Frequently Asked Questions: WFBLL Baseball All-Stars
In response to feedback from parents, both in-person and via the annual Whitefish Bay Little League Parents Survey, the WFBLL board is publishing the following FAQ regarding All-Stars. Please note that this FAQ applies to WFBLL baseball only. While it is the goal of the board to provide full transparency regarding the most common questions and concerns, we understand there may be topics that we missed or require further clarification. Accordingly, please feel free to reach out to a member of the All-Star Committee at any time with any questions or thoughts you may have (contact info for each Committee member can be found at the end of this FAQ.)
What is All-Stars?
“All-Stars” refers to the annual state, regional, and international tournaments run by Little League International. Whitefish Bay Little League enters one team in each of the following tournaments:
8 to 9 Year Old Division: this tournament is a state tournament in Wisconsin; it is new in 2025 and will be referred to as “U9”.
8 to 10 Year Old Division: this tournament, often referred to simply as “U10”, is a state tournament in Wisconsin. In past years, WFBLL sent a U9 team and a U10 team to participate in this tournament. This was the only Little League tournament that featured two teams from WFBLL. Going forward, the U9 team will play in the 8 to 9 Year Old Division and only the U10 team will play in the 8 to 10 Year Old Division.
9 to 11 Year Old Division: this tournament, often referred to simply as “U11”, is a state tournament in Wisconsin.
Little League Division: this tournament, often referred to as “U12”, is the most famous of the Little League International tournaments; it begins with a state tournament in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin state champion advances to the Midwest regional tournament to compete against champions from other states. The winner of the regional tournament advances to play in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA, which features eight teams from the United States and eight teams from nations around the globe.
Intermediate (50/70) Division: this tournament, often referred to as “U13”, is similar to the “U12” tournament, just for a different age group. The regional tournament is in Ankeny, IA and the Intermediate (50/70) World Series is in Livermore, CA.
Junior Division: this tournament, often referred to as “U14”, is similar to the “U12” tournament, just for a different age group. The regional tournament is in Midland, MI and the Junior World Series is in Taylor, MI. WFBLL sent a team to the Junior World Series in 2022.
All state tournaments mentioned above consist of two phases; first, the District 1 phase, then the state championship phase. If WFBLL wins the District 1 championship, the team advances to the state championship phase.
What is the intent of All-Stars for WFBLL and how is that intent different from WFBLL league play?
The intent of All-Stars for WFBLL is to try to win each tournament that the league enters. The focus on competitive success is significantly higher with All-Stars than with WFBLL league play.
Who is eligible to participate as a player in All-Stars?
Per Little League International rules, in order to be eligible for an All-Star team in a particular season, a player must meet residency requirements (which can be found here) and play at least eight (8) WFBLL games during that season. The only exception to this rule is if a player suffers from illness and/or injury that prevents the player from playing in eight games, and the player has a doctor’s note to verify the illness and/or injury.
In WFBLL, we allow players in the following “League Age” groups to play for each All-Star team. Little League International’s definition of a player’s official League Age in 2025 can be found here.
U9: any eligible player who is League Age 9 and does not play Pee Wees.
U10: any eligible player who is League Age 10.
U11: any eligible player who is League Age 11.
U12: any eligible player who is League Age 10, 11, or 12.
U13: any eligible player who is League Age 13.
U14: any eligible player who is League Age 14.
In an effort to maximize the number of players in each age group who gets the opportunity to play on an All-Star team, WFBLL is more restrictive than Little League International regarding who can play at each age level; Little League International allows players as many as two years younger in League Age participate in each tournament (except in U9, where players one year, but not two years, younger can participate). The only tournament where WFBLL allows younger League Age players to participate is at the U12 level; this is to maximize WFBLL’s opportunity to compete for a spot in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA.
A final note on “League Age”. Travel baseball tournaments, including those that teams such as the Whitefish Bay Jr. Dukes participate in, have different birthday cutoffs than Little League International; travel tournament age cutoffs usually roughly coincide with players’ school grade level. As a result, every year there will be players whose League Age for Little League is one year older than their “travel team age”. In general, if a player is on a travel team but the player’s birthday is on-or-before August 31, that player’s League Age will be one year older than their travel team age. The All-Star eligibility of these players is no different than any others; it is entirely dependent upon League Age. Neither travel team age nor school grade level are factored into All-Star eligibility or selection decisions.
How were All-Star teams determined in 2024?
All-Star teams are composed of both a three-person coaching staff and a roster of between 12 and 14 players. In 2024 and multiple years prior, the following process was used to determine All-Star teams. (Please note that the process has been changed for 2025; the following process will not be utilized in the coming season.)
1. All-Stars was administered by a three-person subcommittee of the WFBLL board known as the “All-Star Committee”. In 2024, that committee was composed of the WFBLL President, Vice President, and All-Star Commissioner.
2. In late May, there was a vote for which players should be included on the All-Star teams. In all leagues other than Pee Wees, all players were asked to vote for up to three players, while all head coaches and lead assistant coaches were asked to vote for up to nine players per team. The Minors votes were for the U9 and U10 teams, the Majors votes were for the U11 and U12 teams, the Intermediates votes were for the U13 team, and the Juniors votes were for the U14 team. After the vote, a member of the All-Star Committee tabulated the votes and the top five vote-getters for each League Age group were automatically placed on the team. Votes from players and votes from coaches were given equal weight; however, if multiple players finished tied for fifth, the total number of votes from coaches was used as a tiebreaker to determine who was awarded automatic inclusion on the team.
3. Also in late May in all leagues other than Pee Wees, head coaches and lead assistant coaches voted for who should be the head coach of the All-Star teams. Each voter could vote for up to three people to be the head coach of each team. The head coaching position was then offered to whoever finished first in the vote. The only exception was if a head coach had led their team to the District 1 championship game the year before; in that case, the coach was offered the head coaching position regardless of the vote.
4. The head coach of each team was given the freedom to do the following:
a. Choose two assistant coaches, including making either or both assistant coaches “co-head” coaches, if the head coach so chose.
b. Choose 7 to 9 additional players to participate on their team that would join the five players already guaranteed to participate following the voting process detailed above.
5. The head coach then sent the roster to the All-Star Committee. While the All-Star Committee completed the many administrative aspects of ensuring that WFBLL follows all tournament participation rules, the Committee did not have any say in who coached or played for the teams.
How are All-Star teams determined starting in 2025?
The WFBLL board voted during their December 2024 meeting to make a number of changes to the All-Star process; the rationale for changes is explained in this section.
1. The All-Star Committee was expanded from three members to six members.
2. The vote for who coaches the teams was changed to be non-binding.
3. The vote for who plays on the teams was eliminated.
4. The process below will now be followed:
a. In late May, there will be a non-binding vote for who should be named the head coach of each All-Star team. The voting process will be the same as 2024, which the exception of it now being non-binding.
b. The All-Star Committee will determine the head coach for each All-Star team, incorporating the results of the vote as a point of consideration.
c. The head coach for each team will be required to name two additional coaches and submit those coaches to the All-Star Committee for approval. The head coach can make one or both of the additional coaches a co-head coach, if the head coach so chooses.
d. The three-person coaching staff for each team then jointly selects the players. All three coaches must sign-off on the roster and jointly submit the roster to the All-Star Committee for final approval.
e. The All-Star Committee trusts that the coaching staffs will make good faith efforts to identify the roster they believe is most likely to achieve the intent of winning the tournament they are playing in. However, the All-Star Committee reserves the right to ask the coaching staffs to explain the rationale behind their decisions or to make changes, should a majority of the All-Star Committee believe that the proposed roster is clearly not in the best competitive interests of the team.
Note: as noted in the previous section, in past years a head coach at any level could earn a guaranteed spot as head coach the following year by reaching the District 1 championship game during the Wisconsin state tournament. This rule was in effect in 2024; accordingly, all head coaches who reached the District 1 championship game in 2024 will be offered the position of head coach in 2025, after which this practice will be discontinued.
Why were the changes listed above made?
Feedback gathered from the annual WFBLL Parents Survey and through conversations between parents and WFBLL board members has revealed the following themes about how the community views All-Stars:
1. Lack of clarity regarding the intent of All-Stars
2. Lack of transparency regarding how coaches and players are selected
3. Concerns that too few WFBLL board members are involved in the process to ensure fairness
4. Lack of trust in the integrity of the voting results due to:
a. Concerns that voting results are being manipulated by voters who are making selections based on criteria other than who is most likely to help the team win their tournament, such as voters selecting their friends’ children
b. Concerns that the voting results are being ignored altogether
The WFBLL board is addressing the first two themes listed above through the publishing of this FAQ.
The expansion of the All-Star Subcommittee from three board members to six board members, as well as the requirement that three coaches jointly submit rosters to the committee for final approval, were put in place in an effort to significantly increase participation in the process and address concerns about fairness.
To address lack of trust in the integrity of voting results, the board decided to make the vote for head coach non-binding and eliminate the vote for which players are selected. Given the intent of All-Stars is to win the tournaments WFBLL participates in, the board agreed that the simplest way to ensure that the most competitive teams are selected is to give the coaching staffs who will be coaching the teams the discretion necessary to build the rosters. The board also decided that while it is important to hear from all WFBLL head coaches and lead assistant coaches who they believe should be the All-Stars head coach, the results of the vote for head coach should only be a point of consideration. The committee needs to have the ability to make a final decision on the head coach who they believe is most likely to achieve the intention of winning the tournament.
Who is on the All-Star committee?
The All-Star committee includes the WFBLL President, Vice President, and All-Star Commissioner. Additional WFBLL board members are also assigned to the committee each year in order to provide additional perspective; in particular, the committee looks to ensure that as a group, they have a solid understanding of the individuals coaching and playing at every League Age level (U9 through U14). This year, the All-Star committee includes Mike Schwartz (President), Lindsay Weber (Vice President), Kyle Fox (All-Star Commissioner), Andy Bergholz, Dennis Kirchhoefer, and Matt Granitz. Across the six members, there is at least one parent of a player across every League Age level.
Which criteria is considered when the coaches are selected?
Each year, the committee will make their best effort to select a head coach for each team who has significant prior experience coaching, and strong understanding of, the players in that League Age group. Transparently, the head coach will often be a member of the coaching staff for the Whitefish Bay Jr. Dukes “A” team of the age group in question due to that coaching staff’s experience with those players.
The head coach is given the freedom to select the two additional coaches that the head coach believes are best suited to coach the team and help achieve the intent of winning the tournament.
In order to be eligible to be a head or assistant coach for a specific All-Star team, an individual is required to serve in a coaching capacity for a WFBLL team that includes player(s) eligible for the All-Star team in question during the season.
Which criteria is considered when the coaching staff selects the players?
The coaching staff is given the freedom to select the team they believe is most likely to win the tournament they are participating in. Transparently, many or all of the players on the All-Star teams will also play for a Jr. Dukes team, as the Jr. Dukes program has a strong track record of selecting deserving players to be on their competitive travel tournament teams. However, while there will often be a high degree of overlap between participation on the All-Star team and the Jr. Dukes “A” team, by Little League International rule, an All-Star roster cannot be identical to a travel team roster.
Coaching staffs are instructed to build a roster that they believe is most likely to win their tournament. The coaches will consider all aspects of a player’s ability when making their selections, including the player’s capability as a hitter, pitcher, fielder, catcher, and baserunner, as well as their coachability and ability to be a good teammate (which includes leadership qualities and how the player treats others). Coaches will look at the entirety of a player’s set of abilities; being highly capable in a particular area does not guarantee a player is selected, just as lacking capability in a particular area does not guarantee a player is not selected. In addition, the coaching staff will base their decision on a player’s “body of work”. Players are not awarded a spot on the All-Star team based solely on their performance in the current Little League season; rather, players are selected to the team based on how the coaching staff believes that player’s set of abilities will contribute to the team’s goal of winning the tournament. Accordingly, a player’s performance in travel baseball and prior WFBLL seasons will also be taken into consideration.
Another important consideration for all coaches is not just each individual player, but how the entire roster of players complement one another to form the most complete team possible. For example, if a team has many highly skilled hitters but the coaching staff is concerned about the team’s pitching or defense, that coaching staff may choose a player (or players) who are excellent pitchers or fielders, even if those players are less capable all-around players than one or more players who are not selected to the team.
Are any players guaranteed a spot on the team from one year to the next?
No. While it is common for individual players to continue to build upon their skills each year and earn selection to the All-Star team multiple times, no player is ever guaranteed a spot on the team from one year to the next.
Why are teams selected in early June, when less than half of the WFBLL season has been completed?
All-Star tournaments begin in July and require a significant amount of administrative work to ensure that player eligibility is verified by Little League International and uniforms are ordered and delivered before games begin. The rosters are selected at the latest possible time while still ensuring that all administrative deadlines can be met.
How does WFBLL work to maximize fairness with regards to All-Stars?
Through the expansion of the All-Star committee and the new three-coach player selection process for each team, WFBLL has made efforts to ensure that the coaches and players selected to All-Star teams are chosen on the basis of their ability to help achieve the intent of winning tournaments. While it will never be possible to avoid all instances of “bad optics”, the belief of the WFBLL board is that by including up to nine individuals (six committee members and three coaches, although there will be instances where a committee member is also an All-Star coach) in the creation of each team, we are fostering an environment of accountability that fully incentivizes the selection of deserving participants.
Could the WFBLL approach to All-Stars change in the future?
While no changes are currently anticipated, the board reserves the right to handle unique and/or unforeseen situations on a case-by-case basis, as well as make adjustments to the All-Stars process that the board believes are in the best interests of WFBLL. WFBLL may also need to make adjustments to the All-Stars process at the direction of Little League International, whose rules supersede those of WFBLL. If any Little League International rules conflict with anything in this FAQ, the rules of Little League International take precedence.
I have more questions – who can I ask?
Please send questions to any or all members of the All-Star Committee – we will do our best to provide answers to any questions you may have.
· Mike Schwartz: [email protected]
· Lindsay Weber: [email protected]
· Kyle Fox: [email protected]
· Andy Bergholz: [email protected]
· Dennis Kirchhoefer: [email protected]
· Matt Granitz: [email protected]