember, we are guests of the school and our ability to continue making Levy our home is predicated on the successful adherence to these simple rules. Please also help by keeping litter in its place.
More important than learning the game of softball, girls in TGSL can also learn sportsmanship and the importance of team work. Let’s all inspire our girls to be the best they can be on and off the field by cheering appropriately and not arguing with umpires and managers.
Want to really be an All Star? VOLUNTEER! You’ll shine brighter than ever by helping make the Torrance Girls Softball League the best it can be. Remember, every Board Member and Manager is an unpaid volunteer. Our payment is in making the program fun for our girls. See your Manager, Division Commissioner or a Board Member today to find out how you can do more.
Beyond the donation of your time, the giving of services, equipment and funds would also be greatly appreciated. TGSL constantly works on the fields and has to replace safety equipment as it gets worn out. This year’s financial needs will be even greater as we upgrade the snack bar to comply with current regulations and explore how to replace the golf carts (used in field maintenance) with equipment much more well-suited for this heavy work. As we work to keep registration fees as low as possible, the support of our families and companies in the South Bay become even more vital. See the Sponsorship link for more details.
Sponsorship letter of introduction
Sponsorship form
When is the playing season for TGSL?
The League runs two seasons each year: Spring Ball and Winter Ball. The Spring season gets underway in late February and ends about the last week in May. At least 15 games are played during this session of play. Fall Ball consists of around 20 games in a season that runs from right after Labor Day up until just before Thanksgiving. Winter Ball consists of double headers played (with a small break in between games) at our Levy field, as well as at fields from other participating leagues in the area. (These league facilities are usually within a 30- to 45-minute drive from Torrance.)
When and where can I register my daughter(s)?
The first opportunity to register for Spring Ball is usually in November and December. Then there typically are two other opportunities in January. See the website registration information link for further details. For Fall Ball, registration usually takes place from late July through August. Check that link for details.
Is a “try out” required?
There are Player Evaluation days in January where all of the girls’ skills are assessed. Girls in all divisions except T-Ball are required to participate in order to ensure that evenly balanced teams are created in each division. See more information in the “How are teams formed?” question to follow.
How are teams formed?
In the upper divisions (8U, 10U, 12U and 14U), players are selected through a “blind” draft to ensure evenly skilled teams. (This means that the girls are assigned to teams anonymously based on their skill level. It is only after the teams are formed that the girls’ identities are relased to Managers.) In the lower division (T-Ball), there is also great effort made to keep the teams evenly matched, but the Division Commissioner usually tries to accommodate requests relating to carpooling and preference if possible.
I do not live in Torrance. Can my daughter still play for TGSL?
Unlike some other leagues, there are no geographic boundaries for TGSL. While the majority of our players do live in Torrance, we do draw players from neighboring communities
What is the deadline for registration?
The latest you can register for the Spring season is around mid-January; the latest for Fall Ball is the end of August.
When do practices begin?
Practices start in early February. Your daughter’s manager will let you know the day(s) of the week and location of practice.
When do games begin?
Games usually start on Opening Day toward the end of February. Mid-week games typically begin in late March/early April.
How many games are played in a normal season?
For Spring Ball, it’s about 15 to 20 games not counting playoffs. For T-Ball, there are approximately 10 games.
Where are the games played?
Almost all games are played at the Levy Curriculum Center, our home fields. See the directions link for a map. The upper divisions sometimes travel to other neighboring leagues’ facilities for games.
When are the games played?
Most games are played on Saturdays as early as 8:00AM and as late as 5:00PM. Once Daylight Savings Time begins, weekday games commence in all divisions except T-Ball. These games usually start at 5:00PM.
My child must play for a specific coach or friend for carpool reasons. Will that be a problem?
No league can guarantee that a child will play on a specific team and TGSL is no different in this regard. In the upper divisions (8U, 10U, 12U and 14U), players are placed on teams through a draft to ensure evenly-skilled teams. As a result, the League cannot make guarantees as to who will be on your child’s team.
With T-Ball, parents are advised to make their desires and preferences known by writing them on the registration form submitted to TGSL. The Division Commissioner will usually make an effort to accommodate requests, but again, in an effort to maintain balance teams, there are no guarantees.
My child had very little experience and/or is smaller than kids her age. Can she be placed in a lower division than her age/birthday would otherwise indicate?
As a rule, “playing down” is not allowed. Most smaller and less experienced players catch on very quickly during the season. Most parents, in retrospect, would agree that the need to have their kids play down might not have been as urgent as they originally thought. Additionally, a player electing to play down would not be eligible for All Stars.
My child has a lot of experience and is a very skilled player. Do you field an advanced team or All Star team?
We do not field a separate team consisting solely of advanced players. Instead, these players are distributed evenly throughout the teams in each division. Some players can request permission to “play up.” Such permission is at the TGSL Board’s discretion and is based on player skill, safety and the number of players available for both affected divisions.
We do have a very active All Star program that begins immediately after the regular Spring Season and can last throughout the summer.
Are there any other fees or mandatory fundraisers I am required to pay for?
TGSL is a non-profit organization operated by volunteers with limited funding opportunities. In addition to registration fees, profits from the snack bar and donations, our other source of funding has typically been one mandatory fundraiser that each player is required to participate in. Typically, this involves selling some type of raffle ticket; this occurs right after the teams are formed.
Do you still have questions?
Email us at
info@tgsl.org and let us answer them for you!