CINCINNATI — Cincinnati's Madisonville neighborhood has a rich baseball history. Its little league team, the Madisonville Braves Youth Organization, was founded over 40 years ago as a way to not only develop the game but mentor young men in the community.
“It’s a community that really supports the game,” said Cincinnati Reds Fund executive director Charley Frank.
On Wednesday, decades after the team started, the Braves celebrated a new place to play — funded by the community.
Madisonville's new facility was made possible through the Reds Community Fund, Cincinnati Recreation Commission, the Matteucci family, the Ackermann Group and other local organizations.
“We want to see more youth playing baseball across the city,” said Daniel Betts, director of the Cincinnati Recreation Commission. “We know the deterrent for young people is to keep them engaged and active.”
Learn how this new facility is more than just a field to the community:
The upgrades include a new dugouts, backstops, fencing and a synthetic infield, which allows play even in rainy conditions.
“It doesn’t heat up, it just plays consistently, it also means that you can get any age group on this field,” said Frank.
And it’s doing just that, hosting local little league to high school teams in one place. The space will be home to both the Braves and Shroder High School.
“It means a lot, honestly, because this is my first year playing for the school, so it means a lot to end it off playing on a home field,” said Elijah Upshaw, a Shroder senior.
We asked Upshaw what it means to see so many people and groups come together to make this possible for him and his community.
“It just shows how much people actually care and what we mean to them,” Upshaw said.
The field will also serve as a community hub and as one of the home sites for Knothole Baseball’s Central Region.
