vbba.org

The VBBA (Vintage Base Ball Association) annual conference is a multi-day gathering for people involved in 19th-century-style base ball, with the 2026 edition scheduled for March 13–15, 2026, in Phoenix, AZ. Conference recordings are posted on the VBBA Videos page and the VBBA YouTube page. Use the conference if you want to connect with other clubs, attend sessions, or exhibit as a vendor; use the recordings if you missed a session or want to sample the content before registering.

What the Conference Covers

The VBBA site lists the following conference-related resources:

• Conference registration — sign-up for attendees
• Vendor registration — for businesses or organizations that want to exhibit
• Schedule — the session lineup
• Presenter guide — information for people presenting
• Hotel information — the 2026 conference is hosted at Embassy Suites by Hilton Phoenix Downtown North, with a hotel registration link and an area attractions page
• 2026 Cactus League Spring Training page — a companion resource tied to the Phoenix location

The site also notes that 2026 conference recordings and more are available on the Videos page and the VBBA YouTube page, so past sessions are accessible after the event.

Who Should Attend

The conference fits a few distinct audiences:

The VBBA separately offers a Find a Club tool (over 200 vintage base ball teams nationwide) and a Join the VBBA path for individuals and new teams. The conference complements those entry points rather than replacing them.

Getting the Recordings

1. Go to the VBBA website and open the Videos page, or visit the VBBA YouTube page directly.
2. Look for the 2026 conference recordings, which the site says are posted there.
3. Use the recordings to review sessions you missed or to evaluate whether the next conference is worth attending.

The site does not state whether recordings are free or require login, so check the Videos page for any access notes before assuming availability.

Practical Notes Before You Register

• Dates and place are fixed for 2026: March 13–15, 2026, Phoenix, AZ, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Phoenix Downtown North.
• Registration is separate for attendees and vendors — use the correct form for your role.
• Presenters should read the presenter guide before submitting or preparing.
• The site does not publish conference pricing in the available material, so confirm cost and any deadlines through the registration links rather than assuming.

If your goal is simply to learn about the game, the VBBA's "Learn More About the Game" page and the recordings may be enough. If your goal is to meet clubs, start a team, or exhibit, the conference registration and vendor pages are the direct route.

Vintage base ball is played by the rules and customs of the sport's formative years in the 19th century, not by modern baseball rules. The VBBA (Vintage Base Ball Association) states that its clubs "play by the rules and customs of base ball as it was played in its formative years," and it points visitors to its "Learn More About the Game" section for the specifics. If you want to watch or join a game, expect period equipment, period language, and a different pace and spirit from the modern game.

The Core Principle: Play It as It Was Played

The defining custom is historical fidelity. Rather than treating old rules as a gimmick, VBBA member clubs treat them as the game itself. That means the rule set, field setup, equipment, and even the vocabulary come from a specific 19th-century era rather than from modern Major League Baseball.

The VBBA frames this as preserving "base ball as played in the 19th century and other historic eras," so different clubs may represent different decades. The exact rules you see therefore depend on which era a club has chosen to recreate.

What Typically Differs from Modern Baseball

The VBBA's own materials describe the approach at a high level rather than listing every rule, so the details below are the general differences that follow from playing by 19th-century customs. Confirm specifics with the club or the VBBA's "Learn More About the Game" page before you play.

The umpiring custom is one of the most visible: in vintage play, the umpire is often part entertainer, announcing and explaining decisions so the crowd understands what just happened under unfamiliar rules.

Why the Rules Matter to Players and Spectators

Because the rules are unfamiliar, first-time spectators often misread a play. Knowing that the game follows 19th-century customs helps you understand why a fielder barehands a line drive, why a runner stops where he does, or why the umpire is talking through a call. For players, the customs govern everything from how you address the umpire to how you celebrate, so joining a club means learning a code of conduct as much as a rulebook.

How to Learn the Specific Rules

The VBBA directs anyone wanting details to its "Learn More About the Game" section on vbba.org. That page is the authoritative starting point for the rules and customs the association endorses. From there:

• Find a club near you. The VBBA lists more than 200 vintage base ball teams across the country through its "Find a Club" tool. A local club is the fastest way to learn the era-specific rules it plays by.
• Attend a game. Watching a match lets you see the customs in action, including umpire explanations and period equipment.
• Use VBBA resources. The association's Videos page and YouTube channel include conference recordings and interviews, such as an interview about Henry Chadwick, the 19th-century sportswriter often called the "Father of Baseball." These give context on how the early game was reported and played.

A Note on Eras

"Vintage base ball" is not one single rule set. The VBBA supports clubs representing "the 19th century and other historic eras," so a club playing 1860s rules will differ from one recreating a later decade. If a specific rule matters to you, ask the club which year or era it represents before you play or attend.

The VBBA (Vintage Base Ball Association) is an organization that promotes base ball as it was played in the 19th century and other historic eras, and it supports member clubs that play the game by those older rules and customs. It's the right starting point if you want to watch, join, start, or host a vintage club — or if you're organizing a conference, vendor table, or educational talk around historic base ball. It is not a youth league or a modern competitive sanctioning body, and the site does not present itself as a rules authority for present-day baseball.

What the VBBA actually does

The organization's own description centers on two things: promoting historic-era base ball and supporting member clubs "in various ways." On the site, that support shows up as practical resources rather than a formal program list:

• Club discovery — a Find a Club tool, since there are over 200 vintage base ball teams across the country.
• Getting involved — guidance for people starting a team or simply looking to become part of the game, plus a Join the VBBA path.
• Learning the game — material on playing "by the rules and customs of base ball as it was played in its formative years."
• History and advocacy — a petition supporting Doc Adams for the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and a reading on The Abner Doubleday Myth.
• Media — conference recordings on a Videos page and a VBBA YouTube channel, including interviews such as Andrew Schiff's conversation with Gary Schiappacasse about Henry Chadwick.

The annual conference is the main event

The clearest dated item on the site is the VBBA 2026 Conference in Phoenix, AZ, March 13–15, 2026, held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Phoenix Downtown North. The page links out to hotel information, a hotel registration link, area attractions, conference registration, vendor registration, a schedule, and a presenter guide — so the conference serves both attendees and people selling or presenting. A separate page covers the 2026 Cactus League Spring Training, which fits a Phoenix trip.

If you're planning around the conference, treat those links as the operative details: registration, lodging, and the schedule each have their own entry point, and the schedule is the thing to check before booking travel.

A preservation example: Warren Ballpark

The VBBA also spotlights Warren Ballpark in Bisbee, Arizona, built in 1909. The site notes it is owned by the Bisbee School District, is the oldest continuously operating multi-sport facility in the country, and still hosts high school baseball, football, soccer, and community events. Its history includes Casey Stengel and Billy Martin playing there and Jim Thorpe hitting a 440-foot home run over the center field fence. The page directs support to the Friends of Warren Ballpark and a donation option. This is a useful model if your own club is trying to attach itself to a historic venue: pair the playing side with a preservation ask.

Deciding whether the VBBA fits your situation

Two caveats before you commit. First, the site does not publish membership dues, conference fees, or vendor pricing, so confirm costs through the registration links rather than assuming anything is free. Second, the site's social presence is thin — the Facebook page shows only 3 likes — so don't read engagement numbers as a measure of the organization's reach; the club count and conference program are better signals.

Where to start

Go to vbba.org and pick the path that matches your goal: Find a Club if you want to play or watch, Join the VBBA if you're forming or running a club, and Conference Registration if you're heading to Phoenix in March 2026. If you only want to understand the game, start with the rules section and the Chadwick and Doubleday material — they explain why vintage base ball is played the way it is.

To find a vintage base ball club near you, start with the Find a Club feature on vbba.org. The VBBA states that there are over 200 vintage base ball teams across the country, and the Find a Club page is the association's entry point for locating one in your area. If no club is listed nearby, the same site offers a Join the VBBA path for people who want to start a team or otherwise get involved.

What "vintage base ball" means here

The VBBA promotes base ball as it was played in the 19th century and other historic eras. Member clubs play by the rules and customs of the game as it was played in its formative years, so a local club is not simply a modern rec league in old uniforms. Expect period rules, equipment, and field customs rather than contemporary baseball rules.

Steps to find a club

1. Go to vbba.org. The homepage is the hub for the association's club-finding and involvement links.
2. Select "Find a Club." The site describes this as the way to locate one of the 200-plus teams in your area.
3. Search by your area. The site frames the tool around finding a team "in your area," so have your city or region ready as your search term.
4. Review what the club offers. The VBBA does not publish a standard club profile format, so check what each club shares about its schedule, home field, and how it welcomes new members or spectators.
5. Contact the club directly. Use the contact details the club provides to ask about watching a match, trying a practice, or joining.

Expected result: you identify a nearby club and have a direct contact for attending a game or getting involved. If nothing turns up in your area, move to the next section.

If there is no club near you

The VBBA's Get Involved section addresses two situations: starting a team, or looking to become part of the game in another way. Use Join the VBBA to connect with the association, which says it supports member clubs in various ways. This is the appropriate route when your goal is to help found or grow a club rather than join an existing one.

What to expect from a local club

• Period play. Clubs follow the rules and customs of base ball's formative years, so the pace, terminology, and field setup differ from modern baseball.
• Community events. Clubs are part of a national network of historic base ball groups; the VBBA's own event calendar shows how the community gathers, including its annual conference.
• A preservation focus. The association's wider work includes historic ballpark preservation, such as support for Warren Ballpark in Bisbee, Arizona, built in 1909 and described as the oldest continuously operating multi-sport facility in the country.

Related ways to engage

• Watch recorded material. Conference recordings and other videos are available on the VBBA Videos page and the VBBA YouTube page, useful for seeing how clubs play before you attend.
• Follow association news. The VBBA maintains an official Facebook page where interviews and updates are posted.
• Learn the history. The site covers the game's origins, including material on the Abner Doubleday myth and a petition supporting Doc Adams for the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Quick reference

The Find a Club feature is the fastest route to a local team; the Join the VBBA path is the fallback when your area has no listed club.

The VBBA (Vintage Base Ball Association) offers two main paths to get involved: join an existing club near you, or start your own team and join the association. The site's "Get Involved" section points to both options, plus a third way to participate—signing the petition to support Doc Adams for the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The right path depends on whether a club already exists in your area and whether you want to play or help grow the game.

Find an Existing Club First

The VBBA states there are over 200 vintage base ball teams across the country, and its "Find a Club" tool is the fastest way to see whether one is near you.

What to do:

1. Go to vbba.org and use the "Find a Club" link.
2. Search for teams in your area.
3. Contact a nearby club to ask about joining, practice schedules, or spectator opportunities.

Expected result: You connect with a club that plays by 19th-century rules and customs, which is the core of what the VBBA promotes.

Common sticking point: If no club appears nearby, the "Find a Club" path won't help—move to the starting-a-team path below.

Start a New Team and Join the VBBA

If there's no club in your area, the VBBA's "Join the VBBA" path is designed for people starting a team or looking to become part of the game.

What to do:

1. Visit the "Join the VBBA" page on vbba.org.
2. Follow the instructions for starting a team or joining as a member.
3. Use the VBBA's resources for member clubs—the association says it supports member clubs in various ways.

Expected result: Your new team becomes part of a national network that plays by the rules and customs of base ball as it was played in its formative years.

Common sticking point: Starting a team means more than registering—you'll need players, a place to play, and a grasp of the historic rules. The VBBA's "Learn More About the Game" page is the place to start on rules and customs.

Other Ways to Participate

Not everyone needs to play to get involved. The VBBA lists additional entry points:

Which Path Fits You

• Choose "Find a Club" if you want to play and a team already exists near you—it's the lowest-effort way in.
• Choose "Join the VBBA" and start a team if no club is nearby or you want to build something new.
• Choose the petition, conference, or videos if you want to support and learn about the game without playing.

For rules and customs before you commit, start with the VBBA's "Learn More About the Game" page; for the history behind the game, the site's Chadwick interview and Doc Adams material are useful starting points.