The History of Gloversville Little League

The History of Gloversville Little League. . Little League® Baseball and Softball in Gloversville was the brainchild of local businessmen James Del Negro and John Kline back in 1954. At that time, Little League® Baseball was only 15 years old and had approximately 300 chartered leagues across the United States. Del Negro and Kline received the backing of the Gloversville Rotary Club who promised to sponsor teams in a league the following spring. Rotary member Joseph Giblin was named chairman of the initiative and was assisted by fellow members Lawrence Getman, Del Negro and Kline. Their first task was to secure Gloversville's first Little League® Baseball Charter. They then received permission from Richard Parkhurst, owner of the Parkhurst Field grounds that once housed the A., J. and G professional baseball team on Harrison Street, to utilize the property for games. The group then solicited the help of the Gloversville War Veteran's to help run the league. This group of determined volunteers then readied the historic baseball grounds that once featured many greats of the early days of Professional Baseball such as Honus Wagner, Cy Young and Moonlight Doc Graham at the turn of the 20th Century., The league began with one field (eventually named Frank Trippoda Field) and one division (Majors) that allowed players ages 9-12 and consisted of six teams. Official play began play on June 6, 1955 and featured games that day between the Gloversville Rotary Club vs. Rulison's Leather, and the Catholic War Veterans vs. Decca Records. The league was rounded out by two other teams sponsored by the Del Negro-Kline Pharmacy and Peter's Oil. As interest in the league grew, a second field (later named Michael DiMarco Field) and a Minors Division was created to allow players ages 7-11 to play. A concession stand (later named the William Kratky Clubhouse) was built by local construction contractor William Kratky and volunteers in 1961. Expansion continued in 1969 when the Senior Division for players ages 13-15 was created along with a third field (later named Phil Ruggeri Field). The 1975 season welcomed girls being allowed to play in the league. The 1980's brought the addition of a Tee Ball Division for players ages 4-7 and a fourth field (later James Lauria Field). In 1992, a Girls Softball Field (later named John Callahan Field) was built and brought the addition of a Girls Softball Division for Girls ages 9-12. The funding for this project was part of a major capital campaign to raise funds to purchase the Parkhurst Field Facility from the Parkhurst Family. This historic transaction led to the Gloversville Little League becoming one of the few Upstate NY Youth Sports Organizations that independently owns the facility that it plays on. In the 1990's, the league grew again with the addition of an Intermediate Division for players aged 6-8 and a sixth field (later named Joe Roucco Field). A Challenger Division was added to the league in 2011 that caters to children ages 4-21 with emotional and physical disabilities and was the only such division of its kind in Fulton and Montgomery Counties. A seventh field was added to the facility in 2012 in the form of a second Tee Ball Field (later named John Walrath Field) to accommodate both Tee Ball and Challenger Games. In 2013, a new 50/70 Division was added to the program for 13 year olds. This was a modification of the original Senior Division that moved the pitching rubber to 50' and the base lines to 70'. In 2013, the Parkhurst Field Museum was created to tell the story of the history of the facility dating back to 1906 when it first opened as the home park for the A., J. and G's in the New York State Professional Baseball League. The museum also chronicles the early days of the Gloversville Little League on the grounds up through its 65+ years of hosting instruction and competition for area youth.