Northern Little League Grand Rapids

02/07/2024

A long-standing Little League team in Grand Rapids plans to soon merge with another organization amid a decline in registrations.

02/06/2024

We're happy to report that our majors field scoreboard is going to Mission Field, and our softball scoreboard, in memory of Marissa Emkins, will be relocated to Northeastern Little League - NELL.

If you know of a local field in need of scoreboard, we have one more left to pass along.

02/05/2024

Stay tuned for a commemorative fan wear announcement coming soon.

02/05/2024

We'd love to see/hear your NLL memories... please share below.

02/05/2024

Dear NLL families and neighbors. As many of you have noticed over the last few weeks, some sad changes have been happening at Riverside Park, which we’ve called home since 1953. Throughout the last few years, we’ve had to make some tough decisions about the future of our beloved little league, and this past spring we put the wheels in motion to officially merge with fellow N4 league, Northeastern.

Countless volunteers have worked tirelessly over the last 70 years to continue to bring Little League baseball and softball to our neighborhood kids. Thousands of games have been played on our fields, but in 2014, when Little League International began allowing kids to play in leagues that coincided with their school of choice, our registration numbers began to decline. Without a strong middle & high school presence within our boundaries, more and more of our neighborhood kids were registering with leagues in Northview and Forest Hills school districts. Fewer registered players meant fewer teams, and fewer teams meant that our in-house level of competition declined, and a trickle-down effect began. Kids who wanted to be more competitive started going to other leagues where the teams could be evenly balanced, or they were being scooped up by travel teams. Fewer and fewer kids were registering, which meant fewer dollars coming in, fewer connections to local businesses for sponsorships, and even harder to navigate, fewer parents willing to volunteer their time.

For nearly 20 years, our family has been involved with NLL on some level. Our son started tball in 2004, my husband coached his teams right through high school ball, we became board members, and we, like many other volunteers over the years, spent many cold early spring days, to perfect summer days, and right into crisp fall afternoons at the fields. And even after our son aged out of the Little League program, we continued to be a Northern family. So, I promise you, the decision to merge our league with another is not one that we made lightly. The remaining board members (Christine & Dave Cole, Ben Bozek, Melissa Moens, Tom Hastings, and myself) all share a deep sense of responsibility to our beloved league, and we agonized over the decision to merge. Even now, the disappointment and sadness we feel as we watch the City of GR take down our dugouts and fields is palpable. We are sorry. I am sorry. Truly sorry that we couldn’t keep it going longer. We did our best to continue carrying on the Northern Little League tradition.

Some of the greatest days I’ve had at our fields have been the ones that started before the sun touched the grass on the majors field, and ended with the sun setting on our backs at the concession stand. And while those sunrises & sunsets are precious and beautiful, nothing beats the sound of that first hit of the day.

For those of you who were Northern kid yourself, and then watched your kids and grandkids play on our fields, thank you for being a member of NLL legacy. For the parents and families just getting started in your little league journey, wherever that may be, please ask your organization how you can be involved as a volunteer, it truly is the most valuable currency you can offer.

Sincerely,
Your NLL Board
Brenda, Tom, Christine, Dave, Ben, and Melissa

01/25/2024

Northern Little League has merged with Northeastern Little League - NELL (Huff Park). If you want to register your child to play spring ball, please visit https://www.nellgr.com/

If you want information about the Rivalry On The River Tournament, please contact [email protected].

Northeastern Little League

08/06/2023

Today is the last day to register for fall ball!

REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE TONIGHT AT 11:59am. Please get registered ASAP at www.northfourlittleleague.com! Some divisions may remain open for registration after tonight is spots are available, but if a division is full, registration will be waitlist ONLY.

North Four Little League

08/04/2023

There are ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT TO REGISTER For N4 Fall Ball. Registration for the 2023 North 4 Fall Ball Season is open at www.northfourlittleleague.com.

We encourage players who will be moving up a division in the spring to play up in the Fall if they are ready.

Registration Closes
Sunday, August 6th, 2023 at 11:59pm

Season Dates
Sunday, Sept 10th - Oct. 8th 2023
(Oct. 15th is a Makeup Date)

Games are played as doubleheaders each Sunday (except Tee Ball - Tee Ball only plays a single game at 12pm). Season is 5 weeks long, 10 games total. Practices are scheduled by coaches and usually start the last week of August. Some teams may practice during the season, some may not.

Baseball and Softball Divisions
Tee Ball: Ages 4-6 ($55)
Minor 1 Coach Pitch: Ages 7-8 ($75)
Minor 2 Kid Pitch: Ages 9-10 ($85)
Majors: Ages 11-12 ($95)
Intermediate 50/70: Ages 13 ($95)
Juniors: Ages 13-14 ($105)

If you have any questions, please reach out to [email protected] and we will answer them.

We look forward to having everyone back again for 2023!

North Four Little League

08/02/2023

Reminder that fall ball registration ends in 4 days (Aug 6)!

Register online at

North Four Little League

06/05/2023

Hey NLL fans. We have a limited amount of our Northern baseball hats avail for purchase. These are the last hats we'll have for Northern as we will officially merge with Northeastern next season. If you're interested in a hat, please comment or send a private message with either your venmo or PayPal ID along with the number of hats you'd like to purchase, we'll collect your mailing address with pymt.

Cost is $15 for the first hat and $5 for each additional hat (includes shipping). Hats have an adjustable back closure.

03/04/2023

There are ONLY 2 days left to register and some divisions are already full or nearing capacity due to coaching and team size constraints.

Divisions that are max capacity are waitlist only and divisions nearing capacity will become waitlist only when filled. You can sign up for the waitlist (no charge to signup) and spots will be filled first come, first served.

Get registered today at www.nellgr.com

Divisions at Capacity or Nearing Capacity
Majors Baseball - Waitlist Only (48/48 Spots Filled)
Minor 1 Coach Pitch Baseball - Only 7 Spots Left (65/72 Spots Filled)
Tee Ball - 16 Spots Left (72/88 Spots Filled)

We may be able to add more teams at Tee Ball and Minor 1 Baseball if there are enough signups but would need 2 more head coaches and more assistant coaches to support at both divisions.

Northeastern Little League

02/23/2023

There are only 10 days left to register for the combined Northern/Northeastern LL Spring Session! Any registrations after March 5th will be waitlist only.

We cannot guarantee a spot after March 5th, so don't wait until the last minute!

Northeastern Little League