Gregory-Portland Youth Baseball Association

What does PONY stand for?

PONY is an acronym for Protect Our Nation's Youth. The concept for the name originally came from boys at the local YMCA in Washington, Pennsylvania and stood for "Protect Our Neighborhood Youth," but when PONY became an international program in the early 1950's "Neighborhood" was switched to "Nation's."

What is PONY Baseball and Softball's Mission?

PONY Baseball and Softball is designed to "Protect Our Nation's Youth" by providing experiences in youth baseball and softball that will help young people grow into healthier and happier adults.

What are the age divisions for PONY Baseball and Softball?

PONY Baseball is organized with two-year age brackets. The age brackets for baseball are as follows:

Or an "and under" age concept.

How is play governed in PONY Baseball and Softball?

Baseball play is governed by the Official Rules of Major League Baseball, and PONY Baseball rules and regulations, which contain those exceptions deemed necessary for a youth baseball program. The PONY rule book also contains regulations relative to league organization and administration. PONY Girls Softball Rules and Regulations include the rules of play, as well as regulations for softball league organization and administration.

How does an organization apply for membership to PONY Baseball and Softball?

Leagues may become members of PONY Baseball and Softball by filing a membership application form and submitting a membership fee prior to April 15 each year. Renewal forms are mailed automatically to all affiliated leagues, and are provided to proposed or interested leagues upon request.
All material and correspondence from PONY Baseball and Softball headquarters to the league will be sent to the designated league contact identified in the membership application form. The league contact may be the league president, secretary, or any other person designated by the league to receive correspondence and supplies from PONY Baseball and Softball Headquarters and PONY Field Directors. Select from the Registration buttons on the left to register your team or organization.

What does it cost an organization to join PONY Baseball and Softball?

Baseball

Shetland, Pinto, Mustang, Bronco, Pony and Colt League discounts are based upon teams within the same league. League discounts apply only when submitting teams are part of initial membership application. Teams submitted after initial membership application submission will be assessed a $25 per team fee. Please see online application for late fee and refund policies.

Palomino and Combined Colt-Palomino

Membership discount does not apply if registering after late fee has gone into affect or if teams are added after initial membership application has been submitted. Please see online application for late fee and refund policies.

International Baseball Shetland - Pony

International Baseball Palomino and Combined Colt-Palomino

What type of insurance is needed to participate in PONY Baseball and Softball?

To protect our members, all leagues are required to ensure that accident and medical insurance coverage is provided for the players, managers, coaches, official scorekeepers and volunteer umpires in their league with a policy provided by the league, similar to that available through PONY Baseball and Softball. It is strongly recommended that the league provide or determine that all volunteer workers have Accident/Medical Insurance coverage, since volunteers can be injured, too. Such coverage is available through PONY Baseball and Softball.
All member leagues are required to purchase league liability insurance with minimum limits of one million dollars, on an occurrence policy basis, and naming PONY Baseball, Inc. as additionally insured. Such coverage is available through PONY Baseball.
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Who are PONY Field Directors and what do they do?

PONY Baseball and Softball Field Directors play a vital part in the organization. Without them, the program would not function. Field Directors assist the PONY Baseball and Softball Headquarters staff in providing services to existing leagues. They organize and conduct tournament play, and they are largely responsible for the development of new leagues. Field Directors gather input from local league organizations for the Board of Directors and staff and relay information based on such input back to the leagues. Field Directors serve as administrative and service agents to the leagues.

How do I contact PONY Baseball and Softball International Headquarters?

You can contact PONY Baseball and Softball in several different ways. You can call us at 724-225-1060; fax us at 724-225-9852, e-mail us at: info@pony.org or write to us at PONY Baseball and Softball at P.O. Box 225, Washington, PA 15301. Use the "Contact us" link in the main menu for more.

Have any Major League Baseball players participated in PONY Baseball?

Yes. There are more than 800 Major League Baseball players who are graduates of PONY Baseball. Mark McGuire, Tony Gwynn, Alex Rodriguez and J.T. Snow are just a few of the Major League players who participated in PONY Baseball. You can see a list of who played in PONY Baseball here.

How does our league enter PONY Baseball Tournament play?

The tournament team application form is provided to all member leagues, but needs to be filled out only by those leagues desiring to enter tournament competition. These applications are distributed by Zone Directors. When the tournament application is completed, the form is to be mailed with a check for the tournament entry fee to the proper Zone Director. Tournament entry fees go into a fund maintained by the Zone Director to assist teams in that zone to meet travel expenses at the higher-level tournaments.
League officers should make provisions for sufficient funds to cover all costs incurred by the tournament team through the lower levels of play and be in a position to meet travel costs at the higher levels with the knowledge that some reimbursement will be forthcoming from the travel funds.

Making leaders for tomorrow