Stratford, PE – This season will be the third year softball is played in Stratford after going more than 10 years without an association. Plans for the season were well underway before COVID-19 with the board of directors gearing up for another year of anticipated growth in the sport.
“The past two seasons have been very successful for us a new association,” said Troy Fraser, President of the Stratford Softball Association. “We’ve grown our numbers and were anticipating another strong year. With the COVID-19 situation now upon us, things are a little more uncertain however all indications are that organized sport will return this summer to PEI. We are preparing for a season to get underway in mid-June and look forward to having players out on our fields this summer.”
Softball PEI is currently working on plans for what the 2020 season will look like in coordination with the Island associations and in following the guidelines of Renew PEI. Once these plans are finalized, they will be released to the public, but in the meantime all softball registration opens across PEI on Monday, May 11.
“We have to be ready to get the teams and coaches organized quickly,” added Fraser. “The registration time-frame will be shorter than usual and has a firm deadline of May 31. Our board of directors recently met to review what this season might look like for us as well as to set our registration fees. After consideration of the current situation on PEI, in which we know that some families are struggling, we have decided that we will reduce our registration fees for this upcoming season to help our community.”
Registration fees for the Stratford Softball Association for the 2020 season will be as follows: U10 and above – $100 (reduced from $150); Learn to Play – $50 (reduced from $60) and Boys Softball (ages 9-13) – $100 (reduced from $150).
Registration is open from May 11 until May 31 for the following divisions: Learn to Play (boys and girls), Boys Softball for ages 9-13, Girls divisions: U8, U10, U12, U14 and U16, with U12 and U14 both having A and AA leagues.
“We are grateful to be in a position where we have a small savings accumulated from our first two seasons in Stratford,” added Fraser. “Through the support of our business sponsors we have been able to save on some planned equipment purchases giving us the opportunity to return the savings to our players and their families at time when they need it. We look forward to seeing our players return from last year and to welcoming some new ones this season as well.”