About The League
The Northern Connecticut Girls’ Softball League, a non-profit organization, is northern Connecticut’s largest girls’ fastpitch league and includes over twenty member towns in the north central region of the state. The league was organized in 1998 as a U-15 summer league designed to provide area players with an affordable season of competitive fastpitch softball and adopted most of the C.I.A.C. rules which govern local school programs.
After a successful first season, it became apparent that the league would continue to exist and expand, based on the enthusiastic response from the original member towns (Enfield, Ellington, Somers, South Windsor, East Windsor, Tolland, Andover and Newington) and several inquiries from other area towns. At this point it was decided to become an A.S.A. registered and insured league, governed by A.S.A. Junior Olympic rules and classified as a “B” league, i.e. players must either reside in or attend school in the town that the team represents. The league amended A.S.A. rules slightly in order to most closely replicate C.I.A.C. competition with primary aims being to allow players on area school teams the opportunity to play more games together and to offer other players a means of improving their skills to the varsity level. It was also decided to support two A.S.A. age divisions, U-14 and U-16, to enable the member towns to offer competitive fastpitch softball to both junior and senior high school players. In 2006, the U-12 division was added to encourage participation and development of elementary school players. In 2012, the league changed its national affiliation to USSSA and restructured it age divisions to High School (players entering grades 9-12), Middle School (players entering grades 7-9) and 12U. Among other opportunities, this change afforded the league access to the Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Club field complex in East Hartford, a bonafide fastpitch softball facility, for its tournaments, as well as Fastpitch Nation, an indoor facility in Bloomfield which offers year-round individual instruction, clinics and competition.
N.C.G.S.L. has contined to grow and improve since 1998 to its present membership and configuration. Teams in each age group vary from year to year depending upon the number of sign-ups in the member towns. Our season typically begins mid to late June and concludes with the league tournaments in mid-August, and with All-Star games typically on the third Saturday in August. The regular season games usually begin at 6:00PM on weeknights, leaving weekends open for other pursuits. Including 2013, more than 2900 area players between the ages of 8 and 17 have participated in the league. Links to summaries of past seasons as well as a mailbox for questions and comments are available at the bottom of the home page.
