Dartmouth District Minor Baseball Association

06/24/2026

Feel free to share your comments respectfully with Sam and his fellow councillors.

To erase the legacy or Arthur Merrick and his work for youth baseball isn’t right.

Replacing an accessible, central community focused ball field with an out of the way school field isn’t right.

Adding lights to a softball field doesn’t make this an equitable solution.

Agenda, June 23 Dartmouth Common CricketIt was a relatively light Council meeting (for the public portion anyway), but there were two District 5 items on the agenda. Up first was the potential conversion of the two ball fields on the Dartmouth Common along Thistle Street into a cricket pitch. The .....

06/22/2026

A statement by the Merrick family to the HRM on the proposed changes to the Arthur Merrick Memorial Baseball Field

06/21/2026

Shout out to our Arrows Girls baseball players, coaches, and families as we mark a milestone year of fielding teams in all age groups.

We want to acknowledge Arrows Coordinator Stephan Handerek, the coaching staff, and the girls along with their families for contributing to the advancement of girls' baseball.

We acknowledge the hurdles posed by early season travel issues and will work with Baseball Nova Scotia to alleviate these challenges in the second half.

06/19/2026

The DDMBA Executive would like to clarify the basis for the decision regarding the creation of mid season Provincial qualifier teams.

The DDMBA Board made a unanimous decision—on two separate occasions—to support this decision. In February we decided unanimously, and provided these results to our Club presidents, that all players seeking A-level competition must complete their assessments through the Arrows tryout process and that we would not allow the creation of mid season teams intending on participating in A Level provincial tournaments. This approach was established to ensure a consistent and transparent evaluation standard across the association, while also allowing those assessment results to be shared with member associations to support their own A-level team selection where applicable.

This decision was not made lightly. Over recent seasons, there have been multiple instances of parent groups attempting to independently form teams, as well as the creation of "all-star" teams in 2025. These actions created significant disruption to the recreational program across the DDMBA and resulted in a considerable number of complaints from our membership. In this season alone we had instances of association border hopping with intent on playing for a midseason provincial qualifying team that caused the collapse of a Recreational team, causing affected players to miss out on a seasons play. Maintaining the integrity and balance of our recreational system is a key responsibility of the Board.

In addition, known constraints related to field allocation and the broader operational strain on our system were important factors in our decision-making. A coordinated and structured process is necessary to ensure we can sustainably support all participants today and in the future.

It is also important to note that the opportunity to declare and operate an A-level team for the current season was communicated to all clubs in February, providing equitable notice and the ability for associations to plan accordingly within the established framework. It was also suggested that clubs consider the creation of an All City tournament where they could host their own Invitational tournament.

Also, several member associations that did not have sufficient players to field a full A-level team opened roster spots to athletes from other associations who had participated in the Arrows tryout process. Likewise, some associations supported this collaborative approach by allowing their players to join neighbouring associations to complete competitive rosters. As a result, every player who participated in the Arrows assessment process and wished to play on an A-level team was provided with an opportunity to do so. This approach reflected the Board's objective of maximizing competitive opportunities while maintaining a fair, consistent, and transparent player assessment process across the DDMBA.

The intent of these decisions is not to limit opportunity, but rather to ensure fairness, consistency, and sustainability across both recreational and competitive pathways. The Arrows process was identified as the appropriate mechanism to balance these priorities while still supporting player development and association engagement.

Thank you

06/14/2026

Hello DDMBA Community

We received news that the HRM is moving forward with a proposal to renovate the Dartmouth Commons baseball fields into a single Cricket Field.

The proposal to replace the Dartmouth Commons, a long-established community baseball field with a new cricket facility raises important questions about priorities, participation, and the effective use of public funds by the HRM council.

Our baseball association experienced approximately 30% growth this year and now serves more than 1,600 children and youth across all levels of play. We have struggled this season to find quality playing fields for children. The field in question is a central part of a walkable neighbourhood where families can easily access practices, games, and community events.

In contrast, according to publicly available registration information, indications that the local cricket organization currently only serves approximately 200 registered participants in the HRM.

Despite this significant difference in participation, $1.2 million in provincial funding has been allocated to the HRM for development of a new cricket field at the Commons, while the proposed solution for displaced baseball players is relocation to a renovated facility in an area that has a history of documented public safety concerns.

We have proposed a solution to share the space with the inclusion of lighting to accommodate cricket on off days and into the evenings when our youth players are not using the fields. The response was a study from Toronto where shared solutions don't function well. This isn't a fair comparison when the GTA has a South Asian community that includes 19-24% of the total population and Nova Scotia's South Asian community comprises 3-4% of the total population.

This should not be framed as a choice between baseball and cricket. Communities benefit when opportunities for all sports are expanded and we support the expansion of facilities to include Cricket. The real question is why a thriving program serving more than 1,600 young athletes is being asked to surrender a well-used, accessible field rather than pursuing solutions that accommodate growth in both sports.

Public investments should increase recreational opportunities, preserve safe playing environments, and reflect the needs of the greatest number of participating families. Those principles deserve careful consideration before irreversible decisions are made. We are asking you to voice your concerns respectfully to all the local HRM Councillors and the mayor and also to fill out and share the petition.

Tony ManciniCouncillor Trish Purdy - District 4 Becky Kent - Councillor District 3 .hendsbee.2025 Sam Austin - Councillor Dartmouth Centre Andy Fillmore Cathy Deagle Gammon, District 1 Councillor

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

andy.fillmore .ca

[email protected]

Thank you,

Dartmouth District Minor Baseball Association

https://www.change.org/KeepBaseballOnDartmouthCommons

Save the Dartmouth Commons Baseball Diamonds and Youth Sport Access!

06/09/2026

Parents take note!

Every adult you see on the field is a volunteer.
Every member of our Baseball Associations are volunteers.
Every umpire you see on the field is a child.

Check yourselves before approaching any volunteer or umpire.

Wait 24 hours and reach out to your association president with concerns.

If you think you can do it better....volunteer and help out.

06/07/2026

How it started. How it’s going.

06/07/2026

ARROWS HOME OPENER 2026
Thanks to everyone who made the return of our Home Opener a huge success! Added bonus, all 5 Arrows teams won.

06/06/2026

Arrows Home Opener

06/05/2026