SEDLL – The future of Little League in Gilbert is neither stable, nor secure. Our league, like many other volunteer organizations, is struggling to meet its potential due to a lack of community efforts. Baseball in the area is quickly becoming an elite sport, reserved for those who can spend hundreds of dollars per month in club fees, coaching fees, league fees, and tournaments fees, only to see kids struggle to find playing time while parents struggle to balance the commitments to transporting kids all over the valley. Many times, Little League provides the playing time needed for a player to grow, but being limited to one season per year, for 12 weeks, doesn’t allow for the players to grow through success, even if that success is in self-esteem growth from the start of the season to the end, while being close enough to home to manage the schedule.
Our current season lacks in many ways because of the shorthanded nature in which administration is being conducted. We have had to prioritize games and team organization at the sacrifice for other activities, such as concessions, Opening Day, and building the league in the community through sponsorships.
Currently, we need volunteers that can help us to get each day of games, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, operating smoothly and in accordance with Little League Charter Guidelines. We need to have a Volunteer-on-duty at the fields that does not have a child actively playing in a game. We need to have additional volunteers to offer a concession stand. While our space at SMS does not allow for an elaborate concession stand, something small with drinks and snacks will be helpful as the temperature rises and the games seem to interrupt normal eating schedules. Plus, the additional funds will help us cover the budget shortfall we face as costs for fields have doubled this season unexpectedly. We simply need more helping hands to get all the things done in the short amount of time we have to set up and break down each time we have access to the fields at SMS.
We also need additional volunteers to help with the organization and execution of future seasons. It takes a coordinated approach to keep this entire operation manageable for the dozen volunteers that do step up and take responsibility for the league. A team is more successful than one person attempting to cover all the bases. Currently, our Board faces many challenges and retention is the only way the SEDLL survives. We need people with the desire to keep Little League baseball going. We need people that are willing to volunteer their efforts towards this specific extra-curricular activity. We need more than coaches; we need division leaders. We need interested people willing to help establish guidelines and growth markers. None of us are experts, we’re volunteers, with access to amazing resources. Both to help us organize the league and to help us develop a safe approach to baseball growth that will help our kids not only enjoy the sport longer in their youth but develop the character and abilities we hope they do when we sign them up in the first place. But it takes a village, and we need villagers.
Our volunteer roles are always open. They are available on the My Account page on our website. There are a variety of ways to help with the organization and operation of the league that requires little more than prompt attention. Sadly, we have not inherited a well-functioning league, nor were there established procedures to follow in the administration of the league. That allows us the opportunity to establish new norms. But at times has left me, an inexperienced admin, at a loss as to what all I'm missing along the way. Only through dedicated participation will those changes take place. One person cannot be tasked with a majority of the league’s administrative functions. There’s too much that must be regularly done to even rely on a few. We need a team. 9 to 12 individuals that are willing to take a section of the tapestry and help be part of the collective efforts needed to unfold something of this size and scope on a regular basis.
We could run Spring, All-Stars, and Fall Sessions. Anywhere between 6 to 8 weeks of preparation are needed to operate a 12–15-week session. There are roles that require a lot of pre-season work while others are more intensive during the season, but all are necessary for the success of a single season. Especially when time is of the essence, things like communication, scheduling adjustments, uniform and equipment needs, can quickly become overwhelming and the lack of these things just leads to more abandonment of the league, not necessarily more helping hands.
That is why the Board of Directors are reaching out to both members of the league and former participants asking for more volunteerism. In discussions with presidents of other surrounding leagues lack of volunteer participation is an issue we all must constantly address. Some have easier circumstances to face and can hand off a functioning league from one group of administrators to another, while others have dwindled like ours, or rely on a dedicated few that have run themselves to the point of exhaustion to keep Little League in the SE Valley alive. None of the above want to quit on the kids. Many have continued to operate their leagues despite the negatives because of the joy that comes with seeing the kids play. As a President that has done much of the heavy lifting this season, I can fully understand and support that feeling. Playing with the kids, coaching, watching them improve and succeed have been the reward for the efforts that are still seemingly insufficient. But it has come at quite a price, and one that I cannot afford to pay on my own, nor will I be able to without a significant increase in income and this, may I remind you, is a volunteer activity.
The Board of Directors will also be meeting with the District President this coming week to discuss future options for Southeast Diamondbacks’ continued status as a charter. We are set to discuss boundaries as a District, from the expansion or redrawing of boundary lines to the abolishment of the SEDLL. The limitations of field accessibility and the additional work that league administration has placed upon the small group of people trying to operate the league has placed us in a perilous position and we are desperate for help and direction. If we don’t have a significant increase in volunteerism, there is only one feasible outcome in SEDLL’s future: Dissolution.