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Parks board forwards Bill Bond Baseball MOU to city council with outlying parks added
Summary
After a presentation from Bill Bond Baseball, the Pensacola Parks and Recreation board voted to forward the league's $10-per-player MOU to city council with auxiliary (outlying) parks included; presenters highlighted sponsorships, a long volunteer history and operational needs such as background checks and facility maintenance.
The Pensacola Parks and Recreation Board voted to forward a memorandum of understanding with Bill Bond Baseball to city council after hearing a detailed presentation from the league's acting president.
Steven Clark, acting president of the Bill Bond Baseball League, told the board the nonprofit was founded in 1967 and primarily focuses on affordable recreational baseball and player development. Clark described the league's staffing and volunteer model, its charter with Babe Ruth/Cal Ripken, and a sponsorship-driven budget that helps keep player fees low.
"Our number 1 priority is the rec, age groups," Clark said, explaining that the league provides uniforms, insurance and umpire and charter fees so parents do not need to purchase uniforms themselves. He said the league secures roughly 15–25 local sponsors annually and estimated sponsorship revenue can approach $35,000 a year.
Board members asked for clarification about the MOU's premises and whether outlying or auxiliary parks used for practices were included. Clark said earlier versions referenced Roger Scott but that the presentation and the city soccer agreement language could be mirrored to add auxiliary sites. Karen Price moved to approve forwarding the MOU with the inclusion of outlying parks; the motion was seconded and the board voted to forward the MOU to city council.
The board also questioned the MOU's financial terms (a $10-per-player fee to the city) given the league's per-player costs and reliance on sponsorships. Clark described discounts (an early-bird $20 discount and a 20% sibling discount), limited scholarship take-up to date, and that travel teams fund themselves through separate sponsorships rather than city funds. He noted the league completes Level 2 background screenings for coaches and uses SportEngine and GameChanger for registration and scorekeeping.
The board directed that auxiliary parks be explicitly included in the MOU language before the city council review. The MOU will next go to city council for consideration; if approved there, the agreement and its premises would be finalized and administered by parks staff.
The board thanked the Bill Bond team for the presentation and community service. The league said it will work with Cheryl (parks staff) on scheduling and with city staff to ensure the MOU language reflects the facilities the league actually uses.
