CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Northwest Little League announced in January that after more than 50 years of existence, the league has disbanded.
League president Dawn Bryant said the league dissolved because of lack of volunteers and participation.
“I’ve been on the Northwest Little League Board for the last 12 years, and I’ve coached for the last 13 years,” Bryant told Clarksville Now. “Every year, we had less and less participation; every year we had less and less volunteers.
“You can’t run a nonprofit organization without volunteers by your side,” she said. “Everyone wants a program to run, but no one wants to volunteer. At the end of the day, a league cannot maintain itself, whether you have a beautiful park or a not-so-beautiful park, without people involved.”
Bryant held two meeting in the fall to share her concerns. No one showed up at the first meeting, so she held a second one, but again, no one attended.
“We brought the issue to the existing board,” said Bryant. “However, most of the individuals that made up the little league board didn’t have the time to be a part of the board any longer. It came down to two members, which you can’t run a board with only two members. This led the remaining members to vote to deactivate and disband Northwest Little League.”
What’s next for Stokes Field
Stokes Field, home of the league, is owned by the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System and is currently being leased by the city of Clarksville. However, according to Montgomery County spokeswoman Michelle Newell, the county has begun the process of transferring and taking over the lease themselves.
The County Commission voted in June 2022 to approve $8 million to “bring Stokes Field alive.” The county plans to honor that commitment even with the news of Northwest Little League disbanding, Newell said.
The county’s engineering department is working with Parks and Recreation and a third party to develop a design to give Stokes Field a breath of fresh air. All parties involved are in the design phase of the project, so there’s a long way to go.
“This project is very important to the county and especially to the people who live near Stokes Field. We are excited about this project. Once the design is in place, we look forward to sharing it,” Newell said.
As for Bryant, she looks forward to hearing about the county’s timeline for the park, because it’s been a conversation that’s been going on for over four years.
Moving forward, families in the Northwest Little League territory will be divided between St. Bethlehem Little League and Clarksville National Little League. Where you play is determined by where you live or goes to school. Information about signing up is on the league Facebook page.