By Katie Cumby
Parents will pay more for their kids to play less in Glebe Little League this season, says Phil Nicholson, the league’s president.
Since the city is charging the league higher rent on baseball diamonds this season, league administration has been forced to increase registration fees and cut back on playing time.
In the past, the league normally charged an average of $200 per player to play from May to August. This season the league has increased registration fees by up to $20 per player.
Last year, the league booked about 3,000 hours of playing time for about $4,500. This season, the same amount of time would cost about $23,000.
“It’s a huge increase and we really can’t afford it,” says Nicholson. “That $23,000 would gobble up almost all the revenues we get.”
Nicholson says the league didn’t want to increase registration fees, but they had no choice.
“The whole intent of our league is to make it affordable to everyone. Some people were already struggling to pay the original cost,” he says. “I’d hate to lose these kids because we’ve increased fees.”
About 250 kids aged six to 18 from Centretown and the surrounding area play in Glebe Little League. The league has boys and girls baseball teams, as well as girls softball.
This season, teams will play at three diamonds: Brewer Park, Lansdowne Park and Brantwood Park.
Glebe Little League has been forced to cut down from 3,000 hours of practice to 2,000.
Despite the decrease in playing time, the league will still owe three times as much for diamond rentals as it did last year.
The increase is a result of the city’s standardization of diamond fees across Ottawa, as part of the amalgamation process, according to Aaron Burry, the city’s director of Parks and Recreation.
The city has a variety of types of diamonds, which vary depending on their quality, says Nicholson. The quality depends on many factors, including whether or not the diamond has lights.
Before amalgamation, diamonds of the same quality in different parts of Ottawa had different rental fees.
Now, as a result of standardizing fees in the 2004 budget, diamonds of the same quality cost the same amount across the city. Fee changes take effect May 15.
Burry says some leagues will be affected differently than others.
“Some are seeing a drop in cost, some are seeing an increase,” he says.
Somerset Ward Coun. Diane Holmes says although some teams may see an increase, it’s a fair process.
“I think that’s fair if it’s for the same type of field,” she says.
Holmes says if families don’t have enough money to register, they can apply for the city’s recreation and culture fee assistance program. Through this program, low-income families and individuals can receive up to $150 per person each year to help pay for recreation and culture programs.
Nicholson says raising registration fees is only a temporary solution.
“Although it helps, the registration fee increase is barely a dent in the diamond costs,” says Nicholson.
Plus, the league still has to cover their usual costs, like umpires, equipment, tournament fees and insurance, he says.
Nicholson says the league has enough money saved from past years to get by this season. But he says the league wanted to use the extra money to buy new competitive uniforms.
“We’re overdue for replacements. It’s really disappointing that we might not be able to buy them for the kids,” says Nicholson.
The league will review next year’s budget later this season to determine the number of playing hours and registration fees for next year.
Nicholson says keeping registration fees down is important for membership and also the community.
“There’s not a person that walks by a diamond that doesn’t have a smile on their face,” he says. “We can’t let cost increases take this away from our kids or anyone in the community.”