The Town of Brownsburg is home to one of the largest Little League programs in the state today. Finding a permanent home for young athletes has been an ongoing process and discussion for years, but this year, ball players – and anyone in youth sports, for that matter – are excited about plans for the future.
Those who might recall previous discussions know all too well that the need has been great. The youth teams are leveraging any park space they can find. They use common areas in local neighborhoods and church properties, searching for any spot they can conduct a practice.
Jason Grisez is president of the newly formed Brownsburg Youth Sports nonprofit, and he said it’s not just a baseball problem; it’s an issue for all youth sports.
According to Grisez, as the community continues to grow, so does the need for space to practice and play, and the sports programs are falling behind.
Instead of concentrating on the Little League program specifically, leaders, coaches, and volunteers formed the Brownsburg Youth Sports organization, which supports all youth sports in the area.
“We were going to the farmers market and someone would tell us they were new in town, or their kids were now old enough to register,” said Grisez. “They would ask where they needed to sign up and we thought, ‘Why not create one website and one location for all Brownsburg Youth Sports?’”
That unity resulted in Grisez and others leading the charge in the creation of a youth sports complex.
The conversation began with a deal between Brownsburg Youth Sports and Brownsburg Community School Corporation.
“The Brownsburg girls softball Little League has property across from the high school and Brownsburg Schools had property out by St. Malachy,” Grisez said. “The idea was to do a land swap, and it would give us an opportunity to build baseball and softball diamonds out there.”
Using local companies, they quickly got to work doing land studies and creating an official plan. Phase one includes a clover of four baseball and softball diamonds with a concession stand. Phase two includes another clover of four baseball and softball diamonds, with a storage building. Phase three will be their Championship diamonds, with one dedicated field for the Challenger program.
“The Challenger program through Little League is for our special-needs community, and it’s a part of our program we’re very proud of,” Grisez said.
Established in 1989, the separate division of Little League invites ages 5 to 22, if still in high school, to enjoy the game of baseball, and includes “buddies” for each participant on the field.
The Championship diamonds would be closer to the parking area, with additional features for functionality, allowing wheelchairs and walkers to easily navigate.
The plan is to break ground as soon as possible.
“We’ll need a year or so for the grass to mature so we need to get started,” Grisez said. “Our goal is to be playing on phase one in July of 2026. That’s when the ownership will transfer from the Girls Softball program to the Brownsburg Community School Corporation.”
The goal is for the project to not just be about baseball and softball. Other amenities on the proposed complex include a walking trail, a playground/park space and more.
“We’re thinking we can host community events,” said Grisez. “The walking trail will connect to the walking path at Ronald Reagan, so there’s tremendous opportunity there. We’re thinking about creating spaces for walking the dog or going for a run. We’ve allocated space for the kids to play, and we want to host community events like movies in the park and others.”
Not only will the sports complex provide an opportunity for all youth sports in the future, but it’s also an economic generator for Brownsburg, and all five members of the Town Council have signed a letter of support.
“When folks travel in, they’re going to need a place to sleep, eat, gas up the car, etcetera,” said Grisez. “It makes a ton of sense in terms of the community. It’ll be a return on investment from a financial standpoint with a tremendous amount of value when we host tournaments. It’s an opportunity to highlight our sports programs as well as a central place to market sponsorships and promotions.”
The overall vision allows business sponsors and individual supporters to get involved and support all Brownsburg youth sports, rather than one team or another. A banner at the sports complex will be displayed in front of the largest sports foot-traffic area in the town, and the funds will support everyone under the nonprofit.
The excitement is building as a longtime dream is slowly coming to fruition. Ultimately, the Brownsburg Youth Sports nonprofit hopes to showcase youth talent and give athletes the quality facilities they deserve.
For more information, visit brownsburgsports.org.
Comments 3
What about soccer? You mention all youth sports, but only have plans for softball & baseball fields? How much is all this eventually going to cost me, a taxpayer, who has no kids in school anymore?
Hendricks Community Soccer (currently plays near Bethesda) is planning to move out to this location, too. I don’t believe any of these organizations are supported by taxes.
https://www.facebook.com/BrownsburgVeracity/posts/pfbid02ZS9voRhrk7kmiK9QNqL5B1dJJ8p8T81tLMXimNxHwpEQ1kKrFyAWj6R1EhepY8KKl
Land Swap is not true. BGSL sold their property valued at over 1 million for about $300,000 which is school.board minutes and entered in an agreement with the school.for 30 years at 40,000 a year to pay them. I would ask for the books of BGSL and do an audit