Governor to Help Celebrate Completion of Little League's Southeastern Region Headquarters
| Friday, June 11, 2010 |
Contact: Office of Communications 404-651-7774
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WARNER ROBINS – Governor Sonny Perdue will join Little League officials, special guests and local officials to celebrate the completion of Little League’s new Southeastern Region Headquarters tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. in the stadium. Little League broke ground on the Southeastern Region Headquarters in May 2009.
“As a former Little Leaguer, I am happy to officially welcome Little League to Warner Robins,” Governor Perdue said. “Little League’s decision to locate its Southeastern Region Headquarters in Warner Robins is the beginning of what I believe will be a long-lasting partnership. I look forward to attending the Southeastern championships right here in my hometown for years to come.”
The $5.5 million, 26.08-acre complex has been taking shape over the past year. Since the beginning of the year, the Administration Building has been completed and the baseball stadium has become a visible part of the local landscape.
Little League Southeastern Region Director Jennifer Colvin and her staff completed their move from the previous region headquarters in Florida to their new home in early February. They spent a few months in a temporary office in Perry (provided by Flint Energies), before settling into the 10,400-square-foot Administration Building, which signaled the close of the first phase of construction.
The second phase included the completion of the stadium, to be named Little League Southeast Park, as well as a maintenance facility, restrooms, concession stands, gift shops and batting cages. The stadium, which has lights provided by Musco Sports Lighting, will seat 2,500 fans with a hillside area around the field bringing total capacity to approximately 5,000. A portion of the stadium seats is covered by a canopy. All facilities have been completed, despite some weather delays along the way, in time for the dedication.
The complex, located on Snellgrove Drive, was made possible by financial and in-kind support from Houston County, the Houston County Development Authority, the City of Warner Robins, Flint Energies, OneGeorgia Authority and Musco Sports Lighting.
“A number of people have come together to make this project possible and we are grateful to all of those people for their hard work in making this facility one that we are proud of,” Stephen D. Keener, President and Chief Executive Officer of Little League International, said. “We trust this is the beginning of a relationship that will prosper, while providing the Southeastern Region with first-rate facilities and an important center for Little League activity.”
Morgan Law, the Executive Director of the Houston County Development Authority, believes the benefits of the facility being built in Warner Robins are wide-ranging.
“Our community is incredibly honored to be the new home for the Southeastern Regional Headquarters,” said Mr. Law, who led the effort to recruit the regional headquarters. “I believe our partnership with Little League International will grow in the years to come as athletes and their families come to Warner Robins to participate in the tournaments and sample our Southern hospitality.”
The selection of Warner Robins as the site for Little League’s regional center came after interest was expressed by 18 cities in six states at the start of the process in the summer of 2008. That list was reduced to three, and then to two, before Warner Robins, centrally located in the state, was selected. The facility will serve as the administrative center for Little League’s operation for the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
The annual Southeastern Region Tournament for both Little League Baseball (ages 11-12), which begins Aug. 6, and Little League Softball (ages 11-12), which starts July 28, will be played at the Warner Robins facility. The winner of those tournaments will represent the Southeastern Region in its respective World Series. The final three games of the Little League Baseball Southeastern Region Tournament will be televised live nationally on ESPN or ESPN2.
“We are proud and excited to have the Little League Southeastern Region Headquarters in Warner Robins,” said Chuck Shaheen, Mayor of Warner Robins. “Little League promotes the same values that Warner Robins promotes: family first, team spirit and good sportsmanship.”
Little League teams from Georgia have won three Little League Baseball World Series titles, including the championship in 2006 and 2007. The 2007 winner was Warner Robins American Little League. Last year, Warner Robins added another champion as the Little League Softball team captured the World Series title.
The newest of Little League’s five U.S. regional centers replaces the previous headquarters, located in Gulfport, Fla., which had served as the headquarters since 1967.
Little League Baseball and Softball is the world’s largest organized youth sports program, with nearly 2.6 million players and 1 million adult volunteers in every U.S. state and scores of other countries.
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