Efforts to return softball to Cache Creek and area are paying off, with more people signing up for teams during the Spring Into Action event held at the Cache Creek Community Hall on March 18.
The Cache Creek Softball Association table at the event was a busy one, and Marcie Down, the Spring Into Action organizer who has also been working on bringing softball back, is pleased with the way things are going.
“Registration is until March 31, and we plan to start in April,” she says. Twelve players are needed for each team, and anyone aged three and older is eligible to join. Down says that the association welcomes members from Ashcroft and Clinton, as well as anyone in other neighbouring communities.
“The season will run April, May, and June, and possibly September, but would end before hockey starts,” says Down. “And the days will be Tuesday/Thursday, so there will be no conflict with soccer. We’re trying to work with everybody.”
The league was originally proposed in 2015 as a partnership between the Village of Cache Creek and the Cache Creek Youth Group. They received a GenNext grant through United Way; but the flood in Cache Creek in May 2015 flooded the two ball diamonds, and made it impossible to go ahead that year.
Since then work has been ongoing in purchasing new equipment and finding sponsors. Down says they have already received some team sponsorships; for a cost of $350, a business or organization can sponsor one of the teams, providing them with jerseys and ball caps. The association is also looking for donors willing to help them purchase more equipment.
Down says the people behind the initial push for softball were parents who played the sport as children and wanted their own children to have the opportunity. One woman stepped forward with a donation of unused softballs left over from when she was younger and played the sport.
“It’s amazing the number of people who have stepped forward to help. There have been some neat stories.”
Anyone interested in registering for softball should contact Noah Chardon or Brandy Cooper-Chardon at (250) 457-7146, or Marcie Down at (778) 207-6957. Registration is $75 per person.