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Goodyear parents say Little League fields can't meet demand; staff to follow up
Summary
At the Feb. 10 Goodyear City Council meeting, resident Julie Haynes told council more than 1,300 children tried to register for Little League while fields had roughly 1,000 slots; city staff said they will follow up and inform council.
At the Feb. 10 Goodyear City Council meeting, resident Julie Haynes told council that more than 1,300 children tried to register for Goodyear Little League this year while available roster slots met about 1,000 players, leaving “Levi and 300 plus others” on a wait list.
Haynes said she and other families sent a letter to the city on Jan. 31 and urged the city to consider short-term fixes such as adding lights to currently unlit fields so more games and practices could be scheduled without waiting for new field construction. “So over 1,300 kids tried to play this year, and they had slots for about a thousand, which means that Levi and 300 plus others are not able to play,” Haynes said.
The matter came during the meeting’s citizen comment period. Haynes told council her son Levi, 9, had been placed on the wait list after previously playing Little League, and she offered to volunteer as a coach. She said her informal review found “at least 3 or 4 fields that just don’t have lights,” and that lighting plus maintenance could increase capacity more quickly than building new fields.
A city senior manager told Haynes the city would follow up, inform council, and include the issue in future capital improvement planning. The senior manager said staff would be in touch with Haynes to collect her contact information and details.
No formal council action was taken at the meeting; the item was public comment and staff follow-up was the next step.
