Major League Baseball and Scotts Company LLC have announced the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation has been chosen as a finalist for a $50,000 field refurbishment grant towards its 50th Dodgers Dreamfield at Algin Sutton Recreation Center in South Los Angeles. In addition to Algin Sutton Recreation Center, finalists include: Austin Park field in Austin, IN; City Park field in Kansas City, KS; and Benson Court Baseball Facility in Passaic, NJ. All four locations are up for fan vote (MLB.com/scottsfield) now through April 30.

When LADF’s Dodgers Dreamfield program began, their goal was to build or refurbish 50 fields for underserved kids. They recently dedicated their 48th and 49th Dreamfields and hope to use funds from the MLB / Scotts grant to help with that remarkable goal. (Photo credit: Jill Weisleder- LA Dodgers)

LADF was selected as a finalist for this opportunity from over 350 grant applications across 315 cities in 43 states seeking refurbishments for their youth fields. The four finalists were chosen by a special blue-ribbon panel which included two-time World Series champion & ESPN analyst David Ross, Olympic Gold Medalist & MLB Youth Softball Ambassador Jennie Finch, World Series champion & MLB Network analyst Cliff Floyd, MLB Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Kim Ng, Scotts Vice President & General Manager Josh Peoples and additional executives from MLB and Scotts.

“Algin Sutton Recreation Center in an area that has historically been one of the most underserved and economically challenged regions in Los Angeles, with a current poverty level of 57 percent among its residents in the same zip code,” said Nichol Whiteman, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation. “There are nearly 25,000 youth in the surrounding area who deserve to have access to quality recreational spaces. Our suggested renovations would greatly improve a neglected field that is in desperate need of repairs. This refurbishment will complete our original goal of building 50 Dodgers Dreamfields, and we truly hope our fans and the greater Los Angeles community will vote to ensure this happens.”

With this grant, LADF will partner with the City of Los Angeles and the LA84 Foundation to invest $265,000 into the refurbishment, which will include new turf, irrigation, fencing, backstop, dugout roofs, scoreboard, signage, and a batting cage, and be used primarily for softball. Construction is expected to take 10-12 weeks until completion, and a dedication event and clinic will take place in September.

Through the Dodgers Dreamfields program, LADF builds and refurbishes baseball and softball fields in underserved communities to provide a safe place for youth to conduct positive recreational activity in their own neighborhoods. In partnership with corporations, foundations and local municipalities, Dodgers Dreamfields contribute to both community development and youth development by providing youth the opportunity and space to learn and play the game of baseball and softball while building character and instilling important life lessons.

The Dodgers Dreamfields program also consists of baseball and softball clinics, community service projects and field maintenance clinics to ensure ongoing use of the fields and to ensure partners can conduct ongoing maintenance. To date, LADF has invested $7.7 million in 47 fields and will achieve its original goal of completing 50 Dodgers Dreamfields with the refurbishment of this field at Algin Sutton Recreation Center.

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(Article courtesy of Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation)