The Pine Bluff Northern and Pine Bluff Western baseball leagues have teamed with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department to expand opportunities in the sport for youths.
The mayor’s office announced the partnership Wednesday afternoon, calling it a landmark moment for youth sports and community development.
Ryan Geiggar, assistant director of Pine Bluff Parks and Rec, explained the leagues are pooling theirs and the department’s resources together to make playing baseball more accessible.
“The resources behind both leagues being Parks and Rec, that has never been done before in the likes never seen,” Geiggar said. “Field usage, equipment and training, all of that will be afforded to kids without it costing our kids an exorbitant amount of money. A lot of times, our kids don’t bother to participate because of the costs of the game. With this partnership and pooling our resources together, we’re offering our kids something that otherwise would not be attainable.”
According to a news release from Mayor Vivian Flowers’ office, league administrators and directors joined community leaders, mentors, coaches and Flowers for dialogue and strategic planning “to align resources, values and programming that will positively impact young athletes across the city.”
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Flowers said in the release: “Investing in our young people is one of the most important investments we can make as a city. When we provide our youth with safe spaces, positive mentorship and opportunities to grow through sports, we are not only developing better athletes – we are building stronger leaders, stronger families and a stronger Pine Bluff. This collaboration reflects our commitment to ensuring every child has access to resources that help them thrive on and off the field.”
Pine Bluff has been home to multiple youth leagues for years, but the rise in travel ball participation has lured players with higher skill levels away from the traditional leagues sanctioned either by Babe Ruth Baseball or Cal Ripken Baseball. Games will begin this spring at Townsend Park and other locations to be determined, Geiggar said.
“The collaboration is built on a clear and powerful mission: to provide a safe space for our youth, deliver elite skills development and ensure fun for everyone,” the release reads.
League representatives say the collaboration is about more than baseball.
“It’s about creating opportunities, building character and ensuring that every child in Pine Bluff has access to a safe, supportive and high-quality youth sports experience,” they said in the release. “If we can come together as a city, our kids will win on and off the field.”
Flowers said she has met with the previous and present Parks and Rec directors to focus on upgrading Pine Bluff’s parks, increasing programming and making both accessible to families and young people.
“When current director (Prutty) Holman came in, the first thing she focused on was the cleaning and better manicuring of the parks,” Flowers said. “In addition to people wanting to come from the outside to use our parks, we felt very strongly there needs to be organized sports programming for as many sports as our parks will accommodate for as many teams as possible. You not only want to make sure the parks are safe and manicured. We want to make sure our residents are not having to pay.”
The city renovated the baseball facility at Townsend Park in the 2010s and is installing soccer fields at a former softball complex at Martin Luther King Jr. Park. Third Ward Alderwoman Lanette Frazier is leading a project to convert a former Babe Ruth league park into a multisport facility.
The city stated more details about upcoming initiatives, programs and events are to come.
“We are meeting weekly to make sure this is a smooth collaboration and partnership,” Geiggar said. “We want to iron out the details. Each week we’ll have more news and more updates.”