Based on Hancock Road in Upper Gwynedd, the league is a volunteer organization founded in 1986 by the merger of three prior groups
A local league has gotten a big boost, just in time for opening day.
North Wales borough council approved a $5,000 donation to the Nor-Gwyn Baseball league, and league officials vow to put it to good use
“We are a recreational and competitive organization. We have people in our organization from four years old, up to their 60s,” said Nor-Gwyn Vice President Ted Gribb.
Based on Hancock Road in Upper Gwynedd, just steps from the borough’s border, Nor-Gwyn Baseball is a volunteer organization founded in 1986 by the merger of three prior groups that operates a complex of five ballfields and one T-ball field adjacent to Pennbrook Middle School and Nor-Gwyn Elementary, As a locally-based, all-volunteer organization, Gribb and club president Bob Dantzer told council in late March, they rely on program fees, concession sales, and donations to keep up those fields, and have a long to-do list for 2024.
“Our big projects are to replace the field light poles: they were put up in the ’80s and have met their lifespan. We’ve completed eight of the 12 — we do our work as resources allow,” said Gribb.
League leaders also plan to replace and upgrade seating and add safety netting along the backstops of several ballfields whose home plates are close together, with a risk of foul balls hitting spectators, and are steadily converting incandescent lights over to LEDs to cut down on utility costs.
“We’d like to put lights on our softball field also, because we do have softball fields that bring organizations from other communities into our area,” Gribb said.
“Why should this be of interest to North Wales Borough? It enhances the recreational facilities of the borough, and it makes it a more attractive place for all of the community,” he said.
Programs and tournaments hosted by Nor-Gwyn bring in visitors from across the region, including Philadelphia, Delco, the Lehigh Valley, and beyond, and those visitors might stay, and/or shop, at local establishments, the league VP told the board.
“They might stay overnight, stay for dinner, hopefully bring some business to the area too. So I think that’s a worthwhile investment for council,” he said.
Council President Sal Amato asked what other sources of revenue the league has, and Gribb said they take in funds from program registration, donations, ads on signs, sponsorships, and concession stands run during games; Dantzer added that the team also runs occasional fundraisers, such as a golf tournament and beef-and-beer fundraisers. Amato then asked how far afield the league’s players come from, and Gribb said Nor-Gwyn players come largely from Upper Gwynedd and North Wales, while their counterparts on other teams and leagues come from across the region.
Councilman Sherwin Collins asked about the league’s current membership numbers and prices, and the two said a total of about 500 kids are registered now, down from between 700 and 800 roughly a decade ago, and prices range from $90 to roughly $250 per year depending on age group.
“My son played, from T-ball all the way through, and it’s a great program, an excellent program. It was a lot of fun, we really enjoyed doing it,” Collins said.
Council unanimously approved the donation to the league.
North Wales borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on April 9 at the borough municipal building, 300 School Street. For more information visit www.NorthWalesBorough.org.
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