DOCSLIB.ORG

Sports Field Development Strategy December 2019

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Sports Field Development Strategy December 2019 Sports Field Development Strategy December 2019 Sports Field Development Strategy December 2019 Town of Aurora Sports Field Development Strategy Table of Contents Section Page Executive Summary .............................................................................................................. iii 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Primary Drivers ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.3 Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 2 2. Planning Context ............................................................................................................ 3 2.1 Parks and Recreation Master Plan Update ................................................................................... 3 2.2 Population and Growth in Aurora ................................................................................................. 4 2.3 General Outdoor Sports Participation and Facility Design Trends ............................................... 6 3. Stakeholder Consultation................................................................................................ 8 3.1 Input from Rectangular Sports Field Users ................................................................................... 9 3.2 Input from Ball Diamond Users ................................................................................................... 10 3.3 Input from Schools and Agencies ................................................................................................ 11 4. Rectangular Sports Field Needs Assessment .................................................................. 12 4.1 Inventory ..................................................................................................................................... 12 4.2 Key Trends ................................................................................................................................... 15 4.3 Usage Profile ............................................................................................................................... 20 4.4 Needs Assessment ...................................................................................................................... 24 5. Ball Diamond Needs Assessment .................................................................................. 26 5.1 Inventory ..................................................................................................................................... 26 5.2 Key Trends ................................................................................................................................... 27 5.3 Usage Profile ............................................................................................................................... 30 5.4 Needs Assessment ...................................................................................................................... 33 6. Sports Field Development Strategies ............................................................................. 35 6.1 Implementation Framework ....................................................................................................... 35 6.2 Focusing on Alternatives to Land Acquisition ............................................................................. 36 6.3 Rectangular Sports Field Development Strategy ........................................................................ 37 6.4 Ball Diamond Development Strategy .......................................................................................... 68 6.5 Summary of Proposed Strategies and Phasing ........................................................................... 79 Appendix A: Stakeholder Survey Results ............................................................................. A-1 Appendix B: Input from Rectangular Sports Field Users ....................................................... B-1 Appendix C: Input from Ball Diamond Users ........................................................................ C-1 Appendix D: Field Dimensions ............................................................................................ D-1 December 2019 I ii Town of Aurora Sports Field Development Strategy Executive Summary Aurora is an active and growing community. Demand for sports fields is rising. Usage data and input from user groups indicate that the Town’s supply of sports fields – including ball diamonds and rectangular fields for sports such as soccer, football, rugby, lacrosse and field hockey – are at or approaching capacity. With the Town’s population projected to increase 22% by 2031, sport fields needs are also expected to increase, although at a slightly slower rate. As Aurora begins to grow inwards and upwards, there will be fewer opportunities for community park development, including sites that are large enough to accommodate sports fields. Increasingly, the Town must explore options for optimizing its field supply and work in partnership with other landowners – such as schools – to meet needs. We must plan ahead, make the most of our assets, and work with others. This Sports Field Development Strategy examines short and long-term needs through research and input from local stakeholders and user groups. Strategies for meeting community needs are proposed, often in partnership with others. It will take a variety of approaches and sustained investment to address community needs. This Strategy uses market-driven provision targets that consider standards in nearby communities, but that reflect Aurora’s specific usage and demand profiles. By linking the target to participation levels, we can monitor trends and estimate long-term needs associated with local growth factors. The Town has made strides, but strategic investment is needed to keep pace with evolving interests. To enhance capacity for soccer and other turf sports, the Town has recently invested in new and improved rectangular fields at locations such as Stewart Burnett Park, Sheppard’s Bush Conservation Area and through partnerships with schools. Efforts are also underway to address growing demand for ball diamonds, as two diamonds are planned for the Hallmark Lands (a site recently purchased by the Town for sport field development). Nearly half of the 60 rectangular fields permitted by the Town are owned by non-municipal entities, such as schools and The Stronach Group (“Magna Fields”). These fields are vital to meeting current and future needs. As the 19 Magna Fields could be removed from service as early as 2022/23, we need to start planning for their eventual replacement so as not to create a disruption in service. Participation in sport is also evolving, with a growing emphasis on competitive sport, year-round training, and high quality facilities. Participation in soccer grew tremendously in the early 2000s, and baseball has been on the rise more recently. Other field sports also capture the interest of many residents, and Aurora’s location in the Greater Toronto Area make it a convenient destination for organizations serving the entire York Region. December 2019 I iii Town of Aurora Sports Field Development Strategy Sports groups are seeking more and higher quality fields. Consultation for this Strategy included stakeholder focus groups, surveys, interviews and written submissions. All local sport field users were provided multiple opportunities to contribute. Several organizations voiced a desire to improve and expand the sports field inventory to address their waiting lists and/or enhance their programs. Groups identified that some Town parks contain multiple types of sports fields (e.g., soccer and baseball), often with overlapping templates that do not allow for simultaneous play. They also suggested that parks or school sites may have the potential for greater use, particularly through the expansion of fields or installation of lighting and/or artificial turf. Among the items most often sought by user groups are artificial and lighted fields, indoor fields for winter use, locations with multiple fields, and barrier-free accessibility. Not only do these features facilitate local needs, they also help groups to attract and retain athletes and support sport tourism. Fields are being used to capacity. Despite declining registration in youth soccer, the demand for rectangular fields remains strong due to increased interest in skill development, adult play, and growth in sports such as football and lacrosse. Different age groups also require different field sizes, adding to the challenges of creating a supply that adequately fits Aurora’s needs. In 2019, the Town’s rectangular sports fields were booked 80% of the time (90% on weekdays and 57% on weekends), while ball diamonds were booked 73% of the time (61% on weekdays and 22% on weekends). These levels are indicative of a system that is being used to capacity, recognizing that some smaller and lower quality fields are not fully utilized. It is important to note that no field can be booked 100% of the time due to rainouts, time limits and scheduling practices, field rest, etc. Usage is greatest on senior/large
Load more

Recommended publications
  • A National Tradition
    Baseball A National Tradition. by Phyllis McIntosh. “As American as baseball and apple pie” is a phrase Americans use to describe any ultimate symbol of life and culture in the United States. Baseball, long dubbed the national pastime, is such a symbol. It is first and foremost a beloved game played at some level in virtually every American town, on dusty sandlots and in gleaming billion-dollar stadiums. But it is also a cultural phenom- enon that has provided a host of colorful characters and cherished traditions. Most Americans can sing at least a few lines of the song “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Generations of children have collected baseball cards with players’ pictures and statistics, the most valuable of which are now worth several million dollars. More than any other sport, baseball has reflected the best and worst of American society. Today, it also mirrors the nation’s increasing diversity, as countries that have embraced America’s favorite sport now send some of their best players to compete in the “big leagues” in the United States. Baseball is played on a Baseball’s Origins: after hitting a ball with a stick. Imported diamond-shaped field, a to the New World, these games evolved configuration set by the rules Truth and Tall Tale. for the game that were into American baseball. established in 1845. In the early days of baseball, it seemed Just a few years ago, a researcher dis- fitting that the national pastime had origi- covered what is believed to be the first nated on home soil.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of the American Outdoor Sport Facility: Developing an Ideal Type on the Evolution of Professional Baseball and Football Structures
    AN ANALYSIS OF THE AMERICAN OUTDOOR SPORT FACILITY: DEVELOPING AN IDEAL TYPE ON THE EVOLUTION OF PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL AND FOOTBALL STRUCTURES DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Chad S. Seifried, B.S., M.Ed. * * * * * The Ohio State University 2005 Dissertation Committee: Approved by Professor Donna Pastore, Advisor Professor Melvin Adelman _________________________________ Professor Janet Fink Advisor College of Education Copyright by Chad Seifried 2005 ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to analyze the physical layout of the American baseball and football professional sport facility from 1850 to present and design an ideal-type appropriate for its evolution. Specifically, this study attempts to establish a logical expansion and adaptation of Bale’s Four-Stage Ideal-type on the Evolution of the Modern English Soccer Stadium appropriate for the history of professional baseball and football and that predicts future changes in American sport facilities. In essence, it is the author’s intention to provide a more coherent and comprehensive account of the evolving professional baseball and football sport facility and where it appears to be headed. This investigation concludes eight stages exist concerning the evolution of the professional baseball and football sport facility. Stages one through four primarily appeared before the beginning of the 20th century and existed as temporary structures which were small and cheaply built. Stages five and six materialize as the first permanent professional baseball and football facilities. Stage seven surfaces as a multi-purpose facility which attempted to accommodate both professional football and baseball equally.
    [Show full text]
  • Baseball, Immigration, and Professionalization in the 19Th Century
    W&M ScholarWorks Undergraduate Honors Theses Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 5-2011 Baseball, Immigration, and Professionalization in the 19th century Michael Young College of William and Mary Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Young, Michael, "Baseball, Immigration, and Professionalization in the 19th century" (2011). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 367. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/367 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Baseball, Immigration, and Professionalization in the 19th Century A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Arts History from The College of William and Mary by Michael Anthony Young Accepted for ___________________________________ (Honors, High Honors, Highest Honors) ________________________________________ Type in the name, Director ________________________________________ Type in the name ________________________________________ Type in the name Williamsburg, VA April 28, 2011 Introduction: Baseball’s class appeal and initial expansion Outlined in this section will be the upper class origins of the game and baseball‟s diffusion into the lower class. Additionally, this section will address the nationwide expansion of the game through leisure time, cultural change, and the Civil War. George B. Kirsch and Harold Seymour have done significant work on the initial expansion of the game, and their research will be included in this section. This background is essential to fully understand the later impact that European immigrants and members of the lower class had on the early game.
    [Show full text]
  • List of Sports
    List of sports The following is a list of sports/games, divided by cat- egory. There are many more sports to be added. This system has a disadvantage because some sports may fit in more than one category. According to the World Sports Encyclopedia (2003) there are 8,000 indigenous sports and sporting games.[1] 1 Physical sports 1.1 Air sports Wingsuit flying • Parachuting • Banzai skydiving • BASE jumping • Skydiving Lima Lima aerobatics team performing over Louisville. • Skysurfing Main article: Air sports • Wingsuit flying • Paragliding • Aerobatics • Powered paragliding • Air racing • Paramotoring • Ballooning • Ultralight aviation • Cluster ballooning • Hopper ballooning 1.2 Archery Main article: Archery • Gliding • Marching band • Field archery • Hang gliding • Flight archery • Powered hang glider • Gungdo • Human powered aircraft • Indoor archery • Model aircraft • Kyūdō 1 2 1 PHYSICAL SPORTS • Sipa • Throwball • Volleyball • Beach volleyball • Water Volleyball • Paralympic volleyball • Wallyball • Tennis Members of the Gotemba Kyūdō Association demonstrate Kyūdō. 1.4 Basketball family • Popinjay • Target archery 1.3 Ball over net games An international match of Volleyball. Basketball player Dwight Howard making a slam dunk at 2008 • Ball badminton Summer Olympic Games • Biribol • Basketball • Goalroball • Beach basketball • Bossaball • Deaf basketball • Fistball • 3x3 • Footbag net • Streetball • • Football tennis Water basketball • Wheelchair basketball • Footvolley • Korfball • Hooverball • Netball • Peteca • Fastnet • Pickleball
    [Show full text]
  • Cricket and the Law: Ball Tampering, Contracts and Enterprise Bargaining Agreements
    CRICKET AND THE LAW: BALL TAMPERING, CONTRACTS AND ENTERPRISE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS CHRIS DAVIES* AND SAM LANSKY** ABSTRACT Cricket in Australia has faced two recent crises, the first being the prolonged enterprise bargaining negotiations between Cricket Australia (CA) and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) that resulted in a situation where, for a few months, Cricket Australia had no contracted players. This meant that during this period CA had no players to fulfil its contractual broadcasting obligations. When the matter was finally resolved it is very much in favour of the players as CA backed down on it position of not using the revenue sharing model. It is suggested this highlights that it is players who now hold the greater bargaining power when it comes to negotiations. The second crisis involved the ball tampering incident in South Africa, with CA banning three players from playing first-class cricket in Australia for up to twelve months. It is suggested that given the severity of the incident and its late season timing, the penalties were reasonable and therefore legal under the terms of the players¶ contracts. I INTRODUCTION During 2017-18 cricket in Australia faced two significant crises. The first was the GUDZQRXWQHJRWLDWLRQVEHWZHHQ&ULFNHW$XVWUDOLD &$ DQGWKH$XVWUDOLDQ&ULFNHWHUV¶ Association (ACA) in what has been described as the most significant pay dispute in Australian cricket history,1 one that, temporarily at least, brought professional cricket in Australia to a standstill. Eventually, a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) was negotiated in time for the threatened 2017-18 Ashes series against England to go ahead as scheduled.
    [Show full text]
  • Baseball and the Laws of Chance
    Chapter 1 Baseball and the Laws of Chance TUOR many centuries, as an Oxford don once remarked, teams of lL-' playful humanoids havTewasted a great deal of time and energy attempting to strike little balls into small holes with instruments singularly ill -adapted to the purpose . The origins of games involving a ball appeared in Egyptian archaeology 5,000 years ago according to research es by R . W . Henderson1 of the Ne\v York Public Librarv- . They were developed , not for amusement , but as a phase of springtime religious rituals in which the ball was the central symbol of growth and fertility . The ball -playing ceremony was adopted by the Arabs and transported by the l\foors into Spain and southern France . Here in the 12th Century it was incorporated into the Easter services of the Christian Church . The Archbishop is said to have " passed a ball back and forth with the clergy assembledfor the processional." The ball was subsequently thrown out among the congregation , which divided into contending tea,ms. It was then knocked about with sticks or kicked by the participants , as not infrequently occurs in the contemporary version . The good Bishop may thus be charged with the first passed ball in the history of the game . ' Then the medieval Easter festival was introduced in England , " the British developed a variation of the ball -playing phase, nearer the modern game, called 'stool -ball .' It was first played in a church yard , with a pitcher attempting to thro '\v the ball against an upturned milking stool . An opponent endeavored to bat the ball away before it reached the home stool .
    [Show full text]
  • A Study on the Birth and Globalization of Sports Originated from Each Continent
    Review Article http://dx.doi.org/10.12965/jer.150248 Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation 2016;12(1):2-9 A study on the birth and globalization of sports originated from each continent Byung Jin Lee1, Tae Young Kim2,* 1Suncheon Campus, Polytechnic College (V), Suncheon, Korea 2College of Education, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, Korea The purpose of this research is to see how continent specific sports ciety and developed so that the team captain leads the rest of his team. rose to its modern-day status through globalization. This research fo- The sports of Oriental countries were reborn through modernization cuses on the historical background of how England’s football, America’s that was influenced by the modern rationality, education etc. of its national pastime, baseball, Japan’s Judo, and Korea’s Taekwondo de- Western counterparts. Judo and Taekwondo were introduced globally veloped into sports in addition to the reasoning behind its globalization. through the Olympic Games. As mentioned above the birth of sporting Promoted by England and the rest of the European continent, Soccer is events has a close connection to a nation’s cultural background and considered to be one of the world’s most popular sports and has served globalization has taken different forms depending on which continent it its function as a form of cultural imperialism. It has also advanced originated from. alongside commerce, missionary work and other types of cultural clashes. In America, baseball was used to integrate its multicultural so- Keywords: Globalization of sports, Soccer, Baseball, Judo, Taekwondo INTRODUCTION world; however, based on sports included in the Olympic Games, they can be classified into three categories: those originated from Historically, all races have their own playing cultures.
    [Show full text]
  • David J. Laliberte
    David J. Laliberte Master's Thesis St. Cloud State University Department of History, Graduate Studies August 2008 \ II Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ v I-Myth, History, and Indian Baseball: An Unexpected Introduction ...................... 2 2-"We Are Brave Men": Baseball and the St. John's Industrial School, 1884-1896 ..................................... 30 3-Winning Indians and Other Contradictions: The Morris Indian School Baseball Team, 1898-1908 ......................................... .46 4-Natives in Peculiar Places: Baseball, Pipestone and the Indian Training School, 1893-1953 .......................... 67 S-Conclusion .................................................. ··································:··························97 Bibliography ................................................................................................................. 101 Photographs follow each chapter ill © 2008, David J. Laliberte Reproduction of this material in any form prohibited without express written consent ofauthor David J. Laliberte 1108 North Seventh Avenue St. Cloud, MN 56303 320-251-0019 [email protected] NOTE: On 08 March 2019 David Laliberte gave the CSB/SJU Archivist permission to put this article, "'We Are Brave Meh': Baseball and the St. John's Industrial School, 1884-1896"--Chapter 2 of his MA thesis Indian Summers: Baseball at Native American Boarding Schools in Minnesota (St. Cloud State University, 2008)--onto
    [Show full text]
  • Proprietors of the Bat and Ball: Interpreting the National Pastime and Its Predecessor Games by Dean R
    Programs for Your Public BNDL018 This bundle includes great ideas for beginning or improving your programs. From amateur movies to using theater techniques for interpretation to playing ball, these are crowd pleasers and attention-getters. TL100 – Old Movies: A Source of Local History Programs (1977) TL117 – Craft Festivals: A Planning Guide (1979) TL197 – Interpreting Foodways (1997) TL227 – Theater 101 for Historical Interpretation (2004) TL231 – Proprietors of the Ball & Bat: Interpreting the National Pastime and its Predecessor Games (2005) This bundle may help institutions achieve the standards as set forth under the Interpretation section of the AASLH StEPS Program. VISIT THE AASLH BOOK STORE AT WWW.AASLH.ORG FOR MORE RESOURSES JUST LIKE THIS! HISTORYNEWS TECHNICAL LEAFLET A PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR STATE AND LOCAL HISTORY Interpreting Food History BY SANDRA OLIVER Food is at the center of all human endeavor. Your visitors, members, staff, and trustees all share the need for sustenance. Museums and historic sites across the country have the opportunity to connect their visitors to some aspect of food history, whether the site is an historic house with only a dining room or a living history farm with animals as well as crops of grain, vegetables, and fruit. Technology and science museums can demonstrate the link between food production and distribution, and its eventual preparation and consumption. Fine and decorative art collections invariably have images depicting food as well as objects decorated with food motifs or created for food service or consumption. 1 A food history program can be as simple as a single evolving. In recreating a group’s or site’s foodways, lecture to accompany an exhibit, or as rich as a fully- plan to address all the following: integrated, year round, farm-and-kitchen, from-field-to- • food supply—commercial and domestic includ- table program.
    [Show full text]
  • Striking Field Games
    Striking Field Games www.ciraontario.com 1 Table of Contents Baseball: Town Ball....................................................................page 3 Baseball Stretch/Activity Break...............................page 4-5 Soccer Baseball...........................................................page 6 Star Baseball Pass........................................................page 7 Socbask Baseball.........................................................page 8 Indoor Baseball with a Towel.....................................page 9 Indoor Soccer Baseball..............................................page 10 Goof Ball Baseball....................................................page 11 www.ciraontario.com 2 Town Ball A fun and historic variation of baseball. Visit this site for game description, rules, and diagrams: http://www.baseball-almanac.com/ruletown.shtml www.ciraontario.com 3 Baseball Stretch/Activity Break By: John Byl 1. Around the Horn Have each table crumple up two pieces of paper into a ball--the player with the ball passes it to the second person on their right. Have a practice round and see which table can pass the balls around the quickest so that everyone has touched a ball at least twice--when a table is done they sing the chorus line, "We are the Champions." Add two more balls for a total of four balls and do the same. Add a ball so that everyone has a ball--each player needs to catch 8 balls (each team should loudly call out each successful thrown and catch) before the team sings, "We are the champions." Give groups time to develop strategy for most effectively passing the ball--remember though that this activity is about activity not about taking a lot of time to strategize. 2. An Afternoon at the Ballpark Demonstrate various actions at the ballpark, then have everyone do the actions as you call them out (repeat some of the actions and go in different orders.
    [Show full text]
  • Wiffle Ball Unit Baseball/Softball Notes
    Wiffle Ball Unit Baseball/softball Notes IN THE BEGINNING THE LEGEND AND THE TRUTH Many children in the United States grow up believing that Abner Doubleday. According to legend, in 1839 Doubleday invented a game called town ball. A man who claimed to be a Doubledays’ childhood friend told a group investigating the origins of baseball that he was there in 1839 when Doubleday created the national pastime. When a tattered baseball was found among Doubleday’s belongings after his death, the legend was accepted as fact. The 1907 commission believed the Doubleday story. That tattered ball is now enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, which was built in Cooperstown, New York, near the field where Doubleday supposedly gave birth to the game. (See the book Abner Doubleday: Young Baseball Pioneer at Amazon.com) It makes a great story, but further investigation shows it probably isn’t true. Doubleday’s friend may have been in Cooperstown in 1839, but Doubleday himself was 170 miles away at West Point where he was a cadet at the United States Military Academy. Doubleday kept detailed journals of his life but never once mentioned baseball. Hmmm… Base ball (it was often written as two words) was mentioned in published material well before 1939. In a children’s alphabet book published in England in 1744, the letter B is represented by base ball. The first reference to baseball in a book printed in the United States occurred in 1834, five years before the game was even officially invented by Doubleday. IN THE BEGINNING THE LEGEND AND THE TRUTH Many children in the United States grow up believing that Abner Doubleday.
    [Show full text]
  • Baseball Takes Root in Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska
    Fort Hays State University FHSU Scholars Repository Monographs 2020 Baseball Takes Root in Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska Mark E. Eberle Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.fhsu.edu/all_monographs Part of the History Commons Baseball Takes Root in Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska Mark E. Eberle Baseball Takes Root in Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska © 2020 by Mark E. Eberle Cover image used with permission of the Kansas State Historic Society, Topeka. Kansas Memory (kansasmemory.org). Copy and reuse restrictions apply. Recommended citation: Eberle, Mark E. 2020. Baseball Takes Root in Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska. Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas. 20 pages. Baseball Takes Root in Kansas, Colorado, and Nebraska Mark E. Eberle The Kansas and Nebraska Territories were established in 1854, each encompassing more area than the current states. The Kansas Territory extended west to the continental divide, including much of what would become the eastern portion of the Colorado Territory in 1861. The Nebraska Territory initially extended across much of the current states of Montana and Wyoming, as well as the western portions of North and South Dakota and part of Colorado. Statehood came for Kansas in January 1861, as southern states seceded from the Union. Nebraska became a state after the US Civil War in March 1867. Colorado was granted statehood during the nation’s centennial year in August 1876. Residents of all three territories enjoyed playing and watching baseball. The spread of baseball around the country beyond the Northeast is sometimes associated with soldiers returning home who learned the game during the Civil War. In the West, soldiers on active duty sometimes brought the sport with them as they served on the frontier.
    [Show full text]