Shelburne Minor Baseball in conflict with town over naming their players

Written By Brian Lockhart

Shelburne Minor Baseball is still hoping to have a 2023 season on local baseball diamonds, but a dispute with the town means they might have to use diamonds in nearby towns.

The Shelburne Minor Baseball Association (SMBA) is an independent association not affiliated with the town. However, since they rent local ball diamonds, the town has requested a roster of teams with player names, parent names, and addresses.

The town charges rental fees to use local parks, and a player who does not reside in town, but plays for a Shelburne team, could be charged more for playing.

Former association president, Mark Lanham, said he was uncomfortable sharing players' private information with the town. Since the SMBA is an independent organization, Mr. Lanham thinks they should not have to supply player information to book a diamond.

New Association president, Amanda Phillip, said the Club is working to find a resolution to the situation.

Mr. Lanham suggested that Shelburne teams would relocate and play their summer games on diamonds in other towns. He said neighbouring towns were ready to allow SMBA teams to rent and play on their diamonds.

Ms. Phillip said there has been no decision on moving in that direction. However, the SMBA believes keeping SMBA games in town is important.

Some nearby towns did try to impose extra fees on visiting teams, saying that since they were not tax-paying residents, they needed to pay more to use the facilities. That idea fell flat when leagues complained that inter-town play was part of sports and it would be unfair to charge visiting teams more, as other towns indicated they would start charging extra fees to teams from towns who used that policy.

The policy was quickly removed.

“Visiting teams are not the same as out-of-town players participating in a privately run, Shelburne-based recreational league, where the league has paid to rent the diamonds, fields, or outdoor sports facility,” Ms. Phillip said. “Additionally, no other town in our area charges fees to out-of-town players participating in privately-run town leagues, nor are the leagues required to remit player's information to their town's offices. 

Ms. Phillip continued, “The Town of Shelburne is not involved with SMBA or any other sports association in Shelburne. It does not organize, run, or otherwise manage the league in any capacity. They have given themselves [the] authority to request player's private information as a condition of rental contracts.”

The requirement to provide player information to the town is a part of Shelburne's Sports Fields and Outdoor Facilities Allocation Policy, Fees and Charges Bylaw, pursuant to section 11(2) of the Municipal Act, 2001.

The SMBA executive is planning to attend the Mar. 27 Shelburne Town Council meeting to speak on the matter.