Softball is dying in the Haines City/ Davenport/ Four Corners/ Poinciana area. If girls want to play the only real option is to join a competitive travel ball team. What about the girls who are just learning to play? The girls who's parents can't afford monthly dues and travel expenses? Or the single parent families who can't support that kind of commitment? A child should not be denied the opportunity to play a sport due to the size of their parent's wallets...that's where little league sports come in. It is statistically proven that kids who participate in youth sports are less likely to smoke, participate in underage drinking or commit criminal acts. The idea of recreational softball is to make it affordable for everyone, regardless of class or income. For a small fee a child is given the chance to learn the game and build valuable life skills. The fee covers the field upkeep, umpires, equipment, and uniform top. This concept has worked for years for Haines City baseball...but softball has been grossly neglected. At this time, there is a small league being ran by 2 mothers out of Davenport. This fall season, there were approximately 35 kids in total, over the age of 10. The parents of these kids paid $50, received a shirt and 2 games. While I appreciate the attempt to bring softball back to the area, I know we can do better than this. There are plenty of girls driving 25 min or more to other cities to play. Girls are playing in Haines City with the baseball boys because they are desperate for a place to participate. I propose that Haines City Baseball lease the Davenport fields and run Haines City softball as a sister to its already successful program. Little League softball should not be ran as a fundraiser for travel ball teams in the area, the money raised from it should go back into it and to the girls. This can only be done with the proper bookkeeping and accounting processes, which the Haines City Little League already has in place for baseball.

Please sign this petition asking Haines City Little League to take this on and for the Cities of Davenport and Haines City to do whatever needs to be done to work out a contract with them to provide fields for these girls to play on! Its past time to bring softball back to this area!