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Unique Ways to Support Your Local Team: Top Tips!

  The evolving landscape of local sports support has transformed from simple game attendance to an ecosystem of community engagement and creative initiatives.    Fan participation now extends far beyond the sidelines, encompassing everything from custom merchandise creation to innovative fundraising events that strengthen the bonds between teams and their local communities.   These approaches […]

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Community event with fans

 

The evolving landscape of local sports support has transformed from simple game attendance to an ecosystem of community engagement and creative initiatives. 

 

Fan participation now extends far beyond the sidelines, encompassing everything from custom merchandise creation to innovative fundraising events that strengthen the bonds between teams and their local communities.

 

These approaches to team support not only enhance the financial sustainability of local sports programs but also create meaningful connections that span generations, fostering a sense of purpose and community pride.

 

Creative Merchandise and Recognition Initiatives

Supporting local teams through branded merchandise creates visual recognition and strengthens community bonds. 

 

Fans can display their dedication by wearing team apparel, including branded custom socks with logos that showcase the team’s identity at games and around town. This type of visible support helps build brand awareness while fostering team spirit.

 

Recognition programs play a vital role in maintaining team morale and celebrating individual contributions. 

 

Teams can honor exceptional performers by presenting a distinctive award plaque during special ceremonies, highlighting the achievements of players, coaches, and dedicated supporters. 

 

These gestures create lasting memories and inspire continued participation in sports. The impact of these initiatives extends beyond immediate team members to the broader community. 

 

Youth participation in sports has shown significant growth, with 54.1% of children aged 6-17 engaging in sports activities. 

 

This increased engagement demonstrates how strong community backing and recognition systems can inspire the next generation of athletes and supporters.

 

Youth Engagement through Community Programs

Local teams play an important role in shaping young athletes’ development through structured sports programs

 

Research done by Project Play shows that 58% of children participate in sports through community-based initiatives, highlighting the significant impact of organized activities on youth participation

 

These grassroots programs create lasting connections between young players and their local sports organizations.

 

The implementation of structured training sessions provides young athletes with consistent opportunities to improve their abilities while building meaningful relationships. 

 

Youth-focused initiatives help create an inclusive environment where participants can develop both athletic prowess and essential life skills. 

 

These programs foster team spirit and encourage long-term commitment to sports participation, establishing a foundation for future success both on and off the field.

 

Volunteering Opportunities for All Ages

Community volunteering at sports field 

 

Sports volunteering creates meaningful connections between community members while providing support for local teams. 

 

By dedicating time and energy to sports programs, volunteers become integral parts of the athletic ecosystem, helping with everything from scorekeeping to equipment management. 

 

The impact of volunteer participation extends far beyond game day, fostering lasting relationships between supporters, athletes, and staff.

 

Here’s how people of different age groups can contribute through volunteering:

 

  • Match-day support roles including ticket collection, concession stand operation, and crowd management
  • Tournament organization and coordination of special events
  • Equipment maintenance and field preparation
  • Social media coverage and game photography
  • Youth mentoring and coaching assistance

 

The need for dedicated volunteers remains significant, especially considering that 58 percent of youth currently participate in organized sports activities. This presents an opportunity for community engagement and development. 

 

Through consistent volunteer involvement, local sports programs can expand their reach and enhance the quality of experiences for young athletes. 

 

The combination of experienced volunteers and fresh perspectives from new helpers creates a dynamic support system that strengthens the foundation of community sports programs.

 

Collaborative Fundraising Events and Drives

Community fair fundraising activities

 

Organizing innovative fundraising activities creates direct financial support for local teams while building lasting community connections. 

 

Sports organizations need substantial resources to maintain equipment, facilities, and program quality. 

 

The success of these fundraising initiatives depends on strategic planning and community participation. 

 

In youth sports, these events serve multiple purposes. They generate essential funding while creating experiences that strengthen team loyalty. 

 

Local businesses often become enthusiastic partners in these ventures, offering sponsorships and promotional support that amplifies the fundraising impact

 

These collaborative efforts transform simple donation requests into engaging community celebrations that benefit everyone involved.

 

Building Business Partnerships and Sponsorships

Strategic business partnerships form the backbone of successful local sports teams. These collaborations create financial support while fostering deep community connections

 

By establishing sponsorship agreements with neighborhood enterprises, teams can secure essential resources for equipment, facilities, and player development programs.

 

Small and medium-sized businesses play a vital role in supporting local athletics through various channels. 

 

From displaying team merchandise to promoting game schedules, these partnerships help create a strong sports culture within the community. 

 

Here are ways businesses can partner with local teams:

 

  • Providing uniform sponsorships and equipment funding
  • Offering special discounts to team members and supporters
  • Sharing retail space for team merchandise displays
  • Supporting event promotion through co-branded marketing
  • Contributing to facility maintenance and upgrades

 

These collaborative initiatives often lead to increased game attendance and stronger fan engagement. 

 

Such partnerships help establish sustainable funding streams while building meaningful relationships between sports organizations and local enterprises.

 

Celebrating Achievements and Community Milestones

Community sports celebration scene

 

Victory parades through downtown streets create memories while building team spirit and fostering civic pride. 

 

On the other hand, community appreciation days give teams a platform to connect with supporters, acknowledge dedicated volunteers, and highlight the positive impact of local sports programs.

 

Here are several meaningful ways to commemorate team and community achievements:

 

  • Organize seasonal award ceremonies to recognize outstanding players, coaches, and support staff
  • Create photo galleries and digital archives to document significant milestones
  • Host community festivals featuring team demonstrations and fan activities
  • Establish an annual hall of fame to honor long-term contributors
  • Coordinate recognition events with local government and business leaders

 

Fan Engagement Takeaways

Supporting local sports teams extends far beyond attendance at games, it includes creative merchandise initiatives, youth engagement programs, and strategic business partnerships that build community connections. 

 

Through volunteering opportunities, innovative fundraising events, and meaningful recognition programs, communities can create sustainable support systems that benefit both current and future generations of athletes.

 

The collective impact of these diverse support methods creates an ecosystem where local sports can thrive, as evidenced by the growing participation rates in youth athletics and increased community engagement initiatives.



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Binghampton community sensation uses his basketball talents to help youth in the community | News

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -A Binghampton community sensation is going viral for the crazy trick shots he makes on the basketball court. What Mardricus West will tell you is that there is a testimony behind these trick shots and important life lessons he’s teaching the youth. It’s basketball shots you would never imagine going in. Madricus West, […]

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. -A Binghampton community sensation is going viral for the crazy trick shots he makes on the basketball court.

What Mardricus West will tell you is that there is a testimony behind these trick shots and important life lessons he’s teaching the youth.

It’s basketball shots you would never imagine going in.

Madricus West, who also goes by “The Goat in Human Form,” said he spends hours practicing these wild, difficult shots.

“I’m a big inspiration with the kids. The kids love what I’m doing. It’s positivity,” West said.

It’s social media videos of shots just like this one that have made him go viral.

He said the practice comes with a lot of attention from young fans from around the Binghampton neighborhood, like young Elijah Baileyel.

Elijah is one of the many kids who watch West practice every day.

“It’s pretty cool. It’s really exciting seeing kids get hype when he make it,” Baileyel said.

West says he uses the trick shots to draw the youth in to teach them about what he’s been through.

West said in November of 2023 he became a victim of gun violence, getting shot 12 times.

The shooting caused him to not walk for months and left him with noticeable scars.

“Sometimes they ask me what happened to your legs; that’s when I tell them the story, and they’re like, ‘I’m blessed. I break it down to them, but they have to hear it for what it is,” West said.

West said the most important lesson he hopes the youth he’s inspiring grab hold of is the importance of patience and making the right decisions in life.

“If you want to do something and you don’t have patience, you can’t do it. You got have patience for everything,” Baileyel said.


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Signature X Wiggs Shooting Camp a full-circle moment for ex-MSU Billings star

BILLINGS — The summer is all about athletes giving back. In late June, former Montana State Billings standout basketball player Carrington Wiggins, who is playing professionally overseas, was back in the Magic City putting on a shooting camp for the local youth. “We just thought it was something different. Instead of doing a regular camp […]

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BILLINGS — The summer is all about athletes giving back.

In late June, former Montana State Billings standout basketball player Carrington Wiggins, who is playing professionally overseas, was back in the Magic City putting on a shooting camp for the local youth.

“We just thought it was something different. Instead of doing a regular camp we wanted to specialize in something,” Wiggins said. “We specialized in shooting and trying to teach these kids the regular fundamentals of shooting.”

Wiggins linked up with Shannon Blake of Signature Hoops while he was in Billings. Wiggins has developed a deep connection throughout the years with the Blake family. This is the duo’s second year of putting on the Signature X Wiggs Shooting Camp.

“Every year, our relationship got bigger and bigger when I was attending MSUB. Now I can call him like family,” Wiggins said. “Because of what we’re doing now with the camps outside of college, we just have a great friendship and I can call him like my brother, my big brother.”

“All the way around, family, father figure. He’s away from home in Montana, he has someone and has that support system that’s going to keep him grounded and motivated, so that’s been one of the funnest things about it, for sure,” Blake said.

It was a bit of a full-circle moment for Wiggins. Blake’s kids Kobe and Zicciah used to rebound for Wiggins during his workouts, but now they’ve matured into some of the best basketball players in area.

“It’s crazy to see. I feel like I’m getting older just seeing them. They’re both taller than me. It’s amazing to see their growth throughout the years,” Wiggins said. “When I met them they were like little babies and now they’re in high school doing their thing. It’s good to see they love basketball just like I love it.”

“(Wiggins) was huge for them,” Blake said. “They go from idolizing him, rebounding, to all of the sudden they’re 6-2, 6-3 and juniors and seniors, so he gets to be like the big brother where he’s literally just chasing them around to now he’s mentoring them,” Blake said.

“From a father/trainer aspect, I’ll be like, ‘Hey Wiggs, call the boys.’ Wiggs will be that mentor, and that’s been really sweet to see that relationship, as well.”

It’s all about moving it forward for the next generation.





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MLB All-Star Tom Gordon has 10 pieces of advice for sports parents

Top-5 prospects to watch in 2025 MLB Draft The Southwest Times Record’s Jackson Fuller shares his top 5 MLB draft prospects who could hear their names called early. This is Part 3 of a three-part summer series visiting with three former major league All-Stars turned sports dads. They offer sports and life advice about how […]

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This is Part 3 of a three-part summer series visiting with three former major league All-Stars turned sports dads. They offer sports and life advice about how to make our kids better players, but also how to get the most out of athletic experiences with them. 

This week: Fulfilling professional dreams with Tom, Dee and Nick Gordon while enjoying the ride as fathers and sons.

New York Yankees fans learned a familiar pitching formula in 2004 and 2005. If their team had the lead, they would see Flash Gordon’s biting fastballs and sharp curveballs in the eighth inning, then Mariano Rivera’s lethal cutters in the ninth. A victory was virtually sealed.

The routine often started much earlier in the day, in the New Jersey suburbs where Gordon lived with his teenaged son.

“Daddy, I want to go to the ball field,” Dee Gordon would say as he woke up his dad.

The veteran relief pitcher, now in his mid-to-late 30s, found a personal revival in what came next.

They would go to a nearby diamond at 10:30 or 11 a.m. and get in their work: Father hitting son ground balls, the two talking baseball and soaking up the energy of the interactions he would replicate with similar sessions with another son, Nick.

He would rest for a couple hours, feeling laser focused when he headed to Yankee Stadium.

“That way of doing things took pressure off me,” Tom “Flash” Gordon tells USA TODAY Sports. “I had such a regimen with working with them, where it was taking stress off my mind. And then when it was time for me to get ready to go, I can ease back into it, and then I can go as hard as I can go. They helped me just as much as I helped them.”

It’s the way youth sports can work for parents and kids. Dee and Nick both reached the major leagues, which Flash credits to their determination to climb above their competitors, but also to a path to success his mother and father set him and his siblings along in Avon Park, Florida.

Gordon calls himself an ambassador of sorts these days as he coaches and scouts for Perfect Game, a youth baseball and softball platform.

“I tried to do the very best I could as a father but also I feel like my job is to pass on information that was given to me,” he says.

Gordon, 57, spoke with us about Rivera, Bo Jackson and George Brett, but also the wisdom of Tom and Annie Gordon that drives him, and how we can use it to guide our kids’ travel sports journeys. He offers 10 tips:

1. Approach sports as a love that can last a lifetime

When Flash’s father, also named Tom, took his son to the ballyard, they gassed up, packed sandwiches and headed up into Alabama, Georgia or South Carolina in a parade of cars. It was a real-life barnstorm.

Others came to watch, and the young boy developed an image of what it looked like to be a professional.

 “I got to see not the actual Negro Leagues — the Grays and the Monarchs and teams like that — but these small teams and these small little towns that wanted to be like them,” Flash Gordon says. “It was a Negro league for them, and it was something that they needed.”

His father never graduated from high school, never came close to the opportunities his son had, but he embraced the life a game had given him.

“He never thought he’d be a major league baseball player,” Gordon says of his father. “He probably never thought that his son would and then grandsons, but what he did believe in is that he loved baseball so much to where you keep playing it, or play a sport or do something you love, until it’s out of you in regards to you don’t have the same drive to do it.

“And I was really proud of him because he could have easily said, ‘Son, I play every Sunday, and I work as hard as I could go, and I was hoping that maybe somebody would see me and like me as a player.’ (He was a good pitcher.) And they never did. But he never let that deter him from being our best supporter, our best parent, our best love, and a guy that always wanted to hear how our day went.”

2. It’s not your sports career, it’s your kids’: Parents’ job is to provide the experience

Late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner once offered advice that Flash continues to use when he’s at the Florida car dealerships he and his brothers own: It’s important to be here, but it’s more important for you to leave something behind.

“The knowledge you have, just give that, leave it, because when you’re gone, it’s not yours to take with you,” Flash says.

He saw his parents’ dedication to not only their jobs, but their roles as parents. Annie was at all of her sons’ local games but also carefully sketched out activities for their sister, he says, “to create things in her life that kept her motivated and happy and excited about growing up as a kid in our household.”

“My mom was a stickler in staying on top of your grades,” he says. “Being the oldest, you wanted to make sure that the chores around the house were done. … I don’t think I would have made it to the major leagues, I don’t think I would have been the person that I’ve had an opportunity to become without the leadership of my parents. And I see it in my brothers, how they deal with people, respond to people. It’s almost like seeing my brothers be just like my mom in a lot of ways; they have that gentle smile before they make a decision.”

3. Scouts look at the full person, not just their ability

As he scowled from the mound, Flash thought he was tough. But he says he has plenty of his mom in him, too.

Annie has helped him understand, as he roves around to showcases and events, what constitutes the most elite players.

“You’re looking at social media and the stuff that they’re doing, it’s almost like they’re already gratified, they’re already at that point where, ‘Hey, I’ve shown a scout that I’m going to be great. I can hit home runs, shoot 3-pointers, I can hit a volleyball or whatever on videos and show ’em that I got a chance to be great,” Gordon says. “Well, guess what? The coach and the scout have not been around you long enough to see if you’re a quality enough of a person to make everybody around you better.

“It looks good when you do all these things on video, but now I need to come to your house and ask your parents whether or not you do your chores on time, do you look out for your brothers and sisters, or are you someone that they have to stay on and have to constantly be motivated to do something.”

4. Let your kids’ sports motivation come from within

Flash’s son, Dee Strange-Gordon, was drafted in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 and became a two-time All-Star. But his first sports love was basketball.

“All of a sudden, it was like, ‘Daddy, could you buy me a bat? Could you buy me a glove?’ Yes, yes!’ ” Flash says. “It’s only because they’re around it so much. … This game wasn’t pushed on them to where they had to play.

“Let it be about them and their career and just be more motivated to help them the best way you possibly can, reminding them, for the most part, and Nicholas had a tough time sometimes with this one: Nothing comes easy, son.”

5. Whether you are in the dugout or bleachers, allow your son or daughter to be coached

Before Nick Gordon was drafted in the first round in 2014 and would play 338 big-league games, Flash coached him in travel ball.

“I moved my son from shortstop to second base. Sometimes I played him at third,” Flash says. “He felt like, well, that’s the wrong decision to make. However, I have to make the decision best for the entire team, not just for the fact that you’re my son.

“Be willing to allow your coach to coach your child, and then sit back in the stands and observe and watch the process. … The toughest thing for a parent is when a coach changes your son’s position, and maybe you don’t think that’s the right way. However, you’re looking at it from a parent’s perspective outside, and he’s looking at it [from] the coach’s perspective on the ground, boots down.”

6. The most elite players have pregame routines

After Flash Gordon was drafted by Kansas City in the sixth round in 1986, he reported to the rookie-level Gulf Coast League in Sarasota, Florida. He was a hotshot high schooler who found himself up against another Kansas City Royals prospect named Linton Dyer. Dyer’s nickname was “Lightning.”

“Flash vs. Lightning,” another Royals prospect, Bo Jackson, observed, coining Gordon’s moniker.

Gordon was 20 when he reached the majors. He found out how much he didn’t know, when Brett called him over to his locker.

“I don’t see a routine, son,” the future Hall of Famer said.

Brett did the same thing every day. He arrived, put on his shorts, and headed off to hit and watch video.

“The routine as a parent at home, getting up, those things change sometimes,” Flash says, “but when you have a game that’s being played at 7 o’clock, it’s time for you to get a routine at 3 p.m. and have that routine ready to go and make sure that you capture those goals through that routine until game time.

“I really appreciated Mark Gubicza and Bret Saberhagen. Those guys had great routines and prepared, they paid attention in the meetings, and it just inspired me to want to try and see if I could do more of that and become that much of a better baseball player.”

7. We don’t ever want to tear kids down, but we can use constructive criticism to motivate them

Gordon learned in the majors that teammates wanted to know when they weren’t pulling their weight.

“Every now and then it’s OK to let them know you were not that good today,” he says. “Sometimes, as a leader, you have to be reminded that it ain’t just about the way you see things. It’s about team. We’re trying to promote winning. Sometimes players think about things a week down the road when we right now are in this struggle with this other team to beat them three out of four. In the major leagues, guys come there, they all think they’re ready to play, and everyone’s coming to watch them. I was there. I know what it feels like. But sometimes that criticism puts things back into perspective.”

8. Taking nothing for granted when you reach the upper levels of sports

Sometimes Flash will look at his phone, and see that it’s Bo Jackson calling, and say to himself: “What have I done now?”

Bo always gave it to Flash straight if he felt he was just going through the motions.

“Hey, you’re in the major leagues,” Jackson would tell the younger player. “Every day you take nothing for granted here. You go as hard as you can because you never know when that day that you can’t play again happens. You get hurt, you may not ever be able to play again. Things don’t go well, you may not find that way of being able to progress.”

Even when our kids reach high school sports, there is no guarantee they will play. Each game, each sliver of playing time within that game, presents an opportunity.

Gordon tells kids there are always three things they can control: Your preparation, your attitude and your emotions.

“If you do those things,” he says, “you make my job easier, and I can help you become a much better baseball player, a much better person.”

9. Find calm before you go into the storm

Gordon was in his 15th full major-league season when he got to the Yankees. When he walked into the clubhouse, he’d see Rivera two lockers away. Rivera’s routine was to sit there. Nothing, it seemed, could disrupt the guy who would become baseball’s all-time saves leader.

“We could have a bonfire in the middle of the clubhouse,” Gordon says.

He was putting himself in that space of mindfulness and focus where pitchers thrive. The practice kept him fresh and motivated, and it was one Gordon realized he liked himself.

10. Your No. 1 asset is being a good teammate

When Flash came up with the Royals, he had lived with Jackson and his wife, Linda. He was a part of the family to the point where Bo’s kids called him their brother.

Gordon had just been told by then-Arizona Diamondbacks manager A.J. Hinch he had been released after what would be his final major-league game in 2009, when he was reminded of that feeling. He walked out of Hinch’s office, and each of his teammates was there to hug him.

“There’s not a coach I’ve ever come across that’s not willing to give you great information to help make you better when you’re a good teammate,” he says.

He couldn’t stop crying and yet he was at peace, like he had felt in those days when he and Dee were on the field in New Jersey.

“With everything that we have today, technology and the Internet, and everything that’s out there, kids’ lives start to get overshadowed with them being athletes and other things that they’re doing,” he says. “Just stay at a place where you’re more of a listener than you are someone that’s giving advice. You don’t have o. Sometimes just watching gives you the best perspective. Just be there for their journey.”

Read Part I: ‘You’re not getting scouted at 12’: Youth sports tips from a LLWS hero

Read Part II: World Series champ shares how to maximize high school, college potential

Steve Borelli, aka Coach Steve, has been an editor and writer with USA TODAY since 1999. He spent 10 years coaching his two sons’ baseball and basketball teams. He and his wife, Colleen, are now sports parents for two high schoolers. His column is posted weekly. For his past columns, click here.

Got a question for Coach Steve you want answered in a column? Email him at sborelli@usatoday.com



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Garrett Wallow hosts 2nd annual youth football camp

NEW ORLEANS, La. (WGNO) – John Curtis alum, Garrett Wallow, hosts second annual youth football camp at Harrell Stadium. “It’s always good coming back home and especially giving back to the New Orleans community where I grew up at so it’s always exciting.” Advertisement Wallow, a linebacker with the Tennessee Titans, hosted his first camp […]

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NEW ORLEANS, La. (WGNO) – John Curtis alum, Garrett Wallow, hosts second annual youth football camp at Harrell Stadium.

“It’s always good coming back home and especially giving back to the New Orleans community where I grew up at so it’s always exciting.”

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Wallow, a linebacker with the Tennessee Titans, hosted his first camp at his former high school.

This year, hosting over 70 campers, his team decided to pivot the location to Harrell Stadium in order to impact another demographic in the area.

The camp hosted kids ages 6-16.

“I wanted to hold it in the middle part of the city to where I could get a lot more kids from different communities who don’t have as much from where I went to high school”, says Wallow. “It means a lot. You can tell the kids are excited. It’s so fun being around so many personalities. They have so much character to them.”

Wallow was a fifth-round draft pick in 2021.

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Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WGNO.



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Will Rochester get its money’s worth with $65 million sports complex? – Post Bulletin

ROCHESTER — Will Rochester’s proposed sports complex be a $65 million project that becomes worth every penny and a civic source of pride? Or might it not come close to paying for itself? When it comes to the future benefits of the building and eventual utilization of the Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex, predicting its […]

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ROCHESTER — Will Rochester’s proposed sports complex be a

$65 million project

that becomes worth every penny and a civic source of pride? Or might it not come close to paying for itself?

When it comes to the future benefits of the building and

eventual utilization of the Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex,

predicting its worth is tricky.

There are those brimming with optimism about a complex that, in its first of two projected phases — the outdoors components come first, with groundbreaking set for this fall — will include eight turf and lighted baseball/softball fields, 12 outdoor pickleball courts, two turf soccer fields, a basketball court, and a walking/running track. The optimists especially point to the city evolving into a sports destination with the complex allowing a multitude of large youth and amateur tournaments to be hosted here, especially in baseball and softball.

Sports tourism has grown into one of the world’s biggest money industries, and Rochester seems on the cusp of seriously entering that fray.

Rochester resident Andrew Davick, who had a son go through the Rochester Youth Baseball Association and is a former RYBA president, believes the sports complex is long overdue.

“There is a need for it in a city of (123,000) people,” Davick said. “We lack some of those facilities that other communities have. That the city (hasn’t had) a nice turf field is surprising. So I am excited about it. Our facilities have to match our population growth and match what Mayo Clinic is doing.”

There are also plenty who don’t share the same optimism about an initial sports complex building phase that will cost in the $65 million range. When initially approved by Rochester voters in 2023, the public largely believed that an indoor facility would come first, and it would be accompanied by a group of rectangular fields, mostly designated for soccer and lacrosse.

Original plans included as many as 12 soccer fields that would be constructed. That number has been cut to two in the initial phase. And the indoor facility — which is likely to house basketball and volleyball courts and offer other amenities — isn’t likely to be built for another five years or more.

Plenty of Rochester residents were seeking more from this project than mostly baseball, softball and outdoor pickleball facilities, and were welcoming what it would do for the Rochester sports community, even more than what it would do for the Rochester economy.

“A lot of people had anticipated the indoor facility,” said former Rochester Youth Baseball Association president Mike Vance, who was among a number of sports association leaders in the community who were asked for their input on the project before final decisions were made. “As a citizen, I guess I am excited about the project. But there are a lot of concerns within the community as to what the original vote and proposition (for the project) had been. There was some feedback in the community sessions we had about how much use this would get and whether this was the right step.”

There remain questions about who is actually going to have access to the sports complex, whether it will be a bidding war to play on these fields and courts, and whether weekend usage will largely be eaten up by out-of-towners playing tournaments here.

It does raise the question: Is this project worth the $65 million price tag, and potentially twice that much, or more, to complete both phases? Once everything is built, will those Rochester voters who voted yes in 2023 to the construction of the Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex have deemed it worth it?

062425-SPORTSCOMPLEX-2.JPG

Brian Pulos (1), of Rochester Tornadoes AAA white, bats during a baseball scrimmage against the Rochester Tornadoes AAA black on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at the Rochester Youth Baseball Complex.

Maya Giron / Post Bulletin

Rochester Sports Executive Director Matt Esau says yes, Rochester is going to get its money’s worth.

Esau, whose organization’s mission is to bring sports tournaments to Rochester, has heavily studied the explosive impact of sports tourism. He says the Rochester economy will be ready to hit a new gear once this new sports complex on the southeast edge of town is built.

Baseball and softball tournaments that Rochester Sports used to struggle to attract because of the city’s lack of facilities will be made easier to bring to town with eight new fields, all of them with dugouts and lights.

Esau says that the Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex will have a big-league feel, which he is certain will be a major draw for tournament customers.

Building the complex, Esau believes, will help Rochester go from a one-trick pony — health care — to a second trick, sports tourism.

“I am thrilled with the project,” Esau said. “I wish it had come 10 years earlier. I think that a lot of people in Rochester and the surrounding area would have trouble grasping what this facility could do for our economy and sports tourism in our city. Sometimes it’s hard to understand the dollars that are brought in by visitors. It’s not just the hotels and restaurants that benefit, but so many others indirectly. When visitors spend money in our town, that money changes hands on average seven times. That is hard for people to grasp.”

06262025-Matt-Esau-sm_01.jpg

Matt Esau, the executive director of Rochester Sports, poses for a portrait at the Mayo Civic Center on Thursday, June 26, 2025 in Rochester.

Sophia Marschall / Post Bulletin

What is also hard to grasp is who from the community will regularly use this new facility.

Weekends will likely be used primarily for tournaments at the baseball and softball complex. But what about the rest of the week? Who will occupy those new turf fields at 2 p.m. on a Wednesday, if anybody? And how about Sunday through Thursday nights from late March until early November?

Maybe even more importantly, what will the price be to rent a field and how soon in advance will that renting need to happen? Those things have yet to be determined.

In a city that is strapped for field space and saw its youth baseball numbers increase by 30% this past year, more usable baseball and softball fields would figure to be warmly welcomed. Youth softball and soccer leagues in Rochester are also bursting at the seams, their numbers ever growing.

The sheer number of baseball/softball fields being built — eight — isn’t the only lure to playing there. Also strongly factored in is that these fields will be made of artificial turf, making them playable for an extra few months of the year. Moisture is a hindrance with grass fields, which get torn up when played on after it rains or snows. It’s imaginable that the eight turf baseball/softball fields and two turf soccer fields will be playable as early as the last week of March and as late as early November, or until the snow flies and stays.

For high school teams, that can be a big deal. Getting practices outdoors at the end of March often can’t happen at a school’s grass field. It also can’t happen at either of Rochester’s two main soccer complexes, Watson and Fuad Mansour. But for baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse, it will be possible on the Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex’s turf. College teams from a 60-mile radius also figure to get in on the act of renting Rochester’s new fields for early season practices. So do all levels of soccer teams who want to take advantage of that turf.

“We are excited about it,” John Marshall Activities Director Brian Ihrke said. “We think we’ll be able to use it to some extent. When our fields (at JM) are wet in the early spring of the year, we hope to use the turf for baseball and softball. We have every intention to do it. I do think this will be good for Rochester.”

Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country. This new sports complex answers the call for more pickleball courts in Rochester, with 12 outdoor state-of-the art courts to be built at the site. And they will be lit, one of the few pickleball sites in Rochester that comes with lights.

All of that has Rochester pickleball player and Rochester Area Pickleball Association president Denise Dupras excited. She says these lit courts will be the best ones in town.

“They are going to be spectacular courts,” Dupras said. “And with lights, there will be the advantage of being able to play late in the evenings.”

But her excitement is tempered some with the expectation that the courts will be pay-to-play.

With the complex being funded by local tax dollars, she says it doesn’t sit right with the pickleball community that there will be a fee to play.

“If there is a fee, people will always want to look somewhere else to play,” Dupras said. “We’ve been told by Park and Rec that there will be a cost for the courts. But these will be the best courts in town, state-of-the-art. They are going to be spectacular courts.”

The Rochester soccer community is another group that has some dissatisfaction with how things are taking shape with the Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex. After initial plans advertised a pack of outdoor soccer fields to be built, those plans changed drastically, now with just two rectangular turf fields in the offing, down from 12.

That came after it was realized that Rochester likely couldn’t compete with Blaine and its massive soccer complex for tournaments.

Rochester soccer parent Alicia Zeone says the current Rochester sports complex plans are a major letdown to soccer enthusiasts, no matter the reason for having changed them.

“Folks were excited when the original plans were laid out; those were grand plans,” Zeone said. “But they are going in a whole different direction now.”

Traveling baseball and softball teams in Rochester have a long history of leaving town for weekend tournaments. They’ve gone mostly in a three-state radius, with such places as Des Moines, Iowa (with

baseball

and

soccer complexes);

Mauston, Wisconsin (

baseball

and

soccer complexes);

and a variety of Twin Cities sites for their tournaments, all of those places home to excellent facilities.

With Phase 1 of Rochester’s sports complex scheduled to be completed within two years, the plan is, not only will more and bigger tournaments help boost Rochester’s economy with all of the out-of-town weekend visitors, but Rochester baseball and softball players and their families will save money by traveling less.

Steven Todd is the father of 10-year-old Weston Todd, who plays on a 10-under Class AAA traveling baseball team from Rochester. Steven is the team’s coach. The Todds know all about leaving town on the weekends, bound for youth baseball tournaments. They’ve already played in five of them this year, and they’ll have done seven outside of Rochester before the season is done.

Steven said he is looking forward to the day when Weston can stay home to play. It’s going to save time and money. Weekend baseball trips aren’t cheap. Hotels, meals, gas — it all adds up. It starts on a Friday night and extends to the time they arrive home, Sunday evenings.

“For our family of five, I’m spending anywhere from $1,200 to $1,500 per (weekend) tournament,” Steven Todd said. “So, instead of doing that in the Cities, we could be doing that here (many) weekends. I think for tourism, the (sports complex) will pay for itself. I say that just knowing what I spend myself on a trip. I’m excited because this can keep you home a little bit more than we’ve been. And I think it could do great things for the city.”

062425-SPORTSCOMPLEX-0.JPG

Rochester Tornadoes AAA baseball coach Steven Todd and his son Weston are pictured on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at the Rochester Youth Baseball Complex.

Maya Giron / Post Bulletin

With Rochester’s abundance of hotels, restaurants and what is believed will be a state-of-the-art sports complex, Steven Todd believes it can be a perfect host for regional tournaments.

Jake Vetter, whose son Ryan also plays for the same 10-under Class AAA travel baseball team, is also looking forward to spending more time in Rochester once the new fields are built.

“Yeah, we’ll save some money,” Jake Vetter said. “It also brings teams down to Rochester, so we get to stay in town and showcase the city that we have. It’ll make it easier for us parents to not be traveling every weekend. And I think we can get quality teams, teams that will come from Iowa and Wisconsin and even Illinois. You could bring in teams and have something here almost every weekend.”

This article is the first in the Post Bulletin’s three-part series “Game Changer,” looking at soon to be constructed Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex.

Today: Will Rochester get its money’s worth with $65 million sports complex?

July 12: Softball, soccer stakeholders have differing reactions to Phase I

July 19: How can adult rec leagues, athletes make use of new sports complex?





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Unstoppable Germany punch their ticket to the final

LAUSANNE (Switzerland) – Germany achieved the greatest accomplishment in their country’s youth basketball history by reaching the Final of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 and reaching the podium for the first time. Let us know what you think and vote: Who will be crowned U19 World Cup 2025 champions? Germany used a big […]

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LAUSANNE (Switzerland) – Germany achieved the greatest accomplishment in their country’s youth basketball history by reaching the Final of the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 and reaching the podium for the first time.

Let us know what you think and vote:

Who will be crowned U19 World Cup 2025 champions?

Germany used a big second quarter to register a 72-84 victory in the Semi-Finals. Christian Anderson was just too much as the German point guard scored 27 points while big man Hannes Steinbach collected 14 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks for an efficiency rating of 30.

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It was another win for the Germans against Slovenia, who actually held a 13-point lead in the opening game of the tournament. Germany came back to win 75-68 and stopped Slovenia from getting redemption after losing to Germany in the Semi-Finals of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024.

The Germans last summer claimed the trophy at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket – the country’s proudest achievement at the youth level. That is until Saturday night in Lausanne.

Germany temporarily took an eight-point lead in the opening frame but led by just two points after 10 minutes. And Slovenia knotted the game early in the second quarter only to see Germany answer with 12 straight points and extend the lead to 14 points at halftime 45-31.

The advantage was as high as 18 points in the third stanza but Slovenia made a bit of a push and were down just 57-49 after 30 minutes. The cushion was down to just six points before Germany had the next eight points to extend the lead to 65-51.

Slovenia tried to get closer – trimming it to 10 points multiple times – but German captain Jack Kayil drained back to back three-pointers and the U18 European champs had regained control.

We are all super happy but on the other hand we all know there is one more game. That is the reason we came here: to play against the best and go as far as we can,” said Kayil, who is the German captain. “We showed last summer that we can also win a Final.”

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

The best photos from the game

Germany’s opponent in the Final will be determined after the second Semi-Final game between USA and New Zealand.

Slovenia, who got 23 points from Mark Padjen, will look to bounce back and faces the loser of the USA-New Zealand matchup for third place.

Let us know what you think and vote:

Who will be named FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 TISSOT MVP?

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