After a record number of registrations recorded last year, the summer of 2022 promises to be just as busy for Baseball Saint-Laurent. A park will be redesigned this fall to accommodate this new traffic.
The baseball association had about 300 registrations last year, a record. The hockey season which was canceled in 2019-2020 would be in question.
“Parents wanted their children to play sports, so many chose baseball,” explains the association’s baseball vice-president, Benoît Nadeau. Registrations have therefore exploded, mainly among the youngest.
The increase has been so significant that the maximum capacity of the 4 to 7 year old category, named rally caphas been reached.
“The sanitary measures meant that the parents had to be present on the field with the young people to avoid interactions with the coach, so we had to refuse registrations”, he continues.
The increased number of teams and the sanitary measures in place have forced the association to buy more bats and receivers’ equipment.
“You could only have a receiver who used the same set and each player had to have his stick, he says. So at the management level, we had more work to do.
Continue this momentum
These logistical difficulties would not ultimately have affected the player experience, as registrations are going well again this year. About 250 players had registered more than a week before the end of the registration period.
The return rate of 85% on average for the last seasons seems to be respected, in particular due to the age of the new players from last year.
“It’s rare for a 14 or 15 year old to want to register for the first time, so it’s really important to have a good base in our younger age groups,” said the vice-president. of Baseball Saint-Laurent. This is why the enrollment boom will be felt in the long term.
Installations
The addition of teams at all levels means that Saint-Laurent courts will be busier than ever. One of them, that of Noël-Sud park, will be expanded to accommodate teenagers.
“We have a lot of small parks, but for the U18s, we only have one park available, explains Mr. Nadeau. Our players are growing and hitting harder so that’s why it’s going to take us this other bigger field next year.
A few seats are still available to play baseball this summer as registration continues through March 9.
