It is long past time to level the playing field for young female athletes in South Surrey and White Rock.

That鈥檚 how at least one Semiahmoo Peninsula parent of an 11-year-old softball player feels, especially when their team travels to other cities where the playing fields aren鈥檛 too small, or on a slope, or covered with weeds and punctuated with holes.

In light of a recent B.C. Human Rights Tribunal hearing that ruled against the City of Victoria, which tried to quash a complaint filed by a local girls鈥� softball association over the condition of sports fields, Ryan Sharp feels it鈥檚 an excellent time to revisit the state of the softball fields at Sunnyside Park in South Surrey.

He said people look at him 鈥渓ike I鈥檓 crazy鈥� when he talks about the fields getting the upgrades they need.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e all, 鈥楴o one cares. It鈥檒l never get done. It鈥檚 just the girls 鈥� who cares?鈥欌�� Sharp said.

With the park 鈥� home to the South Surrey White Rock Minor Softball Association 鈥� being built on a slope, he said his parents 鈥� and others, including himself 鈥� have tripped and nearly hurt themselves more than once.

鈥淪afety is my Number One concern. We need a level field and we need it to be safe,鈥� Sharp said.

鈥淥ne-hundred per cent they are unsafe. I know I鈥檝e fallen down many times.

鈥淭he kids are pretty resilient, but for parents and grandparents, it鈥檚 brutal. Everyone has seen it.鈥�

鈥淩ight now, No. 5 (diamond) is probably our best one鈥� (diamonds No.) 1 through 4 are not irrigated, and ball diamond No. 6 is an absolute joke 鈥� even in U11 last year, we had people hitting home runs and hitting cars in a parking lot,鈥� he said.

鈥淭hey are not registered softball diamonds. It鈥檚 not even regulation for U15, I don鈥檛 think.鈥�

The lack of regulation fields means the SSWRMSA can never host a tournament, he noted.

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Sharp said he and the players and parents are grateful to have the field time they are granted, but doesn鈥檛 understand why the softball fields are still at such sub-par levels, especially when compared to other softball and baseball fields in the city, as well as softball fields in neighbouring cities.

鈥�(The City of Surrey) had this big giant document in 2007 about a plan of action鈥� it just fizzled,鈥� he said, referring to the City鈥檚 2007 Sunnyside Park Master Plan.

The plan, which can be found , 鈥渋s a long-term vision for the park that will upgrade neighbourhood amenities and create additional capacity for the thriving sport of minor softball,鈥� according to a 2007 corporate City report.

Thomas Bell, president of the SSWRMSA, said that unfortunately, the City of Surrey did not allocate any further capital to complete the phases after diamonds No. 5 and No. 6 were built.

鈥淪ixteen years have gone by and time has not been kind to the Sunnyside Park softball fields. The infields and outfields are significantly sloped. A well-placed ground ball often becomes a home run instead of a single. The park, in its current state, does not meet the requirements of competitive softball,鈥� he said, adding the grass fields are uneven and 鈥渇ull of holes from dogs and from lack of maintenance over the years.鈥�

The current configuration of fields also overlap each other, Bell said, so all the fields cannot be used at the same time.

鈥淭he 2007 plan would see the fields reversed in a traditional clover leaf configuration, so that they face away from each other. This layout will allow each diamond to have its own outfield and vastly improve the safety for players,鈥� he noted.

He and other stakeholders have been in talks with representatives from the City, Bell said, and 鈥渁fter 16 years of waiting, I am very optimistic that the City will finally move forward with these much-needed improvements.鈥�

With the improvements, the softball association would be able to host tournaments such as districts, provincials and even nationals, said Bell.

鈥淭hese generate revenue, which we would earmark to build batting cages and pitching lanes, with a longer-term goal of building an indoor training facility. Currently, there are no indoor softball training facilities in South Surrey,鈥� he said, adding that it costs upward of $90 per hour for any team to rent facilities from other sports, at undesirable time slots.

鈥淥ur softball players have gone on to excel at colleges and universities as well as on the international stage. I can only imagine what South Surrey could produce in terms of high-level female athletes if we had adequate facilities in which to train and play,鈥� Bell said.

Hugh Norris, City of Surrey parks facility operations manager, couldn鈥檛 answer why the 2007 master plan has stalled for so long.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 a great question. In my mind, it is still on鈥� there were some complications with it for awhile,鈥� Norris said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 back on 鈥� we鈥檙e now going to take another look at what we can do to fit in some improved ball diamonds at the park.鈥�

The first step is to establish and assess exactly what work needs to be done, and to 鈥済et a proper, detailed estimate done that we can then put forward for consideration in the capital planning process,鈥� he said.

The renovation required is unique, Norris noted.

鈥淲ith the kind of cut and fill that鈥檚 necessary for a park that, for whatever reason, wasn鈥檛 built flat in the beginning 鈥� I do not know why, it鈥檚 the only park I鈥檝e ever seen like that 鈥� for whatever reason, there must鈥檝e been some mitigating circumstances necessitating it to be built the way it was,鈥� he said.

Heidi Nyline, who is the facilities co-ordinator for SSWRMSA as well as the White Rock Renegades Girls Fastpitch Association, co-ordinates all softball fields in South Surrey for both associations representing all Fastpitch softball players in South Surrey. She is also optimistic that the park will be upgraded sooner, rather than later.

Last season 鈥� fall ball and spring ball combined 鈥� she handled more than 900 requests for bookings for fields in South Surrey for softball, between the Renegades, SSWRMSA and private training, she said.

鈥淲e simply don鈥檛 have the fields to support the growing demand鈥� Thunder (Fastpitch) has added two additional rep teams to their association for the 2024 season and the added volume is going to mean even less field access for our girls in South Surrey,鈥� Nyline noted in an emailed statement.

鈥淲e are in desperate need of our current diamonds to be brought up to a competitive play level but also, a plan to add more diamonds to our South Surrey area. We need an immediate solution for our current shortfall but also a plan to support the development of softball for the long term.鈥�

She and Bell noted that Softball City hosts a world-class, 10-day international tournament each summer that brings a significant economic benefit to South Surrey.

鈥淚t鈥檚 frustrating that we don鈥檛 invest back into a sport that is predominantly female-driven when the benefits and opportunities for our athletes are so big,鈥� she said.

鈥淢y biggest worry is that not only will there not be enough diamonds for our current players to train and play on, but as interest in softball continues to grow amongst female athletes, we will have to cap our registration and send players to associations in other communities.鈥�

Norris emphasized the park upgrades are a priority.

鈥淲e are working on it actively. It鈥檚 got to get into the capital planning process. We will be putting forward a project scope for the renovation of the ball diamonds at Sunnyside,鈥� he said, but couldn鈥檛 give an estimated cost, as it was still being determined.

Sharp said he鈥檒l believe the upgrades will happen when it鈥檚 an item in the city鈥檚 next budget.

鈥淚n my opinion, until it鈥檚 in the 2024 budget 鈥� until it鈥檚 done, I鈥檓 not happy,鈥� Sharp said.

鈥淚 want to see massively accelerated plans鈥� I welcome the news as a parent, and I鈥檓 looking forward (to executive working) with the City on rapid deployment on what needs to be done.鈥�

Sharp said he has been paying close attention to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal ruling in Victoria, and while he doesn鈥檛 think anyone wins in a war, 鈥渋f it comes to it, I have no problem doing it,鈥� when it comes to filing a complaint with the tribunal.

鈥淗opefully it won鈥檛 come to that鈥� but now there鈥檚 a blueprint for the process.鈥�

鈥� with files from Chris Campbell