By Staff
NILES – Even though there's snow on the ground, preparations have begun for next year's Niles FOP Little League season.
FOP Baseball President Mike Ratkay recently announced that John Bryant has accepted the position of Vice President of Baseball Operations for the upcoming season. He replaces Scott Glick, who held the position for the past eight years.
A meeting of managers, coaches and parents is planned for the beginning of January to discuss organizational plans for the season. Committees are being formed now and everyone interested in participating with the league is invited to attend.
A special thank you is extended to the entire Glick Family, especially Scott and Eileen, for their hard work and commitment to the Niles FOP baseball program. They have both given a tremendous amount of their time and energy to the success of the Niles FOP Little League program for the past eight years.
During this time, the Little League teams from FOP have seen a great deal of success with six different teams being district champions and going onto the Michigan Little League State Tournament. They have performed all the administrative, equipment, organizational, fundraising and concession operations tirelessly. Their efforts have insured that all players have the ability to play baseball and have provided many scholarships to inter-city youths who could otherwise not afford to play.
The entire community owes the Glick family a big thank you for helping to provide a safe, fun place where kids can learn to "play the game".
There are coaching positions open for the upcoming season. Anyone interested in volunteering for the upcoming season should contact Mike Ratkay or John Bryant through the Niles FOP website.
Information for the organizational meeting will be posted on the Website as well as published in the Niles Daily Star after Jan. 1, 2007.
Signups for any boy or girl (ages 6-12) interested in playing baseball during the 2007 season are going on now. Please go to www.eteamz.com/nilesfopll for registration information.
Niles FOP Little League is the only Little League organization in the Niles area and is open to all players living in the Niles and Buchanan area, including all surrounding townships.