Cleveland Youth Baseball/Softball Association is hoping to recruit more youth athletes for the upcoming baseball and softball seasons, which start in early March.
“The Cleveland school district has grown so much and it’s hard to reach everyone. We have reached out to the school district and handed out flyers around town, but we still need more kids involved in youth sports,” said Courtney Contreras, wife of the CYBA President Roy Contreras. “We are trying to bridge the gap for these kids and get them active in sports.”
Registration closes on Thursday, Feb. 2, and tryouts are on Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Cleveland municipal baseball park off SH 321 in Cleveland.
“Everyone makes a team. They come to try out and the coaches work with the kids. If it’s their first time, the coaches will work with them. It’s a first opportunity for kids to come to the fields and see what it’s all about,” said Contreras. “They will get on a team whether or not they are there for tryouts, but we would like everyone to come on Saturday if they can.”
The cost to sign up for Tiny Tots (3-year-olds) is $50; for ages 4 through 14, the cost is $100 per child, though CYBA is trying to help families with money issues to cover the costs of signing up.
“If it is a money issue keeping you from signing up, we can help with that, too,” she said. “We had one family who signed up this week, and with all their kids and the coaching fees, it was $700. We know that is a burden and we try to help.”
The fees cover expenses such as hats for boys, scrunchy headbands for girls, and jerseys, socks, trophies and coaching fees for both boys and girls. Pants are not included. Coaches pick the color for their team uniforms, and parents will need to purchase these items separately.
The season begins on March 4 for softball and March 18 for baseball, and all games are played at the Cleveland ball fields.
“We are usually right at 400 kids. With the school district growing, we would like to see more kids involved in CYBA. We have room to grow. We are also working with the City of Cleveland to get more lights on the fields, which will allow us to extend game times. The T-ball fields do not currently have lighting on the fields, so we have to be strategic when planning games,” Contreras said.
To sign up, go online to https://www.teamsideline.com/sites/clevelandyba/current-programs. More information and updates can be found at the Cleveland Youth Baseball and Softball Association’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057040346505