The future for baseball in Moose Jaw is about to get a whole lot brighter … literally.
With interest in the game continuing to rise and availability of diamonds starting to diminish, Moose Jaw Little League officials needed to find a solution.
President Bobby Hill says they have always had a list of capital projects and lighting at Gamble Diamond on the city’s east side was often placed at the bottom of the list because of cost.
They found an opportunity with the Jays Care “Field of Dreams” program with its annual allotment of grants for infrastructure upgrade projects across Canada.
They went through the application process then had to wait until a special Blue Jays Central broadcast on June 7 to find out if they would be one of the winning applicants.
More than 150 kids and supporters packed into the Crushed Can Rec Room and Bar in Moose Jaw to watch the announcement.
“The excitement was incredible,” Hill told Saskatchewan Dugout Stories. “We had as many kids as we could sitting in front of the TVs when the announcement was made, and the crowd exploded with excitement when they saw our name show up for the west.”
He says it’s been a remarkable few days getting to speak with many around the community and those connected with baseball in Saskatchewan, adding that the work is only just getting started.
THE RIGHT TIME TO BID
Interestingly, Hill and his team almost didn’t go through the application process.
The Moose Jaw Little League Board of Directors had looked into the grant in 2025, and he admits they “were a bit scared off by the complexity of the application process.”
“We’re a 100 percent volunteer-run board, so this work happens after hours and sometimes pulls us away from our families and jobs,” Hill said.
After taking the summer to think it over, he says they felt like they were in a better position to be more meticulous about their planning for a bid.
It also didn’t hurt that one of the board members volunteered to spearhead the paperwork.
Feeling like they had nothing to lose, they decided to forge ahead.
THE CROWD GOES WILD
Knowing that the announcement was coming the first weekend of June, Hill and the board got to work on preparing a watch party for the event.
He approached the Crushed Can unsure of how many people would want to show up.
“We reached out to some of our teams, past players and local delegates, expecting 40-50 people,” Hill said. “We ended up filling the place with around 150 and the excitement was so incredible.”
Even Mayor James Murdock didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see something big happen for his community.
And when the announcement was made: pure pandemonium.
“The excitement in the room was unforgettable,” Murdock said in a Facebook post. “This investment will bring lights to Gamble Diamond, creating more opportunities for our young athletes, and helping Moose Jaw attract future provincial and national tournaments.”
ALL FOR THE KIDS
Hill says everyone in the community has felt a wide range of emotions over the last few days.
It’s all about the kids and giving them an opportunity to be a part of something special for their community.
The $150,000 grant also allows future generations to play baseball under the lights like the pros or even the hometown Miller Express of the Western Canadian Baseball League do.
Hill says he’s heard from generations of players dating back to the 1950s congratulating them on the project and what it will mean to everyone.
“When you hear from men in the sixties who played back in the day, and what this means to them, and now they can watch their grandkids play under the lights – it’s a full circle moment for a lot of us here in Moose Jaw,” he said.
READ MORE: DiscoverMooseJaw.com’s coverage of the announcement
As exciting as the news was, Hill says they now have a bigger job to do.
The board has met with the project manager who put the full proposal together and they are now working to ensure all contractors who held their prices over the winter are good to go.
Barring any material delays, he hopes they can break ground after the summer baseball season.
If all goes according to plan, by next spring, the lights could come on at Gamble.
“As an organization, we strive to provide the best baseball experience for our kids,” Hill said. “Thanks to the Toronto Blue Jays Care grant, we’re going to make them really feel like big-league players.”
The Moose Jaw project was one of 22 announced across the country, worth more than $2.6 million – the largest-ever in the program’s history.
PREVIOUS YEARS
2024 – More Than A Field – Holdfast
2025 – Dreams Coming True – Hanley and North Regina
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