Frequently Asked Questions
When was French Valley PONY Baseball established?
French Valley PONY Baseball (FVPB) was established in the Spring of 2010. It was formed by the Board of French Valley Girls Softball Association (FVGSA) to provide a baseball league for the boys of the French Valley area of Murrieta, Temecula and unincorporated Riverside County. The parent organization is now called French Valley Baseball Softball Association (FVBSA). FVBSA is the governing organization for both French Valley Pony Baseball and French Valley Girls Softball. While FVBSA is the governing organization for both French Valley Pony Baseball and French Valley Girls Softball, in certain instances, the league is still doing business as FVGSA
Why are the FV PONY Baseball and FV Girls Softball leagues managed by one board?
French Valley Pony Baseball and French Valley Girls Softball are two separate and distinct leagues. They have separate Vice Presidents, Player Agents, schedules, separate rules and are governed by two different governing bodies (PONY Baseball and ASA Softball). However, both leverage key FVBSA Board Members to support common management and administrative tasks such as Treasury, field coordination, and equipment management, to name just a few. In addition, the larger membership base of one combined league allows for increased economies of scale resulting in better discounts when purchasing league items such as uniforms.
Why play French Valley Pony Baseball?
While our neighboring PONY and Little League organizations offer great programs and have long supported French Valley, FV PONY Baseball allows the youth of French Valley to play competitive baseball locally on the beautiful Valley Wide Recreation and Parks Districts fields. There is no longer the need to drive 10 to 15 miles across town during afternoon rush hour to make it to a game or practice. We offer a competitive local alternative. Additionally, for those of you with daughters that play softball, our affiliation with our sister league, French Valley Girls Softball, allows all of your children to play and practice in close proximity to each other on the same French Valley fields. It also allows you to take advantage of sibling discounts between both leagues (i.e., brothers and sisters who play in either FV PONY Baseball or FV Girls Softball receive a $10 sibling discount for each additional sibling playing).
What are the boundaries?
The Southern California Southeast Region of PONY Baseball officially approved the the French Valley PONY league boundaries effective Spring 2013. Click the League Boundaries link to see the boundary map
Players living in this area are now offically assigned to play with French Valley PONY Baseball as of Spring 2013. All players residing in this area but now playing in other leagues (prior to Spring 2013) would be grandfathered into their current league only if they played two (2) previous Spring seasons (Spring 2011 and Spring 2012) in that other league. Any player not meeting the two (2) Spring season requirement may play in the other league, but they will not be eligible for All Star play in that league.
In addition to the French Valley specific boundaries, PONY baseball also assigned two areas where player may choose to play in either French Valley or Murrieta or French Valley or Temecula. See the details below. Player in these assigned areas are designated to the league they first decide to play with. They cannot jump back and fourth between leagues.
FV/Murrieta Assigned Area - Players living in this area (primarily from Monte Vista Elementary School) have the option of playing either French Valley PONY Baseball or Murrieta Valley PONY Baseball. However, once they play in either league they must stay in that league for All Star purposes.
FV/Temecual Assigned Area - Players from this area (primarily from Nicholas Valley Elementary School) have the option of playing either French Valley PONY Baseball or Temecula Youth Baseball. However, once they play in either league they must stay in that league for All Star purposes.
How much does it cost?
FVBSA charges the same prices for all baseball and softball divisions (except Shetland and Filly which are typical priced $25 to $30 less because those division do not utilize umpires). FVBSA strives to offer affordable regular registration rates. In fact, we have historically had some of the lowest rates in the Valley! Our Fall 2017 regular registration rate (for all divisions except 6U) is $125. However, prospective players can pay as low as $95 if they take advantage of our early registration value priced discounts.
Where does FV PONY Baseball practice and play games?
We play our games on the beautiful fields of French Valley. All French Valley fields are managed by the Valley Wide Recreation and Parks District. Valley Wide is a proud supporter of both FV PONY and FV Girls Softball and offers us discounted pricing for the use of their fields. The main fields utilized by both leagues are Spemcer's Crossings field #1 and #2 (our home fields), Abelia Park field #1 and #2, Brookfield and Crown Valley. However, as demand dictates, we may flex on to other local French Valley fields. All practices are scheduled on local French Valley fields. Additionally, because three of our fields are lighted, the league can be flexible for those parents that would like to coach but need a later practice time to make it back into town.
Does FV PONY Baseball inter-league with other local leagues?
Sometimes as needed, but it is not our preference. During our off season (Fall) and for some of our older divisions during Spring (i.e., Bronco, Pony), some inter-league games could be played with neighboring leagues (Paloma-Menifee, Murrieta, etc.) to facilitate a more competitive schedule. If inter-league games are necessary, teams typically play half of their games on French Valley fields and the other half on the inter-league partner’s fields. All practices are held on our French Valley fields. As the league grows, the need to inter-league will diminish and will only be utilized for divisions that may have an odd number of teams so as to avoid bye weeks (i.e., no play weeks).
Since FV PONY Baseball is such a young league, will it be competitive enough for my child?
Yes! FVPBA has been adding new divisions and has been growing exponentially in each of its first four seasons. In our inaugural season of Spring 2010, we started with 6 Shetland (6U) teams and 1 Pinto (8U) team. In the Spring 2017, we had 10 Shetland teams, 5 Shetland Sr teams, 8 Pinto teams, 6 Mustang teams, 3 Bronco teams and 2 Pony Teams.
In Summer 2012, we were proud to field 1 Shetland and 2 Pinto All Star teams. All teams were competitive and played in tournaments in Irvine, West Covina, Garden Grove and Murrieta. In 2017, we were able to field All Star teams in all divisions and bring home 3 banners this past summer. All players seeking the opportunity to compete in competitive post season All Star competition will have the opportunity to try out for these teams.
If you have any further questions regarding our league, please visit the contact us page or send an email to:
Thank you for considering French Valley PONY Baseball!
The FVBSA Board
