Spring, Summer Softball Transitions into Fall with the Yorkville Sports Association

by Warren Rosenberg - MetroSports Magazine , October 2024

As August advanced into September, softball players throughout New York City and nearby Westchester County participating in the Yorkville Sports Association concluded their spring and summer league play and kicked off their fall season. 

For the recently concluded NYC Spring season, the YSA fielded 85 teams - 39 Men's teams and 46 Coed teams. In their Summer season- 15 teams - 7 men's 8 coed totaling 100 teams. Playing on fields in the borough of Manhattan.  In Westchester County spring and summer leagues had 31 teams. MetroSports Magazine was on hand to see the Westchester Sunday Summer Softball League’s All Star Game and Championship Game held at Sprout Brook Park in the Westchester town of Yorktown. 

With the Fall season now in full swing, the YSA is hosting NYC- 3 coed, and 5 men leagues, two Westchester-based coed leagues and one Westchester-based men’s league. For those who love the game of softball but are unable to commit to the full schedule of league play, YSA hosts a series of open games in the current fall season where walk-on player are welcome.

The Yorkville Sports Association (YSA) was founded by Adolfo “Al” Morales in 1978 and started off with six organized community softball teams. Since that beginning the YSA has served over a half million players. Al Morales grew up playing Little League baseball at the North Meadow fields in Central Park— a site where the YSA still schedules league softball games. After working as a therapist with the City of New York counseling teenagers, young adults, and families with drug addictions, he felt that he needed to take a more active role in the community, using sports as a tool to help individuals become part of a team. 

While the current focus of the YSA is on adult recreational softball, the Association had in the past also included leagues in football, with approximately 60 teams and basketball and volleyball with approximately 40 teams each.

As Al Morales tells it, “Yorkville Sports Association is about bringing people from all walks of life together. To this day we have a beautiful mix of community teams playing with and against corporate teams. It’s amazing what sports has done for different communities in the city. When we started in the late 70’s, most NYC residents were afraid to go into Central Park — even during daylight hours. The sports community helped change that sentiment. As one of the early players, who met at entrances to the park and entered as a group, I recall the feeling of being among the first. When the league grew and needed additional fields we traveled north of 97th, my fellow players and I rode mass transit as a team, in groups of 5 or more, and felt safer doing so, with the exhilaration that came with being pioneers of sort. We played until dusk and eventually, as more adult softball leagues and The Road Runners Club grew, we took back our parks.  Sports can also build personal bridges. When you are on the field, there is no color or economic barrier, friendships and relationships can flourish. Once you get to know someone a little better a lot of tension and fear goes away. Can this change the world? It’s helping.”

Because of its strong and long-standing relationship with the New York City Parks Department, The Yorkville Sports Association is currently advocating for the protection of dedicated baseball/softball fields within the City. In a recent call-to-action, YSA president Al Morales has noted that,  “Recent actions by the Parks Department have included the reclassification of Dewitt Clinton Park, which has three baseball/softball fields. This reclassification led to a reduction in available softball and baseball play from five nights a week to just two. The removal of fall softball from dedicated fields has been announced. These changes are part of new rules from the Parks Department that are now affecting recreational sports across the city.

The new policies are not only reducing access but also creating conflicts between various sports organizations as they compete for limited space. This lack of transparency in the permitting process and the decision-making framework has led to a sense of injustice and division among the sports community. He is calling upon the New York City recreational sports community encourage the Parks Department to allow for:

Equitable Field Allocation: Ensure that sports requiring rectangular fields are allocated permits for dedicated rectangular fields. This will prevent the unnecessary strain on baseball and softball fields, which are specifically designed for these sports.

Preservation of Field Integrity: Using baseball/softball fields for rectangular sports causes significant wear and tear, leading to costly repairs and a shorter lifespan for the fields. Proper field allocation will help maintain preserve field integrity and the quality of all playing surfaces, reducing maintenance and replacement costs.

Formation of an Oversight Committee: Expand the City Council Parks Oversight Committee to include an advisory group of respected and trusted recreational sports ambassadors from every effected sport. This committee will provide recommendations and ensure that decisions about field allocation and policy changes are made with input from those directly affected.”

MetroSports Magazine supports the Yorkville Sports Association in this effort.