• Thursday Kickball - Schedule, Scores & Standings 

Kickball leagues are available in the summer on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. The season consists of seven weeks of league play.

• A minimum of the top four teams following the regular season will move onto a playoff round to determine the league champion.
• All games will be played at Central Park in Hopkins.
• Game times will take place at 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. 

Registration Dates

• March 3 – open for returning teams
• March 10 – open for new teams
• May 5 – registration closes

 2026 Offerings

Registration information

• Registration information is available in the Winter/Spring Recreation Brochure.
• Register online or by calling 952-939-8203.

Rosters

• Teams must submit their Team Roster to the Recreation Services office prior to the start of their first game.
• Team rosters may have a maximum of 20 players and must include the name, email address and phone number(s) for each player. 

Game Schedules

League schedules will be emailed to team managers roughly two weeks prior to the start of the season.

Weather

In the event of a weather related cancelation the program manager will attempt to make the call prior to play starting. Team managers will be emailed as soon as a cancellation is determined. Weather updates can also be accessed via our weather hotline (952-939-8355). Every attempt will be made to reschedule games.

Forfeits

Forfeits are highly frowned upon. If your team is considering forfeiting, please consider showing up to scrimmage with fewer players or extending the invite to your larger social network. If your team needs to forfeit, please inform the program manager AND the other team's manager ASAP (preferably days prior). There is no guarantee that last minute forfeits will be communicated by the program manager. 

Equipment

The league fee includes a 10” playground ball for each team.  Each team will receive its game ball and a scorebook at the first league game.  

Eligibility requirements

1. Participants must be 18 years of age or older.
2. Players who are currently suspended from participating in other sports communities are ineligible to compete in Hopkins-Minnetonka leagues.
3. The participation of an un-rostered player in any league or playoff game will result in forfeiting that game to the opposing team. The program manager shall determine whether other games the player participated in shall be forfeited also.
4. Opposing managers, as well as Recreation Services, may initiate checks on eligibility. Showing proof of a player’s identity by photo id may be required at game time.
5. Players cannot play on more than one team on the same night.

The adult co-rec kickball league will generally follow co-rec softball rules. The following are rule exceptions: 

1. Games are played on softball fields using the 65’ base paths and 50’ pitching distance.
2. Balls must be rolled by the pitcher at a moderate speed. A pitch that bounces more than one foot high as it crosses the plate will be considered a ball. A ball that is delivered with too much speed will be a “no-pitch” and a warning will be given to the pitcher. Subsequent pitches with excessive speed will be considered a ball.
3. A pitcher must have one foot in contact with the pitching rubber until the ball is released. The pitcher must stay even with or behind the rubber until the ball is kicked. All other infielders must stay behind the base path until the ball is kicked. After releasing the ball, the pitcher may not advance toward home plate more than taking a normal stride until the ball is kicked.
4. This league will utilize a 3-ball and 2-strike count with a courtesy foul. This means that if a kicker has one strike on them, they will be allowed one foul ball before they have to kick it in fair territory. If they don’t, the kicker will be declared out.
5. All players must wear closed-toe athletic type shoes. No metal cleats, steel toe or other variety of shoe is allowed.
6. A size 10” red playground ball will be used and supplied by the league. Each team will receive a ball at their first league game.
7. No player may wear a fielding glove, but players may wear batting/golf type gloves.
8. The strike zone extends one ball width on both sides of home plate, with the ball being less than one foot high as it crosses the plate.
9. A player may kick the ball when it is one stride behind the plate, on the plate, or one stride in front of the plate.  A player may only make contact with the ball one time with each pitch.  The kicker may not trap the ball.  
10. Men and women must alternate in the batting order. After notifying their opponents, teams may use round-robin batting provided that the batting order is alternated men and women, and must declare to the other team before the game how many people will be in the rotation. These additional people may, but do not need to, take the field. A team having an unequal number of men and women participating in a game may still use round-robin batting by having a separate batting order for men and women. Men and women must still alternate when batting and may do so with separate batting order for each. Teams must write down their batting order and the home team must keep it in the scorebook. Men and women do not have to alternate positions in the field.
11. When a woman is at bat, all four outfielders (no short-fielders allowed) must line up behind an imaginary line, 55 feet behind each base, until the ball is kicked. The umpire will help enforce this rule. If there is a violation of this rule and an out is made, the kicker will be given credit for a single or may choose to kick again.
12. A minimum of eight players and a maximum of 10 will be required to play a regular scheduled league game. Games will start precisely as scheduled when a team has eight players (at least half being female), with no grace period. A team may never have more male players than females in the field, but they may have more women than men. A player must be on the field, ready to play at the scheduled game time to be considered as one of the 8 players or the game is a forfeit. A team’s kicking order must be alternated between men and women. Fielding positions need not be alternated.
13. A team may employ a courtesy runner during the game for an injured or handicapped base runner (two per game).In this case it must be a substitute from the bench who has not played or, if there are no substitutes, a team must use the player who has made their last out. 
14. This league will use a “Limited Pitcher’s-Hand Rule.” The kicker/runner is out at first base when a kicked/bunted ball is fielded by the 3rd base player or shortstop and is returned directly to the pitcher, who catches the ball and steps on the pitching rubber, prior to when the runner crosses first base.
    • For this specific force-out play only, the pitching rubber becomes 1^st base.
    • If the throw from the 3rd base player/shortstop pulls the pitcher from the pitching rubber, then the pitcher must return to the pitching rubber to secure the out.
    • The Pitchers-Hand Rule may only be used on the first fielded play by the 3rd base player/shortstop to secure an out. Example: The 3rd base player fields a ball and steps on 3^rd base to secure an out. Because this is not the first fielded play, there is now no pitcher’s hand.
    •  The ball must be touched & fielded only by the 3rd base player/shortstop. If the ball is fielded or touched by any other fielder, there is no pitcher’s hand. Example: A kicked ball glances off of the pitcher, there is no pitcher’s hand.
    • The ball must be fielded on the left side of the infield by the 3rd base player/shortstop to secure an out using the Pitchers-Hand Rule. If in the umpires judgment the ball was on the right side (1^st base side) of the infield, there is no pitcher’s hand.
15. Bunting is legal for all players, male and female.  When male players bunt, however, the “Limited Pitcher’s-Hand Rule” is in effect for ALL infielders.  Example:  If a male player bunts, the catcher would only have to throw the ball to the pitcher to get them out.   
16. Runners are out when the ball arrives and is caught at a base they are forced to run to, or when they are struck below shoulder level by a ball thrown by a fielder. A thrown ball striking a runner at or above shoulder height will cause the ball to be dead, with all runners receiving one additional base.(In many cases, this rule is a judgment call by the official since a runner may crouch to avoid contact with the ball, thus getting hit above the shoulder.)
17. A thrown ball that strikes a runner (runner is out) will remain a “live” ball unless it rolls out of play. If the ball rolls out of play, additional runners will be given 1+1 base from the time the ball strikes the runner.
18. No sliding is allowed. Players sliding into a base are automatically out.
19. When a male batter is walked, he will be awarded first and second base. If the next batter is a woman, she has the option to bat or receive an automatic walk.
20. A game will be comprised of 8 innings or 60 minutes, whichever comes first. No inning may start after 60 minutes from the listed game time. A legal game is 4 complete innings. If a team is up by 15 runs after 5 innings the game will be called.
21. Teams may score a maximum of 8 runs per inning. In the 8^th inning (or last inning due to time limit), teams may score an unlimited number of runs.
22. Teams must supply a catcher. The catcher must line up in such a position as to not interfere with the kicker or the umpire. The catcher must remain at least 6’ behind home plate until the ball is kicked and may not wander down the line.
23. Runners on base may not leave the base until the ball is kicked. Violation of this rule will cause the runner to be out, but play continues.
24. A second home plate supplied by the umpire will be employed to be used solely by the base runner. This portable second home plate will be placed approximately 6 feet to the side and 3 feet behind the existing home plate. If the catcher or other defensive player is standing on the existing home plate with the ball in their possession before the runner crosses the portable home plate, the runner is out. Once a runner makes an effort to run to home by crossing beyond half way to home from third base, they must continue to run to the portable home plate or be called out. If a player touches the wrong home plate, they will be called out.
25. If an umpire is a "no show" for a game, teams should use a volunteer umpire. The volunteer umpire will be paid, and the game will count. In this case, the game results can be called in to the Recreation Services office at 952-939-8357. 

General League Rules

1. All league participants must be 16 years of age or older – no exceptions.
2. Dogs are not allowed at or near the game field or player benches.
3. Alcohol: There shall be no alcoholic beverages, including beer, at any city of Minnetonka parks. This includes the playing field, bleachers, and parking lot area. Beer and wine is permitted in Hopkins Central Park, but only to teams having first obtained an approved Alcohol Permit. In these cases, alcohol is restricted to the picnic area only. No glass bottles are allowed in Hopkins parks and no alcohol is permitted in the parking lot or in the park after 10 p.m. Alcohol permits can be obtained through the Recreation Services office by calling 952-939-8203. The permit fee is $25 and applicants must provide a copy of a form of state issued government identification with their application. Teams/individuals violating state and city park rules will be prosecuted and will be suspended from the Recreation Services softball program.
4. Profanity on or around the playing field, even casual profanity, is not permitted. It is sufficient grounds for expulsion from the premises. Casual profanity pertains to expletives not necessarily directed towards an umpire or player, but made out of frustration for a bad play. In these cases, if the offending team is at bat and the player uttering the profanity has made an out, the following player will also be declared out. If the profanity is made by a defensive player, the first player to bat in their half of the inning will be declared out.
5. Please be respectful of the game facilities and remove all litter from your team’s bench and the surrounding area before leaving the game site.
6. This is a recreational league and protests will not be accepted.