For Immediate Release:

To further the mission to promote amateur baseball and softball to all the youth of Avon Lake and provide both recreational and travel opportunities within the City, the Avon Lake Youth Baseball Federation (ALYBF) and The City of Avon Lake are pleased to announce that the Avon Lake Parks and Recreation Department will undertake management of all youth baseball and softball within the City.  Starting in 2017, baseball and softball will be managed exclusively through the Avon Lake Recreation Department.  A transition team, including staff from the City of Avon Lake, ALYBF board members and travel personnel have been put in place and are currently working to facilitate a seamless transition for the 2017 baseball and softball season.

The plan provides for consistent registration with other recreation sports and field scheduling for all baseball and softball, to include both "rec" and travel.  Several enhancements and streamlined operations are already being discussed and implemented for the 2017 season.

After nearly 70 years of recreational baseball and softball management and fundraising efforts, the ALYBF board has unanimously voted to turn operations over to the City, donate all equipment and uniforms to the City for this cause and to liquidate their assets, with Recreation Department input, to further enhance baseball and softball facilities within the City.  Upon completion of these capital projects, the ALYBF will work to discontinue its 501c3 status and end its operations.  These projects include improved fencing at Bleser Park, reconfiguration of certain fields at Weiss Park and the purchase and installation, with assistance from the City of Avon Lake, of scoreboards at seven (7) fields at Weiss Park.

The cooperative efforts between The City of Avon Lake and the ALYBF have been the bedrock for several decades of successful youth baseball and softball seasons within the City.  Further, this association has provided for over 1.5 million dollars of improvements, much of which was privately raised and donated, to baseball and softball facilities and the Avon Lake parks system within just the last 10 years.

This transition of power is being completed amicably and with the only benchmark in mind that is truly of importance: to continue to "make memories that last a lifetime" for the youth of our community.

Stay tuned for communications on the 2017 season.  Registration will go "live" in January, 2017 via the City of Avon Lake's website, www.avonlake.org.  Both the City and the ALYBF are proud of the last 70 years of baseball and softball in Avon Lake and look forward to this exciting new chapter as we continue to offer quality services to the youth of our City.