(Above) Sheldon Wakelin, of the Battlefords Minor Baseball Inc., shown at City of North Battleford council's online meeting this week. (Angela Brown/battlefordsNOW staff)

By Angela Brown

Organization growing

Battlefords Minor Baseball asks city for more diamonds

Sep 15, 2021 | 4:33 PM

Battlefords Minor Baseball Inc. is hoping to expand to accommodate its continued growth.

Sheldon Wakelin, the organization’s treasurer on the board of directors, spoke at North Battleford council’s meeting this week.

He says the organization needs improved facilities since what they have available currently are not adequate for holding major tournaments.

As well, Wakelin said more baseball diamonds in North Battleford are required to meet the organization’s needs.

“What we are hoping to do is to get a fourth diamond where the Kinsmen Diamonds are right now on 19 Avenue,” he said. “With our little ones, we are running into a situation where we are looking at maybe having to do back-to-back practices some nights, because we have our U8s and our U11s on those diamonds on alternating nights.”

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Unfortunately, the club can’t use diamonds two and three behind the Access Communications Centre because the priority-use for these is currently softball, even though they were originally built as baseball diamond size.

Wakelin said if they could be made available for baseball instead, that would help solve part of the club’s problem so the the U11s could use them.

As well, if a fourth baseball diamond could be built at the Kinsmen Diamonds that could serve the club’s U8 members.

As another option, Sakewew High School also has a baseball diamond but no one has used it, Wakelin added.

“It’s not set up properly for baseball but it could be very easily,” he said.

Wakelin noted the organization is growing, so the need is there.

He adds whenever the Toronto Blue Jays are performing well, more kids take up baseball, increasing the local club’s numbers.

“Four years ago the Blue Jays did really good, and our numbers spiked,” he said. “We went up by 100 kids.”

With the Blue Jays performing so well again now, he expects numbers to keep increasing further.

There was some discussion on whether the Battlefords Minor Baseball could use the two diamonds currently being used for softball now, behind the Access Communications Centre. Since there are softball diamonds at the Battleford Flats, located in the Town of Battleford, that can be used for softball.

The city currently does not have anything earmarked in its capital plan to help support a project for a new baseball diamond at the Kinsmen diamond field, where space is available.

The city said the organization can meet with the city’s leisure services department to discuss potential future options to see how they can work together.

“We look forward to some follow up discussions, with our department of leisure services,” North Battleford Mayor David Gillan said.

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Angela.Brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsnow