Yesterday Governor Ricketts put out a revised health measure that outlines the steps for getting youth sports back into action. You can read that measure Here
This comes as good news for the Local Legion baseball team according to board member Anthony Kuhlman.
"We have always preached to our boys baseball is like life. You will always be faced with adversity, how you work to over that will define who you are. So we will overcome these hurdles and the boys WILL play baseball this summer. " Says Kuhlman.
As of right now, Legion baseball on a national level has been effectively cancelled with the organization earlier this year coming out and saying they will not hold any tournaments at the regional level or higher. They have also come out and said that teams wishing to continue playing this season will be participating in a sporting event not sponsored, nor endorsed in any manner, by the American Legion National Organization. Any baseball team that continues play in the 2020 season must understand that they are not playing as an American Legion National Organization “registered” team.
Here in North platte they intend to play on. The North Platte First Nationals are all eager and excited to get back out on the diamond. They are still holding sign-ups which you can do online still here
The team fully expects to start practice by June 1st and will play an abbreviated schedule this summer. That schedule is still being worked out by Legion member Brian Butterfield, who is trying to put together a season in just two weeks, a process that usually takes months.
The fight is not over yet for the team however, as this season will be a major blow financially for the team.
"Our biggest hurdle will be the financial part." Says Kuhlman, "The way we raise money for the team is every player sells tickets to home games. We do have a major corporate sponsor in First National Bank that helps with yearly needs but the majority is ticket sales. We also make a little bit from concessions each game, but with the new directives we have a major obstacle to overcome."
Fans of Legion Baseball will still be able to support the team if you want to make a financial contribution you can find the team's contact information here.