About Alderwood Softball

We are located in Alderwood, a district of Toronto. We have been around since 1949, over sixty-five years and have been the home for many children in Etobicoke to play softball.

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Check out videos on side bar for 2012, 2008 and 2004 Funfest

Please read "1949 the Begining" to get an insite about OUR History!

Remember picture are not in order, you must use the YEARS list on the right side.

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1949 the Begining

1949 “Alderwood Athletic Association”
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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.

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1950-1954 Alderwood Softball League
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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 late Sixties, and then it was known as an 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 its 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.
 

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1954 Hurricane Hazel
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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 Dr, 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 and the parks and recreation built two soccer fields 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, Alderwood Memorial Park, while the diamonds in the Valley were being constructed.

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The New Era "Alderwood Softball Association

Alderwood went from a League to Association in 1973. The times of Girls and Boys having separate teams was over and Mixed teams became the norm. The population was in a decline and other sport activities were rising. By 2005 there was only four mixed divisions, T-Ball, Mites, Squirts, and Peewee with no select teams. Alderwood still remains 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 believe in Alderwood and it's Players.

Why this blog?

It was not till 2009, the acclaimed 60th Anniversary that we realized that we had no history documented. Stories of past, 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 and so did they. 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 girl’s 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 pull together photos and stories was a chore as many had moved away from the area or are no longer with us.

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 neighborhood. They were the origin of our league from 1949 to mid fifties. The club members average age is seventy.


So remember every picture tells a story and you can read their stories under several pictures in the "History of Alderwood Softball".

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