Youth Athletic Organisation Baseball Bermuda is hosting a community day at Kindley Field on Sunday.

The event, scheduled for 10am to 2.30pm, is open to children aged 6 and up and is designed to welcome new as well as returning families to the YAO Baseball Bermuda programme. Activities on the day include skills development, fun competitions, live games, plus free food, drinks and giveaways, courtesy of Belco.

Some members of the Bermuda Longtails Under-12 baseball team, which won three of the five matches they played in Canada, will be taking part in the “Slugfest”, the last event of the day.

David LaHuta, the YAO Baseball Bermuda director of development, mentioned that they were trying to encourage more young players to take up the sport.

“This community day is about bringing families together and celebrating the role youth sports play in our community,” LaHuta said.

“Our goal is to create a fun, welcoming environment where children can connect, be active and experience the values that little league baseball teaches — teamwork, confidence and sportsmanship.

“We hope the event introduces more children to the game and gives them a positive space to learn, grow and feel part of something bigger than themselves.”

“We’re expecting 150-200 children and their families. The day is meant to share the joy of baseball with our entire island community, not merely our immediate baseball community.

“After all, baseball teaches qualities that benefit students, both on and off the field. Introducing the sport to the general community, would broaden Bermuda’s youth landscape while providing another structured pathway for student athlete development and healthy activity.”

In an effort to make sure more children come out, LaHuta indicated that they worked with the education ministry to spread the word in the schools.

“We’d also like to give back to the community and share our sport with children who might not have the opportunity to play after school or extra curricular sports,” he said.

“This is chiefly why we’ve reached out to the Ministry of Education, which has circulated the event among all public primary and middle schools in addition to notifying all private secondary schools on the island.

“We are especially grateful to our generous corporate sponsors who have made this event possible. We would like to sincerely thank Belco for serving as our presenting sponsor.

“Food and refreshments will be provided with the support of Butterfield & Vallis and BDA Spirits, whose partnership and community commitment are helping us create a meaningful and accessible experience for Bermuda’s young people.”