The Tara Twins are hoping to bring a national fastball championship to the area.
They would like Saugeen Shores’ support to bid to host the 2027 U17 Canadian Fastball Championship at Lamont Sports Park in Port Elgin.
Coach and Team Vice President Ryan Grieg made a presentation to Saugeen Shores council Monday evening outlining a desire to hold the event at the brand new park with several ball diamonds in the south end of town.
Greig told councillors the Twins are also exploring Owen Sound as an option to bring the tournament to the area, but notes, “Having been at a couple of the Canadians that are at parks that are not as nice as Lamont, I would like to bring it here. If you were to use Google and look at the Gordie Howe Sports Plex in Saskatoon or Softball City in Surrey BC, that’s kind of what Lamont emulates and that’s kind of the ideal location for an event of this stature.”
Greig also notes having the tournament in one single park would make it easier on volunteers. In the past, they’ve provincial championships spread out around Tara and Allenford, which Greig says spreads people and volunteers too thin.
Greig says some of the strengths of Saugeen Shores as a location include a strong local softball and fastball culture, existing tourism infrastructure, community volunteer support, proximity to beaches, restaurants, accommodations, and family attractions, strong regional participation from Saugeen Shores, Tara, Owen Sound, Kincardine, Walkerton, and Grey-Bruce communities.
His presentation notes, “Lamont Sports Park has quickly become one of the premier ball facilities in Southwestern Ontario and was specifically designed to support the future growth of baseball and fastpitch.”
Greig pointed potential benefits of holding the championships at the Lamont Sports Park include the hundreds of athletes, volunteers, friends and family it would draw to Saugeen Shores for the event, and would provide a great economic boost for restaurants and accommodation businesses in the area.
Council members noted they are in support of the idea, with Mayor Luke Charbonneau noting, “I think it sounds like a great plan, very cool thing for the community. Exactly why we built Lamont Sports Park was to do things just like this.”
First, staff will look at the proposal and bring a more detailed report about hosting the tournament back to councillors at an upcoming meeting.