CLL's Programs

Challenger Division: The Challenger Division was established in 1989 as a separate division of Little League to enable boys and girls with physical and mental challenges, ages 4-18, or up to age 22 if still enrolled in high school, to enjoy the game of baseball along with the millions of other children who participate in this sport worldwide.  Today, more than 30,000 children participate in more than 900 Challenger Divisions worldwide.

The Challenger Division is not about competition. We stress fun, exercise, camaraderie, and skill development. After light calisthenics and warm-ups, we split into two teams. Each player gets a chance to bat every inning. We use soft balls and a coach pitches. The side is retired when the offense has batted through the roster. No score is kept. The Challenger players wear the same uniforms as other Little Leaguers and we participate in Opening and Closing Day Ceremonies.

We generally play on Woodland Field #1 from 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM on Sundays in the spring (April through June).  While there is no fee, we ask that all participants register through our CLL website so that we have uniforms and hats for everyone.

For more info, you may contact our Challenger's Coordinator, Steve Glazier @ [email protected]

Baseball Division:
Cheltenham Little League baseball offers programs for athletes 5 to 16 years of age.  The primary mission of Cheltenham Little League Baseball program is to teach life lessons through the game of baseball.  Our programs emphasize sportsmanship, persistence, and team work.  All of our programs are instructional in nature, although we field travel program and summer all-star tournament play for more competitive opportunities as well.  Our coaches, umpires, and other volunteers encourage your participation in making Cheltenham Little League the best it can be.

Spring Baseball - 
Our program begins with TBALL for players age 5-6 (some 4 year olds may be eligible to play - must be 4 by December 31 of the previous year - although the program believes that 5 years of age is the more appropriate starting point for baseball).

Our younger divisions are for players 7-11 and are played on the traditional little league 60' diamond

Rookies (ages 7-8) -  features machine pitching to help players improve their batting skills; players begin to run the bases more purposefully, and the catcher position is introduced.

Minors (ages 9-10) - introduces player pitching.

Majors (ages 11-12) - features more accurate pitching, and outfield skills become more important as batters begin to hit more consistently.

Our Intermediates division is for players 11-13 is played on a 70' diamond; the larger field allows for more reaction time on hard hit balls, reducing the risk of injury as players get bigger and stronger.  This division introduces more "real" baseball rules - leading off, pickoff moves, larger barrel bats, etc.

Our Juniors-Seniors program is for players 13-16 and is played on a 90' diamond; with rules that are most similar to Major League Baseball.  Many of our players in these programs also play for their middle- and high school teams, but the program is open to all

For more info, you may contact our Vice President, Baseball, Ray Porreca @ [email protected].

Softball Division: 
Cheltenham softball serves girls 5 to 18 years of age. We are an instructional league focused on continuous skill development and having fun! Our coaches strive to use softball as the vehicle through which to teach lessons of good sportsmanship and citizenship.

Spring Softball – Spring softball usually begins the first or second weekend of April and continues through the second weekend of June. Depending on the age of the athlete, we play teams from Springfield, Jenkintown/Abington, Upper Moreland, Plymouth, Hatboro, Doylestown, and other areas. Games occur twice a week and there are one or two practices per week. Each team is scheduled to play a minimum of 12 games. Spring softball is organized as a developmental league in preparation for the International Tournament. League age is the player’s age as of Dec. 31st of the year preceding the spring season.

For more info, you may contact our Vice President, Softball, Cherie Gerstadt @ [email protected].

Positive Coaching Alliance
Since 2006, Little League® has partnered with Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) to provide a framework and tools for  local Little League volunteers to develop a culture of positive, character-building competition. Recently, Little League extended this partnership to include relevant information for the Little League Coach and the Little League Parent, with the addition of two FREE quick-courses. These quick-courses provide a framework to develop a positive coach-parent partnership and to be a powerful sports parent from the stands. Shortly after, Cheltenham Little League also began their association with (PCA). The following information provides you a framework. You will learn the basics building a positive, character-developing culture. What do we mean by “culture”? Most simply, “culture” is the way “WE do things HERE.” For example, in one Little League, the “way we do things here” ensures that all players shake hands with all umpires after games. In another Little League, “the way we do things here” mandates that all players cheer the opposing team in a post-game chant.

Little League Triple-Impact Competitor®: A Triple-Impact Competitor® is an athlete who works to improve oneself, teammates, and the game as a whole. These individuals play a special role in Positive Coaching Alliance’s mission to turn high school and youth sports into a Development ZoneTM, developing better athletes and better people.

Little League Double-Goal Coach®: Little League Double-Goal Coaches have two goals, winning, and more importantly, teaching life lessons through baseball and softball. Double-Goal Coach takes its name from a book by PCA Founder and Executive Director Jim Thompson and is the inspiration for the online Little League Double-Goal Coach Course. 

Little League Second-Goal Parent: A Second-Goal Parent recognizes that there is a Little Picture and a Big Picture in youth sports. The Little Picture concerns things like whether the child is playing the right position, the team is winning, etc. The Big Picture, which often gets drowned out by the Little Picture, is about what the child is learning from youth sports. As important as winning may seem, Second-Goal Parents let coaches and athletes worry about the first goal of scoreboard results. Second-Goal Parents have a much more important role to play: ensuring their children take away from sports lessons that will help them be successful in life. That is the Big Picture.

Find additional info by clicking here!