Andy Jones visited the Carbon County Commissioners on Wednesday evening for a discussion regarding girls’ softball.
He stated that he has been part of a new formation of a countywide girls’ softball league that has been in discussion since late fall. There is already a committee and board set forth for this league, which would be under Babe Ruth.
The desire is to start a league for the young players as there is a growing number of girls that are interested in being part of a competitive league. Jones explained that the interest goes beyond what Carbon Recreation offers, though the program is appreciated.
Last fall, a survey was distributed and there are preliminary results from approximately 150 responders, if not more. Jones also discussed who is on the board, including president Tori Nelson and himself as the vice president.
There are also representatives from Emery County that are assisting with the plans in order to include interested parties from that county. They will be focusing on ages six through 18, which Jones acknowledged is quite a sizable age group. The league will essentially be a mirror image to the boys, who begin sometime around April and play into the summer season.
Jones then stated that they have some concerns that they would like to discuss with the commissioners, with the major problem being field availability. He said they do have access to South Park in Price as well as two fields in Wellington that have been approved for them to use. However, with all of the age groups, there is still not enough field access.
Jones then said that he knows that the fairgrounds fields are there for community use and that is appreciated. Some of the fields are for the high school and college teams to use and the new league does not want to take away from the programs.
However, Jones shared that there is one extra field and did ask permission to play on it during needed times. A request to sell concessions at the game was also presented. The board and committee have a great group of people that know how to operate such a program, Jones explained.
“We want to make this stick forever and ever,” said Jones.
Jones stated that they want the girls to have the same opportunity to play longterm, just as the boys do. He said they would coordinate with the high school and college on using those fields when they become available.
With that being said, Commissioner Tony Martines explained that there would need to be a lot of coordination with the college, though he is not opposed to the league by any stretch. He also spoke on field expectations and what will need to be discussed moving forward.
“If we can come to an understanding and draft up something like that, that everybody agrees to, I don’t see this not happening,” said Commissioner Martines.
The expectation is to begin the league in March. Commissioner Martines’ suggestion was to schedule a meeting with all that are involved. Jones then thanked the commissioners for their time and said he looks forward to working with them.