Marysville, OH — The Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program will, for the sixth consecutive year, award modern, playable youth baseball and softball field refurbishments to four communities of need within the United States, The Scotts Company LLC (Scotts) and Major League Baseball announced today. In total, more than $200,000 in repairs and upgrades will be made by the end of the year.
The four winning organizations include Boys & Girls Clubs of Coastal Bend (Corpus Christi, TX), Boys & Girls Club of Green Bay (Green Bay, WI), Olivet Boys & Girls of Reading and Berks County (Reading, Penn.) and SAY Detroit (Detroit, Mich.).
MLB and Scotts received more than 620 grant applications across nearly every state for the 2021 installment of the Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program. The winning organizations were chosen by a special blue-ribbon panel which included Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., three-time MLB All-Star Ryan Howard, Olympic Gold Medalist & MLB Youth Softball Ambassador Jennie Finch, and Scotts and MLB executives. Through 2021, the Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program will have renovated nearly 30 fields with nearly $2 million of support.
“We are thrilled to announce this year’s grant recipients for our field refurbishment program with MLB,” said Ashley Bachmann, Vice President, Lawns Marketing, Scotts Miracle-Gro. “We are confident that refurbishing these fields will not only encourage kids to get outside and enjoy the games they love, like baseball and softball, but also bring local communities together. This program is an important way we grow more good for our community.”
“Our team is proud to partner with Scotts for another successful year of the Field Refurbishment Program,” said Tony Reagins, Chief Baseball Development Officer, MLB. “After a challenging year with limited youth organized sports, it is our hope that these new fields will act as silver linings in these communities, providing the youth, and other community members, a renovated ballfield where they can continue to engage in baseball and softball activities.”
More information about the winning organizations can be found below:
The Boys & Girls Club of Coastal Bend – Corpus Christi, Texas
The Boy & Girls Club of Coastal Bend provides healthy lifestyle programs and activities for youth in the community, offering the tools need to improve fitness, increase awareness of overall wellness, and increase their appreciation for sports, particularly baseball. The current fields only see little use and rely on volunteers to maintain the fields. The renovated field will provide a new green space to promote change and empower youth and families to gather to be more physically active, learn the fundamentals of baseball and softball, build character, and enhance their team building skills.
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Green Bay – Green Bay, Wisconsin
For the past fifty years, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Green Bay has been the local community leader in youth development programming. Through their programming, the majority of their 3,000+ Club members are introduced to their first baseball or softball experience at the Bruce W. Nagel Clubhouse. The Boys & Girls Club of Greater Green Bay expects the brand-new field to contribute to a 20% increase in youth participation in baseball and softball programs and contribute to a greater sense of community and support Green Bay’s local youth’s future.
Olivet Boys & Girls Club of Reading and Berks County – Reading, Pennsylvania
Houdak Stadium serves as the home stadium for the Olivet Boys & Girls Club of Reading and Berks County, an after-school program engaging youth through sports, educational programming, and summer camp programming. The renovated field, located behind a local elementary school, will give youth and adults a safe place to learn the games of baseball and softball.
SAY Detroit – Detroit, Michigan
The goal of SAY Detroit’s Play program is to provide quality baseball experiences through free camps, league play, tournaments, and mentoring services. Many of the youth enrolled in the program come from the eastside of Detroit, where baseball and softball opportunities are limited. Through the Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program, the newly renovated field and partner support will allow SAY Detroit to continue providing a one-of-a-kind baseball and softball experience for players. As there is currently no citywide organization addressing the obstacles for thriving youth baseball and softball programs, SAY Detroit is determined to address these inequities and build a more vibrant future.
MLB and Scotts, a long-time league sponsor, began the Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program prior to the 2016 season to provide kids with modern, playable ball fields in communities around the U.S. The Scotts® Field Refurbishment Program is part of Scotts’ Gro More Good initiative to improve children’s health and well-being through increased connection to greenspaces. Scotts is also an official partner of the ‘PLAY BALL’ initiative, the sport’s largest collective effort to encourage young people and communities to participate in baseball- or softball-related activities, including formal leagues, events and casual forms of play.
