Plant City Little League is searching for ways to improve its registration numbers.
Plant City Little League President Ben Smith had been hoping that the league could fix its participation problems this year.
Now that the final rosters have been set and play has begun, it appears that there’s even more work to be done now.
Smith reports that the league has seen an overall drop in participation rates from last year. The decline — which hit softball especially hard — presents several problems for the league.
SOFTBALL
Smith says that the softball league is down from seven to five teams, and he has reason to believe that the cost to play is directly affecting PCLL’s participation numbers.
“Christina Girls Softball (in south Lakeland) charges $65 to $85 per head to play there, and they took some of our participation this year,” Smith says. “A few of our girls went over there. We charge $135 for boys and girls, and then the city fee drives it up to $165.”
Smith, on the suggestion of Plant City Recreation and Parks head Jack Holland, wrote a letter several weeks ago to city commissioners, asking them to do away with the mandatory $30 city fee that was implemented in 2007. Commissioners have yet to examine the letter and address these concerns, and this will likely happen after City Manager Mike Herr is able to review it.
“I’d have to take a look at it, see the pros and cons,” City Commissioner Mike Sparkman says. “We don’t want to charge any youth programs any more than we have to but, in the same token, we want to be able to build and take care of the facilities that these programs are using.”
OTHER COSTS
Another reason PCLL hopes the fee will be abolished? Smith says that the boardroom building, which is the only part of Mike Sansone Park that PCLL owns, needs a new roof. It could cost nearly $10,000.
“We could do the roof if we didn’t have to pay the city fee,” Smith says. “And, we’d probably have higher attendance rates.”
At the moment, PCLL does not see a solution if the city fee is not waived. If PCLL lowered its fees, it would boost participation, but it would also hurt the league’s ability to cover its costs to operate. At $45 per umpire and $3 to $5 per ball, among other things, America’s original pastime can get expensive.
And, if PCLL doesn’t want to be priced out of its own existence, something will have to change sooner than later.
“We have to explore, as a league, what can we do,” Smith says. “How far can we lower our pricing and still be able to cover our costs? I’m really not sure, there. Between all of our costs, they add up pretty quickly.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
