The Township of Union announced today that it was recently awarded a grant in the amount of $35,500 from the Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF). The grant will support and fund the renovation of Union’s VFW Teener League Field on Tucker Avenue.
The renovation, which will begin in the spring 2016, will include the re-grading of the playing surface to address drainage issues to better accommodate the extensive use of the field by 400 players and support the projected growth of the program by 80 players. The Township of Union works closely with six youth baseball and softball leagues serving over 2,000 children annually.
“It is refreshing to see the Baseball Tomorrow Fund helping out the youth level of baseball,” stated Mayor Manuel Figueiredo, “A great investment locally that could lead to a future professional baseball player.”
“Union’s Little League fields are amongst the best in the nation and this venture with the Baseball Tomorrow Fund will help bring our Teener league Field up to that level as well,” said Recreation Commissioner Anthony Terrezza.
”The Baseball Tomorrow Fund is proud to support the renovation of the VFW Teener League Field,” said Cathy Bradley, Executive Director of the Baseball Tomorrow Fund. “On behalf of Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, we thank the Township of Union and the local leagues for providing opportunities for young baseball and softball players in the community to play on safe and quality fields.”
About the Baseball Tomorrow Fund
The Baseball Tomorrow Fund (BTF) is a joint initiative between the Major League Baseball Players Association and Major League Baseball designed to promote the growth of youth baseball and softball throughout the world by awarding grants to support field renovation and construction projects, equipment and uniform purchases, coaches training material and other selected program expenses. Since its formation by the MLBPA and MLB in 1999, BTF has awarded more than 800 grants totaling over $27 million to non-profit and tax-exempt organizations in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia. BTF also facilitates league-wide initiatives including the collection and distribution of new and gently used equipment to organizations in need as well as field maintenance education clinics. For more information, visit baseballtomorrowfund.com and follow BTF on Facebook, Twitter and MLBlogs.