In the Beginning

1949 the Beginning

1949 “Alderwood Athletic Association”

The league may have been called or part of “Alderwood Athletic Association” and played where the Chrysler Daimler plant is today at Browns Line and Lakeshore. The club featured other sports events for local children in Alderwood and the southern surrounding areas such as Long Branch and New Toronto.

1950-1954 Alderwood Softball League Teams

By 1951 Alderwood Softball League had its independence in their first park at Alderwood Memorial Park (Valermo & Sheldon). There were separate boys and girls teams as old as eighteen years of age. Alderwood Softball went under the name “Alderwood Softball League” till early seventies, and then it was known as an “Alderwood Softball Association”.

As the league grew over the years, the League started to use, Sir Adam Beck School, Lanor Public School, and Flintkote Park. Flintkote Park was an open piece of land unused but owned by the Flintkote Company on the south-east corner of 30th Street and Horner Ave. The Flintkote Company of Canada Limited began production of asphalt tile at it’s brand new plant in Etobicoke, on August 26, 1946.

It was totally up to the members to maintain cutting the grass and outlining the ball diamond. The company is no longer there today and the land has been developed for commercial use.

1954 Hurricane Hazel

Hurricane Hazel devastated most of southern Etobicoke washing out trailer parks at the base of Etobicoke creek, and flooding lands as far north as the park. Our future home park, Etobicoke Valley Park at 72A Westhead Drive, was littered with trees and wreckage from Hazel. Many homes lost much of their backyards facing the creek from rain, causing landslides.

The Borough of Etobicoke, as it was known back then, used relief funds from Hurricane Hazel. The park was reconstructed with two soccer fields, which didn’t last long, and two caged diamonds for our players with no night lights on the main diamond, washrooms or snack bar. The League still maintained home field at Alderwood Memorial Park, while the diamonds in the Valley were being constructed.

As the saying goes, “Build it and they will come”, and so we did, making Etobicoke Valley our Home Diamonds. The city built washrooms, and installed light standards on the “A” diamond. You will notice a horseshoe bench by the big tree near the bottom of the stairs. It was set up as the original snack bar. A car would back up to the opening and sell snacks to players and parents.

1973 The New Era "Alderwood Softball Association

Alderwood Softball went from a League to Association in 1973. The association grew and had boys and girl teams. They had developed into top calibre teams, competing and winning the all Etobicoke Division Champions. During the mid-seventies both Girls and Boys Juvenile Rep teams would go on to win the All Ontario Provincial Titles. It was said that the registration was around 300-400 player during the 70s.

The 80s and Today “Mixed Teams”

The time of Girls and Boys having separate teams was over by 1980 and mixed teams became the norm. The population was in a decline due to other sport activities being introduced, like soccer, football, and the growing local interest in Lacrosse along with Hardball.

By 2005 there were only four mixed divisions, T-Ball, Mites, Squirts, and Peewee, with no select teams. Kids seem to lose interest as they reached high school and their team sports.

Alderwood still remains today the only self-sustaining league in Etobicoke and has not amalgamated with anyone, like many of the others have to survive. This is a credit to the many that believed in Alderwood and its Players, making it the oldest Softball club in the city still alive.

Why this BLOG?

It was not till 2009, the acclaimed 60th Anniversary that we realized that we had no history documented. Stories of past have traveled in memories of the old players and coaches but never recorded. After sixty years it was time to tell their stories of a hidden secret, the success of Alderwood Softball.

In 2009 ASA (Alderwood Softball Association) got together with some of the league’s alumni of the seventies to put together some history of the past 60 years of softball in Alderwood. Yes we all had photos of teams we played for or coached along with news articles. The time line was started with photos, names, and places of the seventies. They told us about Alderwood Softball League and the team structure. Teams that won provincial titles were girls or boys teams of the seventies. The boy’s teams that won city titles also help put Alderwood on the map. Alderwood was in a boom time and it has been said that Alderwood Softball housed about 400 kids. Just check out some of the photos and the number of players on the team, 12-16 players! Shocking!

Finding people to put together photos and stories was a chore as many had moved away from the area, or are no longer with us. Some stored their memories in boxes and stored them away.

In 2010 we got together with another group, the “Alderwood ‘Old Timers’ Breakfast Club”, who get together on the first Tuesday of every month to reminisce. This men’s club had all at one time or another played softball for Alderwood and lived in the neighbourhood. They were the origin of our league from 1949 to mid-fifties. The club members’ average age is seventy.

By the end of 2014 Alderwood Softball completed 65 years of commitment to its community of Alderwood. So remember every picture tells a story and they are here in the "History of Alderwood Softball".