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Female softball players in Surrey, B.C. want to – literally – have a level playing field

Young female softball players in British Columbia’s South Surrey and White Rock area are looking are looking for a level playing field – literally.

The fields at Sunnyside Park in South Surrey are built on sloped land, creating a safety concern for players. Athletes have tripped and hurt themselves while playing the game.

Four of the park’s diamonds aren’t irrigated and one has been called “a joke,” with home runs being hit regularly with parked cars getting hit. This was occurring in U11 play.

Without irrigation on the fields, the South Surrey White Rock Minor Softball Association cannot host tournaments.

A master plan for the park was in place in 2007, but further funding wasn’t allocated to complete the phases following the construction of the fifth and sixth diamonds. The park in its current state fails to meet the needs of competitive softball, and all fields cannot be utilized simultaneously in its existing configuration.

Surrey’s parks facility operations manager says he’s unsure why the master plan stalled, but added plans are in place to re-examine the state of the park and see what improvements can be made.