Baseball Policy - Montréal adopts the Montréal 2015-2025 Baseball Action Plan
1er avril 2016
Montréal, le 1er avril 2016 -Montréal Mayor Denis Coderre today unveiled the Montréal 2015-2025 Baseball Action Plan at the Olympic Stadium. The plan was first announced during the presentation of the Baseball Policy in January 2015.
“The Montréal 2015-2025 Baseball Action Plan, a product of the Baseball Policy, is a planning tool that allows us to adopt a long-term vision for this sport, which has been part of our identity as Montrealers for more than a century. The time has come to give it back its rightful place. Through this new Action Plan, Montréal signals its intention to encourage and promote the practice of baseball,” said the mayor of Montréal.
The three-part plan calls for developing the practice of baseball, offering facilities, and promoting the sport by hosting related events. It includes some 20 concrete actions the city pledges to carry out over the next 10 years with the collaboration of its partners in order to encourage and promote the practice of baseball.
The plan was drawn up in collaboration with Montréal boroughs and close to 30 partners from the baseball and softball communities, including Baseball Québec, Softball Québec, the Association des sports de balle de Montréal and local minor-league baseball associations.
The Program to repair ball fields in Montréal, announced in early 2015, is part of the Action Plan, and it has already produced tangible results. Work has already been carried out to improve the ball fields at Complexe sportif Claude-Robillard (Ahuntsic-Cartierville), Éloi Viau Stadium (LaSalle) and at LaSalle Park (Lachine), Jarry Park (VSMPE) and Clémentine-De-La-Rousselière Park (RdP-PaT). Other ball field repair projects are in the final stages at the following parks in these boroughs: André-Laurendeau (Anjou), Lucie-Bruneau (Anjou), Loyola (CDN—NDG), Decelles (Saint-Laurent), Ladauversière (Saint-Léonard) and Giuseppe-Garibaldi (Saint-Léonard).
In addition, several other Montréal ball fields will be improved in 2016 and 2017. It's important to reiterate that the Program to repair ball fields in Montréal calls for total investments of $11M over three years. The Montréal 2015-2025 Baseball Action Plan calls for an additional investment of $15M to establish regional hubs for ball sports. These hubs will feature two ball fields that meet international standards. This will allow Montréal to play host to international events, such as the 18U Baseball World Cup.
“Baseball's development – on top of offering satisfactory ball fields and promoting the sport – must include the creation of new teams and the training of new coaches and officials,” concluded Mr. Coderre.