Minnetonka Diamond Club.

"Legacy Fields" Are The New Home of Tonka Softball
It's official. The announcement was made to over 200 softball supporters during the Breakfast at Bayview celebration.

MGSA President Denise Swanson unveiled the winning name to thunderous applause at the Breakfast at Bayview, March 1st. The drama of the naming has been building since last November. It was then that Mark and Joan Steingas made a $50,000 donation to the fundraising for the new fields at Minnetonka High School. With the donation came the opportunity to name the fields.

But, adding to their generosity, the Steingas' opened the naming to a vote. Open naming suggestions were submitted for weeks leading up to MGSA registration in late January. Several semifinal choices were voted on at registration.

"Legacy Fields is a perfect name," commented Swanson. "It represents the lifelong nature of softball as a sport and the enduring legacy these fields as a commitment of the community to girls athletics."

Clayton Beitel

Softball Program Development Project - (pdf / 1MB)

For nearly a year now we have been working to make a girl’s softball park at MHS a reality. On Monday, January 22^nd, we came one step closer as the Minnetonka City Council gave us permission to build. Last fall the school district approved an operating agreement that finances the package that is similar to the approached used for Veterans Field and the Tonka Dome. Monday was a HUGE day for this project.

So now the future of this project is in our hands. When we raise $160K cash by April 20th we will break ground June 1st and be playing in the new park in April of 2008. We have already raised $48K against that April 20th goal. We need individuals like you to help us make this happen. Please link to www.minnetonkadiamondclub.org/donations.htm to see ways you might help.

Members of the Diamond Club and a group of passionate softball boosters have been chasing a dream of a girl’s complex for the past nine months. Last fall we received approval of a financing package from the school district and are now have city approve to move forward. This group has already raised $156,000 toward the $1,000,000 project and is seeking help from the community to complete the project.

Here is some background: A recent capacity study conducted by the City of Minnetonka Parks Board indicated a shortage of 10 softball fields in the community. In fact, all of the fields currently used by the girls program are shared with either baseball or adult softball. Additionally, the most accomplished softball teams play all their games away from Minnetonka. The nearly 600 softball players do not even have a premier home field where they can aspire to play.

This is a situation that members of the Diamond Club are determined to remedy. They are hoping to build a four field softball pinwheel at Minnetonka High School in the area where two fields exist today. The fields will be surrounded by new trees and at the heart of the park will be a common area that softball fans can claim as their own. The high caliber complex will be the center of both the slow pitch and fast pitch communities and we expect that it will be the site of one or two invitational tournaments each year.

Just like Veterans Field, this project will be funded by a unique partnership with the school district and the community. The money raised to date comes from individuals and the girls’ league. However, the school has also pledged to help with a financing package and the club will also approach the City of Minnetonka with a request for help. Many local businesses have also expressed a desire to play a part in supporting the project.

The Diamond Club is a qualified 501c3 and as such enables you to receive a tax deduction for your gift.