Little League Baseball was started in 1939 by Carl Stotz as a three team league in Williamsport, PA as part of helping kids learn the game of baseball and having a sport to play during the depression era.
The League is a non-profit origination open to children of all ages 5 to 18. Most of the money for the league comes from donations and sponsorship by local businesses. The league charter states that no child can be turned away if they can not afford the payment or participation fee. This gives all kids a chance to learn the game. Game length for 7 to 12 years old is 6 innings and official after 4 innings unless the home team is winning then it is 3 1/2 innings.
Most every town in the United States has a Little League program. As of 2008 there where over 200,000 teams across the United States and 80 countries around the world. In the United States the league is divided into eight regions: New England, Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest and the West which includes Hawaii. Each region has districts that are in each state and teams can earn a trip to the Little League World Series if they win their district, state and then their region.
One of the rules that help with making sure all children have a chance to play is that all players get at least 1 inning in the field and one official time at bat. The only time this rule does not apply is if the game does not go a full six innings. This helps make sure that all players feel like they are part of the team which great for the morale of all players.
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