- October 31, 2024
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Palm Coast Little League would like the city to add more fields to the Indian Trails Sports Complex.
“The greatest asset we have in Palm Coast Little League are out children and our volunteers; most people don’t realize the next greatest asset is our relationship with the city,” PCLL President Peter Schoembs said during a City Council meeting July 2. “Over the years, the board of directors of Palm Coast Little League have made it a point to be as self-sufficient as possible, and not to ask much of the city unless it was time to ask for something. It’s time to ask: We’ve been right around 600 kids every spring, along with 400 kids every fall. Close to 1,000 kids every year. We see what’s on the horizon, and we’re going to continue to grow. We’re bursting at the seams right now at Indian Trails due to lack of fields.”
Last weekend, he said, PCLL was notified that it has been chosen to host the 12U baseball state sectional tournament in 2020. It’s a large, popular division, and will be televised, he said. The year after, he said, Little League wants PCLL to host a softball tournament.
“For that, we need two softball fields under one roof at Indian Trails,” he said. “If we keep doing this, we’re not going to be the envy of Little Leagues in the area, we’re going t be the envy of Little Leagues across the state.”
William Warren, PCLL’s vice president of softball, said the PCLL sent a softball team — the 10U girl’s — to the state tournament for the first time, and, this year, sent that team to states again, plus an older junior girls team.
“We do all this, play games, practice, host out-of-town teams, on one field,” he said. “One field for 150 girls.”
Because the limited space affects scheduling, he said, the girls sometimes end up playing late at night.
“At 100 girls, the field is already at maximum capacity; at 150 girls, we are well over what we can play,” he said. “In a world where we often see girls stop playing sports at the age of 12, I am keeping them interested in playing. ... Give us someplace for our daughters to play what they love.”
Mayor Milissa Holland said the City Council has asked city staff to coordinate with the county government to assess the area’s ballfields, to “see where the deficiencies lie, and then come up with a plan on how we move forward to add capacity.”
City Manager Matt Morton said the city administration has met with the PCLL leadership and the county government, has located some practice fields for softball and baseball, and is putting together a memorandum of understanding with the county for joint maintenance, “so those fields are in good quality shape and as playable as possible.”
And, he added, the city has worked to identify some playability enhancements, like fencing removal and reorientation of fields.
“We’ve been having those discussions, and we’ll continue to have them with the Little League folks to try to identify playability, including overflow parking access, things that we can help create more space,” Morton said. Some related matters will come before the City Council for review, Morton said.
Holland said the community needs to invest in the next generation.
“We need to also do everything in our power to ensure that we have enough capacity to make it successful,” Holland said. “We’re going to do everything we can moving forward. I agree with you that communication needs to improve ... and I’m looking forward to having not only those regular conversations, but really coming up with a very comprehensive approach and a plan moving forward.”
