Buddy Baseball opens new accessible field for players with special needs

Buddy Baseball opens new accessible field

Buddy Baseball is celebrating the opening of its new, accessible field in Temple Terrace. FOX 13’s Heather Healy reports. 

TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. - America's favorite pastime is becoming a little bit more accessible in the Bay Area. 

On Monday morning, Buddy Baseball celebrated the opening of its new accessible field for players with special needs.

This second field is essential to ensure player safety, accessibility, and ease of play for everyone. 

What they're saying:

"Buddy Baseball is in its 18th year and, throughout all these years, this league has been growing," said Karl Lagerfeld, Director of Leisure Services. "They draw children from five different counties around the area. We had one field that was an ADA-compliant field such as this one, and the other field that we're standing on now was a traditional clay and grass field. And that provided some challenges where only children who were more mobile could play in this field and it kind of. Divided the field and provided some limitations. Now that we have two of these fields, we can further expand this program and make sure that all the kids have a safe field to play on no matter what their challenges may be."

By the numbers:

Buddy Baseball currently serves 160 players across 20 teams, many of whom use wheelchairs, walkers, or other mobility devices.

The new field was made possible through funding from the City of Temple Terrace and Hillsborough County, reflecting a strong community commitment to inclusion and adaptive recreation.

What you can do:

Click here for more information on volunteering.