Ballfields are silent in Fallbrook, but for how long?

The boys and girls of summer are missing from Fallbrook’s sports fields these days – and there’s no indication that they will be back anytime soon.

Nationally, even the most optimistic projections indicate that youth sports could begin to start in August, which eliminates an entire season for sports such as baseball and girls’ softball.

For the first time in history, the Little League World Series has been canceled, having been held every year since 1947.

The coronavirus pandemic, and the state and county restrictions imposed on communities all over the country, put at risk other popular sports seasons like Pop Warner football and youth soccer leagues like the Fallbrook-Bonsall Youth Soccer Leagues.

Making matters worse, many nonprofit sports organizations not only depend on signups for operating revenue, but they also depend on local businesses, such as restaurants, and corporations for sponsorship dollars each year.

Given the fact that few local businesses have been operational in town for the past two months, the likelihood of having the expendable income to spend on a youth sports league sponsorship is dwindling by the day.

That loss has inspired representatives from the Congressional Caucus on Youth Sports to send a letter to Congress asking for federal funding to help keep youth sports leagues alive.

The request has come under criticism, according to a report by Axiom, because there are those in the youth sports community that doubt where and how the money will be used.

There is also the question of whether federal funding should be used on programs that aren’t necessarily inclusive for all children.

Compounding the potentially disastrous effects of the coronavirus pandemic on youth sports leagues is the trend that indicates a downward slide in the number of children that are participating in organized youth sports.

According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, only 38% of children between the ages of six to 12 played team sports in 2018. A decade earlier, that number was 45%.

Furthering the dilemma is the pull of pay-to-play club sports teams which are drawing children away from recreational youth sports leagues each year for the opportunity to compete at a higher level.

Fewer players participating in fewer sports with some athletes concentrating on only one sport from a very young age is having significant effects at the high school level. Eventually, that will likely bleed into the college and professional level.

That’s why the survival of recreational sports leagues is so important across all measurable data when it comes to child development.

According to Psychology Today, “Generally, studies indicate three important aspects of sports participation that affect positive youth development – intensity, continuity and balance. A combination of all three offers the greatest benefits to kids.”

According to Stanford Children’s Health, participation in youth sports can result in children who are less likely to develop vision problems, healthier weight, better motor skills and social skills development, self-confidence and sportsmanship. Fun and enjoyment and friendship development are also key benefits.

So what are local sports leagues doing? A full cancellation of a season has yet to take place, most are in a holding pattern.

According to Natalie Peete, cheer coordinator for Fallbrook Pop Warner, the league is continuing to accept signups, albeit online only.

“Our president just had a meeting the other night with all the other teams and leagues for Pop Warner,” she said. “Right now for Fallbrook, we’re pushing forward. We’ve been instructed, go ahead, push forward and do the registration. We are not doing any in-person registrations, only online.”

Peete said that if the word comes down in the next few weeks that the season will be canceled, they will be offering full refunds. She said that the league is offering all types of payment plan options as well and players can continue to sign up through the extended registration deadline of Aug. 1.

“We’re in the process of locking in our head coaches for each of the divisions,” Peete said. “We have a lot of assistant coaches already. We are trying to reach out to some of the kids, checking up on them, checking up on some of our families, especially the ones that have been with Pop Warner for some time.”

She said, for the most part, the children are handling it pretty well.

“The biggest thing is we keep hearing that they’re just hoping for a season,” Peete said. “They’re hoping that the season happens. They want to play football; they want to cheer. Especially our 14-year-olds, we have a lot of kids that this is their last season with Pop Warner. So if this doesn’t happen for them, they’re gonna definitely be bummed. It’s just a lot of the wishing and the hoping from the kids.

“We’re telling them, ‘Hey, you know, we can’t be together right now, but we’re putting up videos from the league president and myself, we want to make some from the head coaches to the kids. Anything we can do to try to keep the communication open as much as possible,” she said.

Village News reached out to several other leagues in the Fallbrook area but were not able to reach them before press time.

Jeff Pack can be reached by email at [email protected].