New $1.6 million youth sports facility opens in Macon, with help from Atlanta Braves
Macon is home to a new sports field designed to be used by local children throughout the year, thanks to local and national organizations, including the Atlanta Braves.
The $1.6 million facility was the site of a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday after COVID-19 delayed the initial event, which would have included Cal Ripken and Hank Aaron. The field, located on Anthony Road in Macon next to Hartley Elementary, has been in the works for over six years. It is a project that Jeff Battcher, a member of Macon RBI, a local organization that is part of the national Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities organizations, is happy to finally see come to fruition.
“To have this field here (for) the kids from Anthony Homes and others in the housing development to come over just lets them know there is hope,” Battcher said. “This field can change lives. That is what sports did for me. That is why I was so motivated to do something like this.”
A Major assist
Macon RBI teamed up with the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, the Atlanta Braves, the Major League Baseball Players Association, the Macon Housing Authority, the United Way of Central Georgia and the Peyton Anderson Foundation to build the multipurpose synthetic surface youth sports facility.
The facility will host a variety of sports and will be used all year. The Boys & Girls Club of Central Georgia will administer the after-school sports program for local kids and has already held kickball tournaments on the field.
“This is an exciting day for the kids of Macon, who now have access to a safe place to play learn and grow,” Steve Salem, President and CEO of the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation said in a release. “We can bring new hope, lasting memories and positive life experiences to this deserving community.”
Field serves as symbol of care
The ribbon-cutting ceremony included comments from mayor-elect Lester Miller, who grew up playing baseball near the new facility.
“When you talk about the $1.6 million, it is not the money. It is an investment into this community,” Miller said. This is not in North Macon. This is not in South Bibb. This is right here in the heart of Macon.”
Miller bet $500 that would go towards the facility that Battcher would cry during the ceremony. Seconds later, Battcher wiped a tear from his eye. He said those were “good, cheerful tears from a great man.”
At the event, Battcher announced that the field would be named after Battcher’s Little League baseball coach, Vernon Sinclair.
“The reason I am here today is because a man like Vernon Sinclair saw a kid from a broken home who didn’t have a way to get back and forth to play Little League baseball,” he said. “It showed me somebody cares. When someone cares about you that means more than you could have ever know. It gives you a little hope in your life. That is what this field is.”