About PlayFPN
What is PlayFPN?
- PlayFPN is the creation of Fastpitch Nation Inc. PlayFPN is a network of quality independent tournaments run by independent tournament directors around the region, that supplement the significant number of events provided at Fastpitch Nation Park. This collection of tournaments offers teams more variety of quality events to play throughout the season.
Why did Fastpitch Nation create PlayFPN?
- PlayFPN was created in response to both FPN’s and teams’ dissatisfaction with the heavily burdensome paperwork requirements and associated fees to simply register a team to be eligible to play in a tournament that was part of a sanctioning body such as USSSA and USA Softball. We felt there simply was a better way.
How is PlayFPN different from a sanctioning body?
- PlayFPN is not a sanctioning body. Fastpitch Nation Inc. is a fastpitch softball event company and facility owner. To offer our customers expanded playing opportunities, we invited other quality tournament hosts, we respect, to be included in the PlayFPN network based on their history and ability to deliver the highest amount of value to customers.
- Fastpitch Nation provides promotion of their events and a common technology platform for registration, rosters, schedules, brackets, and results.
What does it cost to join PlayFPN and how and when do I register?
- It’s FREE! There is never a fee to register a team with PlayFPN.
- Go to playfpn.com/events to see all the events.
What are the requirements to play a PlayFPN event?
- The team manager or administrator creates a FREE account on the PlayFPN website, creates their teams, and selects the events they wish to play.
- When a team enters an event, they can pay at the point of entry or simply reserve a spot to pay later.
- Prior to being able to play, the team must set up their roster on the PlayFPN website.
Are any coaching certifications, training classes, special IDs, or background checks required of coaches to enter a tournament?
- None. We believe the team organizations, themselves, should be training and background checking their coaches as a matter of normal operating procedure and not the event host.
- As an event provider, we are simply providing the opportunity for teams to play. Just as the movie theater does not require a background check or training for customers to attend a movie, we do not require it to attend a PlayFPN event.
Playing in a PlayFPN Event
How many and what kind of events does PlayFPN provide?
- PlayFPN is the largest independent tournament provider in the Northeast, offering more than 50 events, far more than any other provider including sanctioning bodies.
- See all the PlayFPN events.
- We offer single and double-elimination events.
- We offer 4, 5, 6 and 7 game guarantee events.
- We offer events of 2-days, 3-days and a 5-day-long Nationals.
- We offer College Showcases in the Summer and Fall.
- We have events tailored for all levels of Travel softball teams.
What are the PlayFPN playing rules?
- The base rulebook for PlayFPN tournaments is the NFHS (National Federation of High Schools) rulebook. This is the same rulebook used to govern high school softball across the country.
- The NFHS rule book is available for download for $7 or in hard copy for $10. See the NFHS website.
- More information about rules can be found at playfpn.com/rules.
Does PlayFPN have team strength classifications and tournaments or divisions for those classifications?
- We offer team strength classifications.
- Some events are listed as a particular strength classification and more often event divisions will be created on the fly when making a schedule based on what teams have entered. In open events, we will use the classifications to assist in scheduling pool play.
- Teams self-select a classification upon registering and we monitor a team's progress as they play in the season to determine if re-classification is required.
- These are the strength classifications we will use:
- A - Any team considered to be the highest-level competitive travel team regionally. If your team is normally in or should be in contention to win each tournament you enter and you beat the "better" teams in your state, and you have multiple front-line pitchers, then you should consider yourself an "A" team. A small percentage of teams qualify for A.
- B - Any team considered to be a solid but average to above average travel team. If your team is occasionally in or should be in contention to win a tournament you enter and you are competitive with most teams like you in your state, and you have good but not overwhelming pitching, then you should consider yourself a "B" team. The majority of teams qualify for B.
- C - Any team that typically plays in a local league or town league or a team that might only play in one or two tournaments a year. A "C" team is also any team considered to be an entry-level or novice travel team with kids new to travel softball and lacks the experience and number of skilled players and pitchers to compete with “A” and “B” teams. A small percentage of teams qualify for C.
- PlayFPN reserves the right to adjust your strength based on your results in our events and/or external events.
Does the PlayFPN website track results and statistics from events and can we research teams we play against?
- The website shows all the results of all teams' games in all PlayFPN events.
- Teams can research the other teams' events and see the teams' rosters.
- Teams also earn points for each win with a formula based on the pool, bracket, class and tournament type.
What are the PlayFPN roster rules?
- PlayFPN keeps rostering simple and easy.
- Teams are free to roster as many players as they wish.
- Teams are free to add and remove players as they wish.
- Rosters are never locked or frozen to prevent removal or adding players.
- Players can be on more than one roster, hence a guest player process is not required.
- The players on a team's roster prior to the start of an event is their official roster for that event. However, a player cannot play for more than one team in a tournament other than in exhibition games.
- Once a team has started their first game of an event, a player cannot be added to a team’s roster unless injury forces the team to have less than 9 players. Then players can be added to the roster to bring the roster up to no more than 9 players.
What is the season and playing age determination dates?
- The season runs from 9/1 to 8/31. Each fall, teams will be required to make a new team for the new season (9/1 to 8/31).
- For the 2023 season whatever the player's physical age is on 1/1/23 is their playing age for the full season which runs 9/1/22 to 8/31/23).
- For the 2024 season, the rules are changing. USA Softball has changed the age eligibility requirements for the 2024 season and PlayFPN will follow this change for our events.
- For the 2024 season whatever the player's physical age is on 9/1/23 is their playing age for the full season which runs 9/1/23 to 8/31/24).
What are the PlayFPN bat rules?
- Bats with either a valid USA/ASA or USSSA stamp are allowed.
What are the PlayFPN bat rules?
- Bats with either a valid USA/ASA or USSSA stamp will be allowed.
What insurance is required and can I purchase insurance through PlayFPN?
- Team insurance is required to play in any PlayFPN event. Teams must have a minimum of $1,000,000 of liability coverage per occurrence and a minimum aggregate of $1,000,000 and Accident Only policies are not accepted.
- Fastpitch Nation and the premier sports insurance agency in the Northeast, Fairway Underwriters, is now bringing to teams great affordable insurance and the complete simplicity of purchasing, creating, and downloading team insurance and additional insured certificates ONLINE, INSTANTLY, and without ever needing to call or email anyone! Our Team Insurance program offers industry-standard team insurance valid for ANY organization's events such as PlayFPN, USSSA, USA, NSA, AAU, Triple Crown, Alliance, etc., plus practices and scrimmages. Read More about our Team Insurance Program.
- if you have other team insurance there is a place to upload the team’s insurance certificate. The certificate must name Fastpitch Nation Inc. as an additional insured. Details regarding the additional insured certificate are available in the team manager’s account.
- Each tournament host will let teams know directly about any other particular needs for the insurance certificates.
What are the PlayFPN bat rules?
- NFHS Softball recognizes and utilizes USA Softball's certification process. In order for a bat to be legal for use in NFHS and PlayFPN games it must be marked with the ASA 2000, 2004, or the USA Softball All-Games Certification Mark. All bats that are approved by USA Softball, formally ASA, for use in fastpitch play shall bear one of the markings shown below. Additionally, any bat with one of these certification marks must not appear on the list of the USA Softball Non-Approved Bats with Certification Marks
- USA Softball Non-Approved Bat List
- When the batter enters the batter's box with an altered or non-approved bat and the infraction is detected before the next legal or illegal pitch they are called out. The batter and Manager are also ejected. All runners must return to the base occupied at the time of the pitch unless they were put out on the play.
