If your child loves to play baseball and is good at it, they may be invited to participate in a travel baseball team. A travel baseball team is exactly what it sounds like. It is a team of baseball players that travel to other cities or states to play ball. This allows baseball players to play against teams that have new competitors, instead of playing against the same people in the local community. If you are considering signing your child up for the team, there are a few important questions you should ask first.  

What Do the Fees for the League Cover? 

One of the first questions that you want to ask a travel baseball team is what the fees are for, what additional fees you may incur, and what fundraising events, if any, you are required to participate in. Some leagues rely heavily on fundraising, while other leagues charge fees to cover trips. Some teams charge a fee that covers all costs, while other leagues may charge additional fees if the team makes the playoffs or gets invited to play in special tournaments. 

How Often Does the Team Have Practice? 

Traveling out of town for baseball games may already take up a lot of time. As such, it is important to ask how often the team practices. You want to ensure that your child has enough time for schoolwork and any other commitments they have and that you have the time to take your child to all of the practices. 

How Frequently Does the Team Travel? 

Another question to ask before signing your child up for a travel baseball team is how frequently the team travels and where they travel to. Do they mostly travel instate or do they go out of state often? You want to ensure you understand what the game schedule looks like. 

Does the Team Travel to Games Together? 

Lastly, be sure to ask if you are responsible for getting your child to games or if the team travels together as a team. Some travel teams have parents split up transportation, with each parent driving a certain number of times per season, while other teams arrange for buses to transport the team as a whole. 

While the goal of travel baseball teams is to travel to other areas to play games, the way that travel baseball teams operate can vary from league to league. As such, you want to ask the questions listed above. This helps you to learn what the expectations are before you sign your child up to play for a specific travel baseball team. 

Contact a local travel baseball team to learn more.