Playing Vintage Softball 

At Vintage, you’ll have the opportunity to play as many as three to five days a week, depending on your age and how much free time you have. To play with us, you must be at least 50 years of age and pay a modest annual membership fee. Players range from softball newbies to long-time players with 20 or more years of experience. 

Our games are competitive but our primary goal is to have fun. Everyone plays, no matter their skill level. Even with this different focus, experienced ball players can find their match among the better players at Vintage.

Playing Vintage Softball creates bonds that last for years, or even decades. Here's a note we received from one of our players who despite having moved out of the area, still continues to be a club member!

Just paid my dues for the 24^th time. I have been a member of this organization for a few years now. I haven’t played in San Jose in 9 years,  but I am on mailing list and I have paid my dues every year since I joined back in 1995. I think I have all the meeting minutes filed away somewhere on this computer.  

I have one of the old Vintage wind-breakers with the old logo on the back. I have an old hat as well but it starting to have an odor about it that some of the guys here offer hats for free just to bury it. But, I wear them constantly because I’m proud of Vintage. And a little publicity for the bay area doesn’t hurt – right? 

I have been playing here in Fresno since 2009 and I am planning to play a few more years. I think they will have to carry me off the field to make me stop. But I do publicize the camaraderie that Vintage has had over the years. The best bunch of guys – EVER! The “Vintage softball club” will always be important to me. You can count on that. It made me feel young again and the people that I have know over the years is impressive. They were all family for sure…. 

 Respectfully,

 Paul Hebert

The Application Process.

A completed signup means that an individual has BOTH submitted an application/waiver form AND paid dues. 

Application/Waiver

Click here for the Vintage Softball Club Application/Waiver form. Please read the instructions at the top of the form before you submit it.

A completed application/waiver form can be submitted via email (join@vintagesoftball.org) or by regular mail (use the address in the footer of this page) or by delivering a printed copy of the application to a team manager or club board member. An application is on file when received by the club secretary.

• New Members must complete and sign the application/waiver form.
• Returning members who wish to change information (leagues that they want to participate in, contact information, etc) can submit an application with their name and appropriate changes. Returning members do not need to sign the waiver again. 

Dues (based on leagues you play in):

• $60 Fun Division Only
• $125 Tuesday or Thursday
• $125 Tuesday or Thursday plus Fun Division
• $150 Tuesday and Thursday
• $175 Saturday Only
• $200 Saturday, Tuesday and/or Thursday
• $25 One Month for Previous Members
• And as always, any players 80 or over with 5+ years in the club play for free.

We collect dues on an annual basis covering January 1 - December 31. If you join and pay after October 1, your dues cover the rest of that year and the next.

All returning members must have paid by December 31 to be eligible to play in the new year. (Returning members- note there are some new payment classifications, so read carefully to make sure you sign up for the correct leagues).

Payment Options

Make Membership Payment thru PayPal

You can also pay or renew by handing a check to Don Shrank, our treasurer, or to any team captain or board member.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR NEW PLAYERS 

Expect a Call from Your Manager 

If you’ve just joined the league, you will be assigned to a team manager who will:  

• Call and inform about your first games and schedule.
• Arrange to outfit you with your Vintage softball shirts and ball cap.
• Give you contact information for a sponsoring team member who will be responsible for “showing you the ropes” on topics from Vintage-specific rules to finding restrooms at various playing fields. Your sponsor should contact you shortly after you join, but please feel free to contact him/her if you have questions.

Equipment You’ll Need to Play

Please bring a glove, rubber-cleated softball/running shoes and a bat to your first game. You’ll find that many Vintage players use special Senior Softball composite bats to help them generate more power (these bats are not legal for use in any other leagues), but if you don’t have one, you may want to bring a borrowed aluminum or composite bat.  Sometimes, team members may loan you their personal bats, but since these bats do break, it’s best if you can bring your own until you decide to invest in a composite bat (price: $150-$250). There are a lot of good local and online sources for equipment, links to which you can find here.

Rules and Playing Tips

In most Vintage games we do not use dedicated umpires. Instead, we divide umpiring responsibilities among catcher and base coaches. Consequently, we depend on players to be knowledgeable in both softball and Vintage-specific playing rules.  

You’ll find Vintage members are very helpful, especially when it comes to familiarizing new players. You’ll also find that a wealth of playing knowledge and tips are readily shared by the Vintage membership.

To get acquainted with the rules, please familiarize yourself with Basic Rules of Play at Vintage Softball and consult the Vintage Softball Rule Book and Guide on this website.

Additional Opportunities to Play: Bucket Players

Often, teams don’t have a full complement on game day and are in need of 1-2 players to round out the team. If you’d like to be a standby for a game, please show up 15 minutes ahead of game time and place your name in a “bucket” from which managers will draw supplemental players at random. There are rules that govern the priority of selection, but the most relevant to new players is the preference given to players not yet assigned a team. If you have just joined the league and do not have an assigned team, you will be given priority over all others in the bucket - make sure you inform the managers of your unassigned status before the selections are started.

Player Attendance

Players are required to notify their manager if they will miss a game or expect to arrive late. After two failures to notify your manager, you may dropped from the roster with the consent of the league commissioner. 

All team members are entitled to play in any game for their team in which they participate. If you show up less than 10 minutes late after scheduled game time, the last bucket player selected as your substitute will be dropped from play. But if you arrive more than 10 minutes late after scheduled game time, you may not play, at the discretion of the manager.

Player Draft: Assignment to New Teams 

Player selection to new teams is made at least three times a year for Spring, Summer and Winter seasons at a league-wide draft conducted by team managers. Most players will find themselves moving to a new team 2-3 times per year.  To allow for post-draft adjustments, players are not notified about their new teams by new managers for at least 48 hours after each draft.

Proper Warm Up. Check out this video of tips for warming up before you play.