Multiple delegations hoping to persuade council on stadium for Regina Red Sox

Several delegations from the baseball community are expected to address city council on Wednesday to speak in favour of a new stadium for the Regina Red Sox.

Rob Gartner, president of the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League, is among those hoping to bend council’s ear.

The league is for elite youth (under-18 at the AA and AAA level) and Gartner said most of their games in Regina are played at Currie Field, the current home field for the Red Sox.

“We just don’t have the adequate facility with Currie Field that’s necessary to give these guys their best opportunity to develop their skill,” Gartner said.

“The fact (is) that we’re dealing with the facility that’s 50 years old and it’s at end of life. So a new field would mean that our players get to train and practise and compete on something that would help them further develop their skills.”

Earlier this month, the city’s executive committee rejected a proposal to spend $100,000 on a feasibility study into the facility.

Gartner believes that was a mistake and that if the city joins in on the study, a need will be identified.

“Without that investigation, they’re just shutting it down without fully understanding the implication of saying yes or no,” he said.

Not only is Currie Field “antiquated,” Gartner said it doesn’t meet the needs of ball players who want to pursue the sport at a high level.

“We’re looking for something that our players can train all year round,” he said.

He also believes baseball gets short shrift in Regina compared to other sports like hockey and football. It’s an “underappreciated” sport that benefits the community, he said.

“We’re providing a venue for kids to compete and train and feel accountable and loyal to a program,” Gartner said.

This past season saw 775 players register in Baseball Regina, he said, which is an increase from 2019. Gartner said that does not include children who enrol in the North Regina Little League.